Was just reading this on goanvoice.org.uk:
UK: Census 2001: Inter-ethnic Marriages
21 Mar: National Statistics. Excerpt: People from south Asian backgrounds were the least likely of the minority ethnic groups to marry outside the group. Just 6% of Indians, 4% of Pakistanis and 3% of Bangladeshis married a non-Asian spouse. ENDQUOTE
Is the implication that any marriage among Asians is "within the group"? Statistics probably hide more issues than they reveal; and how one asks the question would influence the resultant answer.
The figure would come down to 0% if we had to consider all those who married "human beings from planet earth".
Would a Punjabi marrying a Gujarati be considered to be marrying "outside the group"? Likewise, what about, say, a Goan-East Indian marriage? It depends who does the defining, what assumptions we make, and how the 'insider' and 'outsider' boundaries keep changing over time.
... and we have just been discussing caste. Not to speak of religion, etc.
Of course, these are not terribly important issues. It's got more to do with how we perceive them. My view is that Goa has been, and will be, a melting pot of different cultures and people. FN
