Abstract
This study is based on a comparison of two works on India, one by Biruni, who lived and wrote about India nearly a thousand years ago, and one by V.S. Naipaul, who lived in the twenty-first century. The first work, Kitâb’ut-Tahkîk ma li’l-Hind, written by Biruni, was written in Arabic in the first quarter of the eleventh century to help Muslims living among Hindus in different regions such as Sindh, Punjab, Kabul and Ghazni. The work was edited by Edward Sachau in the early 1880s and translated into German (1883-1884) and English (1887-1888) under the title Al-Beruni’s India; both the Arabic edition and the translations were published in the West in those years. An Arabic edition of the book, based on the copy in the Paris National Library, was published in Hyderabad in 1958 with the help of the Indian Ministry of Education. On September 30, 1932, Kıvameddin Burslan translated the work into Turkish, but due to various reasons, it was published only in 2015.
Nobel Prize-winning author V.S. Naipaul, on the other hand, has written three travel books on India and in these works, which are based on his travels to the country in 1964, 1977 and 1990, he refers to India as a dark, wounded and rebellious civilization respectively. With the publication of his books, Naipaul, himself of Hindu descent, was severely criticized for his views on India, Indians and non-Western societies and cultures, which went far beyond criticism, and caused intense debates.
The most obvious conclusion that emerges from the comparative analysis of the works of both authors is that Biruni, despite being a Muslim, is extremely tolerant and objective in his approach to India, Hindu culture, traditions, and belief system, while Naipaul's approach, on the contrary, is far from tolerance and extremely biased.
References
- Achebe, C. (1992). Home and Exile. Oxford University Press.
- Bakker, P. (1993). ‘“Knowing Me and Knowing You”: V.S. Naipaul and India’. Wasafiri, 18(31), 41-44.
- Biruni. (2004). Alberuni's India: An Account of the Religion, Philosophy, Literature, Geography, Chronology, Astronomy, Customs, Laws and Astrology of India about A.D. 1030. Elibron Classics. Bose S. & Jalal, A. (1998). Modern South Asia – History, Culture, Political Economy. London: Routledge.
- Chaudhuri, A. (2007). Freedom from Liberation: The Literary Influence of V.S. Naipaul. World Literature Today, 81(1), 29-33.
- Chaudhuri, N. C. (1960). A Passage to England. Macmillan.
- Gupta, S. (1995). Discontents of Empire: V. S. Naipaul’s Concept of India. Journal of Commonwealth Literature, 30(1), 71-83.
- Jabbar, N. (2006). Naipaul’s ‘India’: History and the myth of antiquity. Textual Practice, 20.1. 99-120.
- Krishnan, S. (2012). VS Naipaul and historical derangement. Modern Language Quarterly, 73(3), 433-451.
- Langran, P. (1990). VS Naipaul: A Question of Detachment. The Journal of Commonwealth Literature, 25(1), 132-141.
- Leavis, L. R. (2002). Travelling Through Colonialism and Postcolonialism: VS Naipaul’s A Way In The World. English Studies, 83(2), 136-148.
- Menezes, V. (2018). V.S. Naipaul, and his conflicted relationship with India https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/8kQpatxp2CADNvZIyaMMIP/VS-Naipaul-and-his-conflicted-relationship-with-India.html
- Naipaul, V. S. (1990). India: A Million Mutinies Now. Heinemann.
- Naipaul, V. S. (1987). The Enigma of Arrival. New York: Vintage Books.
- Naipaul, V.S. (2011). The Nobel Prize in Literature Lecture. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2001/naipaul/lecture/
- Naipaul, V. S. (1964). An Area of Darkness. London: Vintage Books.
- Naipaul, V. S. (1989). A Turn in the South. UK: Knopf.
- Naipaul, V. S. (1977). India: A Wounded Civilization. UK: Knopf.
- Naipaul. V.S (1972). The Overcrowded Barracoon and Other Articles. Penguin Books.
- Nasr, S. H. (2002). An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines: Conceptions of Nature and Methods Used for Its Study by the Ikhwan Al-Safa, Biruni, and Ibn Sina. State University of New York Press.
- Nixon, R. (1991). VS Naipaul, Postcolonial Mandarin. Transition, 52. pp. 100-113
- Radovic S. (2015). Savors of place: V.S. Naipaul’s enigma of departure. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 51:1, 108-120.
- Ronojoy, S. (2018). Identity Complex: Naipaul’s India https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/08/24/naipauls-india/
- Sachau, E. C. (2011). Alberuni’s India. Routledge.
- Sam, P., & Sharma, R. (2012). Knowledge Exchanges in the Global Organization–Learning from the Genius of Biruni. SSRN Electronic Journal. DOI:10.2139/ssrn.2124851
- Sivanandan, A. (1990). The enigma of the colonised: reflections on Naipaul’s arrival. Race & Class, 32.1. 33-43.
- Suleri, S. (1992). The Rhetoric of English India. Cultural Critique, 21, 5-42.
- Rowe-Ewans, A. (1971). ‘The Writer as Colonial’, V S Naipaul interviewed Transition (40), 56-7.
- Walder, D. (1992). VS Naipaul’s India. Indian Literature, 35(3) (149), 83-100.
Abstract
Bu çalışma, Hindistan’a dair biri yaklaşık bin yıl önce yaşamış ve eserini yazmış olan Biruni ile yirmi birinci yüzyılda yaşamış olan V.S. Naipaul’un aynı ülkeye dair eserlerinin karşılaştırılmasına dayanır. Bunlardan Biruni tarafından yazılan Kitâb’üt-Tahkîk ma li’l-Hind adlı ilk eser, XI. yüzyılın ilk çeyreğinde, Sind, Pencap, Kabil ve Gazne gibi farklı bölgelerde Hindularla iç içe yaşayan Müslümanlara yardımcı olmak amacıyla Arapça olarak kaleme alınmıştır. Eser Edward Sachau tarafından 1880’li yılların başıda tahkik edilerek, Al-Beruni’s India adıyla Almanca (1883-1884) ve İngilizceye (1887-1888) çevrilmiş; hem Arapça orijinali hem de çevirileri, daha o yıllarda Batı’da yayımlanmıştır. Kitabın Paris Milli Kütüphanesindeki nüshası esas alınarak hazırlanan bir Arapça baskısı ise, 1958 yılında Hindistan Maarif Bakanlığının yardımlarıyla Haydarabad’da yapılmıştır. 30 Eylül 1932 tarihinde Kıvameddin Burslan tarafından Türkçeye tercüme edilen eser, değişik sebeplerden dolayı ancak 2015 yılında yayımlanmıştır.
Nobel ödüllü yazar V.S. Naipaul ise Hindistan’a dair üç gezi kitabı kaleme almış ve 1964, 1977 ve 1990 yıllarında söz konusu ülkeye gerçekleştirdiği seyahatlerini konu alan bu eserlerinde, Hindistan'dan sırasıyla karanlık, yaralı ve asi bir medeniyet olarak söz etmiştir. Kendisi de Hindu asıllı olan Naipaul, kitaplarının yayımlanmasıyla birlikte, Hindistan, Hintliler ve Batılı olmayan toplumlar ve kültürler konusundaki eleştirinin çok ötesine geçen görüşlerinden dolayı kıyasıya eleştirilmiş, yoğun tartışmalara neden olmuştur.
Her iki yazarın eserlerinin karşılaştırmalı incelemesinden ortaya çıkan en bariz sonuç, Biruni'nin Müslüman olmasına karşın Hindistan'a, Hindu kültürüne, geleneklerine ve inanç sistemine yaklaşımında son derece hoşgörülü ve objektif olması, öte yandan Hint asıllı olan Naipaul’un yaklaşımının ise tam tersine, hoşgörüden uzak ve son derece taraflı olmasıdır.
References
- Achebe, C. (1992). Home and Exile. Oxford University Press.
- Bakker, P. (1993). ‘“Knowing Me and Knowing You”: V.S. Naipaul and India’. Wasafiri, 18(31), 41-44.
- Biruni. (2004). Alberuni's India: An Account of the Religion, Philosophy, Literature, Geography, Chronology, Astronomy, Customs, Laws and Astrology of India about A.D. 1030. Elibron Classics. Bose S. & Jalal, A. (1998). Modern South Asia – History, Culture, Political Economy. London: Routledge.
- Chaudhuri, A. (2007). Freedom from Liberation: The Literary Influence of V.S. Naipaul. World Literature Today, 81(1), 29-33.
- Chaudhuri, N. C. (1960). A Passage to England. Macmillan.
- Gupta, S. (1995). Discontents of Empire: V. S. Naipaul’s Concept of India. Journal of Commonwealth Literature, 30(1), 71-83.
- Jabbar, N. (2006). Naipaul’s ‘India’: History and the myth of antiquity. Textual Practice, 20.1. 99-120.
- Krishnan, S. (2012). VS Naipaul and historical derangement. Modern Language Quarterly, 73(3), 433-451.
- Langran, P. (1990). VS Naipaul: A Question of Detachment. The Journal of Commonwealth Literature, 25(1), 132-141.
- Leavis, L. R. (2002). Travelling Through Colonialism and Postcolonialism: VS Naipaul’s A Way In The World. English Studies, 83(2), 136-148.
- Menezes, V. (2018). V.S. Naipaul, and his conflicted relationship with India https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/8kQpatxp2CADNvZIyaMMIP/VS-Naipaul-and-his-conflicted-relationship-with-India.html
- Naipaul, V. S. (1990). India: A Million Mutinies Now. Heinemann.
- Naipaul, V. S. (1987). The Enigma of Arrival. New York: Vintage Books.
- Naipaul, V.S. (2011). The Nobel Prize in Literature Lecture. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2001/naipaul/lecture/
- Naipaul, V. S. (1964). An Area of Darkness. London: Vintage Books.
- Naipaul, V. S. (1989). A Turn in the South. UK: Knopf.
- Naipaul, V. S. (1977). India: A Wounded Civilization. UK: Knopf.
- Naipaul. V.S (1972). The Overcrowded Barracoon and Other Articles. Penguin Books.
- Nasr, S. H. (2002). An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines: Conceptions of Nature and Methods Used for Its Study by the Ikhwan Al-Safa, Biruni, and Ibn Sina. State University of New York Press.
- Nixon, R. (1991). VS Naipaul, Postcolonial Mandarin. Transition, 52. pp. 100-113
- Radovic S. (2015). Savors of place: V.S. Naipaul’s enigma of departure. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 51:1, 108-120.
- Ronojoy, S. (2018). Identity Complex: Naipaul’s India https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/08/24/naipauls-india/
- Sachau, E. C. (2011). Alberuni’s India. Routledge.
- Sam, P., & Sharma, R. (2012). Knowledge Exchanges in the Global Organization–Learning from the Genius of Biruni. SSRN Electronic Journal. DOI:10.2139/ssrn.2124851
- Sivanandan, A. (1990). The enigma of the colonised: reflections on Naipaul’s arrival. Race & Class, 32.1. 33-43.
- Suleri, S. (1992). The Rhetoric of English India. Cultural Critique, 21, 5-42.
- Rowe-Ewans, A. (1971). ‘The Writer as Colonial’, V S Naipaul interviewed Transition (40), 56-7.
- Walder, D. (1992). VS Naipaul’s India. Indian Literature, 35(3) (149), 83-100.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture |
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Early Pub Date | April 29, 2024 |
| Publication Date | April 30, 2024 |
| Submission Date | December 15, 2023 |
| Acceptance Date | March 13, 2024 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2024Issue: 27 |
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