Frederick, I wasn't going to write anything but since you said that I will be responding, here is my response. 1. If you already wished Victor on Goawriters, why wish him again on Goanet? Does wishing on all the forums somehow amplify your wishes? Or is it just that celebrity gets recognized even in Goa, while the rest of us flotsam and jetsam don't even get a passing mention? According to your own statistics, there must be over 10,000 members here, but I rarely see a birthday wish for the "ordinary folks." Neither do ordinary folks get paid tributes, such as "Remembering...." So even in birth and death we are all unequal, never mind the inequality foisted on us during a long and arduous life. 2. VRR is an exceptional person, no doubt about that. But are you seriously saying that you don't want to "interact" with any other kind of expat? This makes you sound very mercenary in your affections. What is this idea that Goans in Goa have, that expats must always be seen as doing something for Goa. Most human beings lead insular lives, they are concerned with their families and little else. That is the reality of the human condition. It's ok to be concerned about your own affairs. You cannot disenfranchise Goans just because in your books they are not doing anything for Goa. Incidentally, this argument of either not doing anything for Goa or being divorced from the realities of Goa is just too trite and hackneyed. You're not the only one who uses it. Every "well-meaning" Goan does. The question can easily be reversed. What does Goa do for NRI Goans? The vast majority of whom are still Indian citizens. We find that we are put out to pasture without pensions and no seats for our children in Goa's colleges, not to mention finding some mundkar or tenant occupying the property we had bought with hard earned money when we return. Despite this, we get blamed for a huge dollop of things that ail Goa. So I suppose the milk of human goodness must only flow one-way. 3. The idea that in the "good old days" people respected elders is a figment of your imagination (just as Kudds were built on goodwill). I remember my grandmother's generation fading into the wall like the furniture that lined it. They had no part whatsoever to play in society besides being thought of as burdens to be taken care off. My parents generation however is leading a fully participatory role despite now being in their seventies and eighties. So if anything, things have gotten better for senior citizens in Goa not worse and they have garnered respect for themselves not sympathy. Trust the above response is satisfactory. Incidentally I got so tired of Goans in Goa pulling this "you expats" card that I have long since stopped commenting on public forums about Goa. I come here only for a few laughs but those too are in short-supply. Bring back the clowns!! Best, selma From: Frederick FN Noronha * फ्रेडरिक नोरोन्या *فريدريك نورونيا <fredericknoronha1 at gmail.com> To: "Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994!" <goanet at lists.goanet.org> Sent: Monday, October 3, 2011 1:47 PM Subject: [Goanet] VRR ... a short note
I wishes Victor Rangel-Ribeiro a very happy 86th birthday on the GoaWriters network, but forgot to do so here on Goanet! Better (almost) late than never. Thank goodness for the time difference between India and the US! VRR is an inspiration to quite a few of us -- surely to me. When I see him working so hard, in the heat of the Goan afternoon, editing texts, volunteering with some of our books, holding editing workshops for us, and goading us on to strive for higher standards, I feel really blessed to be able to interact with such expats! Here's wishing VRR (as I call him fondly) many more productive years. Who can say what could be possible, considering that ex-editor (The Navhind Times and founder-editor of Goa Today) Lambert Mascarenhas gave a perfectly logical speech the other day, at the age of 97! Here's wishing Goan society the ability to treat its senior citizens with more respect, as it did in the past, and the abilities to tap on their lifetimes of achievements with even more enthusiasm! Happy birthday Victor, from me personally and on behalf of Goanet. FN -- FN +91-832-2409490 or +91-9822122436 fn at goa-india.org Saligao Goa IN http://fn.goa-india.org Skype: fredericknoronha
