------------------------------------------------------------------------ * * * 2006 ANNUAL GOANETTERS MEET - GOA * * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHERE: Foodland Cafe - Miramar Residency - Miramar, Goa
WHEN: December 21, 2006 @ 4:00pm More info: http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2006-December/051412.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hi Selma, Even though you have abandoned this thread I would like add one more post to this discussion and this one is to state that I do not question your love for Goa or your loyalty. Unlike our President I do not possess a meter that allows me to measure loyalty and patriotism. We certainly cant compare India to Iran- where lives under a West leaning despot turned into lives under a brutal theocracy with not even an simple experiment in democracy like the one by the Pants from Pune that they undertook as the British were leaving - I know because one of their daughters Aditi Pant was my PhD advisor. But I know why our points of view differ - you were taken as a young girl to the Middle East which afforded you opportunities for a career etc that young women of my age and maybe yours did not have in Goa. As a young woman we had few options - medicine, teaching or working in a bank. Marriage to a well established upper-class man was to many young women the best and easiest option . Perhaps we were used to courts that work slowly, apathetic cops, rude and lazy government workers and a hospital where the poor are treated like dirt by the ones who should be caring for them - we did not know better and many still don't. Buying a car was almost like winning Mervyns's lottery and a phone was Kohinoorean in value as was overseas travel and any other luxury. So when I see the opportunities for the young people of today it pleases me immensely. As you pointed out to Sunith only the wealthy or the upper class could have an education and EVERY job required a sugar daddy. Well now the scene at least from where I am standing is totally different: education is affordable to everyone as is overseas travel which to me is a also great education, there are plenty of jobs to be had based purely on merit and really few want to work in a government office or even a bank. In fact the ICCI bank has such a high turnover that they are no longer able to provide the great service they used to. Old conservative families have changed their outlook and the field has leveled. There is a chance for a better life not just for the upper class but for everyone. However I do understand that you would like to see more happening in Goa and that what I see as advantages may not seem so to you raised as you were in an affluent country. Well its up to Goans now to elect leaders that can serve them better, to insist on zoning laws, better traffic conditions etc And many are doing so. Valmiki Faleiro had some excellent articles on the traffic situation, Clinton and many others are trying to solve the garbage problem. A river had to catch fire before the US caught up to the fact that they were polluting their water sources and Rachel Carson fought a long and hard battle against DDT. We are still reeling over what it is costing us to pay for a war that was endorsed by 75% and now by only 30% - the difference learned the hard way. Even now the US is fighting a severe battle against drugs, guns and obesity. I have hope for Goa and that's why I will be going back again next week - to do what I love best. Meet my friends, neighbors and enjoy the warmth of a great community where Christmas has not lost its spirit! Happy holidays and don't let the gulab jamum lady bite! Helga > -------------------------- > Dear Helga, > > It is customary on this forum to make politically > correct and patronising statements about Goa. Anyone > who doesn't play alongwith the game is soon vilified. > I stopped responding to this thread sometime ago > because apart from the righteous rhetoric there really > > Stating something does not bring into question one's > own loyalty and love for their mother-land. It merely > catapults one into debate and seeking of avenues to > reverse the situation. We must get over this need to > demonise someone with a contrary view and that too > with the most personal of insults. > > Selma > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Goanet supports BMX, the alumni network of Britto's, St Mary's and Xavier's -- three prominent institutions in Mapusa, Goa. Events scheduled from Dec 16 to 21, 2006 For more details visit http://www.bmxgoa.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------