The Goan identity or culture that some Goans are obsessed with could best be understood if we try to define it. And definition of Gic is definitely not an easy proposition.
However, a beginning can be made if we place a few facts before us. Gic as we know it today did not exist before 1510 and after 1961 it appears to be withering away. Gic is geographily confined to the four coastal talukas of Goa. i.e. Ilhas,Bardez, Salcete and Mormugao Gic arose directly as a result of conversion to Ch aristianity At this point, let me state that a vast majority of Goan Catholics, whether in Goa, India and overseas are least bothered about the withering away of Gic. Goans who are obsessed with Gic are mainly the beneficiaries of thePortuguese rule and of patronage that was extended to Rachol graduate producing families by missionaries. Let us define further the beneficiaries of Portuguese and missionary patronage. During the first half of the Portuguese rule, i.e. about two and half centuries, the beneficiaries were Portuguese settlers and their eurasian descendants. The latter are the people who aped Portuguese customs and mannerisms. Side by side with eurasians there was one Indian community who claimed to be of ''high caste''. Towards the end of the Portuguese rule eurasians just faded away or were assimilated with ''high castes''. It was these eurasians and ''high castes'' and (from 19th century onwards) bhatkars who claimed to be the depositories of European or shall we say Eurasian culture. Today when the Portuguese medium ''high castes''/bhatkars are silent about Gic ( I think, they yearn to be assimilated with the Portuguese in Portugal ) it is the English medium ''high castes''/bhatkars who migrated to British India in search of jobs, whose descendants are today mainly settled in the U.K. and North America who are responsible for drumming about Gia being in mortal peril. Antonio
