Could it be that the 'It is Now or Never' by Gurunath Kelekar (Herald 13/01/2010) is another of those that keeps exploiting Goan's emotions for the last 49 years? Goa's rajdhani of the intellectuals appears to have once again turned to Mahatma Gandhiji's ideals which, going by experiences of the past, is definitely a cause to be thoughtful about. Is this another of those utterly butterly delicious pastries dished out to us unsuspecting Goans time and again for 4 plus decades? Now that the houses of Goans residing in CRZ areas have been demolished despite the crocodile tears and assuarances given by politicians during the last Lok Sabha elections,we can also expect the resurfacing of 'Special Status' demand for Goa in a few days time. Goa's Assembly elections are just 2 years away. Parrikar has already sounded the bugle according to the local newspapers. We can begin celebrating Goa's 49 years of liberation by understanding the term 'Swaraj' which is well explained in Gandhiji's 100 years old writings in 'Hind Swaraj'. Swaraj is not merely about khadi backed by Goa's CM and freedom as preached by Mr. Kelekar. It is about "Home Rule", as partly reflected in the Seventy-Third and Seventy-Fourth Constitutional Amendments. It is about fearlessnness , self reliance and sustainable development which is the essence of 'Swarajya' and 'Suvarajya'. Does an official status to Roman Konkni script figure in Mr. Kelekar's scheme of Swarajya for Goa? Will the Village Panchayats and Municipalities at the centre of governance fit in Mr. Kelekar's scheme of Suvarajya? Being informed is real 'Swarajya'. To be worthy of supporting a campaign for Swarajya and Suvarajya it is important that we first confirm whether the promoters and their sponsors are ready to accept these dreams of the Mahatma, both in letter and spirit.
-Soter D'Souza
