‘Neighbour’s envy, owner’s pride’, is how Goans hold Goa in their minds and hearts irrespective of whether they reside in their small tiny paradise or worldwide. Apart from the rich natural gifts with which ‘Amchem Goem’ abounds, what stands out as Goa’s identity is the proverbial social harmony and the free mix between communities. Goans are known worldwide for liberal thought and respect to free choices of individuals. A non-bothering attitude and a contented lifestyle is what distinguishes a Goan from the rest.
This tiny land on the west coast of India, admeasuring 3702sqm and a population of 14.59 lakh is in fact the laboratory and library of peaceful co-existence for the rest of India to emulate. The community of Goans is a positive example where diversity of religions, languages, faith, worship, dress, food and music are celebrated. For a Goan, Goa and preservation of its unique social harmony comes first. Partaking and involving in each other’s community festivals is an established tradition. Instances of a Goan turning mad and fundamental on issues of faith and religion are indeed very rare. No doubt, Goans are religious but it has never caused eruptions in public discourse. The practice of religion has not produced narrowness, intolerance and irrationalism despite the machinations of politicians and groups with fundamentalist leanings.
Having said this, it needs to be underscored that the current situation is disturbing and a cause for concern. Though, Goa has not lost its prized seat of peace and social harmony, the current track could take us to the final destination of intolerance and communal discord. It is therefore necessary to understand the forces which are sowing and nurturing the seeds of insecurity, distrust and discord and their motivations. Together with this, we should be prepared with a corrective to arrest the ugly designs of these evil forces.
It is not that Goa was free from the games of organisations with communal intent and similar acts of vested interest groups. Attempts to lure a social division and maintain an atmosphere of tension between the two major communities in Goa by invoking the dead skeletons of the infamous Goa Inquisition always existed and still exist. These same forces practice their evil ‘dharma’ of making derogatory references to St Francis Xavier who is revered as ‘Goencho Saib’. The threat of religious conversions is another instrument used to multiply inter-community suspicions. Earlier, such attempts were feeble and done stealthily in hiding, fearing disgrace. Today, these are done with great pomp and pride and paraded as acts of nationalism. Politicians from right-wing ideology are irrigating these forces today with the clear objective to polarise the people on communal lines. With political patronage, such destructive forces are gaining money, muscle and media gaze to spread discord. They also get projected as crusaders and saviours of national culture.
The BJP is known to pedal Hindutva as nationalism. The job of raising the bogey of Hindu Rashtra is allocated to the frontal organisations. We have seen in Goa, a communal spectacle being designed and created over the issue of the statute of the Marathi warrior Shivaji. The BJP government is keen on rewriting history and correcting what it considers to be the historical wrongs during the colonial rule in Goa. This is directed to embolden the divisive forces by igniting false sense of national pride. The end objective seems to be to inject in people, the pride in their faith and prepare them to break each other’s heads.
The movement towards a modern, cultured and scientific society is associated with the shift from sentiment to reason in public discourses and public affairs. However, we observe a reversal of this scenario when communalism and fundamentalism take charge of the thinking minds.
Outdated traditions and obsolete practices in respect of caste and gender get bolstered as sentiment overpowers reason and rational social thinking.
Hate speech of any kind was unheard in Goa. Today, it is an innovation to gloat in religious and caste pride. Hate speech is getting political patronage and also the silent consent of the educated, the rich industry magnates, the respectable professionals and the bold and beautiful from showbiz.
Goa, which should have been the laboratory of fraternity for the rest of India to follow, is itself being converted into a ground of inter-community hate and discord. As if the State and non-State actors within Goa were not enough, new imports are descending on this land of peace and harmony. In August, 2023 ‘Karni Sena’, known as Shri Rajput Karni Sena has installed an idol of Shree Vijaydurga at frontispiece of Sancoale in front of the chapel. Sambhaji Bhide, based in Sangli district of Maharashtra and known for his communal vitriol fired his Hindu-nationalist shots at few locations in Goa.
It is good to be religious, but it is horror to take pride in faith, the way organised religion and BJP politicians exhort the followers. Religion is respectable only in the form of moral values but dangerous with the added content of superstition, violence and exploitation. Post-2014, we observe that elections are fought on robust nationalism. The ruling BJP, the frontal organisations of the BJP and the right-wing actors tend towards focussing the people’s sentiments on religion, nationalism and culture. We observe in Goa, the Chief Minister and the BJP raking up dead issues with references to colonial rule and colonial wrongs. This is to incite communal emotions. Every issue whether it is as mundane as erecting a statue of Shivaji Maharaj is aimed to ensure a communal divide and polarisation of the people on religious lines. It’s time to be wise not to fall prey to the dirty designs. Nothing could be more religious for Goans than its social harmony.
(The writer is an educationist and political commentator)
