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Facebook: CLICK TO VIEW YouTube: CLICK TO VIEW HIGHLIGHTS: - Last year, I took a risk when I publicly and assertively challenged the merits of the Harvard Tamil Chair: most Tamil people I spoke with expressed solidarity with Harvard and found my views too provocative.
- So I decided to call for a debate with the proponents of the Chair. The organizers of Swadeshi Indology Conference 3 in IIT Madras tried to bring the supporters of the Chair to debate me, but this was not easy. Eventually, a Tamil media person came forth and we had an amicable discussion at the conference in December 2017.
- He confirmed that he is pro-Dravidian, and a supporter of the Harvard Tamil Chair. But by the end of our conversation, he was hedging his position because it became clear that he and others supporting the chair have not done their homework, and had rushed to do it as a way to "feel good" in the glory of Harvard's aura.
- None of the supporters of this Chair seem to have prior experience in such negotiations, and this became clear as I raised specific issues based on my years of experience dealing with similar academic chairs.
- The complete videos from the conference will take time to edit/publish. But I have decided to bring a few clips from this Harvard Tamil Chair panel to the public in the meantime. I am doing this because of a recent scathing attack against Harvard on grounds that are irrelevant to the issues concerning this Chair - the attack focuses on things like Harvard's endowment being invested in hedge funds, and a false allegation that the co-founder of the chair has backed out.
Please watch and post your comments on Facebook/YouTube. To help us continue this innovative and provocative alternative to mainstream media, we invite your donations to our tax-exempt foundation in USA or in India: DONATE Regards, Rajiv |
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