Can someone please rebut, if possible, the statements quoted from the historians M. N. Pearson and J. N. Fonseca in the following article by Nandkumar?
Cheers, Santosh > > BY NANDKUMAR KAMAT > UNLIKE some slavish neo-Salazarist and culturally rootless > and confused > Goans, the Portuguese who fought Salazar and admire > Saramago have no problem > in having a fresh look at their forefathers' deeds or > misdeeds. > In 2001, Fundacao Oriente sponsored the festschrift > volume-The Portuguese, > Indian Ocean and European bridgeheads, 1500-1800 in honour > of Professor K S > Mathew. > > In his essay the eminent Australian historian, an expert on > Asian > colonisation, Professor Pearson had exploded the myth of > cultural > superiority of the Portuguese. Raising important questions, > he answered > these himself. He asked, "If we take a very long term view, > can we say that > the Portuguese opened the door for other Europeans to come > in and change > Asia profoundly? Were they harbingers of a future when most > areas in Asia > were colonised by the European powers, with very dramatic > and deleterious > consequences? Again this claim is difficult to sustain." > Cultural and Linguistic Genocide > > What Pearson says further should put to rest any tall > claims of the so > called 'civilising' influence of the Portuguese. > Freedom fighter, Late Laxmikant Bhembre, imprisoned in > Portugal refused to > return to Goa and had spent a considerable time in the > libraries and > archives there to collect the original evidence of the so > called "civilising > influence". > Although he was denied access to some sensitive > manuscripts, documents and > books he succeeded in compiling enough evidence about the > systematic attempt > for three centuries of uprooting Goan cultural and > linguistic identity. > Unfortunately, his Marathi book published in May 1987, just > a week before > Goa got statehood could never be translated in English or > Portuguese. > > The 40 chapters of Bhembre's book confirms the world's and > Asia's least > discussed cultural and linguistic genocide. Even the Nazis > had not gone to > the level of forcing people to eat like the Portuguese did. > In her eye > opening chapter' Vindaloo: The Portuguese and the Chilli > Pepper' from the > highly enjoyable and well researched tome, Curry: A Tale of > Cooks and > Conquerors (OUP, 2006), Lizzie Collingham mentions, > "Portuguese cooking was > strongly meat based. Lamb, pork, and beef were the most > favoured meats. Pork > was, of course, forbidden for Muslims, as was beef for > Hindus, and many > Indians were vegetarian. Indifferent to the feelings of the > indigenous > population, the Portuguese continued to eat all these meats > whenever they > could. This was not unusual. What is striking, however, is > that they > succeeded in changing the eating habits of the Indians > living in their > territories. By the 1650s Jean-Baptiste Tavernier reported > that beef and > pork were "the ordinary foods of the inhabitants of Goa," > and Christian Goan > cuisine today uses a great deal of meat, especially pork. > Nowhere else in > India did European settlement have this impact. The British > certainly did > not persuade their subjects to relinquish their taboos on > meat consumption." > > > Those who resisted diet engineering discovered the typical > Goan fish > curry-humon, amati or kol which has now become a fully > indigenised and > globally popular recipe. The black peppers, 'miri' were > replaced by > 'mirsang', the Capsicum species introduced by the > Portuguese. > > Pearson acknowledges such ingenuity and creativity of > highly cultured and > civilised people in Asia. Answering his own questions he > wrote, "As we have > been pointing out, in many areas the Portuguese had no > particular advantage > over the Asian states and peoples with whom they had > dealings. They were, if > you like, as pre-modern or early modern as anyone else. > Generally speaking, > westerners had no superiority in any area at this time. > This was obviously > the case in terms of culture, society or religion, and it > would be racist to > say otherwise. However, this also applies in material > matters, such as the > production of goods, trade practices, technology, etc. > Inequality appeared > only when Western Europe industrialised, and for the first > time we have a > rich world and a poor world." > > Political Corruption > > While not denying credit that is historically due to the > Portuguese, > Professor Pearson fires a final salvo, "We do not need to > accept the > grandiose claims of some historians which see them as > bringing civilisation > to Asia, or as achieving mastery over the ocean'. The > ruthless Portuguese > colonial rule had destroyed the beautiful and ancient > social cultural > architecture of "ganvpon" and "gaunkaris' of Goa. > > Original pre-Portuguese archival documents in Hale kannada > and modi scripts > transliterated by epigraphist and archivist Gajanan > Ghantkar prove the total > absence of corruption in Goan society. The Gaunkaris had > the fear of their > deities and had not heard of institutionalised > corruption-an infection which > the Portuguese introduced permanently in the Goan society. > The patron saint > of Goa, Saint Francis Xavier was bitter about what he saw > around him. Four > hundred years later (1985) a research centre established in > his name > published, The black legend of Portuguese India by George > Davison Winius > with a subtitle, a contribution to the study of political > corruption in the > empires of early modern Europe. > The history of institutionalised and political corruption > in Goa after the > breakdown of self administered gaunkaris can be traced back > to the facts > recorded in this book. The myth of "Goa Dourado" was > constructed on the > foundation of the cultural genocide. How the civilised > Portuguese permitted > the decay of city of Old Goa? > > Jose Fonseca (1878) observed, "Society was almost rotten to > the core. The > morals of the community were extremely lax. Profligacy had > become > predominant and fashionable vice, and men gave themselves > up to the sensual > pleasures peculiar to Oriental life. Nor was the public > administration less > tainted. The civic virtues of Albuquerque and Castro were > supplanted by > corruption and venality; justice was bought; the public > offices were put up > to sale; and the martial sprit of the nation degenerated > into effeminacy, > sloth and indolence as in the last days of Roman Empire". > > On November 25, 1950, late Vasant Nevrekar, a Goan who had > a laudable career > in Indian diplomatic missions, had written an article in > Mumbai's Free Press > journal captioned, November 25: A challenge to our > sovereignty. He exposed > the mental slavery of Goans. This needs to be translated > and read in every > school of Goa after flag hoisting on December 19. (to be > continued). > > > >