Burying our past
Fears have been repeatedly voiced over the shoddy way Goa cares for crucial information and records from our past. Our State government, flush with funds through its ‘library cess’ is investing in concrete and motar. Its focus is on building new mega libraries rather than safeguarding existing collections, or actually promoting the reading habit. What is important is that past collections of value—and irreplaceable ones too—are being treated so poorly.
Scholars tell us that the problem with the Central Library’s collections is not their completeness, but their poor preservation. Copies of newspapers, going back to the 1920s, including the Portuguese editions of this very daily, are almost impossible to consult. Goa’s libraries have long been promising the digitising of their records, but few results seem to be visible on this front.
Vast collections of years of newspapers as important as O Ultramar, A India Portuguesa, and several of the newspapers written by Inacio de Loyola, and the Brado Indiano, are almost too fragile to touch. It is a known fact that from the end of the nineteenth century to the first half of twentieth century, most intellectuals—and Goan intellectuals were no exception — had an important part of their work published in newspapers and magazines. For this period it is impossible to do serious research in the our cultural and political history without this resource. As far as Goa goes, most of these collections exist only at the Central Library. So unless something is done, and done urgently, the doors to future research in these fields will be totally closed.
Historians have a stake in this issue. So does the rest of society. Some years ago, some of these newspapers were reportedly microfilmed. But it is not easy to access these microfilms, because reading machines are often not available at our libraries. Given the will, much is possible. Nowadays, it is to convert microfilms into digital copies too. Other places like Portugal—part of whose records are relevant to Goa too—are moving ahead in preserving their documentation. For instance, the Portuguese National Parliament Archive is building its online resources with the Acts of parliamentary, discourses and discussions dating back to 1821. Much is already online, so anyone can access records of even MPs representing Goa in the Portuguese parliament using the Internet via the parlamento.pt site. But, back home, we are neglecting our own past.
There are other issues, which are getting buried by neglect. The poor state of the Goa Archives has been commented on by many affected citizens. The All India Radio’s studios at Altinho have, in its archives, so many old Konkani songs that could well get ruined if not properly cared for. A collaborative effort between Konkani music lovers, AIR and sound recording experts could help salvage these treasures, as has been pointed out in recent discussions on this subject.
Prices in Paradise
Goa hikes price of kerosene. But that’s not all. The recent Budget justified hikes in land revenue, water tariffs (both commercial and domestic), an infrastructure cess on tourism, license fees on liquor, IMFL, and so on. Such news repeatedly surfaces here. On the other hand, there are the industrial estate employers going to the high court to challenge the government’s recent notification which hikes the minimum wages in Goa.
Ironically, when justifying a price escalation of any kind, the State government will usually point to “higher rates” in the neighbouring States. Yet, over the years, Goa has become one of the costliest places in the country. Specially if one excludes the metros (where the potential to earn is also far higher). This is the price of being Paradise. Everything comes at a (costly, additional) cost. Inflation hits the commonman, and also cuts into local productivity. It’s important to somewhere cut into this vicious circle.
