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CONVENTION OF THE GOAN DIASPORA FROM GOA INTO THE WORLD
Lisbon, Portugal June 15-17, 2007 Details at:
http://www.casadegoa.org
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Mr. Digambar Kamat, a Science graduate from Margao [Bhatikar Model HS and
Chowgule College] has been a powerful Power Minister since the turn of this
Millenium. He is the first person to get underground cabling for the power
lines. No wonder than that he has power at his feet....while in all other
politicians power goes to their heads!
Digambar was in the band of four BJP MLAs and later in the band of ten BJP
MLAs-turned-Minsters by the back door that Congressman Francisco Sardinha left
unguarded while he got screwed Down Under by the honourable Shri Manohar G.
Parrikar. Dr. Nandkumar Kamat has rightly pointed out in his article in the NT
today [Digambar- a Politician with a difference] that Parrikar never called
Francisco Sardinha a puppet or "dummy" CM while he pulled him by his short hair
for almost a year!
Raju Nayak, former Editor of Konkani newspaper"Sunaparant' and award winning
reporter of the Marathi 'Loksatta' ,wrote in the English language "Indian
Express" yesterday that Digambar is not the siren blowing pilot jeep led
motorcade aficionado like the previous CMs of Goa [Dr. Willy, Parrikar and
Rane]. He drove up to the remote village of Maulinguem-Kudchirem on the border
of Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district to pay his last respects to Dattaram
Wadkar, the Hindi film music composer who I sometimes met at Shrikant Joshi's
farm house. This is Rane territory, but the Chairman of the Kala Academy [shri
Pratapsingh Rane] is not known to have paid his respects to this legend in
music, although he lives close by in Karapur village, also in Bicholim taluka.
On his way back to Margao, Digambar stopped for tea in Marcela, not far from
the Government College at Khandola. Such is the simplicity of our new CM.
On Sunday, the new CM was at the St. Sebastian Church [hitherto known as the
Pandav chapel because of the nearby caves said to be excavated by the Pandavas
during their banishment in the forest or 'van-vas'].
The newspapers are full of advertisements issued by swimming associations,
sports clubs, morning walkers [MW 35 of Fatorda] and a number of Muslim
organisations. Digambar, as Minister of Art and Culture, has not only drawn
praise from the Planning Commission of India but touched thousands of lives. If
under the BJP dispensation his distribution of musical instruments was
restricted to the harmonium and tabla due to party diktats, he opened his arms
to the parish choirs and music schools also during the last Congress-led
dispensation. Digambar is everyone's idea of a true Goan ...practicing his
religion at home and in the temple and, importantly, embracing people of all
religions [and atheists even] in his daily life.
Wrote Joaquim Pacheco from Divar [an island in the River Mandovi across from
Ribandar and Old Goa] "Does he have the fire in his belly? does he have what it
takes? He has walked through fire too many times. The setbacks and unspeakable
humiliations thrown in his face did not kill him; it made him stronger. With
him at the helm, I feel this time his opponents will get burned. Let us give
this brilliant, worthy and committed leader a decent chance of saving Goa." I
am sure most Goans will echo this sentiment, Parrikar's prattle against his
former Minister # 2 notwithstanding. Sour grapes...or is it a case of gripes?
It is a tight rope walk in alloting the ministries. I do hope the Congress
leadership allows him to allot them to just 8 ministers now and keep the 4
carrots dangling to the remaining for some time...until the dust settles down.
He should appoint a dynamic Parliamentary Secretary...and use him as
Mr. S.C. Jamir once served the Prime Minister of India when the precedent was
first established.
Let us all stregthen the hands of Digambar Kamat. He deserves all we can
do...to serve Goa better. He can. We must let him do it.
Viva Goa.
Miguel
Mog asundi,
MIGUEL BRAGANZA, Mhapsa
Horticulturist/Editor/Columnist
Botanical Society of Goa
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