Hi Barnabe, At present I am feeling euphoric - as I relax in a third floor ocean-front condo verrandah in Indian Harbour Beach in my ultra-comfortable Kashti and take in the crisp Atlantic ocean breeze. I would have to go back to my house which is located across the street from the Beach and sweat it out in the non-AC garages to Re-Search and find the boxed-up "Re-Discovering Goa"(D'Cruz, circa 1989) thesis and research materials - I may be motivated to do that when the temperatures are a bit more cooler - I would never want to sweat it out in my ultra-comfortable Kashti !
I think Gaonkars are not one of the 4 main castes of Goa - it is a term that denotes the original and long time residents of a place, as distinct from the Moradors who are the newer (latter-day) settlers of the place. For example in some parts of Salcete we have the Chardo Gaonkars who welcomed the Chardo "Moradors" or latter-day Sashtikars who fled the plague "zori" in and around Old Goa and settled in Salcete in the 17th/18th century. The Mundkars are the landless tennants who inhabit our vast coconut plantations and other bhats in Salcete (you know we dont have itty-bitty bhats in Salcete, like they do in Bardez) - because they are just to big and remotely located to be looked after on a day-to-day basis by the bhatkars - who may belong to the Brahmin (Bamon) or Kshatriya (Chardo) castes. You must also remember that some parts of Salcete were depopulated in "Portugues Tempar" because many proud Shashtikars fled to nearby Karnataka (mainly to South Kanara - notably Mangalore and a few even to Northern Kerala) when the Portuguese imposed the Inquisition in Goa and harassed the Hindus to become Catholics and they harassed the Catholics to become better, holier, more devout Catholics. The Sudhir are from the lower castes who did the menial jobs for the Brahmins and Chardos who brought along the caste hierarchy to Goa from Kashmir (if they took the direct route to Goa from West of the Vindhyas) like the Chardos or if they took the circumvented route via Bengal like the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins. Hope this clears up any confusion about Goa's stratified society which survived an even thrived in our distinctly Goan "All Goans are not Born Equal" version of Christianity. Best Regards, Dr. Carmo D'Cruz, Sashtikar, Proud Velkar, Even More Proud to be a Kashti-clad Goenkar, In Sunny and Breezy Indian Harbour Beach, Florida >From: "kkbtnt1" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: First Goans >Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 12:43:50 -0700 > >Dear Dr DCruz, > >Thank you for your information about the subject. How they settled in Goa. > >I am interested to know exactly when this happened year or century. I am >from Carmona Salcete presently in Scottsdale Arizona. > >Further more would you have any information how the casts Gaokars, Mundkars >and Sudhir got their titles in Salcete? and of course when ? > >Will appreciate your assistance. > >Barnabe Rodrigues _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
