the_moderator2001 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: "the_moderator2001" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 19:34:41 -0000
Subject: [india-unity] Dalit literature will replace Sanskrit: Ilaiah
http://www.hindu.com/2004/03/30/stories/2004033003660500.htm
Dalit literature will replace Sanskrit: Ilaiah
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MARCH 29. Dalit literature will bury
Sanskrit under "yards of books", and in the next 20 to 30
years, English will emerge as the national language,
according to the Dalit activist, Kancha Ilaiah.
Inaugurating a national seminar on Dalit writing, organised
by the Centre for Comparative Literature, University of
Kerala, here today, Mr. Ilaiah said Hinduism as a
socio-religious force was going to die within the ! next
hundred years and no force would be able to prevent that.
Dalit literature alone could challenge the "Hinduised
and Sanskritised" Indian literature, he said.
It was wrong to label Dalit literature as post-modern.
All the acclaimed writings so far, save those of some
authors, had dealt with semi-secular Hindu topics or
essentially Hindu topics. All such writings were
centred round the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita.
Literature so far had been a process of Hinduisation
of knowledge. Such literature also did not speak
anything about civilisation.
Dalit literature was really post-Hindu literature,
which sought to do away with Sanskrit symbolisms.
This process was set in motion by Dr. Ambedkar.
Sanskrit was essentially a casteist language,
anti-people and anti-production, he charged.
"The so-called reforms initiated by people such as
Raja Ram Mohan Roy, including widow remarriage and
movement against child marriage, were essentially
Brahminical reforms. Such issues were never issues
before the common man."
The Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita have not
inspired nationalism in Indians. "In fact, the
reading of a holy book was not a part of the Hindu
tradition. Christians read the Bible, Muslims the
Koran. The number of people reading the Bible in
India was on the rise. But I have not seen so many
people reading the Gita. If there had been no Bible
and Koran in India, the nation would not have got
freedom. If there had been no English, India would
not have been a nation," he said.
Dalit literature is basically also about women's
emancipation. "Though Saraswati is the goddess of
learning in the Hindu mythology, there is no record
of Saraswati writing a book. Lakshmi, though she is
the goddess of wealth, was, in actual Hindu life,
very poor because women were not allowed to p! ossess
wealth. On the other hand, we have the writings of
Sumangala and Amrapali in Buddhist tradition," he
said. That tradition of socio-spiritual liberation
was carried forward by people such as Ayyankali,
Sree Narayana Guru and Mahatma Phule.
Today, the Dalits in the country had reached a
stage where they are no longer willing to fight
for their cause with weapons. Now they are
fighting through books. "For every trishul that
the forces of Hinduism distribute, we will
distribute 100 books to Dalit children. Dalit
literature has the power to change the Indian
social structure, but Indian society is yet to
recognise that power," he added.
The Marathi novelist, Sharankumar Limbale,
delivered the presidential address.
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