There are undeniably entertaining elements to the furore that erupted after it became clear the new Mopa airport will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the name of Manohar Parrikar. The late CMs early mentor Subhash Velingkar spoke out first: “these people have destroyed the soul of Goa since 2012. They have degraded our traditions, and destroyed our culture. It was Manohar Parrikar who created the Casino Raj that has taken possession of Panjim and the Mandovi. He reversed the good work done by Bhausaheb Bandodkar, whose leadership is indisputable. We will not allow the airport to be named after anyone else.”
Velingkar’s point hits home. The late CM was an extraordinary force of the calibre rarely seen in politics – least of all in India – but his last few years in office, while suffering from the ailment that finally took his life, were characterised by lack of control over an unruly mob of irresponsible hangers-on and acolytes, and deeply dubious special interests. They ran amok, wreaking huge damage to the culture, society, environment and long-term economic prospects for India’s smallest state. When the history of the decline and fall of Goa is written, this IIT man will be remembered for engineering the most damage.
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Still, if Parrikar is definitely wrong, how can it be right to name Mopa after Dayanand Bandodkar, in the State which he was formally dedicated – via his Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party – to dissolve? Dr Oscar Rebello, who has his finger on the pulse of Goenkarponn as surely as his patients, told me it is “because, as the first CM of Goa, without dislodging the entrenched political elites, he cleverly used State power to uplift an entire people through a smart blend of education and land rights. A people who, for centuries, were under these very elites from the pre-Portuguese times. Bandodkar was in many ways the quasi-Nelson Mandela of Goa.”
That’s similar to what the senior academician (who ran for his late brother’s seat in St Andre as an AAP candidate earlier this year) Ramrao Wagh says: “The demand that the airport be named after Goa’s first chief minister is justified. He is the one who shaped the modern state, and it is befitting that such an important infrastructure should be named after him. In last few years there have been conscious efforts by BJP-led government, at Centre and State, to erase the imprints of non-Sangh-related icons, and project irrelevant leaders such as Shyamaprasad Mukherjee in Goa. I am not against the huge contribution made by former CM Manohar Parrikar but I feel this airport be named after Bandodkar. There are already several projects named after Parrikar.”
All excellent logic, with the caveat that it doesn’t permeate very far in India. In this ancient land, where religion and politics blend together far too freely, most people tend to grovelling servility towards their rulers, and every kind of authority expects to be treated like divinity. You can go anywhere in the country and it’s the same few pre-approved icons whose names are emblazoned on every institution and infrastructure, which is somewhat understandable with the nation’s founders, but not when it comes to their dynastic offspring. Why is there any place named after Sanjay Gandhi, for example?
In this regard, of course, the BJP is much worse off, because the RSS was never involved in the freedom struggle, and its historical icons expended more effort fulminating hatred and fear against other Indians than against the colonialists. They don’t have many suitable names in the record books, which may be why Narendra Modi became the first living prime minister to name a stadium after himself last year. When it comes to Goa, they think only Parrikar, and it must be noted many Goans agree. The entrepreneur, Blaise Costabir, told me “I do not agree with all his policies and thoughts, but I feel he also did Goa good” while second-generation businessman Carlos de Souza said, “my first choice would be Mopa International Airport – it’s succinct, authentic and adequate – but second would be Manohar Parrikar International airport. To grow beyond today, and look ahead to tomorrow, is something that can be credited to his vision, and the airport itself is a perfect example. If any name is deserving, I think it would be his.”
Prominent citizen of Panjim, and popular cultural entrepreneur, Armando Gonsalves had another idea: “it should be called the Jack de Sequeira International Airport. There is no other worthy name considering that it was Dr Sequeira who led the movement to keep Goa as an independent entity.” Cezar Pinto of Goa Heritage Action Group agrees, “What better way to honour the man who saved Goa from merging with Maharashtra, the Father of the Opinion Poll? We must name Mopa airport after this great personality.”
I liked the originality of Damodar Mauzo – our 2022 Jnanpith Award Winner – who said the name should be MOG, “mog is love, and MOG is the message of Goa.” Another good option came from the superb portrait photographer and style icon Assavri Kulkarni: Mhadei International Airport. However, my personal favourite suggestion came from the outstanding writer/editor/translator Jose Lourenço: “It should be called Kosambi airport after the great Dharmanand and Dayanand Dharmanand (DD) Kosambi. Both the father and son were men of a cosmopolitan and egalitarian world view without intellectual boundaries. And the latter was our great champion of solar energy, which should be used at Mopa as much as possible.”
Meanwhile, the veteran editor and extreme sports enthusiast Rahul Chandawarkar told me, “I would simply call it the Goa International Airport (which it is) and avoid the name game altogether. Sadly, this airport does not evoke any enthusiasm in me due to the large-scale environmental degradation it has caused and also because it is almost in Maharashtra (!) and is going to be one inconvenient location.”
Amongst all the people I asked, the most persuasive case was for retaining the name of the village that was erased to make way for it. Jerome Marrell – the deeply committed partner of the late fashion designer Wendell Rodricks – said, “I would call it Goa Pernem Airport, as many international airports are called after a geographical name. More specifically, the wonderful visual archivist Pantaleao Fernandes told me “I would call it Mopa Airport, as it is the result of sacrificing the lands of indigenous people who existed there for centuries in peace. Naming the airport after their soil would be an appropriate reminder.” That’s also what Nirmal Kulkarni – the charismatic conservationist – recommends: “I would name it after the place, as Mopa International Airport. Dabolim too followed the same norm ages ago. On a similar note, all our species discovered in Goa were named after the State or the region. It acknowledges the place, culture, and in this case the sacrifice of land done by the community there.”
(Vivek Menezes is a writer and co-founder of the Goa Arts and Literature Festival)
