Today marks the 51st Anniversary of the Opinion Polls, a referendum which took
place on January 16, 1967. Though the opinion poll happened before I was born,
I got first-hand accounts from my mother and aunts / uncles, the children of
Goa’s renowned Poet, Late Bakibab Borkar. I also have read a few accounts and
essays written by others like my good friend, historian Prajal Sakhardande,
which have been very informative and make interesting reads.
My grandfather Poet Borkar wrote essays and Poems on retaining Goa's identity
in the Marathi daily Rashtramat, some of which have later been published in the
Book “Saasaay”. He used to work in the All India Radio then and though he could
not openly participate, he wrote under the pen name “Komlo”, urging people to
vote for the Union Territory. He also served in advisory capacity to the
youngsters working in the referendum.
Several of Goa’s well known Poets, singers, writers, tiatrists and other
literary and cultural practitioners likewise actively contributed with their
literary skills to prevent the merger. A song from this movement, Channeache
Rati , sung by Ulhas Buyao with lyrics penned by Uday Bhembre, is one of my
favourite Konkani tracks, which I love to listen to quite often.
By no means was the opinion poll a one sided battle. It must have taken a lot
of effort to convince the majority that maintaining a separate identity was the
best way forward. Opinions were vastly divided. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak
Party which wielded a huge influence among the Hindu community pitched heavily
in favour of the merger, while the United Goans Party under the leadership of
Dr Jack Sequeira fought tooth and nail against it. This movement also had other
notable personalities like Purshottam Kakodkar, Chandrakant Keni, Ulhas Buyao,
Uday Bhembre, Dr Manoharrai Sardesai and many others in the forefront, who
campaigned extensively to retain Goa’s identity.
Results would indicate that it was the Catholic community especially those from
the Salcete belt which tilted the scales heavily against the merger. Though
Hindus predominantly were politically with the MGP, a significant percentage
threw their weight behind the anti-merger forces and voted for the two leaves,
the anti merger symbol. This, together, in the end made the difference, the
merger forces losing with a substantial 34000+ votes.
Goa thus managed to retain its separate identity. The Opinion Poll was a unique
historical referendum and we owe a sense of gratitude to all those who fought
to preserve Goa's separate status.
A happy Opinion Poll Anniversary Day to all.
- Warm regards
Sandeep Heble
9326129171
__._,_.___ Posted by: Sandeep Heble <[email protected]>
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