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I've been following the criticism targeted at Heta Pandit and the Goa Heritage Action Group, and see it as part of the general diatribe against NGOs in Goa we have seen in recent years. For all their shortcomings, one has to accept that institutions and individuals like these have also a good side, which tends to get ignored when a spiral of criticism and a tornado of allegations comes their way. Some face insinuations of extortion (the debate in the Goa Assembly against the Goa Foundation made it to the headlines in sections of the Press), others simply of being of "non-Goan" origin (while Goans remain smug and exclusivist, is it a surprise that campaigning on environment and labour issues has to be taken up by the Claude Alvareses or the Christopher Fonsecas), yet others for 'abetting a suicide' (MK Jos and Prof Afonso have been hounded over this), or even the South Goa Public Interest Action Group's insinuation that NGOs are voicing concern over Baina because of their loss of "figures they could prop up to receive the funds" (I've seen the work of Zarine Chinvala and Arun Pandey for long, and don't view them as fly-by-night operators, but rather TISS-qualified social workers, sensitive to the needs of the weak... Albertina Almeida and Sabina Martins have been in activism for over two decades, and can't even be accused of making a career out of it). The "charges" against Heta and GHAG seem to be based either on (i) her style of functioning (ii) insinuations of lack-of-transparency or even careerism and dishonesty (iii) her ethnic origins (iv) that the persons criticising her don't quite like her. I don't know Heta closely and haven't interacted apart from brief encounters at her functions. All one can say is that her output of work is indeed impressive; she's written and collated the kind of material that other writers, specially us supposedly-superior Goans, have failed to do. Is she arrogant? One doesn't even know; assuming she is, well, all people who believe strongly in their dreams tend to be so. My friend and long-time colleague Alexyz had a problem with Heta at the last Fontainhas festival. This lead to quite some negative publicity. But, the festival itself and the earlier one took the spotlight onto Goan art, in a way that didn't happen before. That Heta and the GHAG is being targetted by some in the media and the saffron super-patriots at the same time, is doubly unfortunate. Heta and the GHAG have been promoting the cause of heritage, in a largely non-sectarian and cosmopolitan manner. In addition, their work was giving a boost to art; whatever the shortcomings. Goa needs to build bridges among its (often quietly antagonistic) main communities; and Heta's work was seeming to achieve just this. Did she take up all the issues I would have liked her to take up? Of course not; but so what... This is like the Goan balcao-critics who target environmentalists, consumer activists, and a whole lot of others for *not taking up* issues *they* themselves wouldn't lift a finger to highlight. So what if Heta opts not to go in for an antagonistic relationship with the chief minister and the government, and instead take up a path of "constructive engagement" (as the West talked about apartheid South Africa before Nelson Mandela)? The real test of the pudding is in the eating; would such an approach produce results? We'll never know without going through it. The question of government fundings remains. Some issues, by their very nature, would perhaps depend on the patronage of those in power to survive. Heritage conservation can't expect to throw up antagonistic campaigning as, say, the mass-demolition of hutments in Baina. It is best left to those working on the issue to decide what issues they want to take up, how much they can achieve, and what are their goals. We Goans are great armchair critics, and experts in *advising others*. It's not fair to fault Heta simply because she-doesn't-dislike-Parrikar-as-much-as-I-do. On the issue of her ethnic origins, an issue which has been hinted at but not quite raised bluntly in polite discussions, quite bluntly, Goa has gained more from those who are willing to do something here rather than give advice from half-way around the globe. Whether we admit it or not, today's Goa has gained a lot from the contributions of the migrant (both the educated and affluent, and the poor and unlettered), expats who returned home early, and the Goenkar who returned from the big cities in India fresh with ideas and enthusiasm and optimism. Many NGOs and campaign groups, tending to be personality-driven and small organisations, often work through a small nexus of individuals, in ways that might appear to lack logic or transparency from the outside. Perhaps we need to come to terms with this, rather than seeing it as a character-flaw of each organisation. After all, those taking on causes do so because *they* believe in *their* point of view, and think they know best how to achieve results. If *we* think we know better, why not start working to offer results? Incidentally, I have no problems with my colleagues Ethel da Costa, Margaret Mascarenhas and even Cecil Pinto. It's just that there's another side of the story waiting to be told, and, at times like these, someone needs to put on record the good side of the work that people like Heta have done. Ultimately, history will judge the contribution of different people; but what might happen is that some stray criticism could indeed demoralise those who have a lot to contribute to Goa ... as it has already done with quite a few people already. To those who don't like what Heta and the GHAG are doing, why not do something better? FN -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ d88888b d8b db Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa India 88' 888o 88 f r e d @ b y t e s f o r a l l . o r g 88ooo 88V8o 88 http://www.bytesforall.org 88~~~ 88 V8o88 Phone 0091.832.2409490 Mobile 09822 122436 88 88 V888 784 Nr Lourdes Convent, Sonarbhat Saligao Goa 403511 YP VP V8P Writing ... with a difference, on issues that matter