Goa 2011: Reviewing and Recovering 50 Years
SAVIO ABREU SJ
On 19 December 2011, Goa celebrates fifty years of liberation from Portuguese rule. Fifty years in the crucible of history may seem like a drop in the ocean, but these brief but momentous years have been shaped by a long chain of events spread over hundreds of years and at the same time are a precursor to ‘history in the making’. Thus any analysis of post-colonial Goan society leads us back to both the colonial and pre-colonial periods of Goan history. Jubilees are not just occasions to celebrate, but more importantly are opportunities to take stock, to re-discover one’s heritage and to analyze the numerous by lanes and twists and turns of the post-1961 thriller.
The historical event of 1961 associated with the jubilee is itself disputed. Some call it the Indian annexation or invasion of Goa; others refer to it as the liberation of Goa. Similarly the events in post-colonial Goa, whether it be rapid industrialization and urbanization accompanied by infrastructural development and decline in agriculture, or the large scale in-migration with the resultant issues of Goan identity, language and culture, or the real estate boom and growing environmental concerns, are viewed and judged from different perspectives. Post-colonial Goa has also seen the emergence of various subaltern groups and communities that have lobbied and protested vociferously for recognition of their rights and their unique identity.
This seminar, intended as the first of a series of multidisciplinary seminars on Goan themes and issues, is being convened to begin a process of self-education and knowledge-creation to comprehend how the people of this state have shaped and directed their post-colonial history and how specific socio-political and cultural contexts have influenced that contemporary history. This is a process of rewinding and recovering post-colonial Goan heritage and culture and analyzing the complexities of multiple historical contexts to arrive at a mosaic of Goa in 2011. This seminar is not only restricted to the influence of the colonial and pre-colonial periods on contemporary Goa but also analyses the impact of the socio-political and economic developments in independent India on Goan society. This seminar wishes to create a knowledge base on contemporary Goan society and culture that will inform and direct public policies on Goa.
REPORT
The two Jesuit research institutions, Xavier Centre of Historical Research (XCHR) and Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK), organized a National Seminar entitled ‘Goa 2011: Reviewing and Recovering 50 Years’ on 29-30 September 2011 at the XCHR-TSKK Complex, Alto-Porvorim, Goa.
The Seminar dealt with various issues related to post-liberation Goan society. This Seminar which was supported by the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Goa, was part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Goa’s liberation from Portuguese rule.
Around 150 people from different colleges and other educational and research institutions in Goa listened attentively and participated actively in the discussions and deliberations as 19 papers on diverse themes were presented at the seminar. The Provincial of Goa Jesuits, Fr. Anthony da Silva SJ, while welcoming the gathering urged the people of Goa to assume a blended identity that welcomes and draws from outside influences and cultures. Dr. Dileep Deobagkar, Vice-Chancellor, Goa University, who was the Chief Guest, questioned and challenged the audience to reflect on who is a true Goan. He mentioned that though his mother is from Goa and even if he has many relations here he will not be accepted as a Goan. Dr. Rudolph Heredia, an eminent sociologist from Mumbai, situated the socio-economic and political crises in Goa in the wider context of India.
The ten business sessions of the 2-day seminar saw papers on different areas of Goan society and culture. Dr. Savio Abreu, the Seminar Coordinator and Director, XCHR, highlighted the themes of post-coloniality, identity and culture and modernization in his paper on Civil Society Movements in contemporary Goa. Fr. Victor Ferrao from Rachol Seminary challenged the audience to a new perspective as he reinterpreted Goa’s past as a traumatic experience for both the Hindu and Christian communities and looked for ways to cope with this trauma. There were papers on the role of the press and its links with politics by Ms. Lourdes Bravo da Costa, senior librarian, Central Library and Mr. Fredrick Noronha, freelance journalist.
Mr. Prajal Sakhardande, member of the Goa Heritage Action Group made a fervent plea to the younger generation to get involved in the heritage conservation movement. The session on language, culture and identity evoked hot discussion and debates. Dr. Parag Porob, Department of History, Goa University, linked the myth of Parashurama to the cultural hegemony of the upper castes in post-liberation Goa, which was not challenged by the Bahujan Samaj inspite of the political domination of the MGP. Dr. Pratap Naik from TSKK while highlighting the facts and figures of the Konknni language argued that “one script, one dialect, one community” principle has failed to unite Konknnis (people speaking Konknni) and if we force this principle Konknnis will survive but Konknni will perish.
There were two papers on the subaltern groups of Goa — Dr. Bernadette Gomes on Goulys and Ms. Priyanka Velip on the Stigmatisation of the Velips. Papers by Dr. Remy Dias, Government College of Quepem and Alexandre Barbosa, Assistant Editor, The Times of India, traced the land reforms brought about by the Mundkar and Tenancy acts.
In the concluding panel discussion Dr. Rowena Robinson, professor of sociology, IIT Bombay, summed up the various themes that emerged during the seminar. Dr. Aditya Arya, DGP, was the Chief Guest for the concluding function, wherein Fr. Apollo Cardozo, Director, TSKK, thanked everyone.