| Username |
Post |
| Trailokya Aryal |
Posted
on 18-Mar-02 10:52 PM
Dear BDM,
You are entitled to your opinions and I am to mine, and in a PRIVATE democratic forum like this, I think I too can express myself.
I sincerely believe that Nepal will benifit more in the long run, if there's more inter-racial/inter-caste marriages, because that's the only solution we have left to eradicate the racial/caste biases we have among us.
Not trying to be politically incorrect but one of the worst thing about Nepal is, its a small country (roughly the size of wisconsin) and has more than 20/30 ethnic tribes speaking more than 40 languages! And I have a problem with this. Because of this, there's always this your group vs. my group, this vs. that and the country is still underdeloped (and now on the brink of a civil war).
If you ask me (i know you haven't), I say, inter-caste/racial marriages will, in the long run, creates a pool of NEPALIS who don't have a separate racial/cate background of their own. They will be Nepalis, not bahuns/magars/newars etc.
This will result in a true unification, not classification, and that's what you need to preserve a small country like nepal.
Imagine this scenario: You are a bahun/rai/limbu/newar/tharu and you marry someone from another group, what will be the racial identity of your children? They will be mixed, and they will be Nepalis. Imagine this being follwed by your children.. and their children..and their children. And by the third generation we will all have lost our identities, and we will be just nepalis first, then whatever.
This idea of inter-mixing was brought forth by an american anthropologist, Francis B..(sorry, don't know how to spell his last name), and it worked in America. If they had practiceed endogamy in america, then there wouldn't be any united states today. They would have had Irish country, russian country, french country.
So, my friend, the only thing that can save nepal (if you want to see Nepal after 50 years), then it can only be done through racial mixing. There's no other way out.
Trailokya
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| DivaShah2 |
Posted
on 19-Mar-02 11:18 AM
Trailikya is right.Racial mixing is very important to save our country.
Diva
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| mailikanchi |
Posted
on 19-Mar-02 12:12 PM
I’m pro-exogamy (I am a product of an intercaste marriage and my marriage is an intercaste marriage) but isn’t Mr. Aryal the wrong person to speak about racial/caste biases? Isn’t he the one who started a tirade about how oppressed Bahuns were in Nepal? I suggest Mr. Aryal opens his eyes and accept that after the Rana/Shah’s the ones doing the most oppressing were the Bahuns and not vice versa, then he can talk about racial/caste acceptance.
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| ? |
Posted
on 19-Mar-02 01:04 PM
I am not against of what earlier posters said. But i think we should not forget the beauty of this diversity we have. We can preserve this heritage by contributing to eliminate the social, economic and political discrimination based on caste and race. Tats is a totally different question -how we go about that?
But it doesnt sound exciting to me to dream of a nepal where all people speak same language, put on same attire, eat same food and so on. Just imagine a whole world inhabited by Americans?( that would suck!) Man, diversity is the product of nature. Being the homosapiens our concern should be to live in the harmony , not destroy it.
Finally,trailokya, i dont agree on your take home message. I think, particularly at this juncture of time, the imminent threats to the snepal are not originating fromm the racial conflicts.
>Trailokya wrote
>So, my friend, the only thing that can save nepal (if you want to see Nepal after 50 years), then it >can only be done through racial mixing. There's no other way out.
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| newa |
Posted
on 19-Mar-02 01:21 PM
No way Mr. Aryal. I am happy and proud to be a Newar and the only way I can preseve my Newari identity is by marrying a Newar. Why should I want to marry intercaste and lose my language, ethnic identity, customs, cuisine, and become a generic Nepali? I will fight tooth and nail to preserve my culture. No one can take that away from me.
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| BDM |
Posted
on 19-Mar-02 06:02 PM
Trailokyaji,
In Nepal, the Chettris make up the largest ethnic group. Chettris, and Newars are basically products of inter-racial marriages(not all sub-castes, btw). IMHO, they are the most amicable ethnic groups in Nepal , as they have both Indian and Tibeto-Burmese blood running in their veins.
To know more about Nepali caste system, check this website:
http://www.nepalresearch.com/society/background/social_hierarchy.htm
Westernization *will* lead to more intermixing, for certain. But, I, for one, will go for a Bahun bride. That is my choice; if u want to go for inter-caste marriage, it's your choice, but will your parents allow it? As it is inevitable in inter-caste marriages, you *will* be ostracized. Bahun parents, or even parents of any other ethnic group, are usually very strict about this matter.
About Americans of European ancestry, u said , "they had practiceed endogamy in america, then there wouldn't be any united states today. They would have had Irish country, russian country, french country."
Well, u got to realize that whites *can* be taken as one group. There are *numerous* studies that came up with the conclusion that Europeans, wherever they are originally from, whether Northern or Southern Europe, are very close, genotypically and phenotypically, although Northern Europeans are supposedly a bit purer. So really, they haven't been affected by inter-marriage that much, as from my observation, the usually scenario is a white male marrying a white female. Also, u got to realize that Americans proudly like to flaunt their heritage, even if they are of mixed background. For example, a friend of mine, who happens to be half Greek and half Anglo-saxon, thinks of himself as derived from Greek background. However, even with a cursory glance, one can easily infer that America isn't a melting pot, but a mosaic of cultures living side by side somewhat peacefully. Go to New York, and u'll meet Italian Americans. Go to Pennsylvania, u'll meet German-Americans. Go to Texas, and u'll meet Mexicans. You get my point?
Good luck! You're gonna need it....
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| Trailokya Aryal |
Posted
on 19-Mar-02 07:51 PM
Mailikanchi,
You got me wrong! Yes, i am always defending bahuns from attacks by people who believe that Nepal's present condition can be attributed to bahuns. This I disagree, and I have the rights to defend the group. I always say, as a bahun ko chora, I have my rights to be proud of my heritage, just as you have the rights to be proud of whatever group/heritage that you represent.
However, this does not mean that I am racially biased. Why shoudl i make generalizations especially towards other groups?
Why do i develiop inferiority complex just because i am a bahun? this doesn't make sense at all. And if you go back to my earlier postings, theree you will find that I have defended my views with evidence. And let me remind you that I refrain from generalizing. Why should i assess the whole group based on one/two individuals' performance. I wonder when Kanak Dixit, DBB and Bhattachan are going to realize this.
Newa: you have rights to be proud of your heritage, noone denies that. Do what you please, I'll do what I feel like doing. Good luck in preserving/conserving your glorious heritage and in also finding a nice girl to marry.
BDM: Still some issues unresolved, but a nice start anyways. You too have your rights to choose whom you want to marry and why. And I too have the same. All I want to see is that people in Nepal intermarery for the reasons that I already posted in my earlier message on this thread. Good luck in finding a nice bahun girl to marry.
Trailokya
PS- Don't forget to invite us in your wedding!
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