The Moor in the Idol Junkyard

ralph 27:

take three deep breaths

relax

Buddhism was the first great Liberalism of India.

Liberals frustrate you. You adore them for their liberalism, and hate them for their complete stupidity.

ana,

Thank you. Yes, I did want to achieve all that you have perceived. And, yet, I never expected a a grand score of 4/24 actually perceiving what I set out to mean!

HN

dost,

Thanks. You have actually set fire to several strategically situated haystacks in the entire graveyard of human history. There are lots of meanings to be gained, of course, and your reading of Buddhism is fair. But, one of the reasons for Buddhism`s exit from India, as propounded by Raja Rao, is that it had failed to addres ``reallife,`` AS IN THE JIVE. tHE REGULAR HUMAN BEING IN REGULAR SITUATION. It seemed to make and beget only those that were intellectual. This made the religion less contageous. there were no immediate/or permanent cure for worldy ills that the new religion provided. It almost always sought the need to be advanced...as you yourself suggest...of settled societies etc.

The thing is that Buddhism`s comfort with metaphysical realism...as in no unequal and undeserving prize for devoutness alone...is something that can excite only the intellect...it cannot move the masses. Move the same thing further into the comity of nation states...and your theory fits.

Nation states are the creches of human civilisation`s first attempts at social units. Okay, not first, but definitely fairly nascent versions. oNCE THE OCCIDENTAL PHASE PASSES, AND NATIONS STATES stops being so vital ...already it is more exciting to be EU member than Turkey.... it will be time for Budhism to arrive in the political sphere.

Just thoughts...tossed.

HN

harish,
this was so captivating and so profound at various points. and educational as well. i`m not going to say this was your best because it has all been enlightening and enriching so far, but i will say that this is the one where you`ve ``risked`` broadening the canvas in terms of history, speculative drama, and the allusions to munch, marlowe and shakespeare more than the previous parts and it`s worked rather well.

your description of the mutilated statues says quite a bit about perception and perspective.

--ana

Hi Harish:

I continually feel enriched and informed by your articles. In this one, you have provided enough combustible material to make for some lively discussion. Let me do my part in a somewhat different direction.

If there is any religious philosophy that appeals to me, it is Buddhism. But I have always wondered if Budha`s message, which is so relevant today as it ever was for a balanced and serene life for an individual, is relevant also for nations/societies/kings. There are several Buddhist nations today, but none has adopted Ashoka`s message in formulating their national policies. Why? Probably, because historically the societies which did that were overwhelmed by those with stronger faiths and sharper weapons. I often wonder if the Indian embrace of Buddhism had anything to do with the subsequent opening up of India to all kinds of conqests by foreign invaders. An increasing number of Pakistani historians now question the Greek version of Alexander`s battles and believe that Alexander did not really defeat Porus and he was forced back because of the defeat or stalemate he suffered. Is it not conceivable that Ashoka`s kingly embrace of Ahimsa led to the weakening of the societal defenses? The other theories of a divided society do not seem to hold water when you realise that those divisions were very much there at the time of Ashoka and earlier. I am therefore constrained to think that while Buddhism is the best recipe for a contented life by an individual living in a settled society, it can only be a recipe for disaster as a national guidepost. Unless all nations start believing in the Buddhist principles, the one that does will end up being a loser, although it might produce a Gandhi or Buddha from time to time who will be admired by the rest of humanity.

kakolukiyum ,

thanks. By the way, I heard about Kaala pahaad again, this time in Guwahati. It seems the Kamakhya temple too has some stories about resisiting or crumbling before KP`s rage. I do not know the details, but somebody connected to the temple administration told me that there were documents detailing KP`s destruction on Kamakhya. Would love to hear about the story, as you remember it.

HN

Hi Harish,

This segment is the best I have read so far......Orissa is certainly an interesting place. Also, INTACH has done some really good work in various places. Finally, the info about Kala Pahar was interesting. I had, long ago, read about him in one the short stories by Jayshankar Prasad.

Thanks for a great read!

pretty interesting...also perhaps because I visited Orissa last year only, though I wasn`t able to see much of the historic and the artistic remains there...

Re: # 8
//..What`s the point of raking up the past?.Let the dead past bury the past..//

It makes sense to ``rake up the past``. Particularly when the past has been so beautiful in many ways. If for nothing else - to make the future better. With so much history, Orissa has good potential for tourism, which will bring in the money needed to get out of being a ``basket case``.

And then there is the cliche - those you ignore history are condemned to repeat it. That has been the bane of Indian existence - we don`t record history and we never learn from it. Too bad.

Re: # 8 cayenne
//Sad that the once artistic and enlightened land that is now Orissa, is a pale basket case today.What happened to the people who built khajurahao..//

It` not Khajuraho. Oriyas built the Konark Sun temple [among many others which have been lost to the time]. What you see today in Konark, is only a small part of the entire structure that was built.

It was indeed an ``artistic and enlightened land``. The original name of the land was ``Utkal`` - which is short for ``Utkrista Kala`` - literally meaning, ``land of best art there is``. It was also a land of sea-farers and traders. They were some of the early adventurers to Sumatra/ indonesia. And they have been great warriors - which is why Ashoka was so hell-bent on beating them. Kalinga(orissa) was the last frontier for Ashoka to conquer.

As to what happened to these people - well, there are some popular theories. [Indians being so pathetic in recording history - there are few written accounts]. One of the theories is that the warrior tradition of the people was frittered away when the kings became weak and religious and became pacifists - they got engrossed in bhakti movements of that time. They lost parts of their empire first to muslim invaders and then to the british. The rest, as they say, is history.

Re: # 15 Harry
Wow! Where did that come from? You have something against this writer? Seems like a nice enough guy! Can you pinpoint (in his writing, not anatomically) where he is doing the `kissing`?

Always been fascinated by the history of ancient India, especially Ashoka! Remember reading somewhere about a son of his named Kunal who, upon instructions in a (bogus) letter from his father, gouged out his own eyes. Sounds rather outrageous, did it really happen? Where do you get information on your historical facts? How many total parts in your series?

Three carriages of the Toofan Express caught fire yesterday near Mughalsarai.

Nobody died in the fire.

Harish Nambiar is spared another crosscountry ride.

We are all spared a series of articles on why Hindus need to kiss Muslim butts.

Nadeem and Farzana,

I am rather pleased with your wandurlust for India being ignited by this series. Especially since it is a travelogue only by name. And Farzana`s response leaves me humbled. In a way, these responses are what I was hoping to evoke. As usual, through the series, all other kinds of debates have occurred, and some have been graciously well self-regulated.

A more nuanced picture, rather than a lot of head butting with the usual armour has kind of left the debate on the issue so pointless. That is also the reason I have kept away from lunging into the political debates that these pieces might excite sometimes.

Thank you.

Nadeem, Karachi...Inshallah!

HN

humanface,

Thanks! Well, Orissa is faring better by the day...if the Washington Consensus is the only standard. Hopefully the trikle down will hatsen an upgradation of the downgradation! It is a beautiful state, as are the people.

amrita,

I plead guilty for the editing lapses. And, yes, this chapter kind of vents my literary ambitions rather more gaudily!

And Munch, yes, I suspect it might seem rather too outlandish...yet...nothing else came to mind to freeze that particular moment`s concrete nothingness of a conscience numbed!

t,

That`s Satna to Khajuraho. Did not get what this question meant?

``would legends survive myths if asokas don`t have their kala pahaR`s?``


HN