> as a private study, have been researching past two years on the indian > philosophical view and 'darshan' on copyrights. haven't found much. > anyone else stumbled across something?
Examples from India's history, culture etc are cited often in propagating the philosophy of freedom - of software, of knowledge, of intellect. Yet, I only end up more confused every time I think about it. (a) Dronacharya asks for Ekalavya's thumb just because he hid behind a tree and learnt warfare as Drona taught the princes. If somebody learnt from you like that, would you not have lauded the student - brilliant, to learn archery without eye contact with the teacher! How fair and how 'free' was Drona's act? Many tutors are known to have expected guru-dakshina. I don't blame that - after all, they need to earn a living. But such a cruel punishment - makes you wonder (though I have no texts to back this idea) if Drona punished Ekalavya not just because he saw him as a potential threat, but perhaps also because he got to learn some of the specialised war methodologies devised by Drona? (b) Bhakt-Mira, Tulsidas, Surdas, Saint Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Diktishar, Shyama Sastry (the holy trinity of Carnatic music), Gopalakrishna Bharathi, Purandaradaasa etc - great composers who left behind timeless classics for us to sing, hear and rejoice. They all left their signatures on their works. Try removing 'Mira' from a Mirabhai bhajan, try removing 'Guruguha' from a Dikshitar Kriti or 'Thyagaraja' from a composition of the saint's - the notes just won't flow, you cannot sing it right! Well, my question is - many of these people were saints, they gave up all worldly pleasures, they propagated their music at temple halls, wherever the devotees flocked, without expecting anything in return. Yet they could not give up pride over their works? Despite their immersion in Bhakti, they did not forget to leave their signature on even a single work? They could give up physical pleasures but could not give up their ego wrt their intellectual property? Would not their works have lived on even if they did not affix their signatures to their compositions? Don't throw the question back at me - I am a normal human being who wants my work to be credited to me even if I open it up under CC - but they were saints! (c) On the other hand, recipes, home remedies, folk music - these are perfect examples of free knowledge transfer. I don't know who first found that Tulsi tea can relieve the symptoms of common cold! I don't know who invented idly and dosa! I don't even know who first found out that rice could be boiled and eaten or that curd rice is yuuummmy! Do you? But I know that whoever found all these things - they were truly brilliant people - unsung heroes and heroines! Perhaps this is what they call a chequered past?! Myriad examples - some highlighting free knowledge sharing, some otherwise. Or maybe I have not understood the mythologies and history well enough! Correct me if any of what I've said is wrong. When I am not even able to understand the historical/cultural view on copyrights - I don't want to attempt talking about India's 'philosophical' view of copyrights :) Cheers! Janani http://gjanani.googlepages.com _______________________________________________ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Next Event: http://freed.in - September 28-29, 2007 Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
