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>To show them what is possible, I am planning to
hold a religious ritual in Puri in the month of January 2007, to be
>performed by Priests (Pujari) who do not belong to any Brahmin or Upper
caste Hindu. The Puja will also be >performed by Women Priests (Pandita),
again belonging to the so called lower caste. The Delegation of Priests will
>come from South Africa where they have broken all the barriers right at the
grass-root.
Himenda:
I can see your sincereity of
purpose. But I am afraid that the above will not serve the purpose and simply
won't work. Do you know why?
Because, the people in the lower
caste look for a Brahmin Priest. Your ideal, presented with so much effort and
sincerelty, will simply be looked down by the very lower caste people for
whom you are trying uplift.
One will have to go deeper in
Hinduism, digging the past ruthlessly, to find out why the lower caste want
the sanction of the upper castes. Otherwise all these type of reform works are
simply 'galw balw khwlakotor tal'. Just think about this, this is happening in
2005. Lip service to uphold Hinduism simply won't work.
Rajen
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 12:33
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Fw: Caste
System
Dear Rajen,
This kind of things must be stopped in two
fronts:
(1) Laws are very clear. This is a criminal
violation in Indian Penal Code. The perpetrators (the entire village panchayat
in this case) must be punished. During the Suttee Eradication Days in
1829-1837, entire villages were deported to kalapani for life --- that
eventually stopped Suttee. Current recurrences are very rare compared to what
happened in the 1800s.
(2) Law alone cannot eradicate a social evil. You
are very correct to say that the "caste system is very much there in the
Indian blood". We must work to "Change the Mind-set" of people at the
grass-root. To show them what is possible, I am planning to hold a religious
ritual in Puri in the month of January 2007, to be performed by Priests
(Pujari) who do not belong to any Brahmin or Upper caste Hindu. The Puja will
also be performed by Women Priests (Pandita), again belonging to the so called
lower caste. The Delegation of Priests will come from South Africa where they
have broken all the barriers right at the grass-root. The netters should be
prepared to help by raising funds to meet the expenses.
With love to everybody,
Himendra
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 10:44
AM
Subject: [Assam] Fw: Caste System
Ramgopal:
This shows that some Hindus are not allowed to
temple and caste system is very much there in the Indian blood.
RB
hindustantimes.com
BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, December 15, 2005: Another controversy
over temple entry has hit Orissa. In Keraragard village in Kendrapara
district, four Dalit women who entered a temple were beaten and
later fined US$22.24 (a considerable sum) by the village panchayat.
Sebati Muduli, Annapurna Mahali, Jharana Jena and Sakuntala Muduli had
entered the Jagannath temple in Keraragard as a matter of right, as only
non-Hindus are barred from entering some temples. But this invited the wrath
of the priests and upper-caste villagers. After the women were beaten, the
village panchayat issued a decree to recover $22.24 from them -- to spend on
temple-purification rituals. BJD MP Mohan Jena said, "If the women who
entered the temple are Hindus, then why should they be barred from entering
the temple? The mindset of such upper-caste people who oppose the entry of
Dalits into temples should change, otherwise the Hindu religion will
crumble." The priests, however, remained unmoved. Niranjan Panda, head
priest of the temple in Kerargard, defended the practice. "The entry of
scheduled caste people has been prohibited for many years," he said.
Kendrapara SP Pratik Mohanty said: "The district collector has ordered a
probe. Depending upon the findings, the district police will take
action."
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