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{ Lecture on Interdisciplinarity by Prof. Avijit Pathak,
JNU, 14th October, 2011
[ unofficial EXCERPTS OUT OF TALK....
errors, if any, attributed to my compilation ] }
errors, if any, attributed to my compilation ] }
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Modernity is confluence of ideas. It is
symbolic, meaningful, experimental and universal generalization of
narratives, poetic subjectives. Especially in the context
of interdisciplinary, it is the cross disciplinary idea and culture.
Experiences with modernity
and landscapes of modernities are vast and complex. There is no
singular way to approach the modernity. There is historical and
cultural memory—historically unique and culturally specific.
Multiple experiences of modernity are not binary expressions of
tradition and modernity. It is legacy of historical heritage.
Traditionalisation of modernity and modernization of tradition are in
a way indicating past being recalled, reinvented so as to redefine
modernity.
Who reinforced this
modernity vision? Voltaire, Rousseau, Adam Smith, Kant and likewise.
The events of industrial capitalism, secularism, epistemological
optimism of science, political democratization, rationalization. All
of these contributed to enlightenment. The universes of experiences
and critically dissenting voices also contributed to scientificity of
culture. When Manchester was symbol of industrial capitalism, then it
was also epitome of romantic ideology depicting the transition on the
agrarian economy to industrial economy and the pains inherent in it.
Also group of intellectuals led by Freud on one side and by Marx on
other side developed the critic of enlightened modernity.
Then came the fission of
enlightened modernity and colonization with tradition, history of
subcontinent in the context of the engagement with the west.
Establishment of modern university, scientific education and arrival
of modern communication systems and philosophers like John Sturart
Mill and Bentink shaped the modern thought. Proponents of European
modernity happened through reason, science. Therefore meaningful
dialogue with west also brought huge influences from their culture,
lifestyle and progressive democratic ethos. This process of
engagement with the past also gave rise to the deep reflection on the
past, leading towards glorification of certain convenient aspects of
it. Debate with the western enlightenment, industrial
capitalism and notions of progress can be traced by four reminders
who are deeply rooted in Indian freedom movement and nation building.
Aurbindo Ghosh, Mahatma Gandhi, Ravindranath Tagore and Dr. Bhimrao
Ambedkar invented the interpretations of the western modernity.
Aurbindo, a saint
philosopher advocated and radiated intuitive reasoning to support
Darwinian survival instincts as against instrumental rationality. He
envisioned the world beyond physical manifestations for quest of
deeper and subtler layers of universal mind. Gandhi`s Hind Swaraj
protested against aggressive project of colonialism and violent
aggressive impulses of modern development. It advocated a paradigm
shift required from brute force to soul force. This soul force will
help us to look inside for solutions, where really they are located.
It has critic of Parliament and modern systems.
Tagore observed crisis of collapsing
civilization but had great hope for modernity. He saw great danger in
acceleration of nationalism and consolidation of nation-state.
Rationalization of nation state may lead sometimes to narcissist
state. Ambedkar`s commentary on Hinduism not only gave us new frame
of religion but also of making justice with economic and social
inequality. Buddhism provided counter culture. He embodied the
universal values of liberty, equality and
fraternity originality espoused in French revolution. He
made those values as permanent feature of Indian constitution
legitimized by struggle of social movement. But
tragedy of modernity is that country is not able to forget the caste.
Caste continues to acquire new logic and avatar as we go ahead in
modern life. This also implies for secularism. Both majority and
minority forces have been communalized beyond civilized limits.
Kinship identity has crept in politics and films to migrate to other
professional fields.
History of India is not only
political history of country in making. It is history, rather,
histories of everything. Rather it is part of larger civilization
heritage—through oceanic flow of which multiple currents of
ideologies and modernities pass simultaneously. Thus during this flow
the process of becoming is always taking shape. So, today we are
witnessing historical, multiple and post-colonial modernities.In this context role of university as a system is very crucial. Because this is a only place in Modern India which taught our civilization to forget all the differences of caste, gender, religion, class and others. these were the great secular institutions emerged which continue to contribute to the great transformation Indian modernity is witnessing and it will continue to add value to the modernity experiment in not only in India but also across the world.
