On Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 2:10 AM, Suresh Ramasubramanian <sur...@hserus.net> wrote: > Oh no. Kipling had just as thorough a knowledge of english, and was fluent > enough to write urdu puns into his dialogue
Yes, but he was no believer of race equality, he was a believer in the Empire first and foremost. He viewed the Indians as a lesser race incapable of doing anything as good as the Englishman, though he had great knowledge and love for them - like the gentle Southerner and his house Negro. Kipling after all gave the world the idea of the White man's burden. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Man's_Burden He thought in terms of bringing civilization to the heathens, and the fruits of an empire. We are called upon to rule, not for our glory, but for their happiness... etc. Kipling made more efforts at understanding native culture than the average jingoistic Englishman, but he was no equal rights campaigner, so saying he knew Urdu isn't much. See Edward Said's "Culture and Imperialism" http://www.english-literature.org/essays/kipling.php -- Mundy is actually far better in this regard, he even had a native hero Hira Singh who displays bravery in Flanders during WW I - // Talbot Mundy. Hira Singh : when India came to fight in Flanders // Though I find even Mundy's casual negation of the Eastern mind on occasion quite shocking. Cheeni
