BAN ON FOREIGNERS IN TEMPLES IN GOA By A. Veronica Fernandes

According to the latest news appearing in Kuwait's media, prominent Hindu Temples in Goa have restricted entry of foreigners with scantily dress mode and one of the temples at Mardol prohibited entry of foreigners into this temple. I support this restriction and ban on all the tourists who visit our temples and churches thinking that these temples of God are places of joke.

They don’t even maintain decency and reverence of these worship places. Instead of boards appearing at the entrance of the temples saying ‘Entry Restricted to Foreigners’, I was expecting in Tata’s style in retaliation to Foreigners’ insult to Indians, a Board appearing at the entrance of Mardol Temple saying ‘Dogs and Foreigners are NOT allowed.’.

The Hippy culture erupted in Goa in early sixties with the advent of Hippies in Candolim first and then spreading to Calangute and other coastal areas, has destroyed dress code decency in Goa. These foreign tourists coming to Goa spoiled the decency and discipline of Goa. These cheap foreign tourists don’t care for the local culture, tradition and sanctity of our religious places. Many times I noticed at Old Goa, tourists visiting Bom Jesus Basilica to have glimpses of the relics of Saint Francis Xavier come there as if they come to the beaches at Colva and Calangute with swimwear. Entering Temples of God with indecent dress is not proper. In this context, I cite one Konkani song we sing in the Church during Holy Communion saying: ‘Angostram ghalun novim, Razamcheam Jevnna sorim, Vochumya barachborim’.The rich dress code mentioned in this song notify the mode of reverence when we go to the Temple of God.

Many times the foreign tourists especially females visit the temples of God with revealing dress exposing the inside part of their bodies and thereby putting other worshippers in the temple into sin. This type of dress code leads others falling into temptation. Precisely because of this, in 1959 the ace comedian Tiatrist of Goa, the late Jacinto Vaz composed and beautifully rendered his solo song ‘NYLON’ which was a direct hit on those females wearing revealing Nylon cloth Sarees and dresses and coming to the Churches and thereby putting others in the Chruches into sin, especially the males. Here Jacinto Vaz sings thus: ‘Nylonachem lugott, konnen babdean kaddlem gai, Nylon nestoguch, khuim pavlea ti dista sai’. I was present to the ‘Doia’ Tiatro of Aristedes Dias to listen to this song when he sang it in Candolim. During the repeat entry he was while singing this song, showing in action what part of females’ body attracting males’ attention and thereby tempting them into sin.

At Bom Jesus Basilica the sanctity of this holy place is spoiled more by the ‘Panpotti’ chewing Indian tourists who do not know to maintain the decorum there nor the sanctity of the place and St. Francis Xavier’s relics. When they watch the relics of St. Francis they pass all nonsensical comments as if Goycho Saib is a film star. For them this place and area is like a market place. They don’t know to give due reverence to Catholic Holy places at Old Goa. They should be barred from entering Bom Jesus Basilica and other Churches all around there. By their coming there they not only disrespect our Churches but more than that they hurt our religious feelings and create dent into our faith. They are acting like anti-Christians and anti-Catholics. We should not care for Archaeological Dept. of India to take such a decision. Archaeological Dept.’s job is to maintain and repair these Churches and not to dictate terms to us on matters related to our faith. We must not mortgage our rights to Archaeological Dept. of India. We must be bold enough to take similar action as management of Mardol Temple took.

Once I noticed one Indian tourist chewing Panpotti and spitting on the wall of Bom Jesus Basilica. Such Panpotti spitting was foreign to Goa, it was introduced in Goa in larger scale by the Bharatis immediately following the invasion of Goa by Nehru’s Bharat. Our Goans know the decency of eating Panpotti and spitting at right place but not the Bharatis who descended on Goa after the end of Portuguese rule in Goa. Precisely because of this the legendary political singer Tiatrist, the late Kid Boxer after noticing Mapusa Bus Stand full red with the spitting of Panpottis by the unwanted Bharati arrivals in Goa, rendered a very piercing ‘Zupatti’ against these dirty Bharatis, saying: ‘Tum Panpotti Khatai ani poch’chu korun thuktai, lozui kaim dissona’. Immediately after finishing singing this solo, at Mapusa, Kid Boxer was arrested for being Anti-National.