SR Goel Centenary Conference (digital): final call for papers

 Dear all,

Those who think they can contribute to a better understanding of SR Goel's work, please send in the title and abstract of a paper for the SR Goel Centenary Conference (meaning teleconference) due on 16-17 October 2021. Or if you know someone better placed for the task but outside my circuit, please pass this request on. The ultimate date for the abstract is in principle 15 August (but do still try your luck if you are a few days late), so that we can finalize the programme by 1 September. Every speaker gets half an hour for presentation plus Q&A.

A non-exhaustive list of topics would include Goel's Leftist early phase; the merits, successes and failures of his Society for the Defence of Freedom in Asia; the place of his critique of the Islamic theology of iconoclasm (in Hindu Temples vol.2) or of Prophetism's modus operandi (in his lengthy foreword to the final edition of the Calcutta Quran Petition) in the wider movement of Islam criticism; the distinction between his ever-relevant critique of Christian theology and Christian inculturation policies (in his Christian Ashrams) with his somewhat dated critique of Christianity's complicity with imperialism (in his Jesus Christ, an Artifice for Aggression); or the touchy subject of his eventful relation with the Sangh Parivar. It is perfectly allowed to be critical; he would have been the first to get bored with mere rehashing or hagiography.

Because of the improvised nature of last year's Ram Swarup Centenary Conference, I prose to include one session for two or three papers devoted to Ram Swarup's work. The interaction between the work of both thinkers is a logical topic, but you may think of others. We will also have space for testimonials; Goel's nephew Harsh Chandra has already assured me of one. If you have any questions or doubts, feel free to get in touch with me.

Hoping to hear from you, I remain

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Koenraad ELST 

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Ram Swarup & Sita Ram Goel Centenary Conferences

Ram Swarup & Sita Ram Goel Centenary Conferences

(22 July 2020)

On 12 October 2020 is the centenary of Ram Swarup, which the Ram Swarup & Sita Ram Goel Memorial Fund intends to celebrate by means of some kind of a conference. Unless circumstances clear up miraculously, this will have to be in teleconference format. This is admittedly make-do, but at least we won't let this solemn occasion pass by unsung. One advantage of this emergency format is at least that it won't cost much, chiefly the cost of the technological team that will ensure our digital connectedness.

On 16 October 2021 is the centenary of Sita Ram Goel. By then, fingers crossed, it should be possible to organize a real conference. There, we should be able to present the Congress Proceedings of the Ram Swarup conference, or at least a collection of papers on Ram Swarup; and a Sita Ram Goel reader, with which I have started to occupy myself. For this, in accordance with the family's wishes, I will seek the patronage of a particular prestigious institute, but this first requires a successful call for papers.

Call for Papers

For the Ram Swarup teleconference, we welcome papers on any aspects of his life and works: the Changers' Club, his role in the Quit India movement, Gandhian activism and critique of Gandhi, critique of Communism, view of language, critique of Christianity and Islam, view of Hindu Dharma, and his influence on Hindu society. Since you don't honour a great man by reverentially keeping him on a sterile pedestal, we emphasize that this may include reasoned criticism. We set a soft deadline on 15 August, but don't feel inhibited if inspiration strikes you later than that.

For the Sita Ram Goel conference, we already declare the call for papers open, so we welcome abstracts of papers the sooner the better, though the actual (hard) deadline will be 15 August 2021. We need twelve of these abstracts soon in order to comply with institutional patronage conditions. They may pertain to any part of Goel's intellectual production, but also to his organisational work in the Society for the Defence of Freedom in Asia, his candidacy for the Lok Sabha in 1957, the business side of his career, his troubled relation with organised political Hinduism, and of course the inspiring role of Ram Swarup in the development of his thought, which he always acknowledged.

We emphasise our appreciation for any testimonial work that may be offered. Their books will remain extant and be commented on by future generations, but the people who can add to their biographies from personal experience are getting on in years and will soon disappear forever. So we would like them to speak out now. Also, anyone unable or unwilling to participate in a conference but having new data or insights to offer, are welcome to entrust these to paper and send it in. Finally, if you know anyone whom we have overlooked but needs to be heard in this context, please pass on their names or pass this message on. 

We hope to hear from many of you very soon, and will keep you posted.

Dr. Koenraad ELST 

Chairman of the Ram Swarup & Sita Ram Goel Memorial Fund

All correspondence to: koenraad.elst@gmail.com

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