A L Basham

Author(s): Romila Thapar

Reviewed work(s):
Source: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 21, No. 9 (Mar. 1, 1986), p. 381
Published by: Economic and Political Weekly
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the workersalternativeemployment in the

MahamayaMines, 25 km away. This is an
utterly lTghlak-like gesture. Being contractualworkers,the RSP management, of
course,has no obligationto provideeventhe
barest of facilities, such as adequate water
supply, housing, medical facilities or
schools. Meanwhile if the workers go to
Mahamaya,all the facilities that the Kokan
Mines workershave themselves built up in
Dalli Rajhara-hosues, each with an investment of Rs 10,000 to 20,000, a primary
school for 700 children, wells, as well as
accessto the CMSS-runShaheedHospitalwill be lost to the workers.Losses in terms

of housing alone will amount to between

Rs 1.5 and 2 crore.
This really brings us to the crux of the
matter.The CMSS has heightenedits compaign against contractual status and for
departmentalisation.The worker'spatience
is now at an end. the-BSP management,
realisingthis, has lately undertakena series
of manoeuvres designed to harass the
CMSS, and the Kokan Mines episode
acquiresits true significance when seen in
this context. However,the CMSS is determined to carry the fight on Kokan, as well
as the battle for departmentalisation,to a
victorious finish.

OBITUARY

A L Basham
Romila Thapar
THE death of A. L Basham has been the
passing awayof a singular human being as
well as of a scholar of considerablelearning
in the humanities. For many of us who
workedwith him as studentsand colleagues,
the memory of these years encapsulates
warm remembrancesof friendship intermeshed with scholarship.
In a sense Basham drifted into Indology.
He began life as a poet and was recognised
when he won an award for his poems and
was 'discovered'among younger poets of
greatpotential.The publicationof his poems
in 1935 was his first book and one about
which he remainedrathershy in lateryears.
The poems were followed by a novel,
"Golden Furrow",in 1939, after which he
turned from literatureto Indology. But he
never lost his feel for language even when
he was not publishingpoetry.It is regretable
that he did not have the time to do at least
one of the things which was close to his
heart, a translation of the Ramayana intc
English. Those of us who read the excerpts
on which he had workedfeel the regreteven
more, for his translations were genuinely
transcreations.
His interestin literaturetook him to learning a large number of languages among
which Sanskrit gained priority and this in
turn led to extensivereadingin the-reiigions
of India. The history of religion, and of
Hinduismin particular,remainedhis major
focus. He turnedrepeatedlyto the examination of the transformationswithin Hindu
beliefand ritual,the leadslinkingit to earlier
forms and the seeming departures from
these. His doctoral dissertation on the
Ajivika sect, "History and Doctrine of the
Ajivikas", 1952, was an analysis of what
'might be termed a crucible time in the
history of Indian religion. Incidentally,the
book also established the importance of
the Ajivika sect in the work of modern
historiansof this period, apart from adding
a furtherdimension to the study of contemporaryreligiousmovementssuch as those of
Buddhism, Jainism and the Lokayata.
He was appointedto teach ancientIndian
history at the Universityaf London at the
School of Oriental and African Studies.

Laterhe held the chair in Indian History at

the same universitywith great distinction.
It was during these years that he published
in 1954 what has now become a classic on
ancient Indian cultural history, "The
Wonderthat was India".His understanding
of Indian culture drew on his extensive
scholarship in the tradition of the best
Indologists, and at the same time, he suffusedit with a consideredadmirationfor the
civilisationwhich he viewedthrougha perspectiveof humanism.Many of his insights,
placed quietly in the text, convertthe book
from a narrativeinto a thought-provoking
essay. It is perhaps worth reminding ourselvesthat this book was to become seminal
to many images which the world has about
ancientIndianculture,and whetherwe fully
end,orsethese images or not, the importance
of the book cannot be minimised.
His years in London were punctuatedby
visits to the sub-continent. He taught at
Peredeniyain Sri Lankaand his lecturesin
various Indian universities drew large
audiences.But his majorimpact, apartfrpm
his publications, was through his many
students from the sub-continentwho wrote
their PhD theses under his guidance. For
Basham, a student was a commitment, and
irrespective of individual talent, he gave
generouslyof his time and his considerable
ability-a qualitywhichis almost disappearing these days among well-established
scholars. Some have even argued that
Basham'sconcernfor his studentswas at the
cost of his being able to spend more time
on his own research.For subsequentto "The
Wonder that was India", his publications
were largely collections of his own papers
("Studies in Indian History and Culture",
1964, and "Aspects of Ancient Indian
Culture"'1966)and the editingof collections
of essays, some of his own and some of
other scholars ("Papers on the Date of
Kanishka ...", 1968, "The Civilisation of

Monsoon Asia", 1974, "A CulturalHistory

of India", 1975).
He left London University in the midsixtiesand movedto the AustralianNational
University at Canberrahoping to build a
centre for the study of Indian civilisation

along the lines on which he had frequently

thought. This did not quite come off; nevertheless during the period that he was there,
it did become an importantcentreof Ipdian
studies, largely because of his presence. It
delighted him enormously to admit as his
research students those who had worked
under his earlier PhD students of London
days-what he referredto as his "academic
grandchildr=n".
He did not hesitateto recogniseintellectual
worth in others even when he was not in
agreementwith their ideas. He had a warm
and enduring friendship for D D Kosambi
in spite of his reservationsabout Marxist
interpretationsof Indian history.He appreciated the historical insight of many of
Kosambi'stheories and was instrumentalin
inviting him to deliver a course of lectures
on Hinduism at the University of London
in the mid-fifties, when few universitiesin
India would have beeni willing to do so.
Marxismwas importantto Indiahhistoryin
so far as it pointed towardsnew dimensions
which requiredto be studied, but as a total
explanationhe found it inadequatein its emphasis, as he saw it, on material causation.
Many of us who trained with him have
moved ideologically in various directions,
some quite far from his own. But this
distance never preventedhim from approving, wherehe thought fit, the new directions
and the emphasison new aspectsof the past;
nor has it prevented some of us from
recognising that even with ideological differenceswe still greatlyrespected-thescholar
in him.

Bashamwas obviouslythe rightpersonto

have been brought to the Asi#tic Society in
an attempt to put the institution on its feet
igain. But unfortunately,he was not brought
soon enough. In some ways it is touching
that he should have spent his last days in
India, a country to which he had given his
best years, a society for which he had the
greatestof affection temperedby occasional
impatience.

THIRD

WORLD

CALLING

Feb. issue carries articles on:

*
*

*
*
*

Pope vs. Liberation: Nicaragua.

Combating Cultural Imperialism by Prof. Ngara, PVC,
Zimbabwe Univ.
Basics of Sri Lanka crisis.
Face to Face with Child POWs
of Iran.
Single copy: Rs 3/-

Six months: Rs 15/Annual: Rs 30/Students: Rs 10/- six months.

M.O. to
Editor, 46/4754, H. S. Road,
N. Delhi - 5.

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