Shiv Sena, Catallaxy, And Universities

The Shiv Sena's latest outrage - the banning of Rohinton Mistry's novel Such a Long Journey from the Bombay University syllabus - has evoked this powerful response from CP Surendran. After reading Surendran, I thought that I ought to add a few further points to the public discussion.

First - to me it seems that the fundamental choice facing the citizens of Bombay as they consider their future and that of their megapolis, is between a free market, multi-cultural catallaxy and the Marathi manoos vision of the Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena vision is shared by the BJP Hindutva "cultural nationalists." And, from what Surendran writes, quoting from Mistry's banned novel, the CONgress started it all off, when Indira Gandhi championed the creation of a separate state of Maharashtra.

The urban catallaxy is an Open Society - open to all "friendly strangers." No one is excluded - because that is not how a market order expands.

As to the alternative Shiv Sena / BJP vision, a cautionary tale that I just read in William Dalrymple's From the Holy Mountain comes from the ancient city of Alexandria, Egypt. (I have written before about this book - here.) Alexandria was always a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual city. There were always lots of Greeks there, since the city's founding. In fairly recent times, this city was the most culturally advanced city on the Mediterranean, home to lots of Europeans. Then along came Gemal Abdul Nasser, the socialist who was a good friend of Chacha Nehru. He evicted all "outsiders." Today, the great city is virtually dead. Egyptian peasants stroll around. The cafes are deserted. The hotels have all closed. The great mansions are all vacant and crumbling.

Dalrymple's book also talks of ancient Byzantium, where 72 languages were spoken in its bustling bazaars, and contrasts it with modern Istanbul, from which all "outsiders" have been evicted - because of "nationalism" and "socialism." Well worth reading, this book. Perhaps Bombay University might like to include it in its syllabus.

What seems obvious to me, especially after reading Dalrymple, is that nationalism and socialism (as well as religious fundamentalism) are fundamentally incompatible with a free market "natural order" - which must be inclusive and open. Bombay is India's leading commercial city - and its businessmen and women must decide on their city's future, before it is too late, and all these anti-market ideologies gain the upper hand.

There is also historical evidence of Kabul being a catallaxy when Babur ruled. In the Babur Nama, written in Chagatai Turk, he boasts that in his capital seven languages are spoken. Thus, linguistically homogeneous "nation states" of the European kind - and the dangerous philosophy of "national economy" - are incompatible with our part of the world. In any case, the Europeans have almost given it up totally and opted for a "common market."

Second - the banning of Mistry's novel also raises fundamental questions about "academic freedom" and what a "university" is all about. To my mind, State-owned universities can never ever deliver academic freedom. State ownership must necessarily politicise everything. With State ownership of universities, all "knowledge" that is imparted, and all knowledge that is researched and produced, must necessarily be "politically correct." The "professors" in State-owned universities are all actually "bureaucrats." For the growth and dissemination of real, useful knowledge, we need private institutions of learning. This is another reason to clamour for education without The State.