Oh! The Goa of yesterday was a jewel in the crown of India, neat, clean, green and inhabited by people which were law- abiding, honest, cultured and hospitable.
What made Goa what it was then probably was the environment that was conducive to healthy living and social, cultural and communal harmony that was the pride of India.
The surroundings were green, what with hardly any instances of tree-felling that sustained clean air with ample doses of fresh oxygen generated from the surface of leaves through the process of photosynthesis.
Old houses were made of laterite, mud, wood and tiles which were the right materials that was best suited for the tropics.
Goa was a land of plenty where traditional occupations were given their due and the people prospered in abundance.
Communal harmony was the prized possession that Goa revelled in and thus the people of Goa were blessed with an ambience which supported peace and understanding. I remember in my early days having travelled on the Caminhão (mini-bus transport vehicle) that had to be started by cranking with hand with a lever called ” handle” . The air was clean, the rivers placid and clear, supporting healthy marine life and the ground water was potable, in fact not only potable but with medicinal properties that could be cures for various ailments. Our mothers (ancestors) would concoct medicines for various ailments available from herbs that gave us the feeling of nature cure.
Unlike the Goa of yesterday, today especially in the recent past what we have observed and experienced is the degradation of the environment, largely due to over development that has made Goa a land of plenty virtually, but a land of plenty of woes. Yes, we have had better educational facilities but the biggest drawback has been the utter neglect of the environment. Unbridled cutting of trees have led to Goa becoming shorn of the lungs of nature that the trees provide. Also, with the comforts of vehicular traffic, our roads are burdened with congestion as well as the ambient air quality has deteriorated leading to the emergence of respiratory diseases.
Unchecked concretisation is spelling the doom of Goa which was known for its greenery.
Recently we have also noticed that our roads have become death traps that have claimed hundreds of lives. Our rivers are beset by pollution with the discharge of effluents from our factories.
Goa, no longer can claim to be the Rome of East, but a glimmer of hope for the future is bright at the end of the dark tunnel. Our water bodies have to be maintained by a slow and steady and methodical effort to prevent by proper treatment, the effluents discharged into our water bodies. The future is not all that bleak, but nursing Goa with care should be the predominant priority of our politicians, who can, before it becomes irreversible, mend their ways by arresting the deterioration.
Not mere pockets of preservation but a radical route towards the optimum use of our hand, where nature is respected will go a long way in salvaging Goa for future generations.
A major thrust has to be given towards returning back to our green legacy which was why tourists from around the world flocked to Goa.
Our churches with the varied architectural genres of the Renaissance era, our temples and our mosques have to be given their spiritual meaning and an administration that is strict but compassionate should take up the reins of authority. Nothing is impossible what is possible has been done, what is impossible should be done.
