Letters to the Editor
from
IndiaStar Readers
Subject: Manorama Mathai's Review of Roy's
"The God of Small Things"
From: "Tom Nichols" <Tom@TomNichols.com>
I was pleased to come across Manorama Mathai's intelligent review
of "The God Of Small Things."
I have been trying to articulate my dislike
of the book with justification,
and her review is the first writing I have come across that has
some
balance to its praise of the prizewinning book, and I agree wholeheartedly
with her critical appraisal of the weaker elements of the story.
Regards
Tom Nichols
Subject: IndiaStar Review of Books
From: "Sardul Minhas" <sminhas@sbcglobal.net>
By a roundabout route I just happened to see the April 2002 issue
of IndiaStar Review of Books. I was both fascinated and utterly
captivated by it. The site address went promptly into my
collection of favorites!
Here is how it happened. I attended a conference on Kashmir at
UCLA on April 14;
it had been organized by Professor Stanley Wolpert. Subhash
Kak was one of the
featured speakers. I liked what he had to say and introduced myself.
Seeking to do some background search on the Internet, his name
quickly led me
to IndiaStar Review.
A comment now on Professor Kak's "Light or Coincidence".
He prepares us well for the surprise, and I don't question his
almost tepid conclusion
that Sayana was indeed the author of that particular statement
on the speed of light
in his commentary on the Rigveda. I suppose the inference is that
the knowledge
of this discovery went way back to the times of the Rigveda, and
that Sayana was
just a recorder at a point in time. I would like Dr. Kak
to look a little further for
evidence and the methodology in the ancient scripture; he does
confess to be an
archaeologist of texts.
For a humble executive in the nutraceutical industry, the contents
of your
magazine give me even more thrill than a candy store would to
a child. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sardul Minhas
Anaheim Hills, CA
USA
Subject: Review of "Between the Lines:
South Asians and Postcolonialtiy"
From: Don Whitehead <D.J.Whitehead@open.ac.uk>
Organization: Open University
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I enjoyed your review, and it has made me determined to read the book.
It is good to see an attack on Social Science
jargon, which you
rightly attribute to the status insecurity of of many social
scientists.
Turgid jargon has one "useful attribute",
if the writer invents it,
s/he is then the sole referee as to its meaning. It can therefore
cover
vacuity of content, or give spurious precision to vague ideas.
One area I might question, [and perhaps
the book can answer] Colonialism
was rarely the work of one nation, nor was it only the colonisers
who
contributed to its success. In the case of India/South Asia, the
divisions among the various kingdoms let the Europeans get a foothold
and exploit it. At a later stage, British expansion in Asia and
Africa
depended heavily on Indian collaboration. Indian soldiers,
administrators, merchants and professional men were the backbone
of
British colonialism in Malaya/Singapore/ Burma/Hong Kong/ East
Africa.
Indians have a strong claim to having been in the vanguard of
"British"
settlement in western Canada. Gandhi himself having joined in
the
African settlement. Without this active and often enthusiastic
collaboration, the small population of Britain could not have
sustained
the imperial expansion of the later 19th century.
It was this need that encouraged the British to provide schools
and
universities in India.
I would be interested in your readers comments on this.
Don J Whitehead
<D.J.Whitehead@open.ac.uk>
Subject: Lakshmi Gopinathan Nair's "Load Shedding."
From: "Scott C. Schuyler" <vze33sqi@verizon.net>
Dear Editor,
Thank you for printing Lakshmi Gopinathan
Nair's "Load Shedding."
I have spied a few of her elegant poems on the web over the
past few years, and it is always a great pleasure to,
by chance really, find another gem.
I find her work to be so very rich - and
yet
mysteriously brief - all at once.
All the Best,
Scott C. Schuyler, Ph.D.
Subject: IndiaStarReview of Books
From: "supantha bhattacharyya" <supantha_b@hotmail.com>
To: editor@indiastar.com
Dear Editor,
Browsing thru the net, I happened upon your site.
One of the most edifying portals I've ever come across.
Keep up the good work. Hoping to get across to you every month.
Yours in gratitude
supantha b
Subject: Wallia's Review of "Bury Me Standing..."
From: Nandini Garud <nyg@worldnet.att.net>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I was very touched by the Roma (Gypsies) reference to India as "Amaro BaroThanh."
These brothers and sisters of ours, although
separated from us for
centuries, hold so much love and share so much culture with us!
Can't
our expatriate Indian community reach out to these poor souls
and
correct wrongs done to them? We have been outside India barely
for three
decades. What will happen to our descendants in 10 centuries?
What
guarantee is there that we will not face similar treatment, especially
after the effect of "immigrant success" thins out, and
we become
main-streamed?
Compared to the six million Jews, 1.5 million
Roma were
exterminated. This was our blood. Every Indian should take up
the
cause of the Romas for their own and their children's and
grandchildren's sake. What happened to the Roma can happen to
us. It
happened in Uganda and it can happen anywhere the Indian diaspora
finds
itself.
Thank you for taking up the cause of our
brethren by writing a splendid
review of the book.
Nandini Garud
Subject: Kaustuv Sen's Essay on Charulata and Noshtoneer
From: Arindam Basu <basua@SLU.EDU>
CJS, one cannot thank you enough for publishing
Kaustuv Sen's
analysis of Noshtoneer and Charulata in your site. It's a superb
piece on the movie and the story, but then again I thought
here were places where I would differ.
Sen wrote:
"...Tagore's world, though receiving the initial impetus towards
creative awakening through contact with post-Enlightenment western
thought courtesy the British, was essentially a world of Sanskrit and
Vedic classicism. His father Debendranath did not want the young `Rabi'
to mix with Europeans."
Available evidences conflict with this statement.
Debendranath funded
Rabindranath's journey to Britain to study law at the age of seventeen.
Rabindranath's elder brother Satyendranath became the first Indian
ICS.
Although for his religious outlooks Debendranath Tagore was
conservative, he was liberal in many other ways. I cannot remember
reading anything by Tagore that indicated his father "imposed"
his ideas
on his youngest son. I'd rather believe that Rabindranath's views
of
Europe and the West was more of his own than a result of Debendranath
Tagore's influences.
About Tagore's world being essentially one
of Vedic and Sanskrit
classicism, didn't we find young Tagore experimenting with Maithili
(his
"Bhanusingher Padabali" -- collections of short rhymes
in eastern Bihar
dialects under the pen-name of Bhanusingha)? Undeniably, Sanskrit
and
Vedic classicism played a major role in his life, but I also believe
there were other, more local influences. For instance, later in
his
life, his association with Bauls (folk musicians of Bengal) and
their
music is well-known; in fact, Tagore often referred himself to
as "Rabi
Baul".
I thought Ray's Charulata was more
of a portrayal of Charulata the
person, her feelings, and her passions (and here Charu was definitely
a
more stronger, bolder character than who she was in the story).
I
thought the opening shots of Charulata were very poignant.
Tagore's
story, on the other hand, was more of an exploration of a
relationship (the "nest" of relationship between Charu,
Bhupati, and Amol, perhaps?).
In appreciation,
Arin Basu
Subject: IndiaStar webmagazine
From: Jaisomanat@aol.com
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Thanks for your scholarly reviews as well
as those of your colleagues.
I am learning much just from these reviews and recently
purchased Computing Science in Ancient India after reading
the IndiaStar review.
I just want to bring to your attention an
interesting point with reference to
your review of Raj by Lawrence James. You wrote:
"Two of the stark statistics that reveal the colonial plunder and neglect
are: At the end of British colonial rule, life expectancy in India was 27
years and literacy 8 percent; after fifty years of independence, life
expectancy is 62 years, and literacy 52 percent. Anglophilic apologists, take
note: British colonial rule in India was the organized banditry that financed
England's Industrial Revolution."
Britain not only took money from India but
also technology.
According to Will Durant, India had flourishing ship building
industry besides
expertise in steel making and textiles. All these came to ruin
once Britian took over.
Not only India financed England's industrial
revolution but also that of
American growth and economic prosperity. For about hundred years
in
19th century US levied stiff tariffs on any goods imported from
Britain.
Usually this calls for reciprocal measures. But Britain did not
care since it
had the empire to absorb the iniquity. And Americans thus enjoyed
advantage
in trade with Britain. India thus financed American economy as
well.
Jai Somanath
Jaisomanat@aol.com
Subject: Sitaram Goel and Koenraad Elst's books on-line
From: "Harish Gupta" <guptahari@hotmail.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Great site! I'd like to inform your readers that some
of the books by Sitaram Goel and Koenraad Elst are available IN FULL
on the internet at the Voice of India web-site: http://voi.org/books/
See the books on-line section of the Voice of India site.Thanks.
Harish Gupta
Subject: IndiaStar webmagazine
From: Soumya Jana <jana@ifp.uiuc.edu>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Professor Wallia,
Millions of thanks to you for your great
site and great work.
This place is a storehouse of information that many Indians
would yearn to know. Yet, sadly, most of them may not have
access to internet.
I am greatly inspired by the books that
debunk Aryan
Invasion Theory by logical deduction. The new theory fits very
accurately to the historical facts as well as our traditional
belief about our ancestors. These are contributions that should
be written in golden letters in the history of India.
I've also read Asko Parpola's theory (put
forward as a ground work for
his line of decipherment of Indus script) supporting Aryan Invasion,
which presents the conjecture that there were no horses in South
Asia
before 2000 BC as fact. In fact this is the only solid thing (if
true)
he had to buttress his theory. On the other hand Prof Dinesh Aggarwal
wrote in an article in itihaas.com, that Dr S R Rao has found
bones of
war- as well as domesticated horses in both early and late Harappan
establishments. As an ordinary reader I am confused by these seemingly
contrary claims.
I'd appreciate if you enlighten us about
the controversial horse-issue
in Indus Civilization.
Soumya Jana
Champaign, IL
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[I forwarded your email to Professor Subhash Kak. Here's his response:
"Remains of the horse have been discovered
in the Harappan ruins. For
a detailed story on the finds, and why the data had been misrepresented
earlier, read an article by A.K. Sharma in the 23rd Number of
the Bulletin of the Indian Archaeological Society, 1992-3.
A clay model of a horse was found in Mohenjo Daro and so identified
by one of its earlier excavators, the archaeologist E.J.H. Mackay.
"This apart, it should be remembered
that networks of trade existed
between India and Central Asia. New findings from
Ukraine show evidence of horse riding as early as 4000 BC.
So, even excluding the Indic evidence, it is plausible to assume
that the Harappans were familiar with horses and horse riding.
"The Vedic literature nowhere mentions
riding in battle
and the horse was rare in Vedic times and the
word `ashva' for horse was often used figuratively for speed.
Much of the 19th century translation of the Vedic texts on which
archaeologists have relied is simply wrong. My story on the
`thousand cows standing one above the other'
http://www.indiastar.com/kak3.htm
is just one example of such mistranslation."]
____________________________________________________
*I know many would-be
readers of Rushdie, who, upon
finding some of his books unreadable,
conclude,wrongly, that it must be
all their fault because they lack
adequate knowledge of India!
Kaustuv Sen is a columnist for
the Harvard Crimson. -- c.j.s. wallia
From: sethi@genius.rider.edu
To: "C.J. Wallia" <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
I enjoyed your reviews of Rushdie and
Divakaruni very much.
The review of The Moor's Last Sigh
explained to me why I couldn't get through it
(guess I'm a member of the club). Rushdie's
disrespect for the realities of human speech,
for one thing, and my inability to care enough
for any of the characters to keep reading
--which I think is his fault.
I didn't like East West because I thought some
of the stories were unpublishable, exercises that
an unknown writer would have had to throw out.
I liked Midnight"s Children and Shame ; there's
a lot I liked in The Satanic Verses too
--Rushdie's portrayal of racism, for instance, and the
father-son relationship. But as a realist I kept thinking
why not portray racism directly? Why make your
character into a goat to show that white men don't
like brown men? One need not be a goat, if you know
what I mean.
Thanks for explaining why The Moor is so offensive.
Your brief history of Indian immigration to this country
was also very helpful. I teach a course called
"Race, Class and Gender in the United States," part
of which dwells on the various discriminations against
immigrants. The history of Asian immigration to the
United States blows the students' minds. Your overview
of Indian immigration will be interesting, since the
Indian population in New Jersey is quite visible.
(We've got restaurants, stores, a whole street of shops in
Iselin, gurdwaras--three of them, I think--
temples and mosques, gas stations run by
Sikhs and hotels run by Gujaratis.)
Students will be quite interested, I think,
in how hard the government tried to restrict
this development.
Robbie Clipper Sethi
Professor of English
Rider University
Lawrenceville, New Jersey, USA________________________________________________________________
*Robbie Sethi's comment on Rushdie's
language and his inability to create
characters the reader cares for
brings to mind Professor Nair's succint
evaluation of Rushdie's work:
"clever, but silly."The pervasive use of contrived and
overly clever language and the lack of
empathy-evoking characters are the
besetting faults of Rushdie's fiction.(Robbie Clipper Sethi received
a Ph.D. in English from UC Berkeley
and is the author of the acclaimed novel
The Bride Wore Red.-- c.j.s. wallia)
From: moss <moss@mozart.inet.co.th>
To: cjwallia <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
Hi!
Congratulations on IndiaStar.
I am impressed -- especially so by
the article on Rushdie.Many people agree with you,
I'm sure, but are all afraid to say
so lest they be thought unintellectual.
I did enjoy Midnight's Children for
its use of language, but I think he was
unable after that to really do anything
else. I do, however, agree with the critic
who said that he opened up Indian writing
in the west.
I was very interested to read, in your
critique of Chitra Divakaruni's book, the
history of Indian immigration to the States
--quite a few good stories there.
Keep up the good work.Sincerely,
Manorama Mathai_____________________________________
* Some of the fawning Rushdie
critiques may well be motivated
by a fear of being thought
unfashionable and unintellectual.
Manorama Mathai is the author of
Lilies That Fester(1988);
Mulligatawny Soup
(Penguin India,1992);
and An UnsuitableWoman
(London, Minerva, 1996). - - c.j.s. wallia
Subject: IndiaStar webmagazine
From: rabiniky@interlog.com
To: <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
I'd like to express my gratitude for your
website and
share some thoughts on the issues discussed. Add me to
the list of expatriate Indians who find your maganzine
very timely and informative.
Your site is unique because it is different
things to different
people, yet links all our diversity because of our belief in our
oneness. I am very excited to learn about the growing
movement among Indians to reclaim our real history and
heritage from the distortions of colonial history. Accusations
of 'rewriting' history to support revisionist'theory' should not
stop us from questioning colonial history and the foundations
of white cultural 'supremacy' and prosperity.We need to find
our own truth about ourselves instead of having it told to us.
Native and African Americans are succeeding in doing this and
are leaving a legacy of their own Truth for their future
generations. We can, too.
I am looking forward to visiting your website regularly and
reading the many interesting articles. I tried to get a
copy
of Return of the Aryans but when I contacted Penguin Canada
was advised that it is no longer in print. I contacted the
public library who found me a copy at another branch and
will transfer it closer to me. I will keep searching the
second-hand book stores here for a copy that I can buy.
Thanks for a great and informative website.
Regards,
V.B.
Subject: IndiaStar reviews
From: Sateesh Reddy Punnam <Sateesh@priestersupply.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I found your magazine absolutely fantastic.This is the
first time I heard about "Return of the Aryans"
and I can't wait to get a copy and read it.In several of your other reviews, your statements
on Indian Muslims are good:["As a secular humanist, however, I make
a distinction between an ideology and its
adhering victims, especially those born
into it. And, moreover, from my own
experience, I regard a typical liberal
Indian Muslim to be as good a human
being as any other Indian." -- c.j.s. wallia ]However, in my observation, that species (liberal
Indian Muslim) is very rare. Majority of Muslims
are very conservative being brain-washed in masjids
since their childhood about kafirs; their allegience
is only to Mecca (Arab Nationalism and inventing
arab ancestors). The creation of pakistan is a living
proof of that because nothing has changed in 50 years
regarding islam.Aryan invasion is just a theory for the white man to
explain the civilizational ideas as originating in Europe.
The established school of thought would not recognize
Dr. Frawley's, Dr. Kak's and others' works proving the
theory to be false. The Indian government should take
conrol of the educational establishment and should start
the history books with SARASVATI CIVILIZATION,
citing the excavations found around the dried up
Sarasvati river as shown in the satellite pictures.
The next generation of Indians with a deep cultural
pride would lead the Nation and the World in the right
direction.
Sateesh Reddy Punnam
<Sateesh@priestersupply.com>
Subject: IndiaStar book-reviews
From: Mehrudas@aol.com
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Your review of four books on ancient India
(including Gidwani's book) was very good
and appealing. I have also heard from other
sources lot of praise for Gidwani's book.
Your other reviews in your magazine are
also excellent.
Your magazine is performing a real service.
Although it is disappointing that the books
you review so nicely are not always easily
available, this in no way affects the admiration
I have for IndiaStar Magazine in keeping
us so well informed about great books.
Mehru Dastur
Mehrudas@aol.com
Subject: Voice of India books
From: aktalwar@aol.com
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I appreciate IndiaStar reviews of Voice
of India books, which point to pseudo-
secularists as the agents of denigration
of Hindu cultural history.
Where do pseudo-secularists and pseudo-
intellectuals come from? Because of the
importance of English language today,
many Indians send their children to
missonary schools. Unless these children
are fortunate enough to get good exposure
to Hindu culture at home, they grow up
ignorant of Indian culture and are subtly
brainwashed into despising Hinduism.
Because their knowledge of English is
usually good, they, and some others, think
that they are intellectuals. Thus we have
a large number ofpseudo-secularists
/pseudo-intellectuals in India. The English
language press is largely controlled by
them and they have considerable influence.
Also, since the college level-medium of
instruction is English, they also end up
in influential positions in India's educational
institutions. Many of these people have done
incalculable damage to India.
The solution lies in alternative schools
that
provide good English instruction as well as
exposure to Indian cultural heritage. Hindus
must demand the same subsidies that Christian
and Muslim schools get from the Government.
Many Indians are not aware that Muslim
and Christian Schools are subsidized by
the Government while Hindu schools are not.
They also do not know that Muslim
pilgrimages abroad are funded by Government
of India while Hindu pilgrims get no financial
aid even for travel in India. They also do not
know that Mullahs are paid stipends while
Pandits are not. BJP government is too scared
of these pseudo-secularists to touch this issue.
Other organisations must publicize this.
A.K. Talwar
aktalwar@aol.com
From: Dr. Reddy, J.T." <jtreddy@noble.org>
To: "'editor@indiastar.com'" <editor@indiastar.com>
Dear Walliaji,
Your web site is very informative and thought provoking.
I especially liked the bookreviews of the
works of
Sita Ram Goel, Ram Swarup, Koenraad Elst
(published by "Voice of India"), Francois Gautier,
and V.S. Naipaul.
I hope in futre you will put more reviews
of
"Voice of India" books. Please keep the good work of
high quality going under your editorship.
Dhanyavadh.
J.T. Reddy,
jtreddy@noble.org
Subject: Exclude reviews of Sita Ram Goel's books
From: Ram Narayanan<janaky@indiaintl.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
India Star is a really fascinating site! Like an
"unputdownable" book, which one reads
from cover to cover in one sitting, I couldn't
resist reading practically every line in IndiaStar,
especially the captivating section on letters
to the editor.However, I was somewhat disappointed with
authors like Sita Ram Goel and their anti-Nehru
tirades. I consider IndiaStar to be a prestigious site.
It can do without being tarnished by totally
prejudiced views.
Ram Narayanan
janaky@indiaintl.com---------------------------------------
[Some readers regard Goel's analyses of
Nehru's disastrous economic policies and
his "pseudo-secularism" as very cogent.
Please elaborate why you find Goel's
views "totally prejudiced." -- c.j.s.wallia]
From: Thomas Palakeel <tjp@bradley.bradley.edu>
I just visited your magazine. Fantastic. I will revisit and I
hope
to submit work in the future.
I particularly liked G.S. Sharat Chandra's poem, illustrating
the
"postcolonial"other's difficulties in communicating
experience.
As a writer, I have felt the same confounding bewilderment.
Look at my own usage of the word "bewilder"; we are
thrown
into a wilderness, into the jungle, we are rendered primitive,
and
what else does the Western observer, the writer, the ethnographer,
the self, the bigot needs to confirm the good old agenda. Sometimes
anything we say or do could counter our original purposes. Such
is
the complexity of the "other's" task. Still, it is important
that we do
not stop, for we,too, are a self. We, too, need the dialogue with
our "others."
I have been following some of the discussions in your pages and
I just wanted to say I will spread the word. I want to include
a link
to my homepage. Is it okay? Thanks.
Thomas Palakeel
Assistant Professor of English
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois
[IndiaStar welcomes linkage to
readers' home pages. C.J.Wallia ]
From: "Dr. David Holden" <HOLDEN@gateway.ce.utk.edu>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Dr. Wallia,
I checked out IndiaStar. Very impressive.
First let me say that I like the simple, clean appearance of your
site. So many Web sites these days have too much --far too
much-- in the way of hot colors and jazzy backgrounds that
make the text unreadable.
I got several good laughs from Acharya Palaniswami's
"On the Road in India." Assuming his observations about
India
are as accurate as his observations about the American love of
the
automobile, I think I'll ride an elephant if I ever travel in
India.
I also enjoyed your story "A Farmer in Computerland."
In some
ways it reminds me of Henry David Thoreau. How easy it is to
live a life of quiet desperation.
Shampa Sinha's "Siesta" is, simply, a jewel. You're
lucky to
have such good work to include in IndiaStar.
David Holden
Director, Department of Independent
Studies
The University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Subject: Update on"The Deciphered Indus Script"
From: "N.S. Rajaram" <navarat@bgl.vsnl.net.in>
To: "C. J. S. Wallia" <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
Following the publication of our book The
Deciphered Indus Script
a little over a year ago, there has been worldwide interest
in the ramifications
of the methodology presented in that book and its impact on the
course of research.
Leaving aside some polemical (and political) battles that raised
irrelevant
issues while contributing little of substance, both the Indian
public and
the scholarly world continue to be interested in the work. There
have
been numerous articles in the popular press as well as discussions
in
international conferences. A British Television producer also
interviewed
one of the authors for a forthcoming series on ancient civilizations.
In the scholarly world, the interest was manifest in two recent
conferences:
The Naimisha Vedic Workshop in Bangalore and the World Sanskrit
Conference in Delhi. We are writing this brief note at the request
of
several participants and correspondents who wanted to be kept
informed
of the progress in our research program.
Two books that we are currently working on are:
(1) Magnum Opus of Indus Seal Readings
(2) Vedic Symbolism in Indus Seals.
What follows is a brief summary of their
scope.
While our earlier book The Deciphered Indus Script was
concerned
with developing a decipherment methodology by providing a proper
historical context, these two books are devoted to applying the
methodology to interpreting the seals and relating them to the
vast body of Vedic and other ancient literature. This continues
our program of integrating Harappan archaeology and literature,
which we see as the central problem of research on ancient India.
We may now summarize: the present, i.e.,
the colonial-missionary
'Indological' model leaves us with a paradox of a history (and
archaeology)
without literature for the literate Harappans and a vast literature
without archaeology or even geography for the supposedly illiterate
Vedic Aryans. This is made all the more puzzling when we note
that
the two flourished in the same geographical region, but the Indological
dogma of the non-Indian origin of Vedas and the Sanskrit wants
to
keep the two separated! At the same time, scholars who insist
on keeping
them separate berate us for ignoring the influence -- real or
imagined -- far
removed from India. Thus, we must treat the Harappans and the
Vedic people as separate, but must trace the origins of the latter
to Kurgan, Eurasia, Europe, and everywhere except India where
they actually flourished.
Our view on the other hand is that such an extraordinary theory
requires extraordinary proof, while none has been forthcoming
so far.
We have established the link between Harappan and Vedic cultures
on a firm basis showing them to be two sides of the same coin:
Harappan archaeology represents the material remains of the
civilization described in the Vedas. And our decipherment is a
natural extension of this- not an isolated result.
Our two books carry this logic further. In The Deciphered Indus
Script
we gave deciphered readings of some six hundred messages. The
emphasis
was on methodology, not an exhaustive set of readings.
In The Magnum Opus of Indus Seal Readings, our goal is
to give readings
with the literary context for all the 4000-odd seal inscriptions
using our
decipherment methodology. We have obtained access to almost all
the
known seals and there are no surprises. Their readings, both methodologically
and in their historical-literary context, lie within the scope
of the methodology
developed in The Deciphered Indus Script. There are a few
signs that were
not part of our original (smaller) set, but they present no problems.
While The Magnum Opus carries forward the technical side
decipherment
to its logical conclusion, our other book, Vedic Symbolism
in Indus Seals,
explicates the Vedic-Harappan connection by strengthening
the link
between the two. This will be done in two parts:
(1) Interpretations without resort to the decipherment, by reading
the Vedic symbolism based on Harappan iconography alone;
and (2) interpretations supplemented by deciphered readings. For
a foretaste of the former, please visit the web page: http://sathyavaadi.tripod.com/truthisgod/id10.html
As things stand, Vedic Symbolism is scheduled for publication in 2002 and The Magnum Opus in 2003. With this, the first stage of our research program will be essentially complete.
N.S. Rajaram and N. Jha
Subject: Review of "The Deciphered Indus Script"
From: "N.S. Rajaram" <navarat@bgl.vsnl.net.in>
To: "C. J. S. Wallia" <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
Dear Sri Wallia:
I went over your review of our book on the Indus Script.
I am mailing a copy of it to Jha with some other material.
First and foremost, I feel very happy that you have highlighted
the magnitude of Jha's achievement. It is the greatest breakthrough
after the discovery of the Harappan Civilization beginning in
1921.
Intellectually, it is the greatest acheivement. I know
nothing
comparable to it in the field. At the same time, it saddens me
that
some "scholars" tried to discredit him without understanding
his work,
but highlighting the fact that he was working at a not-so-prestigious
college.
This forced me to take a strong position in public, pointing out
that
the great mathematician Ramanujam was a shipping clerk in Madras,
and Einstein himself was a clerk in the Swiss Patent Office in
Bern
when he published his papers on Special Relativity.
Because of the historical importance of the development and the
belief
that some day a history will be written, I would like to put a
few things
on record before I forget them. First, both Jha and I regard the
decipherment as only the first step in rewriting history on a
scientific
basis. Thanks to the decipherment, we have a firm connection between
archaeology and the Vedic literature. This can be the basis for
writing history.
This brings me to the Appendix, in which I have used an interpolation
technique that goes beyond Jha's methodology in reading
a pre-Harappan
inscription. This is important for both historical and technical
reasons.
Since this inscription is almost a verabatim reference (in simpler
language)
to a famous mantra in Book III of the Rigveda, it shows
that the Rigveda
is pre-Harappan and even considerably older. Technically speaking,
this gives us a tool for reading pre-Harappan writing, few of
which are
available at present. R.S. Bisht seems to have found some 50 or
so seals
from Dholavira for which he is said to claim a date of 3500 BC,
but I
have not seen them. I have identified a few samples, but I cannot
be
sure until I examine the originals. But I feel confident that
we can
handle pre-Harappan writing when we find them.
You are correct in attributing the decipherment to Jha and the
historical synthesis to me, as noted in our Preface. This is something
of an oversimplification for things are never so simple when two
people
work closely for nearly two years. In addition to the interpolation
technique that extends his methodology to pre-Harappan writing,
the organization of the writing along scientific lines (Chapter
4),
using homophones, polyphones, grammatical rules for sandhis
and
doubled consonants (Vedic grammar) are largely my work. The same
is
true of the identification of the alphabetical subset and its
connection
with future and past writing (Appendix) practices. At the same
time,
none of this would be possible without Jha's breakthrough. I would
also go on record and point out that it was Jha's Vedic scholarship
as much as paleography that led to the breakthrough. I could handle
the paleography, but I don't have his deep Vedic scholarship though
I know Sanskrit quite well.
Another point I would like to make relates to chronology.
You mention that the date for the end of the creative phase of
the Rigveda,
which Frawley and I in our book Vedic Aryans have placed
in c. 3750 BC,
rests on Subhash Kak's astronomical code. This is not the case.
I wrote that section of the book. (You are probably familiar with
the
Canadian edition which is poorly edited; the Voice of India
edition is much
better and also more comprehensive.) While I will freely acknowledge
Kak's
brilliant insight, the chronology is based on the study of evolution
of metallurgy
and the changing hydrology of the Sarasvati River. I believe that
I was the
first to recognize that the drying up of the Sarasvati must have
begun before
3000 BC and the Book VII of the Rigveda must therefore be describing
a
much older geography. I was also the first to track the progress
in
metallurgy though I was lucky that silver samples were found at
Kunal were
found just as I was working on the proble. This is now confirmed
by my
decipherment of the 'world's oldest writing' (vide Appendix).
Also Kak's astronomical code is not a chronological tool. The
Tilak-Jacobi study
-- and Frawley's more recent analysis -- has more bearing on Vedic
chronology.
Also, Frawley has highlighted the maritime nature of the Rigvedic
Civilization,
which means that they must have been proficient in observational
astronomy
(to facilitate navigation). At the same time, one has to be careful
in using
astronomical data because one never knows when exactly an observation
was recorded.
Another point by Kak -- that the Harappan should really be called
the
Sarasvati Civilization -- I entirely concur with. But it is not
so easy to
bring about change. In my book The Politics of History, I
used the term
Sarasvati-Sindhu, which never caught on. Also, the term Harappan
has
some advantages like being easily usable as adjective or adverb
-- like
the Harappans, the Harappan scribes and so on. Sarasvati is more
awkward.
Kak's idea that the Indus (or the Harappan) script should be called
Sarasvati is again a good idea, but impractical for the same reason.
Jha called it 'Old Brahmi' and I have called it 'Proto Brahmi';
and Brahmi means Sarasvati. But that does not make it easy to
change
established practice. (We have found some evidence suggesting
that
the Harappans themselves called their writing Brahmi or Vrahmi.)
It is clear that we are looking at a major event in our understanding
of history and not just an academic result. For this reason, I
have
begun work on a detailed popular article on the subject for a
leading
American magazine. I may expand this later into a popular book.
Sincerely,
N.S. Rajaram
Subject: IndiaStar article on Rushdie
From: Julian J. Samuel <jjsamuel@aei.ca>
To: IndiaStar
Given the overall fawning attitude toward Rushdie,
Dr Wallia deserves to be decorated for bravery.
There is no other way to describe what the Rushdie
publicity machine does but as a series of well-managed
(almost) attention-getting stunts which promote the
most inane literature in the world. The machine makes
a breathless attempt to improve Rushdie's status in
the world of self-promotion, and (if that goal fails),
in the world of literature as well. It must be one of
the only cases in publishing history where
the actual tinkering of The Publicity Machine itself
is more intellectually and culturally dynamic than
the actual subject of its promotion.
If Rushdie's unencompassable literary effort is in
fact a literary effort, then it is so occasionally
successful that one wonders if the poor Fatwaized
writer has not become what the gods wanted him
to be in the first place: a better-than-average-Bollywood
screenplay writer. One wonders if Rushdie's
books are not team-written efforts with Rushdie
as a comatose overseer of this collective process.
Wallia's review situates The Moor's Last Effort
to Get More Fame inside the fraudulent froth of
the Rushdie machine. And Wallia presents his ideas
without the hateful jealousy that is rampant among
the self-flagellating preliterates who want book-
burning and maybe even a final solution.
Wallia's review is dispassionate and careful.
It is a nice introduction/expose for all those naive
South Asians intellectuals living in both the West
and East who admire MTV, che-che bankrupt criticism
from France, and who obsequiously swallow
what the anti-intellectual book reviewers write
in North America and Europe.
Critics in India are more skeptical, but are their
reviews ever republished in the West? Perhaps
this web site will change all that.
Possibly some Rushdie postcolonial club members
are going to say that Wallia simply does not get
the polyphonic mock-anti-mock-melo-anti-melodramatic
tone in the refined pages of The Moor's Last Effort
to Get More Fame. But, these club members are easy
prey for the "Innovations."Notes:
1. Edward Said loves everything about Rushdie.
For a dispassionate review of Said, funky South
Asian intellectuals addicted to French
"Theory and Cultural Studies" ought to read
Aijaz Ahmad's In Theory -- (chapter five).
2. Can South Asian nostalgia-driven nationalists
refrain from assuming that I am not a South Asian?
What pray tell does it matter if I am or am not
a South Asian?
Sincerely
Julian J. Samuel__________________________________________________________________
*Julian Samuel is a Toronto-based filmmaker and
the author of a picaresque novel, Passage to Lahore.-- c.j.s. wallia
From: Joanna Kirkpatrick, Ph.D.
jkirk <jkirk@micron.net>
I've looked, read, and enjoyed IndiaStar.
I saw references to the recent revisioning books on the Aryans
in someone's message on the internet and meant to get them.
Reading your reviews make them even more appealing.
As an India Studies scholar, I never did believe the accepted
idea that Indian Civilization began only in 1500 BC. Now there
are findings in USA of a mummy burial which revises dates
from 2000 back to 4000+ BC. So it goes. Too bad so much of the
Harappan/Mohenjodaro civilization sites are in Pakistan where they
may not be protected and probably not properly excavated either.
When I went to see Paharpur in Bangladesh in 1976, the curator
there told us that villagers came over in the night and defaced terra
cotta tiles which had been part of the decoration of this Buddhist
monument. So sad.
Just a note to register my appreciation for your remarks on
Rushdie's latest book,which indeed as you indicated suffers from
his usual atrocities of language and conception. I actually read
through (all of)Satanic Verses and found it overall flawed beyond
measure by his rampant egotism. I had not known that
Khushwant Singh reviewed the manusript.Too bad the publishers
did not take his advice.
I could not get through Rushdie's Midnight's Children
at all.
Sincerely,
Joanna Kirkpatrick
Anthropologist
From: RKASAMSE@us.oracle.com
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Let me put this as succinctly as possible.
Your Rushdie reviews are superb.Yes, I happen to belong to the exclusive
"have-actually-read-Rushdie" club
-- having read Midnight's Children
in its entirety. An ordeal it was,
but I did it because of the rave reviews
the book received. All the cunning
artifices you said he used in
The Moor's Last Sigh are all
over there too.I just wish all the reviewers were
as clear and frank as you are.
Ravi
RKASAMSE@us.oracle.com
From: "Ravi Raina"<rraina@boothresearch.com>
To: <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
Kudos on an excellent site. I lost half a day of work
once I discovered www.indiastar.com -- couldn't drag
myself away. By the end, I had added quite a few books
to my "must read" list. The reviews are generally excellent
although I was really surprised that you have good things
to say about East and West while you pan
The Moors Last Sigh -- I didn't much care for E/W
while the Moor reminded me of the old Rushdie.Look forward to spending many more enjoyable
hours at IndiaStar.ravi raina
From: Shrikanth Reddy <shrikanth@hotmail.com>
Organization: M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
I have been a frequent visitor to your site and
have thoroughly enjoyed it each time. The books
on the 'Aryan invasion' theory and your reviews
of them are particularly fascinating and, doubtless,
will help replace old thinking and inculcate a
renewed pride and identity in a new generation
of Indians and in those that are interested in India.As you know, Sri Aurobindo and some others had
expressed serious reservations about this theory.
In fact, Sri Aurobindo has written about how
'Dravidian' languages such as Tamil can actually
be 'linked' to Sanskrit, in his writing "Origins of
Aryan Speech." He shows gaping holes in the
theories of philology that have formed the
foundation of the invasion theory.
Best Regards,
Shrikanth Reddy
From: Devi Karan Bhattacharya: <devikab@aol.com>
It was a happy chance that led me to my discovery of IndiaStar
Magazine, which I think is great.I have just completed reading Bhagwan S. Gidwani's novel,
"Return of the Aryans," which you reviewed. It is a fascinating
book which gives brilliant insights into the heritage of India in
the form of a highly interesting and a delightful story.Are there historical novels by other writers on India's ancient
heritage? I realize there are scores of learned books and historical
texts by respected and eminent authors on India's heritage; no
doubt, those books are all very educative and enlightening.
However, I am looking for a list of books which, in the form
of a gripping story, not only enlighten, but also provide
entertaining reading as Gidwani's novel does.Yours Sincerely,
Devi Karan Bhattacharya
__________________________________________________________
*When I talked with him last year,
Gidwani was working on a historical
novel on the spread of Buddhism from
India to China and South East Asia.Return of the Aryans is well-researched
-- unlike his earlier novel 'The Sword of
Tipu Sultan,' for which he was deservedly
excoriated by many, most notably the
Bombay Malayalee Samajam. (See
IndiaStar review of 'Tipu Sultan:
Villain or Hero as well as letters by
two Malayalee writers, Rajeev Srinivas
and Sunil Sreedharan, below.)I recommend ' The Best Stories
From the Indian Classics
selected and retold by V.S. Naravane
(New Delhi: Roli Books, 1994
ISBN 81-7436-004-2).From Professor Naravane's preface:
' India is the original home of fiction.
It was fiction, rather than poetry or
drama, which put India on the
literary map of the world. Centuries
before Kalidasa and Valmiki were
heard of outside India, stories of
Indian origin were told and retold
in distant corners of Asia and Europe.
They were picked up by the Persians
and the Arabs, who passed them on
to the Turks. From the marketplace of
Constantinople, this precious, though
invisible, merchandize was forwarded
to Venice and Naples. Many a tale
in the 'Decameron owes its central idea
to an episode in the 'Jatakas'
or the 'Kathasaritsagara. From Boccacio
to Chaucer, from Chaucer to Cervantes
and Shakespeare, right down to La Sage,
La Fontaine and Voltaire -- what a
wonderful journey in time and space!
Ancient Indian fiction offers a diversity
of theme, atmosphere and situation
unequalled in world literature."-- c.j.s. wallia
Subject: Tipu Sultan: Villain or Hero?
From: Simon John Haines <lau96sjh@reading.ac.uk>
Dear Dr. Wallia,
I have for some time read with some relish your magazine.
However, I have a small problem in that I would like to
purchase a copy of one of the books you have reviewed,
Tipu Sultan: Villain or Hero, and am having
a real problem locating it. I wonder if you might be able
to point me in the right direction?Thanks for your time and for your continued excellent
work with IndiaStar.With Best Wishes
Simon Haines.
Department of History
The University of Reading
England, United Kingdom.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the book, try
http://www.swordoftruth.com/PUBLICATION/titles.html
Subject: IndiaStar review of Tipu Sultan: Villain or Hero?
From: "Vijay Pahuja" <pahuja@ix.netcom.com>
To: <cjwallia@indiastar.com>Namaste,
First, I am very happy to see this site. Thank you.
I am a Coorgi (or Kodava) from the region of
Coorg in Karnataka. After reading your review of
"Tipu Sultan: Villain or Hero, edited by Sita Ram Goel,"
there was no doubt in my mind that Tipu was a villain
though I was taught at school that he was a hero,
the "tiger" of Mysore.About 200 years ago in the small village of Thomara
(some 10 miles from Virajpet) according to the oral
history of my family, Tipu and his army almost
succeeded in wiping out our entire family and
ruined the family temple of Ramanjaneya close
to our lands. My grandfather (5 times removed)
and his aunt managed to escape and were imprisoned
in Periyapatana. Tipu destroyed the main and the
subsidary buildings of our temple. At the time
our family, like other Coorgi families were part
of the army troops helping Viraraja, the Raja of
Periyapatna and Coorg rebel against Tipu and his
army. Tipu's army used brutish methods to convert
the peace-loving, agrarian and Kshatriya Hindus
who lived in Coorg, and imposed high taxes on
those not following Islam.My grandfather managed to escape the prison
(I don't know how). Today the temple of our family
(and other small family temples in the region) have
been rebuilt and almost all Kodavas have managed
to stay Hindus, but many of the tribals and the
Malayalee traders who never took up arms were
forcibly converted, they were threatened by the
sword, tax and atrocities like rape of their wives
and children. Later the very same converts were used as
spies and killers of other Hindus as a way of proving
they were true muslims. Imagine no longer being able
to trust your neighbor, whom you have trusted for
generations, just because he is now a muslim convert.
These traitors are still part and parcel of Coorg today,
though right now they are trying to follow the Jehadi
form of Islam, since they don't want to admit they
are converts from Hinduism.Tipu had no humanity when it came to people who did
not follow Islam. I am writing this because I wanted
to share the truth that is not known to many.Regards,
Rashmee Pahuja
From: sredhar@itsa.ucsf.edu
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Hailing from the Malabar region myself, it was very
clear to me that Tipu was greatly feared by the Hindus
of the region, so much so that 200 years later, children
were still being admonished to behave or "Tipu would
get them." The earliest account I could obtain of my
own family's roots from older living members was
that the bulk of my family left their land and property
at a considerable loss and fled from Tipu's advance to
settle in safer areas.The notion that Tipu was all that secular or enlightened,
therefore, rings hollow. Unless, of course, all of the
eyewitness accounts you have recounted in your review,
and the impressions and information that I have personally
gathered in North Malabar are part of right wing
fundamentalist hoax, or a British canard disseminated
to deflate the legend of that noble early Indian nationalist.
To quote from the cover of Gidwani's book, that "humane,
enlightened ruler who believed that God is not confined to
any one religion and that all religions therefore deserve
equal respect. He was opposed to colonialism and was a
firm believer in the Rights of Man. He welcomed the
American Declaration of Independence and applauded
the spirit of the French Revolution."I don't suppose that the spirit of the French Revolution
mentioned here had anything to do with the Reign of Terror,
Robespierre and the Guillotine, would it? My ancestors must
have tragically misunderstood the intentions of this secular
paragon as they fled. He only wished to embrace them,
-- forcibly to Islam, that is.Gidwani happily revised history as it has been recorded and
whitewashed Tipu's reign of terror in Southwest India, in
order to portray him as an enlightened and secular early
nationalist - an alternate history that is highly offensive to
the large number of descendents of the survivors of Tipu's
cruel rampage, which was also an Islamic proselytizing jihad.
While the book made for an interesting piece of fiction and
nothing more, the Government-controlled TV in India then
made a calculated decision to show a serial based on this
patent prevarication all over the country, in a misguided
attempt to promote its version of secularism. Never mind
minor inconveniences like the truth, or the collective terror
still remembered by the populace of Malabar some 200 years
later. This would be akin to a fictional docudrama on the
infamous General Dyer, produced and shown all over India
by Doordarshan, that makes him out to be a gentle peaceful
man who secretly supported Indian nationalism, and nary
a mention of Jallianwallah Bagh.Regards,
Sunil Sreedharan
San Francisco
From: "S. Rajeev" <rajeev@rahul.net>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
As a Malayali, I would like to bring to your attention
what the prevailing folklore in Kerala suggests about
Tipu Sultan.The story of Tipu's march through northern Kerala
('tippuvinte padayottam' in Malayalam) is spoken of in
hushed terms, as a holocaust. It is remembered for its
viciousness as an Islamic jihad--and it is to be noted
that Islam had been welcomed and nurtured in Kerala for
centuries. For example, the first mosque in India was
somewhere near Kodungalloor (aka Muziris in Roman times),
and one of the Chera kings of the land, Cheraman Perumal,
by tradition accepted Islam, abdicated, and sailed off
to Arabia. Also, by tradition, the Zamorins of Kozhikode
(Calicut) enlisted Muslims in his navy and treated
them rather well.Even more astonishing perhaps is the fact that at the
famous temple of Lord Ayyappan at Sabarimala, there is a
shrine to his friend, the Muslim Vavar--and pilgrims pay
obeisance at this tomb on their way to the sanctum, to this day.I went into some detail here to show that ancient Kerala
had never persecuted Muslims, and had treated them with
respect and kindness. The Travancore Manual notes, for
example, that the population of Muslims in Travancore, the
southern part of the state, had been approximately 6% during
most of the 18th century CE.Therefore, Tipu's jihad astonished the locals, who had never
experienced such an Aurangazeb-style expedition. Thus the
shock and the racial memory of its horror, in my opinion.I, for one, was totally flabbergasted, given this context, to
hear of Tipu being some kind of nationalist hero. I think this
is revisionist nonsense. My belief is that Tipu had his own
petty aims (whatever they were) and that he was foiled in them
by the British (because of *their* petty aims) and therefore
they fought with each other. I doubt seriously if Tipu's goal
was to get the Europeans out of India. He was an 'accidental
nationalist'--there are others such as Veluthampi Dalava in
Kerala history who primarily had a bone to pick with the British,
but have been elevated to 'early patriot-martyr' status for
reasons that escape me.I believe Tipu was merely another pawn in the ongoing tussle
between imperial Britain and imperial France. He was allied with
the French--I remember reading somewhere that if Napoleon had not
been defeated at a battle on the Nile, he would have sent naval
reinforcements to help Tipu in his ongoing wars with the British.
French, British, what's the difference--rapacious aliens all. Why
doesn't anyone analyse Tipu's relations with the French as well
as his clashes with the British?As you suggest, let us not manufacture history, although we have,
sadly, been abusing history. There is plenty of good history around
that we *should* remember--for example, if you want to talk about
'patriot games' let us look at the Battle of Colachel in 1742 CE,
where Marthanda Varma of Travancore crushed a Dutch expeditionary
fleet near Kanyakumari. The defeat was so total that the Dutch
captain, Delannoy, joined the Travancore forces and served loyally
for 35 years--and his tomb is still in a coastal fort there. So
it wasn't the Japanese in the Yellow Sea in 1905 under Admiral
Tojo who were the first Asian power to defeat a European power
in a naval battle--it was little Travancore.Now, why isn't that bit of history better known? Varma was not
necessarily an Indian nationalist, but he sure wanted his kingdom
not to be preyed upon by aliens. That is pretty nationalistic in
my book.Let's not create revisionist history re. the likes of Tipu Sultan
just to 'prove' that Islam and Hinduism can coexist, please! This
has been demonstrated amply in Kerala for many centuries: Jews,
Muslims, Christians, all have lived there in harmony.
Thanks
S. Rajeev
San Jose
____________________________________
*I agree with your observations about the history of Kerala. In the Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign in the first half of the nineteenth century demonstrated just as convincingly that Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians can live in harmony. Just before the first Anglo-Sikh war of 1845,the English tried to bribe the Punjabi Muslim artillery officers in the Sikh army to mutiny against the "infidel" Sikhs. Not one of them accepted the English bribe and,indeed, many gave their lives fighting along with their Punjabi Sikh and Hindu compatriots. The Punjab fell to the English (the last to fall -- in 1849) because the English John Company's army grew enormous with mercenary Indian soldiers drawn from the whole of rest of India.-- c.j.s.wallia
Subject: Review of The Bride Wore Red
From:"Dongre, Ajit" <ajit.dongre@compaq.com>
To:C. J. S. Wallia'" <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
Just checked out your review of The Bride Wore Red.
Found the (ostensibly largely autobiographical) book
well worth a read.I squirmed at the classic clash of Western individualism
and Indian blindness to it. My own experience is hugely
different (I wouldn't THINK of such encroachment of my
blood relatives' space on my own, let alone on my wife's)
and so is that of most of my Indian friends' who have also
married European Americans.Yet it is only too easy to
imagine the Indian males whom she writes about.
And, of course, the sensitive American artist protagonist.
Thanks for the review -- and your web-magazine
Ajit Dongre
<ajit.dongre@compaq.com>
Subject: IndiaStar magazine
From: Closepet Ramesh <ll88@truman.edu>
Organization: Truman State University
India Star and you are doing
the kind of work that I wish I could!
Yours is a work of love, conviction,
and rigor, and I thank you for giving
us all of your work so selflessly.With regards,
Closepet Ramesh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Communication
Truman State University, Kirksville, MO 63501
Subject: Contributing articles to IndiaStar
From:Arindam Basu <arindam@aol.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I just came across IndiaStar and liked it a lot
both for its contents and clean design.I would like to contribute articles.
Can I send them as file attachments
(such as Word files)?Sincerely,
Arindam Basu, M.D., M.P.H.
Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri-------------------------------------------------------------
[Thanks. The best way for us to receive
an article is as part of email message
instead of an attached file. -- c.j.s. wallia]
From: Lorna Gonsalves-Pinto <lgonsal@bgnet.bgsu.edu>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Congratulations on your work! I just happened to run into
your web siteand was very excited to read about the work
of Indians/Indian Americans.I look forward to reading the materials in greater detail.
In the mean time, keep doing what you are doing.
I would like to hear a crescendo of Indian American voices
as we break through borderlands in the US.
Lorna Gonsalves-Pinto
Research Associate for Diversity
Office of the Provost
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403
Subject: IndiaStar review of Naipaul's "Beyond Belief"
From: JOSHI <sjoshi@eagle.cc.ukans.edu>
To: <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
I found the invented Arab ancestors very interesting.
A Pakistani friend of mine has a mother from a
Baluchistani Brahui-speaking family. However,
he makes a big deal out of the fact that his
great grandfather was Arabian. But that makes him
one-sixteenth Arabian and one-half Dravidian!S. Joshi
From: cidy <corp.purchasing.cofap@ibm.net>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Namaskar,
My name is Cidy, I´m from Brazil and for some years now have
been reading a lot of things on India. I lived for seven months
in Srinagar back in 1993. Since then I´ve always found it impossible to
define India, simply because India defies definition and Western
people are so ignorant and biased when talking about anything
beyond American-European culture.Thus it was with surprise I bumped into some very interesting
sites on the Net and have seen many of your reviews plus
your interview with Gita Mehta.Actually it was through your reviews I came to know about new
findings regarding the so-called Aryan invasion of India. How
come we do not hear anything about it. Does it challenge so
much the status quo of scholarship?Anyway, congratulations.
Cidy
SÃO PAULO - Brazil
From: Vemp@aol.com
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Three cheers for your excellent essay on the
Rushdie's novel 'The Moor's...'.
The sentence I liked most was '..pandering to
the Euro-centered reader'. I think that captures
the true reaction of the average Indian to the current
trend of inceasing receptiveness of the west to
Indian writing in English. You have put it in such
an apt way that adding anything would be redundant.I think many Indian writers in English have the
westerner in mind when writing their works.
The west laps them up if only to confirm their long-held
suspicion that India is nothing but a land of snake-charmers,
a land hopelessly lost in so many ills of the society.Maybe a good thing to do is give support to the regional
literature of India.And Rushdie had the cheek to say 'the best post-independence
Indian writing is in English.'
venkat
From: suresh canagarajah <ARABB@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Professor Wallia,
I found your review of The Moor's Last Sigh
very provocative.I would like to get my class
to read it. Since some of them don't have
access to the internet, I like to copy and
distribute it.They are writing a critical review of the
novel and I thought it would be good for
them to be challenged by your review.I teach postcolonial literature at Baruch
College of the City University of New York.
Let me know if I have your permission
to use your review.Best wishes,
Suresh Canagarajah
_________________________________________
*You are welcome to print the
review and distribute copies.
Also, below are eight letters
responding to the review. -- c.j.s. wallia
Subject: Maldives
From: "Michael O'Shea" <moshea@metz.une.edu.au>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I enjoy the high standard of work in IndiaStar.
I am currently finishing MA in Australia on revolts in southern Maldives
in mid-20th century. Married to a Maldivian, I am Anglo-Australian.
We have completed Dhivehi-English dictionary, and are translating
Dhivehi literature and history. I have lived in Maldives (Addu)
for two years teaching English.Know any Indian scholars interested in our line of work?
I have full electronic communication capability and visit
Maldives each year.Your website is easy to download and moving through
it is easy. Sometimes the writing in the articles is irregularly
spaced but always readable. I use IE4 as a browser.Your hard work is appreciated,
Michael O'Shea
Subject: Literary Magazines
From: Marie Savage
<oraccoon@coastnet.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I am searching the best sites on the web for literary print magazines.
Your site is impressive and led me to believe you might be able to help
me narrow my search for Indian literary magazines. There might well be
an organization of Indian literary magazines (published in English) and
based in India or perhaps there is an Indian author's association which
could help me in my quest.Any help you might provide in locating either would be appreciated.
Marie Savage
oraccoon@coastnet.com
10301 Bowerbank Road, Sidney, BC, Canada V8L 3L2
From: "Dan Godston" <dangodston@earthling.net>
To: <cjwallia@indiastar.com>I just visited the IndiaStar website.
It's excellent!
I particularly liked reading
Subhash Kak's poems.Thank you.
Cordially,
Daniel Godston
From: Meenakshi Srinivasan
<vijay@thought.Eng.Sun.COM>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I read with mounting amazement your
IndiaStar articles entitled Ancient India
in a New Light on the'Sarasvati Civilisation.'I am currently planning to teach an entire
unit on Indian (Indus) civilisation as part
of a 6th grade History textbook.Do you think it is OK to present this new
way of perceiving the Eurocentric model?
An early answer would be much appreciated!Meenakshi Srinivasan
_________________
* In one word: yes. c.j.s.wallia
_______________________
From: Meenakshi Srinivasan
<vijay@thought.Eng.Sun.COM>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Thank you for the prompt reply.
I went ahead and challenged the kids with
the non-aryan invasion theory. As I was
a guest teacher at this class, I could not gauge
the amount that percolated in. However, the
teacher was thrown, to say the least!I shall check the books you reviewed on
Ancient India. What I have seen, so far,
floating around is the teacher's manual that
comes with the Hougton Mifflin text called
A Message from the Ancient World.
This text still holds forth the usual story
of the Aryan invasion (which is what I
learnt at school in India).I shall be teaching my class after spring
break and plan to share the pathbreaking
updates with them!Thanks again.
Meenakshi Srinivasan
From: Rajesh <rajesh_racha@hotmail.com>
Dear Sir,
I would like to thank you very much for this wonderful site.
I am always on the look out for information that portrays
India's culturalglory and which throws light on the most
heinous deeds done to her culture by scores of invaders.
This site has reviews on plethora of such books. I am
immensely happy that I found this site.
I just have one sugestion to make, the red background
with black font makes it a bit tough to read the articles.
If you could make that a lighter background, I would
very much appreciate it.Thanks again for the wonderful site.
Sincerely,
Rajesh
_______________________________________________
*The background color I designed is
light beige. What shows up on your
monitor depends on the choices you
made on the browser settings.
I will change my design to lighter beige.
Thanks. -- C.J.S. Wallia
From: TEJMANI@aol.com
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Visiting IndiaStar, I am impressed.
I am from the third generation of a Hindu
family born in Guyana, South America.Does the site also carry reviews of books
written by Guyanese?
Thank you.
Tejmani
______________________________________________________
*We would be happy to do so. -- C.J. S.Wallia
From: Venkat <Vemp@aol.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Thanks for the illuminating article on the Indus Valley
script and Dr. Jha's work.My only concerns after reading it are: 1. Has this been
brought to the notice of the mainstream historians and
the international community so as to force them to revise
their arbitrary and Euro-centric convictions.
2. Also, is there enough support in India for
historical/archaelogical studies. I have heard that there
were Aryan rulers in the Mesopotamian region (Assyrians? Hittites?).
Are there any authoritative sources that have dealt with this
issue? The other day I was astounded that the Jews believe
they descended from Abraham ( which is close
enough to Brahma) and that his wife was Sara.
One cannnot miss the Brahma-sarasvati connection.regards,
venkat
From: Aisha Talib <STalib4625@aol.com >
To: IndiaStar
I was delighted to find your site.
It is so great to be able to easily find
out the latest books and poetry by Indian writers
without having to browse through all the books
at local books stores. I am a freshman at Swarthmore
College in Pennsylvania and I am would really like
to promote awareness about Indian writers, by hosting
a writer or poet at the college.
I was wondering if you knew of any Indian writers/poets
on the East coast who might be willing to speak at
Swarthmore. I would really appreciate any help.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
Aisha Talib
[Writers interested in reading their
work at Swarthmore College should
contact Ms. Talib at
atalib1@swarthmore.edu -- C.J.S. Wallia]
From: "a.balasubramanian" <aum@mindspring.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I recently saw your review of "Tipu Sultan: Villain
or Hero." It's an excellent article.
Where can I order the book edited by Sita Ram Goel?Thank you.
Bala
___________________________________________________
[You can order the book at
http://members.aol.com/aghoshpub/aghosh-catalog.html#Sita Ram Goel ]
From: Lori Kaplowitz <lkaplowitz@postoffice.worldnet.att.net>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Dear Prof. Wallia:
Can't thank you enough for India Star! Your magazine is a
much needed breath of fresh air. I called you recently to find
out if India Star could be found in print, and I believe I woke
you up. It was about five a.m. your time. Sorry!I am an American woman writing my Master of Fine Arts novel
about an Indian family (takes place in India), and would like to hear
what your readers think about R. Prawer Jhabvala's novels (and
other work by Europeans). I am quite concerned about the kind
of reception I may look forward to as a writer dealing with a culture
different from my own (Jewish). Though I must say, based on my trip to
India three years back, I see many similarities between Hindus and Jews.It might be an interesting discussion topic for your magazine:
how do Indian readers feel about Europeans writing about India? But of
course I'm not talking about turn-of-the-century diaries by Englishwomen
who felt rather "stuck" in India and who tried to "buck up" by
writing about their experiences.What about good writers--like Jhabvala? She was included, I
believe, in Mirrorwork, a recent anthology of Indian writing, edited by
Rushdie. Was she included because of her long residency in India? Or has
she been adopted, so to speak, out of respect for her work (which, I
believe, is cream of the crop).Discussions such as these, of course, are not an attempt to
deflect attention from Indian writers, though I'm sure I'll be
chastised for wanting to write about India from an American's point of
view--even though I am as un-euro-centric as I could be.
I'm looking forward to hearing from your readers and from you.
Sincerely,
B. Shanewood
c/o U. Udoma, 754 Boston Post Rd., Rye, NY 10580
From: "Shyam Shukla" <Shyam.Shukla@ricochet.llnl.gov>
To: C.J. S. WalliaI have been enjoying reading your magazine on the Internet
for sometime and have developed a great appreciation for
the service you are rendering to the community.I really liked your short-short story. Your choice of words
is superb.
With Regards
Shyam Shukla
from: Hemant Sharma <hsharma@buenos-aires.wireline.slb.com>
to: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Mr Wallia writes "It takes much greater
intellectual effort to write clearly than it
does to pick up slender ideas and
inflate them with the miasma of
obfuscatory jargon."Very true Walliaji, most intellectuals
bypass common sense and hide behind
their self-created jargon. There are mnay
more intelligent people in the world than
the intellectuals in the universities assume.The only reason why they cannot challenge
many of the intellectual theories is due to
the obstruse terminologies being bounced
around.
Hemant Sharma
From: <gulatmn@cig.mot.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I am very impressed by the layout and the content of the
IndiaStar web magazine. You have kept the site easy to read.Furthermore, the selection of the books reviewed was also
quite refreshing. I greatly enjoyed reading your bookreviews of"Vedic Glossary on Indus Seals";
"The Aryans: Ancient India in a New Light";
and "Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and their Journey."
I hope to read these books as soon as I can.
I am certain that I will be a regular visitor to the IndiaStar magazine.
Thank you.
Manish Gulati
Chicago
From: Dhiru Shah <siaram@aol>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I am very impressed with your book reviews,
particularly on 'Vedic Glossary on Indus Seals'
by N.Jha.You have done a great job in editing and publishing
this magazine. This is the first time I have read your
magazine on the Web and I am going to read it regularly.
Congratulations.Rgds
Dhiru Shah
Alpharetta, Georgia
From: CBalchin@aol.com
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Dear Editor,
I was horrified as an Englishman and a human being when I learned
on the Internet that Queen Elizabeth is planning to visit Amritsar, the site
of the infamous massacre by British troops of 379 unarmed civilians and the
wounding of 1200 others in 1919, without uttering even one word of apology.Mr. Gore-Booth, Britain's envoy in New Delhi, is quoted by Associated Press
as saying: "The queen is not going to apologise, but she is going to lay a
wreath. Those of you who recognise the subtle distinction will see it as a
very special gesture." (October 7th, 1997) These cold, patronising, unclear
words show that while the British Empire is mercifully dead, the attitude
that led to it is very much alive. I have learned from the great American
educator and poet Eli Siegel, founder of the philosophy Aesthetic Realism,
that the greatest enemy of man, the cause of all cruelty and of war, is
contempt, the "disposition in every person to think he will be for himself by
making less of the outside world."My own desire to feel superior, to have contempt, is the reason why while
I attended Oxford University I shamefully agreed with the accepted view in
England of the British Empire, that we had brought needed civilisation to
lesser peoples, and were in fact doing them a kindness. The truth is the
British Empire was based on contempt, on the ugly, wrong, completely
unscientific idea that other people, looking different, speaking different
languages, did not exist to be known, as having meaning, hopes and fears
as real as any Englishman, but were inferior beings who existed instead
to be used for Britainís own power, glory, and wealth; and this
centuries-old government policy caused horrors, including in
Amritsar. I think it was barbaric, and I am grateful to be learning
now as a history teacher at Norman Thomas High School in New York City
about the rich history and culture of the people of India, and to know that
my purpose is to see meaning and use them to have more respect for the
world. I want to apologise, as a representative Englishman, to the people
of Amritsar for what my country did to them.For the way of seeing that led to the British Empire to end "for there to be
good will between people and between nations" this kind, urgent question by
Eli Siegel needs to be asked and honestly answered: "What does a person
deserve by being a person?" Thinking about this question, British
representatives could never go to India, let alone Amritsar, without
beginning their visit with a sincere expression of regret.
Sincerely,
Christopher Balchin
New York City
From: cosijn@plg.mega.net.id (cosijn)
To: CJWallia@indiastar.com
Dear Mr. Wallia,
It is with much interest that I have read
your Indiastar magazine, particularly the
bookreviews. Reading your interview with
Gita Mehta in which she talked about "kala pani,"
which to my knowledge referred to Indians who
have crossed the sea (emigrants).I very much enjoyed reading the reviews and the
interview, I am a great fan of Gita Mehta, whose
books I have all read.
Saroda Cosijn-Mitrasingh
Indonesia
Subject: Gita Mehta and Indira Gandhi
From: prakso@ix.netcom.com
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Thanks for your interview.
Gita Mehta is a great writer and expresses her
disgust for Mrs Gandhi's dynastic machinations
everywhere.The irony is that recently after the demise of her
father, her brother was asked to take hold of the left
front in Orissa. Naveen Patnaik's credentials as a politician
are as good as Rajiv Gandhi's were. Ironic indeed.
But, no one cares to ask her about her views on this matter.
It is quite alright to profess aspirations about being non-feudal,
it is quite another matter to translate this into real life.Sincerely,
Rita Narayanan
__________________________________________________________
*This assumes that Gita Mehta is
accountable for Naveen Patnaik's
decision. I would be loathe to
make any such assumption. -- C.J.S.Wallia
Subject: Gypsies
From: prakso@ix.netcom.com
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Mr Wallia,
Your review of Fonseca's book
was great! I am very interested in
this subject and found your info
very helpful. Thanks!!!Sincerely,
Rita Narayanan
From: Devi Karan Bhattacharya
<devikab@aol.com>
I must thank Dr. Wallia for his excellent reviews in IndiaStar,
aimed at removing distortions from our history books, and to
achieve an objective, honest presentation of India's history.The three questions raised by Lalit Mansukh in his letter are
very valid, and must be referred to India Government and to
all those who, either through design and malice or through
sheer ignorance and inertia, have put out false notions of history.I feel that everyone with pride and affection for India should
join Mansukh's effort to draw attention to the masterly presentation
in Gidwani's Return of the Aryans, and to the deep insights
given in the books by Frawley, Kak, Feuesrstein and Rajaram.
With regards,
Devi K. Bhattacharya
Subject: Ancient India in New Light
From: Thakur Alimchand <Alimchand@aol.com>
Gidwani's
Return of the Aryans is a great book, beautifuly written
and well-researched. I will
quote below extracts from two reviews
which I have before me :
Prof. J. J. Ferguson observes:
"...I have yet to see a book which entertains so lavishly, and yet
explains so clearly and lucidly, the philosophic concepts of Hinduism
that even a child can recapture the drama of his ancients. Thus,
Gidwani's Return of the Aryans entertains and enlightens,
and I regard this novel as a classic for the future as well."
(India Abroad, New York, Toronto, April 7, 1995)Prof. L.K.Ganesan writes:
"...I shall forgive a parent's failure to impart knowledge of their
roots, religion, and culture to his child, so long as the parent sees to it
that Gidwani's Return of the Aryans is within the reach of his child,
to read now, or later...."
(India Monitor, New York, Chicago, February 12, 1995)I have a large number of extracts from other reviews about
Gidwani's masterly book Return of the Aryans scattered in my
folders which I keep about many books, pictures, songs etc. that I
like, and gladly I can copy those on to you should you so desire.
Thakur Alimchand
Alimchand@aol.com
Subject: Ancient India in New Light
2 Janurary 1999From: "Jadunath shiroor" <jadunath@hotmail.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I am very glad to be introduced to INDIASTAR Magazine. Its book reviews
are fascinating; and quite clearly, they are presented with a sense of
fairness and objectivity.In particular, it gave me pleasure to read your feature, Ancient India in
New Light, under which you have reviewed four books viz. In Search
of the Cradle of Civilization, The Myth of the Aryan Invasion of India,
The Politics of History, and Return of the Aryans.Of these four great books, I am afraid, I have, so far, read only
Return of the Aryans by Bhagwan S. Gidwani. Yet your review of the other
three books is also so interesting and even compelling that I must
read them all, at the earliest opportunity.Your excellent review, I find, has sparked many comments from your
readers on INDIASTAR Magazine about Gidwani's Return of the Aryans.
I need therefore to touch only upon a few, limited aspects.Even Gidwani's worst critics have admitted that Return of the Aryans
tells a powerful, dramatic story, in elegant style and superb language.
Beautifully, in the form of a novel, it unfolds the drama of the birth &
beginning of the roots of Hinduism from 8,000 B CE, and the origin of
Aryans in India in 5,000 B CE.Yet there has been quite considerable criticism against Gidwani, not so
much about the story he tells, nor about the historical facts and
evidence he has unearthed, but largely, about his personal motivation in
presenting his Return of the Aryans. Many have jumped on the
coincidence, of publication of Gidwani's book and BJP coming into
power, at about the same time; and such critics say that Gidwani was
politically motivated, and wrote the book to favor BJP. These critics
ignore the fact that the book was some 20 years in the making, and
unless Gidwani had some astrological or psychic know-how, to time the
publication of his book to celebrate & perpetuate BJP,s victory at the
polls, he could not have worked out this fine coincidence. Where
indeed is the coincidence? or even the remotest connection between
BJP victory, and publication of Gidwani's book?I remember, it was in early 1979 when I received letters from Gidwani
while he was in Montreal. He had asked me for explanation of certain
Sanskrit words and phrases used in old Lithuanian songs. It was then that
I learnt that Gidwani had been working on his long-standing project to write
a book on Aryans. Nearly 16 years after this correspondence, his book Return of
the Aryans came out. I know personally of about 15 experts in the
field of Languages whom he had consulted. How many more he consulted
from India, and more so from foreign countries, I do not know. I had
exchanged not less than 15 letters with him on Lithuanian songs.
Languages apart, it was quite clear from Gidwani's letters that he was
in touch with many others too, such as historians, archaeologists,
researchers, and so on. It is sheer fantasy on the part of the critics
to assume that this book, with its vast scope and span, covering nearly
a thousand pages, and backed by enormous research which was carried out
in India and in at least 60 regions of the world, was produced almost
overnight to synchronize with BJP's election.Normally, whenever there is a book under discussion, debate or review,
critics tend to criticize the book itself, to invite attention to its
mistakes or shortcomings or even exaggerations and omissions. In the
case of Return of the Aryans, strangely, there has been little criticism
against the book itself, and much of the criticism has been against the
author personally, to show that he has been politically and communally
motivated in writing this book. Having said that, such critics find it
easy to dismiss the book without going into the substance of the book,
or into the points it raises. To my mind, such criticism is pointless,
and even without sense or substance. Even assuming that Gidwani had a
hidden political or communal agenda in embarking on this research, is
there any sense in criticizing him personally, rather than the book
itself?Return of the Aryans tells the story of the early roots of Hinduism
with pride and affection. To me it is strange that non-Hindu
fundamentalists should find fault with that. I do appreciate that it is
the fashion of times for most Indian novelists and writers of light
literature, to write with contempt against Hindu beliefs, traditions
and customs in order to be regarded as liberal or progressive, and to
get appreciation from foreigners for publication of their books and
favorable reviews; but what is wrong, if once in a while, an author like
Gidwani writes a book which points to the glory and greatness of the
early ideals of Hinduism! Instead of pointing out any possible mistakes
which Gidwani might have made in his assessment of early Hindu
traditions and ideals, the fundamentalists from other faiths simply seem
to suggest: If a book speaks so highly of Hinduism, surely it must be
against us! And what those fundamentalists see in this book is a
sinister Hindu move, designed to trash the minorities. How silly we can
get! Those who have read Return of the Aryans will readily realize that
there is no criticism against any religion, explicit or implied, and in
fact, the book bends over backwards to assert time and again, that:
" Whatever god you accept, He is that God, and Dharma (righteousness) is
His Will.Throughout also, the book restates the age-old spirit of Hinduism for
tolerance for all faiths including recognition of spiritual nature of
man wherever he is from; and acceptance of every culture and faith as
expressions of eternal values.How, then, political and communal motivations came to be ascribed to
this book, remains a mystery. Apparently, the critics seemed to
overlook the fact that Gidwani was presenting his work in the context of
the history of Hinduism for the period of 8,000 to 5,000 BCE, while
other religions like Christianity and Islam were conceived many
thousands of year later or it may be the critics were using (or rather
misusing) the book for their own personal, political and communal
motivations. It is also possible that the message in the book for
national integration, national self-respect and national identity, has
annoyed the spoilers who would like to see the country divide and
disintegrate itself. Or it maybe that such criticism comes from sheer
ignorance arising from failure to read or understand the book.A question has been raised: Does Return of the Aryans present
authentic history? One is tempted to ask in return: Is our history
authentic? But this retort is no answer, really. The fact is that our
history is simply a distortion concocted by motivated and hostile
historians and commentators, both foreigners & Indians. Our
history-books on ancient India have more fiction in them than any book
of fiction can possibly achieve. Gidwani, on the other hand, has done a
great deal of research in order to show how faulty and fictional our
history books are. He has undoubtedly unearthed a thousand clues, with
tremendous evidence and facts which should help honest historians to
continue the work. What Gidwani is presenting is not pure history but an
alternative history to challenge the historians to come to grip with the
facts. No one can deny that Gidwani has used his imagination and I
would say, even vision to bridge the many uncertainties that remain,
and throughout, his book has the plea to the historians to begin the
reconstruction of India,s history with honesty and objectivity. Even
so, it is clear that conclusively Gidwani proves that the theory of
Aryan invasion of India from the West or from anywhere else, is false.
Also, he conclusively shows that equally false is the theory of the
North-South Divide and that the people of Ganga, Sindhu, Madhya, Bangla
and other regions were together with the Dravidian regions, as a part
of Bharat Varsha, in a spirit of equality and mutual respect.It is not correct to assume that Gidwani is the first to hold the
view that Aryan Invasion theory is false and frivolous. As the comments
in INDIASTAR would show, many leading authorities and scholars have
questioned this unthinking view of historians, who without producing any
evidence or assigning any reasons, simply put forward this theory as an
accepted fact of history. What Gidwani has done is to update the
material of those scholars, and carry out a comprehensive research of
the Aryan history including their ancestry in the period of 3,000 years
that preceded the origin of the Aryans in India. Thus Gidwani's work
covers a vast panorama, to reveal dramatic stories behind the origins
of Om, Namaste, Swastika, Gayatri Mantra, and Soma Wines. It tells how
Tamil and Sanskrit developed, and how they influenced world-languages;
also it has tales of discovery and disappearance of Saraswati River,
and founding of Ganga, Dravidian, & Sindhu civilizations; the
battles and blood-shed that led to fall and rise of Benaras, Hardwar,
and many cities. The book speaks of ideals that took shape in those
early times, to become the foundation of Sanatana Dharma. It has also
enthralling tales of Aryan adventures, courage, rashness, heroic
thrusts, triumphs and failures, in various countries, such as Iran,
Sumeria, Egypt, Russian lands & Scythia, Lithuania, Turkey, Finland,
Sweden, Italy, Greece and Germany. Besides, Gidwani sheds light on
pre-history establishment of Hindu legal & constitutional systems;
development of ships & harbors; gold-mining; chariots; Yoga;
mathematics; astronomy; medicine; surgery; music, dance, drama, art &
architecture; and material advancement of the pre-ancient India.
The result is a superb book, which undoubtedly Return of the Aryans is.
Anyone concerned with discovering the roots of his culture would be well
advised to read it. I agree with the message in this book that a
generation that remains unaware of its roots is truly orphaned - and our
generation, as also the coming generations, must be made aware of our
cultural roots, and the glory and greatness of the ideals and values of
the ageless Indian civilization " along with the knowledge of art,
culture, music, dance, yoga, abstract thought, philosophical and
spiritual leanings of pre-history India.
Jadunath Shiroor
"Jadunath shiroor" <jadunath@hotmail.com>[It's wonderful to hear from
a Sanskrit scholar who served
as a consultant on Gidwani's
"Return of the Aryans" - - c.j. wallia]
From: Atmaram K. Maheshwari
<Atmaramkm@aol.com>
I have been an admirer of IndiaStar magazine for long.
Permit me to share some doubts and questions with you.
I was jolted when I read Lalit Mansukh's letter, which
pointed out that even Government of India websites show
that Aryans from the West invaded and subjugated India.
What is more, I am told that the Government of India
websites do not even mention, not even by a footnote, that
an alternative theory exists which strongly supports, with
facts and positive evidence, the views that the Aryan Invasion
theory is simply a myth.When I first read with admiration Bhagwan Gidwani's book
Return of the Aryans it had occurred to me that the issue was
only a matter of contention between two schools of historians
with one supporting, and the other opposing the Aryan Invasion
Theory. Now to be told that Government itself is a partisan,
fully in camp of those who assert that Aryans from the West
subjugated India, comes to me as a surprise, if not as a shock.You, Dr. Wallia, explain it well -- why the Government is
impressed by its motivated historians of JNU or the Marxists.But let me ask: Is there a single example of any Government
in this wide world, which having before it two opposing
theories about the history of its country, will accept and
loudly proclaim a theory which brings discredit on the origins
of the civilization of the country? I have to assume that India
Government, honestly, after due study, has come to the
conclusion that historical preponderence is in favor of the
Aryan Invasion Theory, as most historians have urged that.
All the more reason that those who hold the opposing view
should be given an honorable or even dishonorable mention,
for instance by adding something on the follwing lines:
India Government believes that despite the contrary views
expressed by Vivekanand, Aurobindo, Gidwani, Frawley,
Kak, Rajaram, Feuesrstein, and Wallia, Aryans came
somewhere from the West as invaders, and conquered
India. This view is held by Government on account of
the proof given by so many reputed historians whose names,
along with their books and papers on the subject
are listed at Attachment A.Having said that, the Govt. must then provide the Attachment
listing the historians and their documents.There has to be accountability and transperancy. Should we not
be told who the History Czar in India Govt. is? Who has finally
resolved this question to hold that the Aryan Invasion Theory
is real and not a myth?There are, like me, many who do not spend a great deal of time
on study of history. Besides, it is not easy to obtain books.
For instance after I read Gidwani's Return of the Aryans,
and was fascinated by it, I read your review and wanted all the
books you reviewed under Ancient India in a New Light. I was
able to get only In Search of the Cradle of Civilization by
Feuesrstein, Kak & Frawley, and I learnt much from it. I can
not get here, the other books that you reviewed but a friend
is sending me those from India. Earlier, even for obtaining
Gidwani's Return of the Aryans, I sent a cheque in
US dollars to Penguin Books in New Delhi, and reminded them
but I have heard nothing from them for all these 14 months
(though they had not cashed the cheque either). Fortunately a
friend in Gurgaon, India was able to mail the Gidwani book
to me. It is a great book, worth the wait, but nobody should
have to wait to read a book.Sincerely,
Atmaram K. Maheshwari
___________________________________________
*I suggest that you and other
readers of IndiaStar write a
letter to Penguin -USA to (re)publish
Return of the Aryans by Gidwani.
Write to: Michael Lynton, Chairman,
Penguin Books, 49 West 23rd Street,
New York, N.Y., 10010, USA.Because the book goes against
Eurocentric assumptions, persuading
Penguin -USA to publish it will take
letters from many.-- C.J.S.Wallia
From: Dina Dubash < DiDubash@aol.com>
This refers to Mr. Lalit Mansukh's letter and your answer
to him.
I am an admirer of Bhagwan Gidwani's Return of the Aryans.
I see truth, beauty, and delightful entertainment in the book.
But I must admit I have not read many other books on the subject
of ancient India nor made a real study of the theory of Aryan
invasion. But my mind tells me that when a majority of writers
hold the view that Aryans invaded, while a minority contradicts
it, the Government should not suppress the minority view, but
state it; and having stated it, the government editor must add a
few remarks to say why the government holds the view that it
does, and why it is not swayed by the views of authors like
Bhagwan Gidwani or the views that you yourself have expressed.An outright blanking out of a minority view is not a good way
to deal with matters affecting cultural pride and roots.Sincerely,
Dina Dubash
< DiDubash@aol.com>
Subject: Ancient India in a New Light
From: Lalit A. Mansukh <Lalitam@aol.com>
As an admirer and regular once-a week visitor to IndiaStar,
may I submit a question for your consideration? But first let
me give the background which leads to this question.You have given a first class review entitled Ancient India in
a New Light of four books by David Frawley, Subhash Kak,
Feuesrstein, Navaratna Rajaram, and Bhagwan S. Gidwani.When your review apeared, of the four books that you reviewed,
I had read only Return of the Aryans by Bhagwan S. Gidwani.
I thought (and still think) it is a magnificent historical novel
with not only a beautiful presentation of the story of the origin
of Aryans in India in 5000 BC, but also of the very roots of
Hinduism and Indian civilization from 8,000 BC. It also shows
how Sanskrit and Tamil evolved, how Rig Veda came to be
composed, how OM mantra was first uttered, and how the
early ideals of Sanatana Dharma were formulated.After I read your review, it became incumbent on me to
read and re-read the three other outstanding books. Having
now read them, I have not an iota of doubt that the story of
the Aryan invasion is simply a canard with which many (either
by design or ignorance) have sought to brainwash India and
the world. There are also quotations and references in
INDIASTAR Magazine to the views of Sri Aurobindo and
Swami Vivekanand who seriously questioned the Aryan
invasion theory.Now I come to my question: Why, with all this weight
of reason and evidence against the Aryan Invasion Theory,
every website you open on Internet about Indian culture or history,
speaks of the Aryan invasion of India? These websites are by
Indian organizations, yet none of them even cares to mention that
there is an alternative version held by Gidwani and the learned
scholars whose books you reviewed. Incidentaly, I cannot blame
these organizations which give this totally one-sided presentation,
by mentioning Aryan Invasion Theory as a settled fact of history.
That is because they all possibly take the cue from the Government
of India. I invite your attention to the extracts from Government of
India Home-Page (http:\\www.meadev.gov.in/1page.htm).
This is what it says,under the heading of CULTURE:The Aryans and the Vedic Age:
The Aryans are said to have entered India through the
fabled Khyber pass, around 1500 BC. They intermingled
with the local populace, and assimilated themselves into
the social framework. They adopted the settled agricultural
lifestyle of their predecessors, and established small agrarian
communities across the state of Punjab.The Aryans are believed
to have brought with them the horse, developed the Sanskrit
language and made significant inroads in to the religion
of the times. All three factors were to play a fundamental role in
the shaping of Indian culture. Cavalry warfare facilitated the
rapid spread of Aryan culture across North India, and allowed
the emergence of large empires...Again, under the caption of SOCIETY & RELIGION, this
presentation by the Government of India says as follows:When the initial migrations of the Aryan people into
India began about 1500 BC, the developed Harappan culture
had already been practically wiped out.There are then several statements in the long presentation by India
Government which go to show that Indian Culture began with
Aryan invasion. The entire presentation shows that Government
is not at all aware of any doubts and questions about the Aryan
Invasion Theory.It does not therefore surprise me that all websites on Indian
History and Culture choose to adopt the docile course of following
Government of India s uninformed lead in reporting, and even
sanctifying Aryan Invasion Theory as an undisputed fact of History.This is all the more reason for me to congratulate you for your
independent attitude in IndiaStar, in bringing to the notice of
your readers books by four outstanding scholars which prove,
beyond a shadow of doubt, that the Aryan Invasion Theory was,
and remains, a hoax.My questions are as under:
(1) Why do so many web-sites, including government of India s,
learned universities, India s social, cultural, political, and
information organizations, Indian Embassies & Consulates,
still cling to the frivolous Aryan Invasion Theory?
(2) Even if above webmasters must, for some reason,
cling to Aryan Invasion Theory, should they not show that
there also exists an alternative theory held by noted scholars
whose books you reviewed?
(3) Even a more important sub-question is: Why does not
the India government carry out a proper study of our ancient past?
There is a passionate plea for such a study in the Gidwani book.
The high level of research in the books by the great scholars
whom you reviewed, clearly, shows that there is need for such a study.
Developed countries apart, even developing countries like Egypt,
China, Indonesia, Iran, Peru, are continuing their studies and
excavations to re-discover their ancient past. Why should our
concern remain only with present politics - - when all over the
world people are trying to reach out to their ancient heritage
and roots?Finally, I hope I have your kind permission to send a copy
of your review to some websites which cling exclusively
to Aryan Invasion Theory.Yours Sincerely,
Lalit A. Mansukh
_____________________________________________
*You are welcome to post brief
quotes, selected by you, rather
than whole articles from IndiaStar
-- readers will appreciate the option
of clicking to read the full articles
and not be faced immediately with
lengthy pieces.In answer to your questions, which I
will rephrase as why much of official
Indian history has long been subjected
to "political correctness" instead of
truth, may I suggest that you read
my review of Francois Gautiers
Rewriting Indian History as well as
my reviews of several books by Ram
Swarup and Sita Ram Goel. These
reviews are now on IndiaStar. -- C.J.S. Wallia
From: Margareann@aol.com
IndiaStar fulfills a great need and I welcome it.
At the outset, let me say that I was not born
an Indian or a Hindu.But being married to a Hindu,
and having studied Hinduism through literature,
study, and personal observance, I choose to regard (and
conduct) myself as a Hindu and an Indian, even though
I have not formally -- through a ritual -- converted to
Hinduism. But then I regard Hinduism as the most
open-minded and all-inclusive religion, and personally
do not see the need of a ritual to regard myself as a
Hindu, now and forever.Books on Indian civilization and Hinduism interest me
a great deal. It was good to read the books reviewed
by you perceptively in INDIASTAR "The Myth of the
Aryan Invasion of India" by David Frawley; "In Search
of the Cradle of Civilization" by Fuerstein, Kak,
and Frawley; "The Politics of History" by Navaratna
Rajaram.These scholarly books, by learned authors,
cover new ground and present enlightening glimpses
of the Indian civilization.Equally, I enjoyed reading "Return of the Aryans"
by Bhagwan S. Gidwani, which though written in the
form of a novel to present a fascinating story of
India's civilization, clearly shows that author
Gidwani has done his research of scholarly sources,
archaeological clues, Vedas, Upanishads and the oral
tradition of memory songs, not only in India but
practically in every nook and corner of Asia and Europe.
Your review, therefore, I think showed great
wisdom in including Gidwaniís fascinating book,
along with three scholarly books by learned authors.As to the Aryan Invasion theory, although the recent
writings of scholars, who contradict it, are impressive,
the jury is still out (at least in my mind) as to what is true.
It may be true, as scholars and author Gidwani assert,
that Aryans originated in India; or it may be that the
original Aryans came from elsewhere, as indeed the
mainstream historians have urged for all these
years. As a middle ground, it occurs to me that it
may even be possible that at that ancient point of time,
migration and movement became the mood of people
in many parts of theworld and India, and such people
with wander-lust, be it for seeking knowledge or
even treasure-hunt, met and mingled, and came to be
called Aryans in India and elsewhere.
(Dr. Wallia, I do not know if this middle-ground
theory has any basis or has been advanced by writers;
my own study of such matters is limited, so it may
just be a thoughtless idea that strikes me.
You may kindly guide).However, although from the point of view of history,
the question of Aryan invasion or non-invasion may
be important, I value these great books that you
have reviewed from the point of view of the search-light
that they throw on India's ancient civilization, and the
birth and beginnings of the Hindu way of life in the era
prior even to the Vedic Age. In this respect, I think,
"Return of the Aryans" by Bhagwan S. Gidwani,
is a remarkable book in tracing the roots of Hinduism to
the period before 8,000 BCE, in the form of a story that
is capivating with charm and enlightenment.
Yours Sincerely,
Margaret Ann Setalvad
_______________________________________________________
*Recent archeological evidence from
the Mehrgarh site suggests that the
culture of Sapta Sindhu region can be
traced back to at least 8000 BC
without discontinuity, making Indian
civilization the oldest in the world.If a disruptive "invasion" into this
vast region took place, it probably
occurred before 8000 BC. --- C.J.S.Wallia
From: Gulab Hashmatrai<Gulabhashm@aol.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I have learnt much from the excellent
bookreviews in IndiaStar magazine.
In particular I liked C.J. S.Wallia's
review of fourmagnificent books by
David Frawley, Georg Feuerstein,
Subhash Kak, Navaratna Rajaram,
and Bhagwan Gidwani under the
caption "The Aryans: Ancient India
in a New Light."While Gidwani's Return of the Aryans
is a historical novel which enlightens
and entertains, the three other books are
scholarly presentation of the research
material on ancient history. I have at
times come across criticism that
historical novels should not be clubbed
together with serious, scholarly books.
But to my mind,Wallia has very
correctly given a review of these authors
in a single feature. All these authors
are in the same tent, and all of them
serve to expose the falsehood of the
theory of "Aryan Invasion," even though
each of these authors follows a different
method of presentation.Gidwani has presented his Return of
the Aryans in the form of fiction. But
his fiction is not falsehood. Nor a dream.
Nor guess work. On the other hand,
it is clear that each of our history books
has far more fiction than the Return of
the Aryans. Anyone who reads IndiaStar
should be well aware of the fictional
character of our history books (please see
C.J. Wallia's review of Rewriting Indian
History by Francois Gautier). This review
also correctly demostrates that the fiction
in our history books is not mere fiction.
Actually, our history books contain
calculated and motivated falsehood with
the vicious design of putting India & Indians
down against its foreign conquerors and
invaders--be they Muslim or British.
On the other hand, the fiction in
Return of the Aryans is not based on a lie.
This book admirably presents the drama
of the Aryan odyssey in the form of a novel,
with a story that is enjoyable and yet
educates at the same time.The pity is that there is no research in our
history books.They are propaganda, intiated
by foreigners, and copied by our so-called
historians of India who realized which side
their bread was buttered. On the other hand,
anyone who has read Return of the Aryans
will realize the research behind the book
in tracing the birth and beginning of Hinduism,
the early aims and ideals of Sanatana Dharma,
and the journey of Aryans to a vast number
of distant countries along with their adventures
and exploits. Return of the Aryans also
tells us of the dramatic but well-researched
stories behind Gayatri Mantra, Om, Namase,
fall & rise of cities & civilizations. Certainly,
Return of the Aryans also seeks to entertain as
a novel should, but its historical foundation
is undeniable.
Finally, I'd like to congratulate Dr. C.J. S. Wallia
for his review of Rewriting Indian History
by Francois Gautier (Where Is the Hindu Holocaust
Museum?). And all the more so, I congratulate
Dr.Wallia on his tireless crusade in IndiaStar
to bring truth, objectivity and integrity into
our history.
Gulab Hashmatrai
Gulabhashm@aol.com
From: Bhagwanti Wadhwan <Bhag01@aol.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Dear Prof. Wallia,
Quite by chance, while I was looking for something else on internet,
I chanced to land on the website of IndiaStar- a Literary-Art Magazine.
I am delighted with my discovery. My sincere and heart-felt
congratulations to you for IndiaStar magazine's for its excellent
articles and reviews. I am convinced that it is a magazine which
no thinking Indian should miss. All readers owe to our friends
to draw their attention to this great Magazine.I would like to add a bit to your comments on Return of the Aryans
in your review "Ancient India in a New Light." This great historical
novel is based on solid foundations of monumental research from
scholarly texts -- past and present, archaeological sources, and the
oral tradition of Memory Songs from many diverse lands. The book
thus presents formidable evidence to back its thrilling account of
how, around 5000 BC, the Aryans originated from India, and from
nowhere else -- and why they moved out of their homeland; their
trials and triumphs overseas; and finally their return to India.Judging from the title of the book, many have assumed that it tells
only the story of the Aryans. The fact is that Return of the Aryans
is unparalleled in its scope and reach. It goes deep into the pre-Aryan
era to tell the fascinating story of the birth and beginnings of Hinduism,
and unfolds the drama of Indian civilization back to its roots prior to
8,000 BC. In fact, the story of the Aryans begins from page 695 of
the book. While Gidwani wishes to focus on the story of the Aryans,
his hero, as he clearly points out is "the pre-ancient Hindu"; and he
goes into the pre-historic Hindu period to glimpses of art, culture,
music, abstract thought, philosophical leanings, and spiritual values
of pre-ancient India. Gidwani shows that Aryans of 5000 BC were
born, grew up, and died as Hindus, anchored in the timeless foundation
of the Hindu tradition.Simultaneously, he demolishes the false theory of the invasion
and conquest of India by Aryans originating from the West. Equally,
he supports the testimony of scholars who seek to demolish the theory of
North-South conflict & confrontation. He shows how the people of Ganga,
Sindhu and other regions came together with the Dravidian regions in a spirit
of equality and mutual respect. The Chapter 'To the Land of Tamala' from page
619 of the book, is a must for all those who wish to understand ancient
history of South, and the greatness of Tamil and the Southern culture.The book has enthralling tales of Aryan adventures, courage, rashness, heroic
thrusts, triumphs and failures, in various countries, such as Iran, Sumeria,
Egypt, Russian lands & Scythia, Lithuania, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Italy,
Greece and Germany.It also covers a vast panorama to reveal dramatic stories
behind the origins of Om, Namaste, Swastika, Gayatri Mantra, Rig Veda and
Soma Wines. It tells how Tamil and Sanskrit developed, and how they
influenced world-languages; also it has tales of discovery and
disappearance of Saraswati River, and founding of Ganga, Dravidian,
& Sindhu civilizations; the battles and blood-shed that led to fall and rise
of Benaras, Hardwar, and many cities.Return of the Aryans speaks of ideals that took shape in those early times,
to become the foundation of Sanathana Dharma -- and among those ideals were:Recognition of spiritual nature of man wherever he is from; acceptance of
every culture as an expression of eternal values; and man's obligation to
respect and protect environment, and all creatures, tame and wild.This book should appeal to those in search of India's pre-ancient cultural,
philosophic, spiritual and material heritage. Also, it fulfils a long-felt
need to keep alive, for younger generation, the awareness of the foundation
and eternal values of India's culture.
Bhagwanti Wadhwan
From: Rachel Annabela Kripal <Rkrip@aol.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
As a Hindu and an Indian by choice though not by birth,
and as one who in younger days taught Eastern Religious Studies
at Sorbonne at Paris, it always interests me whenever new books
and articles come out on the ancient civilization of India.
I was therefore pleased to see in IndiaStar: A Literary-Art Magazine
an excellent review by C.J. Wallia's on four great books, viz.:
The Myth of the Aryan Invasion of India by David Frawley,
In Search of the Cradle of Civilization by Feuesrstein, Kak & Frawley,
The Politics of History by Navaratna Rajaram
Return of the Aryans by Bhagwan S. Gidwani.Before commenting on these four great books, I must say that the
emergence of IndiaStar comes as a breath of fresh air, and I congratulate
Professor C.J.S.Wallia for bringing out this superb magazine which meets
a deeply-felt need of Indians scattered throughout the globe.In Return of the Aryans, Gidwani presents a powerful and pulsating
drama of the origin of Aryans in India, their travel to foreign lands,
their adventures and exploits in West Asia & Europe, and finally their
return to India. Yet the greater value of Gidwani's book lies in the fact
that he traces the birth and beginnings of Hinduism.Step by step, and with arguments which are almost impossible to
contradict, David Frawley, Feuesrstein, Kak and Rajaram prove to
the hilt Gidwani's stand that there was no Aryan invasion of India.
They also fully share Gidwani's ridicule of the theory of the
Aryan-Dravidian war.It had always mystified me that while there are nearly 10,000 books
on the birth and beginnings of Christianity, about 4,000 volumes on
the origins Buddhism, and Islam, and dozens even on Bahais and Zoroastrians,
there was not a single book which attempted to trace the birth and
beginnings or even the early history of Hinduism, in the pre-ancient,
pre-Vedic period. Fortunately, Gidwani came forward to fill this vacuum,
and explained in Return of the Aryans, with dramatic detail, the origins
and development of Hinduism, along with its basic tenets, beliefs,
philosophy and the timeless values, right from its ancient root of
Sanathana Dharma, and its pre-ancient root of Sanatanah, prior to 8,000 BC.
Gidwani's story will thus appeal to the Hindu and the non-Hindu alike,
for it is the story of India, and of its unique and most ancient civilization
in prehistory.Beautifully, and with elegance, Gidwani speaks of the ideals that firmly
took shape at the dawn of civilization, to become the foundation of Hinduism.
Clearly, he shows that Hinduism is based on truth and freedom, and its
basic tenets include belief in:Infinity of the soul that outlasts the drama of life;
Karma to affirm the presence of the Past in the Present; with equal
opportunity to all to achieve salvation.The concept of Dharma that is changeless with its virtues of Ahimsa,
compassion to all creatures, auspicious thought , purity of conduct
& earnest endeavor;The doctrine of Moksha (Salvation), which grants freedom from the cycle
of rebirth and death to an individual who leads a life of pure Karma.But above all, Gidwani correctly shows that Hinduism is based on supremacy
of conduct, and not creed. His view also is simple and forthright --
that Hinduism is the one religion that honors and respects human rights.
Most other religions consign non-believers to hell, everlasting.
Hinduism has room for non-believers, agnostics and atheists.
What Hinduism seeks is purity of conduct, and not creed.A clearer understanding of the basic beliefs of Hinduism is
given in the Song of the Hindu, sung in ancient times (5,500 BC),
which Gidwani reproduces in Return of the Aryans.
Hereunder, I quote a few extracts from that Song:"Hinduism is the law of life, not a dogma; its aim is not to create a
creed but a character and its goal is to achieve perfection through
varied spiritual knowledge which rejects nothing and yet refines
everything, through continuous testing....".Yet a Hindu must remain strong and united, for he must know
that no external, outside force can crush him, except when he is
divided and betrays his own..."He who seeks to convert another to his own faith offends against his
own soul and the will of God and the law of humanity..."In the Kingdom of God, there is no higher or lower.
The passion of perfection burns equally in all, for there is only
one class even as there is only one God..."A Hindu must enlarge the heritage of mankind...a Hindu is not
a mere preserver of custom...a Hindu is not a mere protector
of present knowledge..."Hinduism is a movement, not a position, a growing tradition
and not a fixed revelation..."What then is the goal of the Hindu? Through strength, unity, discipline
...to reach ultimate in awareness and ultimate in being, ultimate in awareness
and ultimate in bliss, not for himself alone, but for all...(From Bhagwan S. Gidwani's Return of the Aryans)
Human Rights is a modern concept in so far as the western thought
and philosophy are concerned. Yet the very basis of Hinduism, right from
its inception for all these 9,000 years, is the recognition of, and respect for,
human rights.In the West, the concept of Human Rights is used more as a political
instrument. For instance, when China abuses Human Rights in it brutal
genocideagainst helpless Tibet, the western opinion is muted, as China
is a powerful nation and an important trading partner. But western powers
are ready to pounce on India or Pakistan if any impression of violation of
Human Rights emerges. Clearly also, apart from Hinduism, and to some
extent Buddhism, none of the other religions have any concern with
Human Rights of those who belong to other religions. It is wrong
therefore to take a limited view of Hinduism's all pervasive recognition
and acceptance of Human Rights. It is true that certain perversions like
the caste system have entered in the Hindu society. But Gidwani meets this
issue headlong, and demonstrates clearly that caste system was never a tenet
of the Hindu faith. Tracing the development of caste system, he shows that
it is in fact antagonistic to the Hindu religion, and its ideals.But then let us also look at the limiting factor in regard to Gidwani's
presentation: While Gidwani presents an excellent, even thrilling, history
of the origins of Hinduism and the Aryans, the fact is that what he has
written is a novel. His concentration is more on dramatization of his story
in order also to entertain -- as indeed a novel should.Chiefly, he is concerned with telling us the gripping story of the enormous
courage with which the Aryans of India set out on perilous journeys to
unknown lands, not for conquest, nor to amass fortunes, but to fulfill their
faith. Much as I admire Gidwani's extraordinary effort, there still remained
the need to make a thorough, systematic study in a proper historical text.
I am therefore happy that David Frawley, George Feuesrstein, Subash Kak
and Navratna Rajaram have emerged into the field with their masterly books
to fill that obvious and gaping breach. I am happier to learn that many more
books are also expected to be published shortly to deal with those very subjects.
I shall welcome them. For the present, however, for all those interested in
knowing their roots and the origins of the Indian civilization, Gidwani's book,
and the three books by these great writers, are indispensable.
Rachel Annabela Kripal
From: Susan Chacko <susanc@chisos.dcrt.nih.gov>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
I generally like books with South Asian themes because it's
pleasantly familiar to see Sharmilas and Dineshes and
people eating rotis and talking to their Mausijis. For all
these reasons, and because of her spreading fame, I
expected to enjoy Chitra Divakaruni's Arranged Marriage
a lot. But didn't.
The stories are all about women who went to college in India
and now live in the US, either because they got married to
"green-card-holder" men, or because they came to study here.
Familiar ground, and familiar bits of dialogue. All the participants
had arranged marriages,although in some stories a younger
woman is contrasting her own lifestyle with her parents'
arranged marriage.
The characters in the book seemed to live in a mysterious sort
of time-warp -- although the situations and details were
contemporary, their behaviour was often what I'd associate with
an earlier generation than my own (or perhaps I malign that
generation too). For example, even the most conservative women
I know wouldn't dream of saying 'She needs to be beaten' if they saw
an Indian woman wearing a backless choli at a party. Or the story
about the high-powered skirt-wearing career woman who felt
superior and alienated from the sari-wearing wives around her
-- there were _no_ other women with careers who worewestern
clothes in northern California, of all places?
Indian men come off badly in the book. In all but one story,
they are self-absorbed, insensitive, mean, wife-abusers, servant-rapists,
or just plain unpleasant. In the single exception, the man dies.
Oh yes, there is one story in which the husband is relatively pleasant
to his wife -- he encourages her to build a career and so on -- but even
he is blase about a woman who is being forced to undergo an abortion
in India because the baby is a girl. "It's a man's world in India",
says he, complacently, implying that his wife is lucky to be married
to him and out of India. Seems like an awfully one-sided portrait of
Indian malehood to me.
The stories have varied endings, uppers and downers, but the uppers
are often pretty impractical. One woman plans to bring her friend
(the one who is being forced to abort) to the US on a student visa.
The author/narrator are apparently unaware of any financial or INS
problems involved -- the narrator and her husband are having financial
difficulties as it is, so how are they going to show financial support for
the friend, get her admitted into college, pay for her airfare, get her visa,
and all this longdistance to Calcutta? Another woman who has problems
getting along with her mother announces she's going to study in the US.
Not so simple -- the cost of GRE, college applications and airfare is far
beyond the means of your average non-working middle-class Indian woman,
so how did she manage all this without her mother's financial support?
In many other ways the stories bring out the practical problems of isolation
and lack of financial independence for women in arranged (and other) marriages,
so the facile treatment of other problemsis irritating.
The characters were pretty stereotypical -- the women with kids wore
saris, had bulges around their waists, and did not work, while the career
women were either unmarried, or had no kids, and were slim and
westernized.Fat was generally associated with marital and parental status
-- one woman even became slim after she separated from her husband,
for goodness sake. Where are the single women who like Carnatic music
and samosas, or the married women who are computer engineers and
have two children? They have arranged marriages too.
I thought the women were more realistic than Bharati Mukherjee's,
but that's not enough. The imagery (much touted in several reviews)
is pretty tortured and is generally reminiscent of the kind of writing
taught in convent schools in India. The best I can say is that the stories
are pleasantly written and do not demand much mental effort on the part
of the reader.
Dr. Susan Chacko, <susanc@chisos.dcrt.nih.gov>
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20895.
Subject: IndiaStar review of "Punjabi literature in English translation."
From: Irfan malik <ae@infonet.tufts.edu>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Janab Charan Jit Singh Wallia,
Sat Sri Akal,
I hope I am correct in guessing your name.
Thank you very much for acknowledging SALAMANDER'S
PUNJABI NUMBER, I am happy that you like the issue.
I agree with you that unfortunately the Indian authors are under represented,
the fact is that we translated more Indian Punjabi writers than Pakistani writers,
including Santhokh Singh Dhir, Prem Parkash, Sukhbir, Satwinder Singh Noor,
Amarjit Chandan, Manjit Pal Kaur and several others. But we
could not publish most of them because of various reasons. I am putting together
an anthology of modern Punjabi literature into English and I am sure
that we could use many of these works in the book. I am not going to
strive for equal number of pieces from both sides, not quantity but quality will be
the decisive factor. I think it is very important that such an anthology is based on
linguistic and literary identity instead of national identity. Can we publish a call
for submissions for this anthology in India Star?
Your statement "Pakistan's recent re-establishing of Punjabi as a literary
language is a return to native roots" needs some explanation, my understanding
is that Pakistan is doing nothing to establish or re-establish Punjabi as a literary
language, please can you explain what do you mean by this statement.
Please keep in touch.
Naven Saal Di Vadhai Hove,
Irfan Malik
145 Dudley Street
Cambridge, MA 02140-24000
Telephone (h): (617) 441-5363
(o): (617) 628-5000 x5842
Fax: (attn. irfan/ae)(617) 627-3032
E-mail: ae@infonet.tufts.edu[About Punjabi as a Pakistani literary language:
I discussed a draft of my review with
Professor Atamjit Singh, who teaches Punjabi
at the Univ of California, Berkeley. He, like you,
is also of the opinion that the Pakistani government
has done nothing in this matter. However, the fact
remains that it took 30 years for the poets to start
writing or resume writing in Punjabi.
Why?
Of course, during these years they and almost
everybody else in Pakistani Punjab
continued speaking Punjabi. So it was a revival
by the poets and fiction writers after this hiatus. C.J. Wallia]
Subject: Punjabi Literature in North America
From: Sadhu Binning <sbinning@unixg.ubc.ca>
Dear Walliaji,
I have just discovered IndiaStar this morning. Congratulations.
I was wondering whether you know of any activity on the net
around Punjabi Literature in North America?
I am a writer living in Vancouver B.C. and have published a
few books in Punjabi and also one bilingual (Punjabi/English)
book of poetry published by TSAR Toronto (1995). And as you
probably know there is a huge number of Punjabi writers both in
Canada and US. So what I wanted to know was whether there is
anything on the net that represents this activity or not?
Sadhu Binning
Asian Studies Department
Univ of British Columbia,
Vancouver, B.C. Canada[By coincidence, I have just finished writing a review
of a special feature on new Punjabi Literature in
English translation. See this under book reviews on IndiaStar.
I'd be very interested in reviewing your bilingual
book of poetry. Ask your publisher to send me a
review copy. C.J.S.Wallia ]
Subject: IndiaStar article
"A Manifesto of an Indo-American Youth"
From: Amardeep Singh <as1@acpub.duke.edu>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
As a schizo South Asian-american youth, I can back up the emotions
and revelations of the "Manifesto of an Indo-American Youth", but I also
want to say the following to the authors, and any other South Asian
diaspora kids who might be here:
1. It's not our parents' fault. They got here and there was no
way they could have been prepared for what it would be like for them.
Once my parents achieved a degree of affluence, they could hide in their
car-alarm-protected luxury automobiles, driving only in the suburbs.
They could avoid contact with real Americans by spending most of
their free time watching TV; the inanity there confirmed their feeling of
superiority (still inflected by a certain fascination) over much of
American culture.
We are not the only schizos in this place. Immigrants and people
of color are generally unrepresented or systematically misrepresented in
the American mass-media. When we do get "on," it goes like this:
Arabs are terrorists; Black and Latino youths are gang-bangers and drug-dealers;
and South Asians and East Asians are effeminate dweebs, when we're not
lumped in with the Arab terrorist-fanatics. Few people anywhere can
resist the tendency to other and exclude. Our immigrant parents may have
their problems (I share the antipathy expressed in the Manifesto to the
bigotry and homophobia that some of our parents might exhibit, but I
think it is important to recognize that bigotry is as American as
hamburgers and barcodes; if we are free of it, we are the exceptions),
but we have our problems too. I strongly resist the assertion that youth
have a knowledge of humanity that our parents do not. Take a look at the
discourse of the India newsgroups...
2. America is not better. When I was young and we went to visit India,
I felt like everything in India was dirtier, hotter, and less efficient
than what I was used to in my air-conditioned suburban American life.
But really, America is one of the dirtiest places on earth .
Our efficiency is predicated on hegemony in global capital: it keeps the
third world back, behind, and out-of-sight. For me, everything about the
American approach to consumption, the environment, representation,
and culture needs to be resisted, subverted, and transformed.
3. Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. The first thing
I started looking for after I got to college, becoming effectively free
from my family, was nothing other than new family. I wanted some roots,
a place and people to feel at home with. Some of my friends from Gurudwara
(the Sikh temple-- I am a Sikh) turned to racial purism and Khalistanism
(which I abhor); some turned to drinking and drug-use. Others-- the
majority-- work themselves to death and marry as quickly as possible,
avoiding any direct confrontation of the contradictions of their
existence. But I wasn't ready to do any of those things. I decided
not to go to med-school; and now I'm starting to find a place in a fairly
well-adjusted, multiethnic community of graduate students.
I'm hoping that from this community I can find some
semblance of a new family.
Finally, I'm declaring a truce with my parents.
When it comes down to it, they are lonely and need support
just like the rest of us. They can only change so much about
themselves at this stage in this life. I'm going to give them a break;
after my stormy, confrontational adolescence, I have to confess
I owe them one.
Amardeep Singh
Duke University
North Carolina, USA
Subject: IndiaStar article
"A Manifesto of an Indo-American Youth"
2 January 1997
From: chattrj@is3.nyu.edu (Sudipto Chatterjee)
To: "C.J. Wallia" <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
I just finished reading "A Manifesto of an Indo-American Youth."
The words simply jump out of the page, impelling every immigrant
South Asian parent (and parent-to/wanna-be) to take heed and start
thinking of "culture"or "desi values" not as a set of sacrosanct
absolutes to be believed in, buta set of fluxive ideas to be thought
through. Over andabove the anonymous main text, I also liked the
way it was framed by the interlocutor in psychological terms.
IndiaStar has done service to the larger South Asian community
in the American diaspora by publishing this. I hope it reaches
a wide audience.
Sudipto Chatterjee
New York City
Subject: IndiaStar article
"A Manifesto of an Indo-American Youth"
From: kashraf <kashraf@ix.netcom.com>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Wallia Sahib:
Your magazine is getting better and better.
A manifesto of an Indo-American youth is an eye opener.
It is really interesting to know what goes on in the heads
of young Indo-Americans. I was really motivated by the
statement of the writer that the young Indo-Americans do
not want to share the biases of their parents toward Blacks,
Muslims, Pakistanis and other socially out-cast groups.
I agree with the young writer on most of the things he said
in his article. It is the parents who have to learn about the deeper
problems of their young kids who are growing in an alien culture.
I was not aware of Salman Akhtar's research on immigrant
experience. It seems like a valuable work. I hope this type of
research goes on and is written up in Indo-American community
through widely circulated Indian newsmedia.
Khawaja Ashraf
San Francisco, California[ Khawaja Sahib, Thanks for your kind comments
about IndiaStar. Currently, I am writing a review of
Sudhir Kakar's new book, "The Colors of Violence"
(Univ of Chicago Press, 1996). In accord with this
book's sociological analysis, my conjecture is that,
unfortunately, the biases of Pakistani parents toward
Blacks, Hindus, Indians, and other non-Muslims are
mirror images of those mentioned in the IndiaStar article.
Let's hear from other readers. --C.J. Wallia .]
Subject: IndiaStar article
"A Manifesto of an Indo-American Youth"
From: moss <moss@mozart.inet.co.th>
To: cjwallia <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
Hi,
I read the piece by the young Indian on growing up in the
U.S. and was both moved by it and surprised.
It read like something a young person in Delhi or Calcutta
might have written a few years ago. I'm not sure about young
people in the nineties. I guessed the writer is female and was
impressed both by her honesty and her passion. Her article
would form the basis of a very interesting novel -- a different
sort of "American Brat" (Bapsy Sidhwa).
I am tempted to try my hand at it but despite a few visits to
the States, feel I lack enough knowledge to carry it off.
What about you, or do you confine yourself to short stories?
With all good wishes,
Manorama Mathai
Bangkok, Thailand[ Since you have asked: I am writing a novel
"Berkeley Singh" -- about a second-generation
Indo-American. C.J.Wallia ]
Subject: IndiaStar article
"A Manifesto of an Indo-American Youth"
From: Kristina Sehgal <ksehgal@WEBSPAN.NET>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Hi,
This is in response to the IndiaStar article "A Manifesto of an
Indo-American Youth".
Bravo to the two Indo-American youths who have written such
a beautiful piece on being brought up "under two cultures."
Theywrote it with sensitivity, care and love. It is truly unfortunate
that these youths are goingthrough this "struggle" and have to remain
anonymous. I feel this article should be read by every Indian parent
and then discussed. Communication is so important-- it is the key to
any successful relationship. It is somethingthat must be worked on
and cannot be achieved overnight.
This article should also be addressed on Indian-oriented talk shows
and the like. I can relate (to some degree) with what these youths are
going through. Being born and raised in this country, I know it is
difficult towant the"best of both worlds" and to maintain your values.
This cultural dilemna is the price one has to pay for living
in this country. It is a problem many of us face in exchange
for the rewards America offers.
Kristina Sehgal
NewYork City
Subject: Anita Desai
To: "C.J. Wallia" <cjwallia@indiastar.com>
From: rollason@dialup.francenet.fr (CHRISTOPHER ROLLASON)
I have just finished Anita Desai's 1988 novel 'Baumgartner's Bombay', and
am generally impressed. In particular, it seems from Desai's acknowledgments
that she did a lot of research for Chapter 4, in which Baumgartner, despite
being a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, is sent by the British to an
internment camp for the duration of World War II.Is this incident based on historical fact? Is it true that the British
authorities in India made no distinction between Jewish and 'Aryan'
German nationals?Certain aspects of Desai's internment camp chapter seem rather similar to an
episode in a novel by the Romanian Mircea Eliade ('Foret interdite' in the French translation).
Eliade, who had earlier spent three years in India himself and had written a doctoral
thesis on yoga, was sent to an internment camp by the Romanian government, in the run-up to the
second world war, for far-right political activities (a phase often omitted in
accounts of his otherwise distinguished life). In Eliade's semi-autobiographical novel,
the same fate befalls the main character.One of the internees in Desai's novel is Emil Schwarz, a German Jew described as the camp's
'scholar':'who pored over books night and day, Sanskrit and Pali dictionaries,
Buddhist scriptures, the Vedas, and Upanishads, and even more esoteric and lesser-known
titles that he ordered through the library'. This single-minded devotion to Indian culture recalls the
dedicated scholarship pursued by Eliade in India (he learnt Sanskrit and Bengali, and met Tagore).In addition, the physical description of Schwarz is striking: 'a painfully lean young man
... with a beard of tar-black hair and mournful black eyes' (quotes from Penguin edition, p. 123).
Physically, this figure seems remarkably like the young Eliade, if one compares the photographs
of his Indian years.Is Desai familiar with Eliade and his career? Is Emil Schwarz a thumbnailsketch of the young
Eliade, but transformed into a Jew - possibly as an ironic corrective to Eliade's
own far-right ideas of the 1930s (the future historian of religions stood for the Romanian parliament
as an 'Iron Guard' candidate, an act which led directly to his internment)?Anyone with ideas or information, please email me!
Christopher Rollason
Metz, France
rollason@dialup.francenet.fr
Subject: Web Publishing Presentation
From: Meilgaards@aol.com
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Dear Prof. Wallia,
Thank you for your illuminating presentation
on website publishing at the Writers' Conference.
I found it fascinating and enjoyed reading your
new literary-art magazine.
Regards,
Lani Kwon Meilgaard
San Francisco
Subject: IndiaStar Magazine
From: Sonal J Pathak <spathak@is2.dal.ca>
Hello,
I just discovered your magazine and I think it is great!
A lot of what I read in your magazine touches upon my thesis
work which is on second-generation Indo-Canadian women as
well as on the issue of cultural duality/marginality.
This may be a big question, and perhaps a personal one,
but I have to ask you:
What made you start IndiaStar in the first place?
If you have the time to answer this it would be
greatly appreciated.
Sonal Pathak
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada[Well, my academic background is in Communication
-- Ph.D., Stanford University. One of the courses I've
been teaching for many years is magazine publishing.
A few years ago, I started publishing a small literary
magazine, SAQI--South Asia Quarterly International.
The first issue of SAQI featured an interview with
Gita Mehta. IndiaStar on the web is that magazine's
reincarnation. Currently, I am planning an on-paper
version of IndiaStar to be published as a companion
to the web version. C.J.Wallia ]
Subject: Divakaruni's Arranged Marriage
From: Rukmini Timmaraju <rtimmara@central.uh.edu>
Hello,
I didn't see Divakaruni's book the way one of your other readers did.
[Dr. Susan Chacko's letter]
From my own experience as a South Asian woman raised in the US,
I still find much of her work speaking directly to the complexity and
difficulty of being a South Asian immigrant woman. Most of my peers
enjoyed it as well.
In contrast, Ginu Kamani's Junglee Girl, although refreshing in its
focus on sexuality, was pretty bizarre! The most realistic and
straightforward work out there by South Asian women is still in the
anthology Our Feet Walk the Sky by UC Berkeley's Women of
South Asian Descent Collective.
Also, for anyone who enjoyed the piece about Traveling In India
(which I did very much having recently returned from a 6-month
sojourn there) there is a lovely little book I would recommend called
Butter Chicken in Ludhiana published by Penguin. It focuses on
traveling through smaller, less tourist-oriented parts of India, and is
extremely funny.
Thanks again for your magazine!
Rukmini Timmaraju
University of Houston Law Center
Subject: Your Review of Rushdie
From: Dr Apurba Kundu
Review Editor
Contemporary South Asia
Department of Social and Economic Studies
University of Bradford
Bradford BD7 1DP
United Kingdom
Dear CJ Wallia,
Just a note to say that I enjoyed reading your review
of Arranged Marriage.
I also read your reviews of Salman Rushdie's recent works,
East-West and The Moor's Last Sigh . ["The Rushdie
Phenomenon: A Second Look"
by C.J.S. Wallia in IndiaStar] . While I don't necessarily agree with your
sentiments, I appreciate the originality and passion of your views.
Perhaps you would like to review a work for _Contemporary South Asia_?
While this academic journal is primarily concerned with current
political and economic issues, the review section offers a broader
picture of recent works on South Asia, including literature.
Sincerely,
Apurba Kundu
Subject: IndiaStar magazine
From: Anisha Kumar Patel <anishap@uclink2.berkeley.edu>
Hi C.J.!
I got a chance to look at your literary-art magazine and was
very impressed. The layout is well done, with the various
sections properly ordered and easy to follow.
I found the poems "Siesta" and "Nataraja" especially good.
I haven't read all the submissions but I plan to continue
visiting this site regularly. I've already filed it under one of
my bookmarks.
Sincerely,
Anisha Patel
Univ of California, Berkeley
Subject: Aryans--where did they come from?
From: Ashoke Mukherjee <mukherji@magicnet.net>
Dear Mr. Wallia:
For the first time I read IndiaStar this evening and wow,
was I impressed! Please accept my compliments and felicitations.
Now, the main reason for this note. Let me draw your attention to
what Swami Vivekananda, who obviously needs no introduction and
more over something a mere mortal like myself would be unable
to do (remember what Prof. Wright said, "To ask you, Swami, for
your credentials is like asking the sun to state its right to shine",
"Here is a man who is more learned than all our learned professors
put together"?) had said on the subject--the Aryans were indigenous
to India and had not come from anywhere else.
Please refer to the Chapter, "The Future of India" The Complete
Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume III (Calcutta Advaita Ashrama).
Regards
Ashoke Mukherjee
Orlando, Florida
[Vivekananda's view is in accord with that of
traditional Indian Vedantic scholars over the millenia.
The "Aryan Invasion" theory was a Eurocentric
concoction, propagated first in the nineteenth century by
German and British philologists such as Max Muller
and Monier-Williams. However, it is still the prevailing
dogma taught in universities worldwide, including,
unfortunately, those in India. -- C.J.Wallia]
Subject: IndiaStar book reviews: Aryans
From: ozdocs@accsoft.com.au
Dear Mr. Wallia,
I enjoyed reading your brief review on the book Return of the Aryans.
I could not get a copy of the book locally and I understood that
Penguin is not publishing it anymore. For a book which has won
award, it was surprising that Penguin is not publishing it.
Do you have any further information on the book and
what will be the best source to get the book from U.S.A.?
With appreciation and regards.
Pramod["Return of the Aryans" is published by
Penguin Books India, 210 Chiranjiv Tower,
43 Nehru Place, New Delhi-- 110 019.
The book is also distributed by Penguin Books
Canada at (416) 925-2249. - C.J.Wallia ]
Subject: IndiaStar magazine
From: Lavanya Vasudevan <"lavanya@worldnet.att.net"@WorldNet.att.net>
Subject: neat!!
Hello,
I just happened to hop into your magazine and I think
that your magazine is pretty cool.
I am planning to do a presentation on India and
I am sure this is going to be my main source.
Thanks a lot for such a wonderful magazine.
lavanya
Subject: IndiaStar magazine
From: Tomoeh Murakami <tomoeh@leland.Stanford.EDU>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Hi C.J.
I have been reading the IndiaStar over the past week, I really enjoyed
it a lot, especially the poems. I hope you continue to "add on" to your
magazine. It's great. The layout is really easy to read, and attractive
as well.
I look forward to reading more of your work.
Sincerely,
Tomoeh Murakami
Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
Subject: IndiaStar magazine
From: Jaya Agrawal <Jaya_Agrawal@brown.edu>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Hi,
I was so excited to find IndiaStar on the Net! I loved the poems.
I'm writing for more info on this magazine. Are you only on an
electronic on-line format?
Jaya Agrawal
Box 6115, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912[IndiaStar will also be
published on paper--C.J.Wallia . ]
From: "James M. Ivory" <IvoryJM@appstate.edu>
To: cjwallia@indiastar.com
Hello--
I have recently discovered your site, and I have a question rather
than a comment. I am interested in the novelist Salman Rushdie.
I am also interested in film studies. Along those lines of interests,
I have been trying to locate two documentaries that Rushdie lists
among his credits and "reviews" in his Imaginary Homelands. One
documentary, entitled The Riddle of Midnight, is available in a few
select libraries across the country. However, the other is much more
elusive. I have found no one and no library with information
pertaining to this documentary.Can you or your readers help?
I am interested in doing a scholarly project on Rushdie's novels and
the influence of his passion for films.
If you have any information that you believe would be helpful, I
would sincerely appreciate it.
Thank you for your time and thought.
Dr. Ivory[Possibly one of our readers knows. C.J.S.Wallia ]