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Lord Macaulay And Sa sk taists S.Jagannatha

jgrantha@gmail

Now a days,(2013) a quote of Lord Macaulay,who is alleged for giving the following statement in Parliament of England in the year 1835 is being spread through internet: I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation. As a Sa sk taist, I would like to raise some points on this so called Macaulays statement. A Nibandha work, Vivaadabhangarnava was written in the year 1792 by Jagannatha Tarkapanchanana where the court procedures and punishments for the offences are narrated in detail. According to the quote of Macaulay (which is being spread through internet), he did not see even single beggar and single thief in the year 1835. Wonderful. Did the words Bhikshuka(=beggar) and Chora(=thief) get vanished for 43 years in Sa sk ta and they re-appeared only after 1835 ? That means, Macaulay started the education institutes where theft and beggary were taught! If Sa sk ta is so powerful to eradicate the problems of theft and beggary, why the Indians, particularly Skt. Professors started to write books in the language of thieves and beggars?

In some blogs it is said that this Macaulay statement is freshly woven. Because in the year 1835, Macaulay was in India and not England. The students of Sa sk ta hesitate to speak in Sa sk ta. The professors hesitate speak in Sa sk ta. Some people have developed the habit of extolling Sa sk ta to the sky (in English)! Did Macaulay tell Skt.Professors to give up Sa sk ta? Even if he had said so, why these professors have become slaves of Macaulay? Are they fearing to the ghost of him? Macaulay said this for Indians and not Europeans. But even Europeans write introductions in English to Sa sk ta works. Why dont they write introductions in Sa sk ta? Are even they slaves of Macaulay? What are the Sa sk ta departments of the Universities doing now a days except delivering yawn-generating lectures? Why dont they encourage Sa sk ta writing? Did Macaulay kill Sa sk ta or these professors who dont use Sa sk ta in writing? In some blogs in the internet Macaulays another quotation is available. It is as followsIn 1813, the British Parliament made it mandatory that the East India Company spend at least Rs. One Lakh annually on the education of native Indians. The British officials were divided in two camps: one the powerful Orientalists, who wanted the indigenous system of education to continue, with Sa sk ta, Arabic and Persian as media of instruction. The Anglicist camp, led by Lord Macaulay, argued for the European kind of modern education, with focus on modern sciences. Macaulay won, and the British-type of modern educational system was introduced in India. Macaulay had said that I would at once stop the printing of Arabic and Sanscrit books, I would abolish the Madrassa and the Sanscrit college at Calcutta. OK. Macaulay started schools and colleges of English culture. But why did the Indians send their children to these Macaulay schools? Why did not they raise a voice to closure of these Macaulay

institutions? Shall we conclude that ONE person was mightier than the centuries-old tradition of Sa sk ta ? Macaulay had hatred towards Sa sk ta. But, are these so called Sa sk ta professors showing their love towards Sa sk ta by writing English introductions and presenting papers in only English? Do they have moral right to criticize Macaulay? Why do Skt.writers in most cases write introductions in the languages other than Sa sk ta? Is it because of laziness, inability, irresponsibility or not finding enough words in most perfect and most scientific language? Dont they know that the ones who can understand the main body of the Sa sk ta work do understand the Sa sk ta introductions? Let them show to the whole world that they are free and not slaves of Macaulay by writing introductions in Sa sk ta. Why are the professors not shouting for correct three language policy in our country comprising 1.State language,2. International language(English) and 3. National language(Sa sk ta)? Has the ghost of Macaulay become great impediment in declaring this? On what basis they make adverse comments on Macaulay? Macaulay was product of a culture where book writing is not seen as an offence. But we, the so called Sa sk taists are product of the tradition where book culture is ridiculed and only teaching and listening are given undue importance. So, we copy the works written by others, edit them and write introductions in the language of Macaulay and not in the language of P ini. And see the persons who are University-products of Synskr language ! They do not denounce Daynanda Sarasvat who opined tha the language of Uttarapradesh shall be National Language of our country. It is plain truth that being a Sa sk taist, Daynanda Sarasvat wanted to learn English (Ref. Pa it Sudhkara Caturvedins Kanna a work, Daynanda-Sarasvati)! RSS guys do

not even imagine criticizing Macaulay culture in the introductions in edited Sa sk ta works of University children. They dont articulate Sa sk ta is real national language of India. They dont say that the three language policy in our country shall be English, State language and Sa sk ta. To some extent even these followers of Babu Rajendraprasad are responsible for our language problem who dont open their mouth when the officials insult our diversified culture by proclaiming that all the languages other than that of Uttarapradesh are prntabh s(languages limited to very small area). Do they have guts to raise their voice against Macaulay tradition in so called World Sa sk ta Conferences? May we hope that International Sa sk ta Conferences will not turn into carnivals of Macaulay-slaves? May we hope these Conferences will be real Sa sk ta Conferences?

S.Jagannatha, Mysore.
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