Writer-scholar-critic U R Ananthamurthy calls upon institutes of excellence to redefine the concepts of merit, intelligence and development
Waving away offers of a collar mike and a chair, Professor U R Ananthamurthy, chief guest at the 40th Foundation Day of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, declared: 'I like to stand and speak. It reminds me that I am a teacher!"
Teach he did - valuable lessons on equality, modernity, spirituality and development during his hour-long lecture on October 28, 2013 at IIMB.
Describing "hunger for equality" as the most spiritual aspiration of a human being," he said the challenge before premier educational institutes is to redefine "arhata" (merit) and "intelligence".
"Why just educational institutes, even the Rajyotsava Committee should have an understanding of merit and excellence with a social justice perspective in the choice of award winners," he said.
"We can create excellence only through equality. India is not able to produce Nobel Prize winners because there are many castes and many groups in India that are yet to receive education. Education to me should respect not just the so-called cerebral area but the intelligence of the body. I'd like to see a redefinition of intelligence," he said.
With a nod to the 'New Agers', be it Gandhi, Blake or Martin Luther King, he called for a rethink on the idea of "development" as well. "The poet William Blake spoke of the plight of the poor chimney sweep in industrialized London; let us ask ourselves whether technological strides have resulted in 'sarvodaya' (welfare of all) or if it is at the cost of the tribals and the downtrodden?"
About the speaker:
Eminent writer, scholar and cultural critic, Professor U. R. Ananthamurthy is the recipient of the Jnanpith Award and the Padma Bhushan. More recently he was on the shortlist for the International Man Booker Prize.
Born in Melige village in Thirthahalli taluk of Shimoga district in Karnataka on December 21, 1932, he had his early education in a traditional Sanskrit school.
He got his PhD from the University of Birmingham working on Politics & Fiction. He was professor of English Literature for several years at the Post Graduate Centre, University of Mysore, and later Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, Kerala. Professor Ananthamurthy was Chairman of the National Book Trust and President of the Central Sahitya Akademi in Delhi. Many guest professorships led him to Europe and the USA.
He has written numerous novels, short stories, collections of poetry, and socio-political critiques. He became a very important cultural figure through his fictional works and mention must be made of his very important novels 'Samskara', 'Bharathi Pura' and 'Avasthe'. His first novel 'Samskara' and his short story 'Ghatashraddha' were made into films and won the President's Gold Medal ('Swarna Kamal') for Karnataka. He has shaped the consciousness of generations of people within Karnataka and India through his writing.
Writer-scholar-critic U R Ananthamurthy calls upon institutes of excellence to redefine the concepts of merit, intelligence and development
Waving away offers of a collar mike and a chair, Professor U R Ananthamurthy, chief guest at the 40th Foundation Day of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, declared: 'I like to stand and speak. It reminds me that I am a teacher!"
Teach he did - valuable lessons on equality, modernity, spirituality and development during his hour-long lecture on October 28, 2013 at IIMB.
Describing "hunger for equality" as the most spiritual aspiration of a human being," he said the challenge before premier educational institutes is to redefine "arhata" (merit) and "intelligence".
"Why just educational institutes, even the Rajyotsava Committee should have an understanding of merit and excellence with a social justice perspective in the choice of award winners," he said.
"We can create excellence only through equality. India is not able to produce Nobel Prize winners because there are many castes and many groups in India that are yet to receive education. Education to me should respect not just the so-called cerebral area but the intelligence of the body. I'd like to see a redefinition of intelligence," he said.
With a nod to the 'New Agers', be it Gandhi, Blake or Martin Luther King, he called for a rethink on the idea of "development" as well. "The poet William Blake spoke of the plight of the poor chimney sweep in industrialized London; let us ask ourselves whether technological strides have resulted in 'sarvodaya' (welfare of all) or if it is at the cost of the tribals and the downtrodden?"
About the speaker:
Eminent writer, scholar and cultural critic, Professor U. R. Ananthamurthy is the recipient of the Jnanpith Award and the Padma Bhushan. More recently he was on the shortlist for the International Man Booker Prize.
Born in Melige village in Thirthahalli taluk of Shimoga district in Karnataka on December 21, 1932, he had his early education in a traditional Sanskrit school.
He got his PhD from the University of Birmingham working on Politics & Fiction. He was professor of English Literature for several years at the Post Graduate Centre, University of Mysore, and later Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, Kerala. Professor Ananthamurthy was Chairman of the National Book Trust and President of the Central Sahitya Akademi in Delhi. Many guest professorships led him to Europe and the USA.
He has written numerous novels, short stories, collections of poetry, and socio-political critiques. He became a very important cultural figure through his fictional works and mention must be made of his very important novels 'Samskara', 'Bharathi Pura' and 'Avasthe'. His first novel 'Samskara' and his short story 'Ghatashraddha' were made into films and won the President's Gold Medal ('Swarna Kamal') for Karnataka. He has shaped the consciousness of generations of people within Karnataka and India through his writing.