California Institute of Integral Studies

California Institute: Liberal Anti-India, Anti-Israel, Anti US Center

By Yatindra Bhatnagar September 24, 2003

California Institute of Integral Studies, a 35-year-old institute of specialized learning founded by Dr. Haridas Chaudhuri, a prominent philosopher and scholar from India, and his wife Bina, has become one of the most active centers for political activities that specialize in anti-India, anti-Hindu, anti-Israel and anti-Republican liberal, pro-Pakistan and leftist propaganda, all in the name of peace, solidarity, and justice.The speakers at the CIIS events are mostly leftists, so-called liberals, Pakistanis, anti-Hindu, pro-Palestine, and anti-Republican Party, singing almost the same tune, without any diverse opinion. The most active is the Department of Cultural Anthropology with Dr. Angana Chatterjee as the prime mover, and activist.All these are not even remotely connected to the “Mission and Educational Philosophy” and “the Seven Ideals” of the CIIS and the vision of its founder.

Dr. Chaudhuri was a staunch disciple of Yogiraj Aurobindo of India, and was sent to San Francisco by Aurobindo himself.The astonishing part of the whole situation is that one of the faculty members, Dr. Angana Chatterjee, professor of Cultural Anthropology and her husband, professor Richard Shapiro, have been frequently organizing seminars, talks, discussions etc denouncing Israel, alleging the rise of “Hindu militancy,” in India and the US, criticizing India’s Central, and a few state governments, specially, the Gujarat government, and also indulging in open opposition to the Republican Party, the war in Iraq, President George Bush, his Cabinet and his policies.

Often political candidates are promoted and their election literature is distributed at seminars organized by the Department of Cultural Anthropology under Dr. Chatterjee.The recent Dialogue for Peace, Democracy Today, Human Rights, Globalization, War and Peace, September 19, had all the ingredients of anti-Israel and pro-Palestine propaganda. Though the topics did not specifically include views on India and Hindu groups in India and the US, Dr. Chatterjee, and a couple of others, did not fail to pour out their venom against India, its Central and state government of Gujarat, Hindu groups and some development activities. That was all one-sided as usual. posted by Naxal Watch @ 8:02 AM