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Argumentative Hindu: Essays by a Non-Affiliated Orientalist The Argumentative Hindu is the person who rejects the imposed"secularist" consensus. The author, Dr. Koenraad Elst, is anon-affiliated Orientalist who sympathizes with this Hindudissenter. But he also made himself some enemies, not only amongthe secularists but also among the very Hindus whose cause hechampions. In this book, he defends himself against their criticismand, more importantly, the late mentors from whom he got his viewof Hinduism and of the challenges to its survival: Ram Swarup andSita Ram Goel. He also makes some new suggestions to his Hindufriends, on how to be more effective and how to remedy existingerrors. Today, illiteracy about Hinduism among Hindus, the limitation oftheir knowledge to a very small part of their heritage, is the mostconsequential weakness in the struggle for survival. Stuntedideological development and an anachronistic worldview are seriousobstacles to be tackled if ever a genuine reaffirmation of Hinducivilization is to win through. This book is a collection of papers written in the last fewyears, to wake up the Hindus to their mistakes as well as to theirpotential. Contents Introduction : The real Hindu, or ideological decolonization 1. Reviews 2. Humour in Hinduism 3. A dubious quotation, a controversial reputation : The meritsof Lord Macaulay 4. Karma 5. Internet discussions 6. Hindus and history 7. The decline of the Sangh Parivar 8. Secularism 9. Discrimination against Hindus in Indias Constitution 10. Ramachandra Guha 11. Racism among Hindus? 12. Censorship and the Academy 13. Meera Nanda against Hinduism and its friends 14. The case for Orientalism 15. Ayodhyas three history debates 16. Hindu survival : What is to be done Index
Koenraad Elst (Leuven 1959) distinguished himself early on as eager to learn and to dissent. In a youthful zest to find the truth, he took up qigong and yoga along with the study of the concomitant worldviews. He put his interest in Oriental wisdom traditions on a firmer footing by obtaining MA degrees in Sinology, Indology and Philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. During a research stay at Benares Hindu University he discovered India's communal controversy and subsequently did original fieldwork for a doctorate on Hindu Revivalism, which he obtained magna cum laude in 1998. As an independent scholar he earned laurels and ostracism with his findings on hot items like the genesis and differential essence of the world's religions; multiculturalism and the secular state; the roots of Indo-European; the Ayodhya temple/mosque dispute; and Mahatma Gandhi's legacy. He made a living with political journalism, as a foreign policy assistant in the Belgian Senate and as a Visiting Professor, but has always considered writing and research as his main vocation.
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