I must first and foremost say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading Floriano's recent post advicing his son and his friends to gather stones and let our ministers and their functionaries have it. His further admonition that they tell the cops not to lathi them too much made me think of the daus when our cops were simple men who diligently wrote down protestor's name as 'Mickey Mouse', 'Donald Duck' and once even Adolf Hitler.
I guess times have changed a bit. It is likely that now the inspector, as happened to Cheryl D'Souza in Quepem, will bang his baton into his palm while he mouths obscenities strong enough to give his mother a seizure; or maybe just get a few goons to break the legs of one or two protestors, frightening away, as has happened so many times, all the rest... Still, it is wonderful that protest is now showing itself through the many posts surfacing on the net. There are some names, I pass by with the requisite exasperation, wondering why there continue to be some who almost petulantly derail posts with inanity. And yet there are others that giove one immense hope. Venita's recent column is a case in point, and I have made it a point of sending it far and wide over the net. In Floriano's recent post advising his son on the turn the protest may take, also has his very wise words on the stringent environmental norms followed in Japan and the US, and Canada, and England and I am sure a hundred other places that Floriano has been lucky enough to travel to. reading Floriano's words, the Goan public must seriously introspect on how cheaply they have sold their hills and beaches and waterbodies, not to mention their fields. I wish I could get time off from my job in Pune and make it down to Goa on the 23rd, but alas, I am now at my busiest in college. I have a small suggestion to make. I do not know if many of yu in Goa realize that the media in India still sees Goa as the fun place to be. It's nothing more than a bloody tourist destination for most of them. For the rich and famous it's a chance to attend one of Mallya's parties, hobnob with the Timblos and others, or just party hard while the locals stand and serve. The sad twist is that we need the media to highlight our corrupt lot, make them the laughing stock of the country. Already thanks to the net (which they can't own...yet!), a lot more people know about the skullduggery they are capable of, but we need more, we need to feature on the primetime news at 9 and 10 on Timesnow, NDTV and CNN-IBN... We need a little bit of theatre... I love the idea of everyone wearing black in mourning and attending the meeting. That's what spurs this idea. I suggest you guys also go to the meeting with a very large coffin, covered with flowers and wreaths, and accompanied by priests from various denominations. The meeting can be followed by a ceremony burying Goa, who is in the coffin. We must make our corrupt lot the butt of our jokes. This may be a good way. It may also get us on the news at 9 and 10... Best of luck with the meeting to all attending! A Luta Continua! Hartman
