1. The section on embalming brought to mind the crisis of NIMBYism currently occurring in the West. The West seem to be at a time of cultural stagnation, where its visions of the future are insufficiently inspiring to allow it to transcend its past. I still don't fully understand the reasons behind this. Unfortunately the current Indian elite seems to imitate their Western counterparts in this respect as well, although this is mitigated somewhat by the infrastructural requirements of faster economic growth. However there is hope that if we can create an elite that is authentically Indian in its character, we can not only recover our connections to our historical culture, but also the vitality that once defined the West. I would be curious to hear your thoughts on how one might undertake such a project.
2. While I do find the idea of restoring these monuments to their former glory, I do think we likely lack the artisanal talent required to do so. These structures were likely constructed by the keepers of traditions that were centuries old; much of that knowledge has likely been lost. We should perhaps instead start with creating new monuments to avoid the risk of accidentally defacing the old ones.
3. On a similar note, I think we still lack a clear idea of what we are constructing monuments to. If we want to attempt to revive classical Hindu civilization, we first need to reckon with and understand the reasons for its failure (e.g. a rigid caste system, civilizational complacency, an emphasis on spirituality over technological progress). I personally favour a syncretic approach that synthesizes the good in our traditions with the dominant in those of the West.
4. There's a few typos: breaks rather than brakes, Spanglerian rather than Spenglerian.
Thanks for the reply! And for pointing out the typos. I read through it 5-6 times but I think sometimes you just miss some errors haha
Great point about NIMBYism. This seems to be feature of civilization that is slowly decaying, but as you pointed out, has also lost the vitality to be able to survive. I feel like this is a feature of modernity, and manifests itself in things like plummeting religiosity and birth rates as well. I sometimes struggle to think where India falls into all this. Our current iteration is clearly built as imitation of the West, but we are also an old civilization that has gone through many summers and winters. A Spenglerian analysis of India could be another fascinating topic.
As for the artisan talent, you could be right. But I wonder how much of that is due to the fact that we just don't build new Indic architecture anymore. I've always wanted to create a "neo-Indic" style that can be used for secular structures, so maybe we could start with that. But I do think the technical ability exists, we just lack the imagination and will to use it.
As for our failures, I think that's a fair point too. We have a lot of attempts at glorifying Indian history and resistance right now, but I think that's a reaction to the decades of suppression that followed Partition. The answer obviously somewhere in the middle, with a civilization that is confident in its identity, honestly reckons with the past, and has a vision for a beautiful and worthwhile future
We are a paradox because we are both of those things. There is also a big difference between different parts of the country. We can compare the relative lack of ancient temples in Bengal to the absolute abundance in a place like Tamil Nadu
Great & much needed article. However it amazes me that BJP still does not know this in 2022 after 8yrs of power. Instead of establishing this ministry in 2014 itself, funding ASI better (as KK Muhammad said he is starved of funds), focusing on civilizational issues BJP is busy winning hearts & minds of Leftists as confirmed by PM In first term interview. The names u mention for the job are all great but if they are busy Sankrant Sanu, Subhash Kak are great too.
Hey Ruchi! Seems like you meant this as a response to my article about a Dept. of Indic Studies. If you did, of course, I agree with you. The government has its limitations, given the Nehruvian frame it must continue to work within. The bureaucracy is itself Nehruvian in nature by memory. That is why the answer is to create a new department and staff it exclusively with your people. It could even provide a place of work to many of the really smart people thinking and writing about this stuff on social media. I can only hope their inaction changes
Great essay! Some thoughts:
1. The section on embalming brought to mind the crisis of NIMBYism currently occurring in the West. The West seem to be at a time of cultural stagnation, where its visions of the future are insufficiently inspiring to allow it to transcend its past. I still don't fully understand the reasons behind this. Unfortunately the current Indian elite seems to imitate their Western counterparts in this respect as well, although this is mitigated somewhat by the infrastructural requirements of faster economic growth. However there is hope that if we can create an elite that is authentically Indian in its character, we can not only recover our connections to our historical culture, but also the vitality that once defined the West. I would be curious to hear your thoughts on how one might undertake such a project.
2. While I do find the idea of restoring these monuments to their former glory, I do think we likely lack the artisanal talent required to do so. These structures were likely constructed by the keepers of traditions that were centuries old; much of that knowledge has likely been lost. We should perhaps instead start with creating new monuments to avoid the risk of accidentally defacing the old ones.
3. On a similar note, I think we still lack a clear idea of what we are constructing monuments to. If we want to attempt to revive classical Hindu civilization, we first need to reckon with and understand the reasons for its failure (e.g. a rigid caste system, civilizational complacency, an emphasis on spirituality over technological progress). I personally favour a syncretic approach that synthesizes the good in our traditions with the dominant in those of the West.
4. There's a few typos: breaks rather than brakes, Spanglerian rather than Spenglerian.
Thanks for the reply! And for pointing out the typos. I read through it 5-6 times but I think sometimes you just miss some errors haha
Great point about NIMBYism. This seems to be feature of civilization that is slowly decaying, but as you pointed out, has also lost the vitality to be able to survive. I feel like this is a feature of modernity, and manifests itself in things like plummeting religiosity and birth rates as well. I sometimes struggle to think where India falls into all this. Our current iteration is clearly built as imitation of the West, but we are also an old civilization that has gone through many summers and winters. A Spenglerian analysis of India could be another fascinating topic.
As for the artisan talent, you could be right. But I wonder how much of that is due to the fact that we just don't build new Indic architecture anymore. I've always wanted to create a "neo-Indic" style that can be used for secular structures, so maybe we could start with that. But I do think the technical ability exists, we just lack the imagination and will to use it.
As for our failures, I think that's a fair point too. We have a lot of attempts at glorifying Indian history and resistance right now, but I think that's a reaction to the decades of suppression that followed Partition. The answer obviously somewhere in the middle, with a civilization that is confident in its identity, honestly reckons with the past, and has a vision for a beautiful and worthwhile future
Thanks for reading and your detailed comments!
India is often called the land of temples, I don’t know why. Its literally a land of ruins, and monuments of Islamic iconoclasm.
We are a paradox because we are both of those things. There is also a big difference between different parts of the country. We can compare the relative lack of ancient temples in Bengal to the absolute abundance in a place like Tamil Nadu
When you realize South India is some 20% of India then its not hard to generalize. Tamil Nadu is the anomaly, very sadly.
Great & much needed article. However it amazes me that BJP still does not know this in 2022 after 8yrs of power. Instead of establishing this ministry in 2014 itself, funding ASI better (as KK Muhammad said he is starved of funds), focusing on civilizational issues BJP is busy winning hearts & minds of Leftists as confirmed by PM In first term interview. The names u mention for the job are all great but if they are busy Sankrant Sanu, Subhash Kak are great too.
Hey Ruchi! Seems like you meant this as a response to my article about a Dept. of Indic Studies. If you did, of course, I agree with you. The government has its limitations, given the Nehruvian frame it must continue to work within. The bureaucracy is itself Nehruvian in nature by memory. That is why the answer is to create a new department and staff it exclusively with your people. It could even provide a place of work to many of the really smart people thinking and writing about this stuff on social media. I can only hope their inaction changes