If Eugene has not read Dr. Sardesai's presentation at the convention, how can he conclude that it was superficial? What is the purpose of this premature excretion based on a blurb in a press release?
Cheers, Santosh --- On Mon, 7/25/11, Eugene Correia <[email protected]> wrote: > > The reports from the Global Goan > Convention are sketchy. With the exception > of Dr. Damodar SarDeaai, Dr. Teotonio De Souza, Dr. Stella > Mascarenhas-Keyes > and Carmen Miranda, there is no mention of Jason Keith > Fernandes, Cliff > Pereira and Eddie Fernandes on their presentations. > Dr. Teo's "Goa's many Liberations" has appeared in print > and on, I think, on > other forums, if not on goanet. He has explored the > presentation dilemma of > long-time outsiders still not considered to be "Goans." > True, outsiders made > Goa their home long before time. Goa's social history is > tied to mythology. > Besides the Parashuram myth, Goa's first inhabitants were > said to be from > the north. > The natives, gavde and kunbi, may have been relegated to > the back end of > history, as much as the native Indians in America and > Canada. Such is the > history of new nations where immigrants outnumber the > locals. > It will be a continuous fight for "liberation" on this > front -- either > keeping outsiders outsider the margins of Goan society or > accepting them as > one of our own. Goa has residential qualification to apply > for ration cards. > Is the ration card or the eligibility to vote be the > required qualifications > for calling this outsiders for calling these outsiders "niz > Goenkars"? > Should the new migrant be also well-versed in Konkani and > Goan cultural > habits and traditions? If the latter is in fact needed that > many Goans > living abroad who lack the ability to talk in Konkani and > have almost given > up on Goan cultural habits and traditions be stilled be > called Goans? > Dr. Mascarenhas-Keyes paper is almost the same as the one > she read at the > 1988 Toronto convention. and the article she wrote for the > Toronto > convention sourvenie. She has just added the new > immigrantion pattern of > Goans seeking Portuguese citizenship in order to migrate to > the UK and other > countries. It is unfortunate that no figures have been > obtained as to how > many Goan migrants have come to UK since the Portuguese > allowed Goans to > apply for Portuguese citizenship. > From what is quoted in Cip Fernandes' second day report, I > found Dr. > SarDesai's presentation very superficial. Reeling off names > of eminent Goans > is not enough and calling Goans "eminently intelligent" is > just a sop. Wish > the learned professor had statitics to show the propotion > of those > "intelligent" to "unintelligent." > As for the call to "assert Goan solldarity", it is just a > cry in the > wilderness. This pleading comes at all conventions. Save > Goan identity is > another common refrain at these conventions. > Goan solidartiy is an illusion. Unless these polticians > show us the way on > how to achieve it and they themselves pave the road through > their own > examples, Goans will be left where they are now. Goans, > like any other > community, has its own divisions. Cutting across > socio-religious boundaries > and dismantling communal hurdeles is no easy task. The > battle-cry for > transformation on this front has been heard before and we > will continue to > hear in the future. To assert solidarity, Goans must firm > come together > unitedly on many common platforms. Goa current battles lies > in fighting the > many causes that NGOs have taken up. Saving Goa from those > who continue to > plunder and rape her is the most important job Goans have > right now. > > Eugene Correia >
