Apropos of this link posted to Goanet - http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2022-August/198255.html
I read Vivek-bab’s column regarding plans to destroy the last remaining patches of Goa’s wilderness. Recall this entry from May earlier this year - http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2022-May/197456.html Did anyone write to Vishwajit Rane? I did, even though I knew it was a fool’s errand. I sent a polite note to his private email address explaining why we need to protect Goa’s wilderness cover and keep them clear of tourism projects. I didn’t hear back. There was a small sideshow though. Before I invaded Vishwajit’s mailbox I requested a very good friend in Goa - a close relative of Vishwajit, someone I have known since my youngest days - to deliver a message to the minister. He declined and instead asked me to “kindly send it to his official address.” This is the fellow who complains incessantly about how Goa is going to the dogs. He typifies the Goan - never get your hands dirty. On a different - but related - tack, I recently got a message from a highly accomplished Goan who occupies a position in the highest echelons of corporate India, again someone I have known from my childhood days. The gist was a proposal to develop tourism around our temples. Now this is a smart fellow, not a dummy (although sometimes I wonder) and all he can think of is “tourism.” I pushed back and told him that it is a ridiculous idea, that our temples are meant to be quiet spaces for meditation, contemplation of the Divine. There are, of course, days of celebration and community events during the year, but as a rule the temple is sacred space, not one where you check in with your “I Love Goa” T-shirt and tank tops. He obviously did not like what he heard because I didn't hear back, not even after I sent him my blog post on the domes of Goan temples. If this is the quality of ideas a highly successful and educated Goan carries in his head we don’t stand a chance. For the millionth time - the window to protect Goan land and its assets has closed. After Manohar Parrikar betrayed the Goan cause we were cooked. How many people stood up and protested when he was in power? If you were quiet then, now hold your peace and conserve your calories. r
