The Great Goan  "Siddhi Controversy" -2

Letter to the Editor, O Heraldo, Goa published April 19, 2002

Biased View Of History
Sergio Mascarenhas de Almeida

In his article ‘Slavery In Portuguese India’ (Herald, April 10), Shrikant Y Ramani incorrectly mentions me when he says that I “disputed that the Africans were brought to Goa by the Portuguese and that whatever slave trade lasted was in the hands of Muslims not the Portuguese and that it was directed at the regions of India under Muslim rule, not in the Portuguese possessions.”

As is plainly clear in my contributions to another daily, I never denied the Portuguese involvement with slavery in general and slavery in India in particular. Ramani either misread what I wrote or didn’t read it at all. What he says concerning my positions is wrong and misplaced. All I did was to point out that slavery was not the preserve of the Portuguese since it was practiced by many other people, including Goans and other Indians as the Mharnai House Records quoted by Ramani clearly expose. To point at the Portuguese and the Portuguese only is to fall into a biased view of history, something to which I do not subscribe.

On what concerns the Siddhis, I just have two things to say. The first is to point that the study made by Cipriano Lobo leaves much to be desired when it touches the history of the Siddis of Karnataka. Besides, all his inferences on their origin are based on guesses and hypothesis that have no support on clear factual data. Second, I recommend to Ramani the book Africans in India by Dr R R S Chauhan.

Ramani can do a service to himself by reading this book.

Sergio Mascarenhas de Almeida
Panjim, Tiswadi

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Letter to the Editor, O Heraldo, Goa : April 18, 2002

jose colaco

Dear Heraldo Editor,

This is in response to the delightfully written article by SHRIKANT Y RAMANI in 10 April 2002 issue of The Heraldo.

I will take his intriguing references to me as compliments. In return, may I say that his post reminded me of my own jesuit school training in research presentations.

Since the original set of articles were published in The Navhind Times, it is possible that Heraldo readers may not have seen them. I summarize them herewith for their attention. They can decide for themselves.

The articles are available in their entirety on The Goan Forum website at www.colaco.net.

As my original article states quite clearly, The Portuguese were the first known European slave traders from the West African coast. There is enough evidence to conclude that slavery was not invented by the
Portuguese, it existed in India for thousands of years before the Portuguese set foot in India.

The Sasan Gir Sanctuary in Gujarat has a village of Siddhis who are known to have either travelled with a set of Ethiopian princes or brought from Africa by the princes of Junagadh. So, please, let us not give credit to the Portuguese when they do not deserve it.

May I say that I strongly disagree with Mr. Ramani's statement that African Slavery started around 1510. He may also wish to note that the majority of Siddhis are Muslim.

I am pleased that Mr. Ramani accepts that the words “Nearly- 400 years ago, when the British had abolished slavery” are incorrect. That was the thrust of my argument. I further contend that a lot more has to be done before it can be said that the ANYBODY has abolished slavery, especially when one looks at economic servitude.

Response may also be warranted to the following from SÉRGIO MASCARENHAS DE ALMEIDA of Fundacao Oriente :

#3. The conclusion we have to reach is that Mr Siddhi never mentioned the Portuguese in his statements and that, what was written by your Staff Reporter are inferences of his own making.

#5. The question remains: why did your Staff Reporter invent statements that were not there and try to present history this way?

I add one more question: WHO is this unidentified writer / journalist from the Navhind Times?

Not another "Raul", I hope

Good wishes as always.

jose colaco
April 18, 2002

========
excerpts:


NAVHIND TIMES 11:Feb:2002 Page 3
Unidentified writer wrote the following:

1. Nearly 400 years ago, when the British had abolished slavery, the Africans were brought to Goa by the Portuguese for various types of work

2. They left Goa and settled at the Yellapur district in Karwar out of sheer fear of torture from Portuguese...This was stated by the leader of the Yellapur Siddhi Sanskritik Mand, Mr Mingual Anton Siddhi

SÉRGIO MASCARENHAS DE ALMEIDA of Fundacao Oriente
wrote the following: Navhind Times of 14:Feb:2002

1....compare yours Staff Reporter's article with one published in another Goan newspaper, the named journalist quotes Mr Mingual Siddhi in a proper way by reproducing Mr Siddhi's statements within inverted comas.

2. according to the other newspaper, there's no mention to the Portuguese (or the British for that matter) in Mr Siddhi's declarations.

3. The conclusion we have to reach is that Mr Siddhi never mentioned the Portuguese in his statements and that, what was written by your Staff Reporter are inferences of his own making.

4. The Africa to India slave trade existed before the arrival of the Portuguese and continued after it (Since Goa was in Muslim hands before its conquest by Afonso de Albuquerque)

5. The question remains: why did your Staff Reporter invent statements that were not there and try to present history this way?

6. By behaving this way, your Staff Reporter does betray everything good journalism stands for.



on Thu 14:Feb:2002, GABRIEL de FIGUEIREDO opined as follows:

1.  re: 400 YEARS LATER SIDDHIS STILL KEEP KONKANI CLOSE TO HEART. article by ? in the Goa Navhind Times:

The above article seems to be a mischievous bit of journalism, aimed at belittling the good works the Portuguese left behind.



JOSE COLACO wrote to GABRIEL de FIGUEIREDO on Thu 14:Feb:2002 Navhind Times

1. I am not so sure if this is Mischief or plain Ignorance on the part of this so-called nameless "journalist" from the Navhind Times. One thing is certain: It sure is rather fashionable these days, for Goans to bad mouth the Portuguese.

2. I believe Sergio's article is right on target.

3. A good reading of history will reveal that the Arabs took pepper from India and sold horses and African slaves to the various maharajas.

4. On another note...just imagine WHO is talking about slavery....We!, the people who have a history of "dasas" (slaves) and Human Bondage. We, the people who have the largest child labour force in the world!

5. Good, isn't it? And we bad mouth the politicians for being two faced hypocrites.

6. Never mind the sheer ignorance of this NT reporter re: the fact that the British came to Africa several years after the Portuguese "led" the way, but if one calculates as per NT reporter, WHEN the British ABOLISHED slavery ?....it must be around 1602! SURE!!!!

7. My question : Then WHO were these people who created the MASS and ENFORCED transfer of African Slaves to North America until 1865, rather at least until the American War of Independence in 1776?


On 10 April 2002 SHRIKANT Y RAMANI wrote in The Heraldo

1. In an interview during the first Konkani Sangeet Sammelan, M Mingul Anton Siddi had stated that the Siddis left Goa and settled at the Yellapur district in Karwar out of sheer fear of torture from Portuguese.

2. Obviously the words “Nearly- 400 years ago, when the British had abolished slavery” are incorrect.

3. The study made by Cyprian Lobo (Siddis in Karnataka) says that these people must have run away from Goa.

4. The mother tongue of the Siddis in Karnataka is Konkani.

5. They have surnames like Fernand, Soza etc. This certainly reveals Portuguese influence.

6. The African or Negro salvery started about 1510.





BTW: for additional reference

[1]
Human Rights Watch press release, April 1999 states
the following:

London, April 14, 1999: An estimated forty million people in India, among them fifteen million children, are bonded laborers, working in slave-like conditions in order to pay off debts. The majority of them are Dalits. At least one million Dalits work as manual scavengers, clearing feces from latrines and disposing of dead animals with their bare hands.

Dalits also comprise the majority of agricultural laborers who work for a few kilograms of rice, or 15-35 rupees (less than US$1) a day. In India's southern states, thousands of Dalit girls are forced to become prostitutes for upper-caste patrons and village priests before reaching the age of puberty. Landlords and the police use sexual abuse and other forms of violence against women to inflict political "lessons" and crush dissent within the community. Dalit women have been arrested and tortured in custody to punish their male relatives who are hiding from the authorities.


[2]
http://www.countrywatch.com/em_topic.asp?vCOUNTRY=78&SECTION=SOCIAL&TOPIC=CLPEO&\
TYPE=TEXT

Another noteworthy ethnic group, known collectively as Siddhis, are the descendants of Africans brought to India as slaves. Although most Indians with African origins are descendants of the large influx of slaves brought to western India in the 17th century, the first Africans reportedly arrived on the Konkani Coast in the first century during the time of the Arab slave trade. Today, most Siddhis tend to be Muslims and live predominantly in Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and other states and union territories, where they are designated as Scheduled Tribe members.



[3]
http://www.vacilando.sk/research/anthropology/gypsies/gypsiesinslovakia/gypsiesi\
nslovakia_researchpaper.php

The Aryans regarded Aryan life as being more precious than non-Aryan life, and would not risk losing it in battle. So the troops that were assembled to fight the armies of Mahmud of Ghazni were all taken from non-Aryan populations, and made honorary members of the Kshattriya, or warrior caste, and allowed to wear their battle-dress and emblems. They were taken from many different ethnic groups who spoke many different languages and dialects. Some were Lohars and Gujjars, some were Tandas, some were Rajputs, non-Indian peoples who had come to live in India some centuries before, and some may also have been Siddhis, Africans from the East African coast who fought as mercenaries for both the Hindus and the Muslims. This composite army moved out of India through the mountain passes and west into Persia, battling with Muslim forces all along the eastern limit of Islam. While this is to an extent speculative, it is based upon sound linguistic and historical evidence, and provides the best-supported scenario to date. Because Islam was not only making inroads into India to the east, but was also being spread westwards into Europe, this conflict carried the Indian troops - the early Roma - further and further in that direction, until they eventually crossed over into south-eastern Europe about the year 1300. [6]



[4]
http://www.1upinfo.com/country-guide-study/india/india74.html

Still another foreign-origin group, usually known collectively as Siddhis, are the descendants of Africans brought to India as slaves. Although most
African-origin Indians are descendants of the large influx of slaves brought to western India in the seventeenth century, the first Africans reportedly
arrived on the Konkani Coast in the first century A.D. as a result of the Arab slave trade, and there was an important African presence, including several short-term rulers, in Bengal in the fifteenth century. Siddhis (the name means lord or prince in African usage) sometimes rose to prominent--even
ruling--governmental and military positions during the Mughal and British periods.

Most modern-day Siddhis are Muslims and are engaged in agricultural pursuits. They are found in Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and other states and union territories, where they are designated as Scheduled Tribe members.



[5]
m. seenarine (Guyana-1996)

[Domestic slavery, bonded labor and other forms of feudal service existed for
millennia in india.Laboring families were drawn from outcastes of hindu society to perform field labor considered polluting to the upper and intermediate castes, like ploughing the fields. In the labor-intensive paddy-growing regions, dalit groups like the kamias in bihar and uttar pradesh., the halis in gujarat, the adimas of kerala, and the pannaiyals of tamil nadu, were principal laborers.]

Uma Chakravarti. 1985. "Of Dasas and Karmakaras: Servile Labor in Ancient India," in Utsa Patnaik and Manjari Dingwaney, eds. Chains of Servitude: Bondage and Slavery in India. Madras: Sangam Books. P. 35-75; K. Sardamoni. 1980. Emergence of a Slave Caste - Pulaiyas of Kerala. Delhi: People’s Publishing House; and Sudipto Mundle. 1979. Backwardness and Bondage: Agrarian Relations in a South Bihar District. New Delhi: Indian Institute of Public Administration.

The great Goan Siddhi Controversy -1 [return to previous page]

who are the Siddhis? overleaf

India's Caste System: the world's first system of Apartheid [read]