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'Barbarism in the 16th century doesn't excuse
barbarism today'
How Readers responded to Kanchan Gupta's last column
Date:
Tue, 16 Mar 1999 09:03:54 -0800
From:
"Reddy, Anil" <Anil.Reddy@actel.com>
Subject:
Goan Inquisition!
Bravo Kanchan! For your courage to dig deep into our Hindu soul and uncover the painful past. It is a shame the English media has systematically, under the colonial and now 'pseudo' colonial Western/Sonia influence, has buried this as inconsequential. Well, it is NOT! I am originally from Hyderabad settled in Silicon Valley, Calif, but I am responsible enough to search for the truth and prosecute whoever hurt Hindus/Hindustan wherever they are.
Anil K Reddy
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Date:
Tue, 16 Mar 1999 12:56:12 -0500
From:
Dean Dudani 33B40 x4543 <ddudani@angels.att.com>
Subject:
Kanchan Gupta
This is a great journalist/writer who has:
The interest of Indian society at heart
Goes the extra mile/effort to get facts from history
Is aware enough not to be taken in by the fake stories of the pseudo-secularists/Islamic terrorists/Christian crusaders
Keep up the good work.
Date:
Tue, 16 Mar 1999 17:34:53 -0500
From:
Ranjit Kohli <rkohli@lehman.com>
Subject:
The Goa Inquisition
It is perhaps the nature of the BJP that instead of just saying anti-Christian violence is bad, they need to say anti-Hindu violence by the Portuguese was worse. That they have to go back 300 or 400 years to dredge up the heinous acts of the Portuguese to counterbalance TODAY's anti-Christian violence is to be expected from a party that has been a vanguard of criminality.
Date:
Tue, 16 Mar 1999 19:06:28 -0800 (PST)
From:
Pankaj Mhatre <pankaj_m@yahoo.com>
Subject:
Kanchan Gupta
I am not surprised to see the same logic at work that wants a mosque demolished to build a temple. What is not understood by such people is that history cannot be repealed. I know the motive behind this is basically to make the Christians today suffer for the supposed excesses of Christians a few centuries ago.2
In the same vein, I would ask all the lower caste Hindus to sue all the upper caste Hindus all over the nation for the centuries of discrimination and inhuman treatment. How long will we allow people like Kanchan Gupta to keep dragging us into past centuries? What will make us look to the future instead of feeding on corpses? If Portugal or the Vatican does issue an apology, would that make our lives better?
Shortly we shall be asking the British to apologise too. And then the Moghuls. And the Greeks! Remember Alexander invaded us? How can we forget those atrocities? Heck we can probably get a couple more rath yatras out of all this!
Date:
Wed, 17 Mar 1999 09:10:51 +0530
From:
Chezhiyan A <chez@india.tek.com>
Subject:
Goa Inquisition
I would only say that you stop publishing irrational articles by people like Kanchan Gupta. Your site, which till now had maintained a secular image, seems to be going the Hindutva way. This is not good for you and for the nation. Why delve into our past and try to find fault with the
others? Christian-baiting seems to have become a favourite hobby of the BJP. Kanchan Gupta, I guess, should start writing more about the atrocities on dalits, the misdeeds of the so-called higher castes, and the inequality prevailing in the Hindu society. This would serve the nation better.
Chezhiyan
Date:
Tue, 16 Mar 1999 23:42:20 EST
From:
VINODSARLA@aol.com
Subject:
Kanchan Gupta
As a god-fearing and peace-loving Hindu, I thank Rediff for discovering rare journalists such as Kanchan Gupta. The Portuguese government should make a formal, public apology to Hindus and the rest of humanity for the atrocities it committed in its former colonies.
Dr Vinod Prakash
Date:
Wed, 17 Mar 1999 10:16:02 +0530
From:
njoneja@hss.hns.com
Subject:
Goan Inquisition
I am not sure of the facts on the Goa inquisition, and hence shall not try and rebut any of the statements made against them. Instead, I will take them in good faith and move on from there. I assume Gupta has his facts correct, although political rhetoric has often been laced with "facts" that are apocryphal, or at least grossly exaggerated.
The point here is that Portugal and the Portuguese king may have been Christians, but they were not the Church, just as the RSS and its associated fundamentalists in India are Hindus, but are not the Hindu religion. When one recalls the evils inflicted by a Christian king, one can condemn him. But you cannot condemn his religion just because he happened to follow it and happened to be a fundamentalist proponent of it. True, the Church is not all good. True, in the past, it has been associated with deeds that are not in the least bit benevolent. But religions and attitudes evolve. Can we not live in the present instead of the past? And does the past justify a violent present? I don't think so.
Enough of fundamentalism! If you want to propagate your religion, work at it, instead of harming others. Or are we as myopic as the Church was in the Dark Ages? We Indians should have two words for fundamentalists of all kinds: Grow Up.
Date:
Wed, 17 Mar 1999 11:03:19 +0530 (IST)
From:
"G. Ananth Somayaji" <gs_ananth@india.ti.com>
Subject:
Goan inquisition
I would like to appreciate the fervour of the author Kanchan Gupta, but would like to point out that the present spate of communal violence and sudden surge of forced conversions, or reconversions to Hinduism, cannot be justified because of this. It might be true that the Portuguese tortured the Hindus during their rule. But where is our sense and dignity?
If we continue to do the same thing as they did then, what is the difference between them and us? Aren't we announcing to the world that we are a bunch of barbarians who are not capable of anything except violence?
I would also like to point out that Hinduism is a very broad religion. I sincerely believe that everyone is a Hindu even if s/he is Christian or Muslim. It is the half-knowledged persons who perpetuate such violence and cause bad name to Hindus. There are many instances in
our history where great saints have told that if a person thinks he is a Hindu then he is a Hindu, and there is absolutely no need for any ceremonies for conversion. In fact in the long list of ceremonies described in the texts of Hinduism, there is not one that is supposed to be performed during conversion.
I would also like to urge you not to publish such type of articles in future. If you want to, please make sure that you include an article which speaks about the other side of the picture, so that people get a fair idea of the real thing. It is very easy for people to get influenced by such type of strong talk. That can be dangerous.
Ananth
Date:
Wed, 17 Mar 1999 05:56:24 PST
From:
"Mahesh Kalla" <dhutt@hotmail.com>
Subject:
Kanchan Gupta
If I had her email address, I would have forwarded this column to THE GREAT JNU BRAND, HINDU BASHING lady historian. I would have loved to read her rebuttal.
Incidentally, she was so pathetic against Arun Shourie in a recent television programme.
Mahesh Kalla
Malvern
Date:
Wed, 17 Mar 1999 11:37:23 -0500
From:
William Rapose <billr@geotel.com>
Subject:
Kanchan Gupta - Inquisition excuse
Kanchan Gupta needs to be informed that barbarism in the 16th and 17th century does not excuse barbarism today. In his words:
"Compare these excesses, these crimes against an entire race and religion, committed in the name of Christ, though not decreed by the man who Christians believe is god's own son, with the shrill cry of denunciation we hear today about 'excesses' against Christians."
Yes, the Portuguese (and the British and the Mughals and the Marathas and the Romans and the Huns and Vikings) committed horrendous crimes against humanity in the names of their gods and devils. But those who operate with a sane mind do not compare or justify today's crimes because of what the Mughals or Portuguese or other warmongers did, unless one secretly admires their methods and wishes to emulate them today.
Let me remind you, Kanchan Gupta, that this is the 20th century, with an independent India guided by the rule of law and a secular constitution guaranteeing the freedom of religion and beliefs, not the freedom to destroy and kill people over differences of religion or politics or caste.
William Rapose
Date:
Wed, 17 Mar 1999 10:57:24 PST
From:
"BANDY BURKITT" <babu_13@hotmail.com>
Subject:
Kanchan Gupta's article
The Goa inquisition was a real shame on the fair name of Christianity. The colonialists of the medieval ages -- the Portuguese and the Spanish -- thought that they were doing something noble. The genocide committed by the Spanish in Mexico and other South American countries and by the British in North America should be taught to the youth. How cruel can man become in the name of religion? The holocaust on Jews is nothing compared to the wiping out of innocent Africans and Red Indians.
I am happy that at least now, Mr Gupta brought this fact of inquisition to light. I also compliment Rediff for publishing this wonderful article, caring not a damn for the cries of the misguided columnists like Vir Sanghvi, Saisuresh and D'Souza.
Bandy
Date:
Wed, 17 Mar 1999 13:03:15 -0800
From:
"Bhartendu Srivastava" <bsrivastava@sprint.ca>
Subject:
Goa inquisition
This article opens our eyes to the Church's cruelty on the Hindu society. One should read the book written by well-known American Christian leader Billy Graham's son, in which he has slandered Hinduism, and also the Pope's book in which he tacitly ignores the Hindu thought (or thoughts). The Indian government is always so eager to welcome these personalities to India to appease the Christian community to get their vote.
I hope somebody will take appropriate action and lobby the government to press the Pope to issue an apology.
Thank you Kanchan Gupta for researching this and informing us.
Bhartendu
Kanchan Gupta
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