Known for her propensity to put her "hoof" (to use Gabe's word) into issues on which she lacks thorough knowledge, Selma has raised the spectre of Goans and the government neglecting Joao Agostinho Fernandes, popularly known as Pai Agostinho, when the legend has been brought from the past to a glorious today, thanks to the efforts of many Tiatr Academy. Trying to make a case where none exists just for "sensationalism" gives the lie to Selma's declaration that she does not write for "sensationalism" or for "controversy."
The "Father of modern Konkani tiatr" has been honoured in many ways. Recent histories by Rafael Fernandes and Wilson Mazarello have placed him at top of the tiatr pyramid. Historians have bestowed him the rightful place he deserves. He has been hailed in songs and in the media. The only thing that has come is the money to restore his house. As usual, the government is taking its own time. The pressure must come from the Tiatr Academy to get the promised money as soon as possible. Godfrey Gonsalves, whose reports were good reading on GoaNet, has highlighted the plight of the house and those living within its four walls. Selma should stop making a song and dance about her ill-conceived notion that Pai Agostinho has been relegated to back pages of Goan cultural history. The truth is out there for all to see. But Selma has to brush her write-ups with touches of controversy. Check the para where she does a number on "Konkani speaking Catholic man." Her thesis is that this "small man of small village" does not hold a place in the "intellectual discourse of Goa" because he is not versatile in the "his inability to trade in the language currency of Goa's elite, namely Marathi, Portuguese and English, or write in the devnagari script, which he finds unfathomable, has excluded him from those corridors of power which stake claim to literary and philosophical pursuits." Why Portuguese when the language is almost dead in Goa? Does this small man need to learn and speak the language to be part of the "elite"? What would the "small man" gain by speaking or writing in it. The Catholic Goan has been fighting for recognition of Konkani in the Roman script for long and winning it. Parrikar's recent statement at the DKA's silver jubilee is a ray of hope. The end is not far away. Selma has a blinkered view of today's Goan society. The "small man" has progressed and, in a decade or more, he may not exist. In his place will come the Goan GenX, much in tune with the modern world. The past will merge into the future, and that's where the promise lies. There's all-round development in Goa as society evolves. Once before Selma criticised the school system in Goa without considering the fact that the standard of education has risen tremendously after Liberation. She should get herself rid of "old school" thoughts. It's another matter that Selma sees Goa's society from her perch in her own cocooned world far away in England/USA. She should clear the mist from her eyes and see the ground realities in Goa. Despite the political and economic mess, Goan society is moving ahead with sure steps. There's no need to take a backward glance or delve into history books to contemplate the future. The present is enough to let one know where things stand in Goa. The future unfolds each day. Eugene Correia
