2017 is going to be a great year for tiatr, the real thing which we are privileged to witness only every four years unlike the other which is an important and vital part of Goan culture. It does get a bit hectic occasionally but as everyone knows, it is inferior to the once-every-four-year variety.
When Shakespeare wrote all the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts he was, I believe, thinking of our Goan politicians. No tiatr is as unpredictable in a hundred and one ways as our Goan political tiatr and no actor as skillful as our Goan politician. Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan please ride in the back of the bus. And, of course, this political tiatr is free; there is no entrance ticket and the majority of voters who vote as well as others who don't need not pay for it at all. Zero tolerance if someone wants to sell a ticket. It's free! And, of course, voters will also receive presents from Santa Claus even though it isn't X'mas and they have been bad boys and girls all through the year. Unfortunately, in the next four years these same people will have to pay through their noses which will be badly bruised but seldom cut off fully. Thank god for small mercies. Nowadays, as even school children know, there is no shortage of saviors whose mission and one and only goal in life is to save Goa. The show will soon begin, are you ready? This year's tiatr theme is Mahagatbandan and includes an all-star caste of people who are willing to dance and even go to bed with the devil if there is something in it for them. As they say, unity in diversity: the latter in fact is a facade which allows everyone to say what they think without having to think at all about what they will say; and unity, of course, is the hidden agenda which some of our critics love to tell us is not so hidden! The less said about it the better. And, no doubt, we are all good people; all of us. Religion is ever so popular in Goa and much safer than spirituality. It is highly recommended as it involves going to a house of god once a week on a holiday or maybe every day - Christian, Hindu or Muslim for an hour or two. In a house of god - it is no secret - money transaction are not allowed which is good news as the issue of honesty or dishonesty is completely irrelevant. No Question Hour, here. The real world and business begins the minute the religionists steps outside the house of god. Spiritually, sadly, involves doing the right thing twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Who can keep up with the demands? And so, spirituality loses and religion is the winner. If god has a job to do today, it is this: save Goa from the Goans!
