Tad ekam: Not Female, Not Male
-- Nicholas Kazanas
Contrary to the widely held beliefs that in its origin religion had many gods (polytheism) or a
supreme male god or the worship of a female (Mother) Goddess, this paper argues with much evidence that
the original state probably was one in which all deities are expressions of a primal power, itself
unmanifest and being neither male nor female.
© 2010 Nicholas Kazanas. All Rights Reserved.
Syncretism and Acculturation
in Ancient India: A New Nine Phase
Acculturation Model Explaining the Process of Transfer of
Power from the Harappans to the Indo-Aryans–Part Two
Sujay Rao Mandavilli
The concluding part of this paper extends the concepts presented in Part One and provides a century
by century view of how the transformation of Harappan India to post-Harappan India took place with
maps so that readers can evaluate for themselves how different aspects of Indian culture were formed.
We revisit the age-old controversies about the relationship between Sanskrit and Prakrit after taking
into account the views of some other scholars and examine how this can be explained from our model.
Our assessment: current theories explaining the origin of Indo-Aryan (IA) languages are gross
over-simplifications and need rethinking. We, therefore, propose a completely new model as a replacement for the
classical theory explaining the origin of IA languages. We propose that IA languages were derivatives of
the languages spoken in the Indus and were only heavily transformed by Sanskrit. Thus, this issue is
studied as an evolving interplay between two language groups: Sanskrit spread in a part of India, died out as
a spoken language, and became a liturgical language, and popular as a lingua franca of the elite.
The speakers of Indo-European (IE) languages then took on the languages of the descendants of the Indus
for everyday speech because of the transfer of populations to the Ganga-Yamuna doab. Sanskrit then
re-influenced the languages of the region, in a process that continues to this day even after it
disappeared as a spoken language. Much more importantly, this paper argues that progress in Indology can come
not from the decipherment of the Indus script, though small groups of scholars may still study this script
if required, but from India-specific research strategies. This would be the cornerstone of all
meaningful progress. This model shows how easy it is to derive and even partly reconstruct the languages spoken
in the Indus from this model, thus opening a window to the long-forgotten world of the Harappans.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Cultural Life at
Na_landa_University
-- Pintu Kumar
The cultural life of a learning institution particularly a residential one has its own magnitude for
its continuous existence and to acquire prestigious position among other contemporary establishments.
On the other side, its academic and extra curricular activities also reflect the real nature of
instruction provided there. The everyday living pattern also helps a lot in the inclusive development of students
and makes them a complete man and responsible citizen. It is also quite relevant in the case of the
ancient Indian education system especially with the organized educational centers mostly operated in the
vicinity of Buddhist Mahaviharas such as Nalanda University; the oldest, the largest and the coordinator of
all contemporary universities.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Indo-Iranian Cultural Heritage
in the Context of Sufism
-- Ananda Bhattacharya
The strong Persian cultural influence on India came especially after the Arab conquest of Sind.
The Persians contributed a major share in the output of Arabic literature. Islamic mysticism, Middle
East and Medieval South Asia aspired to build bridges between different geo-cultural and geo-political
regions. It was Persianized Islam, as distinct from Arabian Islam, that reigned in India for about eight
centuries. Islamic mysticism (called Sufism) came to India many years before the establishment of the Sultanate
of Delhi (1206). In course of time Sufi hermitages became dotted all over northern India, and their
leaders or Shaikhs divided the country among themselves as their religious spheres of influence. More than
200 years after the establishment of the Chisti and the Suhrawardi orders that appeared in India, a
third major religious order was the Shuttari order. Mystical fraternities and sects of the Sufis grew and
developed on two grounds—on the ground of certain ritual ceremonies and spiritual practices to be
followed relating to the spiritual journey to God and on the ground of a particular form of speculative
mysticism. The Sufi order is not named after a particular individual but rather a place that symbolizes an
entire lineage. In the 11th and
12th Christian centuries there was a vigorous Sufi tradition in Khurasan
(the North-East of modern Iran together with most of modern Afghanistan).
It was characterized by `orders' (tariqa or silsila) of quite recent historical development. The
eastern dominions of the empire, that is, Khurasan, Afghanistan, Sistan and Baluchistan were Buddhist
or Hindu before they were converted. The Persian influence is also reflected in
Siyar-al-Arifin where the author Shaikh Jamali offers a wealth of information about 13 major Chisti and Suhrawardi saints of
the Delhi Sultanate.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
On the Origin of Modular Design
of Mughal Architecture
-- R Balasubramaniam
The modular designs of two significant funerary gardens of the Mughal period, the Humayun's tomb
and Taj Mahal complexes, have been analyzed to first highlight the original finding that the designs can
be understood by analyzing the dimensions in terms of units mentioned in the Arthasastra, in
particular the dhanus (D) measuring 108 angulams (As) and vitasti (V) measuring 12 As, with each A taken
as 1.763 cm. This confirms the utilization of traditional building principles of the sub-continent in
the construction of these two Mughal masterpieces. Detailed analysis of these structures has also
revealed that the builders have consistently avoided building over important intersection points of
imaginary horizontal, vertical and diagonal arteries of the grid design, suggesting that Mughal buildings
were constructed based on traditional vastu principles of the sub-continent.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Negotiation for Power: Local Chieftains vs. State
in 18th Century Andhra
-- G Naga Sridhar
The paper presents the Andhra region in the Eastern Deccan as a zone which witnessed the emergence
of local chieftains in terms of certain specific trends visible in
18th century India. The penetration of
the Mughal imperial authority in the early decades of the century, the establishment of the Asaf Jahi
State and the increased activity of the European trading companies, especially the French and English
provided the context for the rise of local chieftains. There has been an attempt in the paper to juxtapose
the scenario in Andhra against the trends visible in other regions in
18th century India where evidence similar to emergence of regional activism is being envisaged by some scholars. A study of role of
local chieftains, especially from the optic of contemporary sources in Telugu helps us identify the nature of
late medieval/early modern state besides providing insights into British colonialism in India. Finally,
this paper pleads for understanding of Andhra history in terms of local perspective and its integration
with overall understanding of 18th century India.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Studying Slum-Subaltern in Recent Indian
Fiction and Celluloid: The Case
of Slumdog Millionaire
-- A J Sebastian sdb
Setting aside the controversy surrounding `Slumdog Millionaire', the fiction and the film make any
right thinking citizen to be alarmed at the rate by which a planet of slums is being created, which is
expected to double by 2030. Global poverty is moving to cities, leading to an urbanization of poverty. It is
imperative on the part of law makers, governments and civil societies to take appropriate measures to handle
the world wide growth of slums, projected to be 2 billion in 30 years. It is an ethical duty on the part of
rich nations and their peoples to share their plenty with the poor to arrest global poverty and
injustice. Hence, seen in the background of a planet of the slums, `Slumdog Millionaire' has its universal
appeal. While efforts are being made to eradicate poverty in the slums, the book and the film also draw
attention to the fact that it is only human emotions and genuine love that can sustain life for ever. The movie
also remains a powerful medium to expose the injustice meted out to slum dwellers. Though Bollywood
has produced several movies in the backdrop of slum-life, these have failed to draw attention like the
way `Slumdog Millionaire' has done to project issues of slum-subaltern to a global audience. Vikas
Swarup's book and its celluloid version have proven that if people are given opportunities, they can achieve
great success. It also affirms the resourcefulness of subaltern groups, which can prove to be a catalyst in
social transformation.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Book Reviews
India: A Cultural Decline or Revival?
-- Author:Bharat Gupt
Reviewed by R Venkatanarayanan
© 2010 IUP holds the copyright for the book review. All Rights Reserved.
Mohandas: A True Story of a Man,
his People and An Empire
-- Author:Rajmohan Gandhi
Reviewed by Om Prakash
© 2010 IUP holds the copyright for the book review. All Rights Reserved.
The Root of All Evil: An Exposition of
Prejudice, Fundamentalism and Gender Imbalance
-- Authors:Sharon G Mijares, Aliaa Rafea, Rachel Falik and Jenny Eda SchipperReviewed by Madhavi Garikaparthi
© 2010 IUP holds the copyright for the book review. All Rights Reserved.
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