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Sachin,
Your post raises significant concern that have to do with the
knowledge and understanding of non-Hindus; relating to Hindu Dhorm.
There are many out there who read books and pick up key words or
phrases that suggest that Hinduism has certain unsavory aspects. In
the two examples that you gleaned below, I cannot say for sure what
was going through those minds. The references do show a paucity of
understanding, perhaps due to not thinking enough. But sufficient
angst is in the air and hence may have something to do with language,
it has very little redeeming qualities. I truly feel that netters
should seriously consider munshhaponn when presenting tidbits as
digested understanding. Hindus are Hindus and have a rich tradition at
various levels as most old peoples do. Like wise Bamons are Bamons and
of many flavours too. Everything has a flavour, for the love of Jesu.
At the onset: I hope people do not use my remarks to make pithy
points. A bit of what I am saying—it touches on marriage alliances, as
an extrapolated analogy; an offset of our thinking.
Our Goans are proud in seeing themselves as Bamon, or Charddo—lineages
coming from Hindu ancestry. Yet others have achieved a lot through
their Shudraship, and are finding coital alliances amongst the twice
born and other on their way; largely impelled by monetary desires. The
Bishop in Mumbai addressed a group of 40 spinsters an d40 batchelors
on what marriage is about. All healthy afflictions. One brings the
rank, the other the accoutrement's of financial stability. Rarely a
Heer Ranja scenario! These are waves of uncertainty that people go
through from time to time, leading to various dark episodes. By dark,
I mean a darkness of the soul, and in feeling nothingness (not
shunyata) is bereft of mooring, which often leads to feeling provoked
or becoming a Shipahi (Soldier) for any number of perceived ills. But
things are happening simultaneously, and we must safeguard aginst our
tendencies to augur in every streak of spittle.
To this I add: as time goes by in modernity people learn things, ideas
and patterns that may not be part of ones family. So say my mythical
daughter (we have no children) becomes a superb linguist, surgeon,
oceanographer, etc., but is thrown off by boorish behaviour in my
community and is open to possibilities (marriage or relationships,
considering that she is all that and talented and hot; oodles of
flings, and I am cool with all of this!). She is much lauded for her
openness, etc and her way with people. Others, including my own are
learning from her exuberance, her sexuality and her verve, Her
fearlessness can lead her anywhere. The world is open and so are the
eyes that want a part of this persona and can only imagine what
someone like her could do for them if she was in their corner. She
does not see much distinction in religious perspectives dovetailing
with our opinions of people. So she is self made, or is she? I often
feel that our fears are due to perceived erasures that are sweeping
across the societal terrain. Every group looks at the other and draws
inspiration from it and heaps insults on things they perceive as a
weakness (casteism), but neglect its incarnation in ones family mind.
I believe that one should strengthen oneself. Know your Chalukyas and
Kadambas; to mean the past or ones history. Then churn that knowledge
into understanding. For every tizan, there still is ambil. And there
are kinds of ambil. But they both come from naccne. Unfortunately, if
we keep forgetting this then we will continue loosing, as we already
have. There are many who stand to gain since in the first place they
did not have much to begin with—at a myriad of levels. There are
others who come into Goa from other places and will make it as per
their imagination. Their imagination may be limited to Goan air, but
that is all that some folks want. Now this does not mean the Goan is
doing markedly better, but he still has to contend with change. A
change that is dictated by a takeover of resources, lack of employment
(or an employment that ignores cultural paradigms) and even a desire
towards your progeny. Certain religions build this in their very
fabric of their moral code. I am not talking about Hindu Dhorm. To my
understanding Christians do not feel that if they convert someone they
gets points that they can cash at the counter upstairs.
In conclusion, it would be great if these discussions and queries saw
more than the rare or discrete closure. If one makes a mistake, an
error through objectifying, or plain rank and file bigotry; do absolve
and move on. There is also too much muckraking (I am stumped for a
better word) and that too by people who appear to be amazingly
knowledgeable, all western reason and logic; there are also other
logic systems on display on goanet. Those sentence structures and
grammar will make the Queen Liz, and Queen Vic quake at how far the
natives have gone in digesting the English language. Full blown
kabbadi with capoeira spin kicks! Otherwise it is as though we are
proverbially locking our doors, to those of us who are beyond
Kalapani, perhaps the windows of our minds.
Venantius J Pinto
goanet@lists.goanet.org
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 16 Aug:19:57 -0400
From: "Sachin Phadte" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [Goanet] Fw: The Church & Casteism
To: "Goanet" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
Anthony and Nolette de Souza posted a mesage with the above subject line. I
am not sure whether these are his comments or of someone else.
I would like to deal with the following comment: "Casteism is a heresy on
which Hinduism is founded and it is so virile that some Brahmin Catholics
are contaminated by it and continue to contribute to this perverse Hindu
'doctrine' ."
Another netter claimed that Yoga is the central aspect of Hinduism, and now
we have another central aspect!
Sachin Phadte
