I have come across in the local media, references to Punjabis, Ismailis and Sri Lankans - the three biggest South Asian ethnic groups - serving this country creditably both in the public and private domains.
Goans are almost unheard of at this level of national, city and corporate life. In my opinion, this is not because there is a paucity of such people but rather due to a sense of modesty that does not serve us well. As a community, we do not deserve this low profile. My way of rectifying this would be to compile a database of this section of Canadian immigrants, using the criteria of Indian origin (broadly encompassing East African, Mangalorean, East Indian and Anglo Indian), of Christian background and with English or Portuguese or Marathi or Konkani as one of the ancestral primary languages. If the person is Goan, I will willingly exclude the religious factor. Inspite of this being a Herculean Labor, I have no desire to involve any organizations in their official capacity in the input. Some of the proven traits of Goans is that they are divisive, reluctant to accept leadership and possess massive, mostly undeserved egos. I apologize for being straightforward. For that reason and having no axe to grind and no agenda to be promoted, I shall personally decide who will go on this list based on different criteria and on case-by-case, after getting information through personal contact by phone, email or a meeting. I would appreciate referrals to people you know that will fit the profile, for this ongoing project which is the best and only help I will require at this time. Roland. Toronto. Sent from Samsung Mobile
