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The yi$if tyst week 0f Nirad ;C; Chaudhuri to Ottawa,! Under the auspices jof j the Indo-Canadian Shastri Jnstftute^ wai an event which many jbf us; whfel met him here will cheirish for a jiohg titne. Nirad Chaudhuri, wh<| now Jives with his yiifei in Oxfonlv England on a wrijting assign<n$mV shot meteor-UKe into sudden emihe&ce, at 54 witty the publication of ;; jits'' extraordinary book T|� Autobto* grmphy or*i* l)Wmown Imiian -" (1951 );i which he followed ujp witfi A Passmgt to England (1959)- a Sest-s^Hei: i^jt Engiarid-^ and his most celebrated and contrpversifl The Continent of Circe (1966). Since then jhe has ^tten his scholarly | biographies of Ma* Muller ai(jd iRobert Qiye; and'-^a book oh Hinjduisni which will lie published toon, ;He is' now planning a ^equel^ to lii^ Aatobfography in two| volumes to 1 cover.. < ;rqce$t: � '�' eyept�;;; :�'.' '�.'�;� Niradl Chaudhuri -is certainty /one of the
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dhun visits Canada
present which was at once most India, All my views
'reshingly original and pro-foiundly disturbing. Considering Mr. Chaudhuri held such strong and unorthodox views apout India and also that be had often been most grievously ligned in some quarters for his outspokenness, I sought an eryiew with him at his hotel; I nted to understand him more imately, 1 framed a series of questions- designed to elicit his mments on what 1 thought to be the most salient aspects of his thought and writing. The result s a dialogue^the most tnemor-leJl have ever had with any brought 4>ut for me the pth of his message as well as t|e: intensity of J his commitment
^^'- ' '' ' \
On his Autobiogrmpfiiy Chaud-
ri has stated that 'My mairi intention is...historical...the book ay be regarded as a contribution conteinporaty history.' So I asked him, to . what extent he regarded his own life as represen-tjitive of the life of contemporary so. that one might say that
emotional dimension,
jmve t>ut that is
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most pr0v6caiive; entirely uricqn-ventibnajr Writers>tp .fiave written about Iitdiai, and alsoj petliaips'the rnost mi$urKlerstpodindiaaw oftodayf',-�' �;'�;>'.-�:�';;;''.;j-v--^i]^;:>�:� ; I had ntever met hiipjbetore ;and so was j cjiiite excijed by! the prospect], of his -visit. The elegantly aressed; ] Mri$y, /Old gentlernfnjin overcoat and felt hat, whom jJ receive^ in Ottawa was, f fdunjd to my surprise:, alsc. an extraordinarily Vibrant ^nd yivaciaui individual |vhp seeniedL to reflect every inch^tjhe spirit knd characterojf his ^writing* Within minuteibf jiis anrivalij he engaged me � and| my friend) in a inost engrossiingl cpnyeirilation about
impression j> of Canada He sppke in intensely personal jand passionate accents and w|th comf>iete candour] a^but eyer^hing> He was litefally brimming over � with energy-jboth physical ai>d imeh- : tal-- a remarkable thing in a man
.
y studying the life-history o4\ a ipres^ntative Indian one learns about the * history of , the country:
haudhuri: To write a scholarly* nterprfetative history of Indian ulture had always been the aim y life- But such a history had o ;bel written, not from books erely, but as I have seen it and elt it in my own life. My India ^d to be discovered within my wn experience. And;! have lived pairt of the history of my country rid niy people; in my 6wn life. I a typical product of a culture a certain moment, vand it a ertain intense level�I mean that � the tfominartt minority, nobl*
�e of Bengal. In this sense, my jautobiography, Jfi not that of an * Dividual, but of a whole
microcosm.
'In his AoloMogF�phy he had writtep: *I can say without the least suggestion of arrogance:
' '' The!.'C'affeton.:j':;.lJniver$ityv �Gommitieej ''-on vv:Asjun:..;;StucUes;.^ hosted at series of seminars and & public Icktiire and a reception for him, jMt, Ch^u<|hurfi yride tan^e of injtcrests and scholars^ p his irrepressible enthusiasm, the Uveliilesjs y�- his mind, and the clarity andjfbrce of hji$ expression made a deep impression on those vvho hcjard him: 1 His public lecture on IThe Reality c< Ancient and Modern Indian iCivilizatiop*' held pa Friday; Qc^; IS, which attracted la goodly audience^'( sought I to demolhfh iriahy an accepted jtheory about Indian civilization! and presented "" 'image <if that country's past
Chaudhuri's book^ often read like highly speculative or vision* ary writing gather than like scientific historical treatises. So my next question concerned his aims and methods as a historian of India. Did he base his observations on bare historical facts,; or on a personal, imagina.*, tive reconstruction of them?
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'Chaudhuri: to my perception of data no prepoissessions enter. In rontemplating the data my emotions are certainly excited, but they:'are dictated by the data. India speaks through me, I f^el, biit I don*t impose my views on
dictated by my yearning for the
greatness country.
my p
Chaudhuri'$ most
and controversial the:
jople and
astounding
is in The
Ontinent of Circe is that the Hindus are i really Europeans in India, corrupted and denatured by the tropical envirmment. I asked him now seriously he held this view and whether he believed that the Hindus have really lost their vitality.
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Chaudhuri: 6Yest :limate is certainly a most powei ful factor m trie rise and fall of civilizations. Political and economic factors are not independently powerful; they are actually created by ethnic and climatic conditions. 1 In India, there was no loss of vitality up to the 9th century A*E[. Then a decline set .in. Indian thinkers became hide-bound. Then the South no doubt tool: over and tHere was a new spun of activity, wfiich lasted until the fall of the Vijayanagar empire (! 6th century). But since theij no further advance has oo traditional learning i .remained within framework/
Qut.. I asked, was thi qld Hindu (Sanskrit) culture depd past all recovery, and can there not be a resurgence .of, the old] spirit?
The India has ry limited
Ghandhuri: 'The old culture is dead actually as it was. But still we can create our ov n version
it. And we better tafc
that old culture in new culture/ 4lJut\ Chaudhuri we: * the Indian people of
creating our
the degenerate Aryan race .jand t ihiitatprs* of the c West d^ not have it
e debased titemporary in them to cjreate even a modicuip of culture ciut of the old niateiial and the
e account of
t on to say, oday, being
new experience. The has not only lost its also its freedom and
Indian mind virility, but the spirit of
dissent, of questioning. In ancient India the intellectual was more free. But since the advent of the Moslems we have tevelopcd a defensive* conserve ive attitude tb protect ourselves from being swept away by ali ?n cultures, ^nd this attitude s still very much in evidence even after independence; and ^hile it may have served its purpose in its day, it now acts as a deadweight on the Indian minci, chokinje all spirit of Criticism, The Indiaip intellectual today labours undec a collective Coercion by the reactionary spirit of natinalism as much as by an Obedience to accepted dogmas. We are living off ouc little mental capital created by the Nationalist Movement. But when it runs out
there will be utter
the;
J'What, then, is the
asked.
ankruptcy of
mind.' *
solutions? i
f'The solution is left to time, to history. We shall probably remain in a state of being, in mediocrity
, for a long time. toj come, until
there is a change in our
psychological situation. Historical
; process is cyclical, ajnd inscrutab-
e to our limited understanding.
And there is a determinism which
no civilsation can. escape. Other-
�Wise how could yoa explain the (partition of India, which was the greatest calamity in its entire jhistory. It was certainly open to
"lus to prevent it, yet we did not. Even now the pathk of. recovery are open to us, bujlwie^mafce-ncr effort to redeem bur selves. That's 'what makes me feel! so bitter and langry."
! Mr.Chaudhuri's ahgry denunciation of his country and people had always puzzled me., Yet knew that his anger flowed from his extreme involvement in the life of his country ai id concern fo?
Dctober 21C, W/fo -�.THE �ANAB|AM INDIA TIMES �
� i
Mrs.Pranati SenGupta
The beautiful autumn is skimming by with its usual alarming speed. In; just few weeks time we'll be sighing with regret for all the beautiful days we spent indoors.
fresh air does something for our spirit and builds up our appetite. It - makes us relax and the food taste better.
If I were to go on a^ camping trip now without any stove or barbecue grill I would not panic, i'll take a leisurely walk along nature's; byways, gather some leaves, branches, grass and some pine conies, and light up an open fire to cook my favourite tandoori chicken and naan.
Barbecued food is not new to us. In India we call it tandoori. The tandoor is a large earthenware, jar-shaped oven lined at the bottom with live charcoal embers. Meat or .fish that have been marinated in yogurt and spices are threaded on skewers (as they used to be on swords) jand placed in this oven the same way as umbrellas are put on a stand. The wonderful aroma of the tandoori food makes you
\
hungrier while you wait. Generally spring chickens are used for this preparation (Cornish hen will give you the best flavour). Indian bread naans are baked in the tandoor at the same time. This bread is thrown against the hot sides of the tandoor. Tandoori method gives the food a slightly smoked flavour which most people like the best. Taindoori food is also very popular here in North America. The tandoori chicken tastes better than ordinary barbecued chicken. The yogurt jmarinade and a touch of oriental seasoning make the difference. Try out traditional marinated process and find the difference. Even if you don't go for, camping or on a picnic, do not forget to try this recipe before the season is over.
TANDOORI CHICKEN
; chicken legs
1 */2 cups plain yogurt
31 tbsp. 'curry powder ,
V* tsp. chili powder
4 to 6 qoves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. i minced onion.
2 tbsp. ifresh lemon juice 1V2. tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt or to taste 1 tsp. garam masala
3 tbsp, 'minced fresh ginger toot
\
3 tbsp. 1 ghee.
Wash, dry ad> skin chicken. For creamy marinade* combine yogurt,! curry powder, chili, garlic, onion, lemon juice, paprika, salt, ginger jand oil in a blender container and blend very gently for 5 minutes; or combine all the ingredients in a bowl except ghee and mix well. Place chicken in a large baking dish. Brysh marinde on all sides o� chicken. Sprinkle with garam masala. Cover and marinate 2 hours at room temperature then refrigerate fc^r 2 to 3 days. During that time turn chicken several times and baste with the marinade: The longer you marinate � the shorter time is required to cook.
Drain, reserving marinade. Grill chicken on a greased rack over medium coals for 45 minutes, or until tender; brushing with marinade and turning frequently. Baste last 5, minutes with ghee. Or preheat oven to 350 F. Put chicken pieces on a greased rack in a bakingj pan lined with foil wrap, bake chicken uncovered about 1 hour, as it dries, baste with gheet, repeat until the chicken is done. Then raise heat to 425 F? and let the chicken redden, basting it- well. Or finish under the grill, turning to redden both sides.
its greatness. So I asked him rather bjuntly: "You have been most misunderstood as a writer, and by -your own countrymen. You also give the impression of someone who has quarelled with his countryt In fact, much of the power of your writing would seem to flow from your anger- Could you define your precise feeling towards;your country, of which you have written so passionately and | so beautifully?" Chmodhori^'My anger is created out of my Iqye^for things which ^te^4��r;derd' and destroyed. When I] see around me nothing "but vulgarity, snobbery and Superciliousness' * of the Anglicized class - spiritual half-pastes who are totally deficient in self-critkism and love for their country j- I grow angry. When I realize chat my people have tost their greatness and are powerless to recover it I &et angry 0
was reminded of the Biblical prophets: what denunciation of their own people at their falling away, and yet waht compassion: '* O my people, what have I done unto thee." "I belong to the prophetb tradition/* Nirad Chaudhuri told me. And 1 thought of another great jcontemporacy -W.B.Yeats - who made out of his quarrel poetry.
Great poets and prophets have always spoken to us out of their involvement in the life of their people. "I am * an engage, *' declares Chaudhuri. *' I have a message that, might save you, though it might unsettle you." Who but those that are blinded by their own fanaticism or bemused by tiieir comfortable modes of thinking and living -~ victims of Circe - can help admiring a man of whom one might say **Is,thete another like tent" [
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