On Mon, 28 Jul 2003, [iso-8859-1] Bernado Colaco wrote: > Bring back the standards. Even the Gomantak a pro > bharat newspaper speaks about hygiene and health > (contrary to the phd Gracias). Goa's premier > journalist Fred Noronha reports on Farmacia Hindu's > Vaidya account of the farmacia situation before the > fado of Goa in 61. > > Bring back the standards to overcome failures of 41 > years. > > Tell Remo not to worry about the intentions. It his > Portuguese connections that have helped him launch in > the bharat market.
Hi Ole Xac: Anyone not stricken by Lusostalgia would concede that there were things wrong with the colonial administration. Likewise, someone without blinkers on would also admit that there were some positive things about Portuguese rule. This does not mean that colonialism, as a package, was a preferable option. Rightly or wrongly, a large section of Goans today feel they are better off after 1961 than before. Contrary to what the William Dalrymples suggest, the views of the Donna Georginas in Loutolim remain a perspective shared by a limited number of Goans who had it good pre-1961. My guess is that for a large section, including those in the diaspora (who have some perception of Goa but often may not have much contact), it just didn't make a significant difference. In 1991, when one did a story on the people's responses three decades after the demise of the Portuguese regime, I asked around for the three best and three worst things that happened to Goa after the 1961. It would seem that those who were more priviledged (and there weren't many of them, statistically speaking) felt nostalgic about the past. It cut across religious lines. One can't say it also cut as readily across class / caste lines. The barriers are there for anyone to see or study. This happens, on a lesser scale though, in former 'British India' too. But, at the end of the day, should we be just obsessed with this one issue -- what would Goa have been, had it continued as a Portuguese colony? Thanks for your compliment, but I really don't consider myself nor ever claimed to be "Goa's premier journalist". Yes, I have been active on the Net since the mid-nineties, so there's a lot of my cyber-litter scattered all around. But cyberspace does not equal Goa, and simply being visible doesn't make one "permier". FN ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
