11-27-2005, 10:55 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-rajesh_g+Nov 28 2005, 12:08 AM-->QUOTE(rajesh_g @ Nov 28 2005, 12:08 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Men like Ambedkar, Raja Rammohan Roy etc bought into this and to a huge extent people still buy this line.
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THOUGH I dotn like the extent of the macaulay-icity of ram mohon roy's stand, i have to agree that india as a nation did in fact benifit from a dose of western education.
till about 1100 a.d. india was very proficient in science and education. then came darkness from arabia (and science went west from india).
also the social prisonhouse into which women in india - a country which has a history of female deity worship and a lot many female sages (and in this day, political leaders) - were plunged into - no education for them, early ie. teen, marriage and other islamic crap (you will notice that the islam style treatment of women is prevalent more in exactly those areas of india which were under muslims, and also from the era when muslims came. please read the last chapter of Nirad C Chaudhury - a macaulite i cant at all stand - his book, "the east is east and the west is west" and you will learn how thgings nosedived on the social front with the arrival of camel jockeys. in that era if a woman became a widow, then she would be abducted into some harem. sati was the more honourable option. he also alluded to tiffenthaler, the german when he came to india during the mughals would notice how temples would be visited secretly by hindus, lest they be put to the sword. some temples like the dilwara in mt abu were built where no camel jockey would be able to spot them hidden by the foliage. also in that era, if a beautiful woman didnt get married by her mid teens, then some muslims could take a likign for her and it would be harem time again. and ofcourse females should not be educated for their real job on the planet is to make babies) - all this social injustice could do with a dose of fresh and modern western worldview.
so where as i dont agree with a macaulay style view point at all, and dont like westophilia one bit, i have to confess that it did pull us out of islamic darkness in quick time.
the bengal rennaisance was the child of this "pulling out of darkness", and ram mohon roy was one of the prime reasons that women in india again (a la pre islamic days) have better jobs to do than just make babies.
even so with ambedkar. the caste system becomming what it had, india could do with a little bit (in fact quite a bit) of egalititarism.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
THOUGH I dotn like the extent of the macaulay-icity of ram mohon roy's stand, i have to agree that india as a nation did in fact benifit from a dose of western education.
till about 1100 a.d. india was very proficient in science and education. then came darkness from arabia (and science went west from india).
also the social prisonhouse into which women in india - a country which has a history of female deity worship and a lot many female sages (and in this day, political leaders) - were plunged into - no education for them, early ie. teen, marriage and other islamic crap (you will notice that the islam style treatment of women is prevalent more in exactly those areas of india which were under muslims, and also from the era when muslims came. please read the last chapter of Nirad C Chaudhury - a macaulite i cant at all stand - his book, "the east is east and the west is west" and you will learn how thgings nosedived on the social front with the arrival of camel jockeys. in that era if a woman became a widow, then she would be abducted into some harem. sati was the more honourable option. he also alluded to tiffenthaler, the german when he came to india during the mughals would notice how temples would be visited secretly by hindus, lest they be put to the sword. some temples like the dilwara in mt abu were built where no camel jockey would be able to spot them hidden by the foliage. also in that era, if a beautiful woman didnt get married by her mid teens, then some muslims could take a likign for her and it would be harem time again. and ofcourse females should not be educated for their real job on the planet is to make babies) - all this social injustice could do with a dose of fresh and modern western worldview.
so where as i dont agree with a macaulay style view point at all, and dont like westophilia one bit, i have to confess that it did pull us out of islamic darkness in quick time.
the bengal rennaisance was the child of this "pulling out of darkness", and ram mohon roy was one of the prime reasons that women in india again (a la pre islamic days) have better jobs to do than just make babies.
even so with ambedkar. the caste system becomming what it had, india could do with a little bit (in fact quite a bit) of egalititarism.