Thursday, January 17, 2008

Anil Kumble’s Team is Largely Brahmin. So was Shivaji’s Ministry..

त्र्यंबक शंकर शेजवलकर, 'रामदासांचा उपदेश व उद्योग महाराष्ट्रराज्याला विघातक ठरला काय?', १९४३, 'निवडक लेखसंग्रह', पृष्ठ ३१-३२, १९७७:
"... प्रो. (व्ही. व्ही) जोशांचे 'शेतकरी-राज्य' महाराष्ट्रात स्थापन करणारा शिवाजी सेनापतीखेरीज बाकीचे सात प्रधान ब्राह्मणच का नेमतो?... खरी स्थिती अशी की, शिवाजी जातधर्म , आपपर, उच्चनीच, काहीही न मानता 'अधिकार' पाहून प्रत्येकाकडून काम घेत होता... "

Indian media is angry because Australian media have raked up caste.  

 The Sydney Morning Herald article says: “…The Brahmin caste, which forms only a tiny fraction of India's population, has always dominated the national cricket side. Even today, with the game reaching further and further into the countryside, and the so-called lower orders, the Indian team has a decided flavour with Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, R.P. Singh and Ishant Sharma all Brahmins. Wasim Jaffer is a Muslim, Harbhajan Singh a Sikh, while, of the Hindu players, only Mahendra Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh come from "lower" castes…” 

The other day I read T S Shejwalkar’s article on the importance of work of Saint Ramdas who was a Brahmin. He says:”…seven out of eight members of Shivaji’s 17th century administration were Brahmins…only chief of army was non-Brahmin...” 

Most Hindu Indians are sensitive about caste. Most of them like me marry into their own caste.  Why can’t foreign media talk about it?