No, I'm not applying for a Portuguese passport with the intention of settling in Swindon, England. Nor am I contemplating suicide in the near future, using rat poison. I'm only saying my last good-bye to the Goa which I have known, and loved.
Calungute and Candolim - two beautiful villages in north Goa - today can be likened to several places in Mumbai. The ambience: the crowds, the mess which is the village has to be seen to be believed. The road to the world famous Calungute beach offers cheap and unhygienic food, the highlights no doubt are ros omelette and bhel puri. Is this Goan culture or a Goan tragedy or development? Most of the old and cultured people are dead, and some who are alive told me they are living in hell. Apparently, it is no longer necessary to die first to go to hell. All you have to do is visit Calungute. Candolim, in spite of a few starred hotels is surrounded by another big mess similar to Calungute. Expensive hotels and grubby little crowded joints all not too far away. Mumbai has come to stay, and is never going back. Great neighbor, this. In what direction is the compass pointing? People, as in Mumbai, are cheerful and ready to sell you anything as is the culture in this part of Goa. But, then again, we may need a Calungute in Goa. Is there an existential need for it? CM Parrikar when he spoke on gambling the other day noted how there is an urge to gamble in human nature. Are prostitution and drugs also necessary? If so, it might no longer be much of a problem if we can legalize them. Legalize prostitution and the salary of pimps and some cops will dry up. And the women will move up a step or two on the ladders of economy and democracy, and own a larger share of their lives. The same for drugs, some drugs. Ganga and marijuana. There are some countries and states in the US which have done so, making smoking these drugs socially acceptable. And, of course, there are the medicinal benefits for the ill. Every society needs an anus, and so does the body of Goa. There cannot be good without bad, and Calungute is the anus of Goa. I do not say this as a moral crusader, only as someone making a simple observation. As the sound of development gets brasher and brasher, places all over Goa will undergo a change, and we in India can boast of having not one but two Mumbais! A recent report said there are 1,500 illegally built houses in Calungute village which are expected to be regularized soon. A village with a rich history of panchas who have undoubtably grown rich? A great model for unplanned development in Goa? Is this a Guiness world record? Wait until Mopa Greenfield Airport is complete and ready to take off. The history of the north is a migrant culture and will fit in snuggly. Greater Mumbai is what you get! Goemkarponn will be buried under vertical development with flags of Congress-BJP-GFP flying high, and maybe a few portraits of our visionary leaders on the top, too? South Goa, so far, is not bad. With our leaders making Goan farming and farmer identity this season's numero uno tiatr show, don't expect much substance in the upcoming State Assembly. Watch for expected diversions, the big noises made on not so urgent issues which can be put safely on the back burner. And, you will know your friends from your foes. Fish, I'm told, is scarce during the monsoon. Not saviors, though. What fun! Just wait and see! But, then, how many times can we be saved? Don't be taken for a ride. The fat pig of development is a delicious meal, and everyone wants a slice of it. Maybe corruption is something good, as people of all religions have their fingers in the piggy pot. South Goa, so far, is a contrast to the north of Goa and hopefully will stay the same in the near future. Will the size of Goa be reduced to this small area, and when people say, we're going to Goa, they really mean, South Goa? Who knows!? All I know, people who visit South Goa from North Goa should be issued visas. What do you think?
