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March 31, 2006 Volume1, Issue 1 |
The Catalyst |
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Note from IDS Dear
Friends & Supporters of IDS, We are pleased to announce a re-launch of our
traditional IDS newsletter, The
Catalyst. Through this newsletter,
we would like to share with you IDS-related news, information and updates
about IDS projects, and articles about development issues in Sincerely, The IDS Team |
Madhukar Deshpande "The Argumentative
Indian", by Amartya Sen (Penguin Books Ltd., ISBN 0-71399-687-0) (A collection of essays on Indian history, culture and identity) We all know only too well that when a group of
Indians gets together at a party, they enjoy nothing more than chatting
endlessly on all topics under the sun.
However, professor Amartya Sen argues in this book that discussion,
dialogue, disputations, questions and analysis, all vital ingredients for a
scientific temper (something Jawaharlal Nehru wanted all Indians to
cultivate), have pervaded Indian culture since the Vedic and Upanishadic
times. Sen refers to the ancient
texts, the pronouncements of kings Ashoka and Akbar, the interaction between
India and the Arab world in mathematics and astronomy, and deduces that
Indians have always had regard for heterodoxy. Sen destroys the myth that scientific
temperament is something of a gift from our western colonial masters (an idea
sold to us by these masters even while putting up with admiration of
literature such as that of Kalidasa by western scholars). He does so by showing how internal
pluralism and external receptivity pervades the Lokayat philosophy and
Charvak's darshan. Sen reveals the role women played since ancient
times in discussions and dialogues and that even dalits, medieval mystical
thinkers and sufis made significant contributions to the heterodoxy nurtured
by the Indian tradition. Sen notes
that for centuries Buddhism, not Hinduism, was the predominant religion of Sen argues
that the tradition of discussion and argument has deeply influenced Indian
politics and that a strong faith in democracy led to an unequivocal rejection
by the Indian electorate of an attempt in 1975-77 to dilute it. As an example
of true secularism in India where each community has retained its identity
within India's spectrum of faiths, Sen cites the multiple calendars that are
in vogue even today in India. The nature and usage of calendars in An insightful
essay in the book, especially notable for the NRIs, is `The Diaspora and the
World.' Here, Sen starts with the question, "what should the Indian
diaspora be proud of?" He notes
that while the breadth and richness of Indian civilization reduces this to a
non-question, there has recently been a systematic effort to encourage Hindu
NRIs to identify themselves primarily as Hindus rather than as Indians. He ties this tendency with the colonial
dominance In the essay
"The Reach of Reason", Sen dwells on Akbar's Rahe Aql (the path of
reason) in which he declared, "the pursuit of reason and rejection of
traditionalism are so brilliantly patent as to be above the need for
argument. If traditionalism were proper, the prophets would merely have
followed their elders (and not come out with new messages)". In the essay
"The Indian Identity", Sen quotes from a letter Rabindranath Tagore
wrote to C.F.Andrews in 1921 in which he says, "The idea of The
"Catalyst" recommends this book to those of our readers who often
wonder what Indian Identity is or ought to be. This may indirectly nudge us into
supporting appropriate development efforts in About the author:
Madhukar Deshpande has long been associated with IDS in various
capacities. He was a dedicated member of IDS in its early, formative
years. In the 1990’s, Madhukar left a
successful career in the U.S. to establish a literacy project in India,
Vidnyanvahini, an endeavor heartily supported by IDS. As we re-launch The Catalyst, Madhukar has offered to
help out by contributing relevant articles for our issues. We are proud to
have Madhukar in the IDS family and look forward to sharing his articles with
you in the future. We anticipate that you will enjoy them and find them
stimulating. |
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In This Issue ·
Book Review: Amartya Sen’s The Argumentative Indian ·
Upcoming IDS
Events: Seminar & Hindi plays [Please
click on topic of interest to jump to that section] |
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Seminar on April 8, 2006 Rural Development – Challenges & Opportunities Speakers
& Topics: Environmental Issues & People’s Participation
in Rural Development Challenges Faced by the People in Rural Innovations
of Ashoka Fellows to enhance the power of Rural India Registration:
$25 (pre-registration), $30 (at door), & $15 (student, with ID) To
register, please contact IDS at idsusa@gmail.com For
details and flyer, please visit the IDS Events page: www.idsusa.org [For
a brief bio of SR Hiremath and bios of &
abstracts by Abraham George and Venkatesh Raghavendra, please click on their
names] |
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Hindi plays: Kabeer & Vivekanand Please
note that there are two upcoming plays, Kabeer and Vivekanand, in April. Kabeer (April 7th): A 2-hour, single act musical play
about the life of the poet-philosopher Kabeer. This play has been composed,
written, directed, and enacted by Shekhar Sen. Vivekanand (April 29th): A 2-hour musical play depicting the
life of Swami Vivekanand. This play has been composed, written, and enacted
by Shekhar Sen. Tickets: $25, $40, $60, & $75
(10% of net profits will benefit IDS) For
tickets, please contact Ketki at ketki@aol.com For
details and flyer, please visit the IDS Events page: www.idsusa.org |
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Please send any comments,
feedback, and/or suggestions to idsusa@gmail.com
(please specify Catalyst in the subject line). For more information about
IDS, please visit our website: www.idsusa.org. |
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