musings 155

The defect of Indian Scholarship is that apart from being vocal and showy about whatever we have managed to learn, most of us never go below the skin level..
But many western scholars who came to India to learn the Indian ethos as if it were a sacred pilgrimmage, plodded on with utmost sincerity..
Take the case of Max Muller.. his life was completely spent on Indian studies..
We can hardly find such sincerity in our own local gentlemen.. Difficult to digest, but a sad fact..
Almost every scholar of any Indian language is first running after academic degrees and doctorated, even by stealing or plagiarism.. and once they reach a fairly rewarding chair, the study and profession take back seat..
and they can pepetuate their pagents and roadshows with mudslingings , backstabs or when it is convenient, with hearty mutual pats on buttocks..
First, the local scholars should attempt to learn in deapth and then compare their efforts with the intensity with which the Western scholars perisisted..
We as a class, get intoxicated even when we learn a little, when we get even a little recognition,..
we are empty drums as a class..
The exponents of Puranas, professional talkers, etc are the glaring examples..
They would have read some trivial part of the huge treasury of knowledge, and after arriving at a pattern would be giving the same dessertations to various audiences..
But they are experts in making suggestive remarks.. remarks that would suggest that they have just digested the whole mountain of accumulated knowledge, and that would impress the audience.
I have a lot of experience in that.. Sometimes I myself play such tricks..
But usually when I write about something, I know I am not perfect and not even adequate, and I would have looked up so many references, and would have prepared to face supplementaries..
But I find that many of my friends who read and comment just try to impress that they knew all that already, and they are just liking what I described, just as a matter of tolerance or courtesy..
I know I can disarm such persons even with a couple of queries.. but we survive through white lies and more white lies..
..
Of course, that does not matter much..
A like in Facebook will not earn anyone a good meal, and no one is going to be hungry if x or y does not read a post..
But such frivolity is hard to find among the westerners..
When they are passionate, they study..
When they are not interested they move away..
They do not put on acts to impress others, as often as we do..