As I had written in response to Santosh / George, there may be politics of guilt, but guilt without repentance is of no great usefulness. And guilt followed by dispair could be disastrous, like tha case of biblical Judas who got his 30 pieces osf silver for betraying Jesus and hanged himself! Hence, I remain convinced that to feel the guilt one needs to publicly admit one's place in the evil system and feel sorry for his / her conscious or unconscious part in it! Charde incriminating bamoon, and sdhir incriminating bamonn and sudir, and outcastes incriminating them all, will not take us anywhere! Shadow-boxing that is going on though the Goanet debate is an exercise in futility. A charddo financing the studies (or adopting ) of some poor bamonn kid or other caste talents and vice-versa (just an example that could be extended to other sorts of assistance in needs) could help us make some dent in this system.
Teotonio R. de Souza -------------------------------- Cip wrote: ...... It is really heartening to note that Mahanth Sudhir Pujari has initiated a process to undo the 75-year-old mistake and has decided to adopt 25 Dalit students on behalf of Janasthan Peeth. He would also bring up 50 children and educate them properly. Though very belated, at least Mahant Sudhir has made a beginning and this should be an eye-opener and also an example for others. It is unfortunate that even today the discrimination against the Dalits is rampant, notwithstanding a number of legislations protecting their rights and providing for penalties. It has been proven time and again that mere laws are not enough for social, political and economic empowerment of the Dalits. What is needed is a strong social movement to create a discrimination-free society. This is the message that Mahanth Sudhir has sent forward on behalf of his erring grandfather.