I'm Taj. I'm an atheist and have been since I was around 14 or so.
I'm an Australian, my mother was an orthodox jew and my father an anglo-indian syro-malankara catholic. His father (my grandfather) was from Kerala in south-western India and eloped with an English woman.
It was something of a scandal, I believe.
I have four brothers and three sisters. My mother consented to I and my siblings being raised as fish-eaters but exposed us to jewish customs like seder and hannukah and the like.
Ugh. Gefilte fish.
Seriously knishes and latkes are great but some jewish food is simply beyond awful.
As my father was an eastern catholic I (and my brothers and sisters) were considered eastern catholics but because we grew up in Oz we were educated in Latin catholic schools. Like my brothers (I am the youngest of the boys) I was sent to boarding school at the age of 7.
So what does it mean to be a quarter-cast Indian catholic jew? I have an extra set of guilt muscles, I suppose.
Oh yeah, 'Taj' is my nickname. I got it at school. Complexion wise I take after my mother (red hair, green eyes, freckles) and I'm quite tall so I'm a big white Indian. Geddit?
I work in politics as a policy adviser and campaign strategist.
That's about it I suppose.
I'm an Australian, my mother was an orthodox jew and my father an anglo-indian syro-malankara catholic. His father (my grandfather) was from Kerala in south-western India and eloped with an English woman.
It was something of a scandal, I believe.
I have four brothers and three sisters. My mother consented to I and my siblings being raised as fish-eaters but exposed us to jewish customs like seder and hannukah and the like.
Ugh. Gefilte fish.
Seriously knishes and latkes are great but some jewish food is simply beyond awful.As my father was an eastern catholic I (and my brothers and sisters) were considered eastern catholics but because we grew up in Oz we were educated in Latin catholic schools. Like my brothers (I am the youngest of the boys) I was sent to boarding school at the age of 7.
So what does it mean to be a quarter-cast Indian catholic jew? I have an extra set of guilt muscles, I suppose.
Oh yeah, 'Taj' is my nickname. I got it at school. Complexion wise I take after my mother (red hair, green eyes, freckles) and I'm quite tall so I'm a big white Indian. Geddit?
I work in politics as a policy adviser and campaign strategist.
That's about it I suppose.
Religious traditions are the fault lines along which societies fracture when placed under stress. -- Sam Harris.
