Re: [Goanet] Re: Re: Posts on Goa
--- Radhakrishnan Nair [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: But what's unique about some Goan bhatkars of vintage variety is their seemingly disproportionate and illogical loyalty to the Portuguese. The moment the letter 'P' is uttered, they put the blinkers on and begin to brag about the three bridges and a radio station the Portuguese had managed to build in 450 years. I always restrained myself (for fear of losing a few good friends) from saying that the bridges survived because nothing heavier than bullock carts passed over them! Mario adds: Hey, Radha, don't forget the Mercedes Benzes and Citroens that also used the 3 bridges! However, to be fair, I have met a few who have since given up the ghost on ever being Portuguese again. As we have seen in some of the posts on this very thread, the Portuguese were somehow extremely successful in convincing a small section of Goans into thinking that they too were really Portuguese. That overseas province concept was a brilliant piece of sophistry that enabled them to buy over a decade of additional colonial economic bliss of cheap sources of raw materials and a captive market. The attitude was similar to many Anglo-Indians, with the caveat that the Anglo-Indians at least had some British blood in them, and while they considered themselves different for obvious reasons, most did not necessarily consider themselves elite in the same way as the bhatkars and fidalgos did. The real die-hards in both communities moved to the motherland.
[Goanet] Re: Re: Posts on Goa
(Dr Gilbert Lawrance wrote: Please do not be too harsh on the miniscule minority of Bhatkars and Fidalgos in Goa (pre-1961). They were really like A one-eyed person, who is a king among the blind.) Harsh, doctor? Never. Having had occasions to interact with them closely, I've found most of them to be perfect gentlemen -- suave, cultured and generous to a fault. They make excellent friends. I've enjoyed their gracious hospitality and always believed that it was the prevailing social milieu that turned their borebears into villains -- much like the zamindars elsewhere in India. Nairs are despised in Kerala for the very same reason, so I do empathise with them. But what's unique about some Goan bhatkars of vintage variety is their seemingly disproportionate and illogical loyalty to the Portuguese. The moment the letter 'P' is uttered, they put the blinkers on and begin to brag about the three bridges and a radio station the Portuguese had managed to build in 450 years. I always restrained myself (for fear of losing a few good friends) from saying that the bridges survived because nothing heavier than bullock carts passed over them! I'm only coaxing them to accept the reality and stop living in the past because I sincerely believe that their intellectual vigour and loyalty can be true assets to modern India. There's hope. The younger generation is not so obsessed with their Portuguese past as the oldies. Cheers, RKN
