The social and environmental costs of Goa’s filthy politics and vulgar tourism are now showing. The Government has been taking offence to the bad publicity given to Goa by social media influencers. But what is being cleverly evaded is how many of these reviews are reasonable or exaggerated. In an era of Artificial Intelligence, for how long will Goa be able to defend a lie as the truth by resorting to dark marketing tactics?
The face of Goa has been disfigured with flyovers and other ugly grey monsters dirtying the landscape. With a demographic change sweeping the State, the traditional ‘patrao’ and ‘bhatkar’ have almost vanished. What the paradise is witnessing is migrant invasion, which is far from respectful of or contributing any positive value addition to the traditional culture; a covert cultural colonization. It is the ‘setji’ and ‘saab’ who now determine the social, political and economic future of Goa. The welcoming and hospitable social atmosphere - of what was once a paradise with a colonial flavour- has been lost in the spillover of a crude culture from a ‘bimaru’ republic.
The local Konkani language is hardly heard spoken in the marketplaces. The once calm and cozy ‘vaddo’ has given way to a deculturated and rowdy ‘nagar’. The public spaces are flooded with settlers spitting paan, screaming, fly-tipping and squatting as and where they like with merchandise, least bothered about the nuisance caused or hurting sentiments of the locals. Spotting a native Goan in the city crowd is now difficult. For those who have experienced the pre and post liberated Goa of the 20th century, it is no more the paradise with a unique culture which is being showcased to the world.
Goa is reduced to a trash bin for the rest of the country with the government expecting natives to tolerate the unruly behaviour of settlers and visitors. Public places are increasingly becoming hostile and nature’s resources out of bounds for the native Goans. The gap between what constitutes social and antisocial behaviour is fast narrowing. Citizens can be evicted from their homes by non-State actors and land rights overturned with fake sale deeds. A mob dictates history and any counter opinion is met with hostility, ‘weaponisation’ of religious sentiments. A dispute is resolved by crushing the opponent under the wheels of the car, with the accused getting VIP treatment from the cops. The ethical practices of respecting the ‘right of way’ and ‘safe distance’ while driving on roads is now a colonial legacy being replaced with boorish desi mannerisms.
The situation in Goa fits most of the signs of a societal collapse with the decline in civic engagement being one sign, while the loss of public morality, environmental degradation, demographic decline, class conflict and centralisation of power are among others. The erosion of social structures and norms has ultimately led to weakening community cohesion and lowering the quality of life. Digital culture has speeded up the peoples disconnect with reality. The manufactured outrage in social media has derailed critical and rational thinking in citizens.
If one takes a clue from history on the downfall of vibrant cultures in the past, what has brought about this pathetic state of affairs in Goa was probably the comfort the society enjoyed which killed the desire for progress. Some studies on societal decay in the past point out that, "with no obvious challenge that a society has to overcome, their meaning of life becomes blurred. This gives way to a Hubris which stems from historical ignorance which ultimately believes that disrupting the status quo would improve things." To understand such historical blunder, among others, one needs to rewind to a decade earlier and recall those claims by Goa’s celebrity endorsers of the anti-corruption crusade and ‘parivartan’ as friends of good governance. They sold an illusion of political change without any idea of what the promised paradise of the right wing forces would look like.
Amidst all this turmoil is a growing mental health crisis. What we are increasingly being confronted with in our institutions and on the streets are antisocial behaviours which are normalised. Whether it is political corruption, drugs, dangerous driving, land scams, sound and air pollution, hate brigades, fake news and the rest of the public nuisance, all these are fuelled by an antisocial mindset which lacks concern for the rights of others and is devoid of any regret or remorse. Such anti-social patterns of behaviour are even celebrated as signs of a dynamic political leadership.
A community which has been mentally enslaved by abusive and exploitative systems in religion and politics over a period of time cannot recognise the normal from the abnormal, and abusive behaviour from healthy behaviour. The ‘Ahimsa’ and ‘Satyagraha’ mindset which won us our freedom from colonial rule is now overtaken by a psychopathic mentality that is at war with truth and reason. The political circus with statues, foods and religious sentiments has become a smoke screen for an emerging anti-social class to legitimize its lawlessness under a banner of nationalism.
Both public health and public security are now the last priority for a toxic political regime which is obsessed with power and economic progress irrespective of the costs. The intoxication of Goans from a nostalgia of the past and preoccupation with festivals and feasting has resulted in a democracy which exists only on paper. This paradise is handed over to merchants who work for investors and get endorsed by consumers every five years.
At least for now, the consumers of such politics seem content with their religiosity of showing their other cheek when slapped on one and forgive the betrayers seventy times seven, to enjoy those crumbs thrown their way from destructive governance.
(The author has worked with community initiatives related to Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention, HIV/AIDs Prevention, Panchayati Raj, Anti-Corruption, Environment Protection and Social Justice)