Cancers of Goa

Despite being a tiny dot on the map of India, Goa is a beautiful state, laden with history and a state which I feel proud in calling my home. I’m sure there are lots of Goans who feel this way, in Goa and elsewhere. Far from a land of dreams, Goa, though flawed in many different ways holds a special place in the hearts of people.

Though Goa has numerous problems, its solutions arise from the people itself who must refuse to stay mute spectators. Drugs and casinos are a few of the reminders of decisions that continue to haunt Goa.

 From the tourists to the casinos there are tonnes of evidence which stare back at Goans, showing that Goa is rapidly worsening by each passing day. Many people feel that the job of protecting Goa is only of the government.

While various issues pose a threat to Goa, all of them share a pattern which everybody continues to ignore for several reasons like convenience and fear. The attitude of ‘mhaka kiteak poddlam’ or why should I care is what really destroys Goa.

This is evident from the issues that Goa had to endure in the recent past like Goa Miles and many other issues. The attitude of why should I care is not restricted to one sector alone but it also extends to many people. Two attitudes by the government of Goa which are highly evident of this are a statement saying that they cannot force private players to hire Goans and the second attitude is till date the governments in Goa know of the situation of Goans going abroad, yet few opened up jobs for Goans.

When people don’t focus on the ‘cancers’ in Goa, they end up worsening Goa with people placing emphasis on ‘goeynkarponn’ only to throw it to the winds. My dear readers, lets us not look to the governments to deliver us as Goa is meant for all Goans to protect and not just the few. Goa’s real cancer is ‘mhaka kiteak poddlam’ which people should shed and unite in saving Goa.

The Goan love

Universally people believe in love. This belief has been reinforced either through movies or a combination of the media which they consume. This is sort of story about love, some may feel disgusted by it yet others may find it intriguing, depending on the reader. This is an unsusal love story. What is it about? Stick to the end to find out. 

Jennifer James Paul was born in the city of Margao in Goa, India and ever since she was small she loved Goa but her parents were from the state of Kerala. The conflict in her house was clear. Her family supported Kerala and the language spoken there which was Malayalam, she was the only odd one out who spoke in English and Konkani. Her friends used to often tease her and call her an outsider.

She often used to feel sad and end up crying, one friend of hers, Arpita used to console her and taught her the Konkani which she spoke. Eventually over time she spoke the style of Konkani spoken by her friend Arpita which was Hindu Konkani.

Jennifer was fully aware of her family background, yet she loved speaking in Konkani. Some called her ‘Goan’ some called her an ‘outsider’. She no longer cared about the tag that accompanied her. She had a love for Goa, despite knowing who she was and what she was

My dear readers, in the current scenario many debates arise in Goa as to who and what’s a Goan. It’s my firm belief that people born and raised in Goa who speak Konkani and have a deep love for Goa are also Goans along with people whose descendants are from Goa.

It’s debatable but in the current scenario, by discriminating we are unintentionally destroying our precious Goa in an era when our politicians are hell bent on destroying Goa. To make matters worse, there’s two state languages spoken in Goa which are Konkani and Marathi but our mother tongue is Konkani. We Goans further sub-divide ourselves in the Konkani that we speak, In doing so, we unintentionally murder Konkani.

In present-day Goa what’s of more importance, loving Goa and trying to save it or being labelled a ‘Goan’? The answer is debatable but hopefully an answer arises and people stand united in saving Goa. By discriminating over the types of Konkani are people actually protecting Goa or letting Konkani die a slow death?