Dear Sanjeev, Thank God for people like yourself.
I agree with you that those of us who have inherited much of what we are today is due to these hard working, men and women of Integrity of yesteryears. I note that there is an attempt to list all the Craftsmen and women who have preserved out heritage. I note there is an attempt to recognise these creative people for the economic gains they will provide, but there is no attempt to raise the respect we need to have for their unique skills and creativity. In Europe people with lesser skills were united into Guilds and found patronage among the rich and mighty. Their skills were no match for those in India and China. But in Goa we categorised them into the prevailing stratification without giving them the prominence they deserved. I agree with you that when I look back I have respect for their dignity and integrity, and more importantly for the values and norms they lived by. Thankyou Sanjeev, Take care and God Bless Albert da Cruz Perth Western Australia. From: Frederick Noronha Sent: Friday, January 14, 2011 4:57 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [SALIGAONET] The Goa that is fast getting into History ! We should not fall into the trap of glamourising poverty. While these men may be "richer than most of us", how many of us would like to exchange our lives for their's? At the end of the day, I would say that the bulk of the villagers of Saligao have no stake in our growth or our aspirations. Many don't even have access to a decent, regular and sustainable income -- more so after the collapse of the traditional, often barter-based economy. The fact that they can see the good life passing them by makes them only more aware of their deprivation. Which is why, many would be willing to do just about anything to get ahead in life -- whether that's selling water, giving controversial permissions for buildings, massacaring a part of the village sylvan areas, dumping mud into fields, and so on... As Chris has pointed out, many of our co-villagers have not moved one inch forward in the past one generation or two. In colonial times, we had an alibi. Now, whom do we blame? Just the politicians? I don't think that's sufficient. I don't intend to be pessimistic alone. We have some fine institutions in Saligao, which are benefitting a whole lot ... including schools which accept all, regardless of differences of community, caste or class (there are still a few barriers like language, but not as insurmountable as in the past). We also have individuals who have given a lot, and helped make the village a better place. But let us not forget those who have been almost completely excluded from all such initiatives. FN Frederick Noronha :: +91-9822122436 :: +91-832-2409490 Some books from Goa,1556 http://bit.ly/euv3g8 On 14 January 2011 07:27, Yvon.Gmail <[email protected]> wrote: Exactly my sentiments Sanjeev!!. We will not see such strength,stamina and a oneness with nature in the generations to come. Their weather-beaten faces are beautiful. We may interpret a picture in different ways but there's no denying that these pictures speak to us of our history. Thanks for sharing. ----- Original Message ----- From: Sanjeev Trivedi To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 9:06 AM Subject: Re: [SALIGAONET] The Goa that is fast getting into History ! The pictures were meant to capture the once very integral part of the Goan village scene. certainly NOT beauty. If you consider the pride, self respect and dignity these men possess, they are richer than most of us. I look upon these gentlemen with utmost respect. Sanjeev On Tue, Jan 11, 2011 at 7:09 AM, Christopher Desouza <[email protected]> wrote: Hi Sanjeev, I second Dilip in saying that the pictures are good because they were taken by a top notch camera and cameraman. That being said,what it brings to mind, to us Goan expats , is the hardship and poverty which does not seem to leave the most unfortunate of fellow Goans. Us all expats have conquered mountains, started companies, achieved in medicine, written books, held top notch civil service positions etc. etc. but have not been able to change the daily lives of most Goans for the better. This is because, the people in leadership locally, are corrupt, have a get rich at all costs mentality, no matter what the cost to the rest of society or environment is, and have not worked to better the fortunes of the common masses. Instead they have tried to keep the Goan people, ignorant by forcing them to study in Konkani in elementary school and by the time they get to middle and high school they are already left behind. Their education is only good to keep alive in the villages. This makes for a uneducated populace that cannot challenge corruption and instead, embrace it at all levels, pandering to the greed of those in leadership. This attitude has permeated into every segment of our Goan society, and now it is a free for all, of dog eat dog. Some of this has been brought about, by us Goan expats, flashing our foreign exchange and making people who do not have, feel envious, and in order to keep up with the Joneses, more able to be open minded about being dishonest. I commend the few good souls, in Goa, who work tirelessly for the betterment of Goan Society, against unsurmountable odds. With the amount of Goan talent involved, making the world a better place for the last few hundred years, it comes at a great surprise that we Goans, outperform on a world stage but are outclassed at home. I enjoyed you pictures Sanjeev, and I hope you continue to expose the ills of society through your lens. I, like Dilip, am very pained by the reflection of what those images mean....that the hardship of the Goan people has not changed in the 30 odd years of my absence. Regards Chris D [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: dilip dacruz <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Mon, January 10, 2011 5:12:26 AM Subject: RE: [SALIGAONET] The Goa that is fast getting into History ! Hi Sanjeev. These are beautiful photographs indeed, but I DO look forward to the Goa they capture rapidly disappearing into history. The wizened face, the worn out slippers, the ancient worn-out bicycle, the sheer hardship of life that the pictures capture - there is nothing beautiful about hardship and poverty. I guess the beauty of the pics is that they capture the unbeautiful beautifully? [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [SALIGAONET] The Goa that is fast getting into History ! Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:16:49 +0530 I am sure most Saligaonetters will relate to these pictures. Sanjeev -- This message comes via the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net?hl=en Please post regularly to keep the e-village active! -- This message comes via the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net?hl=en Please post regularly to keep the e-village active!
