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  1. #1

    Nonica Datta and jat bashing

    On the history section there is some material I have posted.

    This is an important issue for her work is being accpted in India and abroad as genuine scholarship

    Please take an interest.

    Who is Nonica Datta, and why should Jats be interested in her.
    Nonica Datta is a lecturer in History at Miranda College, Delhi University

    Apparently a graduate of the JNU school of history, by that I mean that JNU has basically a Marxist view of history which it encourages.

    She did a PhD at Cambridge England, and went on to teach Miranda College.

    The bio data below is from the Miranda house web site.

    Nonica Datta, M.A., M. Phil. (JNU), Ph.D. (Cambridge). Has specialized in Modern Indian history; Her publications include forming an Identity: A Social History of the Jats (OUP, Delhi, 1999) and several articles relating to social and cultural history of North India


    The title of the book is deceiving, for it is only restricted to a study of some Jats. From 1880 to 1936, but she would have us believe that her book covers all Jats

    When I bought the book I was looking forwrad to an academic dissertation. One OUP executive tolf me he was surprised OUP published the boook, but it was done as a political favor.

    Her P. hd was on the Jats of S. E. Punjab,

    The making of a Jat identity in the S.E. Punjab, c.1880-1936. Nonica Datta. (Professor C.A. Bayly.) Cambridge Ph.D. 1995.
    http://www.ihrinfo.ac.uk/ihr/Resources/Theses/tc95.html

    She has published a number of articles on Jats history and culture. Indeed she is fast becoming an authority on Jats.

    Who is she?

    A Google search shows that one VN Datta is a historian, and wrote some books on Indian History, and had some influence with the JNU historical circles. Is this his daughter, niece ?

    She does come across as some one not favorable to the Jats, and her approach has a casteist flavor

    I am posting two of her articles, on Mrs. Subhashini Malik, the great Jat educator. She plans to release a book on her, and if there comments in her article are anything to go by, be forewarned.

    Her book contains much false and derogatory material about the Jats.

    For those with an interest I will urge that you borrow the book form a library, to see how negative and derogatory it is.

    Ravi

  2. #2
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    I have read one article posted by her in Economical and Political Review(EPW),as specified in the starting post it was over jats and indeed she was pretty acerbic about jats. As far as I remember it was about jats and reservation and she didnt have good words to say about. And indeed her views came to me as more of biased opinion more than anything else.
    She also wrote one more article on same topin in Indian Express and again flavor was same.
    It is really sad that people with that kind of mentality and attitude are being considered authority on jat history

  3. #3
    Why give such importance to ignorant people like her? She obviously has some axe to grind wrt to Jats.

    Ignore her totally - no need to read her writings or borrow her books from the library. It is about time some Jat historian wrote a book in a scholarly and balanced manner. Don't expect much sympathy from people who are ignorant and have been brought up fearing and hating us.

    Rajiv

  4. #4
    Ranvir Singh Dalal (Feb 11, 2003 09:38 a.m.):
    even if you take her (Dutta's ) words on this. Still I do not find anything wrong doing in Smt Subhashini Devis work. Is there anything wrong in
    --- Traning womens for self defence
    --- what is wrong in hating muslims, after knowing their past 100 year of history in India and world. If somebody still takes seculiar view on this, I feel he is not doing justice to his/her next generations.
    --- Sudhi sangthan
    --- In heling/uniting jat community against the muslim agressors

    I personally feel that in Haryana and Delhi our ancestors have done good job during partition. Otherwise in rest of the country you riots every now and then.
    ********

    Ranvir

    I do not wish to belabor the point.

    Nonica Datta is spewing hate , under the guise of Academic scholarship.

    Whta she and people like her write becomes the accepted academic truth, and that is what must be stopped.

    The Brahmical Jats shudras etc. The people who stufy them then also accept that the Jats are low class, robbers, servile, sleazy thiefs.

    This is the kind of stuff the Nonica Datta writes.

    Thus when your kids grow up and go the school and college, they will be taught by a generation of historians who learnt their history and view of Jats form the academic text books of Nonica Datta


    Her books are now becoming part of the curriculum in the Universities in the West.

    That is what Students in the world will learn about Jats.

    So you cannot simply accept what she writes and say, "Oh it does not affect me,, It affects you and your family directly"

    When you child comes home and says, Daddy, Mummy, are we sudras, are we robeers and thieves, and you asky why?

    The child will say this is what I was told in School.

    You canot simply ignore them, for then their hate filled views get accepted.

    You have to counter this at every turn at every corner.

    She does not dare to write such stuff about the Jat Sikhs !

    We must organise and stop her .

    Ravi

  5. #5
    Abhishek Dhama (Feb 11, 2003 01:01 a.m.):
    I have read one article posted by her in Economical and Political Review(EPW),as specified in the starting post it was over jats and indeed she was pretty acerbic about jats. As far as I remember it was about jats and reservation and she didnt have good words to say about. And indeed her views came to me as more of biased opinion more than anything else.
    She also wrote one more article on same topin in Indian Express and again flavor was same.
    It is really sad that people with that kind of mentality and attitude are being considered authority on jat history

    ******** Abhishek

    You are absolutely right.

    The EPW article in on the history section, ubder Nonica Datta.

    This stuff would be material for a hate mail lawsuit and dismissal of the writer fom employment.

    She is already an authority.

    She must be stopped

    Ravi

    If we do not counter her

  6. #6
    Rajiv Lather (Feb 11, 2003 01:17 a.m.):
    Why give such importance to ignorant people like her? She obviously has some axe to grind wrt to Jats.

    Ignore her totally - no need to read her writings or borrow her books from the library. It is about time some Jat historian wrote a book in a scholarly and balanced manner. Don't expect much sympathy from people who are ignorant and have been brought up fearing and hating us.

    Rajiv
    *********

    Her work is becoming part of the academic curriculum.

    So if we ignore her we do so at our own peril.

    She is getting her message out through every history and social department in every university in the West.

    This next generation of undergratuate students, who will then become professors, lawyers, diplomats in their turn, will teach what they have learnt- that Jats a low class sudhra, servile thieves.

    So whern you child goes for admission to Harvard, they will know that they are dealing with a low class chamar/ shudra.

    It is in tis manner that thye call the Jat emperor Chadragupta Muarya- Sudras, and have wiped out your history, so we Jats do pot know our past, and some Jats even think that they are descendents of a Raput, who married a jatni concubine.

    This sort of thing is accepted OFFICIAL history today, and that is how the world thinks of us.

    To change this, takes effort.

    Please take this seriously, for ourselves and our children to come.

    Ravi



    Ravi

  7. #7
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    I think as of portrayal of jats as a community is concerned it has always been biased, I mean pick up any text on history you find similar things. When they talk of medievel and ancient history they say we were lowcaste and when talk about the modern times like around 18th century they say we were plunderers. I mean thatz what atleast I read in NCERT text books and what is written in those text books is well known.
    But the fact remains that we were the rulers of one of most influential kingdoms in 18th century and had virtual control of the most fertile region of the country for atleast 800 years(pardon me if I am incorrect).
    But historians ,specially indian historians ,because of caste bias have been doing this for so long. I mean most of them are brahmins or baniyas and they write it with prejudice.
    I think I agree with Ravi that it is matter of utmost concern that something should be done regarding this.
    But the fact remains does anyone care , I mean I wrote to editor of Indian Express after that article and he didnt even care to publish let alone any apology or clarification.
    There was another article in Times of India in which author resorted to jat bashing , I again wrote to editor and and again nothing happened.
    I dont want to sound pessismistic or like the one who has given up( a very unJat type attitude) but I am sorry I dont know how to go about this. This is indeed a SERIOUS issue I mean this woman cant be left to blabber on.
    SHE MUST BE STOPPED!

  8. #8
    Abhishek Dhama (Feb 11, 2003 02:56 p.m.):
    I think as of portrayal of jats as a community is concerned it has always been biased, But the fact remains does anyone care , I mean I wrote to editor of Indian Express after that article and he didnt even care to publish let alone any apology or clarification.
    There was another article in Times of India in which author resorted to jat bashing , I again wrote to editor and and again nothing happened.
    I dont want to sound pessismistic or like the one who has given up( a very unJat type attitude) but I am sorry I dont know how to go about this. This is indeed a SERIOUS issue I mean this woman cant be left to blabber on.
    SHE MUST BE STOPPED!
    ***********

    REPLY

    Perception is realty

    Abhishek writes we used to be rulers. That is true, and your roots go back to the composers of the Rig Veda.

    Today however thanks to a casteist society and a more complacent Jat society, we are being marginalized into low caste and shudraism., where we Jats are ashamed of our identity.

    In south India, there are only two categories Brahmins and Shudras. The great rulers of old, and their descendants, the cholas, Solankis, the Pandyas, are all called Shudras.

    How does this happen and take hold.

    In the last few centuries, the economic power shifted to Industry and beuracracy, those who took up education, and served their British Masters became the rulers of India and propagated their hold on society.

    In was only in Haryana, Punjab, and UP that the Jats managed to retain their identity, which is now fast being lost due to a number of factors.

    Landholdings declining, education not being available, and the Kisan being squeezed.

    The environment has changed, and simply owning land is not enough.

    The castist society has successfully marginalized us, and unless we do something about it, our society will decline to the status of landless shudras in a few generations.

    1. The first step to marginalizing a people is to deny them education. -

    Look at rural India, no schools, While the Baniya. Brahmin combine sent their children to English medium schools; they passed laws and denied the study of English in Rural India, along with resources- teachers, schools, and equipment.

    This had made your rural Jats, unfit for modern society, for which knowledge g English is a must, as all you well know.

    2. The second is to deny them their History.

    Our history is depicted as the History of the Rajputs and Brahmins. This is not true but show me a History book, which says otherwise.

    There is no mention of Jats in our history books. They are supposed to miraculously appear in the 7th century AD, noticed first only by the Muslim invaders !!!

    Once you have done this , target group will fall further and further behind , first economically, then socially.

    That is why People like Nonica Datta, must be stopped.

    How should that be done?
    BY ORGANIZING OURSELVES

    Not by verbal abuse, but by activism.

    Use the Internet; it is a powerful medium and a great equalizer.

    Start an Online petition. See how successful India cause is.


    Send E mails to Delhi University, Miranda House, the newspapers who print such hate mail, and watch things change.

    There is need for the Great Jat Talent for war. This war does not bows and arrows, it requires Brainpower.

    We have that, and we have the Internet. There a thousand members on this list. Let us organize this thousand first.

    As Delhi University, Miranda House, Nonica Dutta, and the Indian Express get one thousand E Mails in protest, watch the change happen.

    But first we have to clean up our act.

    We must correct what our OWN website says about us.

    If we present a negative image about us that is what we will be.

    For starters:

    I wrote to Nithin Dahiya that the Ghazni Naval victory story is wrong, and I have posted on the History section, and in the Jat History Group, URL below, discussion, my analysis from original Muslim sources, does not support the official Jatland version.

    My question then is what Jat would write negative things about his people – out of ignorance, well OK, but when he knows that it is an untruth, then why would he write such negative portrayal of his people.

    This is not something I can do single handedly. I need help.

    Feed back



    Ravi Chaudhary

    Join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/

  9. #9
    Nonica Datta's book - Forming an identity (OUP) (p2 of the introduction) says: "Jat identity was shaped primarily by the quami narratives which were constructed by its leaders and dissemated among rural populace".

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    I suspect that Nonica Datta's problem is not malice but inability to comprehend Jat culture. That she should write a book about something she has only superficial understanding of, is despicable. First of all, Jats do not have leaders who tell them what to think. Jat populace does not take inspiration from its leaders but the leaders (whenever they are chosen) take their inspiration from the populace!! This principle of independent mindedness is central to Jat culture. If only Nonica Datta understood this, she could have saved a lot of time that was wasted in writing this book.
    Attention seekers and attention getters are two different class of people.

  10. #10
    [quote]Urmila Duhan (Feb 11, 2003 11:08 p.m.):
    Nonica Datta's book - Forming an identity (OUP) (p2 of the introduction) says: "Jat identity was shaped primarily by the quami narratives which were constructed by its leaders and dissemated among rural populace".

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    I suspect that Nonica Datta's problem is not malice but inability to comprehend Jat culture. That she should write a book about something she has only superficial understanding of, is despicable.

    **********
    Does anyone know what is the connection between V N Datta and Nonica Datta.

    She did a Phd from Cambridge England.

    Does anyone have access to this PHd thesis.

    "" The making of a Jat identity in the S.E. Punjab, c.1880-1936. Nonica Datta. (Professor C.A. Bayly.) Cambridge Ph.D. 1995. ""

    This shallow thesis, was re printed as a book Titled

    Forming an Identity" -A social History of the Jats.Published by oxford university Press.

    Does anyone have access to this thesis ?? If so Please get me a copy

    ********8

    Urmila

    you are correct, she may be simply ignorant. Nonethe less she is doing substantial damage out there.

    I do not beleibve in making perosnal attacks on anyone.

    This person is in a position of trust. She is teaching generations of young impressionable Indians, and what she teaches them will be their reality.

    I have two daughters, and if in lived in India Delhi, they would probably go to Miranda. my son woould probaly end in Stephens as I did.

    If this is the bilge that they would be taught, they woould end being ashamed of their identity.

    And what next, is she going to writethe textbooks that are taught in our schools.

    I agree with freedom of speech, but do notthink people in academia shoudl be able to irresponssibly abuse their privilidged position.

    It is for that reason she must be stopped. She is not worthy of occupying a position of trust as a techer, and teaching hate.


    I have some thoughts that her work is not original, and that there may be more borrowing than she has admitted, but my investigative process has only started.

    Ravi




    Ravi

  11. #11
    Ravi jee,
    I am still in the process of reading her book. I will wait till i finish reading so i have something concrete to write in my e mails. I think it would be a good idea to communicate with the editor of OUP regarding the standard of her work. OUP has a reputation to defend and may deter them from accepting her work again. Also her thesis advisor should be contacted and briefed. In the mean time, maybe you could post material from her book here on Jatland, which is CLEARLY is an extension of her fancy and can be argued on the basis of other historical facts or simple logic. Her choice of reference material that she used for writing the thesis should be checked for reliability and cross references challenging her facts should either be constructed on the basis of other historical facts or cited. If a work is rotten, i am sure, challenging it on intellectual basis won't be difficult.
    Attention seekers and attention getters are two different class of people.

  12. #12
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    Dear All,
    Nonica Dutta has evidently lit a fire but please know this that she has merely started a fire. She doesnt have the fuel to feed it. The fuels that push up book sales are curiosity and controversy, these enhance public perception and then the book begins to 'arrive '. Today she does not have that fuel only we can provide it and without the fuel of our collective angst and rage the fire that she has lit will die down anatural death. A contoversy at this point will help to push her book sales let us not empower her to the point that book sales inspire a sequel toa provocative publication.

    I would like to suggest a simple strategy for dealing with this problem.
    1. Let at least a dozen people on Jatland volunteer to read the book and her thesis.
    Let us first specifically identify the offending portions precisely and analyse the exact error of ommission or commission.

    2.Let no one go to the media under any circumstances whatsoever.

    3 Contradiction of her work should take place in the small exclusive intellectual publications that make up her home turf and constituency.

    4. When she is contradicted it must be on the basis of a simple fact sheet collated and assembled by our own historical scholars and able persons.

    5. People with communication skill and P.R should then step in to complete the job of discrediting her intellectual dishonesty and slipshod scholarship.

    6. At no time should we fall into the trap of engaging her in personal defamation and scurrilous exchange it would only strengthen her snide point of view and would greatly damage the community which none of us has the right to do without carefully planning out our response and the collateral damage.

    Yours

    Amit Dahiyabadshah







    Urmila Duhan (Feb 12, 2003 05:23 p.m.):
    Ravi jee,







    I am still in the process of reading her book. I will wait till i finish reading so i have something concrete to write in my e mails. I think it would be a good idea to communicate with the editor of OUP regarding the standard of her work. OUP has a reputation to defend and may deter them from accepting her work again. Also her thesis advisor should be contacted and briefed. In the mean time, maybe you could post material from her book here on Jatland, which is CLEARLY is an extension of her fancy and can be argued on the basis of other historical facts or simple logic. Her choice of reference material that she used for writing the thesis should be checked for reliability and cross references challenging her facts should either be constructed on the basis of other historical facts or cited. If a work is rotten, i am sure, challenging it on intellectual basis won't be difficult.

  13. #13
    Amit,

    is absolutely right

    This is not something to be dealt with by knee jerk reactions

    I have had her book for 2 years now, and did nothing, except think it will go away.

    Ravi Chaudhary

  14. #14
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    Bhai Ravi .

    Would you take the trouble of scanning the ten most offensive portions of the book and posting them on Jatland verbatim for our collective viewing and discussion. I think that the passionate response of many of our people on this site is reason enough to address this issue seriously.

    A little team work and lateral working by focussing only on the ten most offensive parts will focus our collective energies and facilitate a well organised response, if, after due discussion over say one week you as the original poster decide that we should move.


    Ravi Chaudhary (Feb 13, 2003 08:20 a.m.):
    Amit,

    is absolutely right

    This is not something to be dealt with by knee jerk reactions

    I have had her book for 2 years now, and did nothing, except think it will go away.

    Ravi Chaudhary

  15. #15
    Amit Dahiya (Delhi) (Feb 13, 2003 09:04 a.m.):
    Bhai Ravi .

    Would you take the trouble of scanning the ten most offensive portions of the book and posting them on Jatland verbatim for our collective viewing and discussion. I think that the passionate response of many of our people on this site is reason enough to address this issue seriously.

    A little team work and lateral working by focussing only on the ten most offensive parts will focus our collective energies and facilitate a well organised response, if, after due discussion over say one week you as the original poster decide that we should move.


    Ravi Chaudhary (Feb 13, 2003 08:20 a.m.):
    Amit,

    is absolutely right

    This is not something to be dealt with by knee jerk reactions

    I have had her book for 2 years now, and did nothing, except think it will go away.

    Ravi Chaudhary

    Amit

    Am trying to see what I can scan and send. The problem here is connectivity, unless you connect the dots there is nothing, If you connect the dots the problem is obvious.

    I will try and scan some pages, maybe the introduction, but that is already there in the topic: forming an identity, and her last chapter- summing up.

    If you read her article, in the Topic"

    Forming an Identity- Nonica Datta " , and the reviews, and particularly D. R. Chaudry's review it should give a you a very good idea what this is all about.

    You will not fail to see the insidiousness of it all. Link that to Michael Fishers review and now you are into the top level of world Academia

    And why we need to do something of purpose, not a few slogans of "Datta Murdabad, and Jai Jat Balwan "

    That is why I am posting what material I can and encouraging debate and discussion.


    Ravi Chaudhary

  16. #16
    The article by Ms Datta, listed in the Topic" Forming an Identity: is a good summation of the theme she follows in her book.

    BUT WHAT IS THE REAL ISSUE HERE?

    Some readers may think, that I am upset, because she is abusing the Jats, giving them " Gali."

    Well we Jats are quite tolerant of fools standing on street corners giving " Gali", for that is all they are, fools and easy to ignore. Indeed such a "Galli Bakkne Wala", would an object of pity, we would call him, "Bevkoof, Pagal", and leave it at that.

    This is not what Ms Datta is doing.

    Her writings are entering the world of Academia, and the University level curriculum, and when Jat history and culture are studied that is what the students will be taught.

    It is the latter problem , that every Jat should have a problem with.

    What finally triggered this for me, was an e-mail I received, which was a response to my friend JD Singh, who had taken issue with the owner of the Kushan Site- Robert Bracey.

    The E-mail is below.

    ***************
    No mention of Jats before 700 AD?
    This is a very baffling statement and defies simple logic.

    Its hard to imagine millions of ethnically related people
    (easily linked via Gotra names) suddenly spring into front
    stage of history. Where were they before 700 AD?

    I submit these historians have lost it! There is mention of
    Jats e.g. Yue-Chi (Chinese), Iatois (Greeks) and way back
    into Vedas. A very very long before 700 AD, indeed.

    Cheers,
    JD

    ================================================== ====
    From: "Robert" <gandhara.geo@yahoo.com>
    To: <jais_99@hotmail.com>
    Sent: Sunday, February 09, 2003 3:24 PM
    Subject: Fwd: Comments Kushan


    Thanks for your email. The question of the relationship between the Jats
    and Kushans is at the present time insoluble. Nonica Datta briefly reviews
    the texts on p.7 of his book 'Forming and Indentity'. There he relays the
    opinions of several early scholars that the Jats were Indo-Scythians (which
    given the date they were writing at could just as easily mean Kushan).
    However, as Datta obliquely admits on p.10 of his book he knows of no
    evidence for the Jats prior to 700 AD. Certainly I know of no reference in
    any Kushan inscription to Jats.

    I understand that in Pliny and Ptolemy there are references to Jatti
    amongst the Indo-Scythian tribes but I have not had the opportunity to
    check this for myself.
    I can provide you with references to these sources if you would like.
    Robert

    ************

    Why is this important ?;

    Bracey is well respEcted. He also runs a discUssion group

    URL : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kushan/

    And web site http://www.geocities.com/gandhara.geo/

    Right now, we are arguing about the Fact that the Jats are Kushans, ( Our position), and his is from Datta, that they come only from 700 AD on, and are low , scoundrels etc.

    The discussion scan be seen on the Jat history group and the Kushan group.

    It is MATTER OF WHOSE PERCEPTION OR WHOSE IDENTITY WILL PREVAIL and what the university curriculum will teach !!!

    That is the real battle and that is what all this is about

    ***********************

    The second were two reviews of Datta's book: Both are posted in the thread (topic): Forming an Identity- Nonica Datta in the current affairs section.

    Please take the time to read them

    Message # 2: A review by one in the prestigious American Historical Journal, which is described the premier source for research reference. reviewer: Michael H. Fisher Oberlin College

    Message # 3 by one D.R. Chaudhry, in the Chandigarh Tribune of Nov 21, 1999

    So now the Academia has taken hold of Jat identity which is low, servile, bandits, plunders, they have kinky habits like co habits with the dead brothers wife, so on and so forth. Indeed probably covet her, why wait till she is dead.

    Since this is now in the University curriculum and textbooks and her book is an academic reference, you will never have an opportunity to counter it. You can complain about it in little groups like this, but that is all in other words to put it more strongly, you will have been marginalized, taken out of the loop, and thought to have no credibility. The old saying -" Give a dog a bad name and hang him"

    For what references are, all of you have studied, and have been referred to reference books for your graduate and post graduate work, and it those references that shaped your thinking on the subject that you were studying



    So then in my view, we Jats can be as complacent as we like, but whenever you will say you are a Jat, the image of you will be bring to mind is " low, scoundrel etc etc".

    My other concern is this; some of us are now well off, thanks to our community and our parents, who gave the education we needed. Today works like hers do not affect me; I am well educated, thanks to my parents, and reasonably well settled today.

    So I can ignore the issue, and walk away. That to me would be betrayal of all that my community and my parents stood for, the sacrifices they made.

    There is also the concern for those who are not well off and who are being marginalized and reduced to shudra status.

    Land holdings are declining; there are no schools, no education, and then no opportunities,

    For it is quite clear that those who are fortunate those in this E group, are well educated, especially education in English, and can compete with those in the cities. Competition is stiff and becoming stiffer.

    Our children in the villages are falling behind, and will be reduced to the level of daily workers and laborers, if we do not do something.

    So we have a double problem how to protect our identity, from attack by people who are not well wishers, and simultaneously work for the uplift or our community whose stand of living in the villages is declining day by day.

    The latter we will discuss separately, but they are connected.

    To return, this is not an issue that, that we tomorrow rush to Miranda House, and stage a Dharna, and raise slogans of " Nonica Datta Murdabad, break a few windows, and burn a few buses".

    This is something that has to be discussed in our community, and a joint plan of action taken.

    In simpler words, I am calling a Panchayat, in our ancient democratic tradition

    I am raising an issue that should be of concern to everyone in our community, and I am asking for discussion, debate, and ideas how to counter this very real problem.



    Ravi

    P.S. A note to the moderators. Please allow members some flexibility in posting and creating threads. This is a complex

  17. #17
    Ravi Bhai,

    Nonica Dutta is the youngest daughter of Prof. V.N.Dutta who retired some ten years back as HOD History Deptt. Kurukshetra University. He also has strong leftist inclinations in his thoughts and writings.
    Shubh Kamnao Sahit,

    Gajesh Dhariwal (Ex Raist Ist Batch)

  18. #18
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    Bhai Ravi
    Thanks for the two references the first is written by an ill informed european and was probably written for purely academic side benefits. The second by D.R. Caudhry is the more significant review and ominous.

    If I am not wrong he was a professor or lecturer in either History or Political science at dayal singh college in the aerly seventies. He was then associated in politics in haryana and after that started a paper called Peeng ( Swing or 'Jhoola'). To the best of my memory he too is a communist. For the greater part his review endorses and applauds Nonica Datta's work. Well that could be a mutually supportive effort for a fellow academic and party collleague. Many of the aspersions in his review are his own comments and not those of the author if you read his review very carefully. I think we have to stick to the original offensive text which upset you. And to do something about it why call a Panchayat until you have scanned and posted the offensive portions and we've all had a chance to brainstorm them with you first. This will help focus our energies and actually get something done. This is just a suggestion because I get a feeling that were all getting alittle carried away here and thats self defeating. As Rudyard Kipling once said somewhere "slowly slowly catchee monkey"

    Yours Sincerely
    Amit

  19. #19
    After reading her book" Forming an Identity",

    i can only do one thing" throw her book in dust bin. It is her frustration speaking.

    She appears to throw her hands up in the air whenever she is forced to acknowledge that Jats are "influential" and becoming "politically strong". She has tried painting a "rags to riches" story of Jats- where rags means low caste/oppressed people and riches means people who take pride in their ancesstary and are assertive.

    The way to counteract her claims is by publishing quality books on Jats which would have the potential to make their way in university curriculum. In the meantime

    least we can do is to let her publishers/university officials/newspapers know how biased her work is.
    Attention seekers and attention getters are two different class of people.

  20. #20
    Amit Dahiya (Delhi) (Feb 16, 2003 03:38 a.m.):
    Bhai Ravi
    Thanks for the two references the first is written by an ill informed european and was probably written for purely academic side benefits. The second by D.R. Caudhry is the more significant review and ominous.

    If I am not wrong he was a professor or lecturer in either History or Political science at dayal singh college in the aerly seventies. He was then associated in politics in haryana and after that started a paper called Peeng ( Swing or 'Jhoola'). To the best of my memory he too is a communist. For the greater part his review endorses and applauds Nonica Datta's work. Well that could be a mutually supportive effort for a fellow academic and party collleague. Many of the aspersions in his review are his own comments and not those of the author if you read his review very carefully. I think we have to stick to the original offensive text which upset you. And to do something about it why call a Panchayat until you have scanned and posted the offensive portions and we've all had a chance to brainstorm them with you first. This will help focus our energies and actually get something done. This is just a suggestion because I get a feeling that were all getting alittle carried away here and thats self defeating. As Rudyard Kipling once said somewhere "slowly slowly catchee monkey"

    Yours Sincerely
    Amit

    Amit
    My scanner is out of order

    I am trying to get if fixed, otherwise get a new one.

    I will post het introductionand conclusion

    Do not expect any pryrotechnics from her, it is just simple insidious stuff.


    Ravi

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