It is not my intention to get involved in this debate other than to explain to fellow Goans what is exactly meant by the word Marathas (Marattas). The Marathi speaking areas of Western India are now known as Maharashtra and hence its people are correctly known as Maharashtrians. Like the influential Catholics of Goa who are now not more than 30 % of the total Goa's population, Marattas too are an influential minority in Maharashtra. But then who are Marattas ? They are the sturdy farmers of the Deccan region of Maharashtra comprising of Goa sized districts like Nasik, Aurangabad, Ahmadnagar, Pune, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur.. Deccan soil is not that rich as Konkan's and this region often gets scanty rainfall from SW monsoons. Hence these farmers have somehow managed to eke out a living from this inhospitable soil. These Marattas are like Chhaddis (Vaisya -farmers ) of Goa. Shivaji organized these peasants into a rag tag army that played havoc in the rest of India and in the process created a Maratta empire that stretched from Peshawar ( in modern Pakistan ) to Kanya Kumari in the south There are other influential minorities like Deshasta ( Desh ) brahmins of Deccan region, and Konkanastha brahmins mainly Chitpavan brahmins who succeeded Shivaji in ruling the Maratta empire as Peshwes (Prime Ministers) Just as in Goa the non-maratta and non-brahmin population are in absolute majority. Antonio
