Latest news with #Macaulay
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Indian Historiography: New Approach to Literary History
Excerpts from the interview: Q. What was the genesis of the Sahitya Akademi-edited anthology Indian Literary Historiography ? Could you tell us more about it? A. This book began a few years ago as a conference organised by the Sahitya Akademi. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Not many people—perhaps no one—has addressed Indian literary historiography at book length. Historiography isn't widely understood or practised in India, and many may wonder what it actually is. Simply put, it is a history of histories. At a more nuanced level, it's the study of the methodologies used in writing histories. I found the subject fascinating, and I was in a position to persuade the Sahitya Akademi to organise a pan-Indian conference, with participation from many languages. This book is the outcome of that conference. I also tried to include languages not represented at the event, and so on. The subject interested me partly because I've been involved in writing a history of Indian literature myself—one that follows a somewhat different approach to most. In India, the pattern established by the Sahitya Akademi has been to give equal space to all recognised languages—14 at the time of the Constitution's adoption, then 18, and now 22. The Akademi, in fact, recognises 24. So when they organise a conference or commission a volume, they expect most of these languages to be represented in separate chapters by subject experts. This model has been widely adopted and is now expected not just from the Sahitya Akademi but from other publishing institutions as well. That's the approach I've followed here. Q. It is interesting to encounter these essays, as this area does not appear to have been explored with such a strong empirical focus before. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Would this anthology be considered an important starting point in that direction? A. Yes, but also very enjoyable. One point worth making at the outset is that during British colonisation, many officials and scholars believed that Indians lacked a sense of history—be it political or literary. This notion began with John Stuart Mill, who wrote about this supposed deficiency. Later, Lord Macaulay claimed Indian history was unreliable, citing examples from the Puranas , such as kings ruling for 27,000 years and mythic elements like oceans of milk—concluding that such accounts were implausible. This view persisted for over a century. Even as late as 1900, the British Sanskrit scholar A.A. Macdonell remarked that Indians did not write history because they never made any—an insult and injury wrapped into one sentence, appearing in his lengthy history of Sanskrit literature. Yet even his work acknowledges the vast literary output in Sanskrit, which contradicts his own claim. These are colonial slanders, reflecting a sense of superiority. But the larger question remains: how do history and literature relate? Traditional historians have long insisted that history must be grounded in strict documentation—records, evidence, material data. Under such a lens, much of Indian tradition is excluded. These historians have often refused to treat literature as valid historical evidence. Happily, some of these once-dominant voices have begun to acknowledge that there can be more than one kind of history. , a widely respected historian, now distinguishes between 'embodied' history—clearly written as history—and 'embedded' history—where historical content is hidden within literature. Texts such as plays, epics, even the Puranas, may not look like history but can yield rich historical insight depending on how they are read. Indian bilingual scholars like Vasudev Sharan Agarwal and Hazari Prasad Dwivedi also made important contributions. Agarwal, for example, drew on literary works like Kalidasa's Meghaduta to construct a picture of India in Kalidasa's time—not from a historical chronicle, but from a highly literary text. It depends on how one approaches the material. Reading for poetic ornamentation yields aesthetic pleasure, but reading from a different angle can also reveal historical depth. Western scholars—and some heavily Westernised Indian historians—took a long time to recognise this. But history is now seen as a broader, more complex field. Over the past few decades, it has also lost its exclusive claim to 'truth.' The postmodern critique has blurred the boundary between history and literature. We now understand that no single version of history can claim absolute truth. Competing narratives arise based on perspective, interpretation, and motive. History is a narrative, and so is literature. That puts them on equal footing—and makes for a very exciting intellectual playing field. Q. As literature and history converge, how might this reshape our understanding of Indian literature? Does it point to a redefinition, a new canon, or simply a fresh lens on existing texts? A. Yes, the book offers a history of the histories of literature in various Indian languages. One innovation I introduced, departing from the usual Sahitya Akademi model, was to abandon the English alphabetical order typically used in such collections—where Assamese comes first, and Urdu last. Instead, since this is a book on historiography, I arranged the languages chronologically, beginning with the oldest. Of course, determining which language is 'oldest' is not straightforward—it's a politically charged question. Is Sanskrit older than Tamil ? Is Urdu older than Hindi? Are Marathi and Gujarati contemporaneous? Still, I felt it was worth attempting a chronology based on historical evidence, which seemed more meaningful than alphabetical or script-based orders, such as the Devanagari order, which can also distort the narrative. These inherited structures—alphabetical or otherwise—are constructed paradigms that go unquestioned. I wanted to disrupt that a bit. While the model helped hold the nation together in the early years of its existence, it has drawbacks. In these collections, each language is treated in isolation, as though they developed independently. But Indian languages have a long history of interaction, influence, and exchange. The siloed structure fails to capture that interconnectivity. I couldn't change the model, but I could take a different approach. After years of working with those volumes, I was given the opportunity to write the South Asia section of the History of World Literature (in four volumes). There, I broke from the language-by-language format, which, though tidy, doesn't integrate. True integration would involve showing how languages flowed together across time, linked by chronology, genre evolution, and innovation. For instance, a literary innovation may arise in Urdu today and appear in Malayalam tomorrow—either through influence or independently. As Shishir Kumar Das noted, such patterns can reflect either prophane (early) or epiphane (later) appearances of similar phenomena across languages. This flowing model seemed a better way to capture the complexity of Indian literary history. Yes, the risks are real—we've grown used to seeing 15–20 pages per language, each in its own chapter, disconnected from the rest. As my friend Sujit Mukherjee said, such books are held together only by the binder's glue; they lack a unifying vision. So I chose to write a literary history where all languages flow together. And if some readers count pages to compare Bengali with Tamil or Hindi with Kannada, so be it—I didn't count. I followed the narrative and thematic criteria I set out, not quotas. Q. Having lived with this project for so long, what were the absolutely astonishing discoveries that you made? A. Yeah, I'll come to that in a moment. But first, let me clarify one thing. The vision I just described isn't in this book—it's in The History of World Literature in four volumes. The history I wrote there, of South Asian literature, is something I'm trying to publish in India. Now, about this book—yes, the discoveries and excitements are enormous. I believe in engaging with contributors, reading drafts, offering feedback. Many are old friends—some of the country's best scholars. It's been a rich exchange of ideas. Some rewrote pieces several times, others cut them down. Let me highlight a few cases. In Sanskrit, early histories of Indian literature were written mostly by Westerners. In Hindi, it was Grierson; in other languages too, a Western scholar often compiled the first grammar, dictionary, and history—often before fully mastering the language. In Sanskrit's case, from the Rigveda (1500–1200 BCE) to Jayadeva's Gita Govinda (~1200 CE), the language held cultural dominance. When Western scholars encountered this, they were taken aback. William Jones , who translated Shakuntalam in 1789, called Kalidasa the 'Shakespeare of India,' but also wondered why the play had seven acts and so much eroticism—things he didn't associate with drama. This attitude led to the artificial categorisation of kavya versus sahitya, a division Indians themselves never made. In Tamil, there's a long-standing competitive coexistence with Sanskrit. In Hindi, the late Avadhesh Kumar Singh listed 46 different literary histories. In Urdu, early histories were limited in scope—initially omitting non-Muslims and women, for instance. Each language has its own internal exclusions and silences, but some issues—like inclusion—cut across them all. That's the real excitement of this volume. In my concluding chapter, I review 21st-century histories of Indian literature—five or six of them—and explain how I came to conceptualise a literary history that doesn't go language by language, but follows a chronological flow, highlighting innovation wherever it occurred. There is an inherent imbalance in our linguistic landscape—Hindi is spoken by five times as many people as the next major language. I wish all languages were equally represented, but that's not how things are. We must work with what we have and compensate accordingly, striving for a spirit of inclusiveness—though it will always be seen differently by different people. That's part of the debate, and the fun. Yes, it's been exciting to work on this volume since the 2016 conference. But I must stress again: the other project—in which I imagined myself (pardon the vain conceit) riding a chariot pulled by 24 horses, each one a language—is a different model. I lived with that for 18 years, from 2004 to 2022, as part of a Stockholm-based collegium. I've followed both models in my writing—one in Indian Literary Historiography, the other in the global history project. It goes beyond what most literary discussions do. Most are either criticism or reviews of a single text. Few explore long historical perspectives across multiple languages in one book.
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Mum forced to make 24-mile trips to hospital for disabled son's 'only source of food'
"I was told by the hospital that their patients are a priority, but my son is my priority and I feel overlooked. I don't know what to do." A mum has been forced to make 24-mile round trips to a major Scots hospital to pick up an "emergency supply" of vital medication for her disabled son's "only source of food". Nicole Barrett has had to pay for taxis five days in a row from her Newton Mearns home to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow amid the supply shortage. The mum-of-two told our sister title Glasgow Live little Macaulay cannot walk, stand, talk or eat solid foods so is prescribed a nutritional food supplement called Paediasure Plus. Last week she was told the latest prescription was ready to pick up at her local pharmacy, but claims she was handed only 12 bottles of Paediasure Plus rather than the usual 111. After spending £22 each day for nearly a week, only being able to get one day's supply at a time, Nicole admits she has been left "unable to plan long-term" while "gambling" with her son's health. Speaking to Glasgow Live, she said: "I have another child who is disabled and it's becoming a too much to arrange childcare for both of the boys to go to the hospital, which then results in me waiting hours to collect it. "I was told by the hospital that their patients are a priority, but my son is my priority and I feel overlooked. "I don't know what to do - it's his only source of food and hydration, he can't have anything else". Product manufacturer Abbott confirmed to Glasgow Live there was no shortage in supply on their end. But after discussions with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, "supply issues" are affecting some community pharmacies, including Nicole's. Fortunately Nicole has now received a five day supply with Abbott supporting her directly going forward to "make sure Macaulay has what he needs". Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "We are sorry about the challenges that Macaulay and his family are facing and understand how distressing this situation is for them. "We can't comment further due to confidentiality but will continue to support this family in ensuring Macaulay receives the nutrition he needs. "There are currently supply issues affecting this product from some community pharmacies. Our teams are working daily to manage these challenges and ensure patients continue to receive the care they need. "This includes offering alternative brand products and providing supplies directly from our specialist feeds unit at the Royal Hospital for Children." Glasgow Live approached Abbott for comment who committed to supporting the family after hearing of Nicole and Macaulay's plight, as well as investigating supplier issues.
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Penrith family's Givinostat fight 'almost over'
A family say it is outrageous they have had to fight for access to a free drug that slows the progression of a muscle-wasting was conditionally approved in December to help slow the progression of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), but was only available in Leicestershire and Swansea due to local NHS budget Newcastle Hospitals Trust, which treats DMD patients across the North East and Cumbria, said it was "finalising arrangements" to make it available for those who meet strict eligibility family of 10-year-old Macaulay from Penrith, Cumbria, welcomed the news but have spent months of campaigning for access. Usually affecting boys in early childhood, DMD is one of the most common and severe forms of muscular dystrophy, which gradually causes the muscles to weaken, leading to an increasing level of drug was initially offered for free under an early access programme, while it awaited full NHS health bosses had to fund the staffing for treating patients, blood tests and collecting mum Rebecca has been campaigning, getting political support and writing to Newcastle Hospitals Trust to get access in the region. Rebecca said the drug would give her son a "longer, more independent life".Macaulay, who loves sports, said he has had to cut back as the genetic disease progresses."I don't think I can run as fast as I used to because I'm on steroids," he dad Ben said the continued wait was frustrating."It's confidence, it's the ability to keep up with his peers for as long as possible, the ability to walk for him is really important," he said. In a statement, the trust said: "We are pleased to confirm that we will be able to make Givinostat available through an early access programme to eligible patients in our clinics very soon."Its clinical team would discuss the drug with patients who are potentially eligible at their next review appointments, the trust Rebecca criticised the lack of timeline commitment, adding: "Yes, 'It will come soon', but what does soon mean?"Co-founder of charity Duchenne UK, Emily Reuben, said it was "time critical" as the drug was "only available for boys who can walk"."Some boys who were eligible for this drug six months ago are no longer eligible, because they've stopped walking," she said. Follow BBC North East on X and Facebook and BBC Cumbria on X and Facebook and both on Nextdoor and Instagram.
West Australian
25-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Margaret River Pro: Bronte Macaulay, Sally Fitzgibbons, Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols, Tyler Wright in mix
Australia's top men's hopefuls were wiped out in the carnage of the elimination rounds last week, but as the Margaret River Pro prepares to ramp up again on Monday, there are still five Aussies alive on the women's side of the draw. The West Australian takes a look at how they can take home the title. Two weeks ago, Macauley was focusing on developing the next generation, having decided to retire from the sport in October last year after failing to qualify for the 2025 WSL Championship Tour, and launched a coaching business. But there's nothing like your home surf to reignite the passion, with the 32-year-old granted a shock wildcard entry, and has so far suggested her retirement may have been premature. In what will likely be her final Margaret River Pro, the fairytale is on, after using her local knowledge to top her opening heat with a final 6.30 wave in the dying minutes to beat reigning world champion Caitlin Simmers. Her path to the final does not get any easier, however, as she prepares to face the American 2023 WSL champion and Paris Gold medalist, Caroline Marks, in the round of 16, who breezed through her heat. However, Macaulay is no stranger to knockout pressure, having made it to three consecutive semifinals from 2021-2023, often coming in as the underdog though she has never won on the championship tour. But Macualay also has nothing to lose, describing every wave she gets a 'bonus,' having all but given up competitive surfing. If she can survive the round of 16, there's the potential for an All-Aussie quarterfinal against Molly Picklum before a rematch with Simmers, whom she's already beaten. Macaulay is coming from a long way back, but the path is there for her to write one of the sports great stories. Sally Fitzgibbons has one of the most impressive resumes in the World Surf League with 12 Championship Tour event wins to her name and a three-time Tour runner-up amongst a litany of other accolades. But her last Tour win was in 2021, with these past years a battle for survival, being cut in the past two seasons. She sits on the precipice of being cut again, having only just returned to the tour, in a three-way battle with Lakey Peterson of the USA and Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica to stay inside the top 14. Fitzgibbons will need a deep run and probably to win the Pro for the first time since 2017 if she is to remain alive in this year's World Surf League championship tour. She's already survived one scare, having to go through the elimination round, edging out fellow Aussie Willow Hardy to remain alive, an experience which left the 36-year-old in tears. 'I just want to keep fighting and trying my best. It's the whole scenario of riding the highs and lows of it,' she said. She now faces defending Margaret River Champion and championship leader Gabriela Bryan from Hawaii, and the wait to re-enter the water will have done little for Fitzgibbons' nerves, which are living and dying on every wave. There are no easy match-ups for Fitzgibbons these days, but a gold medal at last year's World Surfing Games and runner-up on the Gold Coast last event shows there is still talent to match it with the world's best. She'll need it if she is to rage against the dying of the light but don't there's no doubt she won't leave everything out in the surf. Australia's highest-ranked female surfer, Picklum, breezed through the opening heat despite being narrowly edged out for first place by Sawyer Lindbald and now faces Bella Kenworthy in the round of 16, who's fighting to stay above the midseason cut line. Picklum is the only competitor inside the top seven not to win an event this season, but has been on the podium in four out of the six completed events, speaking to her consistency. At just 22 and only in her fourth year on the tour, Picklum is still relatively young, but being in the final five the last two years shows how close to the top she is. The key to taking the final is to get that breakthrough win and add to her two Sunset Beach titles. Picklum is rightly the heavy favourite heading into her clash with Kenworthy, with either Marks or the aforementioned Macaulay to follow. Reigning World Surf League champion Caitlin Simmers will likely then be waiting in the semifinals. It's a tough draw, but one in which Picklum has the opportunity to shake off her nearly-women tag and take the Wold No.1 ranking heading into the final events. Despite an inaugural win in Margaret River in 2022, this season has arguably been the breakout year for the 27-year-old Queenslander who hails from the Sunshine Coast. Cut in the past two seasons, Nichols has had to fight her way back onto the tour and this time is determined to make it count. Currently ranked fourth in the world, Nichols took just her second tour win at Bells Beach earlier this year while she's finished in the top five in four out of six events. The Bells victory was sweet redemption for a heartbreaking defeat to Hawaiian gun Gabriela Bryan in El Salvador, Nichols having agonisingly given up the chance to be at her twin sister's wedding. The 27-year-old will be hoping it's redemption in Margaret River as well after she nearly quit the sport last year, cut from the tour in a sudden death three-woman Elimination Round. She now faces french woman Vahine Fierro in the round of 16.
Press and Journal
21-05-2025
- Health
- Press and Journal
Football clubs across the north of Scotland unite in bid to raise £100,000 for new urological cancer unit
Football clubs across the north and north-east are coming together to support a new unit to improve the diagnosis and treatment of urological cancers. Charity UCAN Aberdeen, along with Friends of Anchor, is trying to raise £2.5million for the new Swift Urological Response and Evaluation (SURE) clinical unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary which would help speed up the diagnostic process for bladder, kidney, prostate, testicular and penile cancers. In a bid to help, north-east businessmen Mike Macaulay, Pat Machray and Ian Ord have come up with the Kick the Ball campaign, which aims to raise £100,000 and will see football clubs taking on a cycle challenge in the month of June. All 18 Breedon Highland League clubs are set to take part as well as every team that is a member of the Aberdeenshire and District FA, which includes nine Highland League sides plus SPFL outfits Aberdeen, Cove Rangers, Peterhead and Elgin City as well as junior clubs like Hermes, Dyce, Stonehaven and Aberdeen University. Each team will be taking on their own cycle challenge next month, either on the road or on spinning bikes, while world-record breaking cyclist Mark Beaumont is also supporting the initiative. On July 1 the man who broke the record for cycling around the globe will be accompanied by around 20 cyclists on a route around the north-east visiting some of the clubs taking part in the campaign. Later that day 'An Evening with Mark Beaumont' is to be held at Thainstone Exchange. Mr Macaulay and Mr Machray have both had prostate cancer, while Mr Ord has had prostate and testicular cancer. Explaining how the campaign idea came about, Mr Machray said: 'We've all had cancer and we've all had experience of UCAN. 'We wanted to give something back and, having heard about the SURE unit, we felt it was something we'd like to try to help get off the ground with a fundraiser. 'We're also hoping to raise awareness and encourage folk to go and get checked as well because with Ian, Mike and myself none of us had symptoms. 'It seems to be the case with a lot of people that there's no symptoms, so trying to encourage people to get checked is very important. 'The point of the whole exercise, and of the SURE unit, is for folk to get diagnosed earlier, because the earlier you find it the better.' Mr Ord, who will be taking part in the cycle with Mr Beaumont, added: 'UCAN has a history of pioneering. They brought robotic surgery to Aberdeen, which dramatically changed how you're treated. 'The new unit would set a new benchmark for the whole of the UK, it would be the first place of its kind. 'UCAN's ambition in terms of what they want to do is incredible, so to be able to help provide the means to do that is great.' Mr Macaulay, who is the chairman of Highland League side Inverurie Locos, has been thrilled with the reaction from clubs. He said: 'The response from the clubs has been brilliant. Nobody in the Highland League or the Aberdeenshire FA has said no to getting involved, which is great. 'We're hoping the clubs will involve their communities in it as much as they can. 'Football clubs are a big part of the community and this is an important thing for every community in the region. 'It's also great to have a world-record breaker in Mark Beaumont supporting us. He's sponsored by John Clark Motor Group and we asked Christopher Clark (managing director of John Clark Motor Group) if he could ask Mark about supporting this and he's been enthusiastic about helping us from the get-go.' Justine Royle is chair of UCAN, and also a consultant urologist, she called the Kick the Ball campaign a 'lovely idea' and outlined the benefits the SURE unit – which it is hoped can be up and running in 2026 – will provide to cancer patients. She said: 'At the moment the diagnostic process for urological cancers takes longer than we would like. 'Patients have to attend multiple consultations. Take prostate cancer as an example, they might come for an MRI scan one day, a biopsy a couple of weeks later and then a consultation and other tests after that. 'It can be four trips to hospital within the diagnostic process. 'If we can get rid of at least a couple of those, for example, having your MRI, biopsy and a consultation all on the same day that's a real benefit to patients because you reduce a lot of the waiting. 'One of the things patients will tell you is that the most anxiety provoking thing is the waiting to find out. 'It's not the diagnosis, it's waiting and not knowing what you've got. 'So if we can shorten that process then that anxiety will be reduced. We want to get the patient where they need to be faster than we're currently able to do. 'With the SURE unit our capability will be increased and we'll be able to do more on a day when a patient comes to us.'
