Goa needs you: THE CHALLENGE FOR A 1000 SIGNATURES

Please sign the following Petition requesting The Hon’ble Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa.

THE CHALLENGE FOR A 1000 SIGNATURES
Dear fellow Goans/Indians

We have a challenge in our hands! We need to demonstrate to the government of Goa and Central Government, especially to the Minister of Environment and Forests, Mr Jairam Ramesh, that no matter where in the world we goans are, we care about the issue of mining in Goa and we are determined to bring it under control.

The petition with great difficulty has finally gone past 600 signatures and that is because the website had many technical difficulties from the very beginning and as a result I know many of you tried to sign and failed and we lost many signatures in the process. The technical difficulties have finally been resolved.

This is an appeal to some of you who tried and failed, to please try and sign again and mobilise your family and friends to also sign up this petition. It is urgent and very important!

The challenge is to get at least a 1000 signatures until the end of this month. We cannot wait any longer.

To sign just click on the goanvoice link below and follow the instructions carefully. Takes just a minute or so...!

Thank you for your cooperation!
Carmen Miranda

Thoughts seeming from hearing about Leo Laurenco’s travails

From what was shared with me, it appears that Leo Laurenco was of an elegant disposition, contained the shastras, possibly an understanding of Arthshastra, and an ability to engage at a highly astute diplomatic level, although representing Portugal, the falling/fallen side—regarded as a foe. To begin with this must not have gone down well with our Indians (I am an Indian citizen and travel on an Indian passport). I believe that Nehru wanted to show the world the diplomatic stuff he was made of, and set out burnish his credentials with the African nations. The French did not play, had packed up and left. The Portuguese were around and there was calls from within to be set free so in that spirit, in such a setting, along with the accompanying incongruities of the oddity that Goa was, Goanity was / is—it was manna for Jawaharlal Nehru to showcase his statecraft. In the treatment meted out to the Goans as a whole, including those who saw and see themselves as its Freedom bearers JN basically fleshed out his thoughts, through his voracious votaries in governance. We later heard of Goans being “ajeeb”, to mean marvellous, fascinating, wonderful, strange, weird, queer and odd. That to me was indeed a compliment but the kind that one gives to a foe (later with bemusement at Goa and Goans—no less Indians on the scale of Indianess) who one does not understand. But we are not talking about the Romans in any form here. At India's hour of independence, we saw ourselves as defining our unique modernity—a deliverance; and everything that followed and continues to is part of that lineage—Indian modernity.

So the more I think, the more I realize that an indelible Indian modernity if we Indian's do care to know comes from Goa in a myriad of ways, by way of the artists AX Trinidade, Agnelo Fonseca, FN Souza, Bakibab Borkar, the poet Joseph Furtado, Brahmanand Sankhwalkar (a Brahma in the goalpost), Anthony de Mello (Brabourne Stadium, and CCI), Swapnil Asnodkar and Dilip Sardessai, Antao D’Souza (Pakistani cricketer), Uday Zambaulikar, our Goan scientists, our Mumbai tiatrists who may never seen respect from almost any government in Goa, our Goans tailors, our Goan teachers, our prostitutes (and dammit praise them too), Olympians who played for India and of course for Kenya, our Goan old men and women, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians—whether an empregad, the escrivão (my Grandpa at Pilar), the carteiro, or Ganga who boiled the rice; and whether one likes it or not Camoes too who incidentally was buried in the pobre pit. India lost a chance as in both the ability of the State to seek a model from within, instead of looking at befuddlement at an expressive people, as well as Indians who should have known better with all their analysis—Marxian included. There is an acknowledgement now, by way of a visible appetite to buy property and houses in Goa, and a little bit of time. For now.

There is something that we practice and that is called taddhi par, to be exiled. The Konknni words for yonder/ boundary would be "todi/xim/mer" poltodi vashimar?! To be sent/banished into exile on the other bank (and no boatman may bring him back). It is a fascinans perhaps / truly a belief—considering that we as a people had regard for kala pani and underwent purification rituals upon returning to India. These are deep concepts although not much thought is given to them. In this vein what must it have been for Leo Laurenco to be born and raised in Goa, yet denied entry to Goa. Perhaps there was a legal instrument attached. I often wonder about such things although we are small fry. But when one looks within the minds eye, one sees a dark roiling of kala pani, an animosity that one does not know from where it comes, and whether we are in its path.

I also believe that the censoring of his book not been taken advantage of by the opposition political parties can possibly mean that the entanglements run deep.

This may be something that someone like Pavan K. Varma, would do a good job at uncovering. I am sure there are many others who have the resources to write even a superb fictional account, if not an analysis with all caveats of course; particularly when we are prone to soreness. The rewards could be stupendous.

I will keep an eye on this subject, as time goes. Publishing such memories is certainly worth it. They should be done if at all in the interests of us as a people with an autonomous mind, giving praise and cognition to other strands that course through our beings, ALTHOUGH MANY OF US ARE INDIAN CITIZENS PROPER; in the same way in which the children of freedom fighters are Portuguese citizens, others are citizens or Green card holders (I am) of the U.S.A., and other counties. The book, or memoires should never be republished to stick it to India. Forget engaging with that uber mindset of India, one must not do battle with it and it is not worth it. It is a dark mind that now has some of the best minds on board. This will change but we are not at that stage yet, nor will we be even five generations hence.

Take heart, Dhir gheyat. Write, even if be in a diary. Write it for your grandchildren. Even if you are hurt, try writing without attacking anyone. We have to becalm our minds. Attempt equanimity. That is something one can learn in Indian thought. Something that very few practice. Please try to do so—not necessarily bleed all over, but stay calm.

I also wish to say to the Leo Laurenco family that I hope you managed to sustain your spirits in Portugal and remained tall. In Christian spirit and our countervailing Dharma, I hope that you did not think too ill of Goans, the Goa of your mind, and the India of you banishment.

A conviction or a creed

Sharing a post of mine which appeared on Goanet.

I respect conviction. Particularly when it is about who are regarded as serious observers; amd the use of the juvenile acronym LOL. And that slang/acronym does cower many people.

I have also always believed that I for one do not need to seek depth to every issue, even if say one remarks positively or negatively about my work — as close as it could get. But it is also true that I do see depth in things that many of you do not care much about. Equanimity is a worth considering here — remember, pleasure and pain. Talking and getting roiled up with talking points was never my path. I post what I like on Goanet and if I saw anyone say something interesting (within my frame of beliefs, comprehension AND egalitarianism)*****, and I would post that as long as it ALSO***** gives a sense of who I am in artistic labor. My range is broad enough — I have posted on sexuality, and other topics. Now, that I realize that they do not merit as being seen Goa-related even by a voiced minority — I stop; although I will continue my other posts.

Maddow's segment Rachel Maddow rips apart Cheney, GOP attack machine, via DailKOS Tv was of course not Goa-related; yet, as I have repeatedly done — presented to Goans (fully aware that they are very aware) — various ways of seeing, confronting, and learning responses to their own socio-religio political EXISTENCEs and interests in INDIA. That is the difference here, and had been always. I thought that was clear, although I may have on occasion interjected a marginally harsh subject line. Again, on my part I will stop aiding towards making any analogies (please continue this process though in your minds), and am comfortable with that. Actually that would be perfect. Time to do my bit to attempt to ween off anybody being tempted towards ridicule

About wisdom, John Stuart Mill (and before someone pipes up, the Unitarian) said: “In the case of any person whose judgement is really deserving of confidence, how is it become so? Because he has kept his mind open to criticism of his opinions and conduct. Because it has been his practice to listen to all that could be said against him; to profit by as much of it as was just, and expound to himself, and upon occasion to others, the fallacy of what was fallacious. Because he has felt, that the only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject, is by hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinion, and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind. No wise mind ever acquired his wisdom in any mode but this; nor is it in the nature of human intellect to become wise in any other ” — Stuart Mill

To rip a hole (a la Cheney) does not automatically imply a new sphincter. I would have said exactly that if I needed to. Having said that, I have rarely seen so much as any sort of pithy contrition when warranted, on various issues I posted and then had to re-present via specific explanations. But I will not jog my memory any further. I am finally accepting that its not within my bandwidth to point things out. This was yet another try. Language is not about having a good sense of grammar. That is why we, and I too look at Chomsky — who many deride vociferously. Many of us keep silent, and in our silence on many ideas, views and possibilities — we snuff ourselves, or allow ourselves to be snuffed out by vociferous voices. We make these choices.

Thank heavens I was born in a simple family. No axe to grind, although I can proverbially and physically use most weapons, including the Parshu/Tabar for that matter. That's just another slice of info about me, to go along with my brush wielding skills. Surely worth a snicker. I have nothing to add. Poor me. All along I thought I had a good grip on things.

Things happen for a reason. I think I found mine at the start of the New Year.

Abfüehren Ja! Time to flush a few things. Dad passed away about ten years ago, but I feel that he with all his 4 Std (no idea whether he finished) education would have appreciated this post.