I read the article with interest as I always do with Valmiki’s writings, essays, books and all.
I am perplexed with the idea of ordinary, probably illiterate men and women from the poverty stricken parts of India, particularly from the rural areas coming to fight (and die) for Goa’s freedom from the Portuguese. Was there noble intention on their part or were they merely agents provocateurs sent to do the dirty work of their masters in Delhi egged on by Bombay’s socialist political parties and elements of Indian security forces strategically in their midst. Those who know of those times know the dirty games played by Indian authorities even now at every opportunity. Extreme provocation was most often indulged in to influence world opinion and avoid the invasion of Goa that would go counter to every principle India was propagating for UN consumption. The lessons of the Raj were learnt well and put to use against the Portuguese in Goa and instead of being discarded in due time, were indeed honed for use against their own people even today. The Farmers Agitation is a latest case in point. Look at the facts: An economic embargo was imposed to bring the Portuguese authorities to their knees, ignoring that the Goan people would be the only ones affected. Any Portuguese rule sentiment among Goans in Bombay were closely monitored by the city’s CID. While the majority of the satyagrahis were sent as cannon fodder and therefore unarmed, there were armed elements among them whose orders were to provoke Portuguese retaliation. Everyone knows that only one bullet fired will bring forth chaos and volleys of firing from both sides. Even while satyagrahis were marching and political warnings trumpeted from Delhi pressuring Salazar to back down, Indian spies were infiltrating into Goa to gather vital information for an invasion. The Indian government was betting on pressure tactics to force Salazar to withdraw but they didn’t count on a stubborn authoritarian man who would stop at no measure to prevent surrender including giving scorched earth orders to his men, making Goa a part of Portugal with a whisk of his pen (something that Goans have been making much use of since then), and appealing to his NATO allies that to his bad luck, let him down. Despite all this in retrospect, Portuguese soldiers were fairly restrained from Valmiki’s account and from other news sources, when faced with provocation. Inspect the opposite side and look back from that time to chart the Indian Army’s actions with the North Eastern rebellions, the Dalit and tribals struggles, the Kashmir cruelty, the East Pakistan/Bangladesh battles and you will realize that Portuguese actions could be no more frightening than those of Boy Scouts. Roland. Toronto.
