This summer will be memorable for me because of one event: Euro 2004. Patriotism overcomes the country as we get excited - maybe overly so - at the idea that England may actually win this time! For someone who can be cynical about the country I was born and raised in, I surprise myself by how much I get caught up in this feeling.
Imagine my dismay then when during extra time of the tense, all-important game between England and Portugal my mum enters the room and starts cheering on Portugal! All right, before - and after -they played each other I was giving silent support to Portugal, but how interesting that my mum showed more affinity with Portugal than with England. Why? Well, we're Goans. It's not just our surnames that are Portuguese; Goan music, food, art and customs are undeniably Portuguese influenced. In
short, many of our parents' generation consider themselves as Portuguese as they are Goan. My dad sings along to the Portuguese national anthem. Doesn't that say it all?
Although I also have this affinity with Portugal, I feel we're guilty of ignorance here. Have we forgotten that the Portuguese were once our colonisers? That once upon a time they landed on Goan shores and forced our ancestors to convert to their religion and imposed their own customs on them, with a concerted attempt to strip them of their own. This wasn't a 'would you like to come to our church service?' kind of conversion but went along the lines of: destroy their temples and threaten/ punish/ torture/ kill 'em!
Although that took place many moons ago, over the 400 odd years we had them the Portuguese were pretty lousy, as colonisers go. Although Goa became a prosperous trade capital, this
soon diminished and by the time Portugal was forced to give their colony up, it was evident the area was lacking in investment.
The result of this is that Goa remains startlingly underdeveloped compared to neighbouring states. Much of our history pre-Portuguese has also been lost. Goans don't call themselves Indian even though Indian elements have survived in Goan culture and we have also been part of India for around thirty years. We need to be realistic though - Goans are Indian. We may be different from Gujratis or Sikhs, but India is diverse enough to include us as one of its own. At the same time, it's understandable to identify ourselves with Portugal. Let's just not forget why we do so.
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