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Resignation at NMML
It is distressing that Mahesh Rangarajan, the dynamic and energetic director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, has been forced to put in his papers by circumstances that suggest some kind of arm-twisting by forces bent on bringing all national institutions of importance under one vulgar ideological regime. The gradual accomplishment of such an objective will not only seriously threaten the questioning of received ideas and the lively exchange of views among scholars holding diverse opinions, but also weaken the standards that are foundational to such institutions.
It is distressing that Mahesh Rangarajan, the dynamic and energetic director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, has been forced to put in his papers by circumstances that suggest some kind of arm-twisting by forces bent on bringing all national institutions of importance under one vulgar ideological regime. The gradual accomplishment of such an objective will not only seriously threaten the questioning of received ideas and the lively exchange of views among scholars holding diverse opinions, but also weaken the standards that are foundational to such institutions.
Though I have only a slight acquaintance with Rangarajan, I have had the opportunity to observe and appreciate the good work he was doing. He had taken over the charge of the institution at a time when it had reached a plateau and he exerted himself with grit and gusto to breathe life into its activities. In particular, he had been active in encouraging young scholars to pursue their research interests with confidence, and grooming them to assume leadership in various fields of enquiry at an opportune time. His departure, one fears, may once again bring in a period of sluggishness and confer respectability on dubious intellectual projects.
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