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The letters which started the debate

April 15, 1999

Jay Strader: I have followed the debate about the possible addition of a Hindi major with interest, and decided to gather evidence to test the claim that there was a strong desire for this major.

Examining the number of open seats still remaining in the Hindi courses offered for the fall semester convinced me otherwise. As of Monday night, with the majority of the student body having registered, 73 per cent of the seats were still open. Compare this to a rate of 54 per cent for another department that does not have a major -- the Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences. Consider the relative usefulness of each subject: The former is a language spoken in a Third World country overwrought by disease and poverty, while the latter is a science of proven, inestimable value in all branches of industry and science, especially medicine-an area very important to many students. The University should focus on putting its limited resources toward programs that are, in reality, the most sought-after by students and that will best prepare them for later life.

April 23, 1999:

Berin Szoka: In his letter in the April 15 edition of The Chronicle, Trinity freshman Jay Strader correctly pointed out that, despite all the recent clamor for a Hindi major, there is simply not enough real interest in the subject to justify its elevation to the status of a major.

The bulk of the fury against his letter centered not on this indisputable fact, but on his "ethnocentrism," his belief that Western civilization is better than Indian civilization. It is. To quote William Henry III, "Some ideas are better than others, some values more enduring.... Some cultures, though we dare not say it, are more accomplished than others and therefore more worthy of study.... It is scarcely the same thing to put a man on the moon as to put a bone in your nose."

The values of the West -- the power of reason, the sanctity of individual rights and the unfettered pursuit of happiness -- are superior to the values of a primitive, impoverished country like India. These are the values upon which America was founded, the values that made these letters, this newspaper and this university possible.

To the extent that the fruits of these values -- the arts and sciences, industry and education-exist in India, they exist only as the legacy of British colonialism. Were it not for the British, whatever "ancient traditions and rich culture" existed before their arrival would be enjoyed only by the very top of India's feudal caste system. Compared to the United States, India may be wretchedly poor, but the average Indian enjoys an incomparably higher quality of life today than he would have without the benefit of British "oppression."

The British gave India more than just roads, medicine, science and all the values of the West. Perhaps their greatest gift of all was the English language itself. English, not Hindi, is the language of the best India has to offer in every field. Those who truly wish to enjoy the "richness" of Indian culture would do better to learn English than Hindi.

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