Category: Interventions

Al-Zulaij Exclusive, Interventions

Secular — Vishnu Surya Wagh

Secular

I was unaware
Of their technique
To sniff people’s caste

One day, visiting a friend’s house
Encountered his uncle,
Lounging on the balcão
And we began conversing

“Wagh? You’re one of us,”
Uncle smirked.
I felt a pang of anxiety.

Yet, he sought absolute certainty.
So he inquired,
“The Kamat Waghs of Ribandar, kin to you?”

“No,” I replied.

“Hailing from Karwar?”

“No, I’m from Goa.”

“Indeed? Which part?”

“From Dongri? Perhaps the Mahajans of the Rama temple?”

“No. Our goddess is Sati[1].”

Still unable to deduce,
He probed once more.
“Who is your family deity?”

“Shivnath,” I offered.

“From Shiroda?”

“Yes.”

“So…so you are not a GSB.”

“No, uncle, we are Bhandaris.”

A chuckle escaped him.
“Don’t take offense! I asked out of curiosity.
We renounce caste.
Come, have tea.
Caste system has marred Goa.
Who is Baman? Who is Shudra? Who cares?
These divisions hold no meaning.
We should be secular.
We must have a casteless society, you know?”

Uncle waited, anticipation in the air,

I merely nodded

Sipping tea

My gaze, firm on his sacred thread’s descent

Translated by Kaustubh Naik. Illustration by Siddhesh Gautam.

[1] Not to be confused with the practice of Sati. Sati (with a retroflex) is worshiped across southern Konkan and is believed to be a goddess that writes the destiny of newborns on the night of their birth.

Books, Reviews, Talks

A Shortcut to Tipperary Review

By JASON KEITH FERNANDES

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great pleasure for me to release A Shortcut to Tipperary this evening.

There is an interesting set of dynamics between the person who releases a book and the event of a book release. In some cases, it is the person who brings honour to the event, and in others it is the event that brings honour to the person invited to release the book. This afternoon is an example of the latter case and I thank Doutor Radharao for the opportunity. I could think of many others, some present in this gathering, who are more worthy of this task, but I am nevertheless delighted to be able to release the book and share with you my thoughts on the novel. (more…)

Interventions, Talks

What’s going on in India? Contemporary perspectives from Portuguese India By Jason Keith Fernandes

Overview

India seems to be scarily slipping into outright majoritarian rule where an apparent secular liberal democracy is transforming into a Hindu dominated caste polity. It is my argument that this situation did not simply come to pass by some recent accident but is the result of the Hindu nationalism that is hardwired into Indian nationalism since even before British India gained independence. To demonstrate this case, I will draw on the history of citizenship in Goa, former capital of Portuguese India.

I argue that because of its distinct political and legal history Portuguese India offers a useful perspective to appreciate, and critique, the way the structures of British India have impacted on contemporary Indian history. For example, the perspective from Portuguese India allows us to see how a review of the citizenship experiences of Catholics fracture the established Hindu-Muslim binary when discussing the collapse of secularism in India. Additionally, this perspective may also offer opportunities to contemplate the possible futures for India.
Bio note

Jason Keith Fernandes is a researcher at the Centre for Research in Anthropology (CRIA) at ISCTE, Lisbon. He obtained a PhD in Anthropology in 2013 for his research on the Citizenship Experiences of Catholics in Goa. This work was the basis of his book, Citizenship in a Caste Polity: Religion, Language, and Belonging in Goa, published in 2020 which has recently won the Society for Hindu-Christian Studies Book Award (2017-2022).

Jason’s prior degrees include a Masters in the Sociology of Law, from the International Institute for the Sociology of Law (Oñate – Spain), and a Bachelor’s degree in Law, from the National Law School of India (Bangalore – India). His research interests include comparative post-colonial theory, with a special emphasis on Portuguese-India via Goa, his preferred research field, through which he observes citizenship practices, and the operation of secularism in India. More recently he has developed an interest in Catholic theology, convinced that it has lessons to offer us in the current assault on (and collapse of) liberal democracy.

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