Goa is a land mythically created from the sea by Lord Parshurama’s arrow. It is indeed — a veritable heaven on earth with silver sands, sapphire seas, mighty mountains, running rivers and farmer’s fields. In my slate and pencil days, Goans moved on the road with palm-leaves-fire-torches at night and lit ‘ponnttis’ (oil lamps) in the house to pierce darkness away; they travelled in bullock carts from place to place and crossed rivers in vhoddims (boats). These simple pastoral people used ox and plough to make a living.
Of course nothing ever remains the same. The whole world has been mesmerized by Goa’s beauty, tranquility and resources but these very things have brought golden Goa’s downfall. This Paradise on Earth now seems to be on the descending steps to Hell.
Our plains are sullied by countless shanties and plastic ‘potis’ (bags); our fields are concretized; our forests are raped; our hills are flattened causing environmental disaster and ecological damage. Life is fast with fast cars, fast foods, fast drivers and fast accidents.
Many foreign ‘Adams and Eves’ sleep under our sun; bath in the surf and roam on our sands with or without a fig leaf.
People from neighboring states come to Goa for work, leisure and pleasure — to ogle foreign semi dressed women on Goan beaches; there is an easy flow of drugs, illegal massage parlous, night clubs, casinos, gang wars and prostitution dens have mushroomed which have eroded moral fabric of our youth. Our young ones are imitating foreign culture, eating British food, and managing with Indian salary.
Hardened criminals move in and out of our state by bus or train; some by two wheelers and a few by four wheelers after committing crimes, dacoities and disappear into thin air. The detection rate by the police is unsatisfactory.
Peace-loving citizens have suddenly become blood thirsty animals. This tropical paradise is transformed into a blood-drenched Hell with murder and rapes.
Gone is the good old friendliness. Good friendly neighbours till yesterday have now become sworn enemies. Senior citizens, women are stopped, by robbers posing as police, and freed from gold ornaments worn by them. Leaders of the people work for their personal gains and know how to play with the public who fall prey to their tactics. Corruption is so widespread that it looks that there is no law to punish the corrupt.
Gone, gone are the old Heavenly days of beautiful Goa when Goans freely moved and slept with doors open without the fear of thieves. We now feel we are living in Hell.
We wait, for a saviour who will deliver us from it. My friend by my side utters brief prayers: “Lord, deliver us from this hell of corruption which has eaten our state like white ants. Give us men of holy mind, great heart with ready hands whose lust of office does not kill their conscience, who seeing this situation in Goa will find solutions with their wisdom..” I intoned: Amen.
