The last few years have not been a time of much happiness in Goa. The economy has not
been something to crow about. The ban on mining had precipitated a decline in
the economy. Over a period of time the vitality, that love for life seemed to
be missing from everyday life. The tourists may be coming in scores but the
general tone of life has been one of mild depression. But now as Goa enters a
season of hope and rejuvenation one could perhaps be tempted to ask what
reasons could be present to make Goans optimistic for the future. Perhaps it
was the evolving nature of the politics or the spirit of the youth who were now
very involved and articulating their vision for Goa or perhaps that unique
culture of Goa that accepts people of different faiths without hesitation.
Anna Smriti a
youngster from Chicalim had it right when she said Goans were now waking up to
their responsibility as humans, to stand up for each other, to love, the way
God loved everyone and to empathize with the situation of each person. That she
said made Goa a special corner in the country and made her very confident the
future looked very bright.
A teacher Alisha
Pereira also from Chicalim was very detailed in her explanation when asked what
made her confident about the future of Goa. She said “Goa is an extraordinary
state blessed with rich heritage in terms of its biodiversity and culture. The
young minds of Goa have seeded in them the fact that the youth are the now and
not the future. I believe that it’s not only the fighting spirit of the youth
that keeps our hopes for a better Goa high but in reality it is the promise
that we have made to ourselves – that come what may we will fight to protect
the incredible biodiversity of Goa at the present hour so that our children
enjoy it in the near future. Secondly, the thought that the people in power
should realize the importance of this rich and magnificent biodiversity way
sooner and hence scrape the destructive plans proposed in the name of
development. For if we fail to realise the importance of the treasure of the
pristine eco – heritage then in the near days to come we all will have to face
the consequences of destruction which I believe have already started”. You can
ignore those words at your own peril.
The mother is the backbone of any family and so is the case in
Goa. Pearl Braganza, home maker from Bogmalo said the youth gave her confidence
that things would work out fine. She said “They have come forward to take on
social and environmental issues. I believe just like political families, the
elders who fight for the environmental issues and social issues in Goa should
first encourage their own kids to part take in the fight before encouraging
others to be part of the fight”.
The joy of living in peace and harmony in Goa was highlighted by
Cynthia Rodrigues a travel agent in Bogmalo. She felt all Goans ought to join
hands and seek help from that higher power to give them all salvation from the
evil that was happening today. This she said would ensure everyone lived in
peace and harmony in Goa which was a gift handed to them and it was important
for everyone to take care of it. This Easter she said Goans looked forward to
be sacrificial like Jesus. Cynthia said “He sacrificed his life for us unlike
Jesus we don’t have to sacrifice our lives but instead we can sacrifice on our
greed for power, for money or for any kind of monetary gains”.
The youth of Goa however seemed to be full of idealism and hope.
Queeny Gonsalves a third year student from Navelim said she was confident of a
better political leadership that would stand for economic growth and
importantly environment reformation. This she felt would happen and she seemed
confident about the future of the state.
Kriti Paes who called herself an outsider living in Goa said she
hoped that starting this Easter, the love of Jesus would reside in everyone’s
heart and everyone in Goa would unite and fight the various evils in the state.
She felt Goa seemed like a place where positive things could happen because of
the unique culture.
Perhaps the best man who could provide a very incisive view was
Fr Bolmax Pereira, Parish Priest of Chicalim who said “Things look very bad
right now. But that’s how it looked before Resurrection of Jesus as well. All
seemed lost. And then came Easter with all new hope that connected across the
world. I prefer to see a similar type of hope for my motherland, Goa, where we
all Goans and settlers as well coming together and rising for the cause of
Resurrecting Goan from this nearly dead situation”.
But what is important is that hope has not been lost and the
desire to change the situation is very strong and that certainly makes Goa very
special.
