Dear Sapna, I missed being one of the early ones out of the gate on this one. Fasting for 10 days and am a bit weak. But you have received some worthy responses to a large degree--in that all have chosen to see you as quite a genuine person. .
Take this opportunity to state the gory history of Goa. You appear to know something, so just go ahead and say it. Then maintain a dialog or dialogs. You have a right to live in Goa so get a grip and decide what you want to know further to facilitate wholeness. Is it a good life, is it entry into politics, to become an entrepreneur. All possible. Who are these outsiders, and how would it help them? Conquerors do things to those conquered within the purview of their beliefs. This does not mean it is correct. That is power being used brutally to subjugate. What matters is that the insiders as well the Hindus know the reasons that comprised the "gory pasts" and have graciously chosen to live differently from their religious as well as cultural kin in other places in India. But it cannot be condoned and we have not, and yet a lot of water have gone under the bridge. Life is full of hurts and rancour and trust me no matter what anyone may say, the majority of Christians are not living in the lap of luxury. We are getting eroded little by little in a myriad of ways. Hey people can't even allow us to be left as artifacts. Is that not hilarious? If you are talking about unaware foreigners--that is different, but who can help them (avidhya). Is it our duty to tell them about our past? Must we also tell them about the current political and other despicable scenarios in Goan politics? Let me give you an example, and then you can make your own analogies. My mother brought us up on the mandate, "Sot tem sot." That translates as, Truth is truth (or at least it did decades ago); No matter what truth must be upheld; Uphold Truth under any circumstances. The impact was we grew up questioning ever untoward incident, and on top of that seeing irregularities in benign actions. The point is it is not yet clear is that when one seeks truth one must consider (and others do so) what is one going after, Basically we paid a price for it. An example: My brother refused to squeal on the Hindu kids (incidentally not Goan) who caused some mischief in the class, resulting in him kept out side by the Headmistress. He was given the option to name names and then come back in. He refused, in this case believing that it was not up to him to reveal the truth and spare his skin and his future. The future being that it got messed up, weakened his foundation and failed his SSC. But believing the he had "acted truthfully," he proudly (or perhaps with an edge) walked into her office the next year when he passed. That's another strand of truth. This way of being is only now beginning to dissipate. Perhaps mother meant, Right is right, and on account of our weak Konknni at that point we got totally baked. But still I am happy for that. I saw this since the Goan past fits into the life of all Goans in an enviromental (lived) and ecumenical sense. Besides this, out there, are also very aware foreigners. They know how to engage, interact, live and play with people. Do you feel they will be moved if they hear the brutal and temperamental histories in such as way that shifts their interest in a place. In they know the original precise reasons would that not be embarrassing. Unless the narrator lives the axiom, "Sot tem sot." Not likely. The visitors come for experiences, to satiate their interests, strengths and weaknesses, seeking different climes and worlds to indulge in laissez-faire meanderings, to eat and drink relatively cheaply, to visit our museums, to enjoy architecture--Hindu, Muslim, Christian, the Buddhist caves, the Vetals and other older forms of animism, pick up ideas and ways of life that we believe in or have discarded--but which they may be used someplace else, to pick up seeds, to bed women and men and children, to claim newer fetishes, the list goes on. I have an ongoing series of works based on my reflections, :We do not come by our thoughts; they come to us." Where do they comes from, why do they come, how do they generate within the core of our being. I hope you get further worthy responses whether or not it is for scholarship. But what counts is when one first states distinctly so others may follow the trend of ones thought, in that, how is it that that particular "curiosity: arose in the first place. I am not interested in debating anyone on this, but Sapna, do feel free to communicate directly with me if need be. Partly becuase it is also true that Hindus (even cultural ones, as in cultural Christians) rarely respond to such queries. And lastly does anyone believe that many of us even care what the survey says about Bom Jesu or any other edifice? Perhaps those playing their trades where they benefit from such statuses bestowed as a unique selling point. Why? Because, its better to light a candle than curse the darkness (or fumble in it; perhaps, make others fumble). Consider reading these two books if you have not: Pavan K. Varma's, Being Indian. Martin Heidegger, What is called thinking. Translated by J. Glenn Gray. All the best. venantius j pinto > Message: 10 > Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:43:19 +0530 > From: Sapna Shahani <sapnashah...@gmail.com> > > As a non-Goan who's lived here on and off for 20 years, I'm very curious > about Goa's history with the Inquisition. > How is it that the gory history of Goa's past remains virtually unknown by > outsiders or tourists? The Basilica of Bom Jesus is a beautiful building > but > I find it odd that visitors don't know what cruelties once took place in > the > vicinity of the Basilica. > > Would love to hear the thoughts of people on this list... > > Best, > Sapna. > > > ------------------------------ >