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III
As for editing proper, two views / practices currently prevail among Indian scholars. According to one, the editors need not bother about editing as is understood and done in the West. The responsibility for the style, language, organization of material, and related matters lay at the doors of the contributors. Except for correcting a few obvious errors on the score of spellings and grammar, nothing else should be done, indeed no addition, alteration, or modification of any sort be made for clarity's and accuracy's sake. Likewise, they need not worry about reading a larger number of proofs in succession for ensuring maximum accuracy in printing. (Editors have to do their own research and writing work and must not spend their time and energy after these processes. Some printing errors, howlers etc. are bound to occur. And, after all, editing is a thankless job !) The other view, of the minority to be sure, is that the editing must be thorough and exacting, matching the requirements, as far as feasible, of the Western standards. The style of editing reflected in the reputed American journals is of course too rigorous, and only the native speaker proficient in all aspects of that language and a good training at editing in that style and mould can successfully do it. We, on our part, can only do as best as we can, according only to the extent of our familiarity with that language : the American high level of editing we cannot pretend to reach. To render our task facile, however, we request the contributors to the future numbers of the Nirgrantha to keep the following points in view. The authors, in the first instance, are requested to write in "tight" language, and to check carefully the spellings, syntax, and grammar. They must avoid filler phrases as well as unusual or unknown jargon; also, polemics, sectarian attitudes and orientations, biases and assertions should be avoided. When views differing from earlier writers are expressed, quotations may be given from their writings for the fuller understanding of their intentions, trends of discussion, admissibility or otherwise of the evidence, stands taken by them, etc. In order to make the task further easy, the authors are requested to follow the conventions defined in the style-sheet on the following page.
We suggested the title Nirgrantha for this journal, because, in ancient times, this is how the followers of Jainism (and by the same token Jainism itself) were known.
The first issue has been dedicated as a felicitatory volume to the seniormost illustrious Jaina scholar, Pt. Dalsukh Malavaniya, one of the very few Jainologists who discusses the content of the Jaina scripture in historical perspective and in evolutionary terms. His biographical sketch and work have been published in the Aspects of Jainology, Vol. III, Varanasi 1991.
M. A. Dhaky Jitendra Shah
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