This is one of the few articles that has really captured my interest.
I'm not going to pretend I live in Goa or can even understand the
totality of the issues. However I certainly understand the message being
conveyed through the article ... reclamation of the environment, looking
beyond differences (religious and class), need for a unified commitment
at all levels to our land and its people; and the creation of
sustainable social, political and environmental practices that will
benefit Goa today and tomorrow.
Whenever non-Goans gush about Goa, usually about its 'otherness' in
relation to other Indian states, I'm quick to retort that the land is
being desecrated for short term gain. In villages across Tivim, family
homes and land are giving way to developments that are incongruous with
the natural environment; no 'environmental impact statements' are
considered prior to any such developments [even at its most basic
level]; increasing reliance on cars has given way to a looming health
crisis in our village where women [at least ones I know] are moving
towards obesity with little understanding of its health impacts; no
preservation of historic sites in villages.
Modernisation is good but we don't have to lose our sense of self.
Regards
Caroline
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