"India will shape world culture" : Koenraad Elst

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>Gaurang Desai <grd_home

>manthan (Manthan)

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>[manthan] "India will shape world culture" : Koenraad Elst

>Mon, 26 Jan 2004 18:02:34 +0000 (UTC)

>

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>India will shape world culture, says Indologist

>Jan 20, 2004

>THe Hindu

>http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/20/stories/2004012003090300.htm

>

>By Our Staff Reporter

>

>COIMBATORE, JAN. 19. India will be the greatest contributor to the

>universal world culture that is likely to develop in the years to

>come, the Indologist Koenraad Elst, said here today.

>

>Delivering a special lecture on `India's image in the West' at the

>Avinashilingam University, Dr. Elst said, "In future, we are going

>to have one universal civilisation in which the most valuable

>elements of every culture will have a place. Most of these will be

>traceable to India."

>

>Many of the worthwhile elements that the Indian civilisation had

>produced over long periods of time would be useful for everyone in

>the world.

>

>Some of these universal precepts such as vegetarianism and yoga

>were now being practised abroad even by people who had never

>visited India.

>

>"At present, the rest of the world is standing in awe of India as a

>land of brains and intellect, most conspicuously in computer

>science. India is also taking off economically, with many

>industries that were destroyed or moved to Britain during British

>rule, coming back to the country," he said, and added that this was

>the result of the inborn talent and working capacity of Indians.

>

>Dr. Elst said that in the past, India had been identified with

>poverty and misery.

>

>People in the developed countries lived under the impression that

>these undesirable conditions could be removed only by combating

>negative and inhuman practices.

>

>Despite the developmental efforts after Independence, India

>continued to be considered a land of "injustice, untouchability and

>idolatory" with Indians themselves contributing much to create a

>negative image of their own country.

>

>In the 1960s, India gained reputation as the "land of

>enlightenment", with accent on yoga and spirituality.

>

>"People from popular culture in the West, such as film stars and

>singers, came to India to sit at the feet of gurus and learn

>transcendental meditation, Dr. Elst said.

>

>With the resurgence of nationalism in India, there were attempts to

>rewrite history recorded under the British rule. However, the

>tendency to claim that India was the "origin for everything", was a

>"form of greed".

>

>These views had been picked up and highlighted by those who wanted

>to project a negative impression of India to the rest of the world.

>

>The Chancellor of Avinashilingam University, K. Kulandaivel, who

>presided, observed that Western historians had not brought out the

>greatness of India.

>

>There had been "distortions and misinterpretations" that had been

>brought to light through current research, he added.

>

>

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