GL responds: The following from Roland is a very logical. There is only one minor detail that was absent / lost. The Goans who were ruling Goa did not step-up to the plate to claim the right to rule "Goa's future for themselves, within a broad Indian framework." The Goan rulers of the time were very comfortable ruling Goan under the aegis of Portugal with their retirement plans well secured by their colonial masters / employers. These "rulers" were least concerned about the enforced diaspora status brought upon every generation of Goans. In fact their remittances floated the Goan economy and was welcome to the comfortable rulers and their progeny. That is the take-home message even for today. Goans today (as we see on Goanet) are merely talkers (and now that it is free) writers. That is not how to get things done. All we see today is half-baked ideas from arm-chair thinkers on what and how it should be done; and pass the buck to others as back-seat drivers. Just my two cents. Regards, GL
================From: Roland Francis Subject: Re: [Goanet] The liberation of Goa: How Nehru defied the U.S. and used force against the Portuguese The Praveen Davar article in the Hindu is either half-baked or conveniently omits an inconvenient truth. The much touted claim that the Portuguese were obstinate and Nehru was pushed into a corner by other Indians to use violence against Goa makes fools of thinking people. How about the non-violent approach of allowing Goans themselves who were virtually running the Portuguese administration in Goa, to determine Goa?s future for themselves, within a broad Indian framework rather than violently snatching it from them, thus avoiding the Churchills Kamats and Parrikars, the progeny of louts, to thrust themselves on a virgin Goa of unblemished character.
