My dear Agnelo, A few years ago, my wife and I were stalled for several hours at Customs (Goa Airport) by a chap called Barua. He wanted bakshish from us BEFORE he evaluated our bags (or placed them through the XRay ....as he put it). We had nothing to declare and, in any event, were definitely not going to pay any bribes to anyone.
So ..... after harassing a couple of older Goans flying in from the Middle-East and a Russian lady ....and ignoring us for 2 hours thereafter, he rudely advised us that he was "having pity on us' and let us go. This (with all the other stuff) is the state of our Goa. Trying to tell Goans in 2010 - about the true facts of life (i.e. Waking them up) - is like trying to tell a 50 year old person that what he has been told thus far - may not be the truth. For so far, Goans have been told by the Press (owned by whom?) and their Gorrment (strings pulled by whom) that: a: They have been liberated. b: Bakshish is a way of life. Get used to it. It is liberating. c: Mining ad infinitum and uncontrolled hotel building employ Goans so that they can buy their staple food i.e. fish which (no doubt) has become 'so affordable' because of the extra demand from the hotels. d: The longing for a clean environment is anti-progress and nostalgic. It is throw back to the dark old Portuguese era and hence anti-Goan. Besides, Goa is the besht. It is even Chak Chak. e: Just look at Goa, we now have Electricity (never mind the odd power cuts), we now have water supply (never mind the pollutants in the water table), we have bridges across rivers (which last for more than 5 years), we now have all kind of fruits and vegetables available (thorough washing is optional), we have tasty treats on road side gaddes (hand-washing destroys the taste while health-checks lower the ability of the food-vendors to provide herd-immunity), we now have malaria (was it not present in Goa in the early 1900s?), we now have burglar bars on our doors and windows (can you not imagine the artistic value of these metal contraptions?), we now have Konkani which is different from the Konkani our parents spoke (those parents were/are old fashioned anyway), we now have the situation where anybody who does or does not have a railway ticket can (and does) travel to Goa courtesy the George Fernandes-Proto Barbosa Konkan Railway (can you find another place - besides Mumbai- which has such magnetism to attract so many people to itself every single day?) But what about Goans? (you and people like Arwin ask). Have you not heard the saying that Goans and in fact and numerically 'irrelevant' to Goa in 2010? (Wonder who said that). And the 'dreamers' among us are worried about Vote-Banks? Ah Lord ...... Ask not whether Goa and Goans have been liberated. Ask whether Goa has already been liberated from Goans. PS: The ONLY hope for Goans: Study Hard, Work Harder, Spend Less funds on material and 'liquid' goods in Goa, Invest in a capitalist country which respects rights and where (usually) one does not need to offer any bakshish ....and Stop worrying/dreaming about the poem "Paradise lost" for ....Paradise is unlikely to be regained. If one has to visit Goa for any purpose - travel via Bombay/Mumbai (the Customs have become more sensible), enjoy the Goans food and whatever is left of the beaches, meet the family one would like to meet, stay far away from the politicians (the saffron one, the Kangaroos and their adjuncts) and civil (?) servants and .....after a 'fill' of Goa (or what is left of it) ... return to where one comes from. sincerely jc do excuse any typos ..scripted at one go ======= On 29 August 2010 09:23, pinheiro <[email protected]> wrote: My response It's ironical that Goa which has the highest level of literacy needs civic education. It's ironical that Goa the smallest state with high literacy index has equally high corruption index and is now competing with Bihar to raise its corruption bar. Every year I go to Goa, and every time I have to have an argument with any Government office I go to have my work done. Many call me insane for saving few rupees (considering I am NRG from Dubai) by not giving the bribe the officers/staff on duty demands from me directly or indirectly. There are instance when Customs officers had played it on me on many occasion in the last 20 odd annual trips I made to Goa, not once I paid bribe to get out. I'll share 2 incidents. Once, in Dec 1998 I was carrying 3 whisky bottles (instead of 2). Customs officer asked me to pay Usd 100 for the additional bottle (actual cost was usd 25) or he has to confiscated one bottle as I am allowed to carry only 2. I pleaded and told him its Christmas time and excuse it. He won't listen so I drop one bottle on the floor. Politely said sorry to him and walked out. In 2001, I was carrying my used T.V with me to Goa, Customs officers demanded Rs25K. I informed him it is used TV and not worth Rs10K. But, no he kept on bargaining and came down to Rs10K. I told him keep the T.V Set and walked off. I sensed its money what he want and not the TV. After few steps he called me back and I walked out without paying a Rupee. I rather let people call me a fool then pay bribes to get work done. The biggest problem Goa is corruption, people pay bribe to get work done. The giver thinks it okay as he/she is in hurry. The receiver thinks it's his birth right. Civil society feels its okay. Politicians think its okay. Nothing will change if Goans do not change their attitude (Maka kiteak podlam?). Nothing will change if Goans do not change and shun corruption. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Goa-launch of the well-received *Into The Diaspora Wilderness* by Selma Carvalho on Aug 29, 2010 (Sunday) at 11 am at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. Meet the author, buy a signed copy (only Rs 295 in Goa till stock lasts). http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/
