Yes I do remember as a little girl, my grand aunt and grandfather not eating sweets from villagers of the lower caste. For kids caste and religion has no bar and I would happily eat the goodies set aside. Deplorable on the part of our elders.
Bernice Sent from my iPhone > On 23-Feb-2019, at 4:33 AM, Roland Francis <roland.fran...@gmail.com> wrote: > > It’s funny you say that Rajan-bab (Goans owe their nourishment to the labours > of this hardy stock), because I do not recall the landowners in my village or > elsewhere ever giving even an iota of respect to these farmers. > > Not to say they insulted them or ill treated them but there was this > condescending attitude that I see the white settlers in western countries > accord to their indigenous people. > > Goan people of the higher classes known for their warmth and hospitality were > never seen to invite these Gaudas over for a religious feast in the house or > to a family wedding. > > On the other hand I remember the gaudas warmly inviting us for their weddings > with genuine and sincere caring. The invitations were always hypocritically > accepted but the weddings never attended until I as a 20 year old in the > Bombay Welcome-All spirit decided to break with the family tradition and > attend the wedding by myself not only out of a desire to see what such an > event would look like but also out a a sense of fairness. > > It was an evening that I remember to this day. They welcomed my presence to > the extent that I was embarrassed with their kind concerns, they expecting > surely that no one from “the House” true to tradition, would attend. > > The music was earthy, the decorations rustic and the venue al fresco on a > flattened field. The food and country liquor as aromatic and kick-in-the-butt > as it could get. I was quite tickled at the way the young men picked up their > ladies for a dance. No polite asking and receiving; just a pull of the arm > and yank to the floor with the words “Ye Gho” (come on girl). The lasses > expected nothing better. > > In the spirit of the Brotherhood of Man, our people should have treated their > people much, much better than they did. Given a reversal of circumstances as > one sees in Goa today, most of them harbour no grievance. > > Roland. > Toronto. > > >> On Feb 22, 2019, at 5:24 PM, Rajan Parrikar <parri...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Photo Blog by Rajan Parrikar has posted a new item, 'The Farmers' >> >> Children of Goa's soil. >> >> The men and women who break sweat in the fields of Goa belong largely >> to the Gauda tribe, among the original settlers of the land. Farming >> has been their calling for thousands of years, and generations of >> Goans owe their nourishments to the labours of this hardy stock. Now >> with the relentless [...] >> >> You may view the latest post at >> >> https://blog.parrikar.com/2019/02/22/the-farmers/ >> >> Warm regards, >> >> Rajan Parrikar >> parri...@yahoo.com
