From: "Goanet News" <[email protected]>
By Damodar Mauzo
[email protected]
The objection to the paintings of Dr. Jose Pereira raised by
the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti is highly deplorable.
...A professor of theology, Dr. Jose Pereira is a
scholar, musicologist, researcher, polyglot besides a great
painter.
> He is a Sanskrit pundit who can speak chaste Sanskrit
endlessly thus putting many a Sanskrit scholars to shame. He
is a philosopher who has digested the essence of several
world religions.
Dr. Pereira is an icon for us whose artistic genius
is beyond question. An intellectual of his caliber
can never portray any thing that will turn out to
be condescending. His recent paintings, "Epiphanies
of the Hindu Gods", is an outcome of a creative
mind that has resulted out of deep study of the
Hindu Gods and faith.
It is a pity that the self styled leaders of the so-called
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti have no intellectual depth to assess
or evaluate the beautiful depiction of the deities by this
great son of the soil, Dr. Jose Pereira.
***Dear Damodar Mauzo,
I agree with you. I was shocked to hear about the sad incident. You have
already described Prof.Dr.José Pereira. I admire him and listened tohis
talks on konkani, art, salvation teaching. It will be a shock of life for
him
in this age and sickness. Why should be such a rebellion? Nudity has its
deeper meaning in art. In this poem, Gita Govinda describes the love
movements of Krisna towards the cowherdesses.
We have something similar in the biblical book of Song of Songs: love
symbolizes the covenant of God with humankind and the people of Israel.
Prof.Dr.José Pereira is a genius. "Epiphanies of the Hindu Gods" is his
creation based on the poems of Vijayadeva, Gita Govinda. Religious languages
is also symbolic language. It has to be interpreted. As music can be
interpreted in several ways, it is open to several interpretations. But the
text will set limits to any wrong interpretation. We cannot overlook the
text. Hermeneutics will come to our rescue. I have been reading those poems
and found out th epoetic beauty. I could revise my knowledge of Sanskrit,
which I studied in my younger days as a part and parcel of my curriculum for
Doctoral Thesis. We would translate Bhagavad Gita, which I read even now in
sanskrit and in english. I shall give a summary.
People who do not know well Hinduism are bringing about all kinds of
turmoil. Prof.José Pereira has more respect for,-- with thorough
knowledge--, Hindu Scriptures than most of those who are protesting. He
wrote about Hindu Theology. He dedicated his life to the study and teaching
of sanskrit and comparative study of religions. He studied even greek in his
old age. I do admire him. An apology is required. Such an artist,
musicologist, theologian, indologist, polyglot does not deserve such an
ill-treatment.
Regards.
Fr.Ivo
