Opinion Liberation and its discontents

If the colonial pre-1961 administration played the religion and class card,then post-1961 political parties,right from the 1963 election,also exploited religion and caste.  If the colonial era was blamed for portraying a peculiar (and unrepresentative) image of Goa,recent decades saw governments and lobbies here harness a similar image to lure tourists.  If freedom fighters blamed the Portuguese for encouraging alcohol to minimise the likelihood of public protest,the number of bars has grown phenomenally after that. Goa’s politics offers a depressing choice between rank corruption and the politics of communal polarisation.

At the same time,social change over the decades has benefited a vast section,previously deprived and disenfranchised under colonial rule. The jury might still be out on whether the Indian army marching in was the best way of completing the decolonisation process in South Asia.  But the reality was that Portugal,itself under the Salazar dictatorship,was far from amenable to a rational solution — unlike Britain or France.

Today,practically no one would argue in favour of turning the clock back. Often,the “Luso-stalgia” (or pro-Portuguese nostalgia) stems from a feeling that post-1961 changes affected some adversely.  Of course,it is difficult to claim that nobody lost out in this transition. Goans who grew up with a Portuguese worldview,who were immersed in that language and culture,were hard hit.  On the other hand,those who were steeped in an English-speaking setting,regardless of religion,came out far ahead. So did those who chose a new nationalism,with a variety of motives.

Despite the destructive MGP-UGP (Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party-United Goans Party) divides of the 1960s and 1970s,largely based on communalism and caste,those years set the base for positive change here. Oddly enough,Goa was better off when it was a Union territory,when young and idealistic bureaucrats kept things in check,unlike the political mismanagement after it got statehood in the 1990s.

The national media tends to misunderstand Goa,like most places on the “periphery” — which it certainly is,whether because of geography,culture or its unusual colonial history.

Goa’s significance to South Asia,not just to India,is often lost in the story. Here was a place that was a meeting point — nay,a clashing point — of cultures. It was among the earliest European colonies in Asia,and stayed the longest. It was ruled by the Portuguese (who were themselves ruled by the Spanish for part of their term here),blockaded by the Dutch,and “protected” by British troops stationed here. Goa’s colonial cousins at one time stretched from the coast of Africa till Macau and Japan.

Portuguese rule here was bigoted in parts,and tolerant in others.  Yet,out of it emerged an ethos where communal amity largely prevails.  A land that saw drastic changes with every new set of rulers has been able to look ahead,adapt,and even gain from the upheaval.  Its sons and daughters have excelled in music (both Western and Indian),food,sport,the languages,brokering between cultures,and so many other fields.  

Some of Goa’s freedom fighters still see Salazar (the colonial dictator) in every initiative of the Portuguese. Some time back,while dealing with a Portuguese newspaper,I was surprised to realise that they were more interested in the India of tomorrow (albeit for economic reasons) rather than the Goa of yesterday. Goa can play a big role in bridge building,not just with Portugal,but also Brazil and the sleeping giants of Africa — Angola and Mozambique.  But both Panjim and New Delhi would need vision for that to happen.

Five decades is long enough time to re-evaluate the past and overcome hurt. Maybe it is time to re-evaluate the long,not-always-pleasant and not-always-unpleasant relationship with the former colonisers. Should not great Portuguese individuals like the pioneering 16th century Jewish-origin botanist,Garcia da Orta,and the writer of global epics,Luis de Camoes,be seen as belonging to Goa (or India and Asia too) having spent a considerable part of their lives here?

The near-demise of the Portuguese language in Goa is a loss for all sides. Also,the inability of Goa to overcome its own internal divisions is sad to say the least,and we can’t keep blaming colonialism for this. The rest of India,steeped as it is in its British interpretation of world events,has some difficulty in coping with histories that are different. So places like Goa often get interpreted through stereotypes.

Goa,like every other small and unique part of the country,also needs politics and approaches that respect its diversity. Being faced by just two parties whose local franchisees play their own games under national labels hardly help nurture this uniqueness. For a start,listening to the people and their concerns could give more meaning to this long (if loaded) word called liberation.

Noronha is a Goa-based journalist and writer