Going Forward

For the on-going debate, please see the RHS bar under Also See

Besides agreeing with Vijay's statement about going Zara Dhire Se, there is also the fact that the themes ofdialogue might explode, so that each response would have to be larger than prior ones just to addresseverything on the table every time. Therefore, I suggest that we structure the dialogue into a manageablenumber of distinct (while overlapping) themes. We could either take each theme one at a time (say a montheach, for instance). Alternatively, we could go on multiple themes in parallel, but with each individual postaddressing one specific theme to keep the focus. What do you think of the following as a potential list ofthemes that would enable us to better structure the dialog? This list is just to put something on the table(in no special order):

This includes examining left/right and alternatives. The category of religion needs to be discussed. What is"Indic" and is it useful? Is secularism contingent upon the category of religion, and what might beequivalent in Indian traditions? I have a lot of problematic categories that are rarely being questioned bySouth Asianists but are simply used as universals. This theme allows open and creative exploration of thesematters.

Here we could discuss the past, present status and future potential for liberation from within the Indiansystems, without need for Ford Foundation’s $50 million/yr funding in India (which is equivalent to over$500 million/yr in US terms), or for that matter, from any other foreign sources. What are some resourcesavailable, what new inputs/changes are required, etc.? Liberation Hinduism would belong here. Does/should theIndian Left have a monopoly on the category of "progress"?

We agree that each faith has both kinds (a point made in my Sulekha essay on this topic). But exceptions donot prove the rule. The key distinction is in terms of the public consensus as that enjoys legitimacy (asopposed to persecution/denigration). The fact is that the Meister Eckharts (and their Sufi equivalents) werealmost always hounded in their times, and only centuries later rediscovered, often after westerners had dippeddeep into Hindu-Buddhist traditions and retroactively projected on to their own historical identities. This isalso an important theme in uncovering the dynamics in India: Is Hinduism becoming history-centric, and whatmight be the consequences, and how might one view Hindutva in this context? Are there potential bridgesbetween non history-centric peoples across faiths? It opens up new ways to do comparative religion. Itincludes examining itihas as a category that is distinct from history.

Not only is this a very theme one for both of us, but it seems we agree on many things here. I would bring theGuha comment as part of this. This theme should include many things, such as: (i) western institutions, (ii)Indians in western institutions (elitists and resisters), (iii) Indian NGOs funded by western institutions,(iv) Indian media and activists impressing the whites – including as pets, patients, children, sepoys,chowkidars, etc., (v) role of "theories" as indirect colonization mechanisms, (vi) Hinduja and otherIndians’ funding of projects, (vii) the role of English language (historical, present and future), (viii)role of the economy/marketplace of symbols, (ix) curriculum/research biases, (x) racism, and (xi) recommendedsolutions (which we both have for discussion).

It seems we cannot decouple these themes, as globalization is here whether one likes it or not, and thequestion is what kind of globalization there should be. Since isolationism is not a serious option, onemust negotiate globalization vigorously, and hence, the Indian political economy must be located alongside theissue of globalization generally. We must not ignore the role of multinational religious enterprises alongsidecommercial MNCs. I was glad to read Madhu Kishwar’s recent criticism of WSF NGOs in Indian Express on NGOsas MNCs.

6. Patriotism/Nationalism

I see these are distinct: defensive and offensive, respectively. But we should discuss what alternative grandnarratives compete, both pro and anti, and what we each feel about the meaning of India going forward.

Please let me have your changes to this so we may proceed. We may periodically take stock, modify, perhapsget a third party to summarize each theme.

With a Physics and Computer Science background, Rajiv Malhotra - who identifies himself as a non-HindutvaHindu - now spends full time with The InfinityFoundation, a non-profit organization in Princeton, New Jersey.