Updates:
<< I posted the foll. at the discussion thread. Arumugam is welcome to join and write openly >>
This topic has entered other lists and there are some misunderstandings I wish to clear. Someone is distorting my position to claim that I am upset when Judeo-Christian persons perform bharatnatyam. THIS IS NOT MY POSITION.
If a Judeo-Christian person does the dance AUTHENTICALLY as per Hindu Natya Shastra that would be fine.
But many Christians have difficulty doing it this way, because it conflicts with their Christian indoctrination - worship of "false gods" and "idols" and so forth. When a dancer performs a gesture, mantra or ritual to a Hindu deity, say Shiva or Ganesha, is that dancer feeling the deity as GOD? Or it is felt internally as a "secular" or "cultural" symbol of "out of respect for our ancestors"? If the Christian dancer is clear and not self-deceptive that indeed the deity IS GOD then there is no issue - but then the padre in his/her church wont be happy.
There is NO problem with a person doing bharatnatyam regardless of his/her own faith. Thats not the issue. Lets not misrepresent the issue. Pls read what i wrote in my response yesterday(above), its about inculturation as a public program to infiltrate hindus by deception.
Hope this clarifies.
rajiv
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response to rant by arumugam
Just saw his post sent to my other email address.
Regarding his statement that - my "primary aim is to sell books and make money", I welcome him to get the experience of writing such a book to understand how much money is LOST not made in such a work. Clearly he is not well educated on the economics of publishing such works...On his statement that "Why sell his books in America, why not in India? How many do you think will buyit in India, pay that price and read it or even transform themselves afterreading it?" He again seems to be uninformed. This book has in fact sold mainly in India, much larger quantities than in USA. Entered best seller list there. my coauthor is putting out a Tamil edition and a Hindi edition is being translated as well.
Regarding my Vedantic interpretation being "sarcasm and arrogance" he needs to know the dharma tradition of debate in which such stupid escapism gets torn apart. His idea is of dharma is a sort of intoxicant or deluded state that escapes reality.
His comment: "You all want to live in America, raise your children here and have double standards by hating Christian/ Jewish descent in India and make allegations about the head of an organization and whom you think are changing/Breaking India. Why have you changed to American Citizens whose forefathers are but Christians" This fool does not understand that america is pluralistic, not christian (the founding fathers like Jefferson asserted that), that we are a free society where such criticism is welcome and encouraged to become a better society - rather than his escapism that would turn americans into a nations of buffoons. Nothing about american citizenship is inherently anti-hindu. dharma is a global and universal principle and not geographically limited in its applicability.
Having said this, i do wish to reiterate that Samson has her freedom rights to dance howsoever she wants. i dont approve of those who try to stop that - its against our constitution to deny someone their freedom of expression. In the same manner, i too have my right to criticize their style of bharatnatyam as being inauthentic.
We might be having a case of low IQ folks fighting each other, each over emotional and not rational.
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