---------------------------------------------------------------------------
**** http://www.GOANET.org ****
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5th Annual Konkan Fruit Fest
Promenade, D B Bandodkar Road, Panaji, Goa
16-18, May 2008
http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2008-May/073789.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A VISION FOR GOAN VILLAGES
By Wendell Rodricks
Each morning when I walk to my studio in Colvale I see how our village
has grown at an alarmingly unplanned rate. With a rapidity that is
astonishing. One day there is a walled home. The next day it becomes a
dumping ground for the neighbour's garbage. In a week the same home of
some poor soul in faraway Kenya, UK or Canada becomes a dumpsite for
the entire vaddo. I am not ashamed once a week, or sometimes more,
often to become a ragpicker. I just cannot believe that there is an
indignity in cleaning up the path I tread daily. One would imagine
that some people would be shamefaced to see a celebrity picking up
garbage and follow example. Instead I get curious looks and remarks
that are not worthy of recounting.
At home in the early dawn or late at night, I think about my village
Colvale. How it went from sleepy hamlet to a village fast turning into
a highway town ringed with polluting industries. It is a crying shame
and a lesson in what should not happen to any village in Goa. This
then is my vision for every village in Goa, which I hope the
Government and the people of Goa will encourage. As in all cases there
have been many rainbows in the storm. These need to be highlighted so
that people who care and love their villages can follow as examples of
civic and social responsibility.
1. PANCHAYAT CONTROL
Goans mistakenly imagine that their job is done once the ballot has
been cast. No!! On many instances I have pushed the Sarpanch and the
Panchayat to act. Over early morning tea, I have ensured that no
hoardings come up on the Colavle plateau nor on the village NH17
route. All it took was a serious talk with the Panchayat. The same
goes for garbage clearance. When it gets too bad take the matter to
the Panchayat office and demand that something is done. After all
there is a budget for the same. I know of many responsible citizens
who have worked to ensure that services like health and pharmacies are
installed in their village. I hope many proactive Goans follow suit.
2. GARBAGE MANAGEMENT
Every village and city should have its garbage plan in place. It's a
lot of rubbish to talk about a dumping site. That is the easy way out.
If a city like Paris can have its garbage plant bang in the middle of
banks and residential areas, with no emissions except power for
electricity, why can't we have the same?? Our lazy, fat, corrupt
ministers need to be voted out for not addressing the garbage needs of
a paltry 1.3 million persons. But forget about the government. If they
are so insensitive and stupid, it's time that concerned citizens took
the garbage issue in their hands and did it themselves. If we can
raise funds to build temples and churches and spend lakhs on weddings
why can't we collect the 2 lakhs or less to buy a garbage compactor
and get the job done?? All the wealthy people in Goa should hang their
heads in shame and write out a cheque to make their village garbage
free.
3. CULTURAL MONUMENTS
It's all very well to say that our churches, chapels and temples are
rich enough to sustain themselves. But is that correct?? I have heard
many persons who say they don't go to places of worship. Fine. But
when your village looses its temples, churches or mosques to ruins,
please be aware that we are all silent witnesses and participants in
the decline of our cultural monuments. Please be more involved to save
what we have and to conserve the village legacy that we have been
blessed with. Towards this cause one must be aware of the village
history and preserve the objects of culture. In Colvale we were known
for our black shells (kayem khubem). With the sand dredging we failed
to preserve the young shells. Today not a single shell exists in a
place where, as children, we would put our hands in the sand and get 3
or 4 shells in a handful of sand. A pity. But also a lesson that we
can still reintroduce the shells and stop the sand dredgers from
removing sand in these marked areas.
4. STREETS AND PERSONAGES
A couple of months ago I met a French lady who came from Paris to see
where Abbe Faria's family came from in Colvale. With shame I informed
her that the home was a ruin and there was not even a marking to
identify the spot. Even though the home is no more I still feel we can
erect a statue and name our main street leading from temple to the
church as Abbe Faria street. We owe it to our glorious ancestors to
commemorate their contribution to Goan history. It is time to name our
main streets. On that topic we need to name our Goa airport too. And
please let us not do that based on a politically important person.
There should be a debate and a consensus of the Goan people as to what
name must be given to Dabolim airport.
5. RAIN WATER HARVESTING
With all the dams that are bound to dam our rivers in other states,
each village needs to look at using an abandoned field as a rainwater
reservoir. If a Goan made the water reservoir in Bombay, why should
each village not have a constant 24 hour supply of rain water? We need
to harvest our rain water and not depend on concrete pipes to bring us
water from elsewhere.
6. A LIVING FIELD
As part of a school programme at least one field in every village must
be cultivated all through the year. Not only will the village get a
green lung, it will encourage our students to see how local crops
should be encouraged. If the Panchayat is forced to contribute and if
every Goan, or at least one per family, cultivates the field it will
be for the benefit of everyone in the village.
7. EDUCATION
The standard of education in many villages creates a need for parents
to send their children to city schools. Why can't the wealthy of the
village not look at teaching or contributing to the local school to
set a standard of education as good as a city in any part of India??
If we put our minds and give time to our local schools we can make a
difference and avoid sending our children on packed buses to the city.
8. HEALTH CARE
Every village should have a health care system in place. With a 24
hour pharmacy. We know the needs of people. Too often, due to lack of
an ambulance for every village, people die. If a village cannot have a
basic anti-venom for a local snake bite, is it not a shame?? Each year
we hear of someone passing away due to a cobra bite. Why is there no
antidote kept on a 24 hour basis ? Why do I have to keep that in my
refrigerator and give it away when the need arises. We need to rectify
this malaise.
9. SENIOR CITIZENS
With immediate effect we should subsidize rates and all essentials for
senior citizens. Why are they ignored at every stage ? Ideally the
village should grant them free transport on Kadamba services. If
needed, increase our taxes but we should care for the elderly in a
humane manner. I have seen too many old people struggling to carry
their Friday market purchases, walk in the hot sun to catch a bus and
walk, literally, in a gutter because there is no pavement to walk on.
Shameful. When my mother took ill last year. I was shocked to hear an
old lady tell me in Apollo hospital that she borrowed 2 lakhs to save
her husband's life. That is too terrifying a thought. Senior citizens
must get the best care at a time when they need it most.
10. SERVICES
We send our magazines and books to the local library. Not a great
contribution. But what I would like to see are other services. Surely
each Panchayat can provide ten computers for the villagers to access
their email? What would it cost?? Nothing. Compared to other costs
this is a mere drop in the ocean of multicrore Government budgets. I
would be happy to see senior citizens access their mail at the
Panchayat. We need other services. Like a creche where young mothers
can leave their children for the day while they go to work to earn a
living. That would cost not much either. A few years ago we donated a
gym to our village. It is thriving and costed less than a lakh for the
equipment. Surely the Government can afford that.
11. RECREATION AREAS
Due to bad planning or a complete lack of the same we have not
provided what most nations take for granted. There are no sports
fields to play, parks for the young and old, swimming pools nor
jogging tracks. Why not? People think a pool is a luxury. It is not.
It is healthy sport and if I can I would like to donate one to our
village. The truth is that it is not expensive. The basic error is
that we build homes and buildings and do not plan for recreation at
all. Why should only a church or temple provide the football field for
the village? And why can't we have gardens to walk in and a jetty for
each village so that fishermen and others can moor their boats as well
as serve as a promenade broadwalk? Is it asking for something unusual
?
12. INTERNET WEB SITE
Each village should have a website that states the places of interest
in the village and neighbouring villages, a map and an overview linked
to Google Earth, important telephone numbers and addresses and ideally
a section where administration forms and procedures with the panchayat
and Talathi can be downloaded and submitted. There are many
possibilities on the net and these can include a list of persons who
would like to rent a room for tourists. In a growing tourist need for
residences and small hotels, it would be a good opportunity to tap
into this resource and provide a "side business" to many homes with
empty bedrooms. The village web site should include all information
pertaining to religious service timings, feasts, jatras, etc. A short
history of the village and its celebrated citizens can also go on the
site. Ultimately this can also be a blog where people can post their
comments and make the site interactive.
I hope every village takes in on itself to plan for the future. With
the land sharks eating away at our land and Goans selling out their
ancestral properties, it is imperative that we plan for our village
spaces. Let future generations say that it was our generation that
planned well and wisely. Let us leave behind villages that we are
proud of. Not just for ourselves and our children but also for our
ancestors who created our villages and cities with love and planned
them in a manner so wisely that till today we enjoy our villages in
Goa.
-----------
The 'StyleSpeak' column above appeared in the May 2008 edition of Goa
Today magazine
======
