02-03-2005, 10:21 PM
Viren,
Relax and take your time. I forwarded your dated article and yet it received a great response as below:
<With the graduation of the first batch of curriculum-trained priests in the
state, several Dalit pundits will be ready to offer their services for the
entire range of traditional Hindu rites.>
Amidst all the dismal news that crowd our papers each and every day from
countless corners of the globe, now and again we read about an uplifting event,
a cheerful episode, or a hope-giving occurrence.
Here is one such, and it must give joy to every decent human being, certainly to
all well-wishers of the Hindu world. It is one of many such bright sparks that
light up the dark dimensions of Hindu casteism.
Little by little, such landmarks will increase in number, and before we know it,
<b>there will come a generation of Hindus who will find it incredible that their
ancestors were so dumb and dark-aged that they treated each other with so much
scorn and hate in the practice of their great tradition.</b>
Such is the course of history: struggle and pain all too often, sliding
backwards now and then, many downs in its temporal march, but great peaks
periodically, when History actualizes - and not just in India - the age-old
dream of satyameva jayate!
V. V. Raman
February 3, 2005
Now read this:
<b>No temple jobs for the 100-odd Dalit graduates</b>
Amit Sharma
Lucknow, July 9: The first ever batch of Dalit graduates from
Lucknow's only training school for priests is facing employment blues
of the most humiliating kind.
Around 100 of the 1,025 students who graduated from the Uttar Pradesh
Sanskrit Sansthan this year are dalits. The consciousness of their
caste, which wasn't too evident during their three-month training, <b>is
being rubbed into their faces by those whose preserve priesthood has
been for centuries.</b>
None of them has got a job in any temple yet. And those who have been
performing rituals say they are being obstructed by Brahmins.
Ram Anuj, a dalit priest, says Brahmins forced him to abandon death
rites in a village in Jaunpur district. `I was forced to stop
because I am a dalit,'' he told The Indian Express.
`Though we too perform rituals as per Vedic traditions, we face
opposition because of our caste. None of us has been able to get a
temple job. Even performing our priest's job is tough. How are we to
earn our livelihood?''
As Mayawati cuts a swathe across Uttar Pradesh's caste hierarchy,
imposing her own brand of social engineering, these dalit priests are
learning that in their job market, it's still their caste certificate
rather than their job qualifications that matters.
Ram Samucha, another dalit priest, was similarly thrown out from
Ballia in middle of a ceremony. ``The opposition was not from my
client but from local Brahmins who told me to leave. I had no choice
because of the unified opposition,'' he said.
The opposition to dalit priests is gathering several votaries, and
vocal ones at that. The head priest of Lucknow's Durga temple, Hari
Narain Dubey, threatened self-immolation if any dalit priest was
given a job in any temple.
`We have learnt that under pressure from Chief Minister Mayawati,
temple trusts are thinking of employing dalit priests. If this
happens, all Brahmin priests will stop working in those temples,'' he
said. The state government hasn't announced â or even hinted at â any
such move yet.
`How can dalits be denied the right to perform religious
functions?'' Mahant Ramchand Paramhans, chairman of the
Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas, said from Ayodhya. ``Shabri was a dalit but Lord
Ram ate with her. When Ram did not differentiate, how we can even
think of doing so?''
The Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan, meanwhile, is waiting for funds
to start teaching its next batch. ``We started this course on an
experimental basis, and the selection of candidates wasn't based on a
quota for dalits. But training for the next batch hasn't started
since we haven't received a government grant. We will be writing to
the UP government and the Centre,'' sansthan director Sachidanand
Pathak told The Indian Express.
end
Like me Viren, is your Hindu head now hung low? Or did you feel that the rest of the Hindu world is empty in their heads, leaving Hindu leadership to those who, as SoCals themselves call 'dung heaps riddled with dung beetles' but hispanics and nris' joyously call LA County - city of angels? <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Wat mo do I have to do to tell yu that a security council whip is wat the lousy sleepin' christian bullocks require! Huh? Tell me!
Regards.
Pathma
Relax and take your time. I forwarded your dated article and yet it received a great response as below:
<With the graduation of the first batch of curriculum-trained priests in the
state, several Dalit pundits will be ready to offer their services for the
entire range of traditional Hindu rites.>
Amidst all the dismal news that crowd our papers each and every day from
countless corners of the globe, now and again we read about an uplifting event,
a cheerful episode, or a hope-giving occurrence.
Here is one such, and it must give joy to every decent human being, certainly to
all well-wishers of the Hindu world. It is one of many such bright sparks that
light up the dark dimensions of Hindu casteism.
Little by little, such landmarks will increase in number, and before we know it,
<b>there will come a generation of Hindus who will find it incredible that their
ancestors were so dumb and dark-aged that they treated each other with so much
scorn and hate in the practice of their great tradition.</b>
Such is the course of history: struggle and pain all too often, sliding
backwards now and then, many downs in its temporal march, but great peaks
periodically, when History actualizes - and not just in India - the age-old
dream of satyameva jayate!
V. V. Raman
February 3, 2005
Now read this:
<b>No temple jobs for the 100-odd Dalit graduates</b>
Amit Sharma
Lucknow, July 9: The first ever batch of Dalit graduates from
Lucknow's only training school for priests is facing employment blues
of the most humiliating kind.
Around 100 of the 1,025 students who graduated from the Uttar Pradesh
Sanskrit Sansthan this year are dalits. The consciousness of their
caste, which wasn't too evident during their three-month training, <b>is
being rubbed into their faces by those whose preserve priesthood has
been for centuries.</b>
None of them has got a job in any temple yet. And those who have been
performing rituals say they are being obstructed by Brahmins.
Ram Anuj, a dalit priest, says Brahmins forced him to abandon death
rites in a village in Jaunpur district. `I was forced to stop
because I am a dalit,'' he told The Indian Express.
`Though we too perform rituals as per Vedic traditions, we face
opposition because of our caste. None of us has been able to get a
temple job. Even performing our priest's job is tough. How are we to
earn our livelihood?''
As Mayawati cuts a swathe across Uttar Pradesh's caste hierarchy,
imposing her own brand of social engineering, these dalit priests are
learning that in their job market, it's still their caste certificate
rather than their job qualifications that matters.
Ram Samucha, another dalit priest, was similarly thrown out from
Ballia in middle of a ceremony. ``The opposition was not from my
client but from local Brahmins who told me to leave. I had no choice
because of the unified opposition,'' he said.
The opposition to dalit priests is gathering several votaries, and
vocal ones at that. The head priest of Lucknow's Durga temple, Hari
Narain Dubey, threatened self-immolation if any dalit priest was
given a job in any temple.
`We have learnt that under pressure from Chief Minister Mayawati,
temple trusts are thinking of employing dalit priests. If this
happens, all Brahmin priests will stop working in those temples,'' he
said. The state government hasn't announced â or even hinted at â any
such move yet.
`How can dalits be denied the right to perform religious
functions?'' Mahant Ramchand Paramhans, chairman of the
Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas, said from Ayodhya. ``Shabri was a dalit but Lord
Ram ate with her. When Ram did not differentiate, how we can even
think of doing so?''
The Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan, meanwhile, is waiting for funds
to start teaching its next batch. ``We started this course on an
experimental basis, and the selection of candidates wasn't based on a
quota for dalits. But training for the next batch hasn't started
since we haven't received a government grant. We will be writing to
the UP government and the Centre,'' sansthan director Sachidanand
Pathak told The Indian Express.
end
Like me Viren, is your Hindu head now hung low? Or did you feel that the rest of the Hindu world is empty in their heads, leaving Hindu leadership to those who, as SoCals themselves call 'dung heaps riddled with dung beetles' but hispanics and nris' joyously call LA County - city of angels? <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->Wat mo do I have to do to tell yu that a security council whip is wat the lousy sleepin' christian bullocks require! Huh? Tell me!
Regards.
Pathma
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Pakis have said the same <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->