The Goa we all knew before commercialisation kind of erupted was a quaint, peace-loving, content state. And then a few years ago this mankule-Goem began to receive busloads, trainloads and planeloads of tourists.
It started in the 1960s, with the hippies, who found comfort in Goa. According to those who lived through that time, the hippies would chill on the beach, play their musical instruments, relax, rewind, respect the locals and once their time in Goa was done, they would pack up and leave, only to visit again the next year.
Gradually, Goa was not just for the one from the west, but there were Indian explorers who took a fancy to the land of beaches and palm trees. They came, they saw, they liked and they stayed.
India is a free country, and the Constitution gives any Indian the freedom to have a home anywhere they like. Fair enough. But today, if you visit the markets, you have to be 100 per cent sure to know who your vendor is, or you’ll offend them by speaking in Konkani, and quick comes the reply, ‘Madam, Hindi please’.
But how did Goa get there. Let's read the story of this pretend Mario Fernandes from a little village near the State capital. He had a huge plot of land which belonged to his great-grandfather and because things were getting tough to manage, he decided to sell it.
The buyer was a builder and did what he knows best – build flats, row houses and villas on the land. Fair enough. Then he had to sell these to someone. He marketed it and potential buyers appeared on the scene. The rates were too high for a Goan to invest, so the buyers came from Mumbai, Delhi and other cities, eyeing the place as a potential investment. They purchased the dwellings. These house, A few years later, were occupied by the new owners.
Now the new owners and residents of the village, started voicing out their opinions, started getting involved in the day-to-day life as locals. The Goan brethren would then shun them and call them outsiders. Why? Is that fair to call an Indian citizen who purchased a house, built on the property sold by Mario Fernandes and many others like him, who sold their properties to builders, an outsider? Is it right to call people outsiders who are staying in the properties sold by Goans?
Now, let’s look at the other side of the coin. The villa was purchased by the Singhs from Delhi and they finally moved in. They love the vibe, the feel and the fact that they can be loud about the fact that – Goa mein ghar hai mera. But when they are driving on the Goan roads, they bring in their Delhiwala attitude. The cops have to control the road rage and the Tu janta hai mera baap kaun hai? This attitude also came with them.
And then they look down upon the Goans. For instance, if you work for a company based out of Goa, be rest assured that you will hear demeaning and denigrating dialogues from your boss – ‘people in Goa are lazy’ or ‘people in Goa only know how to party’ or ‘Goans cannot work’. Now, is that fair?
Well, the question now lies – if Goa had remained untouched, would there have been financial growth? Do we need these ‘outsiders’ to make Goans feel competent? Does one bring the original home-land attitude to where they settle? Does the Goan-ness rub on the outsiders or is it vice-versa?