Rediscovering India

Last week, when I was in Chennai, I went to the book fair. I noticed the coverpage of one of Annadurai’s books, in Tamil, Thee Paravattum [Let  Fire spread] is designed such that books like Periyapuranam, Kambaramayanam, and bother Tamil Bhakthi literature are burnt in fire. I just laughed myself about a book that has a coverpage of burning other books and being sold in bookfair. Because, this mimic is no different from the actual burning of libraries like Nalanda by the Muslim rulers.

Art, be it any form, has to be nurtured in a society. Rejecting/Discarding will do no good. In fact a good literature has to be read multiple times. This week, two news grabbed my attention:

1. Launch of Murty Classical Library
2. Commemoration of the anti-Hindi agitation

Launch of Murthy Classical Library

This library is an initiative of Rohan Murty, son of Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty, in collaboration with the Harvard University Press. The initiative not only aims to present Indian literature to the world, but also hopes to encourage Indians to understand the rich vernacular literature. To begin with, the library has come up with five translations: Sufi Lyrics (Bullhe Shah), The History of Akbar- Volume I (Abul Fazl), Therigatha- Poems of the First Buddhist Women, The story of Manu (Allasani Peddana) and Sur’s Ocean (Surdas).

Unfortunately, we live in a period where we are made to believe that anything from past/ancient is religious. Especially, if it is a literature and that too in Sanskrit, it is a taboo. To know the people/life in a country during many centuries ago, just the historical facts alone are not sufficient. The dates, wars, and other details can be used only for making a catalog. An historian who is also an avid reader of literature can simulate/present the clear picture of the civilization for us.

Speaking on the occasion of launching the library, scholar Sheldon Pollock said they had attempted to choose important classical books that had fallen off the map of history. So, the work of Rohan Murty is a starting point in understanding our history – clearly and correctly. I wish this attempt gets enough support nationwide and worldwide.

Anti-Hindi agitation [in Tamil Nadu in 1960s]

The agitators always claim that it is not anti-Hindi agitation but anti-Hindi imposition agitation. They don’t want government to impose Hindi against their wish. In any civilized society, a government/individual should not impose their idea on another person. Similarly, in any civilized society, one cannot be deprived of his wants, be it food/language/freedom. The agitation helped in depriving the youth of 1960s from learning a language of their choice. If we check whether the agitation has done any good to the language, the answer is No. To my knowledge, the achievements of the agitators are renaming Madras Presidency to Tamil Nadu and conducting International Tamil conferences. So, the anti-Hindi agitation did good neither to the people nor to the language. I wonder what is there is to honor?

Conclusion

I am not sure if there is any other country that has a God for language/studies/art, like we have – Goddess Sarawathi. Our forefathers have understood the importance of knowledge-based society and they were a part of it and want us to worship the symbol of knowledge. Only a  knowledge-based society develops/produces someone who can lead the world. Socrates [Greek Philosopher], Newton [English Scientist], Einstein [US Scientist], Beethoven [German Composer], Leonardo Vinci [Italian Painter], Marx [German Economist], and Leo Tolstoy [Russian Writer] are few people whom the other countries have produced and they have guided the world.

We do have people who have enlightened the world and the list is big. But, that belongs to the glorious past. Presently, we are busy in clashes such as region, religion, political & economic crisis and so on and we forgot that this country can lead the world with its treasure and potential. If efforts like that of Rohan Murty are appreciated, supported, and used by all, we will make Swami Vivekananda’s dream -“Jagatguru Bharath”- come true.