At some time or other you must have heard this comment: Goa is not India! It is a cliche, and we all know a cliche is a truth - a self evident statement of fact. A secret everybody knows!
The Portuguese were in Goa as the British were in a large part of India. Some Muslims ruled parts of India; Muslims societies were and are conservative in India and abroad. The position of women was not strong in Muslim societies where the men controlled the women. The British women were goddesses. And, the men were of course gods. They were representatives of a higher race whose job was seen as the white man’s burden. They did not mix with the locals. The Portuguese were not racists unlike the British. They mixed freely with the locals and embraced the culture including the local Goan women enthusiastically. Now this mix of Goan and European blood made, as they say, the dish spicier than ever and became popular with the Portuguese and Goans too. Viewed in this soft romantic light the words Goa is not India is easily understandable. The Goan woman especially needs to be appreciated for offering her open heart and soul and body to the Portuguese men, our colonial masters. Had she not done it we would have heard something like this today: Goa is no different from other parts of India. No. Goa is not India!