How to do sum up thinking? On Fri, Oct 3, 2008 at 10:20 AM, Dileep Raj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Yesterday, a group of people came together under BookPort's intative to > share thoughts on > relevance of readings of Gandhi in the present. > > Dr.Nizar Ahmed: > > The notion of reading had an edifying nature in its modern sense. Reading > was meant for self development and self enlightenment. > In order to reach majority from minority, as Kant described it. Classical > reading was different.there one read scripts reverently, repeating it > without knowing meaning.Then reading only indicated that you belong to a > tradition.Contemporary reading is different from both these > traditions. It is neither ritualistic, nor edifying.Whether it be Gandhi, > geeta or Bible, the reading now is not ritualistic.It has got a new > dimention.In a technical sense, while reading a text there happens a one - > to- one mapping.We actulally suck those things from text with which we can > identify. > > Gandhi himself was constructed as modern subject through certain readings > .He was partly formed through reading Ruskin.He was seeking confirmation for > certain positions in Ruskin.Not that Ruskin showed him someting new. > > While we take Gandhi as a text, his actions are also included, drawing on > paul Ricoeur's notion, "actions are text as well". > His writings and interventins for four decades were purposive, informed by > and influenced by the struggles.The other who mattered over and above every > others to him was state.His view of state and approach toward the opponent > in struggles demand close consideration. > There ofcourse were conflicts, contradictions and inconsistencies in his > life and positions. pointing this out have no significance in itself, as > everybody's life is inconsistent. > > One among the contradictions was his simultaneous upholding of > communitarian and liberal standpoints. Against state he tried to protect > community life.On another level he stood for individual rights confronting > both community and state. Was he aware of the conflict between these two > uncompromising positions? > > We may try to find out a solution to this problem through reading his > texts. take his notion of Satyagraha.Its literal meaning is, clinging to > one's position.Gandhian model of individualisation is mediated by the > concept of satyagraha. Thus he was a cripto-communitarian and > cripto-liberal. > > Why Gandhi is not a liberal?Its answer could be found in the lifeworld of > that period. State was the arbitrator / umpire of public justifications > then.As an anrchist Gandhi didn't conceive a state. In the social world > conceived by him, major moving principle and force of social organisation is > Satyagraha.Every individual has to resolve the problem.Whatever be the other > ( state, individual or community), > we will never find a reification of any of those terms in Gandhi.All others > are subject to negotiations. > > the following are some problems we come across while reading gandhi today. > 1.Is Satyagraha a solution when state undergoes radical transformations > under neoliberal economic changes? Gandhi's specialisation was in struggles > and he encountered state as the dominant adversary.Today people face > corporates as well as state in struggles. > 2.What will be gandhi's answers to questins on public debate today?Public > justification of one's political programmes is the most important priciple > in a world where liberal ddemocracy has become commonsense.Actually all > debates are interest--national, market , individual as well as > communitarian-- based. > > S.Gopalakrishnan,T.V.Madhu and Damodar Prasad presented papers(Hope Prasad > will summarise the points he presented.) . K K Baburaj,K P Sethunath, N P > Johnson and Devarajan tokk part in discussions. > > > > > > > > > Dileep R I thuravoor > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
