Goa is arguably the number one State in the Nation where people from across the country, and the world, would long to visit, and maybe even to retire and settle. It is indeed one of the most delightful vacationing spots and tourist destinations on the planet. The year-round equitable climate, including the monsoons, the beaches, the pristine beauty of the Western Ghats, the tropical forests, the abundance of fresh vegetables, fruit and fish, the paddy fields, the ever-present greenery, the palm trees, the endearing architecture of the numerous churches and temples and the general feeling that every day is Sunday, are perhaps the main candidates that could account for the magnetic and magical effect that Goa offers with such casual generosity and gleeful enthusiasm. Add to this, the unlimited variety of cuisines, local, Indian and international, coupled with affordable accommodation for every size of budget. It is virtually the most peaceful, happy and fun place for every variety of visitors.
On top of all that, what Goa really offers the world, is the character of its people. Folks here are by and large, hardworking, law abiding, religiously attuned to freely practice their individual faiths and famously a fun-loving race of happy inhabitants. A Nation, a Country, a State, is really what its people are. Goa is permanently pleasant, easy going, (that susegad epithet maybe a bit of a misnomer), everybody is a neighbour to be cared for in times of need. There’s hardly a display of “I am better than thou”, a marked absence of clashing egos, and you won’t see anyone with his bank balance tattooed on his forehead! It is the very wonder of what Goa is that has propelled its citizens to the top of a mountain of joy and gentleness, no matter what their economic and academic status is.
But then there’s that other side of the mountain. To get a glimpse of it you need to open you daily news feed. You will be staring down at foothills of greed, corruption, political indifference and neglect by elected “people’s” representatives, heartless callousness and wanton destruction of the delicate state of the environment that are nothing but mindless visions of “development”. Blinded by power and greed, they are driving the State towards a destination that no one wants to arrive at.
Almost all political aspirants start off with a puritanical vision of wanting to do good and provide peace, health, education and prosperity for all. But the jingle of the cash register, the temptation of the treasury till, soon dissolves all promises of a clean and honorable charter of good faith, all that love for their fellowmen is soon forgotten.
To counter the current health emergency that has so drastically derailed life on the planet, priority Number One is to put the world back on track, mentally, physically and economically. Time to initiate Startup 2.0.
Good folks, the true sons of the soil, are tirelessly up in arms, fighting the destructive and devastating “public works” agendas that are fuelled by abject greed and control freaks whose only object is to pile on the wealth; the people and their protests be damned. It’s time to stem the rot and get to the next mountain and recreate a Goa that’s more beautiful and prosperous, with its unique culture and environment intact.
Yes, the mines, the railroad and home construction projects have to be taken forward, or not, but the people we choose to do this must have the right combination of expertise, intellectual capacity, people with a high sense of nobility, and whose hearts are in the right place when it comes to the fulfilling the wants and wishes of the local people and the State.
All said, we have a Bucket List of Proposals and Projects that need to be reviewed, refreshed and restarted.
Top of the list: Identify and nominate the right people. NGO activists who are all over the news stories, citizens of noble character, men and women, who will perform their duties with dignity, they already know this by their own intuition.
Next, identify and select honest and dedicated incumbents already elected. Yes, there are indeed several who would be happy to change tracks and switch over to an honest and professional political future if properly guided and prompted by the reminder of their initial belief of offering their life and expertise to service of the people.
Next step: Notify the elected authorities who are currently making a glorious mess of governance, to step aside.
The new team: Lawyers, health officials, educators, financial experts, seasoned administrators, technocrats, people of good intentions, civil engineers, website wizards, Goa calls you, Goa needs you, please stand up and be counted. So far you have been rewarded by your good karma to be born a citizen and native of this sublime State of Goa, it’s now time to come forward and fulfil the dream you have been nurturing of a Goa that is a virtual paradise.
So where is this wonder person, or group of persons, who will take up the initiative?
Please open an email account and invite aspirants who will offer their service. Remember that living for others is really what life is all about. The right understanding here is that the source of creation dwells within every single human, every single creature in the universe. The answer as to who we are, and why we are, lies in striving to provide a better life for everyone, and everything. The goal of attaining a perfect way of existence is not the endpoint, it’s the beginning.
The infinite energy and power that created the Cosmos exists in each of us. Mankind is the only creature that has the intelligence, and responsibility, to make this world into what it wants to be. We need now to conjure up the courage and will, virus or not, to move ahead.
The Chief Minister recently pronounced the new battle cry for Goa:
Bhivpachi garaz na.
(The author is now a permanent resident of Goa after many years of living in Mumbai, New York and London)
