Land of Lime

Like all good advisors, Prof. Sheldon Pollock is looking out for his students and hence strongly advocates the creation of an Indian Institute of Humanities!

Seriously though, this is a must read OPED in The Hindu from Pollock on the irony of endowing classical language status to Kannada and Telugu even as scholars who can read classical literature in those languages disappear completely.

Money quote.

The great edifice of Indian literary scholarship has nearly been torn down. Is it possible, at this late hour, to build it up again? India has shown itself capable of achieving pre-eminence in anything it sets its mind to. Consider the Indian Institutes of Management, of Science, and of Technology. Universities and companies and organisations around the world compete for the graduates of the IIMs, IISs, IITs. Why should India not commit itself to build the same kind of institute to serve the needs of its culture — not just dance and art and music, but its literary culture? Why should it not build an Indian Institute of the Humanities devoted not just to revivifying the study of the classical languages, but to producing world-class scholarship, as a demonstration of what is possible, a model for universities to follow, and a source of new scholars to staff those universities? It is not too late. The reward of success would be incalculable; the cost of failure would be catastrophic.

Will post a Kannada translation later today.

With a gun, on a bike, in the streets of Mysore. Then you

enter the Deputy Commissioner’s Office!

Read the entire Star of Mysore report.

Mysore, Dec. 27 (MRS,RK& DM)- With the terror attack on Mumbai a month ago (Nov. 26) still fresh in the minds of the people, Mysore city was witness to security breach, that too in the DC’s Office, yesterday.

Deputy Commissioner P. Manivannan, the top man in the District Administration, was surprised to find a man with a rifle casually enter his chamber and take a seat in front of him.

Luckily for Manivannan the man who entered his chamber was not a terrorist, but Vivek Cariappa, a progressive farmer from H.D. Kote taluk who had come to renew his gun licence. Vivek’s unchecked entry into the DC’s chamber exposes the lapse in the so-called ‘tight’ security. The citizens are now wondering how safe the city is considering the District’s Chief Administrator himself is so vulnerable.

Vivek came on his motorcycle to the city yesterday at 9.30 am carrying his .315 bore rifle for licence renewal.

Vivek did not have a cover for the rifle so he put it in a bag which only partly covered it. Vivek travelled from H.D. Kote to Mysore with a pillion rider who was holding on to this bag with the rifle’s barrel sticking out of the bag. The duo passed the main streets of the city carrying the partly exposed rifle. In fact, the duo drove around Mysore Palace and famed K.R. Circle. Although the Civil Policemen and Traffic Policemen along the route noticed him closely, they did not bother to question him.

Vivek, who had thought that tight security arrangements have been made in the wake of recent terror attacks in Mumbai, was shocked when no one questioned him, let alone stopping him.

Vivek, who began his ‘journey’ along with the rifle went through Sayyaji Rao Road, Irwin Road, Ashoka Road, D. Devaraj Urs Road, JLB Road, Law Courts, ZP Office and Crawford Hall before reaching the Deputy Commissioner’s Office at 1.30 pm.

Although he stood holding his rifle for about 15 minutes at the auto stand of DC’s Office, nobody bothered to question him.

Shocked at this security lapse and lethargy of the Policemen standing on the first floor of the DC’s Office, he intentionally entered the chamber of the DC at 1.45 pm to test how much more irresponsible and negligent the Policemen would be.

A Dafedaar and three Policemen, out of whom one was the DC’s gunman, stood at the entrance of the DC’s chamber like mute spectators.

The Deputy Commissioner on seeing Vivek enter his chamber holding a rifle, was taken aback and asked him as to how he had managed to enter his chamber with a rifle in hand even though there were Policemen at the entrance.

Vivek, after introducing himself, said that it was as easy as walking into any other office and explained to the DC how he had ridden all over the city with the rifle exposed without being questioned by the Police who were ever present.

Manivannan defending the Police said that “The Policemen might not have questioned you as the rifle was kept in a bag” and later warned Vivek saying “there is tight security in the city. If they catch you like this they can cancel your gun licence”.

Vivek Cariappa, who laughed at the warning, replied to the DC: “Sir, if you don’t believe me, then I will leave my bag here itself and go out holding only the rifle and return, just see.”

Saying this Vivek ventured out of the DC’s chamber carrying the rifle in hand. He walked around the DC’s Office and returned to the DC’s chamber after a while, once again without any police man stopping him or questioning him.

The shocked Manivannan was at a loss for words when Vivek returned and sat back in his chair in front of the DC.

Manivannan then summoned the Policemen posted at the entrance of his chamber and took them to task.

The confused Policemen said that they simply allowed the man inside the chamber as they thought he was well-known to him (DC) looking at the speed with which he rushed into the office carrying his rifle.

This explanation stunned the DC who did not know how to react except stare at them in disbelief.

Vivek later asked “If there is no security for the DC’s office itself, then what will be the fate of the common man ?”

Manivannan observed that it is a serious matter and that he would talk to the Police Commissioner, in this regard.

Highlighting, summarizing and even punditing is unnecessary.