This is in response to Dale Luis Menezes’ “Temple and Mahajans”, in Herald, dt. 30 March, 2016. I, however, see that his article is only targeting religious institutions dominated by the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSBs) or Bammons, as they are known. Further, I also see no connection between the Medium of Instruction (MoI) issue and the Madkai (not Marcaim, please) temple issue. Let me clear at the outset that I am against any discriminatory practices which exist in temples, including the hegemony of the Mahajans belonging to the same caste in which I was born (but I have no regard whatsoever for caste). However, it shall be pertinent to make a few observations:
1. I agree with Dale Menezes that religious institutions in Goa are controlled by GSBs to a great extent, and that those who contribute their labour to the temples (right from sweeping the temple to decorating it during celebrations and playing instruments during the ceremonies) are Bahujans.
2. However, this is not the case in just GSB temples. It is a fact that temple and Matths (monasteries) in Goa are controlled by various castes, right from the GSB controlled temples in the Antruz Mahal to the Tapobhoomi Peeth controlled by the Bahujans. Some temples like the Shri Mallikarjun Devasthan of Canacona are managed by the Kshatriyas, while some temples like the Mahalakshmi Devasthan of Colva are managed by the Daivajnas. Do these temples managed by non-GSBs allow the persons other than which belong to their community, to enter the sanctum sanctorum of their temples? The general answer along Goa is a big no, sadly. (The famous temple in Goa which allows all Hindus to enter the sanctum sanctorum is the Shri Vitthal Temple in Vitthalapur, Sankhli, thanks to efforts of the temple trustees led by Pratapsingh Raoji Rane).
3. Across many Churches too, the confrarias are under the hegemony of the Catholic bammons and charodi communities. Even many Church feasts are dominated by these two communities.
Menezes should not try to confuse readers or mislead them, by mixing the MoI issue with the Madkai (repeat, not Marcaim) temple issue. Some of the leaders of the BBSM included eminent Bahujan personalities like Prashant Naik, former President of Margao’s Konkani Bhasha Mandal. In fact, the BBSM even today contains leaders and members across all communities.
