--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Wishing all Goanetters |
| a Prosperous |
| and |
| Happy New Year - 2006 |
| Goanet - http://www.goanet.org |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://in.rediff.com/cms/print.jsp?docpath=/news/2006/jan/12guest.htm
'Racism exists everywhere'
Professor Narayanaswami Ranganathan | January 12, 2006 | 19:45 IST
I am not surprised with the replies on rediff regarding my interview,
'Lots of people are unhappy in France'.
At present the emergency has been lifted and the situation in France
is calm but people who do not know the situation in this country and
who are not exposed to the French media are evidently misinformed.
Here are some of my replies to the comments.
The rioters did not belong to a single community. They belonged to
second-generation immigrant-French youth (irrespective of colour,
religion or origins) who are disgruntled with the whole situation.
The justice system is quite embarrassed as to what to do (for example)
with a 14-year-old kid caught for arson.
There were similar riots in other parts of Europe too but on a smaller
scale. I spoke to a Danish girl who talked of events in her country.
Racism does exist in France -- it exists everywhere. In fact we were
called 'Madrasis' and lived through a more virulent form of racism in
Delhi where I was a kid. We were subjected to unwelcome remarks on our
food habits, our way of living and dressing.
In some ways this was more distressing than what I lived in France as
an adult. Again Indians have very little lessons to teach the others
-- as in India racism is also institutionalised in the form of the
caste system.
When I talk of Marxism, I do not think of the kind that existed in
Eastern Europe -- I know what it means because my wife is Polish and I
have met a few Soviet dissidents who have been in the gulags (labour
camps).
I am thinking of a world where people live in harmony and partake in
all the wealth of the world without one community exploiting the other
and without any speculation and without wars with people dying to show
that their god is stronger than the enemy's god.
Give this a thought.
Professor Narayanaswami Ranganathan
URL for this article:
http://www.rediff.com//news/2006/jan/12guest.htm
--
Cheers,
Gabe Menezes.
London, England
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions |
| |
| Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages |
| Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
