The Big Goan - Goa Holiday Blog

Twentieth of August saw the inclusion of Konkani in the eight schedule of the constitution and the day was celebrated by all lovers of the language. However for many Goans, especially the Catholics of Goa, the day was a non-event. These same Goans had strived and fought for the inclusion of the language in the eight schedule but now after 17 years of its inclusion all they can feel is a sincere betrayal by the stubborn lobby of the Devnagri konkani supporters who seem to have lost their vision for the wholesome support of the language.

In the name of Devnagri Konkani all attempts have been successfully made by this lobby to stifle the voices of the lovers of Romi Konkani which is the language spoken by Catholics in Goa in their everyday life. Devnagri Konkani is however spoken among the Hindus of Goa. While we must respect the wishes of our Hindu brethren in Goa to use Devnagri, the same compliment needs to be extended to the catholic community in Goa by accepting that Roman Konkani be given a similar status as its sister Devnagri.

However instead of doing that, our Devnagri brothers have insisted that it is the only script to follow which is a dictatorial attitude. catholic children find it hard to digest devnagri Konkani and yet it is being forced down their throats in the government aided primary schools as a medium of instruction.

To a great extent, the fault lies with the people who inserted the meticulous note of including the language of Konkani for official purposes in Goa - in Devnagri only.  This was a complete betrayal to the aspirations of the people who were actually fighting for the dual cause of Konkani in Devnagri and Romi. However the former won and the Romi lovers are currently running from pillar to post to make their voices heard. To no avail.

The clergy in Goa is also silent on the issue and despite the medium of speech and instruction in the Church of Goa being Romi Konkani, this silence and lack of interest to pursue this matter is highly surprising.In contrast, the Hindu political elite of Goa have had their way.

It is therefore our right to the language that needs to be exercised in all forums and the government of Goa needs to stop ignoring the genuine pleas of Romi konkani lovers, an issue which is threatening to influence an ugly divide in the Goan community. we Goans need to therefore stand up and speak for our script of Konkani without being drowned under bogey of Konkani only in Devnagri.

The days of Goa appear to be numbered. And it has nothing to do with the new "number plate" resentments. Instead, a new law awaits Goa and most importantly, Goan villages which threatens to change the Goan demography, Goan landscape, Goan beauty, Goan environment and the Goan way of life - forever. With disastrous implications.

The amendment to the Panchayati raj act 2009, which was unanimously passed by the ruling Congress woven coalition in the Goa assembly this month is yet another attempt to hoodwink Goans and foist on us the gargantuan plans of concrete jungles designed to satisfy the potbellies of real estate barons, politicians from Goa and elsewhere, bureaucrats and an increasingly alarming migrant workforce.

The way the bill itself was passed is pretty disgusting. The opposition party, the BJP which cries hoarse at every flimsy opportunity aimed at nailing the ruling combination chose to have a token protest, lest it not be said that they were supporting the bill. Simply exposes how powerful the builders lobby in Goa is.

Manohar Parrikar and his band of boys, instead of a thorough dressing down of the bill and the government, decided to concentrate on the purview of the miniscule issue of the panchayat secretary's boss and his creator of commands as being ambiguous in the bill. With the answers not fulfilling his satisfaction, the BJP stalwart decides to stage a walkout with his men, which facilitates the bill to have a safe passage .While leaving he makes sure that the world hears his words of protest as he shouted " we will not be a party to this bill". There could not be a better tiatr, could there?

However in doing the above, the wily politician may believe that he satisfied everyone while probably helping himself to a good laugh besides other things. One, he ensured that the bill was passed without much of his protests which should satisfy all stakeholders in the passing of the bill. Two he lived upto the reputation of opposition parties (and his own) to atleast oppose a bill come what may. Third he ensured that the general Goan public opposed to the bill, find it difficult to club him and his party with the supporters of the bill. However while he may have fooled some Goans, most will surely see through his actions and I am sure those voices will be heard sooner than later.

Can you imagine a law intended to deny Goans their right to speak against the rampant development of land with concrete jungles emerging all over? All powers vested in the bureaucracy of Goa? In short all powers vesting in the ministers, their accomplices, their henchmen and their greedy wolves who can decide what, how ,when and why your village needs thousands and lakhs of new inhabitants with more garbage, rationed water, more floods, lesser greenery, more migrants and more crime?

With such a dangerous situation on hand, our opposition party has lived up to their reputation of opposing trivial issues and ignoring the more important ones. While the whole of Goa and every panchayat in the state is gearing up for an agitation against the draconian bill, our opposition party has chosen to shift focus and agitate against some inconsequential , pedestrian issues such as the Shimnit Utsch number plates . Are vehicle number plates more important to the welfare of Goa? Or has Shimnit failed to satisfy the aspirations of our political class across the whole spectrum which the builders lobby may have smartly managed?

As if we didn't know!

Patolleo, for Goans rings a bell. It is a sweet dish prepared in most Goan homes with a touch of the real Goan feeling. Patolleo and its effervescent flavour has the potential to take you down the Goan memory lane and leave you dreaming for hours. A mere bite into the sweet dish is very satisfying and Goans look forward to the turn of the patolleo every year on 15th August, it being the feast of the assumption, and patolleo seem to be wedded to this feast for the catholics in Goa.

The village of Salvador do Mundo in the north of Goa goes one step further and has been known to celebrate the whole feast as the 'patolleo fest' which is to be celebrated this year on Sunday, 16th August 2009. For the villagers of Salvador do Mundo, the festival is not merely the making of patolleos but it does seem that there is a genuine concern to revive and maintain good old Goan traditions which have somehow rusted over the years and mostly forgotten.

So the elders of Salvador do Mundo also engage in teaching the youngsters the methods and means of preparing the old Goan sweets thereby ensuring that the tradition continues without being corrupted by the modern times. Besides the Patolleo, the villagers from this area also get their act together to prepare "pudde" or 'Kholle' which are similar to patolleo but are covered with a jackfruit leaf instead of turmeric leaves and are shaped in the form of a cone. Jaggery sannas also form part of the festivities here.

The festivities are normally  accompanied with music and song and an eco friendly set up is maintained to add the lustre of the old Goan setting. The festival is celebrated outside the St Sebastian Chapel at Baddem and food is served on banana or jackfruiit leaves and the traditional rice kanji is served in large coconut shells. Thus the festival is meant to showcase the essence of Goa and the organisers avoid any sponsors for the event in a bid to de-commercialise the festivities.

The event surely is a tribute to Goa and its rich cultural traditions and the rest of Goa and its villages must try and emulate this effort to ensure that Goa and Goans take their traditions forward for the sake of posterity in the least.

While people in Goa look for all kinds of avenues to cool themselves in the Goan summer, the air-conditioner is still considered a small time luxury in most Goan homes.

Come April - May and Goans make a beeline for the picnics and outing spots far away from home and mostly located near Goan springs, beaches and water bodies such as lakes and pools. It is a desperate attempt to cool oneself from the blistering heat thumping down in Goa at this time of the year. The springs, lakes, pools and beaches of Goa in the summer are therefore filled to the maximum with revelers frolicking to get that extra stream of coolness.

The air-conditioners are however still not looked upon as a necessity in Goa despite the fact that the humidity in the summer can sometimes be very uncomfortable. In the good old days the summer in Goa was quite bearable with lesser humidity levels and it was considered that air-conditioners were the belonging of the gulf and the more extreme weathered countries. However with the passage of time, air conditioners have come to Goa to stay and there is a gradual transition in the mindset of Goans to install an air-conditioner at least in the bedroom of their homes.

The increased demand has resulted in better models, lowered prices and a greater choice for the consumer in Goa. For residential use, there are basically two choices the Goan has to make.

The Window AC : These are so called because a convenient and suitable opening is made in a window. Often a separate opening known as AC window is also made beside the main window as is provided by all the major reputed builders today in Goa. Ideal height is 5 to 6 feet since cool air sinks downwards. Today many brands of the window air-conditioner are as silent as the split air conditioners and are available in both manual as well as remote version. It is pertinent to note that home consumers should not opt of the “simple remote” which is suitable for restaurants and offices but not for homes since it does not have a timer or “bio-sleep” function.

The Split AC “ The split ACs are divided into two parts. The hotter portion of the AC unit is kept outside the room and only the cold evaporator is installed inside the room. Popular splits are the high mount type mounted on a wall at ceiling height and piped outside to the outdoor condensing unit. The drawback of these units is felt most often in high rise buildings where such units if installed outside are serviced diligently by the air-conditioner dealers or company servicemen as these units are dangerously mounted at tall heights. The better option for such high rises is therefore to install such units in their balconies or outdoor units and open terraces or over a wide ‘catwalk” so that technicians can safely work on them.

For large rooms, living dining or showrooms, the best solution is the floor mounted tower AC. It has the silence of a split air conditioner combined with the air throw of a window AC along with side to side oscillating fins for ideal distribution of cold air. For mounting of the outdoor unit, the same recommendations of the high mount wall split unit are applicable here.

Nowadays in Goa there is also an attractive option and that is to rent out an AC be it window or split. For those living in rented premises, this is a good option where the rentals are at around Rs 700 per month per unit. The Air-conditioner however seems to have come to Goa to stay more as a necessity than as a mere luxury.

With the heat and humidity mixing up to undesirable levels in Goa, the directorate of health services has launched  an awareness campaign to prevent possible cases of heat stroke in the state.

The meteorological department has already predicted that the temperatures could hit around 40 degrees Celsius in Goa and this has prompted the health authorities to advise people in the state on measures to prevent the occurrence of heat strokes in the state.

People are therefore advised to drink plenty of water, avoid tea, coffee, soda and alcohol. They should wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing in light colours. Wearing a hat, sunglasses and carrying an umbrella is also very helpful in order to protect oneself from the sun.

Some first aid measures have also been suggested by the department such as moving the victim from the heat and getting him  indoors.

The victims clothes should be loosened and he/she should be kept down lying in a cool place with the feet elevated by about 12 inches. Cold compresses can also be placed on the victim's neck, groin and armpits. The victim can also be wrapped in cool wet sheet and fanned vigorously.The patient should also be given cool water or beverages to sip ( specially with electrolyte).

Just when you take a breather about a certain issue folding its back on the devastation of Goa, there comes another. Goa's political abyss which has been left with the littlest of credibleness is desperate to prove that it has got much in its armour to take itself into the bottom of a hole. But it seems that the bottom is an unending pit.

The promulgation of the ordinance to save a portion of a hotel in Dona Paula is just another case where our law makers are showing their prowess in bending the law to suit their fancies. It is a matter of great shame for Goans that we have elected such leaders who have no qualms about turning jet black into crystal white. Overnight.

The disgracefulness with which this act was executed with scant respect to the orders of the honourable Supreme court shows the sense of disregard for the rule of law. The government made a mockery of the 17 long years legal battle waged by the Goa foundation in public interest which was recently disposed of by the apex court in favour of the Goa foundation.

The twist and churn of the law by promulgating an ordinance the effect of which comes retrospectively, is therefore a travesty of justice for the common man of Goa. It only proves that the high and mighty in Goa are above the law of the land. And it is unbelievable that the government of Goa helps to inculcate this sense of belief.

The befuddling part is that none of the 40 legislators actually opposed this ordinance vehemently. There were some feeble voices from the opposition party grumbling a bit, lest it not be said that they didn't resent the move. However their wanton and lazy mumbles were soon lost in the ink of the governor who whetted the ordinance with his most desired autograph.

The issue wasn't without an interesting sideshow which provided the government the much needed fodder to substantiate such a shameful act. A strange " staff welfare association" of the hotel was constituted with claims that the hotel was ready to divest them of their jobs, should the demolition come through. It seems all labour laws and all employee rights are tied down to pillars and structures of hotels which have been built through questionable means and which are ordered to be axed by the highest court of the land. Many would wonder if the government fell for the bait of the 650 odd employee jobs.  Rather in this case, it seems that the government was itself the bait, the rod, the hook, the sinker and the catch.

The effect of this ordinance is so loud and deafening that it has hit many ear drums. Goa is fortunate to have many citizen organizations such as the GBA( Goa Bachao Abhiyan) and the GGRM ( Ganv ghor rakhon Manch) as also "the council for social justice and peace" among many others, who have sprung up to checkmate every dirty move that our politicians have on their mind to deface Goa. In times like these, they are our only hope. Our only pride. Our only strength. If not for them Goa would have been battered long ago. With them in charge, all that we need to do as Goans is support them in every way possible. We owe it to ourselves.

The next few weeks, months and the rest of the year will be quite interesting. With Lok sabha elections in April-May 2009, the ordinance will be coming into effect only after the next assembly session in Goa meets up and ratifies it. Will all the 40 legislators support it? Will even 20 of them support it? Why will they support it? Will their conscience be so hollow and deprived? Will the supreme court of India be a silent spectator to the subversion of its order?

This ordinance has the potential to open a can of worms. Hopefully it will.