From: ssankara@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Sornam Sankara)
Subject: Re: Finally, a few words.. (on intercaste marraige)
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 23:08:11 GMT



In article <lj4s0sINN7d0@bathtub.cs.utexas.edu> raman@cs.utexas.edu (Raman Raja
gopalan) writes:
>
>However, all castes avoid mixed caste marriages, not just the upper castes.
>

     This I agree.  all castes avoid inter-caste marriages, not Brahmin alone.
In fact, according to some statistics I read in some magazine, more no of
inter-caste-love-marriages happening today  are between Brahmin girls and
non-brahmin boys  (please do not belittle this, because I have heard such
remarks by many guys).


>Because.....
>
>There is more to caste than reservations - there are beliefs and habits.

     This is what we have to overcome. I am seeing more Indian guys loooking 
for white American girls and I wonder they ever thought of looking for some 
Indian girls in some other castes.  So white skin overcomes thier beliefs and 
habbits as far as I understand.


>
>1) Not all castes practice vegetarianism.


     What about the vegetarian castes themselves ?


>2) There are differences in clothing:  lungi/dhoti, method of wearing sari,
>   nine yards versus six yards.

     I dont think this is a serious issue because then Indians would have never
accepted pants, shirts, jeans etc.


>3) Different groups use different spices in cooking.

     This is also not a serious issue.  Then why hotels and retaurants are 
attended by all castes ?



>4) There are differences in the spoken language, even if all the groups speak

>   tamil.


     Difference in languages may be a hurdle.  But not the dialects because I
dont know whether anyone really bothers about our own dialects because
everything is mixed with English these days.


>5) Different group celebrate different holidays, and in different ways.
>

     I dot know whether anyone can go to any Iyyappa temple or get "tharppai 
and komiyam" in north America whenever they want ?  All the festivals are
modified according to where they live !



>   There are probably many more things that can be added to the list.
>


  Yes, the caste feeling which has been injected into our blood by our parents
and the society directly or indirectly.  Our parents need not have told us to
discrimnate any othe caste nor they never wanted it.  But we somehow inherit
the feelings in our minds while we grow up.





>
>Don't use the lack of interest in mixed caste marraiges as a tool
>for forward caste bashing.  As in the USA, a person should be able to practice
>his beliefs without government interference.  Your recommendation is saying
>"give up your beliefs and adopt ours or we won't grant you admission in
>colleges or allow you to secure a government job".
>

     Nor the American society prevents anybody not to get married to a person 
just because there is a difference in their taste buds or clothings.




>In fact, the current reservation schemes go further, since they discriminate
>by birth rather than personal habits/wealth.  They are effectively saying:
>"We don't care what your personal habits/beliefs/needs are, even if they
>are identical to ours.  Because your ancestors practiced some habits/enjoyed
>some benefits different from ours, we will reserve seats in colleges and jobs
>against you."
>


The samething Manu said and the malaise  is still not over in any place in
India.


S. Sankarapandi
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil