It is said “Ignorance is bliss”; but when spoken by ones holding
responsibility, they need to be placed where they belong. An editorial titled
“One day that freed Goa” on one of the Goan dailies speaks volumes. Of a donkey
telling a horse what his stable was. It is absurdity to compare 48 years back
to now, and label it as development. What is the measurement of development? Is
having plenty of money, or having plenty of high rise buildings, or having tar
roads right up to your doorsteps, or plenty of industries with jobs for
migrants, etc., etc., development? If Goa was “desperately underdeveloped
territory” as stated in the very first line of this editorial, why do migrants
and others come to settle down in our Goa? Did 48 years give jobs to our Goans?
Are we self sufficient in food or do we get all our vegetables and rice from
outside States, what we never did 48 years back? Bridges and culverts built by
the Portuguese centuries back are still strong and our PWD are unable to
demolish them. Development is when the people are self sufficient, healthy with
a healthy environment to live in; and not when dependent like on food,
electricity and may be after some years on water too; with a slum like
environment all around Goa and Government hospitals to treat you of all
imported diseases.
The ignorance that Goa had big land owners can come only from migrants as all
Goans and litrerate Indians know that Goa had just small land owners. People
helped one another, sheltered the homeless, employed them in agriculture, what
someone recently labeled it as “Goenkarponn”. Everyone was happy, food was
sufficient.
There is a saying in Konkani: ‘Kalsaum gailem munn, monis zainam” meaning,
‘wearing trousers doesn’t make one a gentleman’. And that is exactly what our
successive governments have been doing to Goans, distributing “Kalsaum” instead
of education. They were all more bothered in making all half literates but not
educated and disciplined, as that would mean ‘restricting their liberty’. Even
the migrants have learnt to wear ‘kalsaum’ in Goa and want to pass off as
Goans, but they don’t realise it is very easy to differentiate the two animals
cited above when the open their mouth to speak.
Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão. M.B.,B.S.(Bom)
Margão - GOA .
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