By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
Whenever a Non-Resident Goan points out a deficiency in the Goan system, be it political, bureaucratic, social, they are forced to keep their ideas to themselves, the reason given is that they have been living out of Goa and have no business in minding the business of Goa. Of course, there is no guarantee that all ideas coming from Non-Resident Goans are not politically motivated as some Non-Residents have acted with vested interests for politicians in the past. But if we treat all Non-Residents as an interfering fraternity, we might be running the risk of missing out on some very good talent and experience these people might bring with them, due to their exposure to another sound system in the country they reside. The potential has to be tapped and states like Goa will only benefit compared to other states because of the high ratio of population living outside of Goa.
The smartness of Goans residing in Bombay, the work discipline of Goans residing in the Gulf, the work culture of Goans residing in Europe, the professionalism of Goans residing in the United States of America, are just some behavioral transformation these Non-Residents might bring to the benefit of Goa. Goans residing in the West are subject to open and sound systems and make a compelling case for the Government of Goa to appoint them as consultants or advisors to the Government, in plugging some of the gaping holes our systems have. If the government is sincere and keeps an open mind that is.
Unfortunately Non-Resident Goans are considered as traitors or temporary tourists. Traitors because they have left Goa for greener pastures and tourists because like tourists they are temporary and can be easily fleeced during their stay in Goa by all and sundry. However, to be fair all Non-Resident Goans deserve better from the government and the society.
Today the Government of Goa runs an office especially for Non-Residents Goan Affairs without even knowing the exact figure of how many Non- Resident Goans really exist. This office has become merely a facilitation office for the labor class and will remain that, unless some Non-Resident Goans are included in the decision making process. We can’t have commissioners, ministers and their staff who never lived as Non-Residents, visiting foreign countries on the pretext of helping Non-Residents without any constructive agenda. Delegations visiting foreign countries to solve Non-Resident problems usually end up into pleasure trips with no accountability whatsoever on what these trips really want to achieve. They usually end up into some high profile politicians ending up as chief guest for a function, mostly to the satisfaction of the organizers and not necessarily to the audience.
Instead, an office for Non-Residents should concentrate more about the pressing issues faced by Non Residents. Today the Government of Goa and India has conveniently ignored the predicament faced, especially the blue collar Non-Resident, as they are on the wrong side of a stronger rupee and are stuck in some rich countries with high standards of living, unable to save due to high inflation and losing out on remittances. The government has gone out of the way in announcing financial packages to bail out Indian exporters without even bothering about the Non-Residents. These same Non-Residents, which the present Prime Minister should remember during his term as Finance Minister, had bailed India out when she was almost broke. A small emotional appeal at that time for all Non-Residents to invest in Foreign Currency bonds did prove vital. Now with the situation reversing has the Government reciprocated in announcing anything which will provide temporary relief to Non-Residents.
Most Non-Residents have to fend for themselves, once out of the country, our Embassies, soft negotiators that we are, almost can never negotiate better human rights compared to smaller countries like Philippines, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka. Mostly our Embassies are in crisis management mode and hardly pro-active. A small attempt is being made only now with tighter controls in immigration rules. Our Embassies abroad even contradict the term ‘National Integration’ by encouraging cultural activities and associations based on states. In the name of culture they are all out dividing the country. The only service they do noteworthy as the Indian Embassy is to issue or renew the common blue color Indian passport.
Today Non-Residents Indians and Goans need concrete answers from the state and central governments about the consequences of the strong rupee, policy for the Non-Resident Generation Next, voting rights, tax laws, education for Non-Residents Generation Next, pension schemes. After all the biggest contribution Non-Residents have made towards the country other than the bringing in foreign currency, is in solving the employment problem faced by India to some extent, by opting to work outside the country. Imagine the state of employment would be, especially in the last decade, if all Non-Residents chose not to leave India or a small state like Goa.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 20th January 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Goan Education - Mission Possible !
By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
Most of Goa’s problems can be solved if Goa focuses more on its Human Resources by making Goan Education as the number one priority. Educated Goans today form a very small minority and to bring an effective change in Goan society we need this minority to transform into a majority.
It is heartening to know that the Government of Goa is framing a policy on education which could address the education issue on two fronts simultaneously. Firstly, to accelerate the learning curve of Goans who have already completed their education so as to bring them ahead of the curve and secondly, to have a massive overhaul of the primary and secondary school education.
Since this policy is framed by the educationists, it might be incomplete if it does not include sincere inputs of Corporate Goa, or the Catholic Schools of Bombay. Corporate Goa, as they are supposed to absorb most of the educated and the Catholic Schools of Bombay because they have been in the education field far too long to be ignored.
Corporate Goa must have a say in the education policy because after Goans complete their formal education Corporate Goa is the only entity which measures performances of working Goans in Goa year on year through their internal performance evaluations. They are in a position to compare Goans with the rest and might be in a position to spot weaknesses in our Goan workforce. Corporate Goa could also bring the desired practicality in the syllabus.
One role that has been underplayed in the Indian success story has been the role of Catholic Schools and convents in shaping intelligent and confident Indians. Today most Indians especially Bombayites cannot deny the role of Catholic Schools and Colleges played in shaping their careers and providing the basics. From Colaba, Fort, Marine lines, Byculla, Mahim, Bandra, Andheri and further, Catholic Schools by the dozens have put a tremendous effort compared to any other community. Gujratis, Mahrashtrians, Marwaris, Sindhis, Parsees or the miniscule Goans have all benefited the most.
Unfortunately there is a big difference in the Catholic Schools of Bombay compared to the Catholic Schools of Goa. Barring a few city schools most catholic village schools of Goa don’t measure up to the average schools of Bombay. Definitely there must be genuine reasons for their underperformance and if this education policy cannot address these issues then the purpose of this policy might be defeated.
The Government of Goa through the good offices of the Bishop of Goa or independently could request the Catholic Schools of Bombay to send their inputs or even send their representatives to be part of the think-tank team to frame the policy. Surely they will oblige knowing the character of the people of Bombay, but for that to take place Goans need to keep an open mind that sometimes there is a need for a successful outsider to come and question our failing system and give positive feedback.
Surely solutions like large scale teacher exchange programs on the lines of student exchange programs are bound to be recommended. After all, it is economically feasible to exchange students and teachers from Bombay then from Lisbon or London. Besides the geographical advantages Goa has with Bombay, it is better not to reinvent the wheel, as Bombay’s education is time tested and has successfully delivered results in the form of creating successful citizens of India.
Naturally grass root changes in education will come with a cost to the government and to have a sustainable education model, the government must withdraw the sops given to this sector. Freebies usually put pressure on the system which eventually does not have the desired effect and therefore all subsidies need to be withdrawn or reviewed. When Goans are made to pay for education naturally they will try to get their moneys worth and take more interest in education. The Government will also improve its fiscal health and will not have succumbed to desperate measures of selling casino licenses to improve their budgetary balances.
The biggest failure of the Goan education system has been that majority of the Goans have never demanded it, as they have never thought beyond those sailing ships. The lure for money has been too strong to resist that these ships have even attracted the educated Goan or forced them to leave education midway.
The potential of education is still not very well acknowledged in Goa and therefore it needs to work towards a sustainable, dynamic and transparent Education Policy, which not only transfigures the goals of the Generation Next Goan but transforms the entire society. The Success of Education in Bombay has been that there has been hardly any political interference, how to keep the present Goan politicians with personal agendas out of this education policy might be the biggest challenge to this mission.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 30th December 2007
Most of Goa’s problems can be solved if Goa focuses more on its Human Resources by making Goan Education as the number one priority. Educated Goans today form a very small minority and to bring an effective change in Goan society we need this minority to transform into a majority.
It is heartening to know that the Government of Goa is framing a policy on education which could address the education issue on two fronts simultaneously. Firstly, to accelerate the learning curve of Goans who have already completed their education so as to bring them ahead of the curve and secondly, to have a massive overhaul of the primary and secondary school education.
Since this policy is framed by the educationists, it might be incomplete if it does not include sincere inputs of Corporate Goa, or the Catholic Schools of Bombay. Corporate Goa, as they are supposed to absorb most of the educated and the Catholic Schools of Bombay because they have been in the education field far too long to be ignored.
Corporate Goa must have a say in the education policy because after Goans complete their formal education Corporate Goa is the only entity which measures performances of working Goans in Goa year on year through their internal performance evaluations. They are in a position to compare Goans with the rest and might be in a position to spot weaknesses in our Goan workforce. Corporate Goa could also bring the desired practicality in the syllabus.
One role that has been underplayed in the Indian success story has been the role of Catholic Schools and convents in shaping intelligent and confident Indians. Today most Indians especially Bombayites cannot deny the role of Catholic Schools and Colleges played in shaping their careers and providing the basics. From Colaba, Fort, Marine lines, Byculla, Mahim, Bandra, Andheri and further, Catholic Schools by the dozens have put a tremendous effort compared to any other community. Gujratis, Mahrashtrians, Marwaris, Sindhis, Parsees or the miniscule Goans have all benefited the most.
Unfortunately there is a big difference in the Catholic Schools of Bombay compared to the Catholic Schools of Goa. Barring a few city schools most catholic village schools of Goa don’t measure up to the average schools of Bombay. Definitely there must be genuine reasons for their underperformance and if this education policy cannot address these issues then the purpose of this policy might be defeated.
The Government of Goa through the good offices of the Bishop of Goa or independently could request the Catholic Schools of Bombay to send their inputs or even send their representatives to be part of the think-tank team to frame the policy. Surely they will oblige knowing the character of the people of Bombay, but for that to take place Goans need to keep an open mind that sometimes there is a need for a successful outsider to come and question our failing system and give positive feedback.
Surely solutions like large scale teacher exchange programs on the lines of student exchange programs are bound to be recommended. After all, it is economically feasible to exchange students and teachers from Bombay then from Lisbon or London. Besides the geographical advantages Goa has with Bombay, it is better not to reinvent the wheel, as Bombay’s education is time tested and has successfully delivered results in the form of creating successful citizens of India.
Naturally grass root changes in education will come with a cost to the government and to have a sustainable education model, the government must withdraw the sops given to this sector. Freebies usually put pressure on the system which eventually does not have the desired effect and therefore all subsidies need to be withdrawn or reviewed. When Goans are made to pay for education naturally they will try to get their moneys worth and take more interest in education. The Government will also improve its fiscal health and will not have succumbed to desperate measures of selling casino licenses to improve their budgetary balances.
The biggest failure of the Goan education system has been that majority of the Goans have never demanded it, as they have never thought beyond those sailing ships. The lure for money has been too strong to resist that these ships have even attracted the educated Goan or forced them to leave education midway.
The potential of education is still not very well acknowledged in Goa and therefore it needs to work towards a sustainable, dynamic and transparent Education Policy, which not only transfigures the goals of the Generation Next Goan but transforms the entire society. The Success of Education in Bombay has been that there has been hardly any political interference, how to keep the present Goan politicians with personal agendas out of this education policy might be the biggest challenge to this mission.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 30th December 2007
What is your Mother Tongue?
By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
We Indians, including Goans are very obsessive about ones own mother tongue, and at the top of the list would be Indians from the South. However, when the mother tongue gains precedence over the national language or an international business language, it becomes crucial to deliberate the pros and cons of the issue of languages, to decide which language should be the preferred mode of communication for our Generation Next. Agreed, the mother tongue is the first language we learn when we start talking, hence the name, but how much significance should the mother tongue have, given the changing dynamics of the new integrated world, where already there exists so much miscommunication, even when two humans talk the same language. An ideal situation would be for all Indians to speak one language, so that we all are on the same page, but that seems difficult in this new political reality of pleasing narrow coalitions and even narrower vote banks.
Once in a while our Goan politicians understandably rake up the mother tongue issue to get political benefit; after all they need to recycle some issue. But has anyone thought, that in our arrogance of promoting different mother tongues our Generation Next is now subject to learning 3 or 4 languages, that too with different scripts, and that changing the medium of instruction in the middle of their schooling years is taking a toll on their quality of education. Definitely, learning the mother tongue gives us a sense of community belonging, but spare a thought for the Generation Next, they need to learn minimum three languages to please the World, Nation and State
All languages have their own importance, but to arrogantly defend one’s mother tongue superiority over the other is merely becoming an ego inflating exercise. People in position of power and who sway public opinion should look at ones conscious before making unreasonable demands on the Generation Next to learn so many languages.
Although learning 3 or more languages have its advantages, we should be aware of the pitfalls also. We are preparing the Generation Next Goans (Indians) to learn 3 languages, little knowing that their vocabulary will be compromised by more than a third, than those for example, who knows one language thoroughly. No wonder Indian diplomats can never do a good job when negotiating with other countries, be it nuclear deals, trade negotiations, extradition treaties etc. After all people listen to legitimate points only if they are expressed in proper language and in the right vocabulary, or else they are mostly lost in translation. In our quest to learn as many regional languages as possible, we have not been able to perfect a single language.
Some out of focus Konkani Stage Artists, have been aligning with politicians for the mother tongue cause, when actually their job should be composing quality Konkani compositions, which will promote the language. If the compositions are good, eventually that will be a good service to the language they have been composed. Chris Perry (Konkani), or the comedian Dada Kondke (Marathi), always made sure their audience get quality compositions in their shows, plays, or films and people seem to have accepted them irrespective of what they were composed in. These gentlemen never arrogantly thrust the language on us and yet made a positive impact on their respective languages. Goans even accepted the Lambada, Macarena, LaBamba etc without even knowing what language their lyrics were written.
With the Chinese forcing English in their syllabus have not made them anti-Chinese, then why should we Indians be so insecure about our mother tongue? Goan politicians recently in their elections campaign mostly gave speeches in the Konkani Language, which we assumed we understood, and yet after two months we are confused what they actually meant in these speeches. A survey of how many politician offspring get their education in English Medium Schools should prove their hypocritical effort of enforcing the rest of the population to educate in the mother tongue medium.
We Indians and Goans must make up our mind as to which language should get priority, so that our Generation Next Indians or Goans are better focused in the language they speak among themselves or to the rest of the world. We don’t want to repeat the situation we faced not so long ago, when we had a Prime Minister who did not know the national language and had to address the parliament in English which also had to be translated into English.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 16th September 2007
We Indians, including Goans are very obsessive about ones own mother tongue, and at the top of the list would be Indians from the South. However, when the mother tongue gains precedence over the national language or an international business language, it becomes crucial to deliberate the pros and cons of the issue of languages, to decide which language should be the preferred mode of communication for our Generation Next. Agreed, the mother tongue is the first language we learn when we start talking, hence the name, but how much significance should the mother tongue have, given the changing dynamics of the new integrated world, where already there exists so much miscommunication, even when two humans talk the same language. An ideal situation would be for all Indians to speak one language, so that we all are on the same page, but that seems difficult in this new political reality of pleasing narrow coalitions and even narrower vote banks.
Once in a while our Goan politicians understandably rake up the mother tongue issue to get political benefit; after all they need to recycle some issue. But has anyone thought, that in our arrogance of promoting different mother tongues our Generation Next is now subject to learning 3 or 4 languages, that too with different scripts, and that changing the medium of instruction in the middle of their schooling years is taking a toll on their quality of education. Definitely, learning the mother tongue gives us a sense of community belonging, but spare a thought for the Generation Next, they need to learn minimum three languages to please the World, Nation and State
All languages have their own importance, but to arrogantly defend one’s mother tongue superiority over the other is merely becoming an ego inflating exercise. People in position of power and who sway public opinion should look at ones conscious before making unreasonable demands on the Generation Next to learn so many languages.
Although learning 3 or more languages have its advantages, we should be aware of the pitfalls also. We are preparing the Generation Next Goans (Indians) to learn 3 languages, little knowing that their vocabulary will be compromised by more than a third, than those for example, who knows one language thoroughly. No wonder Indian diplomats can never do a good job when negotiating with other countries, be it nuclear deals, trade negotiations, extradition treaties etc. After all people listen to legitimate points only if they are expressed in proper language and in the right vocabulary, or else they are mostly lost in translation. In our quest to learn as many regional languages as possible, we have not been able to perfect a single language.
Some out of focus Konkani Stage Artists, have been aligning with politicians for the mother tongue cause, when actually their job should be composing quality Konkani compositions, which will promote the language. If the compositions are good, eventually that will be a good service to the language they have been composed. Chris Perry (Konkani), or the comedian Dada Kondke (Marathi), always made sure their audience get quality compositions in their shows, plays, or films and people seem to have accepted them irrespective of what they were composed in. These gentlemen never arrogantly thrust the language on us and yet made a positive impact on their respective languages. Goans even accepted the Lambada, Macarena, LaBamba etc without even knowing what language their lyrics were written.
With the Chinese forcing English in their syllabus have not made them anti-Chinese, then why should we Indians be so insecure about our mother tongue? Goan politicians recently in their elections campaign mostly gave speeches in the Konkani Language, which we assumed we understood, and yet after two months we are confused what they actually meant in these speeches. A survey of how many politician offspring get their education in English Medium Schools should prove their hypocritical effort of enforcing the rest of the population to educate in the mother tongue medium.
We Indians and Goans must make up our mind as to which language should get priority, so that our Generation Next Indians or Goans are better focused in the language they speak among themselves or to the rest of the world. We don’t want to repeat the situation we faced not so long ago, when we had a Prime Minister who did not know the national language and had to address the parliament in English which also had to be translated into English.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 16th September 2007
Goan Political Providence
By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
We definitely do have a right to vote, more so specially now, to stem the rot in our political system. But are we crossing the line of devoting too much time listening to politician’s trade accusations back and forth. Do we have to attend political meetings to decide our vote? Or have we crossed the line of depending only on politics as if our destiny depended on it.
Actually all sweet talkers become good politicians, this happens in developed countries or a country like ours. Be it Clinton’s, Bush’s, Blair’s or our Indian politicians, those who can harp too much on their achievements and mask their failures ultimately become good politicians. The difference in developed countries is that most voters have a long memory, they remember what their politicians have promised and politicians are forced to walk the talk. This actually limits what candidates can promise. In the case of Goa, most politicians accuse each other during election campaigns, they talk what they don’t mean and take advantage of the short memory our voters have. Therefore it becomes imperative for the Election Commission or any neutral agency to play a role after the elections are over, after all somebody has to take care of the short memory our voters have. A Commission which reminds voters continuously for the next 5 years promises made during election by our leaders should play a role in educating the masses, to make sure next time around they vote for the right person and not to get carried away by the hype created during campaigning before elections.
Democracy works best when most population is literate, and literacy should not mean only reading and writing a language without having the capacity to make one’s own individual opinion. Democracy also thrives best when there are good Checks and Balances and a good system in place. No denying the fact that India, including Goa is going in that direction, but today a smart, well-informed or honest vote has the same weightage of a dishonest, ignorant or greedy vote. So politicians have done their math quite well, they ignore the smart and well informed voter and appease the later.
Every Goan talks of money power being used during elections. One fails to understand why the flak is only on politicians, without any criticism on the voter who receives the money. After all in any corruption or bribe taking case the person receiving the bribe is guiltier. In this case the voter taking the bribe hardly gets any condemnation compared to the giver. All this could be reduced or put to an end with one stroke of legislation by expanding or doubling the area of the constituency. This will result in reducing the members from 40 to 20 to the Legislative Assembly, and more the voters the candidates will have it difficult to dole out goodies or money to win elections, instead they will have to deal with broader issues of the constituency than taking care of petty and personal needs of the voters.
Most politicians also get away winning the elections with the brand loyalty they have built with their voters who are programmed never to question their leaders. This brand loyalty has been systematically created over the years by politicians making the ignorant voters believe that the work done at Government cost is done with their personal money and effort. Goans seem to be happy to get a politician involved in even a mundane chore, which in other parts of India are taken care by an efficient system.
The Movers and Shakers of Goan society is only politicians, like it or not politicians consume so much of our newsprint, media, entertainment that they seem to be making news on Page 1 and also on Page 3 alike. Goans specially the Generation Next need role models outside the political landscape. Society benefits when we have role models in every sphere and there is all round development in every walk of life. The consequences of excessive media attention to politicians are that we are making them larger than life, slowly making our Generation Next thinking of making careers only in politics. Politicians do hold the highest office, and it is absolutely normal for Generation Next Goan to aspire towards that goal, but should be for the right reasons.
The only positive outcome from these elections is that some of the big brands taking their victory for granted have lost. This has now put pressure on the remaining brands which scraped through to get their act together and not to take their brand loyalty for granted. Now is the right time for Goans to set higher benchmarks for their leaders and demand more than just providing basic services which are taken for granted in most parts of the world.
When the Chief Minister has to take complaints calls directly of power failure, it does not speak very highly of a competent system in place. Let Goans press their leaders to move in the direction of putting in place a proper and efficient system, so we depend less on political providence to take Goa to the next level.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa 0n 29th July 2007
We definitely do have a right to vote, more so specially now, to stem the rot in our political system. But are we crossing the line of devoting too much time listening to politician’s trade accusations back and forth. Do we have to attend political meetings to decide our vote? Or have we crossed the line of depending only on politics as if our destiny depended on it.
Actually all sweet talkers become good politicians, this happens in developed countries or a country like ours. Be it Clinton’s, Bush’s, Blair’s or our Indian politicians, those who can harp too much on their achievements and mask their failures ultimately become good politicians. The difference in developed countries is that most voters have a long memory, they remember what their politicians have promised and politicians are forced to walk the talk. This actually limits what candidates can promise. In the case of Goa, most politicians accuse each other during election campaigns, they talk what they don’t mean and take advantage of the short memory our voters have. Therefore it becomes imperative for the Election Commission or any neutral agency to play a role after the elections are over, after all somebody has to take care of the short memory our voters have. A Commission which reminds voters continuously for the next 5 years promises made during election by our leaders should play a role in educating the masses, to make sure next time around they vote for the right person and not to get carried away by the hype created during campaigning before elections.
Democracy works best when most population is literate, and literacy should not mean only reading and writing a language without having the capacity to make one’s own individual opinion. Democracy also thrives best when there are good Checks and Balances and a good system in place. No denying the fact that India, including Goa is going in that direction, but today a smart, well-informed or honest vote has the same weightage of a dishonest, ignorant or greedy vote. So politicians have done their math quite well, they ignore the smart and well informed voter and appease the later.
Every Goan talks of money power being used during elections. One fails to understand why the flak is only on politicians, without any criticism on the voter who receives the money. After all in any corruption or bribe taking case the person receiving the bribe is guiltier. In this case the voter taking the bribe hardly gets any condemnation compared to the giver. All this could be reduced or put to an end with one stroke of legislation by expanding or doubling the area of the constituency. This will result in reducing the members from 40 to 20 to the Legislative Assembly, and more the voters the candidates will have it difficult to dole out goodies or money to win elections, instead they will have to deal with broader issues of the constituency than taking care of petty and personal needs of the voters.
Most politicians also get away winning the elections with the brand loyalty they have built with their voters who are programmed never to question their leaders. This brand loyalty has been systematically created over the years by politicians making the ignorant voters believe that the work done at Government cost is done with their personal money and effort. Goans seem to be happy to get a politician involved in even a mundane chore, which in other parts of India are taken care by an efficient system.
The Movers and Shakers of Goan society is only politicians, like it or not politicians consume so much of our newsprint, media, entertainment that they seem to be making news on Page 1 and also on Page 3 alike. Goans specially the Generation Next need role models outside the political landscape. Society benefits when we have role models in every sphere and there is all round development in every walk of life. The consequences of excessive media attention to politicians are that we are making them larger than life, slowly making our Generation Next thinking of making careers only in politics. Politicians do hold the highest office, and it is absolutely normal for Generation Next Goan to aspire towards that goal, but should be for the right reasons.
The only positive outcome from these elections is that some of the big brands taking their victory for granted have lost. This has now put pressure on the remaining brands which scraped through to get their act together and not to take their brand loyalty for granted. Now is the right time for Goans to set higher benchmarks for their leaders and demand more than just providing basic services which are taken for granted in most parts of the world.
When the Chief Minister has to take complaints calls directly of power failure, it does not speak very highly of a competent system in place. Let Goans press their leaders to move in the direction of putting in place a proper and efficient system, so we depend less on political providence to take Goa to the next level.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa 0n 29th July 2007
The Great Goan Women
By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
This article is not about those Gorgeous Goan Women, whose beauty we admire, neither is this article about the affluent Goan women, who sacrifice their time and wealth to sincerely participate in philanthropy in their effort to uplift our society. In both cases, Goans are and should be very proud of them. Actually, this article is about those Great Goan Women that keep this society running despite all odds, by sacrificing their lives day in and day out, and maybe for no fault of theirs. The worst part is our society is yet to take notice and if we keep ignoring this issue as if it does not exist, than we cannot make way for a better future for our Generation Next Women.
Most Goan women begin their journey of hardships when their time comes in choosing their life partner, majority of Goan women can never find a better or equally educated partner, leave alone a perfect partner. This gives a very sorry picture of our previous generation, a society which probably did not focus much on education for their children, and we still don’t believe this is a problem. No one should buy this argument that Goans are not good in education, if they could excel in nearby Bombay then why not in Goa.
This lack of education led to compromised careers and today Goan couples have been split geographically in the name of job opportunities. This has forced most of our Great Goan Women to run the family single handedly. Today Goans are not even in a position to take advantage of the reverse brain drain happening in most parts of India, therefore most Goan women will have to live with the fact that their partners will not come for good anytime soon, even if Goa turnarounds and creates opportunities.
A society which indirectly makes partners stay separately in the name of opportunities, paints a very sorry picture we can’t be proud of. This is a situation you might want to compare when men go to fight battles leaving their women at home to run the family. Our society pretends that everything is OK, if the women have to take care of the house and the children single handedly. Some might argue that in the western world, women prefer to be single mothers, but that is a life they choose to live and not forced into. No nothing is OK, when women are left at home without their partners it makes for an incomplete society. You don’t have to be a genius to find out the sadness on a women face when they are forced to attend social obligations without their husbands, it’s like a penance.
A society which boasts of classy architecture, natural beauty does not mean we are a content society, a society which prepares women to stay alone without partners and children without their fathers in peace time does not speak highly of our society. Just because our Goan women are notch better than their Indian counterparts is no great consolation. Infact our Goan women are in a position to show the way to their Indian counterpart, specially those Indian women who are married to dowry sharks, where marriage is like a money back policy and the man and his family want their money back on the investment they made on his education.
The worst enemy of the ‘Goan Women’ is the ‘Goan Women’. Most of the problems our Goan women face today are of their own making, the hardships a Goan women faces today are made by the Goan women of yesterday. Therefore it makes sense that the best approach would be addressing the root cause and removing the obstacles they face, which will go a long way in improving the situation of the present Goan women and pave way for a better future for our Generation Next Women.
There are no quick solutions in this article, because the one who might be in the best position to address and solve Goan women problems is the Goan women itself. She is in the best position to understand their situation, understand her point of view, think compassionately and address their problems one day at a time. With Goan Male Politicians performance hitting the low of lows, now might be a best time to give our Great Goan Women a chance to lead Goa. Wishful thinking?, but somehow if we could reserve 100% of the assembly seats to Goan women for just a decade, one thing can be guaranteed along with improving the state of women lives, they will bring dignity, honesty, integrity, and compassion in their work.
No denying the fact that we have our share of not so Great Goan Women, but that is not the subject of this article.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on March 11, 2007
This article is not about those Gorgeous Goan Women, whose beauty we admire, neither is this article about the affluent Goan women, who sacrifice their time and wealth to sincerely participate in philanthropy in their effort to uplift our society. In both cases, Goans are and should be very proud of them. Actually, this article is about those Great Goan Women that keep this society running despite all odds, by sacrificing their lives day in and day out, and maybe for no fault of theirs. The worst part is our society is yet to take notice and if we keep ignoring this issue as if it does not exist, than we cannot make way for a better future for our Generation Next Women.
Most Goan women begin their journey of hardships when their time comes in choosing their life partner, majority of Goan women can never find a better or equally educated partner, leave alone a perfect partner. This gives a very sorry picture of our previous generation, a society which probably did not focus much on education for their children, and we still don’t believe this is a problem. No one should buy this argument that Goans are not good in education, if they could excel in nearby Bombay then why not in Goa.
This lack of education led to compromised careers and today Goan couples have been split geographically in the name of job opportunities. This has forced most of our Great Goan Women to run the family single handedly. Today Goans are not even in a position to take advantage of the reverse brain drain happening in most parts of India, therefore most Goan women will have to live with the fact that their partners will not come for good anytime soon, even if Goa turnarounds and creates opportunities.
A society which indirectly makes partners stay separately in the name of opportunities, paints a very sorry picture we can’t be proud of. This is a situation you might want to compare when men go to fight battles leaving their women at home to run the family. Our society pretends that everything is OK, if the women have to take care of the house and the children single handedly. Some might argue that in the western world, women prefer to be single mothers, but that is a life they choose to live and not forced into. No nothing is OK, when women are left at home without their partners it makes for an incomplete society. You don’t have to be a genius to find out the sadness on a women face when they are forced to attend social obligations without their husbands, it’s like a penance.
A society which boasts of classy architecture, natural beauty does not mean we are a content society, a society which prepares women to stay alone without partners and children without their fathers in peace time does not speak highly of our society. Just because our Goan women are notch better than their Indian counterparts is no great consolation. Infact our Goan women are in a position to show the way to their Indian counterpart, specially those Indian women who are married to dowry sharks, where marriage is like a money back policy and the man and his family want their money back on the investment they made on his education.
The worst enemy of the ‘Goan Women’ is the ‘Goan Women’. Most of the problems our Goan women face today are of their own making, the hardships a Goan women faces today are made by the Goan women of yesterday. Therefore it makes sense that the best approach would be addressing the root cause and removing the obstacles they face, which will go a long way in improving the situation of the present Goan women and pave way for a better future for our Generation Next Women.
There are no quick solutions in this article, because the one who might be in the best position to address and solve Goan women problems is the Goan women itself. She is in the best position to understand their situation, understand her point of view, think compassionately and address their problems one day at a time. With Goan Male Politicians performance hitting the low of lows, now might be a best time to give our Great Goan Women a chance to lead Goa. Wishful thinking?, but somehow if we could reserve 100% of the assembly seats to Goan women for just a decade, one thing can be guaranteed along with improving the state of women lives, they will bring dignity, honesty, integrity, and compassion in their work.
No denying the fact that we have our share of not so Great Goan Women, but that is not the subject of this article.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on March 11, 2007
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Goan Regional Plan 2110
By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
The recent scrapping of the Regional Plan 2011 by the Government of Goa, might go a long way in having a positive impact on the society. However, some Goans are in self doubt if they have taken the right stand, therefore it is important to find out the actual reasons why Goans really objected to this Plan so strongly.
The positive impact on the society being that people have found a voice and the Government has acknowledged this, by reversing a decision and chose not to go against the people wishes. This is in keeping with the recent trends all over the world, that Governments are prepared to keep an open mind and reverse wrong decisions. Another positive impact on Goans is that for the first time Goans have realized, they don’t have to be in politics or depend on politicians to do good to the society. Many Goans will now realize that there are people outside of politics that care for Goa, and the recent movement that generated steam and brought most Goans on board has proved this.
What went wrong then? Why did a 5 year plan which took equal number of years to prepare did not go well with the average Goan. Surely there is some soul searching to be done. The Planning think-tank who were assigned this project have to now head back to the drawing boards and re-draft the plan again that is acceptable to Goans. Of course no plan can satisfy everybody, and Goans are already running a reputation as party spoilers to development, but to be fair on Goans, we need to think why we object to everything every time.
Political parties when in Government have a tendency to make short sighted plans for 5 years, maybe to make sure their plan does not outlive their term in office and also it does not benefit the other political party just in case they lost power. Even consultants sometimes when hired, try to replicate a plan which might have worked for a different state or a country without taking into consideration the local factors. Therefore no plan will work if you don’t think long term and if you don’t take into consideration the people aspirations, after all plans are not all about number crunching.
Goans today are waking up from their siesta and might not trust any plan, because over a short period of time, history has shown them that any planned development has not actually benefited Goans. Some might argue that Goans are not qualified enough or have an attitude to take menial jobs, if that is the case than we need to think of a plan where we first get people qualified, or change the attitude of the people and then talk of development. Today for an average Goan, an Institute of Technology and Science built on prime land means nothing, even if some miniscule Goans might have benefited, the fact remains that if our basic school systems is in shambles, how can we expect Goans to take benefit of an Institute of this caliber.
Same goes for the great hotels that have been built, at the most have only created entry level jobs for Goans, maybe brought taxes to the exchequer which in any case does not benefit the grass root Goan. The Konkan railway has still not lived upto expectations as a preferred mode of transportation. Goans still struggle to get reservations or still hope for an exclusive train for Goa to Bombay which runs at the promised speed, not to mention the slums it has created.
So how can we come up with a plan that will develop Goa, benefit Goans and at the same time maintain the ecology and thereby its identity. This makes for a strong case of a broader plan, a long term plan, a 100 year plan like the Japanese, a plan which prioritizes what comes first. Perhaps a Regional Plan 2110 for 103 years. A plan which focuses on basic education for the first 10 years, then plan for the higher education. We can’t plan and have an Institute of Technology and Science and forget to build the basic primary school.
If Retail is the next bit thing that will hit India, then maybe Goa is still not ready for it, because Goans still have to figure out how to dispose of the attractive packing material which will come with the merchandise. Till then we should be ready to live with the good old Mom & Pop stores. So any plan should first address the garbage disposal mechanism and then make way for these retail giants. Prioritizing and longevity of the plan will be the key in drafting an acceptable plan.
The fact that Goans are cynical of any short term plan is because they doubt the broader long term plan. Any plan which shows a short version and does not mention the long broad plan is going to be a hard sell to any government.
Meantime Goans also must realize that every objection and victory comes with some responsibility, Goans now having made their point collectively, that we want to protect the environment will have to walk the talk, by taking individual responsibility for what they do. For example burning energy by just loitering around to show off that fancy car or bike, has the same effect of cutting down a tree. Not using public transportation does put pressure by way of additional vehicles on the already bad road networks of Goa. We cannot contradict our collective stand individually. If the Government puts and entry tax on cars into some crowded areas of Goa, than opposing it will contradict the stand Goans have taken now. We have chosen to protect our environment and we need to stand by it on individual basis.
Government also has a responsibility, while drafting a plan we need all stake holders on board, from open minded professionals, politicians, bureaucrats, as well as people who are responsible citizens of Goa without any affiliations to political parties. A professional will be able to draft a better plan only when he gets inputs from local credible people. We should not underestimate our intelligent Goan people capabilities and the Government should bring them on board.
Finally our leaders should strive for a plan which is morally correct, any plan which is detrimental to the people that live in it cannot be morally correct and what is not morally correct cannot be good for GOA.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on February 15, 2007.
The recent scrapping of the Regional Plan 2011 by the Government of Goa, might go a long way in having a positive impact on the society. However, some Goans are in self doubt if they have taken the right stand, therefore it is important to find out the actual reasons why Goans really objected to this Plan so strongly.
The positive impact on the society being that people have found a voice and the Government has acknowledged this, by reversing a decision and chose not to go against the people wishes. This is in keeping with the recent trends all over the world, that Governments are prepared to keep an open mind and reverse wrong decisions. Another positive impact on Goans is that for the first time Goans have realized, they don’t have to be in politics or depend on politicians to do good to the society. Many Goans will now realize that there are people outside of politics that care for Goa, and the recent movement that generated steam and brought most Goans on board has proved this.
What went wrong then? Why did a 5 year plan which took equal number of years to prepare did not go well with the average Goan. Surely there is some soul searching to be done. The Planning think-tank who were assigned this project have to now head back to the drawing boards and re-draft the plan again that is acceptable to Goans. Of course no plan can satisfy everybody, and Goans are already running a reputation as party spoilers to development, but to be fair on Goans, we need to think why we object to everything every time.
Political parties when in Government have a tendency to make short sighted plans for 5 years, maybe to make sure their plan does not outlive their term in office and also it does not benefit the other political party just in case they lost power. Even consultants sometimes when hired, try to replicate a plan which might have worked for a different state or a country without taking into consideration the local factors. Therefore no plan will work if you don’t think long term and if you don’t take into consideration the people aspirations, after all plans are not all about number crunching.
Goans today are waking up from their siesta and might not trust any plan, because over a short period of time, history has shown them that any planned development has not actually benefited Goans. Some might argue that Goans are not qualified enough or have an attitude to take menial jobs, if that is the case than we need to think of a plan where we first get people qualified, or change the attitude of the people and then talk of development. Today for an average Goan, an Institute of Technology and Science built on prime land means nothing, even if some miniscule Goans might have benefited, the fact remains that if our basic school systems is in shambles, how can we expect Goans to take benefit of an Institute of this caliber.
Same goes for the great hotels that have been built, at the most have only created entry level jobs for Goans, maybe brought taxes to the exchequer which in any case does not benefit the grass root Goan. The Konkan railway has still not lived upto expectations as a preferred mode of transportation. Goans still struggle to get reservations or still hope for an exclusive train for Goa to Bombay which runs at the promised speed, not to mention the slums it has created.
So how can we come up with a plan that will develop Goa, benefit Goans and at the same time maintain the ecology and thereby its identity. This makes for a strong case of a broader plan, a long term plan, a 100 year plan like the Japanese, a plan which prioritizes what comes first. Perhaps a Regional Plan 2110 for 103 years. A plan which focuses on basic education for the first 10 years, then plan for the higher education. We can’t plan and have an Institute of Technology and Science and forget to build the basic primary school.
If Retail is the next bit thing that will hit India, then maybe Goa is still not ready for it, because Goans still have to figure out how to dispose of the attractive packing material which will come with the merchandise. Till then we should be ready to live with the good old Mom & Pop stores. So any plan should first address the garbage disposal mechanism and then make way for these retail giants. Prioritizing and longevity of the plan will be the key in drafting an acceptable plan.
The fact that Goans are cynical of any short term plan is because they doubt the broader long term plan. Any plan which shows a short version and does not mention the long broad plan is going to be a hard sell to any government.
Meantime Goans also must realize that every objection and victory comes with some responsibility, Goans now having made their point collectively, that we want to protect the environment will have to walk the talk, by taking individual responsibility for what they do. For example burning energy by just loitering around to show off that fancy car or bike, has the same effect of cutting down a tree. Not using public transportation does put pressure by way of additional vehicles on the already bad road networks of Goa. We cannot contradict our collective stand individually. If the Government puts and entry tax on cars into some crowded areas of Goa, than opposing it will contradict the stand Goans have taken now. We have chosen to protect our environment and we need to stand by it on individual basis.
Government also has a responsibility, while drafting a plan we need all stake holders on board, from open minded professionals, politicians, bureaucrats, as well as people who are responsible citizens of Goa without any affiliations to political parties. A professional will be able to draft a better plan only when he gets inputs from local credible people. We should not underestimate our intelligent Goan people capabilities and the Government should bring them on board.
Finally our leaders should strive for a plan which is morally correct, any plan which is detrimental to the people that live in it cannot be morally correct and what is not morally correct cannot be good for GOA.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on February 15, 2007.
Why Goans Runaway from Goa?
By Plastino D'Costa
First thing that comes to mind is that Goa is full of corrupt politicians who have messed up Goa and therefore Goans have no choice but to Runaway from Goa in search of a better opportunities. Although this could be one of the reasons, it might not be the only reason. Are politicians really responsible for Goans to Runaway, after all politicians eventually do what the masses want them to, it is time we start addressing the problem with an open mind, instead of finger pointing. With the Goan identity at stake, now might be the right time to think what has gone wrong all this while, which resulted in an exodus of Goans leaving Goa and settling in every nook and corner of the country and the world. When Goans make such a compelling decision to leave their birthplace, friends, family, happy memories and a naturally beautiful place, surely we are bound to find answers that might not necessarily point out to our leaders only.
The old argument that Goa although a beautiful place is not a land of opportunities might still hold true, but when Goans decide to leave Goa in the name of opportunities, they don’t leave necessarily to put food on the table, instead to build palatial houses, buy fancy cars, hold lavish parties, or to fuel the never ending greed of family members who get used to anything with the label foreign. Never mind if the whole world wants a piece of Made in India.
Goan Generation Next is out of focus with reality when they spend their childhood in Goa, and by the time they realize that, time for education has passed by. Instead of proper mentoring, our society makes sure our youth stay busy distracted with village events, some essential and some that could have been avoided. Local functions and get-togethers are important but not at the cost of careers. How can one explain when youth are encouraged to act on local language stage plays or compose sub standard songs, when the stalwarts of this business most of the times depend on charity to sell their talent. The situation of footballers is a notch better, but how can you justify young Goans made to play day in and day out village football where the rewards is just some mediocre shield, some pocket money, a football kit or some charity from some villager who has just landed from his foreign trip. By the time the footballer realizes he can't make it into the National League, he is forced to make a career compromise which results in his leaving Goa.
Some Goans leave in their quest to search for trendy fashionable addresses as the word ABROAD is still adored in Goa. It is still looked upon as a big achievement and falsely elevates the status of the entire family. After all in Goan Social circles it is stylish if someone in your family is in New Jersey, New York, Melbourne, never mind the exact location. Naïve parents feel very proud to mention their children trendy foreign addresses, after all Cincinnati sounds better then Chinchinim, Carolina sounds better then Carmona, Boston sounds better then Betul. To make matters worse some of the South Goan villages have this lousy joke of attaching some negative character to the already not so trendy village names. Goa so far is still a trendy Generation Next name, until one idea bankrupt leader will find some reason to change that also, that should be a good reason for the rest of the Goans to leave.
During this time of the year we have Non Resident Goans converging on Goa with their success stories some true but most one sided. The resident Goan is already on the back foot as he has nothing to show to neutralize the blitz and is so impressed by the purchasing power of the visiting Goan even if it is temporary, that he is already making up his mind to test the waters of foreign soils or seas.
Of course Goans that do attempt to come back to Goa, sometimes find out that they are being made fun of for their better English, or their less knowledge of their mother tongue. Day in and Day out they will be hassled and if you are not strong willed, they will make sure you call it quits and leave. The worst scenario is when Goans with their entire family leave Goa just to escape family feuds. It might be the easy way out but not the right one.
Some effort is required by the society in general to address these problems, some of them mostly in the mind, if a society demands you build palatial houses or buy fancy cars and if these can’t be achieved with limited opportunities in Goa, then now might be the right time to think of toning down our expectations. If the society needs our Generation Next to be professional stage artists or footballers we better pay them more than peanuts. We can’t waste their careers just to satisfy our urge to watch free village football or a sub standard play. What was good in the olden days might not be good enough now in this changing professional world. Trendy addresses sound good just because there is a positive hype created around these names, there is nothing wrong in creating a positive hype for our addresses also, instead of downgrading and creating a negative hype. Also in social circles importance should be given to people who are slogging it out and making it big in Goa, at least they are adding to the positive hype. It is the duty of the Non Resident Goans to give a fair picture of their place of residence, nobody is denying that the grass is green on the other side of Goa but let’s not lure the ill informed Goan to make hasty decisions.
This article is written not with the intention to give a clean chit to politicians, but by blaming them for all the ills of the society, we might be deflecting the problem where the solution might be as simple as changing our mindset. We Goans inadvertently have forced the Goans to Runaway from Goa thereby creating a vacuum and it is only natural that the vacuum is getting filled.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 24th January 2007
First thing that comes to mind is that Goa is full of corrupt politicians who have messed up Goa and therefore Goans have no choice but to Runaway from Goa in search of a better opportunities. Although this could be one of the reasons, it might not be the only reason. Are politicians really responsible for Goans to Runaway, after all politicians eventually do what the masses want them to, it is time we start addressing the problem with an open mind, instead of finger pointing. With the Goan identity at stake, now might be the right time to think what has gone wrong all this while, which resulted in an exodus of Goans leaving Goa and settling in every nook and corner of the country and the world. When Goans make such a compelling decision to leave their birthplace, friends, family, happy memories and a naturally beautiful place, surely we are bound to find answers that might not necessarily point out to our leaders only.
The old argument that Goa although a beautiful place is not a land of opportunities might still hold true, but when Goans decide to leave Goa in the name of opportunities, they don’t leave necessarily to put food on the table, instead to build palatial houses, buy fancy cars, hold lavish parties, or to fuel the never ending greed of family members who get used to anything with the label foreign. Never mind if the whole world wants a piece of Made in India.
Goan Generation Next is out of focus with reality when they spend their childhood in Goa, and by the time they realize that, time for education has passed by. Instead of proper mentoring, our society makes sure our youth stay busy distracted with village events, some essential and some that could have been avoided. Local functions and get-togethers are important but not at the cost of careers. How can one explain when youth are encouraged to act on local language stage plays or compose sub standard songs, when the stalwarts of this business most of the times depend on charity to sell their talent. The situation of footballers is a notch better, but how can you justify young Goans made to play day in and day out village football where the rewards is just some mediocre shield, some pocket money, a football kit or some charity from some villager who has just landed from his foreign trip. By the time the footballer realizes he can't make it into the National League, he is forced to make a career compromise which results in his leaving Goa.
Some Goans leave in their quest to search for trendy fashionable addresses as the word ABROAD is still adored in Goa. It is still looked upon as a big achievement and falsely elevates the status of the entire family. After all in Goan Social circles it is stylish if someone in your family is in New Jersey, New York, Melbourne, never mind the exact location. Naïve parents feel very proud to mention their children trendy foreign addresses, after all Cincinnati sounds better then Chinchinim, Carolina sounds better then Carmona, Boston sounds better then Betul. To make matters worse some of the South Goan villages have this lousy joke of attaching some negative character to the already not so trendy village names. Goa so far is still a trendy Generation Next name, until one idea bankrupt leader will find some reason to change that also, that should be a good reason for the rest of the Goans to leave.
During this time of the year we have Non Resident Goans converging on Goa with their success stories some true but most one sided. The resident Goan is already on the back foot as he has nothing to show to neutralize the blitz and is so impressed by the purchasing power of the visiting Goan even if it is temporary, that he is already making up his mind to test the waters of foreign soils or seas.
Of course Goans that do attempt to come back to Goa, sometimes find out that they are being made fun of for their better English, or their less knowledge of their mother tongue. Day in and Day out they will be hassled and if you are not strong willed, they will make sure you call it quits and leave. The worst scenario is when Goans with their entire family leave Goa just to escape family feuds. It might be the easy way out but not the right one.
Some effort is required by the society in general to address these problems, some of them mostly in the mind, if a society demands you build palatial houses or buy fancy cars and if these can’t be achieved with limited opportunities in Goa, then now might be the right time to think of toning down our expectations. If the society needs our Generation Next to be professional stage artists or footballers we better pay them more than peanuts. We can’t waste their careers just to satisfy our urge to watch free village football or a sub standard play. What was good in the olden days might not be good enough now in this changing professional world. Trendy addresses sound good just because there is a positive hype created around these names, there is nothing wrong in creating a positive hype for our addresses also, instead of downgrading and creating a negative hype. Also in social circles importance should be given to people who are slogging it out and making it big in Goa, at least they are adding to the positive hype. It is the duty of the Non Resident Goans to give a fair picture of their place of residence, nobody is denying that the grass is green on the other side of Goa but let’s not lure the ill informed Goan to make hasty decisions.
This article is written not with the intention to give a clean chit to politicians, but by blaming them for all the ills of the society, we might be deflecting the problem where the solution might be as simple as changing our mindset. We Goans inadvertently have forced the Goans to Runaway from Goa thereby creating a vacuum and it is only natural that the vacuum is getting filled.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 24th January 2007
High time Goans get Positive
By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
Engage a Goan in a conversation, and the story he might tell you will be of misery, if you happen to be a silent listener, he will make sure you have pity on him and everybody in Goa, the closer the relationship the worse the story. Are Goans really in such a bad shape or is it a case of seeing the glass half empty?
With such a negative mindset embedded, how can we expect our GenerationNext to perform? Of course things are not great in Goa, but they are not hopeless either. It is everybody's duty to point out the wrongs of the society, but strictly in the hope of making a better future, and not tocreate a pessimistic society.
We are used to talking negative all the time, that it has become a part of our lives. Goa might be the only place where Goans actually pay money to watch Konkani plays where actors proudly advertise that they are Tragedy Kings or Tragedy Queens or whatever. It means tragedy sells in Goa, thereby making it slowly a pessimistic society. Even Bollywood gave up on their tragedy king's long time ago, because it did not reflect the society anymore.
Children during their formative years look up to their elders for guidance,and eventually behave like them. If you create an environment of pessimism, even if they are born to succeed, we might be conditioning them to fail. Adolescent age is full of hope,desires, dreams and a pessimistic society could stifle all that.
Today Indian society is all about confidence and confidence comes when you think positive. Why should Goa be any different? Thinking positive is the only way our chances increase in finding a solution to a problem. Our GenerationNext might acquire the best of education in schools and colleges, but without a positive attitude most of it will be neutralized with the systematic negative influence of our society.
Having negative thoughts and feelings are not uncommon, but when negative feelings outnumber the positive ones it affects performance, growth, happiness. When people are negative it affects their self-confidence. Goans who talk negative might actually be using negative psychology, little knowing that it actually affects them also. Conscious or sub-conscious negative talk should be discouraged from the society.
Thinking negative might be justified for our past generation, as they lived in a period of transition from an easy Portuguese Past to a difficult uncertain Indian future and no transition is easy. But now India's future is not uncertain anymore and our GenerationNext has no excuse to think negative or feel hopeless.
Positive thinking eventually helps in getting the job done. Imagine, you rise early morning and you have an important assignment at hand for the day, if your mind believes you will succeed, chances are high you will succeed, however, if your mind believes you will not, whatever chances you had to succeed becomes nil. You will achieve what your mind believes in.
Positive thinking people give positive vibes and this reflects on people close to them, and those people will take it to others and eventually the whole society will be full of people with positive attitude. Remember we are all born to succeed, if Goans can succeed outside Goa, then why not in Goa, it means Goan environment needs to be made conducive for success.
Meantime, authorities can do their bit, to put an end to dishing too much tragedy in the name of entertainment. If sex and violence is bad and controlled by censors, let there be, control on excessive tragedy shown in the form of entertainment. If sex and violence corrupts the society then depicting tragedy for no reason makes the population timid. We need confident Goans and we need to remove all obstacles that come in the way.
Why bother about this Tiatr going Goan? Because, come election-day and this negative thinking, tragedy seeking timid Goan, by his sheer strength of his number, declares the verdict on our face, it is this Goan who neutralizes the positive vote. Unfortunately he is in majority at the moment.
Goans in position of influence on the society choose to ignore this subject. Of course there is an incentive for vote seekers to keep the population timid, so that they depend on them for every small thing. But Goans who sincerely want to change society for the better can do their bit by making sure people in their circle change their mindset from negative to positive.
Remember all systems are designed to work, even the Goan system, be it the government, bureaucratic or the private sector. All systems have to get the job done, it has to complete the loop, there might be loop holes in the system, but by thinking positive you can actually focus on the loop and not the loop holes.
If we need Goa to change, we need to change the mindset of Goans from pessimism to optimism. The government does not control the way you think. Of course it might putobstacles,but once you think positive, you will overcome these obstacles, COME WHAT MAY.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 24th May 2006
Engage a Goan in a conversation, and the story he might tell you will be of misery, if you happen to be a silent listener, he will make sure you have pity on him and everybody in Goa, the closer the relationship the worse the story. Are Goans really in such a bad shape or is it a case of seeing the glass half empty?
With such a negative mindset embedded, how can we expect our GenerationNext to perform? Of course things are not great in Goa, but they are not hopeless either. It is everybody's duty to point out the wrongs of the society, but strictly in the hope of making a better future, and not tocreate a pessimistic society.
We are used to talking negative all the time, that it has become a part of our lives. Goa might be the only place where Goans actually pay money to watch Konkani plays where actors proudly advertise that they are Tragedy Kings or Tragedy Queens or whatever. It means tragedy sells in Goa, thereby making it slowly a pessimistic society. Even Bollywood gave up on their tragedy king's long time ago, because it did not reflect the society anymore.
Children during their formative years look up to their elders for guidance,and eventually behave like them. If you create an environment of pessimism, even if they are born to succeed, we might be conditioning them to fail. Adolescent age is full of hope,desires, dreams and a pessimistic society could stifle all that.
Today Indian society is all about confidence and confidence comes when you think positive. Why should Goa be any different? Thinking positive is the only way our chances increase in finding a solution to a problem. Our GenerationNext might acquire the best of education in schools and colleges, but without a positive attitude most of it will be neutralized with the systematic negative influence of our society.
Having negative thoughts and feelings are not uncommon, but when negative feelings outnumber the positive ones it affects performance, growth, happiness. When people are negative it affects their self-confidence. Goans who talk negative might actually be using negative psychology, little knowing that it actually affects them also. Conscious or sub-conscious negative talk should be discouraged from the society.
Thinking negative might be justified for our past generation, as they lived in a period of transition from an easy Portuguese Past to a difficult uncertain Indian future and no transition is easy. But now India's future is not uncertain anymore and our GenerationNext has no excuse to think negative or feel hopeless.
Positive thinking eventually helps in getting the job done. Imagine, you rise early morning and you have an important assignment at hand for the day, if your mind believes you will succeed, chances are high you will succeed, however, if your mind believes you will not, whatever chances you had to succeed becomes nil. You will achieve what your mind believes in.
Positive thinking people give positive vibes and this reflects on people close to them, and those people will take it to others and eventually the whole society will be full of people with positive attitude. Remember we are all born to succeed, if Goans can succeed outside Goa, then why not in Goa, it means Goan environment needs to be made conducive for success.
Meantime, authorities can do their bit, to put an end to dishing too much tragedy in the name of entertainment. If sex and violence is bad and controlled by censors, let there be, control on excessive tragedy shown in the form of entertainment. If sex and violence corrupts the society then depicting tragedy for no reason makes the population timid. We need confident Goans and we need to remove all obstacles that come in the way.
Why bother about this Tiatr going Goan? Because, come election-day and this negative thinking, tragedy seeking timid Goan, by his sheer strength of his number, declares the verdict on our face, it is this Goan who neutralizes the positive vote. Unfortunately he is in majority at the moment.
Goans in position of influence on the society choose to ignore this subject. Of course there is an incentive for vote seekers to keep the population timid, so that they depend on them for every small thing. But Goans who sincerely want to change society for the better can do their bit by making sure people in their circle change their mindset from negative to positive.
Remember all systems are designed to work, even the Goan system, be it the government, bureaucratic or the private sector. All systems have to get the job done, it has to complete the loop, there might be loop holes in the system, but by thinking positive you can actually focus on the loop and not the loop holes.
If we need Goa to change, we need to change the mindset of Goans from pessimism to optimism. The government does not control the way you think. Of course it might putobstacles,but once you think positive, you will overcome these obstacles, COME WHAT MAY.
Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 24th May 2006
Goan Gift to India
By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
India is on a roll, Stock market index touching five digits, GDP numbers pegged at 7% - 8%, and if the government manages more investment in infrastructure, India might be targeting double digit growth. After China, India seem to be the happening place with all investors lined up to invest in India, how much of this foreign investment is long term or merely a hedge against the US dollar and low interest rates, we might only know when the US economy and dollar starts looking up. The Government, headed by the best financial brains in the country, seems to be sincerely working to get the numbers right this time, as previous election experience was a lesson to all political parties that merely shining slogans would not do. The feeling this time is that India is trying hard to arrive on the world scene.
What can a small state like Goa contribute to help India arrive the world scene, let’s focus on how Goans can make a positive impact on Indians so that the country can better integrate with the world.
The fact that Goans have made such a big issue on garbage means Goans are not prepared to make garbage part of their life, with this kind of resolve it’s a matter of time a solution will be found. It shows our desire to stay in a neat environment. Unfortunately the rest of India does not consider this as top priority, staying in garbage has become a part of their life. Once we get our house in order, Goans will have to teach rest of Indians that it is not enough to just grow economically if the citizens are not thought the importance of cleanliness, surely we don’t want India to be a super power of garbage. The best way would be to target all Indians and foreign tourists visiting Goa, as well as Goans, by introducing a Singapore style stiff fining system at airport, bus stands, railway stations and other public places. Paying a fine will help Indians to curb their natural instinct of throwing trash everywhere and anywhere. If the police are busy with law and order, the government could sub-contract the whole operation to a private company with minimum supervision of the police, and penalize the company incharge for negligence. When fellow Indians notice this, not only will they carry this good habit, but will force them to take similar actions back home. Goa might eventually be responsible to make India a clean and beautiful country.
Our great Konkani intellectuals might try very hard to manipulate Goans into learning Konkani, but everybody has to agree that Goans have succeeded in their respective fields because of their fluency and command over English. Our Konkani intellectuals should realize that most Goans are pushed out Goa to make a career, and it makes better sense to learn an international language with a proper ascent. Goans who have succeeded outside of Goa should make it a point to tell their side of the story to Indians, how English had helped them, especially to South Indians, where literacy means reading and writing their mother tongue. Open minded South Indians will tell you that lack of the English language had come in their way of progress.
Even after the bad publicity Goa might have got due to our politicians, there is no denying the fact that Goans are comparatively better as far as ethics, honesty, integrity, loyalty and decency is concerned. Most Goans might want to share this with fellow Indians, to convince them that making money, progress, fame are important but most important is to achieve all this without compromising these good virtues.
Most Indians feel that western type of clothing is anti-Indian, and yet the unwritten rule in private and public workplaces is that western attire is the only dress code acceptable. Our Parliament is the only place where its members have no proper dress code, it has Harvard educated minister wearing a night dress and attending office, if this night dress was not accepted in Harvard or recently in Davos, why is it acceptable in India’s highest office. The current USA President would love to come to office in Jeans, cowboy hat and probably on horseback, but he is the President of USA and not Texas. Asking Goan politicians to take up the issue of dress code in the parliament might be too much of an asking. However, ordinary Goans can make a difference to Indians by explaining to them the advantages of wearing clothes acceptable to the world, especially if India wants to do business with the world.
If the Central government is thinking of rewarding states for good governance, then along with economic benchmarks, cleanliness of the state should be a factor. Nobody wants Indians to give up their mother tongue, but to give it more importance than the International and national language should be considered as a negative factor on performance. Measuring public ethics, honesty, integrity, loyalty and decency might be difficult, but some system surely will evolve. Even a proper dress code has to be maintained, we can’t have people wearing their state dresses, when they represent India. All this should be incorporated as part of the formula. If we want states to vie for better share of central funds, let all factors come into play such as economics, cleanliness, national integration, better ethical standards. We don’t want Indians to remember the central government only when they want to get an Indian passport or when they want protection from outside aggression. Goa might score better on some of the above factors and it becomes our duty to educate fellow Indians of these virtues. Of course we Goans have a lot to learn from India, but that’s another story.
Above article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 23rd February 2006
India is on a roll, Stock market index touching five digits, GDP numbers pegged at 7% - 8%, and if the government manages more investment in infrastructure, India might be targeting double digit growth. After China, India seem to be the happening place with all investors lined up to invest in India, how much of this foreign investment is long term or merely a hedge against the US dollar and low interest rates, we might only know when the US economy and dollar starts looking up. The Government, headed by the best financial brains in the country, seems to be sincerely working to get the numbers right this time, as previous election experience was a lesson to all political parties that merely shining slogans would not do. The feeling this time is that India is trying hard to arrive on the world scene.
What can a small state like Goa contribute to help India arrive the world scene, let’s focus on how Goans can make a positive impact on Indians so that the country can better integrate with the world.
The fact that Goans have made such a big issue on garbage means Goans are not prepared to make garbage part of their life, with this kind of resolve it’s a matter of time a solution will be found. It shows our desire to stay in a neat environment. Unfortunately the rest of India does not consider this as top priority, staying in garbage has become a part of their life. Once we get our house in order, Goans will have to teach rest of Indians that it is not enough to just grow economically if the citizens are not thought the importance of cleanliness, surely we don’t want India to be a super power of garbage. The best way would be to target all Indians and foreign tourists visiting Goa, as well as Goans, by introducing a Singapore style stiff fining system at airport, bus stands, railway stations and other public places. Paying a fine will help Indians to curb their natural instinct of throwing trash everywhere and anywhere. If the police are busy with law and order, the government could sub-contract the whole operation to a private company with minimum supervision of the police, and penalize the company incharge for negligence. When fellow Indians notice this, not only will they carry this good habit, but will force them to take similar actions back home. Goa might eventually be responsible to make India a clean and beautiful country.
Our great Konkani intellectuals might try very hard to manipulate Goans into learning Konkani, but everybody has to agree that Goans have succeeded in their respective fields because of their fluency and command over English. Our Konkani intellectuals should realize that most Goans are pushed out Goa to make a career, and it makes better sense to learn an international language with a proper ascent. Goans who have succeeded outside of Goa should make it a point to tell their side of the story to Indians, how English had helped them, especially to South Indians, where literacy means reading and writing their mother tongue. Open minded South Indians will tell you that lack of the English language had come in their way of progress.
Even after the bad publicity Goa might have got due to our politicians, there is no denying the fact that Goans are comparatively better as far as ethics, honesty, integrity, loyalty and decency is concerned. Most Goans might want to share this with fellow Indians, to convince them that making money, progress, fame are important but most important is to achieve all this without compromising these good virtues.
Most Indians feel that western type of clothing is anti-Indian, and yet the unwritten rule in private and public workplaces is that western attire is the only dress code acceptable. Our Parliament is the only place where its members have no proper dress code, it has Harvard educated minister wearing a night dress and attending office, if this night dress was not accepted in Harvard or recently in Davos, why is it acceptable in India’s highest office. The current USA President would love to come to office in Jeans, cowboy hat and probably on horseback, but he is the President of USA and not Texas. Asking Goan politicians to take up the issue of dress code in the parliament might be too much of an asking. However, ordinary Goans can make a difference to Indians by explaining to them the advantages of wearing clothes acceptable to the world, especially if India wants to do business with the world.
If the Central government is thinking of rewarding states for good governance, then along with economic benchmarks, cleanliness of the state should be a factor. Nobody wants Indians to give up their mother tongue, but to give it more importance than the International and national language should be considered as a negative factor on performance. Measuring public ethics, honesty, integrity, loyalty and decency might be difficult, but some system surely will evolve. Even a proper dress code has to be maintained, we can’t have people wearing their state dresses, when they represent India. All this should be incorporated as part of the formula. If we want states to vie for better share of central funds, let all factors come into play such as economics, cleanliness, national integration, better ethical standards. We don’t want Indians to remember the central government only when they want to get an Indian passport or when they want protection from outside aggression. Goa might score better on some of the above factors and it becomes our duty to educate fellow Indians of these virtues. Of course we Goans have a lot to learn from India, but that’s another story.
Above article first appeared on Herald - Goa on 23rd February 2006
World Class Goans needed
By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
Arguably the best time to be in Goa, the weather is great during this time of the year, non residents Goans return to Goa for holiday, family reunions and to meet up with friends. The mood is festive, and most Goans are in the holiday spirit, after working the whole year, probably we all need that well deserved break, to spend time with family and friends. After all most part of the successful western world, takes time-out during this part of the year.
Now let’s ask this question to ourselves. Can we afford to take such a holiday break? Most Goans are always on a break 365 days of the year. We have so many excuses to take number of breaks, that when Goans actually work should be considered as a break from enjoyment. The fun of this festive season is actually deprived the thrill of a holiday, because we have not worked hard or smart the entire year and produced results.
Most Goans want lifestyles like the Europeans, Americans who take this time of the year very seriously to be with their families. Because most part of the year, they have put hours of hard work, so when this season comes they look forward to relax with their families. If Goans can’t work or think or create like them, can we have lifestyles like them?
No country can afford to enjoy 365 days a year. France, considered a rich country, makes a near monopoly product, commercial airplanes, world airlines have little choice when it comes to buying planes for their fleet, its either Airbus or Boeing (USA). Along with planes, they make world class wine, world class fashion. They sell all this to the world, and because they make so much money out of this, nobody complains when they almost shut down the country and take time out during this part of the year. Having said this, the recent arson proves that even the French cannot afford to be complacent and have to figure out a way to keep all of their citizens satisfied.
France is just one example and we could go on and on as most European countries have specialized in world class products they manufacture so well, that the company that makes this product indirectly drives their economy. Same might not be true for USA as it is a big country and have so many world class products to show off. How did they manage to make these products, they respect innovation, ideas, hard work, research and zero tolerance to corruption. Surely they did not succeed at the first attempt, but they take failures as a challenge to improve further and eventually that is what makes them successful.
If Goans want lifestyle like the Europeans, we should find out if Goa can offer World class products. We had one example of innovation, i.e. the Skybus project, one mishap and Goans gunned down this innovative idea. Everybody at that time was an expert to voice technical opinions against the project. Imagine if USA had to shutdown NASA after Challenger blew out in front of live television, inspite of such a big setback; imagine the courage and motivation to go on.
Is our Tourism World Class?. Goa depends upon tourism and everything the public and government does is tourist centric, but is Goa really a world class destination, do we have world class infrastructure, so we can command a higher price, or is Goa for tourists who can’t afford Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Switzerland, Nice, London, etc. If this industry is making enough money, why are Goan youth forced to look beyond this industry to make a career. Salaries of some qualified personnel in this industry are lower then call center workers in Bombay or Bangalore. It means after spending time and resources to develop this industry, it has not shown any results to their employees leave alone the Goan community. Or maybe the owners of these hotels don’t want to share their wealth with their employees, and why should they, they don’t have any examples to follow in Goa, there are no Murthy’s, Premji’s or Ambani’s in Goa who have shared wealth with their employees and changed the destiny of India.
Is our music world class? Most of us patronize the so called ‘Shows’ during this time of the year and yet most Goans are actually dancing at other people tunes, music composed thousands of miles away from Goa. Goan music composers with few exceptions have never tried to make their own music, something original, that will make the world dance to Goan tunes. Probably we don’t believe we can make world class music. We have set benchmarks so low that the ultimate goal, at least in the English language, is to be the best COPYCAT. Most Music Bands spend time to perfect a copy of a song. Nothing original comes out even in the Konkani language. Goans still depend on Konkani songs which were composed in the narrow, crowded, uncomfortable streets of Bombay, and that too composed some two decades ago. Surely we have not justified our music talent. By now we should have at least one world class Ricky Martin. Even the Hindi Pop music after such late entry, has moved way ahead.
Music and Tourism was just an example the writer used to prove a point. It could be in anything you do. If you don’t set your goals high enough, then the rewards will also be just mediocre. Even when you spend times with friends, think of innovation, creation, invention, something which the whole world wants. Yahoo, Google were all conceived on university campuses, young guys who had fun at work, offered something the world wanted, and in the process built world class companies. Our own INFOSYS, would not be what they are, if they had to think only of their state or country as their market, they thought beyond these boundaries.
Next generation Goans must think beyond their villages, beyond Goa, beyond India. Don’t be too sentimental and attached to your village, if you don’t find a suitable place to build or buy a house in your village, move out of your village.
Think OUT OF THE BOX. We might actually end up making something BIG, which makes a difference to the world, a world class company perhaps, which actually changes the destiny of Goa, which tourism or music has failed to do so far.
All this can happen only if you THINK BIG. Then maybe, just maybe we will actually be able to afford to shut down Goa and have a BALL during this time of the year. Happy Holiday!!
Above Article first appeared in Herald - Goa on 26th December 2005
Arguably the best time to be in Goa, the weather is great during this time of the year, non residents Goans return to Goa for holiday, family reunions and to meet up with friends. The mood is festive, and most Goans are in the holiday spirit, after working the whole year, probably we all need that well deserved break, to spend time with family and friends. After all most part of the successful western world, takes time-out during this part of the year.
Now let’s ask this question to ourselves. Can we afford to take such a holiday break? Most Goans are always on a break 365 days of the year. We have so many excuses to take number of breaks, that when Goans actually work should be considered as a break from enjoyment. The fun of this festive season is actually deprived the thrill of a holiday, because we have not worked hard or smart the entire year and produced results.
Most Goans want lifestyles like the Europeans, Americans who take this time of the year very seriously to be with their families. Because most part of the year, they have put hours of hard work, so when this season comes they look forward to relax with their families. If Goans can’t work or think or create like them, can we have lifestyles like them?
No country can afford to enjoy 365 days a year. France, considered a rich country, makes a near monopoly product, commercial airplanes, world airlines have little choice when it comes to buying planes for their fleet, its either Airbus or Boeing (USA). Along with planes, they make world class wine, world class fashion. They sell all this to the world, and because they make so much money out of this, nobody complains when they almost shut down the country and take time out during this part of the year. Having said this, the recent arson proves that even the French cannot afford to be complacent and have to figure out a way to keep all of their citizens satisfied.
France is just one example and we could go on and on as most European countries have specialized in world class products they manufacture so well, that the company that makes this product indirectly drives their economy. Same might not be true for USA as it is a big country and have so many world class products to show off. How did they manage to make these products, they respect innovation, ideas, hard work, research and zero tolerance to corruption. Surely they did not succeed at the first attempt, but they take failures as a challenge to improve further and eventually that is what makes them successful.
If Goans want lifestyle like the Europeans, we should find out if Goa can offer World class products. We had one example of innovation, i.e. the Skybus project, one mishap and Goans gunned down this innovative idea. Everybody at that time was an expert to voice technical opinions against the project. Imagine if USA had to shutdown NASA after Challenger blew out in front of live television, inspite of such a big setback; imagine the courage and motivation to go on.
Is our Tourism World Class?. Goa depends upon tourism and everything the public and government does is tourist centric, but is Goa really a world class destination, do we have world class infrastructure, so we can command a higher price, or is Goa for tourists who can’t afford Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Switzerland, Nice, London, etc. If this industry is making enough money, why are Goan youth forced to look beyond this industry to make a career. Salaries of some qualified personnel in this industry are lower then call center workers in Bombay or Bangalore. It means after spending time and resources to develop this industry, it has not shown any results to their employees leave alone the Goan community. Or maybe the owners of these hotels don’t want to share their wealth with their employees, and why should they, they don’t have any examples to follow in Goa, there are no Murthy’s, Premji’s or Ambani’s in Goa who have shared wealth with their employees and changed the destiny of India.
Is our music world class? Most of us patronize the so called ‘Shows’ during this time of the year and yet most Goans are actually dancing at other people tunes, music composed thousands of miles away from Goa. Goan music composers with few exceptions have never tried to make their own music, something original, that will make the world dance to Goan tunes. Probably we don’t believe we can make world class music. We have set benchmarks so low that the ultimate goal, at least in the English language, is to be the best COPYCAT. Most Music Bands spend time to perfect a copy of a song. Nothing original comes out even in the Konkani language. Goans still depend on Konkani songs which were composed in the narrow, crowded, uncomfortable streets of Bombay, and that too composed some two decades ago. Surely we have not justified our music talent. By now we should have at least one world class Ricky Martin. Even the Hindi Pop music after such late entry, has moved way ahead.
Music and Tourism was just an example the writer used to prove a point. It could be in anything you do. If you don’t set your goals high enough, then the rewards will also be just mediocre. Even when you spend times with friends, think of innovation, creation, invention, something which the whole world wants. Yahoo, Google were all conceived on university campuses, young guys who had fun at work, offered something the world wanted, and in the process built world class companies. Our own INFOSYS, would not be what they are, if they had to think only of their state or country as their market, they thought beyond these boundaries.
Next generation Goans must think beyond their villages, beyond Goa, beyond India. Don’t be too sentimental and attached to your village, if you don’t find a suitable place to build or buy a house in your village, move out of your village.
Think OUT OF THE BOX. We might actually end up making something BIG, which makes a difference to the world, a world class company perhaps, which actually changes the destiny of Goa, which tourism or music has failed to do so far.
All this can happen only if you THINK BIG. Then maybe, just maybe we will actually be able to afford to shut down Goa and have a BALL during this time of the year. Happy Holiday!!
Above Article first appeared in Herald - Goa on 26th December 2005
Goan Generation Next
By Mr. Plastino D'Costa
This piece is a sincere effort to open our eyes, so we can make a change bit by bit as Goa’s GenerationNext. Each one of you should try to identify the problems within their families and take corrective measures. By no means is this written to instigate you, but to open your thinking process, so that we don’t commit the same mistakes our previous generation has made. Following are some points we should think on:-
1. If you happen to be a modestly educated, try to find out what circumstances forced you into this situation. Was it the school, the money, the parents, or some other reason? If you happen to have relatives, friends in Bombay compare their education with yours. Know Why?
2. Most of us have ancestral properties, check out if the previous generation has sold these properties sure they have a reason, but you are entitled to know the reasons. Know Why?
3. If your previous generation is busy fighting with siblings for properties, maybe at stake is only ego here, check at what cost all this. Don’t take sides. Maybe they are hampering the progress of the whole family to satisfy their ego, activate your thinking process.
4. Most of us have been forced by circumstances to leave Goa to generate income for the family. What were your circumstances? Our previous generation pretends they are classy, compared to Indians at least. If we can’t sustain this class working in Goa, is it really worth?
5. Checkout if your previous generations are active in social causes, if so what are the causes and does it bring benefit to the family or society in the long run. Maybe its just fame that they are interested, maybe the issues they are pursuing are actually detrimental to Goa in the long run?
6. Has your previous generation ever paid taxes, do they posses a PAN Card, if so let them be proud of it, let them show it off in government officials and demand service from them instead of bribing their way. If they don’t have this card in spite of income, its time to ask them Why?
7. Do you see your previous generation frequenting politician houses, to wish them for birthdays, to ask personal favors, or to even solve petty problems in the family, demand an explanation? Can’t they solve their own problems? Know Why?
8. If your grandparents don’t stay with you, question your parents as to why they can’t stay in the same house, why are they kept with the poorest uncle or aunt in the family or in the Aged Home. Check with them what you should do when they get old, get an answer?
9. In Goa noises have been heard from time to time about environment protection, sometimes even at the cost of genuine progress. Look around you, have they really protected the environment, if not what was all the noise about. See the environmental damage around you. Think how we can correct all this.
9. If your previous generation is critical of the church, want the Church to get involved in politics, explain to them that church is needed to clean our souls and to bring peace to our minds. We have enough politicians to run politics. Let the church or temple be kept sacred.
10. If your previous generation has been blaming the politicians for all the ills of the society, point out to them that politicians represent us, every 5 years we have a chance to select whom we want. Apparently they have been selecting the same wrong people time and again so they can get a convenient excuse to blame somebody.
THINK!! You will realize that we are worse off then the previous generation. They have got their priorities wrong. They have been selling ancestral properties to maintain high standard of living, they believe building big houses and buying expensive cars is more important than education, they want to promote their mother tongue when some of them don’t even care where their real mothers live, they have still not figured out what to do with their garbage, they have objected every progressive step taken in the interest of Goa. Probably they have been carried away by the charm of the politicians. Or maybe they were passive and did not activate their thinking process.
Why should we correct this wrong? Because the generation after us, will question you. They will be watching the rest of India taking a giant leap forward leaving Goans behind, that’s the time they will demand answers. Can we solve the problems overnight, NO, but we have to activate our thinking process. We need to ask the question WHY all the time. We need to raise the bar, we need to increase ethical standards, we need to pay our taxes, and remind government officials that we pay their salaries.
There must be at least 10% of Goans already following this value system, but 10% is too small a figure to change the society. Don’t wait for a HERO to come and change all this for you. Do it yourself, bit by bit and everything will fall in place. Then we can be truly proud of Goa.
Above article first appeared on Herald-Goa on 17th October 2005
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