I am an Indian citizen not by my own choice but by force imposed on me by the Government of India on 19th December 1961 and thru this force Government of India stationed in New Delhi forced Indian citizenship on me.
I have not opted for Indian citizenship, it was imposed on me from New Delhi by the Indian Government headed by Nehru the premier of India when my beloved Goa, when my virgin Goa, when my greenery filled Goa, when my naturally beautiful Goa, when my innocent Goa was forcibly invaded by the mighty Millitary power of Indian Government.
Though geographically Goa falls in Indian subcontinent but politically it was not, politically it was a separate political entity being the overseas territory of Portugal. Indian Government has forcibly by using military force invaded Goa and annexed it to Indian jurisdiction. Though it was invaded but Supreme Court of India in its landmark judgement on Goa’s case said that "Goa on 19th December 1961 was conquered by India'’. The word liberation is missing in the Supreme Court judgement. Hence, legally and officially Goa was not liberated but conquered.
Though I was a Portuguese citizen legally yet I did not want to be under a colonial power Portugal. Portugese were strangers to rule over Goa, they too forcibly conquered my Goa and as such they had to leave Goa either voluntarily or forcibly and this was our decision, only we Goans were to take this decision and not by the Delhi Babus under the crook Defence Minister of India Krishna Menon. On 19th December 1961 Indian Government under Nehru Robbed my beautiful Goa from Portugal and annexed it to India making greater Bharat which is filled with all the corrupt practices unknown to Goa earlier.
Given a choice I would be the first person to secede from greater India because this India is swallowing my Goa not territorially but culturally, linguistically, economically, traditionally, historically and in all respects. When Goa became a part of India politically, my Goa started losing its identidy.
To stop further eradication of Goa’s original characteristics and to put an end to the approaches of Maharastra from totally swallowing Goa, we had to fight for separate statehood for Goa, at least something is better than nothing. If Maharastra had to sallow Goa we would lose our identity by losing our Konkani language to Marathi thereby losing our beautiful folklore, folk tales, folk songs, culture, tradition and everything we have unique in us which is based on Konkani.
The Konknni people from Maharastra by being Maharastrian have lost almost everything of their own; their language, culture, tradition, folklore to Marathi, some of the patriotic Konknni people associating in my Konkani movement in Kuwait are showing their regret and sorrow for losing their Konknni culture to Marathi where there is no choice for them. They are now become slaves of Maharastra and Marathi culture which is foreign to them. .
Hence the imperative need of having separate statehood for Goa came. To save Goa from getting liquidated and wholly swallowed by Maharastra which was also the wish of Nehru and Delhi, we the Kuwaitkars initiated from Kuwait strong movement to help our fellow Goans in Goa financially to move forward in organising Konkani movement in Goa.
When we started this movement in Kuwait 3 decades back our counterparts in the West were silent and till today for the cause of Goa they are still silent. Having Goan Associations and organsing annual functions and get-together will not help Goan causes in Goa. At the moment what is required in Goa is to take possession of Goan lands and properties by Goans. Outsiders are coming to Goa and purchasing Goan properties while we are selling our land to anyone.
The Western Goans with Western Passports are losing Goa for themselves. The coming generation born and brought up in the West will entirely lose Goa for them and unfortunately they will not be interested in Goa either. West settled and working there Goans are in much better position to puchase Goan land but instead many of them are selling their ancestral land and houses to non-Goans and hugging Portuguese, British and other Western Passports. And yet they take pride in being Goans. I am ashamed of their Goanness.
Orgnising Goan conventions without doing anythig concrete to save Goa from getting Goa degoanised is foolish. Organising seminars and conventions by the Goans permanently settled in the West will not solve Goa's problem. Goa Government and Goan politicians will not care for any shouts from Goans settled any part of the globe. And by the way, what is the capacity and love of West settled Goans to rescue Goa from the chaotic conditions Goa is undergoing now?
When the soul of Goa - Konkani - was burning the West settled Goans were silent. It is not enough to organise Goan functions to mark the Fest of Goycho Saib and to join all in the Club Hall to eat Goan Sorpotel and dance the whole day. What Kuwait Goans among all the exptriate Goans have done for the cause of Goa none can do and never be able to do.
What is the show and pomp of having GLOBAL Goan gatherings and Conventions when we do nothing concrete to protect Goa in Goa? Goa Government in Goa manned by all the "Rostad" persons are sucking the blood of Goans, they are corrupting the whole system in Goa, they are acting against the interest of genuine and true Goans. Goa Government is anti-Goan, promoting all round corruption.
This Government and its machinery will do nothing for the good of Goa and Goans. Only shameless expatriate Goans will shamelessly entertain the Goa Government personnel. These expatriate Goans have no right to talk for Goa because they did nothing for Goa when Goa and Konkani needed their help and currently too they are doing nothing to protect Goa and its unique identity.
Recently in the West one scheduled Goan function was cancelled because of dispute between the two factions. This is our Goan Christian tradition and we maintained it even in the West because it is said in Konkani "Gaum assa thuim Marvott assa". "Goykar Christao assa thuim duspott astach".
'''At the moment what is required in Goa is to take possession of Goan lands and properties by Goans. Outsiders are coming to Goa and purchasing Goan properties while we are selling our land to anyone''' Your writing Points out to Yourself Ms Veronica Fernandes (Kuwait). You cannot Park your Ass in Kuwait and Preach to Others. Be in Goa and Act. We Goans are very good in washing Others Cloths.
ReplyDeleteI think A Veronica Fernandes views are extremely biased and unrealistic.
ReplyDeleteThere were and are far more Goans working in Kuwait , than any other Guff States.
Goans living & working in the WEST & East Africa, three deacdes ago did not have easy access to News from Goa.
Most of the information from Goa came via Air mail letters from families in Goa.
Western Television would not feature News from Goa.The Internet was not available in Goa, and even in the West, as widespread as it is now.Goan Radio Stations did not broadcast to the West.
The cost of Telephone calls from the West to Goa were extremely prohibitive.The main method were Telegrams and Telexes.
Even Fascimilie (FAX) ,was not widely available in Goa 3 decades ago.
There was more frequency of travel between Goa and the Gulf countries.Many work Contracts in the Gulf were short term.
There was far less travel between the West ,Africa and Goa.
The cost of travel from the West to Goa too, was expensive.Most flights were to Mumbai and then either by Bus, Train ,Air or Ship to Goa.
40 to 50 years ago , the only method of travel from East Africa to Goa was by Sea.That too was a 10 day voyage.
The time taken to travel from the West to Goa was daunting.It is far less from The Gulf to Goa.
Goans settled in the West are able to have full citizenship rights and are able to Purchase Properties and make a home for them selves.This splits their loyalty.
Goans living in the West detest the Bureaucracy currently practised in Goa.
Their Citizenship of the Western Countries, does not confer upon them Rights to meddle in Indian / Goan affairs.It has to be done through envoys.
On the other hand Gulf Goans cannot purchase immovable property or accquire Citizenship of Gulf Countries.
They are fully aware that one day, they may have to resettle back in Goa.hence they have a greater and dire need to ensure they can return to a better Goa.
Many Gulf Goans, and most notably from Kuwait, have now migrated to the West.This is still an ongoing trend.The new method, is through Portuguese Passports. A. Veronica Fernandes might want to explain this phenomenon of his so called ,beloved Kuwaitcars.
Hence I feel Mr A Veronica Fernandes`s article lacks facts, truths and reality.
It is based on an ill-conceived bias.
Quite a lot of his other sentiments, on this article of his are ill-founded and not well researched.
It is figments of his imagination.
No matter where we live and work, one should have love for his/her motherland. As a Person, we can move anywhere to improve his/her living condition and provide a decent life for the self and family. I may be anypart of the world but my heart bleeds for what is happening in Goa and have every right to talk and raise my voice against the misdeed of Goan rulers. Every election we Goan elect the people to represent ourselves to lead a good role for the welfare of citizen, but at the end it takes different turn and common man is at the suffering end.
ReplyDeleteIf Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh can have law to ban sale of their land to outsiders and then why can't we Goan have the same law. In fact, Goa's sole destructor Nehru had promised the same after successful invasion of my beloved Goa but the promise was never converted into reality. Successful Govt. ever since so called liberation failed to talk and pressurize the dictator in New Delhi to give us special status followed by BAN on Goan land for non-Goan and that is the only way we can protect our land and identity.
We do have Goan association and organises festivals and fiesta's every year in western countries and in fact glorifies these corrupt Politicians by inviting for these kind of functions and yet fails to put forward our genuine demands in front of this ruling rogues. Every year Goa Govt. represented by retired unworthy and good for nothing I can say ex-MP Eduardo Faleiro to organize Goan Conventions around the world but what is the outcome of this conventions, just talks, discussion and at the most presentation of slids on Goan ongoing scenario at the cost of tax payers?. But we Goan who attend this conventions fail to pressurize the same Govt. on Special Status and that is the only solution to break the stem from root of this corrupt land scams that we face currently. If we as expats Goans fail to address this issue then there is no meaning of this so called ‘World Goan Conventions”.