Bosco wrote: Absurd commentary and comes across as insensitive to Calangutekars !! Especially from those that do not reside in Calangute, for example. Seems to justify scoring a brownie point is more important than the affected people at Ground Zero!!
By all means, bring a million tourists to Goa for a weekend; put them on a strip of beach but do provide appropriate facilities to accommodate the needs of the million. Must the tourists introduce more coliform into the groundwater?? Do the citizens of Calangute have any rights? Rose's Response: Dear Bosco, Pre-October 2010, I would have completely agreed with your comments. Just like you, I thought that our local community residing in Candolim and Calangute have a pretty rough time what with all the comings and goings of international tourists, indian tourists, ex-pats, etc. etc. getting in the way of their peaceful way of life. Taking all of this into account, during my three week holiday in October 2010, there came an ideal opportunity to bring up the so-called nuisances of the Sunburn Festival with our local community in Candolim. This was because the accommodation I stayed in happened to be in front of the area where the Sunburn Festival had taken place the year before (as you refer to as "Ground Zero level). The ideal opportunity I mentioned came when all villagers met together in one house when Our Lady's statue was being taken from house to house in the village. After rosary came the usual socialising, eating of grams, cake, etc. so I asked a number why they did not form a pressure group to protest about the Sunburn Festival being held on their doorstep. There was complete silence. My suggestion was based on all these villagers having "personal power", none of them physically or mentally handicapped in any way, all spoke fluent Konkani and English, well educated, etc. These villagers were also the most directly affected, they did not live in the rest of India, neither did they live abroad, they were local to the area. You will recall such "personal power" can produce results. It was exercised recently by the people of Goa when tomatoes were rightly restored to the tinto instead of being hurled in the air, smashing to the ground and turning our streets into rivers of blood coloured red. It is therefore not a matter, as you say, of whether those living in Candolim or Calangute having any rights? More likely instead of spending their time fighting for and exercising their democratic rights for the betterment of the community and local area they prefer to use this time increasing their rupee bank account "cashing in" on brisk trade during these three hectic days of the Sunburn festival and the rest of the season. There are more banks in Candolim per square mile than there are pubs in London, United Kingdom. Incidentally, it was at this time that I learnt "The Season" in Goa meant the tourist season, not the festive season which I originally thought it meant. Press reports indicate Goa will soon be "motor racing", who knows what will be next, Russian Roulette or perhaps a Indian style Disneyland. If these start to happen without check, we can all kiss "goodbye" to our Goan soil and our Goan soul, we won't be dug out of existence, we will just slowly cease to be. At best, we might be able to negotiate to live in a "Goan Reservation", like the Red Indians do in North America. The tiger petition lobbying to create a World Heritage site to protect an endangered species might just as well be a petition lobbying to protect ourselves from becoming an "endangered" community? With the forthcoming elections, Soter's "out of the box" idea of "independent" candidates gets my vote. Not because of what he puts forward but because he has thought out and presented an excellent "alternative". An "alternative" may have down sides,untried and untested, but at the same time is loaded with potential for change. My personal feeling is that, at this time, more than ever, the elections in Goa need to bring about a gale force wind of change. Only time will tell whether imminent voting by total local participation, at no financial cost to them, can make this happen. Rose Fernandes Thornton Heath, Surrey, United Kingdom 3 January 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------