Datta Naik kdn...@cdhomes.com The political party Goa Forward has brought forward this word of Goenkarponn and Manohar Parrikar, whom I would call the Chief Minister of North Goa since most ministers in his cabinet are from North Goa, has borrowed this word from Vijay Sardessai, the leader of Goa Forward. However the exact meaning of the word Goenkarponn is not clear. Politicians in fact have vested interests of keeping it ambiguous.
The citizens of Goa should however know what is Goeankarponn, what are its undercurrents and nuances. I would divide Goenkarponn into two parts. The iceberg has only one-eighth of its surface visible above the sea and the remaining seven-eighth of it is submerged under water. Similarly Goenkarpon has its visible and invisible dimensions. One can also term it, using computer technology, as the hardware and software of Goenkarponn. Goenkarponn manifests itself visibly through our mother tongue Konkani, our flora and fauna, our traditional architecture, our religious traditions, communal harmony, Goan festivals, folklore, literature, art and culture. But the invisible aspect of Goenkarponn is very important and crucial. It is manifested through various qualities of head and heart of the Goan community. A Goenkar, or Goan, is essentially a jovial, happy go lucky, susegad person who sees the world from a positive perspective. She likes to work hard and enjoys her leisure time. The Goenkar is loyal and committed to her work. She is hardworking and can take up any challenges in her professional life. The Goenkar is highly hospitable and enjoys treating her guests with warmth and affection. Christian values such as love, kindness, compassion are an essential part of Goan nature irrespective of her religion. Every Goenkar has a great sense of humour. It is manifested through folklore, tiatrs and cartoons. Compared to the size of the population of Goenkars, the creative Goenkars in the field of literature, art, science and sport are very high. The average Goan is very frank and outspoken. Her mind is as transparent as the fresh flowing spring water. A Goenkar thinks collectively and also acts collectively. Therefore there are words in Konkani such as 'Dha Zanachi Budh' which literary means 'Let ten people meet and decide.' 'Gaonkari' which later developed into the Communidades is a conspicuous example of the collective farming of Goans. Some of the creative inventions such as Khazan farming, sluice gates (manos), hurrak, feni, puran farming, fishing by way of khutavani, dipakavani, the team-spirit that makes the rapon work effectively, and hunting by bhovandi (a collective hunt) are perfect examples of collective actions. Simplicity is another great virtue of Goans. A Goenkar is not greedy. Respect to elders and women is a family value which has been engraved in every Goan for centuries. A Goenkar is not quarrelsome and violent. Therefore there were hardly any cases of murder, divorce and rape prior to the Liberation of Goa. A Goenkar is highly religious. She believes that God will stand by her at all times. Many Goenkars especially from the Hindu Bahujan Samaj have become teetotalers due to their religious convictions. A Goenkar does not mind undertaking any sacrifice for the sake of the members of her family. A Goenkar is highly mobile and she migrates for the sake of a job to distant foreign countries. A Goenkar has learnt the importance of education a few centuries back. Even parents facing abstract poverty have made great sacrifices to educate their children so that they can come up in life. If one asks me which is the most important aspect of a Goenkar, I would unequivocally point out that it is the honesty and integrity of an average Goenkar. A Goenkar will not compromise her honesty for the sake of money, fame or power and will never dishonour her commitments. However I will have to segregate things here and point out that there are two aspects to Goenkarponn. One is the Bahujan Goenkarponn (the Goanity of the masses) and the other is Brahminical Goenkarpon. The Bahujan Goenkarpon has simplicity and a lack of greed but the same cannot be said about Brahminical Goenkarponn. A Bahujan Goenkar is honest and is a women of her words but history has proved that the other Goenkar is not. Brahminical Goenkarponn from that of Mhal Poi, who connived with Afonso de Albuquerque to defeat Adil Shah at the start of the sixteenth century, to Manohar Parrikar and Vijay Sardessai in our times, have proved that Brahminical Goenkarponn can dishonor commitments and can betray at any given point of time. When I think of this concept, I ask myself whether Goenkarponn is full of virtues and free of vices? My answer is in the negative. The jovial nature of the Goenkars is making them lazy and lethargic and makes them indulge in conspicuous consumption. A sense of humour is overflowing into taking sadistic pleasure in finding faults in others, writing anonymous letters and turning Facebook into a Defacebook. Entrepreneurship among the Goenkars is decreasing in geometric progression. Mobility which is a virtue is unfortunately turning into a vice and Goenkars are migrating abroad by selling ancestral lands and occupations. Instead of thinking and acting collectively, the mentality of "Hanv Sangta Ten Tun Aik" (What I Say, You Listen To), is becoming predominant. One conspicuous example is Vijay Sardessai taking the decision to back the BJP without even bothering to consult his party president Prabhakar Timble who resigned not only as party president but also as member of the party and member of the executive committee, comprising Mohandas Lolienkar, Prashant Naik and Dilip Prabhudessai, who mutely agreed to the decision. The lack of ambition is another vice which I have noted in Goenkars. If this was not the case, Manohar Parrikar would not have resigned as the Defense Minister of India and come back to Goa as its chief minister. This is like a big fish in the sea coming to a small pond to become the king of frogs. In the near future, if these vices of Goenkarponn predominate and overweigh the virtues, then we will have to say goodbye to this concept because Goenkarponn is not the ultimate value. The ultimate value is humanity. If in the name of Goenkarponn politicians like Vijay Sardessai and Manohar Parrikar trample upon values such as honesty and integrity, then we will have to dump such disgraced policians into the Arabian Sea with their tainted flag of so-called Goenkarponn! -- The author is a Konkani writer, social activist and businessman. See background link at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa_Forward_Party