THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE A BLOWING OVER GOA.
By Leslie St. Anne The ethos of any culture is determined by its traditions creatively and collectively expressed in art, literature, music, dance, architecture and sport that are dependent on factors, external such as environment, and those that are inherent as determined by ones spiritual and human beliefs. It is with this perspective in mind that one may dare to analyse the drastic social changes that have overtaken this tiny State of Goa and her people during the last 55 years since ‘liberation’ from the Portuguese in 1961. To understand the Goan psyche one must delve into Goa’s ancestry. Goa or as it was known by her many past ‘avatars’ ranging from “‘Gopakpattan or Gomant’, in the Bhisma –Parva of the Mahabharata,‘Govapur’ in the Suta- Samhita,‘Gouba’ by geographer Ptolemy to ‘Gopapuram or Gove’ by the Kadambas,has survived through several Dynasties--the earliest known being that of the Mauryas.” Thereafter, this ecological paradisecame under the rule of the Satavahanas, Kshatrapas, Chalukyas, Rastrakutas, Kadambas, Yadavas, Delhi Sultans, Vijayanagar Rulers, Bahamani Sultans of Deccan and finally Adhilshahis of Bijapur, before Alfonso de Albuquerque annexed it for Portugal in 1510. Undeniably, both Hindu and Muslim eras of governance have left indelible marks of influence on the lifestyle and customs of the indigenous Goan, but without dispute it is the four and a half centuries of Portuguese “firangi” rule that has moulded the unique Goan character that is a blend of Western and Eastern cultures without compromise on religious allegianceallowing for a harmonious existence of hercitizens. It is this peaceful social fabric of the past that is now in danger of being torn apart by the lure of ‘materialistic’ and digital empowerment popularised by unscrupulous politicians under the cover of ‘development’.Post-liberation;the flood-gates have been thrown open to ‘investors, realtors and hoteliers from the rest of India, who have ravaged Goa’s fast depleting natural resources. For many a native, Goa’s “Halcyon Days” were during the Portuguese era. Nostalgic memories of those who lived in Goa at that time painted a picture of a theocratic administration that ruled with a firm hand without interfering in the simplistic life-style of the ethnic citizen and their exceptional system of agrarian-based self-governance and community living that gave birth to the infamous“Code of Comunidades”.Recalls a retired Goan seafarerwho lived in Goa in the fifties, “The Portuguese may not have given the State a solid infrastructure, like roads, electricity, and water in rural areas—since they concentrated more on urban( City ) development---but, they instilled in one a‘discipline and respect of law’ with minimum police and military presence. Crime was a rarity. One felt sosafe and ‘protected’ that it was possible to leave one’s home open without fear of robbery.” A documentary conducted by “March of Time” (MOT) director Dwight Godwin of Americain 1953echoes this view.Heobserved that Goans enjoyed a “good” level of prosperity and that there was “noextreme of great wealth or great poverty”. The TV journalist felt that “the standard of living in Goa was very satisfactory in comparison to the rest of India.” To the colonial Portuguese, Goa’s mainstay economy was mining of manganese and iron ore supplemented by farming and fishing. Goa’s natural harbour of Mormugao was considered “one of the best in all of Asia” and it became an excellent transit point for exports of manganese ore to USA and Japan and for import of luxury Itemscheaply from the West that also sustained a profitable “black-market” trade to Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and other parts of India. Travelling extensively throughout Goa Godwin inferred that “most Goans preferred to be Portuguese citizens as they felt that they were better off than the rest of India”. Nonetheless the “March of Time” director believed that “change was slowly coming to Goa through its younger generation”. And the transition would be through education. Godwin noted that there “were 530 schools within a 1300 square mile area opened by the Catholic Church imparting knowledge in ‘English and Portuguese’.” An impressive literacy rate apart, Goa’s underlying charm and difference from the rest of the Indian sub-continent was not lost on the MOT director, a fact with which he confronted the then Governor General of Goa, Paulo Bernardo Guedes prompting the latter to point out that “Goa is not a Portuguese Colony but a province like any other province in Portugal proper. Every citizen of Goa is a full-fledged citizen of Portugal.” It is this detail that has stood hundreds of Goan youth in good stead when seeking Portuguese Passports so as to obtain employment abroad. Those lucky enough to be gainfully employed waste no time in remitting funds back-home, thereby in a domino effect, improving their quality of life and social values to match those globally. When Indian troops marched into Goa on December 19th 1961 as part of “Operation Vijay” ostensibly to ‘liberate’ Goa from the Portuguese colonialists it catapulted Goa into a future of uncertainty. Goa’s social and time-worn framework would now be tested. As Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it; “Society never advances. It recedes as fast on one side as it gains on the other. Society acquires new arts, and loses old instincts”. How true! The Indian annexure of Goa evoked mixed-feelings. The Opinion Poll of 1967, wherein Goans voted against ‘merger’ with Maharashtra, the attaining of Statehood in 1987 and securing of Konkani as ‘official Language’ in 1989, were a positive indication that Goans were passionate about maintaining their exclusive identity. Just over 5 decades post-liberation, none can deny Goa has undergone a mercurial change. In the immediate aftermath of liberation bureaucrats from the Indian Capital under the control of Lt.Governors descended on Goa on deputation purportedly in order to streamline the administration. This did not go down well with some of those who fought for Goa’s freedom like Dr.Julio Menezes who felt that “ High hopes, it would appear were ‘blighted’ and lofty ideals ‘submerged’ by the arrogant, ill-informed discourteous and in several respects inefficient officialdom that has descended on Goa”. In 1963, Goa elected its first popular Government the Maharashtra Gomantak Party (MGP) under Chief Minister D.B.Bandodkar. The MGP held reins over then Union Territory of Goa, Daman & Diu for a little more than two decades under successive leadership of Bandodkar’s daughter Shashikala Kakodkar, and Pratapsingh Rane until Statehood in 1987.During this spell under a Regional Party, Goa’s infrastructure did undergo transformation but at a slow pace. It was only after Statehood and installation of National Parties, the Indian National Congress (through the back-door as Goans had actually voted for the Congress U of Deveraj Urs) and later, the Bharati Janata Party, that the floodgates on Investment in Industry, real estate, mining, Information Technology, Professional Training and educational Institutes, Tourism related ventures –such as Casinos, and starred hotels—were thrown open. Goa’s overall all-round progress has skyrocketed, with wider hot-mixed roads, less interrupted and better water and electricity supply, several new, Technical, Engineering, Arts ,Science and other vocational education colleges, Industrial estates, IT businesses, a University ,an upgraded Medical School and rationalized Air-port at Dabolim, with another state-of-the –art facility planned at Mopa, besides an improved road and rail service. Today’s Goan youth are now computer savvy and internet buffs. Yes, placid Goa has entered the digital era as can be envisaged from the numerous mobile phone service provider towers that now dot the barely 3702 sq km Goan countryside. At what cost? Indeed! Goa is undergoing an ugly metamorphosis. The once beautiful “Rome of the East” is being ruined by the avarice of pliant politicians who patronise unscrupulous builders, real-estate developers, hoteliers, Gaming barons, and Industrialists.With planning bodies succumbing to government pressure, no Regional Plan 2021 in place, and a cleverly created “ Investment Promotion Board”, Goa’s scarce resources have been sliced with impunity as our compatriots from other parts of the Country scramble over each other for a piece of the Goan pie. The ultimate fall-out: Green Goahas turned a dirty brown as the unplanned concrete construction virus penetrates deep into our once lush green rural environs. The ethnic goenkarcan only despair as tentacles of the building virus---the migrant labour force---uncontrolled and unchecked set up ‘temporary homes’ on prime land that soon sprout into sizeable slums as authorities turn a blind-eye at the behest of greedy politicians eager to cultivate “vote banks”. One should have thought that Goa’s youth......generation X....would have shown concern. But unfortunately, their priorities are different. The rise of the cyber-age has our youth, engrossed in engaging “apps” on android mobile phones rather than helptackle pertinent problems like garbage, soaring crime, road-rage, pollution, drug and sexual abuse. Gone are the days when politeness and respect of elders was a catchword among the youth as today arrogance and one-upmanshipis the order of the day! Gone are the days when music choices were beautiful melodies pleasant to the ear rather than the ear-splitting shrill belted out at EDM (Electronic Dance Music) gigs where it allegedly would not be fashionable if one weren’t stoned or ‘high’. The winds of change have definitely arrived. After 55 years of liberation, and several successive Governments it is hardly likely that the social values of the past will not differ. Given the highly paid job-opportunities available to our youth today onMerchant and Cruise Liners as well as overseas, the pendulum has swung toward materialistic empowerment. Nevertheless, culture they say gives a community its self-respect and one should not begrudge a Goan from dancing or singing in gay abandon whether it is at a Carnival or Shigmo, Ghode-Modni or Corridinho, Fugdi or Dekni and Mando or Jagor. Courtesy: Goan Espresso 2017
