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Visit http://www.garcabranca.com for details/booking/confirmation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Oscar Lobo, One might have thought that whatever prejudices one harbored against the Keralites one encountered in the Gulf and Goa, would have disappeared through the experience of emigration to Australia. But as I can see, old prejudices die hard. I had been in the Gulf longer than you had, and here are my observations: I never came across the ABC word you mentioned, being uttered by the Keralites. But I heard the Malbari word being pejoratively mentioned by Goans several times every day. Let us assume you came across the ABC word. Would you not put it down to the ignorance prevailing in certain sections of both communities? The Keralites were hard working, diligent and ambitious. Not unlike the Goans. But while they would assist members of their community at every opportunity, Goans would do the exact opposite. Given a chance, traders and business people would prefer Keralites to Goans any time. In fact a Goan businessman even told me so. When I questioned him he said, "Keralites work hard for years and never ask for a raise. Goans would start their demands 2 months after they started work. No wonder that Keralites starting as typists in small Arab companies in the 60's ended up by being the owners' right hand men when these companies became large conglomerates as the country advanced and prospered. I can testify to their humility. I held an important position in a monopoly Telecoms company and I would have wealthy Keralite businessmen approach me in the simplest of manner when they needed my intervention in some service or other. The Goans on the other hand would come to me for jobs as if by me being a Goan, they had the automatic right to it. In short my experience is that they earned whatever they acquired, be it positions, wealth or trust. In Goa, my opinion is that they work hard for whatever they have. If they have acquired property, they have bought it. If they have entered employment, they were chosen. How do you say that you were fair to them by welcoming them into your homes? You didn't invite them to Goa. They were Indians like you and you couldn't keep them away. They took the trouble to learn Konkani, amazing several of the local population, and they take the trouble to integrate, as we do wherever we go. If many of them marry Goan girls, it is because the girls choose them with purpose. Would you rather the girls marry the local drunkard or the village philanderer who takes advantage of women whose husbands are on ships or in the Gulf on single status or a petty drug dealer flashing money? I like your grand "yet we are forgiving Goans". Whom have we forgiven and who is it that asked for forgiveness? Not the Keralite surely. He doesn't ask for forgiveness nor does he need it. All he needs is the opportunity for work and the reward that comes from it. Nothing new. You probably worked hard to emigrate to Australia yourself and probably work hard to keep your standards there. And what's this about Bollywood portraying Goans in a negative way and we forgiving them and going to see the movies anyway. If one goes to see Bollywood movies, one probably does so, as one finds them easy to follow. Bollywood makes movies mostly for the lowest common denominator. I am not being snobbish, just real, as anyone having to put up with singing and dancing around trees, themes blatantly copying Hollywood ideas, and routinely outrageous stories, will testify. On 10/29/06, Oscar Lobo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > A woman without a culture of her own - A response to the people who seem to > go on and on.. > While the people of Kerala and Madras are called names like 'Malbari' or > Madrasi, how many Goans know what we are called by them? I have worked with > these clever people and whenever few of them referred to a Goan in their > language they would refer us as 'ABC'. This went on for sometime until I > asked a fellow colleague who worked with me what ABC in their conversation > referred to? > This good person from Kerala told me that whenever they were talking about a > Goan they referred him/her as Ayah, Butler or Cook, meaning a Goan is either > one of these three professions. I felt sorry for them for their knowledge of > Goa, Goans and our hospitality. I just smiled and let them believe what > they seem to believe. > > In all honesty we Goans have been very fair with people from the above > states and infact we have welcomed them in our homes in Goa many of whom > have snatched our properties as well as jobs through various means. Yet, we > are forgiving Goans. In this message I am not implying that all people of > Kerala and Madras are bad people. Apart from the above people, we also have > our friends from Bollywood who portray Goans and/or a Catholic in a > different way, yet we enjoy bollywood films because we are forgiving Goans. _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list Goanet@lists.goanet.org http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org