Venita Coelho: A year ago there excitement over the alleged naxalite with a Goan connection. Arun Fereira was arrested from Bandra and held by the police. Arun was educated at St. Xaviers college and again, a world removed from what you would imagine a naxal to be. There are more Goan connections. Vernon Gonsalves is being held as a suspected leader of the CPI (ML).
Response: A small correction. I reliably understand that Arun Ferreira is an East Indian from Bombay. He also hails from a highly respected family having priests and nuns among them. The late J B D’Souza, former Chief Secretary of Maharashtra and Municipal Commissioner too was related to him. Vernon Gonsalves hails from Mangalore. Both Arun and Vernon were heavily influenced by the liberation theology propounded by the Jesuits in the 70’s and 80’s and practiced especially in Central and South America. Had Jesus Christ lived today, possibly he too would have been branded a ‘naxalite’. There are many commonalities between Christianity and Marxism. Social justice is an important issue in India. We have now reached the crossroads where we have to confront it head on. I am attaching transcripts of an interview of Arundhati Roy with Karan Thapar which relates to such issues and also an interaction between CNN-IBN with Arundhati Roy and Gladstone Dung Dung which has lessons for us all even here in Goa. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/govt-at-war-with-naxals-to-aid-mncs-arundhati/103627-3-single.html http://ibnlive.in.com/news/indian-democracy-in-a-state-of-emergency/103928-3-single.html Regards, Marshall