On October 29, Hindutva ideologue and Indian-American author, Rajiv Malhotra was appointed as an honorary visiting professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for Centre For Media Studies. As soon as Malhotra shared the news on Twitter about his first lecture on November 2, on the topic “Sanskrit Non-Translatables”, it unleashed criticism from many academicians.
As a Visiting Prof at JNU, I will deliver my first lecture on 2nd Nov afternoon. https://t.co/CfZfysJG5r
— Rajiv Malhotra (@RajivMessage) October 29, 2018
A physicist and computer scientist by education, Malhotra has been in the news for quite a few reasons. According to the Scroll, in 2015, historian Richard Fox Young, who is an Associate Professor of the history of religions at Princeton Theological Seminary, accused Malhotra of using his work without giving any acknowledgement. Young cited seven instances when Malhotra plagiarised by quoting his verbatim and picking up ideas from his work without providing any sources or reference.
Money transfer scheme in next birth
Malhotra is a founder and director of a non-profit organisation-Infinity Foundation which is based in Princeton, New Jersey. He is popularly known for his video lectures, for sharing platform with controversial godmen and even for making sensational remarks. In one of the video, Malhotra is seen with Paramahamsa Nithyananda, where he is proposing a “very provocative business model” to Bill Gates and other billionaires to help him in their next incarnation. It is exactly how it sounds, in the video Malhotra can be heard asking Bill Gates, Ambani and Warren Buffett to give some amount of their wealth to Malhotra’s trust. He claims that if they do so, Malhotra and his team with the help of ‘Agama’ can trace their rebirth and then they would transfer the same money to them.
Rajiv ji wants Bill Gates, Ambani & Warren Buffett to give 25% of their wealth to his trust as a fee If they wants to enjoy Billions in their next birth.
He'll put a GPS on their jīvātman 2 make sure they get their money back. It's called Interlife Reincarnation Trust Mgnt. 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/bN8eyZEGqh— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) September 21, 2018
Author of many books, Malhotra is also known as the “Ayn Rand of Internet Hindutva”. Some of his written work includes- Indra’s Net: Defending Hinduism’s Philosophical Unity, Battle for Sanskrit and Breaking India: Western Interventions in Dravidian and Dalit Faultlines.
During the Kerala floods, Malhotra triggered a controversy after he asked Hindus to help Kerala Hindus. In a tweet, he said, “Christians and Muslims worldwide raising lots of money to help mainly their own ppl & agendas.” The tweet is however deleted now, reported The Wire. In 2002 he also published an essay called, “Wendy’s Child Syndrome”, in which he blamed University of Chicago scholar Wendy Doniger and her “cult of students” for the “eroticisation of Hinduism”.
The other appointment
On Monday as soon as the news of the recent appointments made the headlines. Many academicians criticised the move some called it “nail in the coffin of Indian higher education”.
Another nail in the coffin of Indian higher education:
Hindutva ideologue Rajiv Malhotra – a hate monger, plagiarist, without academic credentials, best known for his identity-fueled attacks on scholars – has been appointed an honorary professor at JNU. https://t.co/cEuQw5Vn3L
— Audrey Truschke (@AudreyTruschke) October 30, 2018
I don’t think JNU deserved this insult. A pretender, a plagiarist and Hindutva proponent Rajiv Malhotra appointed honorary visiting professor at JNU https://t.co/KWqtF3FLEg
— S lrfan Habib (@irfhabib) October 31, 2018
Along Malhotra, there are a few more people who are appointed as the visiting guest at the JNU. Subhash Kak, an Indian-American computer scientist, Journalist and Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta are among the invited honorary visiting fellows.
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