Goenkar and Goenkarponn! What is it really all about?

Dr. Joe D’Souza

Goans have been left scratching their head and made to ponder as to what is “Goenkarponn” after the Governor in her address to the Goa Assembly on 23rd March, 2017 spelt out that her Government would protect it. To take this matter further the Chief Miniter Manohar Parrikar, whilst delivering his “Budget Speech” on 24th March, 2017, emphasized and reiterated  that he too is fully committed to ensure “Goenkarponn” is manifested and disseminated in all the policies and activities duly undertaken by his new Government, which was sworn in on 14th March, 2017. On the other hand the Congress leader Babu Kavlekar asserts drinking a glass of Alcohol is Goenkarponn!

To me, I was a bit startled wanting to digest if Mrs. Mridula Sinha our Governor truly understood the implications of her government’s commitment. For us Goans, Goenkarponn is both abstract yet real. Like seven blind men describing an elephant by their blinded touch, we have seen our print media loaded with articles on Goenkarponn for past few weeks, ever since Vijay Sardesai made it an electoral issue for the Goa Forward Party and won 3 seats amongst which were those of B.J.P defeated ministers, who were considered committed to destroying the pillars of Goenkarponn; in our heritage and culture.

Just a couple of years before, those fighting for special status for Goa, were too, doing so - asking for special status for Goa for preserving Goenkarponn. Nevertheless, we must understand that the call for Goenkarponn existed even during the erstwhile Portuguese regime and the efforts fructified in 1967 when Goan won the separate identity through opinion poll victory, now fifty years ago.

So why this battle for preserving Goenkarponn, which is centuries old cry, gathering momentum and speed and specially under the present BJP Government under Manohar Parrikar in Goa & Narendra Modi in New Delhi? One may recall one B.J.P ex Minister had proudly asserted that if B.J.P came to power and Narendra Modi became the P.M of India, Goa would get special status and identity. This was around 2013 and 2014, Later, Narendra Modi before he became the PM in May, 2014, had declared that giving special status and Identity for Goans would be a special privilege and honour to him as it did not involve any financial commitments from the centre.

What ultimately happened is neither the ex Minister who vowed to resign kept her word, nor did Narendra Modi felt the need to protect and preserve “Goenkarponn”. Since his last three years in office, Goa is anxiously waiting. Goenkars seem to have forgotten what the last Goa Assembly had resolved and, today Subramanian Swamy of the B.J.P asserts there is nothing special about Goa!

 Now Manohar Parrikar and Vijay Sardessai are placing this very old wine in a new bottle and all Goans are supposed to go Ga-Ga-Ga over it! 

Now coming to the heart of the topic “What really is Goenkarponn? Sadly, some make very simplistic suggestions. There are those who say Goans are jovial, happy go lucky, very kind hearted, sussegad, loving and carrying people who welcome guests, sacrifice and express love, enjoy Goan Xit-Kodi and fried fish and by and large Goan cuisine. Still others venture to say Goenkarponn is all about protecting Goan song, dance, music, rituals and architecture. Hardly anyone asserts that Goan ecology, ecosystem, biodiversity, traditional livelihood needs to be protected too. Love and sacrifice are forgotten pillars of Goenkarponn along with sustainability.

All aspects about gene pool, water bodies verdant rich green hills are today sacrificed on the altar of “Development”. Is this Goenkarponn- killing Goa softly? Jesus Christ said it is easy for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven. So I venture on further; it is easy for a Goan to find Goenkarponn in a planet, from a far away galaxy than the Goan politicians, essentially consisting from a “powerful- real- estate” lobby to ensure Goenkarponn is sustained in Goa. We must understand that in my over seventy years, growing amongst Goans and in Goa, I only can see and feel Goenkarponn is eluding, evading and being evicted from the Goan diaspora for  eternity. Goenkarponn truly means cherishing and living by Goan identity, culture, environment, heritage and sustainably utilizing its ecosystem, biodiversity, natural resources for the good of the society at large. Goans are evolving as a “parasitic-dependent” society living on gambling, liquor sale, mining loot and concretization.

Goans are as good or bad as any other person on this planet. The bogie that we are hospitable, warm hearted is lost when someone says Goan have a crab mentality. Why do almost all Bollywood movies show Goans as drunkard males and a office girl with loose morals? I will stop at that! Our politicians are exhibiting today their desire to protect alcohol centered livelihoods.

The essence in Goenkarponn is the same as in Devosponn. As John F. Kennedy said – ask not what country would give you but what we can give the country. In Devosponn, Munisponn, and Goenkarponn it is gratitude, affection and sacrifice which is at play inspite of all the short coming and limitations we have as human beings. Giving back to Mother Nature and not just taking away from it.

We as Goans are an extremely lucky lot. Goa has given us everything to nourish, sustain, grow and develop. In Devosponn we praise the Almighty and offer donations as gratitude. But mother Goa – we loot and plunder its green hills and butcher and bleed the red earth to sustain the parasitic mining dependents. The real estate lobby converts green field into concrete jungles to reap rich harvest through multi housing complexes. We encourage gambling, usher casinos, destroy families, as the house always wins, in the gambling industry. We pollute rivers by off shore casinos- and releasing sewage and industrial wastes. Is this what we give back Goa?. Is this Goenkarponn? Shun Farm labour! Avoid hard work is our Goan mantra.

For the last 10 years the successive Goa governments has ushered the disgrace of offering doles, generating income through vices, be it drugs, alcoholic joints, casino based income which affords livelihoods which are parasitic and killing the society at large and demeaning the essence of Goenkarponn. Parrikar wants to make Goa beggar free. Which by itself, seems a good intention. But does he know that his Ladli Laxmi, Griha Aadhar and other so called welfare schemes are generating Dignified Beggars. They at best are good breeding grounds for Karyakarthas, hooked to a political party not to the society at large. Parrikar must generate jobs, offer skilled labour and education. Remember, “give a fish to a man, he lives for a day, and if you teach him fishing he lives for a life time”. Goenkarponn will grow only if you allow Goans to imbibe dignity through hard work and gathering the confidence that it is our duty to give back Goa and Goans dignity, which truly is the essence of Goenkarponn. By the way Goenkarponn, is not as exclusive domain of persons who are born in Goa but all who are staying in Goa, and those of whom also live abroad with their heart yearning for Goa, venturing to make Goa a “Happy Destination. A Spaniard, Francis Xavier, although his stay in Goa was hardly for a couple of months, exhibited his Goenkarponn to sublime heights to earn him the title of “Goecho Saib” Just as a German named Schwatz has exhibited his Goenkarponn by empowering the youth from poor families particularly in Siolim by imparting education in skill development. Let us realize many Non Goans have exhibited better sense of Goenkarponn than many of us born here and who have exhibited a parasitic existence, exploiting Goa and Goans in the name of Goenkarponn; empty dishing of words without concrete actions. Sadly – Goenkars without Goenkarponn are today all across Goa.