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From: paturi@harvard.UUCP (Ramamohan Paturi)
Newsgroups: net.nlang.india
Subject: Re: Some Ideas from India: Laws of Manu: Duties of Sudras
Message-ID: <652@harvard.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-Jan-86 14:49:19 EST
Article-I.D.: harvard.652
Posted: Mon Jan 27 14:49:19 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Jan-86 01:34:56 EST
References: <589@harvard.UUCP> <3909@think.ARPA>
Organization: Aiken Comp Lab, Harvard
Lines: 32
Summary: Some Comments on the response


	My goal in posting the laws of Manu has been to inform and to elicit
	some debate on the status of discrimination in India.  (Perhaps,I should
	have stated so in my posting.) Many of the responses to my posting 
	indicate confusion on the part of the responders. To put it in another
	way, they displayed an inverted scale of values. 

	Most of the responders presented a highly enlightened and personalized 
	version of Hinduism as a defense. What is this defense for?

	In one way, this defense is uncalled for and unnecessary. It can not
	and will not answer the laws of Manu. By discussing the Hindu 
	philosophy in response to my posting, most of the responders displayed 
	a profound knack in avoiding reality. Does this tell something about
	Hindus? I hope not.

	But, it seems to me that this defense is mainly meant to correct the 
	image of Hinduism which the responders thought as being tarnished or 
	unfairly represented by my posting. Moreover, this recast of the image 
	is meant for non-Indians. (Which Indian does not know what Hinduism 
	really is?)

	I feel this shows an inverted scale of values. It is necessary that
	foreigners should get a balanced account of India. But, not at the cost
	of hiding some of the important realities. Perhaps, preserving a false
	image of India is more important to some Indians living abroad. At
	least in the short run, they can shine in the bright sunlight 
	reflected from India.


	-Ramamohan Paturi
	paturi@harvard.HARVARD.EDU.ARPA