With each passing day, Goa is losing its unique character to become more and more like a Mini India within India. First came the Maharashtrians, followed by the Kannadigas, Malayalis, Gujaratis, Bengalis, Tamils, Punjabis, Kashmiris… Apparently, the whole country is enamored by this cute little strip of land! The latest to discover and make a bee-line dash to Goa are the Jharkhandis who are literally all over the place. A casual late evening visit to the Nagoa-Verna Market gives the overwhelming feeling that the whole of Jharkhand has come to live here. Interestingly, Goa is also the name of a village in the Latehar district of Jharkhand.
The other day I was shown Lottery tickets floated by ‘Friends of Cansaulim-Arossim’ that had “Bokddo” (male goat) as the grand prize. Many of us remember “khombo” , the Portuguese national bird, bestowed with such honour in the past, but “Bokddo” seemed like a real game changer! On inquiry, I was told that the Jharkhand boys living in and around my village were behind this jackpot. The Lucky draw, as mentioned on the lottery ticket, was held on August at 2.00 pm in front of a Bar whose patrons never get old. Two years back, the Jharkhand boys had organised a one day Inter Village Football tournament at Dabashree in Cansaulim which was attended by around 5000 Jharkhandis. Locals watching the scene were left stupefied to see such a huge ‘Army’ materialise from nowhere! Needless to say, the prizes were all in “Bokddes” but the more interesting part was that most villages in Mormugao and Salcete were represented in the tournament with only Jharkhandi boys playing for the villages wherein they resided.
The Jharkhandis are a colourful lot who love partying on their off days. A few weeks back, I found a dozen of them sprawled on the pathway to the beach as if in a bomb blast. The money from their pockets was scattered all over. A little ahead, some lucky dogs were pulling out dressed broiler chickens from a plastic bag. Probably the heady brew they consumed had knocked them out. Two hours later, there was no trace of the earlier scene.
Today, the most likely people found on the roads, in case you need to ask for directions, are these outsiders. Local Goans are usually found on the roads only when they are walking the dogs; in fact nobody even sits in the ‘Balcao’ anymore, except when the mobile signal is bad. The other day a car halted in front of my house, the occupants wanting to know the directions to Dr Barbosa`s house. I advised them to drive half a km and ask. About 20 minutes later, they were back after driving around in a circle! As advised, they asked and were told to go straight and turn right. After that they met another group who also told them to drive straight and turn right! It’s difficult to figure out why these guys love sending people in all possible directions and circles instead of just saying “Humko malum nahi”, if they do not know.
The Portuguese added the western flavour to our culture to turn it into a unique mix of East & West loved by all, including the judges of Republic Day Parade in New Delhi. Whether you like it or not; the Jharkhandis are doing their bit!
