RECEIVED THROUGH EMAIL
‘Goa ke log ajeeb hai’ This is what India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said about Goans. Why he said this is unknown. Was it genuine or sarcastic to glorify or belittle Goans?
In retrospect, I feel that we are a strange people. But our simplicity was reflected in village life which was appreciated during those days. Homes were never locked and there were no boundary walls that divided properties. There was no encroachment.
The Goan village was an effective model of administrative and social governance.
The vices of amassing wealth were never there as people would prefer to starve rather than live on ill-gotten wealth. Corruption did not exist. Now, all this has slowly disintegrated with the onslaught of Indian culture borrowed from Bollywood.
Sadly, all our uniqueness has been lost somewhere in a rush to get rich, hook or crook. Nehru’s words now assume significance because our identity has crumbled in less than 50 years.
4 comments:
Nehru must have foreseen that there would be future Goans who would a big "Jib Hai" and keep on blabbering. I remember the old days, if any one pasing by through our village, they could see through the front door to the back door wide open. No one in the house. We are sitting at our neighbour's place. No dogs to guard the house becoz we never had a fear of any monsters appearing.
Those were the days, my friends. We'll never ever see them again. Now, no matter which way we look, we only see outsiders. Some of them dressed just like the goans, but when they open their mouth to speak...........
Be Indian, Buy Indian, they said. Are the Indians not capable of manufacturing goods here?
What is left of the identity of us the original Goans. It has been taken over by all ghantis thanks to our chor and corrupt politicians.
"goa ke log ajeeb hai" they accept the things as what they happen, they never show their dislikes they are just busy in BATLI
benedict emiliano pinheiro
beney011@rediffmail.com
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