Battle to preserve identity has not ended

Another Opinion Poll Day – Asmitai Dis or Identity Day – dawns, and the verbal assurances of protecting Goem, the Goenkar and Goenkarponn will be made. Those who led the movement for a separate Union Territory had a dream of a Goem that would be unique, of a Goenkar whose identity would stand out, of a Goenkarponn that would outshine all other cultures. Now, 53 years after than day when Goans voted against merging with Maharashtra, there would perhaps be need to dream these same dreams all over again. With the change in demography brought about by migration – both into Goa and out of Goa – how long can a State with a relatively small population of niz Goenkars, and decreasing steadily, stand against the pressures of change?

Migration will eventually lead to a dilution of Goan identity, and in this the Goan cannot complain. As Goans pack their bags and seek their fortunes elsewhere, they create space in their land for others. It’s a natural occurrence that cannot be prevented. What Goa needs is to find ways to keep back its people, find gainful employment opportunities for them in their land so that they do not set their sights on a foreign dream that may not always end happily. The brian drain from Goa, has increased tremendously in the past years, and there is no record of how many people have crossed international borders in search of places to start a new life.

Opinion Poll Day comes as an opportunity to look back and see how far we have managed to retain the identity that was sought to be preserved. The day is a reminder of the identity, and an occasion to rededicate to the efforts to keep Goan identity from further dilution. This is one day that is observed by the people rather than the government, and that is what makes it so special. 

For Goa, the battle to preserve the identity that began in 1967 has not ended. There are new challenges every day, and they are so different from the then dual issue of just merger and migration. The threat to the Goan identity today comes in varied ways, and they have to be fought in different manners. These battles are being fought across the State on a daily basis, by the niz Goenkar who stands up when the sand dunes are razed, when fields are filled with mud, when trees are axed, when the rivers are endangered, and when the environment is threatened by the mining operations. The niz Goenkar defends his language Konkani that is the fulcrum of his identity, his roots in the red soil of the land that go deeper than the miners have dug, and does not give up when the Goenkarponn is  under seige, but forges ahead in the battle for a win.

Not all these battles make the news. Some are major, like the Opinion Poll itself, or the language agitation, and there are others that are small like to save a tree or a field, so not all the defenders of Goan identity get noticed. But exist they all do, and fight they do for a better tomorrow as envisaged years ago by those who voted to retain the Union Territory status. Truly, few who voted that day – no matter whether it was for the two leaves of the rose – they would not have at that time believed that the Goa they lived in would one day metamorphose so much. It was inconceivable, and that is why it is important to retain as much as possible of Goa, as the day when it turns unrecognisable may not be too far.