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Planning to get married in Goa? www.weddingsetcgoa.com Making your 'dream wedding' possible ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 20:42:27 -0400 From: "manuel tavares" <[email protected]> It would seem that there are Goans like Cheryl who would appreciate the take over of Goa by people from other parts of India who do not belong to this tradition or culture. Mario responds: Manuelbab, You put my name in the title of your post but then singled out Cheryl in your comments? I have been writing about this for years. She's what we call a newbie, but one with plenty of "akkal" and common sense. Neither Cheryl nor I "appreciate" what is going on because we are Goans too. Cheryl apparently grew up in Goa in a family that benefited from the Portuguese, whereas I am a Bhayya-Goan who grew up in MP, whose family was on a Portuguese "black list" because I had a relative among the "freedom fighters". We are actually sad about what is going on. But we are also realistic, as opposed to the dreamers who are bloviating on Goanet blaming everyone for whatever "take over of Goa" is going on but Goans themselves. Goa was liberated from the Portuguese occupiers in 1961, after which Goa's infrastructure like roads, electricity, sanitation systems, transportation systems, etc. were dragged out of the dark ages by the Indian government. Goa was then handed over to the Goans on a platter in 1987, and it is only thereafter that the worst corruption and developmental atrocities have taken place, like building an ugly PWD Head Office on the peak of Altinho, allowing eight storied buildings on the Miramar seafront and on the hills above Taleigao - and that's only a few examples in the Panjim area. Leaving the scars from open face mining is another example among many. Manuel wrote: They do not appreciate the uniqueness of our culture and will in fact contribute to the annihlation of not only our culture but the whole goan community as we know it. Mario responds: I'm not sure which segment of Goan culture you are talking about, but it is up to you to preserve whatever culture you identify with. Why would others care about YOUR culture. Manuel wrote: One can see that their sole purpose is to exploit the Goans by robbing them of their land and plunder their mineral wealth for their own selfish gains. Mario responds: Are Goans like sheep that they are allowing themselves to be "exploited" in this manner? Why aren't Goans exploiting their own land for their own "selfish gains"? Do you want others to do it for you? Manuel wrote: They contribute precious little to advancing the goan culture and care even less for the Goan people. The Goan will soon be a minority and will have no major say in anything. Mario responds: Whatever "Goan culture" you are talking about is the responsibility of those who identify with it. Why would others care about YOUR culture? If Goans become a minority and have no say, whose fault is it but their own? They had the place to themselves before anyone else. Why didn't they demand that the Portuguese hand Goa over to THEM? Did they really believe in the fantasy that Goa was an "overseas province" of Portugal? Manuel wrote: Goa will exist in name only and will probably evoke nostalgic memories in future generations or elderly remnants of the populace of a Goa that once was. One has only to look at the Amero Indians to see what a majority of outsiders has done to to their culture and socio political advancement. Mario responds: You are absolutely correct. Outsiders took what the Amero Indians had and turned it into the world's superpower and economic engine. It is struggling right now because of a misguided experiment in social engineering which started when the government imposed regulations to force banks to lend money to low income people to buy homes. To comply, the banks came up with fundamentally flawed lending practices. For awhile it seemed like a socialist's idea of Nirvana. Then it came time to pay the piper. When the low income people were unable to repay their loans the "bubble" burst and the economic system almost collapsed. The reconstruction process in America will begin in January 2013. What you need to do in Goa, Manuelbab, is to preach to the Goans in Goa that they need to a) start electing honest politicians like our Floriano, b) develop and implement building standards for each village to preserve the local culture, ambience and architecture, organized by their own Village Panchayats and Gram Sabhas, and c) band together, perhaps into cooperatives, and develop Goa's resources for themselves. No one else is going to do any of this for you.
