The Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that in recent decades the publication of
books is reflective of an era of abundance. Addressing at a function to
celebrate the 45th Anniversary of SAGE Publications here
today, he has said that contrary to expectations, the pace of modern life has
not hindered the reader’s appetite for reading; authors and publishers have
responded to it in ample measure. Amongst many, the name of SAGE Publications
is worthy of mention, more so because of their commitment to promote the value
and importance of social science research.
The Vice President has opined that
Technology has globalised the world and transformed
disparate entities into what has been called a global village. Distances have
disappeared, but so have seclusion and isolation. Diversities remain intact,
often aggravated by proximity. The Self and the Other
tend to converge, even to overlap. One result of this is the intensity
of societal interaction; another is its complexity. This necessitates
understanding of the Other. The desire to understand
is one aspect of the matter; understanding, however, is a complex process and
requires what Bertrand Russell called the need to make peace with our anarchic
impulses.
Following is the
text of Vice President’s message :
“I
am a book worm, a ketabi, a bibliophile, and
would fit any proximate description in the languages of the world. I therefore
had little difficulty in being persuaded to attend a gathering to celebrate the
publishing of books.
I
am also sufficiently old fashioned to be prejudiced in favour
of the printed word being aware, nevertheless, that just as the clay tablet
gave way in succession to papyrus, wood block printing, wax tablet, and
parchment only to be replaced by paper, so would human ingenuity lead us beyond
paper to newer forms of books – utilitarian and storable but devoid of that
unique personal touch and possessiveness that the owner of a book receives from
a printed book.
We
cannot stop the clock of evolution; by the same logic, that clock cannot hinder
today’s celebration of the printed volume!
In
recent decades the publication of books is reflective of an era of abundance.
Contrary to expectations, the pace of modern life has not hindered the appetite
for reading; authors and publishers have responded to it in ample measure.
Amongst many, the name of SAGE Publications is worthy of mention, more so
because of their commitment to promote the value and importance of social
science research.
Some
in this audience and elsewhere would be prompted to raise a valid query. Why
the emphasis on social sciences in a period when technology in all its
manifestations holds sway?
The
answer, surprisingly, is simple. Technology has globalised
the world and transformed disparate entities into what has been called a global
village. Distances have disappeared, but so have seclusion and isolation.
Diversities remain intact, often aggravated by proximity. The Self and the Other tend to converge, even to overlap.
One result of this is the intensity of societal interaction; another is its
complexity. This necessitates understanding of the Other.
The desire to understand is one aspect of the matter; understanding, however,
is a complex process and requires what Bertrand Russell called the need to make
peace with our anarchic impulses.
It
is the social sciences that give us the instrumentalities for undertaking this endeavour. They assist the process conceptually and
practically. Experience shows that patterns of behaviour
and response patterns are conditioned by time and space, by objectivity as well
as subjectivity. These need to be discerned diligently and expressed concisely.
The
domain of social sciences is every thing that pertains to the functioning of a
society and the interplay of forces and factors within it. It is of necessity
inclusive. Critical reasoning and reasoned dissent are its essential
ingredients. Thus social sciences prosper in open societies and feel
constricted in closed ones.
I
ardently believe that social sciences should prosper for the good of a healthy
society. Their relevance to the bewildering complexity of our own society needs
no commentary. For this reason, I would like to felicitate SAGE Publications
for the support they have given to social science research and publications.
I
thank Shri Vivek for inviting me this evening.”
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SK/RS