Goa did not achieve full statehood in 1971 as was expected. Following persistent demands,
including a 1976 resolution by the Goa assembly demanding full statehood, Goa
finally became a state on May 30, 1987. With all the struggle and hard work,
becoming an independent state was a glorious victory. While many are aware of
Goa’s Liberation Day on December 19, they fail to realise that it was May 30, 1987
that played a major role in making Goa what it is today. And while we enjoy the
freedom of this state, do we prioritise this day?
It is a proud dayfor me
There is vast difference between Goa Statehood Day and
Liberation Day. Personally, I give more importance to May 30. It was a proud
moment years ago when we became a singular state; we began having our own rules
and new goals. There was no one to overpower us and I am so proud of being a
Goan. Though being a small state, we have come a long way. All Goans should
know about this particular day, because we are a part of it. I know many who
are not interested in knowing what happened on this day but I think it is
important that being Goans we need to be educated on these subject matters.
ANJALI CHODANKAR, law student, Porvorim
It is an uncommon topic for me
I know about Statehood Day, but it’s uncommon among our talks.
Today I have realised how important it is for us to know about this day. If we
hadn’t had the Opinion Poll we would have not become an independent state and
Goa would not have been the sweet paradise we know now. It was the many freedom
fighters and people of that time who were against merging our state with
another and I am grateful to them. I feel proud talking about this, because it
is rarely in our conversations today. I think, as Goans, it is our duty to know
about how our state came to be and I am ashamed for ignoring these facts all
this while.
ANUSHA SATISH, chartered accountant, Taleigao
It is a day for admiring my Goa as a state
Yes, I do know about Goa statehood and learnt about it really
late from my teachers at college. I think many students around Goa are not
taught about Goa Statehood Day in their schools and suddenly elders expect
children to know ‘what is Statehood Day?’ If we don’t know about it, they laugh
at us. If teachers and elders educate us from a young age, we will definitely
know everything. From my point of view, Statehood Day is more important than
Liberation Day because it is when we were declared as an individual state.
MINAKSHI RAI, TIME Institute, Panjim
It is a day of gratitude for me
I feel many Goans are taking facilities from Goa government but
don’t want to be proud of Goa Statehood Day. We need to know why it’s important
and what happened and we need to teach the young too. It is our responsibility
to celebrate this day and the celebration is in honour of motivating young
generation. Also, we have to understand and be thankful that in Goa, all
schemes reach far off places too because our state is small. If we had to merge
with Maharashtra, so many provisions and schemes would not have reached far and
wide. This is the reason why Goa is well educated and well to do. Therefore we
shouldn’t ignore this day.
ARCHANA SUDHESH SHETYE, teacher, Panjim
It became a day of realisation for me
I know about Goa Liberation Day, and to be honest, I had only
heard about Goa Statehood Day. It seriously embarrasses me that I don’t know
the importance of this day. I wasn’t told everything in detail, but I know that
very few people consider it important. It is sad for those, including me, who
are living in Goa and are unaware of the relevance of Goa Statehood Day. Now
that I know, I should spread the word and ask them to do the same.
ARUN FERNANDES, sales and marketing professional, Miramar
