Viyen Azavedo
Today is a day of great happiness and pride for all of us. On this day, way back in the year 1961 our beloved Goa became free from the shackles of the Portuguese.
The Portuguese first came to our land as navigators & traders, but gradually, with their evil designs they were successful in spreading their tentacles thus making us slaves in our own land.
Our forefathers, who fought for the sake of the liberation, were subjected to enormous and merciless torture. But they refused to give up. The struggle continued for several years. Leader after leader, martyr after martyr continued their struggle with renewed vigour and zest.
Merciless whipping and imprisonment was faced by our freedom fighters so that we could enjoy the fruit of liberation. Several were brutally massacred and several more were tortured to death. What better occasion could it be than this day to remember and honor the sacrifices of the great people who laid down their lives for the sake of “Swaraj and Swadharma”, what we term today as political and religious freedom. The day finally dawned on December 19, 1961, when their sacrifices finally paid off.
And my dear friends, here we are today, wondering if we are really worthy of their sacrifices and free from the bondages of hatred, political disturbance, instability and intolerance towards religions. Are we on the right track to fulfill the dreams of those great leaders who dreamt of a peaceful Goa? Think again!
There’s a lot that we can do to change ourselves and our future from going haywire. We are the youth. The strength of the nation and the future of this State & nation lies in our hands. Dear students, we all have to wake up and prevent our beautiful Goa from getting disintegrated due to the evil influences. May be we have failed somewhere to realise our responsibilities towards our parents, our institutions, our state and our nation. We cannot change the entire country but we can surely change ourselves.
Our contribution towards the State & nation will go a long way in building not only a better and stronger Goa or India, but also put back the smiles on the faces of those great martyrs who must be looking down upon us from up above.
