Another SS shenanigan this author will not so easily forgive

You would think SS means the Secret Service, doing what it thinks is Social Service, by attempting to Save souls or Sanskriti. You choose. Or rather, what about Satan's Slaves? Sordid Sadists? Sovereign soldiers? Snivelling Sycophants? Shivaji's Sentry? Most uncannily accurate, unfortunately.

Below is an entry I posted elsewhere in 2004. Still gets me fuming.

I Cried Yesterday

... when i read about the Sambhaji Brigade destroying the Bhandarkar Institute of Oriental Research in Pune, in my state of Maharashtra, last week. The Destruction was caused in reaction to a book that was published by Oxford University Press, by author David Laine, entitled "Shivaji, Hindu king in Islamic India". It was apparently supposed to be critical of Shivaji, who, according to this extremist Maharashtrian cultural police, seems to be the only Maratha hero thsi state has, which is SO not true. this brigade even forced the Oxford University Press showroom in Pune to put down its shutters.

And Sharad Pawar, a politician, rather than condemning these destroyers of knowledge, said that authors should try to be sensitive to public opinion! have you heard of such a thing? in that case, no change would ever be instituted, no injustice would ever be spoken against, the public would be shackled by their own silence and isolation.

of course, these people who have done this, in one fell swoop, in one short hour, destroyed 75 years of paistaking research and book collection, belong to pressure groups like the rickshaw workers alliance etc. i wonder how many people have actually read the book. one of the politicians in the state Government has issued charges against the book of "intent to cause riot" and other such ridiculous statements. when interviewed, he stated that he hadn't himself read the book "but others in my department have".

this is the cultural nationalism that you, divya talked about in your paper, but at a more micro, regional level. Maharashtrians have always felt marginalised in their own state when other communities with established family business like the gujaratis, sindhis etc are doing well. i really dont understand why they are taken with shivaji to this extent. and why dont they understand that rarely should an academic view be taken emotionally. are they able to destroy everything the western world is saying about india and the orient? no. negative images will continue to be propagated with this virulent show of ignorance and intolerance. did they consider or even know that Laine spent decades in India learning Marathi and consulting academic works on Shivaji by Indian writers, and that Dr. Purandare, a Maharashtrian, who is lauded by most of these people, has much more negative things to say about Shivaji?

divu, you will also remember that quote by Ambrose Pierce that i mailed you yesterday, that "history is an account (mostly false) of events (mostly unimportant), which are bought about by rulers (mostly knaves) and soldiers (mostly fools)". when you think about it, as an individual, you are shaped by the forces of history, mostly constructed, but it is up to you to deconstruct it and choose what you believe, whether publicly or privately, and your perception, more than this constructed reality, shapes you. otherwise, do we ever notice, in our daily lives, that history is affecting us, unlesss oemthing momentous happens, which affects the nation/politics more than it does us as individuals, or as a micro community?

how much will these cultural police deny our past, or construct a new past in such a conspicuous member. naturally a thinking public will resist such force. they are destroying the very image they are tryng to create - that of a united, proud, tolerant, educated people. dilip chitre, one of teh authors acknowledged in laine's book, says there is little left of civilization at this stage. he called the ruling government "impotent", because he is unable to do anything to stop these "culture vultures" and, well, indians will remain emasculated with this attitude of helplessness and hapless destruction. rather than trying to remould a past that no one will buy in such a manner, why cant they divert their energies into creating a better future for india - a better future history? what makes them any better than the Afghans who destroyed the Buddhas, or the people who dstroyed the Babri Masjid? of course, the latter is a flawed comparison, in the Sambhaji brigade's view, both groups are justified and right.

My friend told me about the Singhania hospital that was destroyed 1.5 years ago. in a country whose people dont get enough food, where healthcare facilities are inadequate. i dont understand what's happening.

75 years. in one hour.

i still cant believe it.

link:
http://web.mid-day.com/columns/shanta_gokhle/2004/january/73699.htm

January 7th will be a Black Day for me - Desecration of Knowledge Day.