THURSDAY, MAY 02, 2024
Even as the holy and harmonious land of amity and harmony Varanasi is reeling under the freshly created controversy over the antecedents of the Gyanvyapi mosque next to the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple, one can hear the same attempts in Goa, of all places, by those who seem to be disturbed at home and do not have other things to do than try and vitiate the atmosphere.
Those who are desperate and disturbed are trying to suggest that current places of worship should be replaced by those of other faiths based on historical findings. Goa has moved on. It is looking at the future, the youth of Goa has absolutely no time for this. The future is about the economy, jobs stability, and growth. Goans do not have time for those who think of divisive things with disastrous consequences. True Goans will have none of that. They simply do have the space for this. And leaders who are frustrated do not know that today’s Goa has much more on its plate they need to tackle than these narratives that are being made by depressed and frustrated people.
Even attempting the same narrative as wanting to examine evidence of one faith in places of worship of other faiths can come only come from someone who is unhappy at home. This cannot be the utterance of one who is responsible, powerful, and educated unless the person is depressed and despondent enough to even think of putting a black dot in the pristine white and clear fabric of harmony in Goa.
To even think of interfering with places of worship, suggesting any alterations, or raising voices of division and disharmony, can come only from the weak, from those who seek attention, and who want to feel relevant, as we have seen. Anyone who has attempted this has failed and will fail in Goa because Goan society is one and will always be that way. Goans not only love and respect each other’s places of worship but actively take part in and participate in every manner of faithful and cultural activities in each other’s institutions, not as guests but as family members, across faiths. Therefore, any stray remarks aimed at dividing or causing disharmony among communities have and will fail, automatically. But those who utter them and are unhappy will continue to remain that way.
Steady power at lower costs, non-inflated power bills, self-employment, agriculture: These are issues to worry about, not places of worship
A true leader will think, guide, and be concerned about the future of Goans. And be concerned about real issues such as farmers losing fields and the shrinking size of agriculture, the challenge to innovation and self-employment due to the pandemic, the need to create the right environment and opportunity for creating businesses, and the threat to our environment due to rampant tree felling and hill cutting, the growing number of infrastructure projects that disturb our ecological balance, the challenge to our harmony from divisive forces and systems which come in the way of freedom of speech, religion, etc.
Varanasi and Goa and the whole of India for that matter are places with rich history, culture, and people who know how to preserve them. Unity has been our hallmark. Those who refuse to build on it and look at a better future will find no happiness. They have no happiness within their homes and societies, and it is they who need to look within.
Most importantly, anyone who thinks that these are for political gains needs to rethink deeply. The people of Goa will never trade their futures for such narrow-mindedness coming from those who only know how to practice hate.
