Goa is hot, though it is not sizzling. The sudden thunder-and-lightening for a brief period was a relief of sorts, though I was uncomfortable with no AC for most part of the night. However, it did not cool down the heated debates over Babush, Medium of Instruction, Dum Maro Dum and Khariavaddo. I happen to visit the Khariavaddo site and, no matter what the legal aspects of the matter, the sight was awful. Vasco has indeed become a cesspool, thanks to the large population of migrant labour working in the Marmagoa harbour. Compared to Margao, Panaji and Mapusa, Vasco is overflowing with what the locals call "bhaile" or "biktam" (a racial slur, if you ask me). Goa is left with little or no choice in the matter of choosing who comes to work and who comes to settle in the state. I read the report on the workshop on Sepcial Status for Goa. It's a pipe dream and I, for one, will be shocked if it ever gets the nod from New Delhi. Goans can chase that dream and it makes good reading in newspapers when leaders, who were once in positions to influence the state government to demand such concession from the central government, wax eloquently on the benefits of having special status for Goa. If at all Goa gets Special Status it would be a blessing. But it would also be a bureaucratic hurdle on implementing it or sustaining Goa without migrant labour. Goa has passed beyond the stage where its own people could sustain the economy. I find Goa's economy robust despite the fact that prices of many essential items are beyond the reach of the common man, or in India's new political lexicon, Aam Admi. The term, Aam Admi, is frequently used in the Goan media, both by editorial and opinion writers. I has, in my opinion, become a hackneyed phrase. Many families who years ago where fending for their daily bread now own cars. Some of these families have sons or daughters working on cruise lines or in the Middle East. Prosperity has grown but the good-old values have shrunk. These families are the nouveau riche of Goa. It augurs well for Goan society. The entry of Nano has made it possible for many families to own this low-priced car that seems like a matchbox. I remember travelling for the first time in Maruti Suzuki from Mumbai airport to Goa many years ago. I shudder to think what would happen to the Nano if it meets with a high-impact accident. Every time I sat into it I said a little prayer. I asked a driver if it can run to its maximum speed of 120 mph without shuddering. He said that first of all it is hard to run the car at that speed on Goa's highways (are they really?). He said that when a heavy truck running at reasonably high speed passes by the Nano the car shakes. The car seems ideal for Goa's narrow roads and good to park in tight spots, though finding even the tight spots in the cities is a difficult task as I found out in Margao. Much is being said about the medium of instruction issue and its aligned Devnagiri or Roman script language controversy. A letter from Fr. Jaime Couto in today's Herald says that the Goa Konkani Academy (GKA) publishes a bimonthly Devnagiri-language Konkani magazine called Dalgadocho Sondex. The Goa Konkani Academy advocates the Devnagiri script while the Dalgado Konkani Academy (DKA) advocates the Roman script. How strange that the GKA should name its magazine after Dalgado while the DKA should have named its body after Dalgado. Seems like the proponents are meeting at the crossroad junction called Dalgado. Maybe Dalgado is turning in his grave, not knowing which side to take. The most recent controversies to hit Goa is the Dum Maro Dum one. On one side are the proponents of free speech and, on the other side, those opposing the alleged portrayal of Goan women in bad light. As usual, some recall the movie Bobby which showed a Christian man as drunkard. It was hard to observe if the man shown was a Goan though it was said that the man was a character depicting the East Indian koli. The koli men, just like Goan men, are fond of their liguour. Goans cannot deny the fact that Goan men drink and drink well, though they may not fall by the wayside. Mario's pocket cartoon showed a Goan woman (forget the name) in a office with ample assets and a deep cleavage. No Goan women's organisations took offence at that. Or maybe the Goan women's organisations of today were not born then. The Goan office girl has often been the talk of non-Goan office men at office canteens and restaurants. Aren't Sikhs shown as some crazy fools? Aren't the Santa-Banta comic strips a big hit with non-Sikhs? The Muslim as terrorist is a new phenomenon. Dr. Jose Pereira suffered some attacks over his paintings. And now N. Shivdas is facing the ire of the women's organisations for a poem on a prostitute. What's wrong in having a poem on a prostitute? Are there no Goan prostitutes? I read that Shivdas wants to change the name of his poem. Can't believe he is bowing down to pressue. He should remain firm. Would the women's bodies demand that all literature that makes reference to Goan prostitute or those who are portrayed as adulteresses be banned or removed from the shelves. The new Gandhi book has hit the sensibilities of the Indian people though the Indian government has refrained from banning it. Reminds me of the Satanic Verses storm that hit India, as part of the global anger of die-hard Muslims against Salman Rushdie. The drug menace in Goa is widespread. I took a walk down Baga late in the evening to see for myself. The drug-and-sex trade that the movie seeks to show was very much in the air. In the late 70s, I went to Ravanfonda to check for myself Margoa's redlight district. It was, I believe, just coming up. After a football match at the Margoa ground I visited a family who were my family friends for years and lived next to the ground. Talking about the place, the lady of the house said that the prostitution menace has hit her village. I and a friend, who had come to the football match with me, went on an investigation. Right so, we were taken to many houses and I spoke to some of the women in Konkani. Similarly, I have visited Baina where some of my relatives were living. Baina was hell, to say the least. My relatives have moved to Dabolim and, hence, I did not visit them this time. I believe the place has been cleared. Goa is being promoted as the new "wedding capital". I believe this particular campaign has been targeted at North America. Perhaps Goa wants to steal the thunder from Rajasthan which saw some high-profile weddings of Americans. Whatever the case, the campaign is saner than previous ones. How much impact the campaign has or will have is not a given certainty. The sun-and-sand destination routine still holds water. Many foreigners come to soak in the sun and sink in the water on Goa's so-called "golden beaches". I found the beaches littered with beer bottles, plastic bags and juice boxes, which in India are called "tetrapaks." Morjim may be off-limits to locals and also domestic toursits, but the latter class makes it to Pallolem. Baga is too explensive as I discovered. A medium-sized rechardo prompret at Britto's cost Rs 1000. It was filled with domestic tourists, who seemed to have descended from New Delhi or Mumbai, the moeny centres of new India. I couldn't imagine the transformation Baga has undergone. I saw the Jesuit Retreat House perched on the cliff, a place I spent three days at the invitation of the late Fr. Antonio Pereira, still standing majsetically with the filth and garbage on the beach. I see "two" Goas, one for those who have "disposal" income and those who have to do with whatever income they have. Those with "new" money could afford to grab mangoes at Rs 200 for three. Those working for call centre make lot of money compared to those who work in small- to medium-sized companies. The economic climate is sound, unlike the political climate which is always turbulent. The previous tourism campaigns showed hoardings opposite the Dabolim airport which said Goa was a fun place 365 days of the year. I think the hoardins also indirectly said something negative about Goan women, though I am not sure of the exact words. However, "fun" can in interpreted in many ways. I do find Goa to be "fun" and "frustrating" but never dull.
Eugene Correia
