Uniting Halves of Cross on Easter

Uniting Halves of Cross on Easter at Papua New Guinea

Remigius de Souza

Sr. Alice, SMMI, a Keralite nun, left India some years ago for Papua New Guinea to serve the tribal for rest of her life.

She told us a tribal custom there. On Easter two rival and fighting groups reconcile and unite. Each of the rival groups carries a half cross and reaches the Church and combines the half with other half in reconciliation. That's Tribal Wisdom.

The benevolent and the do-gooders of civilised societies may wish to give the tribal their ways of life. I have met many such people who refuse learn from the tribal, and who think they are superior culture. But who will civilise the civilised world of constant conflict and chaos?

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© Remigius de Souza, all rights reserved.

Trial of Jesus of Nazareth

Trial of Jesus of Nazareth
Remigius de Souza

The trial of Jesus, whenever I read, remember, reminded of, or hear, it shakes me. It, I feel, is the most remarkable, extraordinary and unique, among all the trials – in fiction or facts – over two thousand years of civilized world – may be before, in the past, in the contemporary times and in the present. It tears open the reality of the great divide between law and Justice. It does not even spare the bloodstained history of the Church, the Christian nations, and the institutionalised religion – as a matter of fact, all the institutionalised religions of the civilizations.

When any society becomes a stagnant pool and refuses to flow any more, it stinks and the creative ability of its civilians hits the bottom. They notice the scum of the civilization that floats, they – impotent of any creative thought and action – believe what they see – the scum to be the truth, their true leaders.

Through this Holy Week I have been contemplating on my grand mother (my mother’s mother) whom we called Mai. Mai taught me the Doctrine, at my young age when I was at my native village, thankfully, no any priest or a nun. Well, the priest used to visit the village three or four times in a year. My mother also taught me still Mai though an illiterate peasant was indeed powerful. They both were in and around my daily living then. The lesson is best learnt by example than by rote or preaching – at home or at any university.

There was an event of conflict in our community among some families that I had then heard. A Panchayat – a meeting of the elders to resolve the issue – was called. Mai spoke in protest for a young woman, almost a girl, who was at disadvantage, as usually happens. At last one of them, he was her namesake, surrendered before Mai, “Rujai, I give up. You would make a lawyer, even a barrister, shut up!” What he meant she is illiterate but not ignorant. What he definitely meant was she hailed Justice above law.

22-03-2008
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© Remigius de Souza, all rights reserved.

Tribal Holi on Good Friday, 21-03-2008

Tribal Holi on Good Friday, 21-03-2008
Remigius de Souza


Holi festival and the Cult of Tree worship have animistic origin. The tribal of India have been celebrating Holi festival and Tree worship even before the emergence of civilised society. Indic societies have assimilated both, which are attached with various meanings and rituals.

Holi festival goes on for five days with dancing, singing, drinking toddy, arranging marriages, fishing at village lakes, visiting fairs etc.

Such coincidence of Holi and Good Friday on same day takes place at intervals. A Catholic priest once told me of an event that took place a couple of decades ago, a true story.

The missionaries had invited the new Catholics of tribal communities in North Gujarat on Good Friday that was also the day of Holi. Nearly 5000 Catholic adivasis – aborigine – reached the place.

In their traditional way they – adivasis – prepared for the feast; they cut bull and prepared food for 5000 people for the occasion. The priests and nun were stunned by this coincidence, as Good Friday is the day of abstinence and fasting.

Any the priests and nuns couldn’t do anything about it but participate. I wonder what would happen today! There is more than what meets the eyes!

22-03-2008

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© Remigius de Souza, all rights reserved.

Singur Land: Small Print - Fat Money

Small print - Fat money for Singur SEZ
by REmigius de Souza

Here is a news item that appeared in the Times of India, Mumbai Edition, on page number 23, a size 4 cm x 8 cm. We wonder who and how many may have noticed it.

Tatas and the media have done their duty to make it public. Of course, those filed the case in the Calcutta High Court must be aware about this verdict. So what next?

What remains to be seen is how the money would be disbursed, among whom? How much part the people would receive? How would be spent for the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation, over the next 90 years? What may be the condition of Tata Motors in the fast changing environment of industry and natural resources? How long Tata Motors will continue to produce the same product, or will it change in the coming years? And what the long-term and short-term plans are for rehabilitation of the affected people? The government and its agencies may continue to get money from Tatas for 90 years, but who guarantees that people will continue to receive the compensation?

There are more questions than answers.

I quote the news here:

Tatas to pay Rs 1k cr for Singur land
Kolkata: Tata Motors on Wednesday informed the Calcutta high court that it would pay West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation an amount in the region of Rs 1,000 crore in a phased manner for the Singur land lease of 90 years for its small car project. Stating that the land was not gifted to the Tatas, their counsel produced the deed of lease executed between WBIDC and firm indicating the premium and rent that Tata motors would have to pay on different slabs of increase.
The case was heard by a bench of chief justice S S Nijjar and justice P C Ghose on a PIL challenging the acquisition of land at Singur. AGENCIES
Publication:Times Of India Mumbai; Date:Aug 23, 2007; Section:Times Business;
Page Number:21

The news get old very fast; life of people, land and waters, however, continues to get affected for decades, centuries, when planners and producers have passed away long ago.
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Remigius de Souza

© Remigius de Souza, all rights reserved.

ARCHETYPES INDIA (Image)

Archetypes India banner 1

Archetypes India banner 2

Archetypes India banner
by Remigius de Souza

India is not a hand-held map of land with boundaries that were subjected to change time to time in the past; future is merely a speculation.

She is the land and waters and all the living beings that sustain on land and waters; they don’t sustain on the governments, either in the past or now. They are beyond the boundaries of castes or creeds, sects or religions, dogmas or ideals…

Indian archetypes are the imprints carried through unknown time on the minds – subconscious / unconscious / deep conscious / conscious – whether does one want to recall, understand, reflect, contemplate, recollect or rebel against.

Archetypes India – an abstract representation of reality or super-reality or virtual reality – is metafiction.

We discover India, thereby ourselves, and the world, through Community, Culture, Environment, Ecology, Energy, Natural and Rural habitat, and Urban Planning.
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Remigius de Souza

15-03-2008

© Remigius de Souza, all rights reserved.