The Loss of Intellectual Autonomy

© 2006-2018 Kasturi & Sons Ltd. -vijay kumar [email protected] - EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU CHENNAI TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019 OPED 11 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE The loss of intellectual autonomy Solar powerhouse For residential consumers to see rooftop solar as a viable To define one’s identity or community in terms of an exclusive religion is a vexed European notion electricity option, building awareness is crucial some form in the past. But these through various avenues, so that it is accessi were not thought to be part of one ble to all segments of the population and in single entity called Hinduism, so that local languages. Such awareness drives will those who owed allegiance to any reach larger audiences. Information kiosks one of these sets of practices did not can be set up in public institutions like banks think of themselves as belonging to a to offer information on the technology, as Rajeev Bhargava single system of belief and doctrine Uttara Narayan & Amala Devi well as on practical issues such as guidance in competition with and opposition on selecting vendors. A robust feedback me to all others. Indeed, mobility across chanism can be put in place for consumers No person in today’s world likes to be communities and multiple allegianc In February, the Cabinet Committee on Eco to share their experiences with others. told what to do or what to think. The es were common. As a result, most nomic Affairs approved phase 2 of the grid Consumer rights groups, rooftop solar young are particularly keen to have people refused to be slotted into ri connected rooftop solar programme, with a system vendors, and resident welfare asso the freedom to decide which beliefs gid, compartmentalised entities. focus on the residential sector. India has set ciations (RWAs) in larger cities are beginning to form. Intellectual autonomy is They were religious but did not be an ambitious target of achieving 40 GW of to organise campaigns and workshops to widely considered to be an impor long to a religion. This has virtually rooftop solar capacity by 2022. However, generate awareness and create a dialogue tant value. This was probably not ceased to be the case. while there has been progress on rooftop so with consumers. In November 2018, for in true in the past when large numbers Second, religious belief or prac lar installations among industries and com stance, the Bangalore Apartments’ Federa of people were illiterate, knowledge tice, or adherence to a doctrine, was mercial consumers, the uptake among resi tion held a workshop on residential rooftop was produced and stored by a few, never viewed as a condition of mem dential consumers has been slow. solar to sensitise their members. Several and there was wider social legitima bership in a wider national commun Urban residential electricity consumers RWAs have initiated discussions with resi cy for submission to those with pow ity. One’s religious or linguistic iden are still hesitant to consider rooftop solar dents to explore collective installation of er and authority. GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK PHOTO tity made little difference to one’s power for their homes. This is because they rooftop solar, starting with common facili However, even then, poets and belonging to the nation. Alas, now, don’t have enough information about it, ac ties like lifts and water pumps. philosophers routinely felt that intel English culture — if culture it can be sentiments is superseded without for many inhabitants of our territory, cording to a 2018 study by the World Re lectual autonomy is smothered by called — has increased tenfold the comparison or competition by a new a nation cannot but be defined in sin sources Institute in five cities — Bengaluru, Lessons to learn temptations of power. Asked by his evil of our dependence instead of re cast representing an alien culture gle religious or linguistic terms. An Chandigarh, Chennai, Jaipur and Nagpur. Since the market for residential rooftop solar pupils on how to relate to rulers, the medying it.” which possesses one like a ghost.” To exclusivist conception of the ethnic power is nascent, there are opportunities to medieval philosophersaint Al Gha A more catastrophic malady re be sure, when two cultures come in nation — entirely against the spirit of Limited access to information learn from more mature consumer durable zali said, “It would be disastrous to sulting from this “well meaning bon to sustained contact with one anoth local Indian religions or conceptions For residential urban consumers, one of the markets. For example, RWAs can tie up with go to a ruler to offer unsolicited ad dage” was the loss of intellectual au er, there is bound to be give and take. of nationhood — devised first in key barriers to installing rooftop solar sys vendors to organise demonstration pro vice. It is acceptable to offer your opi tonomy. The watchword of Indians, One culture might even give to the Spain in 1492, developed further dur tems is that they do not know who to contact grammes, so that consumers can observe, nion if the ruler sought you. But it is he argued, has become “authority”, other more than it takes from it. Ho ing the European wars of religion, to understand the processes to be followed operate and understand how the system best if he goes his way and you go blind acceptance of ideas coming wever, all creative assimilation in and perfected in the 18th or 19th cen and permissions required. There is no single works. yours.” either from outside, from Europe, as volves a real conflict of ideas, and tury has seized the Indian mind. source to access information, evaluate bene It is important to also acknowledge that was the case of the then Englishedu elements of an alien culture can be Thanks to narrowminded education fits and disadvantages, and examine if any enthusiasm for rooftop solar energy largely Strategy of intellectual control cated Indians, or from inside, from accepted only after “full and open institutions and now the electronic government support (such as a financial sub comes from those with higher disposable in Since the end of the 18th century, as fossilised traditions, as was the case eyed struggle has been allowed to de media, the idea was first disseminat sidy) is available. Most of the technical infor comes and who live in their own houses. technologies of knowledge produc of traditional pundits. It was as if the velop” between the two encounter ed and then unquestioningly accept mation provided by various sources, includ This is one of the several reasons that elec tion became increasingly available to only choice before Indian intellec ing cultures. ed by Indians as if it were a longheld ing the government, tends to be tricity utilities are not very supportive of larger sections of society, intellectual tual elites was a hyperwesternised indigenous Indian idea. In accepting Internetbased. The study shows that less consumers generating their own power, as autonomy has been threatened not modernism or ultratraditionalism. Two alien ideas in India today this alien idea of religion and nation than 20% of respondents rely on the Internet this would impact their revenues. Rooftop only by state power, but in other invi Some elites would have every detail I am afraid we have allowed two without proper comparison or com to make a decision concerning rooftop solar solar is a promising energy source for eve dious ways. Colonialism is a case in of their life determined exclusively deeply problematic alien ideas to pe petition with Indian ideas of faith systems. A significant majority of consumers ryone, including socioeconomically weaker point. The British strategy of intellec by Western ideas. Others would have netrate our collective consciousness and community, we have sacrificed seek facetoface discussions and recommen consumers. However, awareness building tual control was implemented by them fixed only by shastra, custom without thorough questioning or intellectual autonomy and gone dations from friends and family. sessions need to be socially inclusive and crafting a system of education rather and scripture. Each wanted to re proper comparison with ideas ema down the road to hell from which Eu Devising simple, welldesigned and crea should take place during periods when con than brute coercion. Although the form the other, which was nothing nating from our intellectual tradi rope has itself yet to recover. tive ways to disseminate information is im sumers are likely to be at home. best of our thinkers outmanoeuvred but a call to substitute the authority tions. One is the idea of religion, and To define one’s identity or com portant to help consumers make informed The uptake of rooftop solar across eco this system — after all our most origi of “Guru Sayana with the authority the second,

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