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NEW BOOK: 'PATRIOTISM IN ACTION: Goans in Indias Defence Services'
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What I wrote in my last post in this thread refuted the prejudiced claim that
the year 1961 is of great significance as far as public morality in Goa is
concerned. A wise man should first and foremost try to remove all prejudice
from his thinking and perception. I am fully aware that Goanet is not a forum
populated by wise men, and therefore it is hard to remove the prejudiced
fixation on 1961, even in the face overwhelming evidence.
For example, the fact that most schools anywhere in the world do not have, and
have never had, moral studies as a subject before and after 1961 should
indicate to any reasonably wise person that 1961 has no relevance to this
issue. The very fact that spittoons were used in India should indicate to any
reasonably wise person that spitting on the wall was regarded as improper in
India.
A reasonably wise person also knows that it is unwise to draw sweeping
generalizations from individual observations, perceptions and biases. For
instance, if I see a Goan professor who was trained before 1961, accepting
bribes to grant passing marks to his students, then I should not conclude that
it is part of Portuguese culture to engage in this type of corruption and
immorality.
Cheers,
Santosh
--- On Tue, 12/28/10, Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
> RESPONSE : Brilliant Santosh, very brilliant. This is
> exactly the
> perception that I wanted to bring forth. A perception that
> Schools and Colleges
> have no role in Character building of students; by those
> who started schooling
> post 1961. Another post 1961, literate, postgraduate,
> medical doctor recently
> was even on the Municipal election podium campaigning for
> an illiterate. If
> literate, postgraduates have such a perception, what can
> one expect from school
> dropouts who are Ministers? And governing our Education
> system?
>
>
>
> Santosh Helekar wrote : <<< 2-Schools have not
> stopped
> correcting uncouth behavior. They have only stopped
> corporal punishment…3-
> Primary school teachers have better training today than
> they had in the past.
> Everybody has better knowledge of hygiene today then he/she
> had in the
> past….>>>
>
>
>
> RESPONSE : A visit to any Government school will tell you
> otherwise.
> Digging nose or spitting or licking finger to turn pages,
> etc.; don’t you as a
> medical graduate classify these as unhygienic? Why, I even
> see qualified
> medical doctors spitting on roads. And what about food
> poisoning by the mid-day
> meals at these govt. schools? I remember refreshments
> during pre 1961 used to
> be banana & packed biscuits; most hygienic.
>
>
>
> Santosh Helekar wrote : <<< 4. It is not the
> culture of
> India to spit, snort, defecate, etc., in public. Only the
> prejudiced are quick
> to attribute to culture what is so obviously the result of
> overpopulation,
> overcrowding,…>>>
>
>
>
> RESPONSE : This statement is totally false. Go to Singapore
> or
> Europe; equally crowded cities, as there is no way you can
> see Goa of pre 1961.
> Every wall and corner in cities in India are painted red.
> Post 1961, Goa too.
> Spitting is India’s culture, you cannot deny that. Some
> Maharajas and ‘Takurs’ had slaves who used
> to carry spittoons around in
> their palaces. Some silver spittoon can be seen at some
> museums.
>
>
>
>
>
> Remember: “Wise men talk because they have something
> to say; fools talk because they have to say something!”
>
>
>
>
> Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão.
>
>
>
>
>
>
