Goa – then and now – By: Bennet Paes, Assolna
There had been so many fleeting visits to Goa while abroad, but this one was
for keeps. I noticed the amazing changes that occurred in between, and realized
that a readjustment to an increasingly turbulent environment was
necessary.Change, I believe, is the only thing that remains unchanged, so I
tried to realign myself to this changed reality of life in Goa.
Hardly any place in the world has escaped the colonial tag at any time in
history, and Goa has had its share too. Colonialism’s brighter side has often
been smeared by attemptsto highlight only the ill-effects it dealt its people.
Some finer characteristics of the Portuguese tradition are worth the mention.
Law and order among the people was clearly the most visible mark. Democracy was
unheard of. So was lawlessness and corruption. Fear of the Portuguese
law-keepers was almost equable with the fear of God, and it was visible across
all the local communities. Freedom of expression was not so muzzling as to
choke our throats. In fact our voices filled the air with lilting folk songs
and satirical open-air plays. We breathed an air that was free of pollution,
and free of obstruction from iron grills on our windows.
Our villages used to be called ‘aldeias’ in Portuguese. Translated literally
into English they came to be equated with the villages, as seen in the rest of
India. Any comparison? Ask any tourist, foreign or local, and be prepared to
hear music: “it’s just incredible - your villages are studded with so many
Euro-Mughal style mansions and Romanesque monuments, that most of them could
pass for ‘historicaltowns’ – not just villages”. That’s what they say in utter
amazement.
There was quality in whatever they had to offer, be it bread or bridges.
Today’s bread is hardly a patch on the crunchy ‘pao’ ofthe bygone era, and the
‘bakri’ is only an adulterated version of its former self. Recently built
bridges tumble in the middle of our rivers and cause untold damage to tourism,
and even more to the exchequer. Agreed, most Goans left for higher studies in
English or for employment elsewhere due to lack of opportunities. But long
after the Portuguese left, Goans are still leaving in droves, and ironically
enough, on passports issued by the very country some said was once their
oppressor.
And finally, the less said about the successive governments that replaced the
Portuguese, the better. They all make us believe that corruption should now be
a way of life in Goa, like it is in the rest of India, because removing it
would be a violation of human rights.
Sadly enough, that is what the much touted democracy under corrupt governments
has been reduced to. Let us then try to rid ourselves of a legacy that our
‘brave’ freedom fighters should have spared us, and usher in a government that
will let us live like clean, dignified human beings in the future. And the time
is well-nigh at hand.
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