Dears, First of all ...Good morning and all other forms of Greetings to the non-casteists and casteists alike!
I take this liberty of selecting quotes from different posters on this topic. At the foot, a brief personal concluding comment - for this post. The quotes: [1] Anesimo: (The caste system) still shows its ugly head when it comes to marriages and social functions, specially in Salcette. [2] Bosco: If true, why would we not talk about caste and address it head-on. [3] Frederick: If we close our eyes, will it go away or wot? FN [4] JC: jc - sub Harijan Kunbi or lower (if there is such a classification) [5] Cecil: Harijan and Kunbi are two different categories to the best of my knowledge. You can't be both. It is a clever way of saying "I don't believe in the caste system, but rest assured I am not low caste." By using the word 'lower' you are already part of the problem. You are assuming that Harijan/Kunbi is low. [6] Mervyn: Selma, you were proudly beating your chest, informing us of the so called caste of your Christian hubby. Sadly enough, 500 years of Christianity has failed to remove this stigma from the Christian Goan. Caste, the propagation or the status quo of, remains regressive thinking to me. What really kills the concept of caste, is education. It is possible that this is not going to make sense to you. After all, not only are you acutely caste conscious, you have gone to the extreme of describing your fellow Goans, as ..... CONCLUDING COMMENT (jc): I agree with Anesimo and Mervyn. There are NO grounds (not even Campal) to support the position that One can practice the caste system and be a Catholic at the same time. If there are, please provide the references which I can forward for verification to the Vatican. On the other hand: Reviewing DNA profiles will (possibly) guide us to realise that the MAN-MADE "Caste" Apartheid was/is just like that "first cousin" in South Africa. The "casteists" came from without and held/hold tyrannical reign over the natives on the basis of their Varna (colour). The "technical" revision having been noted. I end this contribution by borrowing from Mervyn: " It is possible that this is not going to make sense to you" AND repeat that: The term Catholic "bamon" or whatever ...is IMHO, an oxymoron. jc
