Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Swimming, acrimony, shopping

On the roof of the hotel in Pondicherry there is a pool whose length is flush with the edge of the building. No fence! Visually it is great, though I did wonder if President Herbst's risk assessment team would have preferred if only half of us swam at any given time. Also Lesleigh said there was an electric light with a cable floating there. I didn't see it, but I am nearsighted.

In the morning at the Ecole Francais d'extreme orient, which is a research institute, there was unexpected, quiet acrimony between an Indian scholar and the French head of the institution, also a scholar. Was it reasonable for an institution to support research in Sanskrit and Tamil manuscripts that is graduate level only? Can't outreach be the responsibility of different institutions? And what about the language of publications? If the publication is in English and not Tamil, does that mean that Tamil speakers are cut off from their own heritage?

In the afternoon we went shopping. The ladies bought Indian outfits, which we show off in Hamilton as weather permits.

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