Dear Fred, it is true that, to a large extent, Goan society is exclusivist. But
over the past few years, the dividing lines have been erased to a large degree.
Goans from all strata life mix much more easily -- and freely -- with each
other now that during the Portuguese period or for at least two decades after
the Portuguese left.
Do not judge yourself as failure to learn Konknni when you were just two years
old. Judge yourself how much you can talk and write now. Obviously, you are
fluent in spoken Konknni. I haven't seen any Konknni writing by you.
In the same breath, I am not a fluent Konknni writer. But, I would be a bit
careful to write an irreverent Konknni sentence like Selma's.
Like you, I too tried hard to study Portuguese in Toronto but without success.
I wish I could at least read so that I could access a lot of Poruguese books on
Goan history and culture.
I never said nor maintain that failing to speak and write Konknni makes one
Goan. But not to speak the mother tongue is, in my opinion, a bit of a
hindrance.
Just the other day at my gym, one member asked me if I was a Goan. I said yes,
and he asked me if I speak Konknni. I said yes. He went ahead and shot at me,
"Ponas, ponas ponchivis". With a subdued smile, I told him that he was wrong.
His eyebrows went up.
Even before I could tell him, a fellow Muslim non-Goan member told him that it
is, "Pondra, pondra ponchivis". He felt humiliated. The Muslim non-Goan member
is from Mazagoan area of Mumbai, which used to have a large Goan population. I
then asked him where he hails from Goa and he replied Aldona. He lived in
Mumbai.
For those who do not know, the "pondra..." thing is a slur or perhaps a
put-down, just like "maka pao". It implies that Goans are uneducated nuts, just
as Goans are considered "cooks and butlers."
In a previous posting, I have mentioned how a couple of letter-writers to The
Goan Review deride Goans who cannot speak the language and that those who
cannot speak and write are responsible for losing their identity. Tiatrists
poke fun all the time at Goans who do not speak Konknni. They also mock those
who speak with English-accentuated Konknni. But the tiatrists are in the
business to entertain and can be excused. Hitting at Goans who do not know the
language draws a good amount of laughter.
Frankly, I expected Selma to be not perfect but near-perfect. But then, the
issue is not "incorrect usage of language". Sekna wrote it in jest but the joke
seems to be on her.
Eugene
