[Assam] Fw: Caste System

[Barua25]

>To show them what is possible, I am planning to hold a religious ritual in Puri in the month of January 2007, to be >performed by Priests (Pujari) who do not belong to any Brahmin or Upper caste Hindu. The Puja will also be >performed by Women Priests (Pandita), again belonging to the so called lower caste. The Delegation of Priests will >come from South Africa where they have broken all the barriers right at the grass-root.

Himenda:
I can see your sincereity of purpose. But I am afraid that the above will not serve the purpose and simply won't work. Do you know why?
Because, the people in the lower caste look for a Brahmin Priest. Your ideal, presented with so much effort and sincerelty, will simply be looked down by the very lower caste people for whom you are trying uplift.
One will have to go deeper in Hinduism, digging the past ruthlessly, to find out why the lower caste want the sanction of the upper castes. Otherwise all these type of reform works are simply 'galw balw khwlakotor tal'. Just think about this, this is happening in 2005. Lip service to uphold Hinduism simply won't work.
Rajen
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Himendra Thakur 
  To: Barua25 
  Cc: Ram Sarangapani ; Manoj Das ; assam at assamnet.org 
  Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 12:33 PM
  Subject: Re: [Assam] Fw: Caste System


  Dear Rajen,

  This kind of things must be stopped in two fronts: 

  (1) Laws are very clear. This is a criminal violation in Indian Penal Code. The perpetrators (the entire village panchayat in this case) must be punished. During the Suttee Eradication Days in 1829-1837, entire villages were deported to kalapani for life --- that eventually stopped Suttee. Current recurrences are very rare compared to what happened in the 1800s.

  (2) Law alone cannot eradicate a social evil. You are very correct to say that the "caste system is very much there in the Indian blood". We must work to "Change the Mind-set" of people at the grass-root. To show them what is possible, I am planning to hold a religious ritual in Puri in the month of January 2007, to be performed by Priests (Pujari) who do not belong to any Brahmin or Upper caste Hindu. The Puja will also be performed by Women Priests (Pandita), again belonging to the so called lower caste. The Delegation of Priests will come from South Africa where they have broken all the barriers right at the grass-root. The netters should be prepared to help by raising funds to meet the expenses. 

  With love to everybody,
  Himendra





  ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Barua25 
    To: assam at assamnet.org 
    Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 10:44 AM
    Subject: [Assam] Fw: Caste System


    Ramgopal:
    This shows that some Hindus are not allowed to temple and caste system is very much there in the Indian blood.
    RB



    hindustantimes.com

    BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, December 15, 2005: Another controversy over temple entry has hit Orissa. In Keraragard village in Kendrapara district, four Dalit women who entered a temple were beaten and later fined US$22.24 (a considerable sum) by the village panchayat. Sebati Muduli, Annapurna Mahali, Jharana Jena and Sakuntala Muduli had entered the Jagannath temple in Keraragard as a matter of right, as only non-Hindus are barred from entering some temples. But this invited the wrath of the priests and upper-caste villagers. After the women were beaten, the village panchayat issued a decree to recover $22.24 from them -- to spend on temple-purification rituals. BJD MP Mohan Jena said, "If the women who entered the temple are Hindus, then why should they be barred from entering the temple? The mindset of such upper-caste people who oppose the entry of Dalits into temples should change, otherwise the Hindu religion will crumble." The priests, however, remained unmoved. Niranjan Panda, head priest of the temple in Kerargard, defended the practice. "The entry of scheduled caste people has been prohibited for many years," he said. Kendrapara SP Pratik Mohanty said: "The district collector has ordered a probe. Depending upon the findings, the district police will take action."



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