The Eki-Beki Dispute and the Unification of the Gauda Saraswat Brahman Caste
Xavier Centre of Historical Research
The Eki-Beki Dispute and the Unification of the Gauda Saraswat Brahman CasteFriday, 18 July 2025 | 6 pm
HISTORY HOURThe Eki-Beki Dispute |
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The Eki-Beki Dispute
and the Unification of the Gauda Saraswat Brahman Caste
During the early twentieth century, a caste dispute, known as the Eki-Beki dispute, erupted among a group of historically related Konkani-speaking Brahman castes on the western coast of India. A faction among the castes argued that the variously related Konkani-speaking Brahman castes were originally one caste called the Gauda Saraswat Brahman (GSB) caste, which had split into several sub-castes. They further argued that the time had come to unite all these castes into one unified GSB caste. This faction came to be known as the Eki-faction, which meant the unity-faction. The Eki-faction was opposed by the majority of the members of the above-mentioned castes who disagreed with the idea of unification. This opposing faction came to be known as the Beki-faction, or the disunity-faction. Despite the opposition from the mostly rural majority, the Eki-faction managed to unite these different castes to form the contemporary unified GSB caste. The formation of the GSB caste was initiated by members of these castes who had migrated from different rural regions of the western coast of India to the urban centre of Bombay. Dominant non-GSB Brahman groups in Bombay discredited the migrants as being outsiders of lower ritual status. The struggle of the urban migrants for unification involved the publication of Hindu texts and changes in normative practices, such as dining regulations and marriage arrangements, that affected the long-standing norms of maintaining ritual purity. Despite the opposition, the urban migrants partially succeeded in unifying the variously related Konkani-speaking Brahman castes.
Sammit Khandeparkar
Sammit P. S. Khandeparkar is an engineer with an MBA. He was awarded a PhD in Religious Studies by the Arizona State University in August 2018. He has been awarded valuable scholarships from top institutions, including Arizona State University, the University of Chicago, the American Institute of Indian Studies, and the Social Science Research Council (USA). Dr. Khandeparkar has worked for the prestigious Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi. He has conducted archival research in Portugal and ethnographic research on the west coast of India. He employs Foucault’s genealogical and archaeological approach in his historical research. Dr. Khandeparkar strongly advocates for students to express themselves in their local languages and offers various ways to engage in knowledge creation and expression. Besides written and oral communication, he encourages academic output in other forms, such as theatre performances or digital storytelling.
Nagendra Rao
Nagendra Rao is a Professor of History at Goa University. His teaching and research interests include early India, early medieval India, early modern India, state formation, historical approaches, urbanization, cross-cultural studies, Indo-Portuguese history, regional history, historiography, and maritime trade. He is the author of the books, Brahmanas of South India and Craft Production and Trade in South Kanara (AD 1000-1763). He also edited a book entitled, Globalization: Pre-Modern India. His research articles have been published in national and international peer-reviewed journals such as Indian Historical Review, Studies in People’s History, War in History, International Journal of Regional and Local History, and Portuguese Studies Review. His latest book entitled, East Meets West: The Portuguese in Goa was published by Ethics Press International, UK in June 2025.
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