RAMBLINGS By Floriano Lobo Of : "Revolutions , Agitations & Celebrations"
June 18 has always been a day of looking back and introspection for many a serious minded Goans and June 18, 2005 might not have been very different. Was it Dr.Ram Manohar Lohia who was the catalyst in the already sizzling pot of the Goan revolution or was he the one who sowed the seeds of the fight for liberation in the minds of Goans? I must confess that I am quite ignorant on that count, as I have not had the opportunity to sit with history books nor had the inclination. It is said that more serious things like looking after one's stomach takes priority. And once that need is satisfied and assured, one can afford to sit in the balcony and watch butterflies or read history books or think of driving away the Portuguese or the Garbage or the Politicians or worst still, 'fake freedom fighters'. I was a little late to witness the commotion at the Azad Maidan, Panjim, on this memorable Revolution day (Kranti Din) a few days ago, when Dr. Wilfred D'Souza surreptitiously wanted to be included in the pack of wolves, which of late, has become diluted with a lot of starving hyenas. I would have loved to include myself in the pack too, for, have I not witnessed the aerial bombings that took place on 18 December 1961, which was scary? Did I not witness the town of Mapusa abuzz with camouflage-dressed Portuguese troopers with LMGs and half-tracks? Did I not see all the mango trees lining the Mapusa-Tivim road at Karaswada, their trunks bored, through and through, to hold gelignite sticks to blow them up (which luckily didn't happen) to block the advancing Indian Army? Did I not take the bomb blast, 4 kms away, at 4.30 a.m. which blew off the Mapusa bridge? Did I not scratch and cut myself to run into brambles and bushes to collect the liberation leaflets that were thrown from the helicopter in which Libia Lobo Sardessai was announcing that we have been liberated and that there was no cause to panic? Surely I too have taken the brunt of the ferociousness of the Portuguese and their ferocious dogs when they came tracing the escape route of the satyagrahis who had shot dead the Portuguese police capo at the Betim outpost, a year or two before the white flag went up. All this should surely qualify me to get me into the list of Goa's freedom fighters just like Dr. Willie wants to get himself in it after 43 years for walking in some procession in some place other than Goa and perhaps holding a flag or a banner. But later in the afternoon, when I addressed the revolutionary computer teachers who are agitating and begging to be in the classrooms to teach in this academic year instead of being on the roads in heavy downpours. And I used this opportunity to denounce political leaders like Matanhy Saldanha, who, in the guise of expanding the agitation against the Meta Strips, wanted to burn buses and inconvenience the people as well as put the state to a loss. This, to caution the agitating computer teachers to stay away from anything that will inconvenience the common people and erode their sympathy towards their cause. And I used this opportunity to slam the freedom fighters who after liberating Goa, promptly went to sleep, but in their waking hours preferred to stand in line to collect their pensions and get their children and family members into government jobs. And I also said that if any freedom fighters should be around listening to what I was saying, I couldn't care less. And I have also told the agitating computer teachers that their mere gathering near the freedom mausoleum on the revolution day, braving the rains, was the starting of another freedom struggle, this time, the struggle against the Goan-Portuguese, to bring about a revolution for Economic Freedom, for, which government of the people, by the people, for the people will want to put 593 young graduates on the roads on empty stomachs when all they want is to go back to their respective schools and teach? It is said that the next world war will be fought for 'WATER'. In Goa's context, I would like to expand the 3rd. World War a little further: for 'JOBS' and for 'GARBAGE'. Goa's successive governments have not realized the seriousness of this and have been jumping like monkeys to occupy positions of power and pelf. If they have been only half as sensible, they would be running away to save their skins, because the people of Goa has had enough of their monkey tricks. It is evident that they are not interested in putting any sort of 'system of administration' in place and have not 'vision '. Each one wants to create an oasis for himself at the cost of GOA. It is told to me that when a Japanese delegation came to Goa to explore the setting-up of golf courses, they were told that Goa has chronic water shortages. Their visit having been during the monsoons, the delegation is believed to have been shocked. "You have so much rain and still you have water problems?" was what they had to say, I am told. The other day, when we had the first heavy downpour of the season, I ran out to block the roadside gushing gutter to divert the water into my compound. People who saw me had a good laugh. A true Moidekar indeed. Why on earth would you want to take all this water into your compound when everyone wants to divert the water away from theirs? was the question asked to me by one. I told him "I am filling my compound until it becomes a swimming pool so I can swim". So much for rain-water-harvesting. Pre liberation saw two major industries in Goa, apart from the mining industry. One was the Caju factory in Cumbarjua (1st in the world) belonging to Zantyes and the other, the Canning factory by Costas in Margao. The opening up of the industrial scenario in Goa after liberation benefited outsiders because of the fact that Goans had no exposure nor the industrial training at that time. With only a few technical schools in Goa the scenario was as expected. However, the government should have gone slow in opening-up Goa's industrial sector, first making sure that Goans are sufficiently exposed to the industrial climate. The same scenario is looking in our face with the proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Hopefully, the Industries & Labour Ministries coupled with GCCI will make sure that only those units (such as IT , Pharmaceuticals etc.) are allowed to be set up, that will absorb our educated and trained unemployed as well as offer opportunities to Goan NRIs and entrepreneurs to avail of the opportunity to set up shop in the SEZ. At any cost, those industries that are labour intensive and/or polluting, should be avoided, since Goa does not have labour, and, polluting industries are unwanted. Also the SEZ proposal should ground the new initiative for IT-industrial estate for Socorro, Porvorim. And coming to the garbage scenario, it looks like Goans are becoming indifferent to seeing garbage strewn everywhere. Walk into the Mapusa city or town or whatever one would like to call it, one sees nothing but garbage, even to the extent that the World famous Mapusa market flaunts a garbage treatment facility, hastily built without any application of mind, for God's sake, at the entrance to the fish market. I don't know if it is the expert brains of the people at Goa Foundation or at the musical chairs Mapusa Municipal Council, but any such brains should first think of placing such a facility away from the market itself. It seems that Goans have graduated themselves to eating and shitting in the same place. Mapusa Municipal Council boasts of having a 'Garbage Disposal Consultant'. "Mathew Pereira.! Does this treatment facility have your blessings?" We would certainly like to know. When I said world war will be fought (in Goa) over garbage, I was considering that garbage would be sought a commodity which will be sought after like 'gold' which in fact it is, if properly treated. But looks like it will be used like snowballs in a snow fight. And if the latest songs of the canaries from Duler and Khorlim of Mapusa are to be believed, the longstanding rumours get credence. Our next Legislative Assembly session could be more amorous and celebratory than ever before with the jelebies, laddus and peddas flowing from the opposition as well as from the ruling benches. This will go a long way to prove that secularism has scored over communalism. Or could it be the other way round?? This proves right the old saying that 'there are no permanent enemies, only permanent friends' Cheers
