------------------------------------------------------------------------ * G * O * A * N * E * T **** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S * ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Planning to get married in Goa? www.weddingsetcgoa.com Making your 'dream wedding' possible ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is an open letter to all so called patriotic Goan's who sadly claim to be under oppressive Indian rule and most often take great pleasure in all things foreign while grossly filing to respect the land of their birth ( Goa) 1) First of all my dear friends ask not what the land of your ancestors has done for you but ask what you are doing for the land of your ancestors. As a registered voter in your own land you only are responsible for the people you vote to power and the way they govern you. The fact that you are not satisfied with your own people who govern you and make the laws of your land( Politicians), shows that there is something grossly wrong with you your self ,as the government consists of your representatives. Why then do you continue to get the same old corrupt officials to power every election. You live in a land where your leaders are chosen off the people , by the people and for the people . You live in a democracy , governed by your own fellow Goans , your so called Portuguese masters did not give you this right and freedom , So dear friends wake up to changing times & the need of the hour . Stop living in the past , least you lose touch with the present and your future becomes obsolete . Blame no one but your self for the misery you feel you are in . If many Goans are moving out , it is because of lack of employment opportunities , remember the world is no longer an agrarian economy it was in the nineteenth century. You continue to bring the corrupt to power , you fail to oppose them , then don't lament and blame others for what you are responsible for. 2) Goa has always been an Integral part of the Indian sub continent , be it by blood and culture . Why else would Goans , (Christians inclusive) continue to live & die by the Indian culture & caste system. Europeans do not have a caste system. It is a fact that Portuguese came to India in search of fortunes of the East , they did not come here for the sake of Goans ,or because Goa was a part of Europe. They were here for their own selfish motive , Even Portugal & the rest of Europe has its own set of problems today. If you feel that migrating to another part of the world ( Portuguese rule ) is a solution to your problems , Then I can only say that you are behaving like the foolish Goat in Aseop's fable who felt that the grass on the other side is greener, You are a sham ! Who is denying his responsibilities towards his mother land Goa . This I feel is akin to a child who stays away from his aged parents and keeps sending money every month with the word ' Parents I love you' . Its easier to send money to the old and infirm rather than to stay with them and put up with their infirmities. Making remittance back to your mother land is no solution . You have to continue be a part of the so called corrupt system in Goa and yet make a change by being honest in what ever little way you can be , never failing to stand up for your rights and that of your neighbors. This is what it is to be a Christian something you may call Portuguese inheritance. The same thing is said by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita . I an ardent Catholic Goan find it difficult to return back to Goa and look after my ancestral property cause God knows which cousin will resurrect from his grave and come for his shares I f you cannot be honest with your own brethren and live happily then why blame the government only. if there is to be peace and prosperity it should begin with me. 3) Even before Goa's liberation Goans have fought to defend the frontiers of India and have left their mark in India Public Life. We have seen Goan's serve in the Civil service & defense forces and reach the ranks of Commanding officers and Chief of Staff ,all leaving behind their mark and shaping the destiny of India. Yet Indian from other states have never opposed a Goan at the top , but have happily served under Goans. Some Goans have achieved this not by paying reverence to any forces foreign or Indian , but by their merit , determination and service to their mother land. Hence I could only say this to a few of my disgruntled fellow Goans stop behaving like the last remnants of the Portuguese empire in India and start working for a Better Goa ! A Goa of your dreams. ( My family lost a lot when the Portuguese were driven out of India . We lost our business. My grand dad owned hotel Republica during Portuguese rule , My great grand father had a number of shops & was a well respected social worker of his time . We were once a part of the ruling Elite and sponsored most events in Goa., during Portuguese rule.. A major part of my family left for Portugal along with the Portuguese. There certainly are glorious facts of the past handed down to me by my ancestors but will certainly sound like fiction to my descendents. Hence today I am only an Indian & have no hard feeling towards any one . Your destiny is in your hands , there is no substitute to hard work and your duty . One should have the courage of conviction , come out like Indians from other states and work hard for ones self betterment and that of his nation ) Cheryl Pereira
