As to how Goans celebrate Diwali, commonly known to us as the festival of lights is today a matter of perception. Is there any hope for Goans to see a brightly lit Diwali amidst dark clouds of gloom all around us? Traditionally, Goans have been celebrating the festival of lights after a good harvest season, coupled to the victory of Good over Evil, wherein peace, prosperity, joy and happiness is seen all around us.
Sadly, for Goans, although there is economic gloom, decline in agricultural production, rampant exploitation, corruption and utter destruction of everything that is Goa and Goan, we see our society as unwary, oblivious, and unconcerned Goenkars. Perhaps, hoping yet praying that a super power would come upon us and our state and redeem us from all the trials and tribulations – interestingly all of which are own creations. We borrow money to build roads, bridges, concrete parks by uprooting the garden of roses, as seen near Geeta Bakery/Govinda Building in Panjim. We call this “Development and Beautification” sadly leave the bills of the borrowed money to be paid by the future generations. Not only have we polluted our rivers and diseased our fish and marine fauna but we have supplemented our depleted fisheries potentials by bringing or ushering in formalin laced fish supply from other parts of India. By our negligent mannerisms we have destroyed our orchards, fields, horticulture and marine life by rapacious mining activity generating mining rejects.
Nobody in general is committed to fully protecting Goa and Goans from the extremely lethal mining and casinos disasters, forced upon us.
The successive governments, irrespective of party labels have worked to kill Goa and Goans both softly and sweetly by drumming in the “Movements of Dependents”. The Jhumlas of Dependents are the creations of the political class and the economic heavy weights who pride (themselves as owners) of mines, hotels, casinos and commercial polluting industries. So we in Goa have the casino dependents, prostitution dependents in hotel industry, drug and drink dependents in beach outlets including shacks and finally the mining dependents, which are infectious parasites promoted and looked after by the “mafia in Goa” who systematically thrive and flourish by killing Goa- the goose that lays the Golden Egg. We must realise, all the 40 rogues in Goa have won elections, through the loot, plunder and rape of Goa as their elections are totally funded by the “Economic MAFIA” in control of Goa’s future, and destiny. Goa, today, is rich in heavy metals and toxic wastes. The toxicity of industrial wastes, sewage released by casinos, mining rejects and dust are not slowly killing primary productivity in agriculture and fisheries.
In Goa, the people at large area confused lot because they do not care to reason out. Our society and the common Goan are generally lazy and they consider themselves as kind, good natured, god fearing. They disgustingly depend on not only super powers to work miracles for them, but they also believe that their MLA’s are the “epitome of goodness and kindness”. The party hopping or jumping does not bother Goans, as MLAs from all parties have done it in the past, and would do so in the future; as, an elected representative of ours today is the Master of Loot and Accumulation (MLA).
There are voices across Goa, seeking and appealing about the need to save Goa for the Goans till Eternity. By now nobody trusts any Goan, worth the salt, that any one amongst us can be caring about Goa. All this is because we have seen educated persons in the likes of even Manohar Parrikar, doing a complete “u” turn and backing destructive activities such as mining, coal imports, ushering in casinos by passing and recommending ordinances to promote destruction of our water bodies, agriculture and human health. Goa today needs “a solitary Goan”, to initiate a mass movement towards “self-preservation” and not those groups drumming up the “Save Goa” chicanery, over petty relaxed protests marches or demonstrations. The Mafia involved in the destruction of Goan ethos is a cancer within our society, killing our people silently but surely.
It is too late to only make Awaz or shout from the roof tops about a need for a “Goa Revolution”. The action for self-preservation is now long due, from the lethal mafia, which today control the administration and the governance of Goa. Like the Jews are waiting for a Saviour or a Messiah, Goans cannot wait for eternity as the cancer of destruction of Goa, through mining, casino business, unscientific tourism, subdued agriculture neglecting the powers of the solar energy and the utter need to protect our aquifers, water bodies, forests, biodiversity gene pool for our own survival. It would therefore need us to destroy the political and the economic mafia directing Goans to parasitic dependences on the loot and rape of our livelihoods and survival by destroying our ecosystem and harming us.
On the brighter side we have groups like Goencho Awaz, Goan Revolutionary Warriors with a realisation that we Goans are to be saved from the political and economic mafia controlling the governance of Goa. Their diagnosis for the Goan ailment is spot on but their awaz, prescription or the handling of the revolution is wayward, symbolic, undirected, and out of focus, incapable of eliminating the parasite. We need to do much more.
The electoral battles, the legal imbroglio of democracy have been abused or misused by defections, party hopping, bench fixing and the electoral bribings. Elections today do not provide a level playing field for the honest and the sincere.
