I remember the days, when I used to wonder why Goa never figured on the daily bulletin. Each state or even smaller cities used to hog limelight day-in and day-out. Probably, the only time Goa used to make news was the year end when all the party revelers used to head for Goan shores for the New Year bash. And occasionally the pack of jokers sitting in the assembly playing the toppling game used to do their bit to attract publicity.
But off late the scenario has been totally contrast. Goa have been the making the headlines on all the leading newspapers and gulping huge amount of air-time on every other media channel. The sad part is that, it’s in news for all the wrong reasons. Be in the RP 2011, or the instability in the government. Be it the law-makers turned law-breakers episode or the SEZ muddle. To top it all, the molestations of foreigners that has created unprecedented hype off late.
Thanks to all this, Goa has been loosing its reputation of being calm and serene that it always has been; and I strongly believe it still is to a large extent. So, why all these issue have become nemesis for Goans and projecting it in a bad light to the world media? For I believe (and I don’t even remotely want to be politically correct) the root cause is the influx. Not just the population influx; but even the cultural, social or ideological influx that Goa is been targeted with.
I wonder whether there exists a single soul on the planet who has seen the audience to the breathtaking scenery of Goa, and still escaped without getting captivated, fascinated by the nature’s bounties that it had to offer. But the very USP is proving to be the nemesis for the Goekars. The pleasant climate, add to it the fascinating countryside and pristine sea-shores, top it with the warmth that Goans are blessed with has made each tourists feel like making their short experience into a lifelong one. And for me this is the root-cause of all the ills that has been plaguing the fairyland of earth. One should realize one is subjected to warmth, courtesy when he acts like a guests; but when the same guests stays put then he no longer can expect the same treatment till eternity.
I fear sounding regionalist but Goa is Goa because of the Goans (I mean the natives “Goekars” and not the aliens who have immigrated and proud themselves in calling so); and it is bound to loose its sheen when the natives are outnumbered by the aliens. The few ills that I mentioned earlier are somehow or other related to the immigration muddle. Take the case of RP2011. Those involved were all game to chop the greens of Goa to make way for sprawling residential villas and malls. A very prominent example of such exploitation of mother earth has been the one on the Betim hill looking over the scenic view of the river Mandovi and ancient Portuguese architecture that dot the city of Panaji. Worse still it has been the project by a very famous industrial house which claims to do business by ethics. Just makes me wonder where they had shelved their ethics who committing such brutalities on this forest belt? All these apartments and facilities as everyone knows were exorbitantly priced and its left to no ones guess that there were targeted for clientele not within the subset of the world named Goa. It just amazes me as to how the parties involved in this project are up to kill to the golden egg laying hen for a one time gain.
The scarlet keeling (the name inspired the title of this blog) incident was yet another wound on the already beautiful but now bleeding face of Goa. The incident and the plight of the tourists are certainly condemnable but it has been hyped up way out of proportion. A couple of Goan names involved seem to have been marring the entire Goan population. The ones who are involved surely should be dealt with the tough arm of the law but they should not be allowed to spoil the Goan reputation. The Dutts, Roys and the Sardessais of the Indian media who have been hell bent of tarnishing us just to add up to their TRPs shouldn’t be let to do so. When they screamed in the over-inflated voice in some publicity-seeking chat shows regarding the unsafe nature of the Goan beaches or the rave parties; they should be asked as to how many Goans (and again I mean the native Goekars) would you find at this venues. I can safely bet my head on the fact that not even a tenth of the people found at the rave parties would be Goekars and those who are must be actually peddlers (and not party revelers) who should be given the short end of the stick. Same is true with the beaches too. The silver shores have been such an everyday thing for the locals that I wonder as to how many of them actually get indulged in getting themselves tanned, sun-baked on the sands (spare the local fisherman for their tryst with the sea and the shore will be on till eternity).
Goans are notorious for their laid-back attitude and the tag “sushegaad” does get prefixed to our names at birth. But each of us have proven it that when it comes to assaulting our motherland, we shall spring into action at the blink of the eye. The government was brought to their heels the last time the Goekars upped their ante against the land sharks involved in the regional plan. It wasn’t a one time wonder as people had done it in the past during the Nylon 66 issue and more recently the SEZ saga; and we won’t be showing any qualms in repeating many more times if some perils try to strike our motherland. A little warning to end this… Mess with Goans, and you will end in a mess.
But off late the scenario has been totally contrast. Goa have been the making the headlines on all the leading newspapers and gulping huge amount of air-time on every other media channel. The sad part is that, it’s in news for all the wrong reasons. Be in the RP 2011, or the instability in the government. Be it the law-makers turned law-breakers episode or the SEZ muddle. To top it all, the molestations of foreigners that has created unprecedented hype off late.
Thanks to all this, Goa has been loosing its reputation of being calm and serene that it always has been; and I strongly believe it still is to a large extent. So, why all these issue have become nemesis for Goans and projecting it in a bad light to the world media? For I believe (and I don’t even remotely want to be politically correct) the root cause is the influx. Not just the population influx; but even the cultural, social or ideological influx that Goa is been targeted with.
I wonder whether there exists a single soul on the planet who has seen the audience to the breathtaking scenery of Goa, and still escaped without getting captivated, fascinated by the nature’s bounties that it had to offer. But the very USP is proving to be the nemesis for the Goekars. The pleasant climate, add to it the fascinating countryside and pristine sea-shores, top it with the warmth that Goans are blessed with has made each tourists feel like making their short experience into a lifelong one. And for me this is the root-cause of all the ills that has been plaguing the fairyland of earth. One should realize one is subjected to warmth, courtesy when he acts like a guests; but when the same guests stays put then he no longer can expect the same treatment till eternity.
I fear sounding regionalist but Goa is Goa because of the Goans (I mean the natives “Goekars” and not the aliens who have immigrated and proud themselves in calling so); and it is bound to loose its sheen when the natives are outnumbered by the aliens. The few ills that I mentioned earlier are somehow or other related to the immigration muddle. Take the case of RP2011. Those involved were all game to chop the greens of Goa to make way for sprawling residential villas and malls. A very prominent example of such exploitation of mother earth has been the one on the Betim hill looking over the scenic view of the river Mandovi and ancient Portuguese architecture that dot the city of Panaji. Worse still it has been the project by a very famous industrial house which claims to do business by ethics. Just makes me wonder where they had shelved their ethics who committing such brutalities on this forest belt? All these apartments and facilities as everyone knows were exorbitantly priced and its left to no ones guess that there were targeted for clientele not within the subset of the world named Goa. It just amazes me as to how the parties involved in this project are up to kill to the golden egg laying hen for a one time gain.
The scarlet keeling (the name inspired the title of this blog) incident was yet another wound on the already beautiful but now bleeding face of Goa. The incident and the plight of the tourists are certainly condemnable but it has been hyped up way out of proportion. A couple of Goan names involved seem to have been marring the entire Goan population. The ones who are involved surely should be dealt with the tough arm of the law but they should not be allowed to spoil the Goan reputation. The Dutts, Roys and the Sardessais of the Indian media who have been hell bent of tarnishing us just to add up to their TRPs shouldn’t be let to do so. When they screamed in the over-inflated voice in some publicity-seeking chat shows regarding the unsafe nature of the Goan beaches or the rave parties; they should be asked as to how many Goans (and again I mean the native Goekars) would you find at this venues. I can safely bet my head on the fact that not even a tenth of the people found at the rave parties would be Goekars and those who are must be actually peddlers (and not party revelers) who should be given the short end of the stick. Same is true with the beaches too. The silver shores have been such an everyday thing for the locals that I wonder as to how many of them actually get indulged in getting themselves tanned, sun-baked on the sands (spare the local fisherman for their tryst with the sea and the shore will be on till eternity).
Goans are notorious for their laid-back attitude and the tag “sushegaad” does get prefixed to our names at birth. But each of us have proven it that when it comes to assaulting our motherland, we shall spring into action at the blink of the eye. The government was brought to their heels the last time the Goekars upped their ante against the land sharks involved in the regional plan. It wasn’t a one time wonder as people had done it in the past during the Nylon 66 issue and more recently the SEZ saga; and we won’t be showing any qualms in repeating many more times if some perils try to strike our motherland. A little warning to end this… Mess with Goans, and you will end in a mess.
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