Dear friends, I write to record my deep appreciation of the time and effort Mr. Domnic Fernandes has put into his articles on Mapusa which are masterpieces on the history and culture of the Goa of recent past which he has put down from his experiences and memories.
The efforts of Mr. Fernandes, whom I do not know personally, reflects his deep and altruistic interest in sharing a part of Goan culture with the youth of today...especially in a community spread over so many lands and different communities. His earlier articles on the 'Dukar' and 'Marriage customs of Goans' were also extremely enlighten and informative. I am looking forward to more such renderings from his pen. We in Pakistan are deeply indebted to him and goanet for affording him and us the opportunity of sharing and learning. Being a journalist myself, I know it is not easy to write on period pieces. The present generation of the Goan community in Karachi, at least those below 30 years do not know of this Goa and a very large percentage have not visited the land of their forefathers as it involves a long procedure for getting a visa ( especially after the Indian Consulate was closed down in Karachi during the tenure of Benazir Bhutto) which is only issued in Islamabad, about 1,600 kilometers away!!! Then the reporting to police at Bombay and Goa also puts one off. Furthermore, Visa applications of Goans born anywhere in Pakistan, even though they hold Canadian/US/British or Australian Passports are referred to India by the Indian Embassies/Consulates and the visa takes months to be issue. I learnt this lately from my wife's relatives who had come to Pakistan from Canada after over twenty years and who have NEVER visited Goa in their lives ( they are senior citizens now). I hope our friend, the famous Goan journalist, Mr. Fredrick Noronha, can highlight this aspect in his articles. There should be a special concession to Catholic Goans of Pakistani origin to visit their homeland. The Parsi community have this arrangement and they are issued visas within a week by courier service. I am eagerly awaiting Mr. Domnic Fernandes' book, which I believe is to be published in the near future. Warm regards, Michael Ali Karachi, Pakistan _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org)
