Time and again in the last few years we see an opposition to the Ganvkari system or the community villages or Comunidades of Goa. Off late there seems to be a concerted effort on the part of Government to legalize the illegalities in the Ganvkari lands by bringing amendments to the Code
of Comunidades.
Goans in general and our politicians in particular have to understand that the Ganvkari System or community villages or Comunidades [in Portuguese appellation] is the most ancient heritage of Goa, where the village land was given to our ancestors, according to their understanding, by God. In those millennial times [more than 3 millennia BC] when there was no ruler or State in these Goan villages they called themselves Ganvkars, meaning owners, rulers, administrators of their own ganv. The land owned by them, in absolute allodial ownership was destined by themselves for housing, agriculture, cattle grazing etc and other activities of the village. Since the villages in Goa due to their peculiar geographical configuration were separated from each other by rivers and hills and the access in certain regions from one village to another was difficult, each village grew independently of the others, but having common features as regards to housing, agriculture and administration. They constituted themselves into Sovereign Village Republics.
Even when the first ruler of the Ashoka Empire appeared on the scene in the 3rd century BC under the Chandragupta Maurya Dynasty and nearly 16 other rulers or dynasties ruled Goa till the exit of Portuguese in 1961, all of them have consistently accepted the fact that the land in Goa is not owned by the ruler but by the village community or Ganvkaris.
Unfortunately, many Goans especially those born after 1961 hardly know about this invaluable heritage of Goa. From 1962, the existing village rule was replaced by village panchayats exercising their jurisdiction over our villages where they own no land. I was appalled to observe this ignorance even in some MLAs. Last year one of them even asked the media: “What the Comunidades have done for Goa?” In order to answer this question I would like to delve on three considerations:
1. All the existing house plots with the adjacent lands in all Goan villages were originally allotted to Ganvkars and to non Ganvkars also by the village community for a pittance, which in those times might not even correspond to one rupee. Today the same houses with adjacent lands are sold for crores of rupees without even informing the Comunidades and paying their dues.
Everything in our villages from village roads, footpaths, lakes, ponds, paddy fields, khazan lands, bunds, sluice gates, playgrounds, school buildings, chavddis, grazing grounds, temples, churches, crematoria, cemeteries, etc, the land has been reserved by the Comunidades for the use and benefit of the village people.
Everything the Government is enjoying today has come from the Comunidades but the Government has never had a word of appreciation for the Ganvkaris; on the contrary it is trying to abolish them.
2. Goans are identified everywhere as peaceful, good mannered and ‘sussegado’ people and respected everywhere throughout the world as good, honest and responsible people. From where have all these attributes and goodness come to Goans if not from the spirit of ‘community living of Goans’? Can anyone deny this?
The Comunidades were responsible for the good behavior of Goans. The system has contributed in the past to a great extent for this purpose. Long past, the Comunidades were even administering justice to the people in their villages and even imposed fines on the violators of village laws, customs and usages. The fine was called ‘moriada’. Hence the Konkani words ‘moriadir hadunk, moriad xikounk’. It is clear from this that they were disciplining the people through these fines.
Those who had caused great harm to the village were summoned before the village assembly called the ‘nemacho zago’, ‘nemacho khuris’ which still do exist in many of our villages and were told to admit the wrong they had done to the village community. On their admittance they had to compensate the harm done to the community, but if they denied having done wrong they had to give oath [nem] before the ‘nemacho zago’ or ‘nemacho khuris’ and I am told that some families of those who had given false oath have been suffering for generations.
3. The Ganvkari System or community village has been the ‘Mother’ of Goans.
The village community has given Goans everything. Everything Goans have and are is what they have received from this Mother.
It is in the bosom of this Mother that Goans have learnt everything: the good manners, the ‘sussegado’ attitude, to be loving, caring and sharing people. She has disciplined them to be good citizens and it is from this Mother that they have inherited everything: the land, Konkani language, ethos and culture. Besides the Mother has taught her children to respect the religious diversity in her land, that’s why communal harmony is the hallmark of Goans. Generations of Goans have carried all this in their genes.The Mother has given Goans their ‘unique identity’.
Coming to the point of regularization of illegal structures in community village lands, we observe that she has already been spoilt much of her clothing-the land, for various Central and State Government projects. It is impossible to enumerate them here but I may refer just a few: NIO, ICAR, Navy [Dabolim airport land, 10,500 lakh sq. mtrs at Nerul, Angediva island, Army camps at Bambolim, Navelim and Ponda, Industrial estates, National highways, State highways, Mopa airport, three linear projects, International Law college, IIT and recently film city etc.] Nobody will be able to give us the exact figures of land remaining for housing for Goans for a population of 15 lakhs. The late Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar is on record having said in the Goa Assembly in 2013, that out of 3702 sq kms which comprise the area of Goa State only 362 sq kms are available for future development and now legalizing all illegal constructions in the Ganvkari land will amount to stripping the Mother of her little remaining clothes and throwing her out naked on the road. Will Goans tolerate this ignominy to their Mother?
(The author is a well –known columnist and author of the book ‘Goan Village Communities’)
