[Reader-list] Compromise and surrender of principle: A response to an article by Ramachandra Guha

[Lalit Ambardar]

In response to an observation over absence of any mention of the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits in one of his articles on Kashmir in Hindustan Times, 
Mr. Ramachandra Guha conveniently advised to read his book where in as he claimed he had also ‘commented’ upon the ‘expulsion’ of Pandits & that the ‘issue’ wasn’t relevant to the article.  
 
Any comment on the ongoing pan Islamism inspired secessionist movement in Kashmir minus even any remote reference to the forced exodus of the minority Hindu Pandits, rendering them refugees in their own country does suit some. But   that is –analysing history selectively. Needless to say, his casual approach towards the largest ever post partition ‘displacement’ of a ‘community’ was no inducement to buy his book……     
 
“Reply 
ramguha at ........... to me 
I suggest you read my book '……………………’where the Kashmir dispute is discussed at great length (and the expulsion of the Pandits also commented upon and strongly deplored). The issue was irrelevant to my article, however.”
 
“To
Mr. Ramachandra Guha,
I am submitting herewith the original text of the letter to the editor
(‘hope you have seen its edited version in today's HT) for your ref..
One would have expected a more serious analysis of the prevailing pan
Islamic terrorist violence in Kashmir, from a history scholar of your
stature………..”
 
 
Regards all
LA
------------------------------------------------
 

 
> Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:29:02 -0700
> From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com
> To: reader-list at sarai.net; aiindex at gmail.com
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Compromise and surrender of principle: A response to an article by Ramachandra Guha
> 
> Dear Harsh
>  
> Thank you for sharing this very informative and educative article.
>  
> If you come across a response to this from Ramchandra Guha please do share that too. Marieme Helie Lucas has pointed out in Guha's article "a number of conceptual and factual errors."
>  
> On a personal note it was gratifying to see that the "Secular" model of France somewhat mirrors my own (uneducated) perspectives on what a "Secular India" should be. 
>  
> Thanks again
>  
> Kshmendra
>  
>  
> --- On Tue, 9/29/09, Harsh Kapoor <aiindex at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> From: Harsh Kapoor <aiindex at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Reader-list] Compromise and surrender of principle: A response to an article by Ramachandra Guha
> To: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2009, 2:08 PM
> 
> 
> sacw.net
> 28 September 2009
> 
> Compromise and surrender of principle:
> A response to the article by Ramachandra Guha, ’The Beauty of
> Compromise: an excess of secularism may be as problematic as bigotry’
> (in The Telegraph, 26 September 2009)
> 
> by Marieme Helie Lucas
> 
> The information about French secularism, past and present, that one
> can draw from English speaking media leads to much misunderstanding
> and biased opinions. On the one hand one cannot blame writers who have
> no direct access to primary sources and have to rely on secondary
> ones. On the other hand, the propagation of biased information and
> thus of erroneous conclusions in the English language serve the
> interests of Muslim fundamentalists in France, and for that reason
> alone, it needs to be addressed.
> 
> The article by Ramachandra Guha shows bias at several levels: it
> overlooks the different definitions of secularism, it presents
> erroneous interpretations as facts, it under-evaluates the rise of
> Muslim fundamentalism as a political -not a religious- phenomenon and
> it accepts a cultural definition of women’s rights.
> 
> All of these tend to give credibility to the assertions of Muslim
> fundamentalists that combat French secularism.
> [. . .]
> 
> FULL TEXT AT: http://www.sacw.net/article1150.html
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