Shuddhi and the Nav-Hindu in Goa: Dynamics of identity politics

Abstract

In a much-publicised event in 1928, a section of the Goan Catholics of tribal origin reconverted to Hinduism. In this highly charged political context, the act of shuddhi framed the event as a straightforward homecoming, masking conflicting underlying interests. Analysing the palpable tensions around this event allows better understanding of how shuddhi was made possible and perceived at the local level, appreciating specifically the vulnerability of the Christian Gauda tribal population. Drawing on archival and ethnographic research, this article rethinks shuddhi in Goa through the changing dynamics of politics, in which new definitions of Hindu identity were being worked out by the Hindu elite. Examining the relationships between the Portuguese colonial state, the local Hindu elite, the reconverts and multiple trans-local connections, the article identifies the formation of a new identity of the reconverts within the broader context of caste and community relations.