I've known Cedric Prakash sj and his work for some time now. We have met briefly, apart from reading him often online. It is interesting to see the attempt to discredit his campaigns, coming from that shrill voice which otherwise defends the indefensible.
If I'm not mistaken, he's a Bandra 'boy', who has made Gujarat his field of work (though I might be wrong on this, we only had a short time to exchange views when we met at Benaulim ... and this is an aside, it is not particularly related to the discussion). But, what is more relevant is that, to me, Cedric's work is admirable, and represents all that is admirable in these 'Clash of Civilization' times, when religious infighting is replacing the Cold War, in the global need to quickly find The Enemy and get into conflict mode. Cedric Prakash has been consistently taking the side of the underdog, articulating the cause of the voiceless (even if 'we' don't have any direct reason to feel 'their' hurt) and speaking out boldly. It is no surprise that he comes in for criticism from those who critique him now. When I encounter his work, I believe those years we spent in liberal and pro-underdog groups like the All India Catholic Universities' Federation might just have been worth it. In my view, we definitely need more Cedric Prakashs. --FN -- FN * Independent Journalist http://fn.goa-india.org M: +91-9822122436 P: +91-832-2409490