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International Cuisine Conference on Traditional Asian Diet
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Hi Gilbert
You addressed me on two issues: a) Hitler and b) caste. This came as a
surprise as you had expressed a desire not to continue on both, and caste
especially. Consequently I had stopped addressing you on these issues for at
least three months. However, you now give me no option but to respond.
I had made it clear to one and all (including Bandare, about whom you were
explicitly negative in my view), about the historical evidence that Hitler
was a Catholic from birth to death. However, you have always rejected this
historical fact but provided absolutely no evidence as to when and why
Hitler supposedly ceased to be a Catholic. I humbly suggest that, this is
because you are instinctively a DENIALIST of any reality you find difficult
to face. This includes your denial of the fact of the Inquisition in Goa,
the fact of widespread casteism among Catholic Goans in Goa, and the fact
that Hindu shrines were demolished in Goa for Catholic churches/cathedrals
to be built over them. Incidentally this also happened extensively all over
South America where the Portuguese and Spaniards built Catholic cathedrals
over the temples/shrines of indigenous people to demonstrate their hegemony
and arrogance. Today, many of the indigenous intelligentsia in these
countries, some of whom I met recently in Peru and Bolivia, express much
anger about what had been done to their peoples, cultures and shrines.
At some point I also claimed that Hitler was a 'rotten' Catholic like the
Mafioso and members of Cosa Nostra. After all, in a population of some
billion plus Catholics, there are bound to be some pretty rotten characters
who discredit the faith. To this group I am now happy to add (without
attacking the faith), all those Catholic Goans who believe in caste. It is
fascinating to note how believers in this vile ideology had conned their way
into gaining an aura of respectability in the past.
Interestingly, such an aura of respectability had prevailed in the UK with
some Indians disclosing publicly that they were Brahmins. However, because
increasingly, others like me exposed the racism within caste, suddenly,
virtually no one here says they are Brahmin any more! Change in small bits
does come about when a determined effort is made to bring it about!
Thank you kindly for providing me an obscure reference to a chapter about
Hitler in a new book that you came across. I should like to read it sometime
or perhaps read the reviews of that author's chapter. I hope there is some
worthwhile substance in that chapter. After all, Hitler has been studied and
the authors reviewed at length for over sixty years. There is now a sound
body of theory and fact on Hitler that has stood the test of time but this
is always open to new inputs/challenges to what is known. However, I am
puzzled why you seem surprised that Hitler had considered getting rid of the
Pope at the time and putting his own appointee in his place. This is not an
uncommon occurrence and your fellow Americans have now got rather good at
this activity. They call it regime change!. Further, is it any surprise that
the Pope at the time was worried about what Hitler might do to the Vatican
and to Rome? A demented Hitler, had not only demanded that Paris be razed to
the ground but had gained much practise in doing this to so many cities in
Europe from Spain to the far reaches of the former Soviet Union. Were you
not aware of this?
And now re caste, please note that my writings are definitely not "lofty" as
you say. I am down to earth and absolutely determined to expose to the
widest public, Catholic Goan hypocrisy in relation to the parasitical
accommodation of Hindu caste belief within Catholicism. The two are totally
incompatible ideologically and in their respective belief systems. I have
only just begun on this weighty endeavour despite your expressed displeasure
and that of the casteists in our midst. I should like to add however that,
intelligent so called Brahmin Catholic Goans barely ever challenge my
writings on caste, and indeed, many agree with me, for the simple reason
that they have an awareness that caste, in today's age, is totally
untenable. In my view, it is only the empty vessels who will make some
noises because they have barely any intellect worth talking about. And
incidentally, I leave it to my brother Hindu radicals to undermine caste in
their own various environments, however formidable this task may appear to
be.
You recently stated that I use the word "casteist" incorrectly. So please
let me enlighten you on this issue. To start with, the word caste is used as
a noun as well as an adjective as appropriate in English usage. However, in
a good example, when a poster on Goanet (a bit addicted to verbose English
usage of Edwardian times) had insisted that, a certain former Catholic Goan
Minister believed in caste but was not a casteist, this thoroughly erroneous
view has to be examined.
When someone says he believes in caste, and however this view is mitigated,
that person is not being neutral in the least. The word caste requires
explication because it is loaded and pregnant with meaning. It incorporates
much baggage of interpretations and understandings. Minimally, the term
implies a hierarchy of an unchanging or irrevocable nature. Invariably, the
man 'with' caste believes himself to be at the social apex above millions in
a segmental order beneath him, and well above the lowest level of the former
untouchables now called the Dalits whose very shadow will defile some of the
Brahmins and their Chardo sidekicks! Indeed, all the 'irrational' taboos
associated with purity, pollution, the sacred and the profane etc enter the
equation and are brought to bear on the mind set. The carriers of this evil
ideology of caste are casteists and it is plain dumb, in the plainest
English, to believe that they are not so. Many Catholic Goans are casteists
whether they know this or not or however hard they try to deny this. It is
not something benign but utterly evil and racist in its implicit and
explicit attack on human worth, dignity and rights and it is instrumental in
significantly undermining a given society like Catholic Goan society through
its powerful segregationist tendencies. This is not "lofty" stuff my friend
but plain down to earth stuff that ought to have been spelt out a long time
ago particularly to those who have provided vacuous illustrations of their
thinking on caste on Goanet. Naturally I have assiduously collected their
views including the more interesting bilious private ones!. Often, these
people are not very bright at all but pretend to be so because they thing
they really must be so through a caste fig leaf or appendage to hide
inadequacies. They undoubtedly represent the cancer of caste within Catholic
Goan society.
Finally, let me clarify another error in your post to me regarding my
professional standing. You need to know that this is determined by my
professional peers and seniors in relation to my work output. I am not
dependent for this on any odd ball (I say this kindly) like you, just as I
could not possibly judge your professional work and wouldn't dream of doing
so. So perhaps you ought to reflect on your propensity to judge the calibre
of my articles and of others whom you are rather silly to impugn. Also re
your absurd suggestion that my CV is perhaps enhanced through articles on
Goanet you seem to have absolutely no idea how academia operates. Not a
single article of mine on Goanet can possibly be incorporated into my CV
because my professional articles are totally different, need rigorous
referencing, and then require a rigorous vetting process by a number of
reviewers before an article, chapter or book sees the light of day as a
publication. In any case, my professional work is not about caste or Hitler
whatsoever. Being well equipped with an academic and intellectual apparatus,
this material on Goanet is only a hobby but partly intended to get people
like you to start thinking a little more intelligently!
Perhaps Gilbert, you need to be on my side rather than invariably battling
against me on caste and I hope you will think about this as a real
possibility. I have never been affected whatsoever by this ghastly thing
called caste but I am deeply indebted to Goanet to help expose the absolute
obscenity in so much Catholic Goan caste hypocrisy.
Good wishes too.
Cornel DaCosta, Kunbi Vaddo, London, UK.
PS It was hilarious when a Catholic Goan professor, on Goanet, supposedly
noting my consistent informed attack on Catholic Goan casteists, introduced
his own term of "casters" in a post or two. It is perhaps needless to say
that his meaningless and hollow 'invention' did not survive long!
