This is in response to the interview on the topic of Indian culture that was published in your newspaper on April 12, 2015. Well, the one thing I know about individuals like Dr Manoj Solanki belonging to Hindu right-wing organizations is that they spread enmity amongst different communities of Goa by planting fabricated stories and spreading some isolated anti-minority lies. In the said interview, Solanki is seen somehow trying to malign the image of Convent schools with all kinds of allegations. He says that the Convent schools do not allow Hindu students to put ‘tikkas’ on foreheads, wear sarees, churidaars or other Indian dresses. Why, does Solanki want the Convent schools to organise all types of fashion-show in their premises daily in the name of Indian culture? Doesn’t he know that our schools are sacred places of learning discipline and not of fashion shows? Secondly, he claims that one Convent school in Porvorim was found forcibly making non-Christians to recite Christian prayers during assembly in the hot sun and after his intervention, the said school even went to give a written apology for the same. Well, as far as I know, there are so many schools run by Hindu management’s right in Panjim city and which are making even the non-Hindu students to attend their religious puja’s compulsorily but no one complains or makes a big fuss about it, why? That’s because we Goans are culturally liberal-minded who know that all Gods are finally one and we believe in living in communal harmony/unity with each other. I think that those who know nothing about Goan culture and who operate only to spread hatred against others on pseudo-nationalist/religious lines should immediately stop giving their own lectures of Indian/Hindu culture because whether it is Hindu, Christian or Muslim culture, they all finally give just one message for mankind and that’s the message of love and peace. Another thing Solanki should know is that nearly 60% students who are studying in different Convent schools in Goa are Hindus. He should therefore come in his senses at the very earliest and stop maligning the Convent schools spreading his own isolated lies in Goa. Long live Indian secularism!
Stop maligning Convent schools
