Writer makes ill-formed attacks on India

This is regarding G.R. Quinn's letter, which appeared in the Jan. 16 edition of The Chronicle and was a reply to a column by Sujal Shah. His comments on India seem to indicate either inadequate knowledge or deliberate incitation.

At least he realizes that Indian history extends for thousands of years. In that period, there have been countless invasions and migrations, innumerable kingdoms and empires of various sizes and shapes, rulers and subjects, oppressors and oppressed, and enslavers and enslaved of many religions and races. It is not clear to whom Quinn refers as "India" and who are the "enslaved indigenous peasants" when he says "India brutally enslaved indigenous peasants for thousands of years."

Further, there are indeed thousands of communities and castes in India, based on origin, occupation, race, religion, etc., and there is definitely a hierarchy that tends to suppress and limit opportunities for those at the lower end. Although this may be similar to entrenched racism, it is certainly not the same as institutionalized slavery. The Constitution of modern India was drafted primarily by a person who was born an "Untouchable," and it clearly acknowledges the legacy of the caste system by making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of caste and providing a very strong affirmative action program.

As for "Sati" or the custom of widows being immolated at their husbands' funeral pyres, this custom was certainly not widespread enough for long enough that millions would die in that manner. In any case, Shah does not need to answer for those crimes any more than Quinn needs to answer for the hundreds of thousands of witch burnings in medieval Europe. It appears that Quinn picked on India because Shah is an Indian name, but for all he knows, Shah may be an American citizen. His arguments would have been much better served if he had desisted from such ill-informed rhetoric and personal attacks.

Subhash Joshi

Graduate student

Department of Materials Science