Warriors of the pen BHARATI PAWASKAR / THE GOAN March 07, 2015 [image: Warriors of the pen]5 MORE <http://www.thegoan.net/uploads/news/big_9326_ap13180_e-motion-woodnchrome-fountain-pen_csw.jpg> -A+A
*The Goan wants to celebrate those heroes who dare to stand up and voice their opinion in an increasingly intolerant Goa where goebbelsian style of majoritarian views is clouding other people’s opinion, but sadly The Goan was shocked, alarmed and even pained that a son of the soil is called an outsider while the insiders leave so much to be desired to clean up the system or correct it. Is it a fact that honest voices of concern from Goans living outside are being smothered, as could be gathered from the response received from some letter writers who believe they are just ordinary Goans going about their daily business and who just love and live Goa even though they are not in Goa.* *Others complained that they have been told more than once that Goans settled or living abroad should not meddle in Goa and its people’s affairs or life. They, for this reason, declined sharing their opinions fearing that they might be objected and called ‘outsiders’.* *One letter writer, on the condition of anonymity said, “I have been told that I am not Goan enough to qualify to be a true blue Goenkar. In other words to understand and speak about or for Goa, one must be a Goan born in Goa and not somewhere in this wide world. Goans in Goa feel that outsiders should not meddle with Goa or its business. Being called a non-Goan can be a great handicap to talk and feel like a Goenkar.”* *Another Goan voice stated, “To be honest, I have been bitten by amchem Goans many times. I am now, not twice but thrice as shy to pit myself in the firing line for Goa.”* *Dr Francisco Colaco:* *A consulting physician, cardiologist and pioneer of echocardiography in Goa, Dr Francisco Colaco (MD in Medicine), has two specialization stints in the USA and has been practicing in Goa for over thirty years. He is a social activist, column writer, Mando exponent, musician, singer, composer, song writer and a man with deep faith in God* “I have been writing letters to local dailies and weeklies for a decade or more. If I did not do it earlier it is because my medical studies kept me far too busy. I am fairly satisfied with the response. By far the readers have been appreciative. But since I do not mince words I do get bouquets as well as brickbats. My letters cover arts, music, corruption, nepotism and infringement of human rights. But my greatest preoccupation has always been communal harmony. I had predicted long ago that, if we do not pull our socks, Goans would be totally polarized on communal lines and the minorities would have to fend for their lives. We even formed a socio-political group of Hindus, Catholics and Muslims –‘Lokshakti’ to fight mainly against the communal virus. We had spotted the number one enemy of Goa, who would hand over our beautiful land on a silver platter to the rabid RSS. But there were few takers, a lot of critics and ‘xannes’, who dismissed us like a ‘dirty rag’ with the convenient excuse that they were ‘apolitical’ and what not! It was at this time that we went ahead with great courage despite threats to life and limb and I wrote the greatest number of letters and columns against communalism and because I was so open I was being harassed and followed like a shadow by RSS activists who wrote back with stern warnings and hits below the belt. To sum up, you will surmise that my letters have not made difference as far as my objectives were concerned. Therefore, I feel most of the times dismayed and frustrated. But, despite all, despite warnings and threats, I propose to continue to write and express myself without hesitating to call a spade a spade until my last breath. I remember the quote of Julien Smith, “You will never be entirely comfortable. This is the truth behind the champion – he is always fighting something. To do otherwise is to settle.” *……………………………………………………………….….* *Adv Aires Rodrigues:* *After a degree in Political Science, Sociology and Public Administration, Aires Rodrigues pursued law studies to enter the legal profession, which was always his dream and endeavour right from his school days. He was privileged to be associated with various social and public movements beginning with the 1979 student agitation to demand 50 % bus-ticket concession for students. Over the years he has taken up various issues of public interest to the Bombay High Court at Goa as well as to the Supreme Court.* “I started writing while in school over four decades ago. It has always been my passion. While I am aware that some people may not like what I write, I firmly believe in speaking out one’s mind. Writing againstinjustice is no easy task. But nobody has been able to intimidate me. I have never been cowed down by any threats of consequences that I have had to face for writing fearlessly. I am satisfied that over the years I have been able to pursue a lot of issues without holding any office, whether a panch, sarpanch, MLA or MP. One does not have to hold any position to serve the cause of justice. In recent years the Right to Information Act has been a big aid and a handy tool in fighting for what is right and in exposing rampant corruption. Through my articles and letters have been expressing my views in local and national papers besides sharing my thoughts on various cyber based networking sites and social media. Penning on the political landscape has interested me. Politics today is no longer a mission, not even an honest profession. It has been abridged to a scoundrel’s last resort. It has become a ruthless business, with morals and ethics twisted, thrown to the winds, and long buried deep in the slush of ignorance and *thuggery*. Those belonging to a genre of politicians with qualities of head and heart cannot survive on today’s political turf. Freedom of speech and expression is today a tall order. People are scared of expressing their opinion for fear of being targeted or retribution from the powers to be. The government has become very intolerant to public criticism and the media is obviously under intense pressure to go soft if not toe the government line. Nevertheless, I am pleased to note that some editors have been fearless in publishing my letters, even though the contents are not to the liking of the Government of the day. A lot of people do write to me appreciating my writing and the views expressed therein. One has to be ready to brace the critics too. I always welcome healthy, constructive criticism. It only strengthens my resolve to keep on writing as the ‘The Pen’ is mightier than the sword. I have never held a personal grudge against anyone about whom I have raised issues in my writings over the years. When highlighting an issue, it is bound to hurt some individuals. Have I hurt one too many? One has to have the spine to write against things that are wrong. I will continue to highlight in my writings any injustice that I see. Nothing shall deter me and my commitment in this regard. The fact of having one’s fingers chopped off is but a small price one has paid in the bigger battle against corruption and injustice. Every citizen certainly needs to be vigilant. This is especially so in current times when the voice of the Opposition stands decimated both at the Centre and in Goa. It is incumbent on every citizen to be a watchdog. It would be nice to see more citizens write on issues that concern us. Looking back over the last four decades, I do not regret having taken up any issue I did. At times one pays a heavy price in fighting public causes but one has to maintain the spirit and keep on fighting. Life is a short voyage; a journey – the end of which we know not. So let’s keep up the fight. I have been writing to express my views on current affairs and issues of public interest. Penning thoughts on the political landscape has always interested me. Politics today is no longer a mission, not even an honest profession. It has been abridged to have become a scoundrel’s last resort. It is now a cut-throat business, with morals and ethics twisted, thrown to the winds, and buried deep in the slush of ignorance and*thuggery.* Those belonging to the past genre of politicians with qualities of head and heart cannot survive in today’s political pitch as they now have to be thick skinned and hypocrites to the core, having to be ever ready to breach and bend all the rules to survive. It is distressing to see and be witness to the continuing rampant destruction and devastation of Goa. In 2012 we were promised a ‘Parivartan’ and in 2014 lured again with ‘acche din’, but Goa is sadly getting further corroded beyond recognition. It should have been the endeavour of those in power to at least salvage and safeguard what remains of Goa. Unfortunately Goa is getting defaced at an electrifying speed. Posterity will never forgive the rulers of recent years for their selfish and dubious role in this irreparable damage and destruction of what was once a beautiful Goa, the Paradise of the East.” ………………………………………………………………… *Stephen Dias**: **Former scientist of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) who joined the National Institute of Oceanography as a Technician in the year 1974, Stephen Dias participated in the capacity of scientist in international surveys with scientists of other countries as a representative of the Indian Government. He has led the instrumentation team on various sponsored projects for Goa state as well as in other ports / harbours of India and abroad.* “I started writing letters to newspapers since 2004, after I retired from my government duties. When I was a government servant, I used to write only on scientific / technical research work and avoided writing on political issues since it was not allowed under conduct rules. Since English was not my medium of instruction, I sometimes make mistakes in my letters, and my detractors love to mock me for this. However, I believe content is more important that packaging, and I will continue to speak up even though I may not always have the perfect words. The feedback from readers has been excellent, especially from overseas readers. I have my own Blog where I post my letters and the readership has been consistent and appreciative. I believe my letters are read throughout the world. In fact, when I decided to stop or give a gap, there was a tremendous response requesting me to continue. It is not always that my goal is achieved once the letter is published. At times, when the newspapers have taken up a cause I raised, it has resulted in immediate action. However, more often all that results after publication is some awareness that over time builds up into action. My letters are the first small step to creating awareness. A vigilant citizen must be active and vocal in exposing illegal activities going on, and the indiscipline in government administration. However, without co-operation from the government, newspapers and other watchdog organizations, there is a limit on how effective a lone citizen can be. ……………………………………………………………………………………… *Arwin Mesquita:* *Born in Goa but brought up in Kuwait Arwin Mesquita came down to Goa due to the Iraqi invasion in 1990 and completed BSc in Computer Science here. Joining the JCI Goa (Colva Chapter) led him towards service to humanity / community. After graduation he worked in Pune before returning to Kuwait and completing MBA. He runs a blog, an adivasi-rights resource centre, a Facebook group on Goa’s identity movement and an official government site NRI office (Goa).* “I started writing from 2006. This was after I was on break in Goa and actually wanted to see in detail what the state had to offer NRIs as I was considering my return to Goa; however I un-expectedly got to see many critical issues affecting Goa at that time. Interested in giving back to my community I had joined a Colva Club based in Kuwait. I am based in Dubai since 2005 and come more frequently to Goa. I believe that we have an obligation to help others and make things better for where we come from, instead of just selfishly only thinking of ourselves and our own families. I write letters in all leading papers in Goa. The response from the editors is good though I do feel that some of them have their political / business compulsions when they avoid printing. Readers admire my courage for penning some really bold pieces. Yes, there are critics too but most of them have vested political interests. The letter is one of many modes to achieve the goal of getting things right. A vigilant citizen should participate actively and be vocal regarding the day-to-day happenings around. All of us should be vigilant citizens. A big reason for the problems in Goa is because this is not happening. ………………………………………………………………………………………. *Dr Joe D’Souza:* *Joining as a young lecturer of Centre for Post-Graduation Instruction and Research of Bombay University in Goa 1974 Dr Joe D’Souza continued after the Centre merged with the Goa University until he retired in 2005.* “I was drawn into writing humorous middles and letters, articles, comments on aspects of environment protection and sustainable development. It is my social responsibility to place before the people of Goa, the latest development in the field of science, health, agriculture, environmental and social sciences. I have penned on the contemporary issues like AIDS, genetic engineering, solid waste management, river pollution, fish diseases, ground water pollution, mangrove massacre, mining and its impacts on the eco-system, use of bacteria in micro biological mining, restoring ecosystems by microbial amendments etc. My endeavour is to simplify complex scientific data and innovations and make them reader friendly. It is a matter of satisfaction that whatever was published has received appreciation from the readers. Writing keeps me connected with editors and the public at large. ======================================================
