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Convenor of Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) Dr Oscar Rebello has been nominated
for CNN-IBN's Indian of the Year Award 2007 in public service category
Vote for him at:
http://www.cnnibnindianoftheyear.com/publicservice_voting_new.php
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Gulf-Goans e-Newsletter
Seminar on Goan Diaspora
By Goenkarancho Ekvot (New Delhi)
On 15 December 2007, Goenkarancho Ekvot (New Delhi) organised a seminar titled
Goan Diaspora Between the Home and the Host at the India International
Centre, New Delhi. A host of invited individuals and speakers with connections
in Goa addressed the seminar, which was an effort to provide a forum to
recognise and address issues faced by Goans settled outside India, as well as
to provide a common platform for Goans outside Goa, especially those within
India, to integrate and share.
At the outset, Commissioner for NRI Affairs Eduardo Faleiro reiterated the
fact that the word diaspora includes Goans who are not within the national
boundaries of India, but outside. The Goan diaspora was represented by the
Bahrain-based Beverly Bhangi and the Portugal-based Constantino Xavier, both of
whom are scholars at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
The seminar was organised in two parts, the first discussion was titled Place
of the Goan Diaspora in the making of Contemporary Goa. Eminent speakers who
voiced their opinions were former Police Chief of Punjab Julio Ribeiro, eminent
economist D H Pai Panandiker and artist Pramod Kale. The session was chaired
by renowned town planner Edgar Rebeiro.
Julio Ribeiro spoke of his experience in policing and his childhood
experiences of Goa. It was interesting to note his mention of the kuds, which
were residential Goan clubs in Mumbai that gave accommodation to Goans working
in Mumbai, people travelling abroad and those returning to Goa from foreign
lands (who today constitute much of the Goan diaspora).
They were meant to be like a home away from home to make the transition
easier for Goans, from a familar environment to an alien place. Ribeiro also
noted that the Rosary was recited daily as part of the morning rituals at the
kuds. This system no longer exists today. Delhis Goa Sadan, he said, is like a
pseudo kud that is meant for government employees only. There is a need to
revive this age-old system, if possible, to help so many Goans who till today
go abroad for employment, join a cruise company, or travel to other parts of
India for employment.
Panandikers presentation was an eye-opener. He pointed out that today, Goas
per capita income is around Rs66,400 per anum, the highest in India and around
2.5 times the national average. He went on to reveal that the major driver of
Goas income was manufacturing and commercial services (around 50 per cent),
followed by mining (31 per cent), tourism (11 per cent) and agriculture (8 per
cent).
These figures squashed all pre-conceived notions that Goas economy was mainly
driven by tourism. He said the state is also well in line with all national
averages of growth in manufacturing and services.
Imagine, till today most Goans think that tourism is the whole and soul of Goa,
even as it ruins our beautiful state with increased pollution and exploitation
of resources. Owing to inadequate planning and poor enforcement of regulations,
Goa till today is not well equipped to handle the tourism we are attracting.
This does not augur well for the Goan economy, which has been named as one of
the top tourist destinations world-wide!
Panandiker also revealed that of the $24 billion (Rs96,000 crore) that come
into India as remittances from NRIs, Goa gets around $100 million (Rs400 crore)
from the Goan diaspora, which constitutes around 4 per cent of Goas state
domestic product. Unfortunately, only around 25 per cent of it is spent within
Goa, leading to huge losses for Goan markets. Today the percentage of Goas
growth that can be attributed to these remittances is around 2 per cent. The
figures were definitely food for thought.
Pramod Kale touched upon the cultural and attitude issues plaguing Goa today.
He explained how the lower middle class in Goa (constituting a huge bulk of the
Goan population), are neglected when planning development and policy.
For example, he pointed out, bus conductors earned a meagre living because of
very little regulation in their line of work, and lived lives of insecurity and
hardship. But this same group of people (bus conductors, taxi drivers,
autorickshaw drivers, motorcycle pilots, etc) are the face of Goa for tourists,
as they are among the few Goans a tourist will interact with. The attitude they
display goes a long way into building (or breaking) the brand of Goa.
In the open discussion that followed, Eduardo Faleiro assured the support of
his department towards any study or work taken up with the kuds in Mumbai.
The post-lunch discussion, titled Goan Diaspora and the Host Community, delved
further into the heart of the theme of the seminar. Eminent speakers who voiced
their opinions were Edgar Ribeiro, Beverly Bhangi and Constantino Xavier. The
session was chaired by Prof Peter Ronald de Souza.
Edgar Ribeiros presentation was on town planning and Goas controversial
regional plan. Outlining the history of planning in Goa, he spoke of how in the
post-liberation era (1962 to 1974), the Removal of Difficulties Law was in
place. It was followed by the Goa Regional Plan (1977 to 2001).
He pointed out that of Goas 3,700 sq km of extremely fragile ecosystem, only
700 sq km is developable as per a report by Dr Nandkumar Kamat. A difficult
issue in land planning today is managing coastal land. Khazan land (or the
intertidal regions and adjoining lands) were recognised by the Portuguese
rulers as a fragile ecosystem and a means of livelihood through pisciculture.
It was managed by comunidades, but later was mismanaged owing to adverse
policies.
Nowadays, slowly and steadily, land planning methods and attitudes are
reverting one more towards older methodologies, he said. He also noted that the
current Goa government, under the leadership of Digambar Kamat, has managed to
scrap a number of SEZ projects (at least 10) prescribed by the centre for Goa.
The ongoing political and public debate in Goa over SEZs, has made this
decision has become very tricky for the CM, he said, with mounting political
pressure from an MLA who has vested interests in one of the SEZs and opposition
from the public at large, the CM is faced with Hobsons choice of saving his
government on the one hand, and satisfying the opposition and the people on the
other (events have now partly overtaken this observation).
Most families settled outside Goa do not speak Konkani at home and, as a
result, the one means to connect to a rich ethnic culture is forever lost by
members of the new generation, who grapple with the cultural differences around
them. There is a huge responsibility on the older generation to pass on Goas
culture and heritage to its heirs through language, traditions and practices.
The event was attended by the Ambassador of Portugal in India Luís Castro
Mendes, former JNU Rector Prof Balveer Arora, and Goans residing in New Delhi
and the neighbouring regions.
courtesy: www.oheraldo.in
Comedian Agostinacho SIR tiatr, Janerache 18ver 2008, Hawally A/C hollant
sanjechea 3.30 vaztam zatolo. Tumchi boska sugur korunk hankam sompork
(contact) korcho LIMCA CARGO (Tony Golden Goa), Niclas- 9732917,
Laurente-6262597, Chequinho-6364366, Philip-9494518, Benny-6533229. SIRak
sangat divpi Gõyche kolakar Meena Leitao, Rohma, Osvi Viegas, T. Britton,
Samuel Carvalho, Mathew Araujo, Salu de Loutoulim, Santan de Betalbatim,
Joaquim Cabral, Oliveiro Gabrial, De- Almeida Xavier, Comedian Selvy ani
Agostinho. Songit Norman Cardozo. Kuwaitche mahan Jose Rod,
Marcus-Laurente-Cajetan de Sanvordem, Adrian ani Edward Estibeiro tumkam
urbhechea kumpasacher dovortele
The first Konkani-e-cinema "BLACK will be screened at 5.45 p.m. at the
Indian Embassy Hall,
B-1 Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 31st January 2008.
For more details, www.t-bush.com For Entry Passes, kindly contact the below:
Alex Braganza Mbl: 050 191 5882 Bhaskar Govekar
Mbl:050 340 4616
Caje Afonso Mbl: 050 834 1502 Franklin D'Costa
Mbl: 050 647 0697
Jerome Coutinho Mbl: 050 623 5946 Jose D'Costa Mbl: 050
716 0654
Marcus D'Costa Mbl: 050 940 2617 Michael Fernandes Mbl:
050 726 8034
Victor D'Mello Mbl: 050 468 2046 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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