--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Add your name to the CLEAN GOA INITIATIVE |
| |
| by visiting this link and following the instructions therein |
| |
| http://shire.symonds.net/pipermail/goanet/2005-October/033926.html |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I Am Alone.
Whenever I come to Goa I take the liberty and opportunity to take part in
public activities in support of public grievances. This time in addition to
actively taking part in meetings for the support of Konkani Roman script, I
also took part in the dharnas and public meetings in support of the
scrapping of Ordinance and PDA. On 11th of this month along with many
activists of gigantic stature, in the morning near Customs House in Panjim,
I participated in the Dharna with a Board in my hand indicating my identity
that I am a Kuwait Goan representing my association and all the like minded
Goans in Kuwait. I was not big in the midst of big Goa based activists nor
my poster was very big but it was enough for everyone to identify me, my aim
and of course to attract curiosity towards me. Some wondered whether I am a
mad man coming all the way from Gulf to raise my voice against Goa
Government's dadagiri of imposition of PDA (Piddas) in Goa. Others were
astonshied to see my love for Goan causes and yet others were surprised for
my guts to be the lone voice of Kuwait Goans, lone voice of Gulf Goans and
lone voice of expatriate Goans. Pressmen and Video Cameras were focussing
on me constantly, reporters were asking different questions. The questions
were such as "are you alone from Kuwait currently vacationing in Goa? Why
others have not joined in this dharna? Are you alone amongst the Kuwait
Goans, Gulf Goans and expatriate Goans interested in Goan causes? One
question was very hurting and that was "Why they now sitting in the bar and
drinking wiskey, brandy, rum in that Bar and Restaurant not joined in this
dharna? They are also from Kuwait, Gulf and elsewhere. Are they not
interested in the good of Goa? They are interested only in the drinks when
they come to Goa?" It is a pity that many of my Kuwait Goan brothers and
sisters, many of my Gulf Goan brothers and sisters and many of my expatriate
Goan brothers and sisters are keeping distance from such activities.
Currently there are hundreds and thousands of Kuwait Goans, Gulf countries
and other parts of world vacationing in Goa but none bothered even
symbolically to show their presence in these activities. Even during the
language agitation in righties I was alone participating in the rallies and
meetings at Panjim, alone taking part in Hunger Strike at Azad Maidan in
support of Konkani, alone receiving Lathis from Ranes hired hawaldars while
many of my brothers from Kuwait, Gulf and abroad were keping distance from
these activities.
The same day in the evening I attended a public meeting and also addressed
it in the midst of enermous crowd. When my name was announced as speaker
somebody remarked that "what is wrong with this man? He got no work in
Kuwait?" This is yet another curious query but when they heard me all were
silent. Mr. Floriano Lobo of Suraj Party and others including Dr. Boney took
lot of pains to organise this meeting which was addressed also by Nirmala
Sawant, Mrs. Victoria Fernandes, Dr. Boney, Godfrey Gonsalves, Eknath,
Sarpanches and leaders from surrounding areas including from Assagao. The
proceedings were nicely compeered by Floriano Lobo himself.
Yet another bizarre incident was that no tiatrists were seen by me with the
exception of only one senior and now retired tiatrist Cyriaco Dias. He is
taking lot of interest in Goan affairs. He was the freedom fighters earlier
during Portuguese time, in Bombay. He is become a lone voice of tiatrists,
while the others are busy making money. Senior and retired Tiatrists like
Cyriaco have not made money by acting in Tiatros, they acted in tiatros for
the pure love of this beautiful art. The current tiatrists are making lot
of money out of this tiatro business and the aim of many of them is only to
make money and forget their obligations towards social causes. To fool the
people many of them will sing hozanas in support of those who are fighting
for the scrapping of PIDDA but in reality they are opposite. And some of
them are such horrible tiatrists that if the Minsiter in question gives them
some monetary benefits they will sing hosanas in support of PIDDA because
these tiatrists are themselves PIDDAS since for the sake of money they will
even sell their better halves.
Once again thru this forum I support all those who are fighting against the
scrapping of ordinace and PDA and they should not stop till they gain the
final victory. This movement is not only the movement of one particular
affected village of St. Cruz, it should be the movement of all the villages
of Goan. This movement should not be the movement of only those who are come
on the street under the leadership of Mrs. Victoria Fernandes (Mummy), this
movement should be the movement of every genuine Goemkar who love Goa and
who think good of Goa wherever he or she may be. We as Goykars we cannot
remain as silent spectators to the dadagiri of Rane Government and Babush
Monsurate. We must fight for justice for our affected brothers and sisters.
We must fight to gain justice for them. Prophet Mohammad was once asked
"When there will be justice in this world?" The reply came thus within a
split of a second, saying " When everyone of us will gather courage to
fight against the injustice committed on to others as if that injustice is
done on to us only and then only there will be justice in this world". It
is time now for every Goykar to be responsible for his duty towards his
"ghanv bhav". I am sure the victory will surely be of ours who are coming
on to the streets. When Karl Marx wrote his Manifesto Das Kapital he wrote
thus " The victory of affected people will surely come but when it will
come? It may come today or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow but surely it
will come and in the year 1917 that victory came as we saw. In the same way
I must say today that the victory of the activists agitating against the
ordinance and PDA will surely come but when? It may be today or tomorrow or
the day after tomorrow but deffinetely it will come and that it is on the
verge of coming is well known thru the fact that yesterday one "kolo" from
Saligao confessed openly his sin of approving that ordinance along with
others and thereby speaking against that ordinance now and today the
Government of Goa's decision to postpone its implementation and tomorrow the
same Governement will take a decision to fully scrap it from its book of
laws. Untill this is done no one should keep silence.
While concluding I must confess, whether by brothers in Kuwait, Gulf and in
the west join me or not but I will go on supporting good causes for the good
of Goa. Let Me Be Alone and Let Me Be My Lone Voice and however Feeble it
may be but I will go on doing what I am Doing even though I AM ALONE.
A. Veronica Fernandes.
_________________________________________________________________
Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE!
http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/
