Unity in Adversity
KAMKAZ, Kolomb, dope and hope in Goa!
By Miguel Braganza
On Republic Day earlier this year, 43 groups of 30-plus members each sang
non-stop for 40 hours to enter the Guinness Book of World Records. The
lilting lyrics of one of the songs said it all, "Konkani Amchi Mai, Konkani
Amkam Zai." or KAMKAZ. That is history. On 26 March, 2008, I was a part of
the GBA delegation that was taught a little bit of Geography and Political
Science by the hardly literate villagers of Kolomb, near Fatorpa. There are
reports that Remo Fernandes is going to have a crash course in Social
Studies and Martial Music that will send the dope to the packers and will
help give new hope to our youth. Everyone is invited to join in all the
above three efforts.
Archbishop of Goa Felipe Neri Ferrao will be the Chief Guest of the Closing
Ceremony of Silver Jubilee Year of Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr at TSKK
premises in Porvorim on Friday, 28 March 2008. Mr. Premanand Lotlikar,
President of Dalgado Konknni Akademi, Mr. Eric Ozario the President of
Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy, Mr. Wilson Mazarello Convenor of RLAF and
Mr. Purnanand Chari, President of Konknni Bhasha Mandal, Margao will be
other guests of honour. This is a rare occasion when protagonists of all the
major scripts of Konkani will be on one platform to say KAMKAZ.
Interestingly, Dr. [Fr] Anthony da Silva, S.J., the Jesuit Provincial of Goa
Province with a doctorate in reconciliation of societal conflict from the
University of Michigan-USA, will share the dais with them.
The Botanical Society of Goa [BSG] collaborated with the TSKK in its effort
to promote environmental consciousness. The trees and plants on the TSKK
campus are neatly labeled, as done at the St.Xavier's College campus,
Mapusa. The BSG is proud to be associated with institutions like these, as
it is proud to be associated with the GBA. Its members, both individuals and
institutions, have contributed to the better understanding of environmental
issues from forests and mangroves to coastal sand dunes.
The Regional Plan 2021 is "under process" with the Task Force while an
amendment to the Town & Country Planning Act, 1974, moved in the Goa
Assembly seeks to make a provision for Central and State government
"projects" [like IT Parks and SEZ] to be placed beyond the currently leaky
compartments of TCP 'zones'. It may not face much opposition in a house,
where the two sides seem to be coming together after the Scarlett 'Killing'
case exposed the "dark underbelly" of Goa. Who spoke of the "yellow bellies"
after Valentine's Day this year? Now the TV news channels are calling the
pot-bellies black! The Regional Plan may also need a second autopsy after
the revised report of the first autopsy.
In the meanwhile, the viscera of Goa, preserved for centuries, are now being
sent to Japan and China for chemical analysis and processing. The open-cast
iron ore and bauxite mines are now the "Last Frontier" of Goa. With a 100
operating mines it is bad enough. There are about 700 other leases and 480
new prospecting licences that have been reportedly issued in this tiny state
of Goa. Some of these applications, as in the case of SEZ, seem to have been
accepted on plain paper. One was shocked to see a Police complaint by
someone claiming to be a mines manager on a similar plain paper, without so
much as the identity of the signatory. The police acted on this complaint
within minutes of its receipt.
The members of the Goa Bachao Abhiyan were getting familiarized with the
mining scenario in Goa earlier this week. The members were shocked to hear
13 persons from Kolomb were arrested under Section 151 Cr.P.C. and later
released, but not before booking a chapter case under Section 107 of the
Criminal Procedure Code against them. The villagers cultivate two crops of
rice paddy each year in the land now likely to be destroyed. Now some of
them have added a new "chapter" to their lives
Whereas the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution of India seek to
empower the Villages to decide for themselves through the Gram Sabha, the
Goa Forest Department seems to have gone ahead and thumbed the Gram Sabha in
its nose by overturning the 'Resolution' passed opposing the mine in the
village. The members of the GBA have expressed their solidarity with the
people of all affected villages that have resolved to live peacefully
without this kind of anti-people "development"
Goa's bright and sunny image as a tourist destination of "Sun, sand and
xacuti" has been darkened by a media blitz on the Scarlette Keeling murder
that has focused on all issues except the dignity of the dead, the sanctity
of the living and gender consciousness. It did show up the underbelly of
drugs on the coastal belt and rave parties. Now each Goan is doing what he
can to sensitise people to the harmful effects of drugs. One of them is Remo
Fernandes from Siolim.
Remo wrote a song more than years ago on the then popular drug that said
"nobody knows where the Heroin goes." Like most socially conscious Goans,
Remo feels that the time has come for everyone in society to do his or her
bit and stand up against this nexus. "Everyone needs to give their bit in
fight against drugs. I am giving my bit as a singer. It's our united efforts
only, which will help us to curb this menace," Remo has been quoted by
CNN-IBN as saying. He also knows that his music solely can't change
everything. We have started "no2drugs" yahoogroup to share ideas on what can
be done. Anyone who is willing to contribute ideas is invited to join. It is
the time for action. Everyone can participate in action to reduce the drug
menace in Goa. Every bit counts. Just do it! (ENDS)
The Miguel Braganza weekly column at:
http://www.goanet.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=482
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The above article appeared in the March 28, 2008 edition of the Gomantak
Times, Goa
