Breaking India & Being Different by Rajiv Malhotra - Discussion

LurkerBaba

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India: Through the lens of Western Universalism

An extract
By Rajiv Malhotra and Kaajal Ahuja

In the past week, Indian media circles have been buzzing about the two-part India special aired on television РOprah's Next Chapter. Although Oprah herself was received warmly in India, the TV episodes have been met with mounting criticism Рthat the episodes, complete with snake charmers, slums and slumdogs, maharajas, joint families and eating with hands, were clich̩ ridden and reminiscent of the images of exotic India that saturate Western media.
Full article: Oprah's India: Through the lens of Western Universalism | Firstpost
 
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Ancient Land

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Re: Congress Politics : Communalism North East

This may be OT, but I cannot help promoting this book by Rajivji, buy a hardcopy as soon as you can:

Being different




Amazon.com: Being Different (9789350291900): Rajiv Malhotra: Books



This book describes the uniqueness of the dharmic traditions (for the uninitiated, dharmic means any spiritual tradition that adheres to the principles of Dharma as opposed to religion,meaning sanatan dharma, jain dharma, sikh dharma, etc). This book can answer many of the misconceptions wovwn around the dharmic traditions , its uniqueness and the reasons why it is worth studying and upholding.
Very good balai_c. Downloaded both books by Rajiv Malhotra on my Kindle. By the way, just curious, how did you come to know about books by Rajiv M. I came to know from your post.

There is a serious intellectual in Rajiv. All of us should do our bit and support him. Currently reading both books. And he backs up with facts, figures, etc. Can't wait for his next book - U Turn Theory.
 

balai_c

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By the way, just curious, how did you come to know about books by Rajiv M. I came to know from your post.
I learnt about Rajiv ji mainly from various blogs, and then followed discussions on him on BR forums topics. I later went to the website of his organisations: Infinity foundation

Follow his previous blogs on sulekha.com, and huffinpost. He writes regularly.
 

panduranghari

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From RMYG.

Good comment.

"Being Different" and "being the radical opposite of the other" are two different things. The former comes from an extensive exploration of the cosmology of different worldviews and systems; the latter comes from a simplistic portrayal of an epistemology that has not transcended binary divides.

The Indian world view transcends and integrates binaries. The western worldview (sans the experiences of some mystics who were persecuted and not allowed to come into the mainstream by the Church) is embedded in many different binaries like spirit/matter, body/soul, mind/matter, God/world, mind/body, subject/object, etc. Even postmodernism (which incidentally has been massively influenced by Buddhism and Vedanta, though not explicitly acknowledged) that challenges some of these binaries ultimately end up in promoting and espousing subtler binaries.

When I write the above, I am espousing a prominent difference between the Indian and the Western civilization. If I were stating things like rational west/intuitive east, Cartesian West/Wholistic East, I would have been operating under the western cosmology and epistemology that has not transcended binaries--a lot of these pop new age writers, like Fritzof Capra, do this. When we create the other as a mirror opposite of ourselves, we end up practicing "Orientalism." When we speak of our difference, being mindful of the space that goes beyond the binaries, we liberate ourselves from the ill effects of an orinetalist exercise and do not operate in the same framework that we are critiquing.

Therefore being different and being the radical opposite of the other come from two different cosmologies and epistemologies that need to be carefully understood.

Warmly,
Kundan
 

mayfair

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Sad truth is that Goras have earned it. You are likely to find better Indologists in Oxford or Harvard than JNU or BHU.

On one side we have cunts like Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib on the other we have jokers like Dinanath Batra. Where will the common man looking for some honest answers go?
All the people you have named have been fostered and nurtured by the very same Gora Indologists that you are gushing over.

The so-called Western Indologists are the biggest scam in this field. An "Indologist" who takes a contrarian position, will find that getting his/her research published, obtaining research/study grants and invites to conferences and proceedings are suddenly very hard to come by.

The western Indologists include the likes of Sheldon Pollock and Wendy Doniger. Most desi "researchers" in the field are little more than faitfull sepoys dutifully obeying the commands.

This is why the likes of Rajiv Malhotra face so much vitriol, venom and opposition.
 

sthf

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All the people you have named have been fostered and nurtured by the very same Gora Indologists that you are gushing over.
You misunderstood me and I am gushing over no one. Why cry foul? Its your (our) fault that they got to establish the narrative.
This is why the likes of Rajiv Malhotra face so much vitriol, venom and opposition.
Everybody who disagrees with Rajiv Malhotra is a sepoy. He once called me sepoy.
 

sthf

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Read somewhere Indian gov has setup our own archeological department.

All these oxford, harvard are hell bent on twisting facts and destroying hindu past and glorifying islamic invaders.
Yes and we voted their protégés in power.

Edit: correcting the auto correct.
 
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Bharat Ek Khoj

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Everybody who disagrees with Rajiv Malhotra is a sepoy. He once called me sepoy.
Yeah, sepoy is fav word, he gotta drop that.
Have you read his books ? He has exposed entire gang of anti-hindu anti-india mafias. He has knocked down many so called scholars single handedly.
That richard fox guy just can't stop whining under Rajiv Malhotra's twitter TL.
 

sthf

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Yeah, sepoy is fav word, he gotta drop that.
Have you read his books ? He has exposed entire gang of anti-hindu anti-india mafias. He has knocked down many so called scholars single handedly.
That richard fox guy just can't stop whining under Rajiv Malhotra's twitter TL.
I haven't, I wanted to but gave up on it. History especially pre modern history is not my strong suit. One particular problem that ails the right wing writers is the intermixing of religion and history.

I know Richard Fox and his shenanigans. When someone, can't remember started a petition in favour of Rajiv Malhotra at change.org, I was the one of the first one to sign it. But it's the victimhood that bothers me.
 

Bharat Ek Khoj

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I haven't, I wanted to but gave up on it. History especially pre modern history is not my strong suit. One particular problem that ails the right wing writers is the intermixing of religion and history.

I know Richard Fox and his shenanigans. When someone, can't remember started a petition in favour of Rajiv Malhotra at change.org, I was the one of the first one to sign it. But it's the victimhood that bothers me.
He doesn't write on history, he writes on sanskrit, hindu and how forces are working to break india since a long.
The damage is already done, specially in south and north part of india. Being hindu means being always at war, declared by them.
 

Kshithij

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He doesn't write on history, he writes on sanskrit, hindu and how forces are working to break india since a long.
The damage is already done, specially in south and north part of india. Being hindu means being always at war, declared by them.
Do you know that it was British who branded everyone as hindu in 1881 census? India was till then lacking a common categorisation. People didn't even understand the importance of dharma. Buddhism had destroyed dharma and then islam destroyed the remnant knowledge.

It was British mistake that created India, hindu and helped in revival of dharma. It is no coincidence that all this is happening along with the formation of Israel and oil in Arabia.

This is the rise of Kalki.
 

sthf

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He doesn't write on history, he writes on sanskrit, hindu and how forces are working to break india since a long.
The damage is already done, specially in south and north part of india. Being hindu means being always at war, declared by them.
Then I'll try to read his books.

Off course there are forces who are trying to break India, why should that be a surprise? It makes perfect sense from their point of view.

Claiming perennial victimhood implies that Indians are either naive or powerless. You are naive if you believe in rules that don't exist. You are powerless if you believe that hiding behind these non existent rules will save you.

Hindus were always at war, again, not a surprise. Same applies from Jews, Christians and Muslims. Christians slaughtered each other at an unprecedented scale just 70 years ago. Muslims are slaughtering each other like there is no tomorrow. Then there is the so called "clash of civilizations" where Americans have bombed 7 countries post 9/11 except the country from where highjackers came and will continue to bomb more. There is no end in sight.

One thing that has changed is that 96% of Hindus call themselves Indians and that India is now a modern nation state, something that never existed in their 5000 years of history. Differences exists and will continue to exist, looking forward to some kind of standardized Hindu culture and unity is a futile exercise. Can't standardize a billion people unless and until you follow Mao's China.

PS: @Dovah @Razor, please move the off topic posts to relevant thread. Thanks.
 

Bharat Ek Khoj

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Hindus were always at war, again, not a surprise. Same applies from Jews, Christians and Muslims. Christians slaughtered each other at an unprecedented scale just 70 years ago. Muslims are slaughtering each other like there is no tomorrow. Then there is the so called "clash of civilizations" where Americans have bombed 7 countries post 9/11 except the country from where highjackers came and will continue to bomb more. There is no end in sight.
But waging war against a faith is totally different thing. And nobody's playing victim. Sangh, other individuals and people like Rajiv Malhotra are fighting since a long. And people like Rajiv Dixit are dead.
 

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