[Assam] Guru Granth.....casteism vs Bible, literacy & Industrial Revolution; development - Beyond discussions

[umesh sharma]

Hi,
   
  Today went to see the exhibit - first of its kind --very long queue to enter--how the Bible (Christian religious book) evolved over the first 1000 years of the religion's origin. 
  http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/current/IntheBeginning.htm
   
  How from the time of Dead Sea Scrolls (rolled paper) the book evolved into a modern style book form (evolving book technology)  ....and how in the process of its propagation the missionaries even created alphabets (like for Armenian and Georgian) and helped define what books are today. Ofcourse, over time many new additions were there and some like one refering to Jesus as a teacher (Edgerton's book ?) were declared heresies.  
   
  INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION:
   
  Their preoccupation with the written word in book form as the most potent means of religious expansion (from onwards 5th century into Britain ..etc)  perhaps helped build the western preoccupation with books and learning ---since all were expected to familiarize themselves with the text. Ofcourse it was mostly the priests who did the reading and preaching but since they could be from any class or tribe --ALL th society was energized towards book reading, literacy and education-----resulting in knowledge gathering and knowledge production later on----Industrial revolution since 1600s.
   
   
  HINDUS: Indians --Hindus esp were content in letting reading of scrptures be the game of a small coterie -- the so-called brahmin priests.... hence there was no thrust in promoting faith by educating followers to become literate so that they can read scriptures.
   
  Muslims had in later days become content with reading Arabic only --instead of translating the Quoran in other languages --so limited literacy.
   
  LITERACY:
   
  Literacy provides religious communication and cohesion as well -and perhaps thats whay Hindus are largely disconnected. They cannot communicate with each other --most are functionally illiterate. (So are most muslims in South Asia atleast.)
   
  GURU & the teacher:
   
  Yesterday I was invited by a student to go to th Sikh Gurudwara to celebrate Diwali. My Malayalee landlord went along -his first . He asked whom do Sikhs worship? Do they worship Krishna, Ram etc? I said they worship the book --the Guru Granth (book) --which is their Guru . The God they worship is the formless God (of the Yogis, Gnostics, Buddhists etc).  Surprisingly, I later realized it was the first time I was in presence of the Guru - while my student was in the room. A teacher in front of the Guru!!
   
  Sikhs have a different reason for Diwali celebration -- you know why?
   
  Umesh


Umesh Sharma
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Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
website: www.gse.harvard.edu/iep
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