Only in India: A Brahmin groom for a Catholic bride
Ashley D'Mello, TNN, May 16, 2010, 12.42am IST
MUMBAI: When Winnie D'Souza wanted to marry her daughter into a
'decent' family, she scanned the matrimonial columns of Catholic
periodicals in Panaji. After shortlisting a few young men, D'Souza
made inquiries about their caste. She wanted her daughter to marry a
Brahmin. Most Catholic publications do not list caste categories as
they did 20 years ago, but casteism has not disappeared among
Christians. It has merely become more subtle.
Unlike Bihar, Orissa and the North-East, which have large tribal
Christian populations, the Christians of Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu
remain in thrall to the caste categories of their Hindu ancestors.
Father Augustine Kanjamala, a theologian in Mumbai, has researched
caste among Christians. Caste exists in different forms in various
Christian communities, he says. In Kerala the Christians admitted to
the faith almost 2,000 years ago are called Syrian Christians. They
are better off than Latin Christians, who are mainly from poorer
communities. Syrian Christians and Latin Christians do not
inter-marry. They even have different institutions to train their
priests.
In Goa, Christians belonging to Brahmin or Charado (Kshatriya) castes
are more privileged than the others. They dominate Church institutions
and activities. Father Augustine says that in Kerala and Tamil Nadu,
Dalit Christians are not given much access to Church festivities.
Sometimes they are reduced to having a separate church. Two decades
ago, the graveyards had separate sections for upper and lower castes.
This is changing because some progressive priests have challenged the
iniquitous system.
"In Mangalore, a few families of Dalit Christians have returned to
Hinduism as they felt humiliated living among Christians who
discriminated against them," says Father Augustine. "Caste will not
die out in the Church easily, but in cities like Mumbai, the urban
situation has led to the breaking down of barriers of caste".
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