There have been investigative stories, there have been exposés, there have been precise analysis that we are proud to have published. With a history of 119 years, that has spanned a colonial regime and then democracy, there is much to feel proud of and smile about. But, we will not dwell in the past, for that’s not what Herald does. Your newspaper, in its unstinted commitment to the reader and to the Goenkar, only looks at the present and then forward into the future that holds so much promise for Goa.
An entire generation has grown up reading the Herald. They will testify that the newspaper has always been bold, telling the stories that the people want to read, telling their stories that may otherwise be stifled and never see the light of day. The newspaper takes the tag line ‘Voice of Goa’ very seriously. The newspaper team discusses Goa – dwells on what is happening, debates the merits and demerits of the government decisions taken – and often this leads to a sense of despondency that falls rapidly, almost like a cold, thick December mist blurring the vision of the future. At times like these, there is nothing else to do but succumb and make that classic gesture of slapping the palm on the forehead to denote a sense of utter frustration at the manner in which the polity, that has been charged with running the State, bungles about like amateurs with no clue absolutely of what needs to be done.
Where have we taken the Goa that we wrested back from the colonialists in 1961? It has become unrecognisable – not just its geographic features but even in the commitments of the people and in the aims of the politicians. The people who in 1967 resolutely worked to retain the Goan identity are diminishing in number. A signficant number of those who have replaced them have restricted themselves to the myopic vision of quick returns of the short term, rather than planning with the wider image of a Goa that has to be passed on to the generations that will come. Had, in 1967 the people voted to merge Goa with its neighbouring State, there would be no Goa today. And yet, the gains of that victory are beginning to vanish, just as the scenes that made up Goa and were immortalised by Mario Miranda too have disappeared. And we have ourselves to blame.
But this state of affairs cannot continue for long, and we at Herald believe that there will be a change for the better, and we will be ready to report it to you our readers and partner in the changes. This anniversary serves to makes us at Herald recommit ourselves to the high quality of journalism that this newspaper has always been known for. We will continue to report on the successes of Goenkars in all fields. We will continue to report on the initiatives of the government in taking the State ahead. We will continue to point at the failures of policies, and suggest the changes that can be made. And we will do it, even if it makes us the voice in the wilderness, in the hope that somebody will listen to the voice of reason.
So, as Herald remains the ‘Voice of Goa’, we cannot but send out a cry to those charting the progress of the State’s journey to change the course of development, as at stake is the future of Goem and the Goenkar. The symbolism of Goenkarponn that has been dangled before the Goenkar needs to be converted into clear goals of sustainability. Goals that will keep Goemkarponn alive in the Goem that will be bequeated to the Goenkar of tomorrow.
