Sunday, November 18, 2012

Fw: Ramachandra Guha : The Failure of Indian Liberalism

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From: Vijay Rajiva
Date: Thu, Nov 15, 2012 at 7:01 AM
Subject: Fw: Ramachandra Guha : The Failure of Indian Liberalism
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----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Vijay Rajiva
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Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 7:51:51 PM
Subject: Ramachandra Guha : The Failure of Indian Liberalism

'Ramachandra Guha : The Failure of Indian Liberalism'

(Haindava Keralam, 13/11/2012)

Dr. Vijaya Rajiva


Outlookindia has done great damage to historian/cricketololgist/environmentalist and man of many parts, Ramachandra Guha. It has published a preview of his forthcoming book 'Patriots and Partisans' (Penguin) by printing excerpts from it. The excerpts are placed under the title ' Who Milks this Cow?
(Nov.19, 2012). Mr. Guha refers to himself as a LIBERAL. It is difficult to believe that these excerpts were published without the knowledge of the author. It is possible that the editor of Outlookindia was acting either with excessive liberal zeal or what is the more mundane explanation he was trying to boost sagging sales with this sensationalism.

The article is an astonishing collection of vituperative attacks on the Sangh Parivar, the RSS, the Hindutvadins, the Hindus of the diaspora, the internet Hindus etc. . . . (READ MORE)

Post script to readers : in the comment section of the article some liberal zealot has done further disservice to Mr. Guha by focussing on the latter's indiscriminate and juvenile references to the many emails he received from irate Hindutvadins (presumably), including some lady professor who never ceased to remind him of her Ph.D from Western Ontario, Canada. Our liberal zealot argues that Mr. G. should be given credit for his decency in not mentioning names, e.g. one could speculate about the identity of the lady with the Ph.D. !

I assured our liberal zealot that this author does not hold a Ph.D from Western Ontario and that she has never mentioned her academic qualifications to Mr. Guha and that indeed the few exchanges with him were of a pleasant nature, such as congratulating him for his book India After Gandhi (2008)and some further exchanges about the importance of the figures he mentions in that book, such as Gandhi and Ambedkar.

However, I added that while I consider Mr. Guha a  gifted person he will not be a great historian since he does not understand his Hindu heritage and no historian of Bharat can afford to neglect that heritage.

VR

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