Book Title: Unknown Life of Jesus Christ New Edition 2009 Publication
Author(s): Nicholas Notovitch, Virchand R Gandhi, Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: World Jain Confederation

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Page 53
________________ The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ of years and the various vicissitudes of conquest have spared." Sir George Birdwood therefore says to the European public: "We, therefore, incur a great responsibility when we deliberately undertake to improve such a people in the practice of their own arts, and hitherto the results of our attempts to do so have been anything but encouraging, The Kashmir trade in shawls has been ruined through the quickness with which the weavers have. adopted the 'improved shawl patterns' which the French agents of the Paris import houses have set before them, and presently we shall see what the effect of the teaching of our Schools of Art has been on Indian pottery, the noblest pottery in the world until we began to meddle with it. * * * We incur a great responsibility in attempting to interfere in the direct art education of a people, who already possess the tradition of a system of decoration founded on perfect principles, which they have learned through centuries of practice to apply with unerring truth. *** Of late these handicraftsmen, for the sake of whose works the whole world has been ceaselessly pouring its bullion for three thousand years into India, and who, for all the marvelous tissues and broidered work, have fouled no streams, nor poisoned any air; whose skill and individuality the training of countless generations has developed to the highest perfection; these hereditary handicraftsmen are being everywhere gathered from their democratic village community in hundreds and thousands to the colossal mills of Bombay to drudge in gangs at manufacturing piece-goods, in competition with Manchester, in the production of which they are no more intellectually or morally concerned than the grinder of a barrel organ in the 'tune it turns out.'" The arts and sciences of India are not modern. Their origin is hidden in pre-historic times. Religion and philosophy have been the great contributions of India to the world, and they have drawn savants and philosophers to her in times, ancient and modern. Is - 52

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