Jose Colaco wrote:
> My dear Mervyn,
> I truly hate to disagree with you, not only because you are a good man 
> but also because you really mean well.


Doc,
It would be of no use to have friends who always agree with you. The whole idea 
of being of a forum such as Goanet is to hear different views/ideas and 
possibly benefit from them.  


> However, I wonder if you have ever "lived" in Goa. It is worth traveling 
> 'incognito' 
> and like the average 'Joe'. That is when one sees ...as Tom Conti's character 
> did in 'Saving Grace'.


When in Goa, I have to use the local buses as there are no pilots or taxi's 
available in my neck of the woods. In addition, some pilots refuse to take me 
home from the (Siolim) fish market, as they claim they will not be able to pick 
up a return fare. At times, my only means of transport is the neighbours who 
take me around on their bicycles or motorbikes to find, for example, the guy 
who cleans tiles or the guy who plucks coconuts. They do this despite having 
little or no time to spare. Having experienced all this, and more, I think I 
have a fairly good idea of how difficult it is to live and earn a living in Goa.


> A chap got on to the, by now, crowded bus at a place called Dramapur. He was 
> puffing away to glory despite the No Smoking sign in the bus. A woman with a 
> child in her lap requested him (in Goan Hindi) to stop smoking as "the child 
> was 
> asthmatic". The chap went ballistic and so did 3 other of the 'ghantis' 
> (forgive the 
> term) who were already on the bus. He cussed  her out in some form of Hindi 
> and 
> even asked her what she would do if he did not stop?
>
>Where does one turn to, Mervyn? The Police? The bus driver or the 'kilinder'?


A few years ago, I got onto an idling bus in Old Goa. It was standing room 
only. Then they started packing in more people. So I got down from the bus, 
boarded the empty one behind it that was due to leave in 15 minutes and sat on 
a window seat next to the back door. 15 minutes later, the bus was packed worse 
than the first one and the driver started his vehicle. That was when the 
conductor 'informed' me that I had to vacate my seat as it was the special seat 
for the conductor. For emphasis, he pointed to the sign right above the seat 
that said so - in an Indian script. Not a single person who boarded the bus 
informed me that I was sitting on the one seat I could not sit on. 

I live in a place that has no conductors on the city buses or trains. This 
transport system is accepted in Toronto and it is also subsidized by multiple 
governments. I would not dream of imposing this system elsewhere. Similarly, 
the system that is used in Goa is acceptable to the locals. Else, they would be 
demanding a different public transportation system. You and me are both 
tourists in Goa. We cannot expect commuters in Goa to behave the way commuters 
do in the countries where we reside.


> Talking about websites and pictures, have you not seen the the zillion 
> pictures 
> posted by JoeGoaUK?  You believe these folks or 'the powers that be' care? 
> These are the "shareholders" in the voters' bank, Mervyn!  Who cares about 
> Goans in Goa anymore?


Joe likes posting pictures of stray dogs, paan spitters and people crapping on 
the streets. This is what he finds repulsive. This is also the least of Goa's 
problems. The real problem, as you have correctly pointed out, is the vote 
banks crafted by crooks. As long as there are voters who do not want change, 
all Goa will get is more of the same. Perhaps it is an 'Obama' that will change 
the situation in Goa. Until then, I find it unreasonable for anyone resident in 
a far away country to tell Goan residents how they should live and vote.  


> You are right, Goans have accepted the Paan and other filth as a way of life. 
> You believe they have a choice besides resorting to violence? and do they not 
> patronise the filthy eat places and filthier stalls selling all kinds of 
> stuff on the roadside?


These are petty items. The people running Goa are making millions of dollars 
issuing permits, etc. The royalties from mining alone could make Goa a paradise 
if utilized properly, but no one seems to care. Each Goa govt appears to be 
more corrupt than the previous one. In fact, you even have people with criminal 
records and linked to drugs elected to the assembly. If things need to be 
changed, it needs to be changed from the top to the bottom. The way I see it is 
that the educated Goan has to move out of Goa to find a decent paying career 
while uneducated people move in, keeping wages low. I do not see any govt 
tackling this problem. Once again, the filthy paan spiters are the least of 
Goa's problems.


> BTW have you visited Petticoat Lane in East London (UK) or Gerrard St 
> in your neck of the woods aka Toronto?


I have not been to Petticoat Lane. Gerrard Street in Toronto is expensive and 
it is mainly Indian tourists who shop there. Indian groceries, spices and 
knickknacks are now available in every residential area of Toronto. Walmart's 
carry every Indian vegetable and fresh herb you can imagine. No one goes to 
Gerrard St unless they are taking out of town visitors who want to see the 
place. It is always easy to spot the out of towners, not because of the car's 
licence plates but because of their road manners. The Indian part of Gerrald St 
is about 200 meters long. Somehow visitors do not want to pay for parking and 
stop in the middle of the road, in front of trams, to off-load their 
passengers.    

A fine teaches road rules in Toronto. Parking enforcement of the Toronto police 
dept also know that one of the easiest places to give away parking tickets is 
Gerrard St. on Saturday morning. Another part of Gerrard St is a 'Chinatown' 
which has shops of Chinese from Vietnam. The shoppers there have the same 
traffic manners as their Indian counterparts. The two other 'Chinatowns' in 
Toronto have worse traffic problems.

Lastly, and returning to the subject mater, I am almost tempted to go to one of 
the more expensive hotels in Toronto where Indians hold their wedding 
receptions and click some pictures to share/compete with Rajan. Indians 
arriving from neighboring US states head to the nearest paan shop in Canada and 
start chewing. Then they spit out of the car window while driving. The nine 
seater vans they have rented, have side panels that are master pieces of air 
assisted, red and reddish hue scenes. 

Mervyn

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