India did not learn ‘democratic values’ from the British: Dhulipudi

On May 10, the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, the distinguished Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, according to newspaper reports said that India did not learn ‘democratic values’ from the British. From where did we learn these values? Who introduced the democratic electoral process in India? Burma was a democracy till 1962. In that year General Ne Win over threw Thakin Nu’s democratic government.

Did the Cholas really run a democracy, did they have a Parliament, was the Ruler elected by the people. India Cultural nationalism? The Culture of Tamil Nadu is different from the culture of the Braj region, where I come from.

India was ruled by Muslims for nearly a thousand years. They were a minority. The Muslims ruled over us with the help of us Hindus. No democracy during the Mughal rule, leave alone the Guptas or Harsha. Ghazni looted the Somnath Temple many times, did any Hindu ruler challenge him. Does historical evidence exist that Ghazani was ever effectively challenged. Who said government of the people, for the people, by the people. Not Swami Dayanand Saraswati. Yes, Panchayats did exist in certain parts of Bharatvarsha but these were not national institutions.

Can the erudite, Vice-Chancellor produce facts about Draupadi and Sita being real historical persons. Read Gandhiji, he categorically states that they were mythological figures. Incidentally the Cholas did not rule this country for 2000 years.

Santishree Pandit is quoted in the Indian Express thus, “Many people believe that feminist or women’s rights movement began only with Marx and ended there.” I have read a fair amount of the writings of Marx. He treated his wife abdominally. The greatest Marxist historian of the 20th century Eric Hobsbawm, nowhere mention Marx’s feminism. As far as I can recall, Karl Marx was not a feminist. Gandhiji was. He had Sarojni Naidu elected President of the Congress in 1925.

I sincerely hope that the erudite Shrimati Dhulipudi Pandit has been misquoted. However, the fact cannot be denied that Brahmins had till very recent times were addressed as gurus. All spiritual, intellectual and scholarly activity in Bharatvash from the beginning of time was solely under the supervision and control of this extraordinary Community, whose population has never reached double figures. I am subject to correction.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL