Recapping Goa's History (Part II)
The urbanization of Goa post-1510 (like all urbanization processes) brought immigrants from Europe and India. European immigration was government sponsored (soldados, civil servants, traders and religious); those like Camoes (criminals who could stay in a Lisbon jail or go to Goa) and others who did not fit into European society. Urbanization also brought migration from Goa's hinterland - Indians (Hindu) who crossed the gauntlet of sultanates' (multiple) armies that surrounded Goa. They were trying their best to dislodge the Portuguese toe-hold. This land-based (as opposed to the later sea-based) military gauntlet lasted till the final battle in 1570. Hindus who migrated into Goa to seek employment in the economic boom, and those who came in the 18th / 19th century after the boom (as Firangis - White settlers and Mesticios were departing Goa for Brazil) are in-main the fore-bearers of today's Hindus and Christians of Goa. Illegal and uncontrolled immigration was as much a problem to any civil authority in the 16th-19th century as it is in the 20th and 21st century. Goan writers (as opposed to foreigners who write about Goa without living in Goa) know well, that shipping comes to a halt during the monsoon. So occupations related to shipping (only colonial economy) was at a standstill for a third of the year. This was just one aspect of Goa's urbanization. Then is the annual unbearable (without fan or air-condition) hot summer followed by drenching monsoon. And there was always the ever-presence threat of war from land or sea, by Indian or European powers respectively. The social and economic problems of Goa's urbanization included: 1) Rapid population explosion and shifts; with family and social disruptions. 2) Government (official and unofficial) as well as individual corruption; and major and minor crime. 3) Poor housing, over-crowding, lack of portable water, poor sanitation and waste disposal. 4) Cycles of employment and unemployment (despite overall economic boom). 5) Endemics (like malaria) and epidemics; with few treatment options. 6) Famines, chronic starvation, alcoholism and other social vices. 7) Lack of education and health-care, and other social needs. 8) Social and economic problems that threaten the security of the colony. Hospitals reported Syphilis and other STDs as a major cause of death (pre-penicillin era); even though most STD deaths follow a chronic illness and occur at home or when the Europeans returned after their three year Asian 'tour of duty'. Despite the colonialists and their king having absolute civilian and military power in the colony and in their native capital, the authorities could do little to stem social, economic, political and health-care problems and changes affecting the population and different social groups. What history witnessed in the "early-modern" era during 1500-1800 is: 1) End of the Middle Ages. 2) The Age of Religious Reformation. 3) Start of a new colonization; where rulers were physically distant from the ruled. 4) Era of Commercial Revolution - Trade, Capitalism, Mercantilism and Banking. 5) A new social order with (for the first time) a non-military "Middle Class." 6) Period of "Royal Absolutism" both in Goa, Lisbon and rest of Europe. 7) Fall-out of European rivalries on trade and high-sea conflicts on colonies. 8) Rapid urbanization with population explosion. The exact numbers in Old Goa are known but demographics are unreported. Discussing the above aspects from 1500-1800 in Goa and Europe is more enlightening and interesting; than the sodachem "Inquisition in Goa" (1560-1812) with its speculative and fictional tid-bits. May be we have a narrow-vision (knowing more and more about less and less) or perhaps we may be ignorant of the wider issues; (that even impacted the Inquisition). Military-Economic-Social-Political agendas and conflicts of various interest groups, must be the over-arching (but often-ignored) view of Goa; as we see through the prism of clashes of colonizers v/s colonized; European v/s Indian; Catholic v/s Hindu; Portuguese v/s Konkani; Upper v/s Lower caste, etc. etc. Regards, GL
