Re: [Goanet] Religious conversions in Goa
From: anand virgincar [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Goanet] Religious conversions in Goa I am aware Vidyadhar-bab Gadgil has been particularly involved in such issues ( and may I please make a personal request to him to take this task on ? ) luv and regards, anand ( Dr Anand Virgincar ) I really do not have access to Dr. Manoj Solanki to ask him this question :-) If he has any evidence of forcible conversion or conversion using allurements (these are illegal, conversion of free will is perfectly legal and ethically acceptable, so is not relevant here) in Goa, he will hopefully provide it one day. Apart from Solanki's letter that you have given the link to, in the Navhind Times (Panorama) he also wrote a rejoinder to an article of mine about the FACT exhibition which the HJS has been organising in Goa. Unfortunately, NT is very erratic about putting Panorama on-line, so it is not available, and I cannot post a link to his rejoinder. If somebody has a physical copy of that Sunday's Navhind, maybe they could do so? My article is at: http://communalism.blogspot.com/2007/10/politics-of-hate.html If anybody has any other printed stuff from Solanki, it would be interesting to see it. The kind of general polemic he spouts in his speeches, etc., is already available at the Hindu Janajagruti Sabha site at www.hindujagruti.org. I will be out of town till the 17th without internet access, but I look forward to rejoining this discussion when I return. -- Question everything -- Karl Marx
Re: [Goanet] Religious conversions in Goa
Dear Dr Virgincar, By allowing the fundamentalists (of all religiions) to shift the parameters of discourse, we are falling into their trap, and talking away attention from more important issues we all should be more concerned about (food, clothing, shelter, poverty, lack of career advancement opportunities, the environment, etc). Could someone define what forced religious conversions mean? Some time back, Rajasthan passed a law to prevent forced conversions. It was reported: The law seeks to stop conversions by allurement, greed or pressure. Any rational person would immediately recognise that this is very wide grounds. Is the promise of heaven in an afterlife an allurement? Does access to a good school (though, as you know, this doesn't happen only after a religious conversion) amount to pressure? What if the missionary package comes with access to a non-mercenary hospital somewhere nearby? Divine displeasure was, at last count, being defined as pressure too. Whether we like these concepts or not, they are considered to be integral tenets of some religions, specially the monotheistic ones. So, what is this debate all about? And why do you choose to get caught up in it? FN On 02/02/2008, anand virgincar [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear Goanetters, Please read the letter to the Herald editor by Dr Manoj Solanki , convener of the Hindu Janajagriti Samiti , Goa . http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=7999cid=13 I take particular objection to the statement :incidences of religious conversions are going on in a large scale in GoaIt is not made clear by Dr Solanki as to whether the conversions are voluntary or forced . It is also not stated explicitly which religion the converts switch from ( and which religion they switch to ). Perhaps one or both of these can be derived from the context of the letter and the quarter it originates from.But that is not the point I am getting to. What is relevant as far as I am concerned is : A) Can the Hindu's in particular on this forum , provide me with evidence to substantiate the statement in quotes above. B ) On the other hand , if the statement is false ( even partly ) would the Goanetters on the ground in Goa request Dr Solanki to clarify further . I am aware Vidyadhar-bab Gadgil has been particularly involved in such issues ( and may I please make a personal request to him to take this task on ? ) luv and regards, anand ( Dr Anand Virgincar ) -- Frederick Noronha http://fn.goa-india.org Ph +91-832-2409490 The Goa books blog: http://goabooks.wordpress.com Goa1556 (alt.publishing.goa): http://goa1556.goa-india.org
Re: [Goanet] Religious conversions in Goa
--- Bhandare [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: to the best of my knowledge vidyadhar gadgil routinely makes many allegations against the RSS and BJP for which he has never provided any proof. regards bhandare There is a very good mechanism at play on Goanet, indeed in life itself, whereby people immediately make up their minds as to who deserves their respect and who doesn't. Now, without saying much, some posters on Goanet have never garnered respect while others do so as easily as putting on a shoe. If you want evidence of this, see how easily Dr Virgincar has been able do so. The former then become bitter, start complaining about all and sundry on the board, try to polarise the board along religious lines, and form little cliques based on community and religious affiliation. Gadgil is one of those people who is very respected on this board and in his real life. He is a principled man, without whom Goa would be impoverished indeed. So when an allegation is made against him, such as the one above, who on earth takes it seriously besides the person making it? selma Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping
Re: [Goanet] Religious conversions in Goa
anand virgincar wrote to Bhandare: 3) I get the impression that you are making an allegation that Vidyadhar-bab has made false allegations with respect to the BJP and RSS. 4) If you have any evidence of (3) above , kindly post a list of these questions specifically directed at him.. I am sure he will either provide the necessary proof or withdraw any statements he cannot back up with concrete evidence. 5) Please be : a) polite and b) specific in your questions and I am sure you will get polite and specific answers. Dear Anandbab, I write in to say Thank you to you. May your tribe increaseani Sakkor poddo tujea tondant good wishes jc
