Re: [Goanet] From dreams to nightmares
Before posting my comment, I would like to take this time to introduce myself to the Goanet readers. My name is Roland Mascarenhas and I am a Goan-Canadian involved within the Educational realm in Toronto. While I can certainly understand the sensationalized if not inflammatory comments by Priyak Mitra, rather than just discarding it I think we should take a closer look. The author awkwardly forces the line “most Goans are not well-educated and lack conversation skills” which is contrary to what statistics reveal – that Goa has one of the highest literacy rates at above 80% in India, (although the credibility can be taken into account as Goa is the 25th largest state in population). Needless to say, Goa has undoubtedly thrived on fisheries, tourism and hospitality dollars – an industry which requires little need for ‘higher’ education. Surely, we cannot put Goa in the same bracket as the Mumbaites who mimic Western capitalistic behavior in which the gap between the rich and the poor is only widening. Thus, what is so wrong about stating that Goans are ‘not’ well-educated? Is it merely that we are hyper-sensitive? Furthermore, as someone who is heavily involved with a Goan youth in a North American Diaspora, it is challenging to define what is considered “well-educated.” The standards exist based on family history and the obsessive need for upward mobility – seen both in income and in social status. Where as one adult from a highly-educated background would consider the pursuit of graduate or professional studies acceptable, others would consider a ‘college’ education suffice. (In Canada, the educational system is often two-tiered with colleges often admitting students in the 60% mark range in schools – something famous American political scientist Charles Murray greatly frowns upon as superfluous). Could it be that the degree is used as a tool to demonstrate an artificial social status to fuel this obsessive need for economic advancement and wealth? Ms. Vivan D’Souza seems to think so when she states “seeing people returning to Goa from abroad, flaunting their wealth, it is no wonder that every Goan youth dreams about going abroad.” In regards to the piece about “lacking conversation skills,” I have had hands-on experience with hundreds of Goan youth in Toronto and it befuddles me the lack of “professional abilities” that youth demonstrate when in unfamiliar terrain. I believe the root of this is a lack of confidence, but it is only amplified with the ongoing tension between Goan (parents) about socioeconomic status, class and family background. Needless to say, this topic needs to be covered entirely in a different piece. There are a plethora of ‘highly-educated’ individuals (M.D, Ph.D and so forth) on the Goanet mailing list, but do you need a “degree” from to justify that you are “well-educated?” As a young adult who reads Goanet everyday, I am amazed at the verbal dexterity displayed by the many writers – regardless of whether they attended a college or university. Take it from one of the famous North American writers of our time who did not attend school past eleven years old, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” -- Thanks, Roland Mascarenhas roland...@gmail.com
[Goanet] From dreams to nightmares
Selma Carvalho elisabeth_...@yahoo.com wrote : I am appalled absolutely appalled at this article which appeared on Asian Age. http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/ I don't know why these writers?write with such a bias against Goans. For instance this paragraph: "There are thousands of Goans like Tony, who live and work abroad, often illegally and more often than not they possess a Portuguese passport." How did the writer, Priyak Mithra, find out that there are "thousands" of Goans working illegally "more often than not" with a Portuguese passport. If she/he had done even an elementary bit of homework, she would known that those with a Portuguese passport are Portuguese nationals and as such they are allowed to work perfectly legally in EU countries, as is their right. There is absolutely no connection between illegality and Portuguese passport. There are a small number of Goans who jump ship and work illegally in the US. This number too is dwindling because as these sailors have found out, their ships black-list them and once they return from the US they are virtually jobless, which means an early retirement. She then goes on to quote someone saying "?Most Goans are not well-educated and lack conversation skills, so once they go abroad, many are left with no option but to take low paid menial jobs at construction sites, oil rigs or in kitchens" Oh really, "most Goans are not well-educated"?? I must be dreaming then when I come across perfectly educated Goans who work as doctors, accountants, salesmen, managers, nurses and teachers, abroad. I'm surprised Priyak, didn't tell us that Goans are all "ayahs, butlers and cooks". The article ends with this: "The accounts of Goans roughing it out are endless. From Savio, who was a steak chef in a Kuwait hotel when Saddam Hussain attacked to Justin, who left for Portugal 30 years back and is one of the top lawyers in that country today. Like Justin, some stories have happy endings while others end in a lot of sweat and heartbreak, but Goans continue to apply for Portuguese passports." Oh really?? I'm sure the writer has heard of "endless accounts" of Goans "roughing it out" during her interviewing phase. Unfortunately, the writer doesn't seem to have met any Goans who also lead decent, middle-class lives abroad and the writer certainly hasn't met any Goans who've made it to the top, abroad. But the clincher comes when he/she finishes with "but Goans continue to apply for Portuguese passports." As if this is a cautionary tale. Apply for a Portuguese passport and live a life of hell. I wonder if 50 years of liberation and being part of the Indian Union has allowed Goans to lead a life of absolute bliss in India? Comments : Camilo Fernandes Selma is absolutely right as regards the adverse article written by Piryak Mithra about Goans. This article is biased and all Goans would rightly feel it is in bad taste. Priyak seems to have written this article with tainted glasses. She has picked up only a minority of failure stories about Goans very conveniently ignorning the majority of Goan success stories. Similarly she has commented that the majority of Goans are not educated maybe out of ignorance, which is absolutely ridiculous. As Selma wrote : I must be dreaming then when I come across perfectly educated Goans who work as doctors, accountants, salesmen, managers, nurses and teachers, abroad. I'm surprised Priyak, didn't tell us that Goans are all "ayahs, butlers and cooks". Yes Priyak must be imagining that most Goans are illiterates while in fact there are so many Goans holding prestigious jobs in India as well as abroad and doing extremely well. It may be true that maybe a small number of Goans who while working on ships have illegally jumped ship and work illegally in the US, in the vast majority of cases they continue their legal employment with their shipping employers. Priyak has just picked a few a few bad apples and tainted all Goans with being uneducated, illiterate and cheaters. Best wishes, Dev borem korum. Camilo Fernandes
[Goanet] From Dreams to Nightmares..
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Goanet mourns the passing of Cornel da Costa in London, England - Sep 10/10 --- Thanks to the late Prof. Noronha Abreu, who corrected this forum by saying that one gets Portuguese citizenship and not a passport. The mentioned document is used for travel purposes only. The BI or Bilhete de Identidade or the Identity Card represents one as being the citizen of Portugal. Unlike in some progressive countries the BI may be in the form of a ration card. BC With dreams of making pots of money Tony Fernandes left Goa four years back to seek his fortunes abroad. He left behind two ageing parents, his wife and two children aged 10 and eight. Today his children are 14 and 12 and he hasn?t seen them since taking the train to Mumbai from where he flew to the Gulf. At present, Tony is an illegal alien in the United States. He works in the kitchen of a hotel in Detroit and the only time he ventures out is to buy a calling card for his phone.
