Hi Bhuban da, > So far as his views on India and China are concerned, he is not alone in > thinking in this vein.
You are right, he is not alone. But what I find interesting is VSN's doublespeak, so to say. On the one hand he does not hold his punches, but nevertherless he cannot stop writing (and visiting) about India. I remember after reading his "India a wounded Civilization", VSN (who at that time hadn't been to India) was full of expectations of how welcome he would be, when he landed in India, but was in for a rude shock. He soon found out that not only did any one NOT really care about an Indian expat from the West Indies, but he profoundly missed the red carpet. He does talk about the invisible thread that makes West Indians eager to visit India - even though generations before them have not. (a la Dr. Livingstone, or a Wordsworth yearning for Yarrow, and then being dissapointed) Maybe there is a lesson in there for our children/grandchildren who have settled down in the West. Would they also be pulled into such a vortex, full of expectations, but to be deflated upon arrival? I don't know? IHMO, visits to India (for someone who hasn't experienced it firsthand) ought to be withought any preconceived notions. That way they can actually enjoy all the mysticism and charms of an ancient country. But, I do agree with you with > I hold the writer in great esteem and don't agree that he's a > biased statesman as described at times by certain critics during the last > two decades or so. I too find him interesting. --Ram On 8/8/05, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Thanks, Ram, for making it possible for me to go through the piece on V S > Naipaul by Rachel Donadio. > > > > >>"It's glib, nonsensical talk from people who don't understand that holy > war for Muslims is a religious war, and a religious war is something you > never stop fighting."<< > > > > I suppose Nailpaul has just given the meaning of the words 'jihad' and > 'dar al harb' (I forgot the exact words), which imply a continuing religious > war. Although controversies exist regarding the true meaning of these words, > it exists in one way or the other. > > > > So far as his views on India and China are concerned, he is not alone in > thinking in this vein. Even of late respected American papers are > subscribing to these views. As to great thinkers by the criteria of > international recognition in given fields, there are few indeed. > > > > I've possibly read almost all the works by Naipaul but only vaguely remember > the contents of his books; particularly those of the stories and novels. > While being captivated by his fictional works, I also read a few of his > commissioned works on contemporary histories of Africa, the Middle East > and India. I hold the writer in great esteem and don't agree that he's a > biased statesman as described at times by certain critics during the last > two decades or so. Say, for example, his book describing India as the Dark > Continent earned him no laurels in India. He had certainly incurred the > displeasure of many people within and outside the Indian subcontinent > because of his outspokenness in a number of issues. > > > > Come to think of it, even Pearl Buck, another Nobel laureate, once stated > that fiction does not serve any useful purpose in society. That was perhaps > her humility. I would say that Naipaul helped bring the expatriates of the > West Indies together with their lost brothers and sisters of India, at least > in thoughts as the physical barriers still operate. > > > > bhuban > > > > _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list Assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam Mailing list FAQ: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html To unsubscribe or change options: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam
