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On Tue, 18 Mar 2003, Aquino Noronha wrote: > I am Goan and proud to be one. > I am an Indian and proud to be one. And the only reason I am not > prouder is because I know so very little about India. > I live in Portugal and proud to be Portuguese. > This is a dilemma facing most Goans, whether living in Goa or abroad, in > Europe, Australia or USA. > Whether Hindus or Catholic we are a hybrid group. We like to be > distinguished from Indians originating other parts of India. They > probably feel the same. I am Goan... and am neither proud nor ashamed to be one. I became one by an accident of birth, and didn't ask to be one. In my lifetime, I hope to do something that would make Goa a little better place than it would had been had one not been around. I hold an Indian passport, and am neither proud nor ashamed to be an Indian. Rather than being dissatisfied with my identity, perhaps it makes sense to contribute in some way to help fight the many problems of the second-largest country in the globe. Also, to appreciate its greatness at another point of history, and to recognise that being part of a wider entity does make sense at some times... and could cut into Goa's interests at other times. That we need to have an open mind about this. And that rather than living in the past, we need to be fair and critical in evaluating the present and how it is impacting us in various ways. As a human being, one is sometimes quite ashamed of the way in which our race is sending the planet on a tail-spin, by overconsumption, war, inhumanity and our own excesses. Ones does agree with Aquino that everyone has multiple identities.... some we choose, others were bequeathed to us. Should we live in the past, in the present, or plan for the future? FN -- Frederick Noronha : http://www.bytesforall.org : When we speak of free Freelance Journalist : Goa India 403511 : software we refer to Ph 0091.832.409490 : Cell 0 9822 122436 : freedom, not price. _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.goanet.org/mailman/listinfo/goanet