Indian Opinion

Mukesh Devrari Politeness functions as a controlling category in the Western World, it discourages antagonistic positions and wishes compliance without seeking any retaliatory or opposing perspective. This is a fundamental cultural difference between western and eastern societies. Excessive use of politeness as a preferred category limits the opportunities for the culture of expressing free opinion and dissent to flourish. It stunts the creation of an argumentative society that could contribute immensely in creating a truly democratic society. Politeness is also essentially a method of manifesting the class differences. Imagine a work environment where people who belong to different classes constantly work together in a group, not only in virtual proximity but also in physical proximity. Let’s take the example of hospitals. How a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, cleaner and security guard can be different from each other if all of them can speak only one language, eat similar...

Mukesh Devrari  This article deals with two presentations by Professor Lidia Guzy who teaches at the University of Cork, Ireland, before going deeper into her insights and research. First, a query has to be answered, she repeated it thrice as an allegory that the scholars of religion do not know anything about what happens after death at the end of her last presentation on the second day of the seminar. ‘They simply do not know’ she forcefully emphasized and now nobody has the courage to spread lies. It is an easy question, if treated non-academically, and deserves an easy non-scholarly answer. Nothing happens after human beings die. Human life is like a candle flame. When fuel heads towards the end, it just goes away. It just ends right there. In the absence of an empirical answer, it is perhaps the best possible answer one can accept without being accused as irrational. Like we all accept Big Bang theory, knowing fully- well that our future generations will be laughing at ...

Mukesh Devrari  The debate initiated by William Westerman, Adjunct Professor at City University of New York, after giving a very brief introduction of his paper ‘Critical Edge of Cultural Work’ was enlightening and gave insights into the European worries as the economic fortunes of the western world is dwindling.   Here is basic information for the readers to understand the context.  Center for Tribal Folklore, Language and Literature  of the Central University of Jharkhand is organizing a seminar on ‘Tradition, Creativity and Indigenous Knowledge: Winter School of International Folkloristic and Indigenous Culture’. It is open to all students and faculty. Not many turned up but that is a different story.   The first day of the seminar was emblematic of the geopolitical realities of the 21 st century. China was confident. The US was worried, funds are drying up. What will be the future of arts and social sciences in the western world is a paramoun...