In her newly-published book, controversial US Indologist Wendy Doniger has directly attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what she creating a climate in which "mythoscience" thrives, pointing out that the government allegiance to Hindutva and its 'eternal dharma' doesn't just have "strong anti-Muslim agendas" but is coupled with "virulent repression of other versions of Hinduism and its history, particularly those that contradict the skewed construction of Hindu history proclaimed by Hindutva."
The veteran historian, whose earlier book, "The Hindus: An Alternative History", was withdrawn from India by its publishers Penguins after pro-Modi campaigner Dina Nath Batra blamed it for denigrating Hinduism by focussing on sex, has now accused the regime under Modi for encouraging "the by now entrenched bad habit of seeking scientific authenticity in religious rather than scientific texts from the past."
Noting how scientific temper Arthashatra and Kamasutra, as also Charvaka mythology of scepticism, "has now come up against a new incarnation of the forces of repressive dharma, now supporting pseudoscientific claims", Doniger says, the effort now is to find roots of modern science in religious texts like Ramayana and Mahabharata, and Vedas, with claims about "Vedic quantum mechanics and general relativity".
Referring to the Modi government setting up ministries of yoga and Ayurveda, Doniger says, this has been done "to peddle their versions of ancient Hindu sciences", underlining, to achieve this "Modi has commissioned a number of revisions of textbooks (the modern heirs to the ancient shastras) mandated as supplementary reading for all government primary and secondary schools".
She recalls, "Many of these books, including the widely assigned 125-page book 'Tejomay Bharat' (Brilliant India), had originally been published in 1999 in Gujarat; Modi had written the forewords to Batra’s books when he was chief minister in Gujarat and now reissued the books and wrote new forewords for them."
Noting that there are now books about Vedic physics and Vedic string theory, Doniger gives the example of how in 2015, the incumbent minister at the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Earth Sciences publicly announced, “We all know we knew ‘beej ganit’ (seed-counting), the Indian word for algebra, much before the Arabs, but very selflessly allowed it to be called algebra” (a Latin word based on the Arabic al-jabr)."
Doniger says, the root of all this could be found in "Hindu nationalists", seeking to "expel the British from India", advancing a series of "two-pronged arguments, not just 'You are scientific, but we are spiritual' (though this was often said, too), but, better, 'Our religion is wiser than your science – and our religious texts contain science much older than yours'.”
However, she believes, the "complex relationship between science and religion in India" took a "sharp turn to the right under the impetus of a nationalist movement known as Hindutva, 'Hinduness'. This term was invented by the nationalist Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled 'Hindutva: Who Is a Hindu?'" What came up was a new variety of sanatana dharma "heavily laced with anti-Muslim and anti-woman sentiments."
Suggesting the thst this has affcted devrlopmental agenda, too, Doniger says, the protagonists of Hindutva have gone so far as to justify blocking of major government project to build a much-needed shipping canal between India and Sri Lanka in 2007 citing the mythical causeway in the Ramayana, built by "talking monkeys" for Rama to cross over from India to the island of Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from the ten-headed demon Ravana.
Comments
I wish, if my points raised were answered correctly than trying to silence me by abusive filthy arguments. History is a dead subject matter of "narratives" those depend upon the interpreters. Jinnah in India is still a "Hero" for some but a villain for others. It depends upon the colour of spects you wear. Colour blindness is incurable and such persons will hardly ever distinguish any difference.
Regarding the "Indology" business, and Ms Wendy Doniger, she is no different than those "White Colonials" who were thrown out by "your" and "my" ancestors. Ms. Wendy Doniger is well known character for her hate interpretation of Hindu scriptures and India that maskes her a highly suspect character in International perspective.
Indology is a deliberate subject created by "White" clever rulers to subjugate the majority Indian populace. I shall leave this for you and Ms. Sheth to interprete in your own way you like but the history of Romilla Thapar, Ramchandra Guha, and a host of award wapsi, secular gangsters following the political change in India post 2014 is highly suspect.
Thank you for your kind response and my purpose has been served with your irrited response.
Anyway, it's so easy to call names like White Colonials etc., without reading Doniger, not knowing what's colonialism as a historical phenomenon. Whatever has appeared above in the article quoting her is a clear indicator that she FAVOURS some of India's great books like Arthashatra and Kamasutra as propagating scientific temper, as also sects of Charvakas, who were the first proponents of scepticism. Her regret only is, India's search for history of science is sought from scriptures instead of the works that had scientific temper.
Any student of history would tell you: No colonial ruler (or colonial historian, for that matter) has ever done it, they didn't even know anything about Charvakas.
Wendy Doniger is a well known hater of Hinduism under the stupid pretext of "Indologist", who is especially crafted to use academia to abuse, malign and defame Hindus, India. If it irks you, it is your problem but the truth remasins.
As far as my counter to her "Indologism", I have the right to question her credentials and ask a counter question, "Shall she also write on the crimes under the canopy of Papacy"? Why are you so so irritated? Secondly, "Why are there no academic discourses on Britology, Americalogy, Belgiology, Purtgalogy, Arabiology, etc"; why alone Indology on the earth? The fact of the matter lie in bitter hate of White colonnials.
You pretend but pretentiously and proclaim him "your beloved leader", as if he is your hated one. Second, what leads you to conclude him my beloved leader? He is not the mentor of Modi, whom you seem to hate so much. I can sense the stomachache in your body. Sad truth that makes this very discourse fallacious while you seem to pour out your entire hate. This entire world is engulfed in hate and violence perpetrated by three major hate filled violent forces, viz. Christianity, Islamists, Communism. Why did your beloved US not deny Visa to Ariel Sharon but to Modi for no fault of his? I know your gut feeling on it also. Go on and come out with newer allegations, when you seem to have bought the copyright of entire global history and events. Sad but irritating bitter truth. Yes, I have the right to question those who pretend erudite but filled with hate, anger and violence!!! Nobody can deny a right to those who have an alternative view than you? Who does Wendy Doniger think, she is to malign us and our traditions and misusing academia? Wendy Doniger is a spy and an agent of your proselytising corrupt industry that brings me to answer your contention of my questioning the criminal House of Papacy. Please keep your hate and venal anger with you but answer the view points when it does not tally with yours. Thank you and please do come back but respectfully leaving your copyright arguments home.
Papacy is the most corrupt, criminal and defamed house on this earth. If you don't know or pretend ignorant, kindly do your homework before commenting back. It cannot be brushed aside as Platonic Love between two sexually potent opposite sex persons sleeping together for a length of time or sitting for hours lonely in a Park again and again.
Who, pray, who has taken away your right to express your views? You views are being published on this site, but others too have have the right. No?
As for Doniger "abusing, maligning and defaming Hindus, India", well, what's calling Arthashastra, Kamasutra and Charvakas having scientific tempter? Maligning Hinduism? You can draw your conclusions.
As for academic discourses on whatever "logy" you are talking of, let me tell you as a student of history, Indology is a discipline born out of studying South Asian culture and history by foreign scholars, whether in Germany, Russia (there is a School of Oriental Studies in Moscow), Britain, the Netherlands, or in the US.
That's because South Asia excites historians of all hues, of different persuasions -- starting with Max Mueller in Germany, to Eric Komarov in Moscow. Indology doesn't mean castigating Indian culture, just as Sinology doesn't mean castigating Chinese culture...
Instead of finding the discipline of Indology as something to be proud of for us Indians, you are calling it names?
Strange, indeed.
As Advani-Modi relations, you may know better as you clearly belong to that group.