Is there anyone here who accessed the Goa Archives about 35 years or more ago? Where it was accessible even without technology? I somehow think that it is not just about technology, though technology certainly can help. It is also about a regimen of corruption, which can persist even with technology.
For instance, at the Registrar's office, the process towards registration of sale deeds has been digitised. One would have thought that would make it easier. But approvals of what is uploaded can take sooooo long for some. And the connectivity and other issues including the website being dysfunctional, so to say, can make life hell. The whole exercise can be a nightmare. So while technology can help, it may not be the panacea. There is something more. Albertina On Mon, May 1, 2023 at 9:55 PM sandra lobo <[email protected]> wrote: > He/She is precious, or just a piece of a shameful state of affairs, > particularly at Goa archives? Of course Selma being a women does not help > the situation. For instance, if one does not hold Indian citizenship then > has to pay seven times the price of copying documents, as if researchers > swim in money. The present head of the Archives, Dipak M. Bandekar, > should be confronted with being runing a historical archive in a modern > world. My experience is that sometimes conversation works miracles (not > always). I hope there are still good examples in Goa, as that of Central > Library when under Carlos Fernandes direction. Without his positive > attitude I would have never been able to perform the ample investigation of > my PhD. Good luck, Selma > > > > Sandra Ataíde Lobo > > > https://giepcip.wordpress.com/ > > tmn. ++351 930690459 > > ------------------------------ > *De:* [email protected] <[email protected]> > em nome de John de Figueiredo <[email protected]> > *Enviado:* 1 de maio de 2023 16:43 > *Para:* [email protected] < > [email protected]> > *Assunto:* Re: [GRN] Update about Goa Archives > > Dear Selma, > Please get the name and contact information of the person who helped you. > He/she is precious. > Best wishes, > John > > Sent from my iPhone > > On May 1, 2023, at 2:25 AM, 'Carvalho' via Goa-Research-Net < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > Dear all, > > Thank you for the numerous helpful response regarding Goa Archives. I did > indeed visit the Goa Archives. I arrived at 10am and sat patiently for an > hour. Eventually someone recognised me as the writer and hastened my entry > into the archive hall. This office defied any semblance of modernity and > had an estranged relationship with technology. By some antediluvian method, > I ordered a documented assisted by person who recognised me. I then took a > seat and awaited said document. I sat in a hall full of men who pored over > centuries-old documents with their arms spread on these books, brandishing > felt pens, the documents spine straddled without support. After I saw this, > I felt nausea creeping up and tried to avoid eye contact with anyone, most > of all the clerks in the room. > > I sat for another one hour and could see all the peons chatting but no > document had arrived. I went to the head clerk and asked about the possible > arrival of my book. He nodded to a peon, they laughed, and one frail > creature departed on his search with all the enthusiasm of a man being led > to the guillotine. Finally he returned clutching the holy grail of a book > but when I took custody, it was the wrong book. I went to tell the manager > who sat in a class cabin with the surly look of a government officer, > pressing a buzzer to summon people. He dismissed by not looking up. I did > not wait for the right document because had it arrived, I could neither > photograph it nor photocopy it. I would have to make an application for the > record and collect it 15 days later. So I left. > > Every department, institution and organisation of governance in Goa (and > unfortunately I have had to visit many) is a failure of efficiency, > procedure, custody and care. We are light years away from any semblance of > modernity and our sense of Goan exceptionalism is utterly misplaced. > > The story does have a happy ending. The man who recognised me researches > records for a living and I shall simply hire his services. > > Take care, > Selma > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/1514668968.1207763.1682922322014%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/1514668968.1207763.1682922322014%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/9D48A34D-A844-452E-B373-6932A92C553D%40sbcglobal.net > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/9D48A34D-A844-452E-B373-6932A92C553D%40sbcglobal.net?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/AS8PR10MB62941C448F31108CFB20C4E5A56E9%40AS8PR10MB6294.EURPRD10.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/AS8PR10MB62941C448F31108CFB20C4E5A56E9%40AS8PR10MB6294.EURPRD10.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. 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