Paulo Colaco Dias, Hi Paulo,
Thanks for providing all the factual information and explanations to support my observations. It was so good, I saved it as "the English version" of the abstract of the Portuguese books. I fully agree with you that we have to move forward. And there is no use going over the lots of woulda, coulda, shoulda.....:=)) Kind Regards, GL ---- Gilbert Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: ============= My reading of Newman's writings is: There are too much of "opinions" and stories (kaneos) and too little analytic and statistical facts on Goa, its people and its life. Perhaps this is what anthropology is! My reading of Figueiredo's writings is that he gives too much credit to the Portuguese pre and post-1947 and for "the Goeses were Cidades Portugueses, like it or not." Perhaps native Goans did have Portuguese citizenships and a few had a passport. Yet only the native Goans who belonged to the feudal families enjoyed all the privileges that come with citizenship - "The Landed Gentry." Why were there paved roads, water, sewage and electricity ONLY in Panjim? (Supposedly the best in the world!) Yet as last reported, long after 1947, Goa's representative to Portugal's parliament, Senhor DeMello made a specific request to the govt. to grant Goans the same privileges as the native Portuguese; only to be told "we will study that request." This is what was presented and dialogued on this cyber-forum only a few months ago. So my question to Gabriel, if "the Goeses were Cidades Portugueses, like it or not" what was Dr. DeMello asking for, as the records of Lisbon's parliament show? I still find it difficult to understand that if Goa under the Portuguese was good, how come 80% of young Goan men had to leave Goa for post-graduate education and jobs until 1960? What was the thinking of native Goan leaders of the period? Or they just did not care for the masses; after all their own kin were doing just fine. Hong Kong pre-1997 (Special Administrative Territory status) was definitely different and better that mainland China. But it was no Britain for the land or its people; nor a free representative government. Very (comparative) few had and traveled on a "British" passport. Kind Regards, GL ========================================== Gabriel de Figueiredo's response to Robert Newman FITTING IN: COLONIAL OFFICIAL TO ANTHROPOLOGIST > Taking a closer look at writing that goes back a century > By Robert S. Newman > [EMAIL PROTECTED] ... that its culture was utterly unlike that of neighboring India, as if Goa had sprung from the sea like some Venus on a seashell! There is one thing I dislike about Robert Newman and his writings, brief though my acquaintance was with them after having a quick read through half of his book (Umbrellas etc). And that is the dismissal of opinions of some Goans in the manner mentioned above. I have equally read from some publications by authors / visitors other than Goan who say that once they crossed the border into Goa it was like moving into a different environment altogether. >... Major Leal launches into a discussion of other improvements that are >needed in his jurisdiction. The word "Estado" > refers to O Estado da India Portuguesa, the official name for Goa and the > small enclaves to the north. Just a note saying that the above proves that Goa was called the Estado da India Portuguesa (something like what Hawaii is to the US today) long before 1947 - some people claim that Portugal had suddenly turned Goa into its overseas state in 1947 to prevent it from being claimed by Nehru... Thus being Estado da India Portuguesa, the Goeses were Cidad�es Portugueses, like it or not.
