Tino de Sa wrote: >But I think it is as presumptuous to assume that just because >a person is born and brought up outside of Goa, there would >be a lack of pride in his or her roots, as it is erroneous to >assume that every person born and brought up in Goa is >passionate about it. Being Goan is a state of mind more than >a mere geographical accident. > >I do not need to 'prove' my Goan-ness to anyone; but off-hand >assumptions about people without an iota of proof can be offensive. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well said, Tino, I am in the situation where half my Goan friends have not been to Goa. Noticed that I did not put Goan in quotation marks? These friends insist that they are Goans because they were raised by Goans. Ten years ago, 75% of my Goan friends had not seen Goa. As the world becomes smaller, people find it easier to research on and visit their ancestral lands. Secondly, it is also becoming as just as easy for those in Goa to discard some of the customs and traditions as Goans outside Goa have done. I am amazed at how fast Goa is changing today. Lastly, when I first arrived in Canada 20 years ago, I stumbled on the "Canadian Highland Games" while driving thru a small town in Ontario. To participate in any of the competitions, all one had to do was claim to be Scottish or part thereof. This I feel is the difference between the old world and the new. The new is vibrant because of its inclusiveness and willingness to change. Mervyn
