On Saturday 14 Jul 2007 9:10 am, Abhijit Menon-Sen wrote: > > At best the concept of "India" among Indians was a loose and tenuous > > concept, but the point is the concept was not absent. > > No, but it's probably a much more modern concept than you're giving it > credit for. (But making it, and other things associated with Hinduism, > seem more ancient is a favourite pastime of the RSS loony fringe.)
Please elaborate on this part of your sentence: "probably a much more modern concept than you're giving it credit for." Specifically, how did you weigh the amount of credit I am giving the issue, based on my statement, and how "probable" is your opinion? What degree of relevance can I give to your sentence based on the paradigm you use to attribute a measure of relevance to a fundamentally vague statement from me? Naturally, you will oppose anything that sounds like what is stated by whoever you consider part of a lunatic fringe, but I would appreciate something more that your personal likes and dislikes. I was vague to start with because I cannot be more precise. You are vaguely opposed to what I said, and the only tangible reason you have stated is that my statements sounds like it might be from a lunatic fringe. > > It was utilized, as I said, by both Vivekananda and Gandhi > > Why wasn't it utilised by, say, Ashoka? > > I can think of a number of rulers who could have benefited from playing > up the vaguest hint of a linking factor in trying to keep their empires > together, and who did in fact play up *other* factors to this end. Why > wouldn't they use vague feelings of national identity if they existed? > > Why did those empires always fall apart without strict military control, > and the same smaller kingdoms always emerge from the debris? In the absence of historical records, why something was "not done" by someone in history is a matter of pure conjecture. Kindly tell me what your conjecture might be on this issue? Unless of course you are actually able to quote sources, although I would appreciate quotes rather than a request to read an entire book to see your viewpoint. In particular, which smaller kingdoms emerged from which empires over what timescale? shiv
