Is Shri. Shrikant Talageri a confused clown?

A reader brought to my attention ‘a review’ of a book by Shri Shrikant Talageri and wanted to know my thoughts.  I thought of responding in public, instead of responding individually to this reader.

In that review, the reviewer writes..

“Talageri researches beautifully but lacks an analytical thought process – A hundred and twenty years ago, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak proved in his seminal work ‘Arctic Home In The Vedas ; An Ignored Historical Research” (1885) that the original home of the Aryans was in the Arctic. So this poop about Aryans migrating outwards from the Land of the Black Monkey just doesn’t jell. Must be an excellent book but I’ll wait for the paperback edition which is cheaper. Moreover, renowned archaeo-astronomer Nilesh Nilkanth Oak has made Talageri look like a confused clown in his 2 books ‘When Did the Mahabharata War Happen?: The Mystery of Arundhati’ and ‘The Historic Rama: Indian Civilization at the End of Pleistocene’ so I’ll reserve my verdict . . .

The subject is interesting though, and anyone interested in it will find it much more convincing (and cheaper) to read the 3-volume historical fiction by Porus Homi Havewala “The Saga of the Aryan Race” (Paperback) – April 6, 2011 . . . “

My Response…

The reviewer’s comments are his/her own responsibility.  I will only add my response since the reader requested it.

First and foremost, Shri Shirkant Talageri is used to receiving all kinds of criticism so this would not  (should not) affect him.

Interestingly the reviewer has given the book  five stars. The reviewer also praises researching skills of Shri Talageri however is critical of Shri Talageri’s analytical thought process.

The reviewer has the following to say about me:

“Moreover, renowned archaeo-astronomer Nilesh Nilkanth Oak has made Talageri look like a confused clown in his 2 books ‘When Did the Mahabharata War Happen?: The Mystery of Arundhati’ and ‘The Historic Rama: Indian Civilization at the End of Pleistocene’.”

I presume it is this reference to me and my work that might have led this reader to write me and to ask for my thoughts.

—

Here are my thoughts.

I consider works of Shri Shrikant Talageri (‘Rigveda – The Historical Analysis’ or ‘Rigveda and Avesta – Final evidence) as research works par excellence!

His thesis is original and ingenious.  I say this in spite of my little to non-existent knowledge of linguistics.  Frankly, one need not understand linguistics (at all) to comprehend his brilliant arguments made in the book ‘Rigveda – The Historical Analysis.

I do disagree with Shri. Shrikant Talageri with his claim for absolute chronology of the Rigveda.  And as correctly pointed out by the reviewer of his book, my works (both on the timing of  Mahabharata and Ramayana) decisively falsify Shri. Talageri’s claims for absolute chronology of Rigveda.

Only the other day I wrote (I can not recall where I wrote it or what the context was) that when it comes to science of linguistics, only few names are worth mentioning, and they are worth mentioning with extreme high regard.  They are: Shri Shirkant Talageri, Shri Wim Borsboom, Shrimati Sue Sullivan, Dr. Shiv Sastry and Sage Panini.  I am sure there are few more, but these will do for now.

None of them are from ‘academia’ and while it may take some time for folks – academic and otherwise, to recognize the brilliance of these works, it will indeed happen.

Truth can wait.  It is used to it.