------------------------------------------------------------------------ August 25, 2009 - Goanet's 15th Anniversary
------------------------------------------------------------------------ FIFTY years ago, an average Goan woman was above all a housewife and a mother who had to manage her home without the manual help of her husband who worked in Bombay or was on board of a ship. She along with her children lived in a small mud house. She was illiterate and like other women wore a thick cloth sari ( kapod ) . Everyday she travelled 2 to 3 hundred meters to fetch water from a well in a brass couso but mostly in eartherware pots.Once a week she washed clothes b y the well.She cooked meals by burning wood ( zoddou ) . The collection of wood was in itself a hard task. Had to sweep the house and the surroundings clean. No matter how far was the bazaar area she walked for bread, groceries, fish through village paths and back. One thing she insisted from her children was that they attend school for she knew the value of education. She had no entertainment except to exchange gossip with the neighbourhood women. She went once a year to her parents' home mostly on village feast day . Life for her was dull by modern standards but nevertheless she was a contented person. TODAY thanks to reasonable good salaries earned by her husband whether in India, Gulf or on board of a ship she is a much changed person. She has a decent education and lives in a small but ;modern house with electric power and water supply ,a telephone and a TV set. connected to various international channels but she mostly watches Hindi movies and her husband when at home watches European football games. Her husband may own a car but she has a 2 wheeler called scooter with which she is almost anywhere at any time. She wears jean pants when going to the bazaar on her scooter. She also wears short pants at home . Her taste for modern clothes is insatiable. She cooks meals on a gas stove, gas cylinders being supplied at Govt. subsidized rates. Heavy gas cylinders are normally delivered at her door by the suppliers. She does her laundry in washing machines and now has ample time at her disposal. She goes to town by bus wearing minimum of jewelry, the rest safely lying in her village bank vault. She also withdraws;money from bank by using a cheque book. While in town she goes to restaurants and regales herself on masala dosas , potato baji/puri,samosas, wada/sambar/chutney etc. and instead of a cup of tea, orders a coke or pepsi.Comes home on time for children's noon time meals. When children are a bit naughty and disobey her, she threatens to report to their father.. Picks up her cell phone ( mobile ) mumbles to her husband '' Arre, tim sanglole aiko nant ''. Daddy scolds his children by telling them they will not get foreign clothes, shoes, chocolates and other goodies on his return home. And where is her husband ? Half way around the globe aboard a ship docked in San Francisco harbour. Antonio