On 16 August 2011 22:43, Antonio Menezes <ac.mene...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > True, quite true not only for the last 64 years but from the day the INDIAN > National Congress was formed in the late > 19th century that people of India started considering themselves to be > Indians. > > While denomination India was very popular with the greedy for spices and > precious stones Europeans as far back as > the 16th century, for the people residing in the Indian sub continent > India > was a strange term. The Portuguese called > their possession in India as ''Estado da India '' (BC pl. note ) and for > the > British it was naturally known as > British India. > > I could be wrong and stand to be corrected, the Indian nation was the > creation of the British empire builders. For > Shivaji and his descendents it was Maratha empire and for the Chitpawan > brahmins who followed it was Peshwe > empire but never an Indian empire and so it could be said of all other > people of India who have lived in various > parts of it. > RESPONSE: It is subjective; each one is entitled to his or her opinion, only those who think they are correct attempt to put others down, by trying to belittle them. Growing up in Nairobi, Goans never thought themselves as being Indians, Goans in Mozambique and Angola thought themselves as being Portuguese. We denote on various forms that our ethnicity is Indian but this is for want of a better description. I was not born in Goa/India and had a British passport at the onset. My children have no problems calling themselves British, although my younger son was born in Singapore! -- DEV BOREM KORUM Gabe Menezes.