50th anniversary: Once idyllic Goa is now paradise lost
by Rajdeep SardesaiWe Indians are very good at celebrating the ritual of
anniversaries. Perhaps, we believe that an annual ceremonial occasion entitles
us to have selective amnesia the rest of the year. So, on the 10th anniversary
of the Parliament attacks, pious homages were paid to the dead; so what if it
took one of the widows six years to get a petrol pump allotted?Now, the nation
prepares for another anniversary: this weekend marks 50 years since Goa was
‘liberated’ from the Portuguese, the culmination of a long, and at times,
bloody struggle which has never quite received its due in our nationalist
historiography.Like all grand anniversaries, this one too will be marked by
pomp and spectacle. Goa’s quaint capital, Panjim, will be brightly lit; Sonia
Gandhi will address a public meeting; music concerts and art exhibitions will
be held; there will be fireworks along the beaches. Every effort will be made
to hide the darker side of arguably India’s most beautiful state.That darker
side has meant that a state which was once caricatured as a happy-go-lucky land
of fish, feni and football is now targeted as home to drug, land and mining
mafias. Remember one of this year’s box office hits, Singham, was set in Goa,
where Ajay Devgn plays the tough cop who aims to rid an entire system of
baddies? Bollywood often takes its cue from real life. From Premnath playing
the happily drunk fisherman Braganza in Bobbyto Devgn as Bajirao Singham, the
wheel has come full circle: the once idyllic Goa is now seen as paradise
lost.When did it all change? For most tourists, Goa is still the country’s
premier holiday destination. The hippies of the Beatles era have given way to a
large domestic and low cost foreign tourist industry. Brand Goa for the tourist
is defined by plenty of sun, many beaches, all-night bars, loud music, and the
occasional rave party: basically, a chance to rid oneself of the inhibitions of
middle class India without the neighbour complaining. The more affluent have
even bought themselves flats and houses, preferably with a view of the sea.Like
all grand anniversaries, on it's 50th year celebration, every effort will be
made to hide the darker side of arguably India's most beautiful state. AFP
PhotoBrand Goa for the locals, on the other hand, has been defined by a certain
social conservatism, strong family ties, village temples and churches,
environmental consciousness and a fierce attachment to property. A clash
between the two Goas was inevitable and lies at the heart of the state’s
travails.The battle has been primarily fought over a tiny state’s most precious
commodity — land. From Mumbai and Delhi’s real estate entrepreneurs to even the
Russian mafia, Goa became fair game for those seeking a quick return on
investment. In 2006, then chief minister, Pratapsinh Rane, in a written reply
in the Goa assembly stated that in the previous three years, as many as 482
properties had been sold to foreign nationals, including Russians. In 2007, it
was the sustained pressure from local activists that forced the Goa government
to abandon its much-publicised regional plan, a scheme designed to ensure the
parceling of the state’s land, unmindful of the environmental consequences.
Despite this, the most frequent sight in the Goan countryside even today is of
rapid construction activity as farmlands give way to holiday homes.Negotiating
these land ‘deals’ are the state’s politicians. Their clout within the village
panchayat system means that no sale is complete without the intervention of the
local don turned neta. In a small state, the influence of the local MLA is much
greater than in the big states where the chief minister wields a more dominant
presence. No one exemplifies this better than the colourful Atanasio ‘Babush’
Monserrate, Goa’s education minister, whose rather chequered CV includes a
dozen criminal charges, including once attacking a police station. A three-time
MLA, he has switched parties four times in a decade and has been part of both
BJP and Congress governments. In a 40-member state assembly, where every MLA
has a price tag, Monserrate has become symbolic of a decaying political
culture.Linked to land conflicts is the growing controversy over mining rights.
Mining has been central to Goa’s economy, a colonial legacy started by the
Portuguese awarding mining leases in perpetuity to some Goans. If the Goa
assembly’s Public Accounts Committee is to be believed, 15 million metric tones
of ore were extracted illegally in the last three years, allegedly at a Rs
4,000 crore loss to the exchequer. The figures may be disputed, but what is
generally accepted is that, like in neighbouring Karnataka, windfall profits
have spurred illegal mining.The answer is not, as is being suggested by some, a
ban on illegal mining. Goa accounts for 60 percent of the country’s iron ore
exports, and a ban on mining would cripple the state’s economy. What the state
needs is a mining regulator who can ensure a certain transparency in the
functioning of a largely unregulated industry. Modern Goa needs speedier
industrialisation in the same manner as it needs strong environmental
protection laws.In a sense, the polarised public debate on mining reflects the
central dilemma of one of India’s youngest states. To see Goa as an unchanging
rural idyll would be to do disservice to an increasingly aspirational society.
Goa cannot be confined to a picture-perfect postcard where ‘susegado‘ (or
relaxed, timeless fun in Konkani) remains its calling card. But nor must it
lose its unique status as a truly multi-cultural haven with a fragile
eco-system that offers the best of east and west.Post-script: One of the
greatest contemporary Goans, the iconic cartoonist Mario Miranda, died this
week. Mario represented an older Goa, gentle and aesthetic. It’s a Goa which
must never die. Give me a Mario over a Monserrate any day!The writer is editor
in chief, IBN 18 network.
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