[Reader-list] Assault upon the Delhi University History

TaraPrakash taraprakash at gmail.com
Tue Mar 4 03:48:08 IST 2008 

I am really not sure if your assumption that everything that is not BJP or 
ABVP is left is correct. Where does left come in this entire debate? The 
ABVP goons are not after any leftist's blood. They seem to be after the 
daughter of the P.M.
Some guys on this list seem to be blaming everything on left for every ill 
of the society. Very soon we might hear that it was the left lobby that 
demolished the Mosque in Ayodhya. May be the goons who attacked history 
department and those who commited the murder in Bhopal were left oriented 
ABVP goons.
Are the judges sitting in the courts left oriented?
So the left lobby should be given free land on Jantar mantar where they can 
protest for every non-issue. How about enlightening the left lobby, whatever 
it means, what should they have done about the cartoons? Protested against 
the protests? And how about the issue of repression of the politicians in 
Bangladesh? About the issues of Sudan, Kenya and Russia?
I am really sympathetic to you for the court's injustice in all the cases. 
The court tells your chief minister to visit the murderer? Was it on the 
request of the court that the movies are banned in India. Does court tell 
you to attack the professors? Does court sanctions violence in university 
campuses?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Aditya Raj Kaul" <kauladityaraj at gmail.com>
To: <reader-list at sarai.net>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 3:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Assault upon the Delhi University History


> The court surely does come in at each and every point. In Priyadarshini
> Mattoo Case it was the Court who allwed th prisoner to roam free on 
> benefit
> of doubt for nearly 7 years. In this particular case as well Supreme Court
> is the one to initiate any action. The govt. may do anything  but the 
> court
> has to act by law at the end of the day. The law enforcement agencies need
> to be taken to task for their biased attitude; so what be it on Govt.
> pressure. The Law enforcement agencies by moral right n duty have to be
> neutral.
>
> I'm no ABVP supporter that I would save those people or support them; but
> what we know through media is only half truth which is being portrayed. I
> don't have anything further to say on this.
>
> Now, who is using Ram in a negative connotation is quite evident by the
> media reports in last few days. What remains the truth is again somewhat
> invisible ? Is whatever that media shows truth ? A lot of understanding 
> and
> indepth investigation may answer these questions.
>
> Its surely sad that politics is being playes on the name of RAM. But, one
> shouldn't keep mum and standstill and bear all abuses on his/her religion.
> Wasn't the cartoon of Prophet Mohommad by a Danish reporter a form of
> freedom of expression ? Where was this left lobby at that time ? If I'm 
> not
> wrong protesting at Jantar Mantar against the freedom of expression. Lets
> not change our political views with every other religion.
>
> Thanks
> Aditya Raj
>
>
> On 3/4/08, TaraPrakash <taraprakash at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> No less than the chief minister visited the murderer and who you might
>> consider the upholder of Indian culture, in the prison. The only witness
>> who
>> came forward to testify was forced to recant by MP police. Where does the
>> court come in to this?
>>
>> It is irony of Hindu religion and more so that of  Ram, that his name has
>> been misappropriated and now being dragged in to politics by murderers,
>> liars, profiteers, opportunists.
>>
>> It is interesting though that your last couple messages talked more about
>> the feud between Congress/NSUI and BJP/ABVP. And yes you right in your
>> revised assumption that only these parties bring the campus to stand 
>> still
>> on the non-issues.
>> ---- Original Message -----
>> From: "Aditya Raj Kaul" <kauladityaraj at gmail.com>
>> To: <reader-list at sarai.net>
>> Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 10:50 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Assault upon the Delhi University History
>>
>>
>> > Have you ever wondered why the Ujjain Murder Case of Prof. Sabharwal 
>> > has
>> > yet
>> > not been solved ? You may say that Madhya Pradesh has a BJP let Govt.
>> > which
>> > controls everything directly or indirectly and influences every step
>> > taken.
>> > But, for your information; the case is now in Supreme Court and yet no
>> > Justice. As I was personally linked with fighting the cases of Jessica
>> > Lall
>> > and Priyadarshini Mattoo; I tried to help Prof. Sabharwal's son in this
>> > case
>> > but unfortunately it was nothing much then a Congress -BJP tussle. I've
>> > seen
>> > the video recordings of the entire episode much before and even after
>> the
>> > incident. The whole episode has many negative elements apart from ABVP
>> > which
>> > have played a strong role. I've also met the senior advocate of supreme
>> > court who happens to be the lawyer of Sabharwal's even he is tired of
>> this
>> > BJP-Congress game. You'll have to investigate it further before mere
>> > playing
>> > of blame game.
>> >
>> > We both agree to disagree with each other. But, its for sure that in
>> > today's
>> > senario be it NSUI, ABVP or for that matter the left SFI; they have 
>> > lost
>> > their track and are directionless moving in this democracy. They 
>> > blindly
>> > go
>> > on the way their masters want them get in. The crores of monet spent on
>> > glamourous student body elections especially in Delhi is well known to
>> > all.
>> > And, still this silence. It speaks volumes about the stumbling system.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > On 3/3/08, TaraPrakash <taraprakash at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Very peaceful in deed. They peacefully murder teachers and students.
>> It's
>> >> all about elections.
>> >>
>> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> From: "Aditya Raj Kaul" <kauladityaraj at gmail.com>
>> >> To: <reader-list at sarai.net>
>> >> Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 4:38 AM
>> >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Assault upon the Delhi University History
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> > Below is a newsitem from the Indian Express. Unlike SFI, ABVP has
>> >> decided
>> >> > to
>> >> > launch peacefull college to college awareness campaign. Unlike left
>> >> > lazy
>> >> > and
>> >> > violent left wing, ABVP looks at the broader picture of students
>> >> > studies
>> >> > which should not get affected. Its high time left cheap publicity
>> >> seekers
>> >> > wake up and do some brainstorming. God Bless All. :-)
>> >> >
>> >> > Remarks on Lord Ram in textbook: ABVP to hold protests in DU 
>> >> > colleges
>> >> >  **
>> >> > *Posted online: Monday , March 03, 2008 at 10:31:30
>> >> > * **
>> >> > *New Delhi, March 2* The ABVP is planning to hold protests across
>> Delhi
>> >> > University colleges against the inclusion of "atrocious" remarks on
>> >> > Lord
>> >> > Ram
>> >> > in its history text books, activists said.'
>> >> >
>> >> > Twenty-four hours after being released from Tihar Jail, state joint
>> >> > secretary of ABVP Vikas Dahiya—who was arrested on Tuesday for
>> violent
>> >> > protests in the university on the issue—said he wants the police to
>> >> > take
>> >> > action against the DU V-C Deepak Pental.
>> >> >
>> >> > He also demanded for action against head of the department (History)
>> S
>> >> > Z
>> >> H
>> >> > Jafri and Upinder Singh, daughter of Prime Minster Manmohan Singh,
>> >> > whose
>> >> > name is printed on the book as the compiler.
>> >> >
>> >> > "We are planning to lodge an FIR against them for hurting the
>> religious
>> >> > sentiments of Hindus," Dahiya said at a press conference held at
>> North
>> >> > Campus today.
>> >> >
>> >> > From Monday, Vikas said, ABVP activists would visit at least two
>> >> colleges
>> >> > each day to seek support from principals and students for a
>> >> > college-wise
>> >> > demonstration.
>> >> >
>> >> > Vikas alleged the Delhi Police and DU authorities were biased and
>> said
>> >> > that
>> >> > though arrest warrants were issued against eight persons, there were
>> >> only
>> >> > five people in the building during the violence.
>> >> >
>> >> > "When Amrita Bahri and Devraj Tehlan of the NSUI ran amok in the
>> >> > History
>> >> > Department last year, no action was taken against them," he claimed.
>> >> >
>> >> > Payal Mago, reader in DU and vice president of ABVP, said that if
>> >> Upinder
>> >> > Singh had not compiled the material as claimed by History 
>> >> > Department,
>> >> > "what
>> >> > took her so long to deny charges".
>> >> >
>> >> > "The book has been in circulation for around one and a half years.
>> She
>> >> > could
>> >> > have corrected the mistake any time," she said.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > On 3/3/08, radhikarajen at vsnl.net <radhikarajen at vsnl.net> wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Hi, with one billion and more people, let there be that many
>> Ramayanas
>> >> in
>> >> >> their freedom of expression and creativity, but the issue here is
>> does
>> >> >> freedom of expression is only to denigrete others faith. ? Those
>> >> >> places
>> >> >> of
>> >> >> learning which are filled with chamchas and hangers on who deride
>> >> >> hindu
>> >> >> faith should write that many bibles and qurans also, that is
>> >> >> secularism
>> >> >> at
>> >> >> work. !
>> >> >> Regards.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> >> From: Prem Chandavarkar <prem.cnt at gmail.com>
>> >> >> Date: Monday, March 3, 2008 9:58 am
>> >> >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Assault upon the Delhi University 
>> >> >> History
>> >> >> To: Aditya Raj Kaul <kauladityaraj at gmail.com>
>> >> >> Cc: reader-list at sarai.net
>> >> >>
>> >> >> > On 03/03/2008, Aditya Raj Kaul <kauladityaraj at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> >> > >
>> >> >> > > We were well know that originally there are only two Ramayan's
>> >> >> > that we
>> >> >> > > recognise; one by Tulsidas and another by Valmiki. There maybe 
>> >> >> > > a
>> >> few
>> >> >> > > hundred
>> >> >> > > more stories based on poetry from various places etc. But, lets
>> >> >> > for a
>> >> >> > > change
>> >> >> > > concentrate on the original source while studying history in an
>> >> >> > > institution
>> >> >> > > rather then secondary and modern opinions, translations etc 
>> >> >> > > etc.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > To me, such a statement is the heart of the problem, and is the
>> >> >> > reason why
>> >> >> > this discussion thread started in the first place.  It implies
>> >> >> > that there is
>> >> >> > a primary authoritative history which must be regarded, and many
>> >> >> > secondaryhistories which can be immediately dismissed as inferior
>> >> >> > and ignorable.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Such a classification should also be accompanied by an ethical 
>> >> >> > and
>> >> >> > intellectual justification of the basis on which it is made.  It
>> >> >> > cannot be
>> >> >> > merely stated that this must be so because it is a majority 
>> >> >> > belief
>> >> >> > or a
>> >> >> > historical imperative that has endured for ages, for that is the
>> >> >> > argumentthat was used to defend colonialism, slavery and
>> apartheid.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Let me link this to an earlier thread on history and archive, and
>> >> >> > put
>> >> >> > forward the following proposition:  The archive is an ethical,
>> >> >> > rather than
>> >> >> > epistemological, imperative of history as a discipline.  History
>> >> >> > cannot be
>> >> >> > ethically validated without the discipline incorporating an
>> >> >> > ongoing discourse on the basis of which something is to be
>> >> >> > categorised as
>> >> >> > archive, or dismissed as non-archive.
>> >> >> > _________________________________________
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>> >> >>
>> >> > _________________________________________
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>> >>
>> > _________________________________________
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>> > Critiques & Collaborations
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