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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00023 Jan 2004

 
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Dear Sri Kalyanaraman,

The subject passage you quote from the book in question is 
outrageous, to say the least. It is in poor taste and utterly un-
scholarly. 

You may be right to call for a public outcry against the book and the 
Walter Art Gallery and perhaps there will be one in the USA and India 
too if the matter is sufficiently publicized. In my opinion, however, 
no great purpose will be achieved by doing so. 

Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore and Hiram WOodward Jr. are utter non-
entities and non-descript ciphers to the vast numbers of Ganesha 
devotees in the world at large. They don't give a farthing for what 
art-gallery, coffee-table intelligentsia writes about Indian gods and 
modes of worship. 

Let Walters and Woodward remain as they are. Let us not get unduly 
worked up and pay them the tribute of public attention they don't 
deserve but which they would gleefully see coming their way through 
our shrill condemnation or outcry. 

Let us ignore M/s Walters and Woodward completely. Let us give them 
no more than what we know they deserve viz. cold indifference and 
silent contempt. That way they will remain caged and confined just 
where they now are and where they truly belong -- the dustbin of 
oblivion.

Regards,

dAsan,
Sudarshan    



--- In SriRangaSri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "S. Kalyanaraman" <kalyan97@xxxx> 
wrote:
> Open Letter to Trustees of the Walters Art gallery, Baltimore, 
Maryland, USA:
>  
> I request devotees of Ganes'a worldwide, to contact and/or write to 
the Trustees of Water Art Galley museum authorities to withdraw their 
book about Asian Art and/or expunge the derogatory remarks made in 
the book which hurt the sentiments of Hindu worldwide:
> 
> "Asian Art in The Walters Art Gallery: A Selection," by Hiram W.
> Woodward, Jr. Publisher: The Trustees of The Walters Art Gallery, 
600 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201; Excerpts from 
Page 20:"Ganesa, is a son of the great god Siva, and many of his 
abilities are comic or absurd extensions of the lofty  dichotomies of 
his father...Ganesa's potbelly and his childlike love for sweets mock 
Siva's practice of austerities, and his limp trunk will forever be a 
poor match for Siva's erect phallus."
> 
> It appears that, Hiram W. Woodword, the author and The Trustees of 
the Walters Art Gallery, who are the publishers, are basing these 
obnoxious anti-Hindu comments on the 'academic' work of 
Prof.Courtright (Emory University) recently withdrawn from 
circulation by Motilal Banarsidass.
> 
> The Art Gallery trustees should be aware that Ganes'a is venerated 
not only in India but also in many other parts of the world. Ganes'a 
is a cultural icon, for example in Indonesia where Ganes'a adorns the 
20000 rupiah currency note (the obverse of the note shows a classroom 
with children) and Ganes'a icon adorns the entrance of Bangkok 
Institute of Technology as a divinity of education, and in Thailand, 
Ganes'a is venerated in Buddha Dhamma.
> 
> Such derogatory comments about divinities, Ganes'a and S'iva, in a 
public museum hurt the sentiments of millions of Hindu worldwide and 
damages the image of the Waters Art Gallery which should be an 
institution for objective public display of art from many parts of 
the world. The damage caused to the psyche of the students, children 
and parents alike who visit the Art Gallery with such unauthenticated 
and baseless comments is incalculable. Art Gallery is obligated to 
the world citizens to present the art forms as ennobling 
representations of human thought and should not be presented to 
demean Hindu dharma or hurt the sentiments of many people of the 
world who hold Ganes'a in great adoration and devotion. 
> 
> The Art Gallery should not only offer a public apology to all Hindu 
and all world citizens who venerate Ganes'a and S'iva, but also 
compensate for the damage caused by donating to the promotion of 
Hindu dharma.
> 
> Dr. S. Kalyanaraman kalyan97@xxxx Sarasvati Research Centre, 
Chennai, India 600015
> 
> 4 January 2004
> 
> Walter Art Gallery
> 600 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD
> Phone: 410-547-9000.
> Gary Vikan is Museum Director.
> http://www.artcom.com/museums/vs/sz/21201-51.htm




 

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