That the 48th anniversary of the Opinion Poll Day passed by almost unnoticed should be a cause of some worry. At a time when there were moves to merge Goa with a neighbouring state, it is the Opinion Poll that ensured that Goa remained a separate entity in the Republic of India. It is the results of that poll of January 16, 1967 that gives legitimacy to the Goan identity.
The Opinion Poll was not merely a referendum where residents of Goa could decide whether they wanted their land to be merged with a bigger state or whether they wanted to stay a Union Territory. The issue was bigger. In a country where states had been linguistically created, Konkani, which years later would become the official language of Goa, gave the Union Territory of that time its identity.
This is the reason why January 16 is observed as Asmitai Dis (Identity Day) in Goa. It was on that day that in 1967 the residents of the land that was geographically known as Goa not only put an end to the question of merger but also answered the question of who they were, giving themselves that identity. That’s the identity that is celebrated on January 16 and spoken of even today.
In the past 48 years since Goans voted for a Union Territory, the identity that was so ingrained in the Goan has been diluted considerably. Migration into Goa and emigration by Goans to the west has in a large way contributed towards this.
There are various laments that after that victory of 1967, Goa squandered away opportunities to safeguard it identity. Those opportunities will not return, but new ones will and if they don’t will have to be created. The fight for special status that is gaining momentum today is but a continuation of the fight for identity. It is a demand of what should have happened as a matter of reason in the 1960s and didn’t. Today, there are other constraints in pushing for special status.
Not too many months ago the then government led by Manohar Parrikar had written to the government of India seeking special status for Goa and mentioned of the threat to Goan identity. The exact phrases used were, “The threat to Goan identity seems to be real as revealed by the census data. The 2001 census data estimates that the Konkani speakers form only 51% of the total population. The Konkani and Marathi speakers put together form 2/3 of the population. In other words, 1/3 of the population are immigrants. This becomes a huge proportion to the total population given the small size of Goa.” That representation was made in 2013 and drew a negative response from the Centre that turned down the request for special status.
Waiting for special status as the only means to protect identity is akin to putting all the eggs in one basket. We can’t wait for that. Land reforms by the State of Goa can begin to safeguard the identity even before special status comes Goa’s way. Beyond that, we need to observe the Opinion Poll anniversaries to keep that struggle alive.
There is another reason to keep the memory of the Opinion Poll alive. There is a whole generation of Goans who will have never heard of the Opinion Poll except through their history lesson that may give them facts but not an interpretation and understanding of just how important this poll was for the future of Goa. They cannot be allowed to have merely a textbook idea of the struggles of Goa in retaining its identity. Sadly, it is happening, and the more often such dates are forgotten and passed unnoticed, the numbers of those who know but little of Goa’s recent history will increase.
The Goa we know today exists because its population is anchored on a rock of identity. If that rock is allowed to be weathered by the waves of migration and apathy that crash against it, what will remain is sand that will mingle with other ones diluting the identity and loosening the anchor. Before that happens, Goans have to wake up and defend their identity, without which there will be little by which to call ourselves Goan.
