It’s funny you say that Rajan-bab (Goans owe their nourishment to the labours of this hardy stock), because I do not recall the landowners in my village or elsewhere ever giving even an iota of respect to these farmers.
Not to say they insulted them or ill treated them but there was this condescending attitude that I see the white settlers in western countries accord to their indigenous people. Goan people of the higher classes known for their warmth and hospitality were never seen to invite these Gaudas over for a religious feast in the house or to a family wedding. On the other hand I remember the gaudas warmly inviting us for their weddings with genuine and sincere caring. The invitations were always hypocritically accepted but the weddings never attended until I as a 20 year old in the Bombay Welcome-All spirit decided to break with the family tradition and attend the wedding by myself not only out of a desire to see what such an event would look like but also out a a sense of fairness. It was an evening that I remember to this day. They welcomed my presence to the extent that I was embarrassed with their kind concerns, they expecting surely that no one from “the House” true to tradition, would attend. The music was earthy, the decorations rustic and the venue al fresco on a flattened field. The food and country liquor as aromatic and kick-in-the-butt as it could get. I was quite tickled at the way the young men picked up their ladies for a dance. No polite asking and receiving; just a pull of the arm and yank to the floor with the words “Ye Gho” (come on girl). The lasses expected nothing better. In the spirit of the Brotherhood of Man, our people should have treated their people much, much better than they did. Given a reversal of circumstances as one sees in Goa today, most of them harbour no grievance. Roland. Toronto. > On Feb 22, 2019, at 5:24 PM, Rajan Parrikar <parri...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Photo Blog by Rajan Parrikar has posted a new item, 'The Farmers' > > Children of Goa's soil. > > The men and women who break sweat in the fields of Goa belong largely > to the Gauda tribe, among the original settlers of the land. Farming > has been their calling for thousands of years, and generations of > Goans owe their nourishments to the labours of this hardy stock. Now > with the relentless [...] > > You may view the latest post at > > https://blog.parrikar.com/2019/02/22/the-farmers/ > > Warm regards, > > Rajan Parrikar > parri...@yahoo.com
