MIND YOUR LANGUAGE (AGAIN!) by Dr. Oscar Rebello

Let us clarify crystal clear positions in our current language imbroglio.

1) Uday Bhembre; Arvind Bhatikar; Prashant; Pundalik & Hema Naik; N. Shivdas and many other stalwarts in the BBSM movement specially the youth brigade I know well, are the finest, secular and principled individuals in Goan society.

Just because they take a position on a cultural issue does not make them communal. Indeed, if the crazy bats from the Sangh were to run riot terrorizing minorities in Goa, some day, these individuals would be in the front line of fire defending secularism. The beloved Man of the Masses would at that time be probably hobnobbing with the BJP, still counting his 20%.

In India it is simple. The majority Hindu can choose to be communal or secular. The minorities have no option but to be secular. We are blessed that a large percentage of Hindus in our society choose to remain inherently secular.

2) The Church in Goa, despite me being in disagreement with many of her teachings, much to the chagrin of my suffering wife(and now my argumentative kids) has been an epic institution in our social history, fighting relentlessly on genuine issues plaguing Goa. Mining and Real Estate scandals; Education & Human Rights; Casinoisation of Goa & Rehabilitation of drug & prostitution victims. All these issues make them deeply patriotic and her position on cultural issues makes them anti-national? Incongruous no? But just as beauty, I guess, patriotism also lies in the eyes of the beholder.

3) The BBSM brigade may pitch for Konkanni / Marathi passionately but they do not hate English and don’t want it banned. The FORCE may ask for English as a choice but not that they love their Konkani / Marathi any less.

So where is the problem then?

The stumbling block in any meaningful solution to the current bitter feud ( much to the delight of politicians of all hues ) is this : A yawning , gaping hole in the BBSM argument . Whats that ? Let me explain

I grant that it is the duty and business of academicians and teachers ; thinkers and educationists to draft the MOI policy in our state and if it is Konkanni / Marathi ( regional language ) as MOI then , so be it !

But then this MOI policy must fundamentally , necessarily and absolutely apply to every primary school-going kid in Goa. One uniform policy!!! For ALL, Todos, pour tous, sab ke liye !!!

There cant be a set of escape hatches into the warm embrace of English (a.k.a. Elitism or Exclusivism ) for the Ranes & the Rebellos ; the Pintos and the Prabhudessais ; The Shaikhs and the Sardessais ; the Agarwals and the Ambanis.

You certainly don’t have one set of traffic rules for a motorcycle and one for a Mercedes Benz on the same road, do you?

And that is the anxiety, angst and frustration of the FORCEful parents (notwithstanding their mollycoddling with dubious politicians)

One set of rules for the privileged, affluent and connected. (how many affluent parents put in their kids to a badly run government school?) And another for the hoi polloi.

And these binary rules are not just in education! A five star hotel gets saved from the axe bypassing a supreme court judgement but fishermen houses are demolished; a seedy real estate bandicoot can flout all rules but a simple bloke is made to run pillar to post for a housing license ; a BMW can smash through people but a motorcycle rider without a license gets hauled up; a mining accident can kill without culpability but anti mining farmers whose fields are destroyed are terrorists!

Therefore the clamour for a similar kind of education that the privileged class access. If you cant beat them, lets at least be like them.

And this you will find resonating amongst parents of all denominations and religions and classes .Don’t look at the crowds everywhere. Just scratch the surface and go deeper.

What our leaders urgently need to do is to veer away from this claustrophobic politics of religious and linguistic identity – very necessary identities but they do not have to be fretful, grieving and inward looking but positive, light and irreverent and forward looking to embrace everyone.

And of course it would really really help if our Goan identity this century, would completely change and focus on efforts to make individuals sensitive to the environment and our heritage: to honesty and probity in public life; to civic sense and the capacity to sensibly share our resources; to an identity of genuine inner pride and massive forgiveness on all sides.

That would be a Goenkarponn that we could truly showcase to the world!