Dear J.Monteiro; I´ll really enjoyed to read your childhood experience.I´m goan born in Panjim and lefth in 1956 to London where I´m gratueded in Graphic Design in 1963. All the best,boa saude ,shanti, Áureo Mendes
> Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 17:39:32 +0000 > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: goanet@lists.goanet.org > Subject: [Goanet] Hindu Sati, Christian (Spanish, Portuguese & English) > Inquisitions & forcing others to the death. > > If you came to my house, I would be pleased to direct (show) you to our small > home temple between the living room & dining room, its on open area of about > a metre wide & two metres deep, where our house Gods & Goddesses are resident > (closed with a mesh curtain), opened up on Tuesdays & Thursdays for puja. > You will see on this large shelf which is located around waist level a serene > scene........... > In the middle is a rather large copper statue of Lord Ganesha on a plinth. > Next to him you find other deties, including smaller statutes of Lord Ganesha > (picked up from various places we visited over the years & some received as > gifts from friends & relatives), amongst those we also have a Natraj about > 18" in diameter, also made from copper, pictures in frames, on the walls, of > Lord Murugan, Lord Krishna (in younger & older poses), also a trimuti of > Ganesh, Laxmi & Parvati, One largish size & two small statues of Sai Baba > amongst the incense sticks, powders, grey & red, candles, oil lamps (3), > bells (3 different sorts), a 12" sitting pose statue of garlanded Nandi, > Large artificial Banana Tree from Mauritius, Replica Flowers from India & > Mauritius, amid Large posters of Ram, Shiva, Kali Maa, 2 brass figures of > Kali Maa, also pictures of Durga Maa sitting on a tiger, and another picture > of her on a lion, Laxi in her own framed picture. Many puja > accessories........ to > many to name here. > I was born in London of European parents (Portuguese father & > English/French mother) in 1950, I was brought up in Goa from 1951 until 1961, > we were told to leave the country. Aged just over 11, I spent 10 years of my > life amongst Goans, Catholic, Hindu & Muslim. My father was a 'strict > Catholic' & I was placed in LHS in Magao where I received my first communion > in 1959 (photos I will scan and make available to anyone who emails me & > wants or needs confirmation of what I say, I stand in one picture with > Brother Cana, sadly died some years ago, also those of my mother, brother & > her friend Maria D'Souza, taken 1958 1959 1960). > Heavily influenced by all three religions, it took a further 5 years (in > the UK), before I realised my spiritual side (please note this was before the > Beatles, Maharish Mahesh Yogi & the hippy movement..... but that's another > story), I leaned towards 'selected parts' of Hinduism. > I was happiest aged around 3 or 4 years old until we left Goa when I had > passed my 11th birthday, I was at Hindu festivals, watching the puja being > performed by our neighbours, the smells & excitement, the food & the music of > these, which, thankfully my mother did not stop me attending with my Goan > friends and neighbours, but was I was heavily grounded if my father was > around, we were to be all 'Good Christians', not heathens as he looked at > it). If only he looked in the mirror deeply enough he would have seen who the > real devil was, but that's another story). > Hinduism has its spiritual side in my heart, that cannot be taken away, but > I was brought up as a Catholic until my realisation, something twigged when I > was around 16 years old & it was obvious to me that I was not practicing any > religion at all, we were in the midst of the 1960's in the UK, it was a > rebellious time for everyone, lots of things went on about this time, mostly > though it was my realisation that I missed Goa much more than I had thought, > and the friends I had made, the Goan friends, not the Portuguese, they were > too rough & too demanding, not at all friendly). > I am sorry you can take away so-called Sati disguised as a religious > tradition (it is nothing to do with religion) which is an abhorrent practice > as far as I am concerned. In my humble opinion (and no doubt you will agree > to this, with me) they can take away the disgusting behaviour of the > Catholics in the nightmare eras of the Catholic persecution of non-belivers, > the Jews were mercilessly driven out of countries for their beliefs, many had > to change their religions or see their families slaughtered. But the same > treatment was meted out to anyone who was not a Catholic, even a pagan old > villager or a senile of lady brandeda witch and burnt. > The "new faiths" of Europe, such as the Protestant movement (one of many > off-shoots of Catholic religion) were persecuted for their views by the "true > faith", Catholics (even though they were worshipping the same God & his Son), > but with 'less ceremony', they were incensed by the Vatican & the Pope of the > day, around the time of King Henry VIII of England (he wanted & eventually > got a divorce, but later resorted to murdering two more of his wives) however > this was all done for INHERITANCE, yes it IS about money & power, Sati or > Inquisition all this no matter how you disguise it, women have always been > the brunt of anger, revulsion & the need to keep money, property & wealth in > the family, blame them over any ills & then kill them to satisfy the power > they will get from it, prestige or more converts, whatever it takes. > Most religions have persecuted non-believers in one way or another, except > perhaps one or two stand out as obviously non-violent so they can be > discounted), that is what they do, all organised religions need to do this to > survive, Most of the organised religions on this planet have put to death > countless of opponents. This does not make it the right religion. One's > faith is just that, a faith & it feeds the need of the spiritual side of the > human being. > There are many aspects of Hinduism & not all the Gods & Goddesses are > worshipped by everyone who is a Hindu, different parts of India have > reverence for several different Gods & Goddesses. Different deities / Gods & > Goddesses have their own day to be worshipped or a puja by the family. In > our house the two most important days (evenings from 6pm) are Tuesdays & > Fridays (Lord Ganesha, Durga & Kali Maa), but other days are special for > other families, from different backgrounds, for Lord Ram (Rama) its Sundays, > Mondays it is Lord Shiva and so on.......... > Although the majority of India celebrates & embraces Hinduism, it is only > actually around three-quarters that do so, the balance is then divided > between the other religions (Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, > Jewish and others), none of which has been practiced as long as Hinduism, but > that is for others to decide or comment upon in this forum, either agreeing, > disagreeing or adding to the debate. > Not losing the thread that this is about POWER, MONEY, SATI, RELIGION, > POLITICS, CATHOLIC INQUISITION, HOW TO COMMIT MURDER & GET AWAY WITH IT. > I abhor any form of violence against another human being but more > particularly so if its is for profit, which Sati, Inquisitions of the past & > the current terror issues in the world, all purport to be in the name of God, > whether its just the one God (with or without his Son & the Holy Ghost) or > not, or the Trimuti of Gods & Goddesses who are also used by some extremist > political parties to gain a foothold in the running of Goa, or India, making > everyone take sides, politics and religion DO NOT MIX and ought to be > separate debates. > Its been said before, keep them separate, let politics feed your belly and > religion feed your soul. When you mix the two, nobody knows what what they > are doing & are ultimately taken for a ride by the corrupt politicians & the > corrupt spiritual leaders who seek power, yes I said it before but it IS just > about MONEY and CONTROL / POWER. > Keep politics separate from religion but discuss both ad nausium on this > forum if you want to, however it would be kinder to everyone (and easier to > understand) when the two issues are discussed separately. > If nothing else, at least let us agree to disagree if it gets too hot under > the collar, but dont sweep it under the carpet, that is where it will fester > & we will experience another bout of hatred against each other's religions, > understanding one neighbours faith is a good thing, but forcibly trying to > convert them, under threats of death or mutilation etc is something else > entirely. > No more violence, please! > > John Monteiro > 04.12.07.....17.38hrs (UK) > --------------------------------------------- > > Sachin Phadte wrote: I am surprised that the moderators have allowed this > message of John Monteiro through.The whole thing is conjecture and > conjecture................ > ----------------------------------------------- > > >
