[Goanet] caste - an old story
* G * O * A * N * E * T C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S * Planning to get married in Goa? www.weddingsetcgoa.com Making your 'dream wedding' possible Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 22:51:50 +0900 From: Joao Barros-Pereira Maybe the BJP might make a comeback if it renounces the caste system but that is unlikely, eh? Mario observes: I think that many BJP leaders are Hindu-supremacists before they are castists, though the abomination of caste continues to cast a shadow over Indian society. Fortunately, Indians overall seem wary of religious supremacists of any kind, which is why the BJP is struggling to regain the traction it seemed to have in its India Shining days, even in a country that is 80% Hindu. Some of India's unheralded strengths are deep-seated committments to the principles of freedom and democracy and secularism, which are very difficult to maintain by most less developed countries with a large percentage of poor and illiterate citizens. It is India's founding fathers who should get the credit for inculcating these traits which have continued well after they have passed on, because these traits were not part of feudal Indian culture prior to being colonized. India's primary challenges today, apart from electing honest politicians and being honest themselves, are the acquisition of civic sense and consideration for their fellow citizens and their surrounding environment without which the quality of life will continue to lag behind other emerging countries around the world.
[Goanet] caste - an old story
* G * O * A * N * E * T C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S * Planning to get married in Goa? www.weddingsetcgoa.com Making your 'dream wedding' possible Joao Barros-Pereira writes: "Maybe the BJP might make a comeback if it renounces the caste system but that is unlikely, eh?" Is Joao implying that the other political parties of India have renounced the caste system? Best regards, Dr. U. G. Barad
[Goanet] caste - an old story
* G * O * A * N * E * T C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S * Planning to get married in Goa? www.weddingsetcgoa.com Making your 'dream wedding' possible No matter how well educated an Indian might be, even with a doctorate in some field or other, the intelligence shuts down at the mention of the word - caste!Upper caste Indians start to feel uncomfortable because they have be taught that their good fortune is really a reward for the good things they have done in their previous life or lives. This received theory even makes it difficult to feel compassion for the poor as what they are getting is something long overdue from previous lives. Some political parties which are geared to taking advantage of this mindset such as the BJP are shrewd enough or some might even say, not really, as Indian culture is a many-sided tale with some dimensions of equal importance as caste. However, the game of caste has brought a lot of pain to people of the lower echelons of society and they cannot and will not accept an agenda with reeks of caste. Culture, as we know, goes far wider and deeper than political freedom and Buddhist-supported might have a better chance than communal parties in winning a place of pride in a changing India. Maybe the BJP might make a comeback if it renounces the caste system but that is unlikely, eh?
