Tensions are running high on insider/outsider fault lines in Goa – just like so many other beleaguered parts of the world– but there is something to be said for the relatively healthy open discourse on these topics that is now underway in India’s smallest state.
There’s plenty of shameless and cynical nativist grandstanding going on as well, of course, especially from an ever-manipulative political class eager to keep matters “on the boil” because it suits their interests. Still, one cannot but appreciate sentiments and statements of purpose such as those expressed by Dr Dinesh Verma of Arpora, in a letter to this newspaper in response to my previous Op/Ed on this same topic: “As someone who moved to Goa from another state, I like to call myself a “Goan by Choice”—a GBC in spirit, if not in birth. And it is precisely because I chose Goa that I recognise and understand the anxieties of Goans today.”
Verma notes that “over the last decade, Goa’s population has grown by more than 8%, far outpacing the national rate. Construction has expanded at nearly three times the pace of the 2000s. These are not just statistics—they translate into shrinking green cover, rising pressure on water resources, and an unmistakable thinning of what makes Goa, Goa. Many long-time residents genuinely fear the erosion of a culture that has taken centuries to shape. And this fear is not unfounded when a significant number of affluent newcomers arrive with little inclination to integrate, contribute, or even understand the sensitivities of the land they occupy. Too often, gated enclaves replace open verandahs, and private water tankers replace community responsibility. Goa becomes a commodity, not a home.”
Instead of just complaining, as so many are won’t, it is especially appreciable that Verma backs up his comments with a game plan: “Those of us who are truly Goans by Choice must demonstrate our commitment—not through declarations, but through action. By standing shoulder to shoulder with Goans in fighting for environmental protection, for just and sustainable development, for safeguarding water resources, and for defending Goa’s unique cultural identity. If we wish to belong here, we cannot remain silent spectators while the land is strained and the people feel unheard. I hope more GBCs will respond to this call—not to claim a label, but to honour a responsibility. Goa deserves residents who love it not only for what it offers, but for what they can help preserve.”
Kudos to Dr. Verma for acknowledging what any sensible new resident in Goa quickly figures out, but then blurs away for any number of reasons, including – highly prevalent these days – anxieties about assimilation and acceptance.
Those questions run throughout Smriti Iyer’s opinion piece in a newspaper earlier this week entitled Who belongs in Goa? This is the wrong question to ask, where the North Goa-based Harvard-trained development economist asks “Does a person have a greater right over a place if they were born there? How many years do I need to live somewhere before I can claim it as home?”
In many parts of India – such as the North East states – there are concrete answers to these matters, and most Goans will also have one that may be inconvenient for others to hear. But Iyer also has some more pointed and relevant questions: “Goa has the highest per capita income in the country and one of the lowest population densities. Can one then attribute the rampant selling and conversion of land to economic compulsion? Can we examine what else is at play? Why aren’t we coalescing around keeping rents controlled or regulating the market? Why aren’t we advocating for a higher tax rate for people who own more than one home? I guess it’s easier to attack a settler filmmaker from Aldona, instead, for wanting to belong?”
She asks why “the main highway connecting Porvorim to the other side represents a Mad Max set. The roads are constantly dug up and dangerous. Why are the roads in this state for years on end? There have been 200 accidents, resulting in 18 deaths, in October alone. Why hasn’t the government introduced more public transport or allowed ride shares that are reliable and affordable? Don’t these daily problems warrant our attention more than the settlers allegedly destroying culture?”
This conclusion is worth further consideration: “I don’t like being called an outsider or settler in my own country. Using this trope to explain away structural problems in Goa is lazy. It is intended to create more divides. And Goa is embroiled in that very “us vs them” fight. And while we fight amongst ourselves, the government continues passing orders that only benefit a chosen few. Developing a sense of belonging to the place where you live is a worthy goal to pursue. It is the foundation required to begin to address intractable problems. This task demands an infusion of new ideas which requires people with different lived experiences to come together. The answer won’t appear if we stay in our little silos of hate.”
(Vivek Menezes is a writer and co-founder of the Goa Arts and Literature Festival)
