The Accidental Activist - The Might Goan Warrior By Venita Coelho
I want to introduce you to the mighty Goan warrior. The world knows the susegaad Goan, Hindi films have made the perpetually drunk Goan famous, and the hospitable Goan is touted by the tourist industry. But the Goan warrior? Claude Alvares paid tribute to him at the recently held GBA rally at Azad Maidan. He doesn’t look like much. In fact he looks like an ordinary man, but his powers are legendary. He has taken on the might of government, big business and various lobbies and emerged victorious. Even as the state of Goa disheartens us, perhaps it is time to remember that there is hope. Battles have been fought and won. Here are some of the battles the Mighty Goan Warrior has emerged victorious from.
States across the country have been up in arms against SEZ’s. Citizens have taken out rallies, faced up to police lathi charges and even police firing. But in only one state has the common man brought the government to it’s knees and managed to cancel 18 SEZ’s. You got it right – Goa. Not a single other state has cancelled a single other SEZ – no matter how strong the wave of public anger and indignation.
Four years ago the Goan warrior took on the full might of the state when he took to the streets demanding that the Regional Plan 2012 be cancelled. The plan is an official government document and never in the history of India has it been cancelled. Only in the state of Goa did the people manage to pull off the unthinkable and get the government to cancel an RP.
DLF is the biggest construction house in the country. They are worth hundreds of crores. Such is their clout that the owner recently got the Padma Bhushan. There is only one place in which a project of theirs hit a road block – and stayed stuck no matter what strings were pulled. You guessed it – Goa.
This is only one of many such housing projects that the villagers of Goa took arms against – and succeeded in stalling. Gated communities, mega projects, mega builders – they took them all on successfully.
The IT park at Dona Paula had sponsors in high places. And yet today it stands stalled – merely by power of protest. The Mighty Goan Warrior strikes again!
Down south the aggressive activism against mining finally led to the Environment ministry ordering an environmental impact assessment report for mining in Goa, and to putting a moratorium on mining clearances until it is done. This came despite the frantic efforts of the 6000 crore mining industry. A mighty victory indeed!
Across the country there was ferment when the new CRZ notifications came into place. But only one community managed to organize themselves and fight so effectively that a special amendment was made. So today, the Goan fisherman is the only one in the whole of India who has held onto his right to build a home by the seashore.
While across India money speaks and few win victories against big businessman, in Goa the Cidade De Goa was humbled by a Supreme Court judgement, that ordered it to open access to the beach for the common man and to demolish the structures illegally built. The government promptly came to the rescue with a special ordinance – but the story is not over.
Want to meet the mighty warrior? Attend a GBA rally. There they are – all the people who have fought the gravest of battles against the toughest of foes. They are your neighbourhood aunties, the old uncle down the road, mothers and fathers, school teachers, middle class men, clerks, housewife’s – they are the real aam aadmi. Don’t mess with them! Their anger is great when roused. At Thursday’s meeting they did not let the presence of three full vans of policemen stop them from heading for the Chief Ministers residence. The Chief Minister of course wasn’t in residence – having hastily discovered that he had work to do elsewhere when informed that the GBA was on it’s way. They linked arms – all those ordinary people – and walked on. They were finally stopped at the steps of the Church by barricades, three rows of policemen with batons, and several vans more of standby policemen. You would have thought that the government was geared to tackle some deadly terrorists, not the ‘aam aadmi’ it keeps claiming to repre sent. But one can under stand the fear of those in high places. They have seen what the Goan warrior can do.
There are many battles still, and the war is seldom completely won. But let us not despair. Today let us revel in our many victories. Nowhere else in India has so much been accomplished by so few. Well done the Mighty Goan Warrior!
===================================================== First published in the Herald, Goa - October 26, 2010 _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ _/ tambdimati: the Goa review is a community blog of original _/ art, writing, music, news and commentary from and about the _/ smallest state in the subcontinent. check out the newest _/ member of the Goanet family daily at _/ http://www.tambdimati.com. _/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
