Mario--
I know your heart is in the right place but you and Cornel should look into
this with the proper perspective. It helps if one was born and brought up
at least for a while in Goa because only then do you totally breathe and
savor Goanness the way it was meant to be...
In the first place casteism is not restricted to cristao goans and wasn't
even begotten in Goa. It is an ancient Indian system which was brought into
the country by foreigners the "Aryans" the hordes that came through
Afghanistan and pushed the indigenous population south--the Dravidians. It
was only after the Portuguese settled in Goa and converted the Hindus that
the cristaos became what they are--but they did not forget their
hierarchy--which was ingrained in their psyche for untold generations and
presumably remains today.
But Cornel, though well meaning, is offtarget to paint all or most Goans as
casteists. I have lived in Goa (I left at about 12) and experienced little
or none of what Cornel speaks. The goldsmith (xett) was Hindu, so was the
grocer (possorkar), the sweetmeat vendor who sold those delectable goodies
at the fest outside the village church, the chamor who took care of our
footwear, the muslim who killed the cows and sold the meat at the soggh,
the poder (baker) and the woman who brought fish to your door or at the
tintto. No one
looked down at these people or talked down at them because they may not have
been of a 'superior' caste but we did have communal harmony and we did
commerce with each other--we were interdependent. As in any community of
people, there will be some who will have personal prejudices--but even
before we start to condemn those prejudices, we must question the reasons
for such behaviour--and this is a good field for research for someone with
the time and acumen at his/her disposal. Dominic's name comes to mind
instantly. BTW where is he?
The instances of "nasty manifestations of caste" you have cited are very
probably true, and given time, I could
probably add a few of mine to your list. But you have failed, just as did
Cornel, to point out any personal examples of prejudice or casteism towards
yourself. The world is full of bad people We have had apartheid in the
good old
U.S. of A. with the lynchings and segregation of negroes. So do we condemn
all Americans as casteists or reprobates? No! The blacks are part and
parcel of the fabric and have been pretty well
integrated. They can eat where they want, earn as much
as they want and educate themselves at the best institutions of learning
anywhere. We have had generals in our armies, captains of industries--our
current Secretary of State is black, we have a Supreme Court Justice who is
black, and even an aspirant for the presidency who is black--and was given a
shot at being president until some recent goof-ups (but that is another
story).
I know that some such behavior exist in the diaspora. But that is due
to our own failure to assimilate. We maintain our little Associations (akin
to the kudds of Jer Mahal in Dhobitalao), where
we beat each other to death through rumor and inuendo. I speak of this
through personal knowledge and experience. But I could also point to
several success stories where there has been an intermingling where Goans
have married whites and blacks and have gone forward with their lives. And
I personally know many Goans who came from 'inferior' background with
parents who have been voiters and bottlers and tarvotti, whose kin are
IITians and other
success stories.
What has been ingrained into our lives over the centuries will not disappear
overnight. It will take education and time--and as the world is shrinking
at a remarkable pace we will inexorably be forced to assimilate. It is
happening now even as we speak. We should let this evolve instead of
creating bogeymen so that we can hurl insults at each other. Unless someone
wears his caste on his sleeve (I have hardly seen this), we should ignore
all of this and live our lives and demonstrate through our actions that we
have climbed the mountain and that we are all one. Let those who consider
themselves 'superior' carry on with their hypocrisy--they will eventually
come to the realization that there is only one human race.
In the meantime, we Goans should cast aside our bickerings and join together
to continue our Goan identity. We have seen over the past few months a few
individuals who are prepared to stand up, at considerable personal
sacrifice, and be counted. I do not need to mention names--we know who they
are. We should enlist ourselves in those endeavors to preserve Goa as we
knew it and allow for enlightened development as you recently
suggested--through planned development, zoning ordinances, et al. In the
meantime, since not all of us can actively engage in those pursuits, let us
support those who can, through our moral and if need be financial support,
if that is what it will take to achieve our common goals.
As Miguel would say--
Mog asundi!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mario Goveia" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <goanet@lists.goanet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 11:13 AM
Subject: [Goanet] Is the destructiveness of caste a myth?
From, Chris Vaz chrisvaz at optonline.net
Sun Apr 6 09:36:42 PDT 2008
Growing up in Goa in the fifties, I was never exposed
to any spectacles of such persecution.
Mario responds:
Chris,
I did not grow up in Goa but I have personally
observed some pretty nasty manifestations of caste
[see specific examples below] which I would describe
as insidious assumed communal superiority based on an
accident of birth, not on a persons character and
achievements, leading to blatant discrimination.
I would also refer you to the following post on Goanet
that you may have missed, and Cornel had nothing to do
with it.
