Claire, I thought the List was about discussing the Raj, warts and all. If one can't talk about the somewhat less flattering aspects of the Raj is there any point in discussing it at all ? If this List is to be nothing but a vehicle for memories and hagiography then why should serious researchers like me be a part of it ? rgds, Mandeep On Fri, Aug 22, 2008 at 5:55 AM, Claire Bradley <claire.bradley@hotmail.com>wrote: > Mandeep, > I always read your mail and methinks you often forget the Raj List is > about the bond (underlined) created by Indian/English history of the > last couple of centuries. It's not about preserving Kipling's house per se, > but his connection with the Raj era. If one is uninterested/disinterested > in this aspect then why be part of a List which is? > > None of us should flinch from acknowledging the equally harsh actions and > reactions between England and India. But surely there are memorable > moments, which are just that: memorable. This, I believe, is why those > tiny, cash deprived societies meet once monthly with folding chair décor for > tea and samosas and/or cucumber sandwiches to preserve: memories! > > An aside: most people associate the phrase "Never Forget" with the Jews and > the Holocaust. Hasn't anyone else noticed the recent exposure and demand for > justice of past 'ethnic' abuse? Just today I read of 'musahars' in India, > who live by trapping and eating rats. No, not a joke. Just another > revelation of a despised minority who remain so because they've been hidden > and not permitted another way to earn a living! (I did say this was an > aside. John, forty lashes with a wet noodle for me.) > > Always cheery. > Claire B. > > > > > >