some points to protect goa
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'development' has lost the respect of the people. This is because people today have come to know how in the guise of 'development' Goa's forests, hills, fields and ecology are being destroyed by the so-called 'developers'.
Hence, there is a hue and cry throughout the length and breadth of Goa to save Goa and to protect it from destruction. The most important question that thus comes to my mind is what is the exact interpretation of 'Save Goa'? The thrust of the 'Save Goa' agitation, it appears, is to resist the cutting of hills and destruction of greenery, to oppose mega projects in villages because such mega projects, besides adversely affecting the locals due to pressure on infrastructure like roads, water, electricity, etc also changes the demography of Goa. Let us consider for the sake of argument that the 'Save Goa' agitation has ended successfully.
All the selfish, greedy and corrupt politicians are defeated in the election and sincere, dedicated, honest and upright Goans are elected to run the state of Goa. Because of this, cutting of hills and destruction of greenery have been stopped totally. Mega projects in Goa have become a thing of the past. People's power has prevailed. If such a situation happens in Goa in reality, can we conclude that Goa has been saved from destruction? For me, saving Goa is not only protecting its hills and greenery. As I understand it, saving Goa means protecting the 'Goan Identity' too.
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If we succeed in halting the destruction of Goa in the guise of development but fail to preserve our Goan identity then we shall have not achieved anything. Allowing the destruction of the 'Goan Identity' is nothing short of permitting the ruin of the Goan soul. And a green Goa or an ideal Goa without its soul is no Goa at all. I am compelled to make this remark because numerous NGOs fighting for the cause of Goa have not shown any inclination towards saving Goa's identity. And to save Goa's identity each of us will have to make efforts to protect our Goan culture. By Goan culture I mean our values, norms, folklore, music, dance, drama, law and ideology. Each one of us cannot also neglect the importance of language in our culture.
All these factors constitute what is known as 'Goan Identity'. Are there any NGOs in Goa who are combating the forces that destroy the 'Goan Identity'? No! We are only protesting against hill-cutting, mega projects, etc. In other words, we are fighting against selfish, greedy builders and politicians. On the other hand, the 'Goan Identity' is being destroyed by our own acts and deeds. We are responsible for the destruction of our identity. We ape westernization at every step of our lives. Konkani language, which is the foundation of the 'Goan Identity', has no place in our lives. Leave aside encouraging our children to study Konkani, we ourselves feel shy to talk and converse in Konkani. In the organization of social functions such as weddings, birthdays, etc, Konkani has no place at all. How can we say that we are fighting to save Goa? Take the other aspects of the 'Goan Identity'.