Mango Reflections

Just like the English saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, the title of this article may suggest it’s about varieties of mangoes, but it’s not. What is it about really? The suspense will be lifted in a few sentences.

Upon my departure from St Xavier’s college in Mapusa, Goa, a journey began which culminated with the completion of my further education in St. Aloysius College in Mangalore. Like any student, there were a few day which left me pondering over my choice of Aloysius, but there were always days spent in Aloysius, which I will forever treasure and cherish.

Negative emotions which eventually ended up as positive emotions made my journey in St Aloysius lighter. These positive emotions arose due to a sole factor, the friends in Mangalore and Aloysius who made my journey a moment to relish. Mangalore was a rollercoaster ride for me with plenty of learning curves with some implications for Goa.

90-95% of my classmates were Keralites, which initially made me hesitant to approach them or get attached to them, but once I began to face my hesitations head-on, I was in for quite a shock as I discovered they were quite hospitable, and through a rollercoaster ride with them, It was an honour and a privilege to be friends with them. Keralites have many positive aspects but one negative aspect about them is when they go outside their home state, they force their language and culture on others without stepping into the other person’s shoes, there were evidences of this in my class as well as in states where Keralites reside.

As I ponder upon my thoughts from my pre-transitional period before stepping out of Goa to the post transitional period, I realise I was a frog in a well in the context of doing something for my Goa. As any person goes out of their state, they are hit with a torrent of ideas, which could be implemented back home.

Not all Goans love leaving their home and seeking employment elsewhere, The hunt for jobs domination the reasons for migration. This sorry state of affairs has been brought about by the Governments of Goa whose sole focus was tourism which was regarded as the golden goose, currently is running on fumes.

Goans who migrate to various states and countries can be viewed as an alternative to development at a time when the Goan government is famous for making the lives of Goans miserable. Several states have things to teach Goa for example in Kerala how they maintain their culture but at the same time Keralites promoting their culture in other states may seem as a form of disrespect by some. Since migration has become the new norm of the 21^st century, it’s hard to blame Keralites who migrate, as Goans are not the only people facing shortage of jobs in Goa.

Some lessons from other states like Mangalore which Goans have to do their best to avoid is the communal riots in Mangalore. In a state like Goa where religious harmony is evident, Goans would be wise to steer clear from this. This is not the only problem in Mangalore. In Mangalore itself several languages are spoken like Kannada, Tulu, Konkani among others. If this trickles down to Goa, Goa would be doomed further, as in its recent past the Goa faced an ordeal called the ‘MOI’ or ‘medium of instruction’. What is to be learnt from Mangalore among many things is how the catholic community actively preserves Konkani. This is a shame to Goa where it’s mostly Hindus who do the same for Konkani in Goa. This is not an accusation against any religion, but just an indication of irony as Konkani became Goa’s mother tongue mainly due to the ‘Opinion Poll’ which was supported largely by Catholics. Let all Goans leave their ego’s and realise what is at stake.