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Gilbert Lawrence responds: It is likely that the negative responses on this subject do not speak for many cyberNet native-Goans. Ani amcho Fred was having a bad day. :=)) The point about tourist-spenders in Goa is typical of our response. Please let me gently remind us (from the other end of the globe) that tourism is Goa's number 1 industry, employing 30-50% of native Goans. Some may feel tourists-poixe may not be important to them. Most of us complain /write when we loose it, like our other assets. The US sailors did something as a PR job! True my friend! Why don't the rest of us do the same? We could live with good PR from the poor and the lower caste. Or are we paying lip service? :=)). If my plan of the volunteer work is not priority, why don't you ani others suggest something else? You are the one who will coordinate it. :=)) I should be thanked for planting the 'volunteer idea' on this cyberspace. And let me thank some of you for responding (positive and negative) to this thread and keeping this topic alive. As regards volunteering. Yes! I have done it in my years in St. Xavier's College, Bombay. Twice a year (during vacation break) the college sponsored a two-week Social Service camp. In far off (poor) villages of Maharashtra, after spending our own money, we - about sixty boys and girls (mostly Goans, graduate and postgraduate students) through our own muscle power and elbow grease - built roads, dug wells, dug latrines, repaired small dams, did a paint-job and other manual things. Later as a physician I provided medical care to these poor villagers (and campers) whilst other students did the above. I am not sure that this is still being done- since the Spanish padres are no longer there to coordinate these social service camps. So my ganv-bhav ani ganv-bhoinis, I am sharing with you my personal past and present experience. I hope this will generate some real soul-searching which it is time we-Goans do. We are often good at pointing the fingers at others when we can't/won't do it ourselves. And I am equally guilty of this! So don't you think some of those winter-Goenkars coming to bangarachem Goem would spare a week and volunteer six hours a day in exchange for four hours of borem camaraderie, Konkani sing-song, feni, xitt, nisteanchi kodi or dukrachem mas ani miskutt ani finally a borem vodlem Dev borem korum? :=)) Or do we need to invite those Spanish padres back? :=)) Or does helping Goa mean - just send Poixe!!! :=)) Regards.
