Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) (Valmiki Faleiro)
On 4 October 2013 16:04, augusto pinto pinto...@gmail.com wrote: As regards how much credit I give to Goans who have achieved something I would like to say - I'll praise all Goans who claim they are Goans. If they aren't then why should we gain credit for what is not ours? Which brings us to the point, Gusto. * Whom do *you* define as Goan? * Goans who claim they are Goans -- who decides who qualifies for the first? * Who decides what is not ours? * In a migrant oriented society, what is the implications of this logic? * Are we out to disown, declare enemy property and grab property? FN Of course, this is an academic exercise for me, because I believe I'm a Goan merely by accident of birth. If my family had links a hundred kilometres due north, maybe I would have been posting on Sawantwadi-Net :-) FN
Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa)
Bravo Tino. There are people who babble because they cannot think of anything worthwhile to do and want to be noticed. Let it not be forgotten that Goans had to leave Goa for want of opportunity in Goa and wherever they pegged their tents, they contributed and left a noticeable mark. It is undoubted and undeniable that those who remained in Goa, many secured here by their ancestral provenances, have also created an indelible presence and mark that they passed this way too in this world. But those who had to go to other places in search of bread, if not butter, did well for themselves and left blazing trails. And many are coming back, like frogs to their pond or salmon to their spot of birth, when their out-of-Goa odyssey is successfully done. I am one of those. There is also a reason why I do not and cannot live in my ancestral house but then, that is no one else's concern but mine. U C D'Souza ucdmld at gmail.com
Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) (Valmiki Faleiro)
Dear Prof. Augusto, Please don't blame Frederick Noronha for this. The blame actually credits to my stupid habit of checking email just once a day, and taking each email in the order it came in: first in, first out. In fact, much after I posted my rejoinder to your silly view on expatriate Goans, I did see that you had corrected your stance, but only as regards Anthony de Sa, the new Chief Secretary of MP. Hope you consider Goan a person like Maria Aurora de Couto -- to cite just one example -- who is now in Goa, but most of her life, with her husband, also a highly respected IAS officer, outside Goa. (If the Ma'am gets to reads this, my advance apologies to her!) It appears that your general view on how *Goan* expatriate Goans are, and how much credit we resident Goans can take for their achievements outside Goa, remains unchanged. Sir, please realise you are insulting the memory of not dozens, or scores, but THOUSANDS of Goans who on account of circumstances then prevailing in their homeland, migrated out of Goa, made it big outside Goa, and India -- and still continue to inspire lesser mortals like me, a resident Goan. Yes, they tweaked their surnames to grab economic (not immoral) opportunity then existing in British India. Yes, they bent to enter a smaller door, but with their backbones intact! And see what, with much academic effort and hard work, they went on to achieve! Professore, v. humbly, I ask you to please re-read any book by late Dr. Olivinho Gomes (also central civil services Offr, IRS), late Dr. Clement Vaz, or my own humble *Patriotism in Action* which dwell on Goans -- all who do not fit into your definition of a *Goan*. (Incidentally, my book was on Goans -- both Hindu and Catholic -- in the armed forces of India. I am surprised you expected me to discuss their upwardly social mobility. Tell you what. Take a Kalashnikov and make yourself UPWARDLY SOCIALLY MOBILE in Moira.) And just BTW, to clear your ignorance, when Goans went out of Goa -- say to Belgaum, Dharwar, Bangalore, Poona, Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Rangoon, Delhi or Karachi -- there was NO CHANGE of citizenship status. Goans only carried an identification (a much sought after doc today!) I don't know how the idea of insult or insulting came into your head after reading my email. Read it again and tell me what insults your sensibilities. If you still feel insulted, I can't help, but if you wish to settle imagined scores (I don't forget insults like this easily.) with me, say it loud and clear. I am more than willing to debate ... and preferably on a larger public forum, so that you finally earn your just deserts -- including from Saudi Arabia, if you prefer (and, hopefully, dispel your long-held skewed views on ... your Goanity.) What you say about the *400-odd Commissioned Offrs listed in the book -- including my father*, may I just say you will never fail to surprise, and quickly close by quoting what one of those 400-odd told me in a private email (and may I forecaution you that the author was a pioneer Indian Navy guy -- and a Goan ... lest you shoot off without your facts and later apologise (as in the case of Mr. Anthony de Sa). Anthony lives in distant Madhya Pradesh, this Navy Officer who I quote below lives in Goa, in a position to hold you by you-know-what! So digest with care: QUOTE: Please inform this idiot that we had to study hard and prepare for the open competitive Civil Services or NDA entrance exams before joining the IAS or Armed Forces as officers. The selection process was by no means easy. Nothing to do with Anglo-Indians whatsoever. The guy should at least do his homework before spewing out nonsense on goanet UNQUOTE. I think you should take the advice, Augusto dearest. Best, v - Original Message - From: augusto pinto To: goanet Cc: Frederick FN Noronha ; Valmiki Faleiro Sent: Friday, October 04, 2013 12:20 AM Subject: Re: Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) (Valmiki Faleiro) Dear Valmiki I think if you look at Message 10 of Goanet Digest, Vol 8, Issue 700 you will realize that I had apologized for presuming that Tino was not a Goan but my apology was not put on the Digest mode thanks to possibly to a malicious Goanet moderator who I will take the liberty of naming: Frederick Noronha. Because my post was delayed being posted to the Digest mode, it appears that mud is all over my face. Be that as it may. I will get my just deserts in due time. I don't forget insults like this easily. As for your second point that None of the 400-odd Commissioned Offrs listed in the book -- including my father -- would fit into Augusto's idea of a Goan! I don't think you quite understand my point. A very great number of Goan Catholics in pre-Independence times decided to change their status from Portuguese citizen of Goa to Anglo-Indian citizen of British India. Thus Barretto became Barrett; De Sa became D'Sa; Fernandes
Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) (Valmiki Faleiro)
to please re-read any book by late Dr. Olivinho Gomes (also central civil services Offr, IRS), late Dr. Clement Vaz, or my own humble *Patriotism in Action* which dwell on Goans -- all who do not fit into your definition of a *Goan*. (Incidentally, my book was on Goans -- both Hindu and Catholic -- in the armed forces of India. I am surprised you expected me to discuss their upwardly social mobility. Tell you what. Take a Kalashnikov and make yourself UPWARDLY SOCIALLY MOBILE in Moira.) And just BTW, to clear your ignorance, when Goans went out of Goa -- say to Belgaum, Dharwar, Bangalore, Poona, Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Rangoon, Delhi or Karachi -- there was NO CHANGE of citizenship status. Goans only carried an identification (a much sought after doc today!) I don't know how the idea of insult or insulting came into your head after reading my email. Read it again and tell me what insults your sensibilities. If you still feel insulted, I can't help, but if you wish to settle imagined scores (I don't forget insults like this easily.) with me, say it loud and clear. I am more than willing to debate ... and preferably on a larger public forum, so that you finally earn your just deserts -- including from Saudi Arabia, if you prefer (and, hopefully, dispel your long-held skewed views on ... your Goanity.) What you say about the *400-odd Commissioned Offrs listed in the book -- including my father*, may I just say you will never fail to surprise, and quickly close by quoting what one of those 400-odd told me in a private email (and may I forecaution you that the author was a pioneer Indian Navy guy -- and a Goan ... lest you shoot off without your facts and later apologise (as in the case of Mr. Anthony de Sa). Anthony lives in distant Madhya Pradesh, this Navy Officer who I quote below lives in Goa, in a position to hold you by you-know-what! So digest with care: QUOTE: Please inform this idiot that we had to study hard and prepare for the open competitive Civil Services or NDA entrance exams before joining the IAS or Armed Forces as officers. The selection process was by no means easy. Nothing to do with Anglo-Indians whatsoever. The guy should at least do his homework before spewing out nonsense on goanet UNQUOTE. I think you should take the advice, Augusto dearest. Best, v - Original Message - From: augusto pinto To: goanet Cc: Frederick FN Noronha ; Valmiki Faleiro Sent: Friday, October 04, 2013 12:20 AM Subject: Re: Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) (Valmiki Faleiro) Dear Valmiki I think if you look at Message 10 of Goanet Digest, Vol 8, Issue 700 you will realize that I had apologized for presuming that Tino was not a Goan but my apology was not put on the Digest mode thanks to possibly to a malicious Goanet moderator who I will take the liberty of naming: Frederick Noronha. Because my post was delayed being posted to the Digest mode, it appears that mud is all over my face. Be that as it may. I will get my just deserts in due time. I don't forget insults like this easily. As for your second point that None of the 400-odd Commissioned Offrs listed in the book -- including my father -- would fit into Augusto's idea of a Goan! I don't think you quite understand my point. A very great number of Goan Catholics in pre-Independence times decided to change their status from Portuguese citizen of Goa to Anglo-Indian citizen of British India. Thus Barretto became Barrett; De Sa became D'Sa; Fernandes became Ferns; De Souza became D'Souza or even Delaney and so on and so forth. In this way they were able to claim Anglo-Indian status and further got an opportunity to get into the IAS and British Indian Army and so forth. I don't think your book Patriotism in Action: Goans in India's Defence Services*, Valmiki, sufficiently dwells upon the aspect of the how Goans managed to become upwardly socially mobile (which incidentally, I am not against per se; although what I am against is the humbug of Goans who have availed of such routes to upper-class-hood, today trying to deny their little chicaneries in a holier than thou manner). BTW Valmiki when are you going to come out with that magnum opus on Goan proverbs and idioms? If you need any help from me - let me say that I'd jump on the bandwagon faster than a bass guitarist let alone a drummer and forget a ghumottkar.. Regards Augusto -- `Message: 3 Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2013 12:03:36 +0530 From: Valmiki Faleiro valmikigoa...@gmail.com To: goanet@lists.goanet.org Subject: Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) Message-ID: CAC9Y6cgGJHjVxMqpiR= upgiyWWS1T1y0JNEZsuZ0N9M2h=55g**w...@mail.gmail.com 5...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Our friend, Prof. Augusto Pinto, received an eminently
Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) (Valmiki Faleiro)
On 4 October 2013 16:04, augusto pinto pinto...@gmail.com wrote: For all I knew he could be a Mangalorean or an East Indian. Remember similar claims were made about the Goanness of the actress Freida Pinto for instance when she became famous, although subsequently it was discovered that she was a Mangalorean who lived in Bombay with little connection to Goa. Arrey, uncle! Mangaloreans are Goans too. Maybe 400 years removed. As for East Indians, I agree. They're only our colonial cousins. FN
Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) (Valmiki Faleiro)
Dear Augusto, I sincerely regret you found my mail venomous, drivel, verbose, etc. No point talking any further. Though I want you to know -- and I will say this here publicly -- that I actually like you for thinking out of the box. I disagree when you foolishly shoot from the hip, without having your facts right, which unfortunately you so often do. Please be at peace and at liberty to think whatever you want ... like what you say about the *Campos* part you yourself first added to the Madhya Pradesh CS's name -- and then said it (the *Campos* part) apparently disappeared. And things like that, like the Indian Naval officer I quoted. May I assure you, Professore August, that they are gentlemen of a different genre who I personally know. They won't waste a bullet through your head. Take your time in getting to know them, (I can assure you guys like Tino and India's pioneer submariner are the kind of people you are yet to know), BUT don't be an upstart. From my humble side, count on my unreserved support. And shed your skewed mental baggage about Goa and Goans -- whether born or living in Goa or not, or those who tweaked their surnames without committing a sin that the Bible, Gita, Koran, Zend Avesta, or whatever, ordained as sin, outside Goa. Best to you, pyare, v - Original Message - From: augusto pinto To: Valmiki Faleiro Cc: goanet ; Aurora Couto Sent: Friday, October 04, 2013 4:04 PM Subject: Re: Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) (Valmiki Faleiro) Dear Valmiki I really enjoyed reading your venomous mail. But before I start answering it, I want you and all concerned to read my original mail a little more carefully: So when Frederick Noronha trumpeted the fact that 'a Goan' had become Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, I wanted to know whether Anthony de Sa or more properly Anthony Campos de Sa himself claimed to be a Goan. For all I knew he could be a Mangalorean or an East Indian. Remember similar claims were made about the Goanness of the actress Freida Pinto for instance when she became famous, although subsequently it was discovered that she was a Mangalorean who lived in Bombay with little connection to Goa. This was why I had asked my questions regarding whether he himself claimed to be a Goan. My second paragraph points to a habit we Goan Catholics have: if anyone has a surname which remotely resembles ours then we want to immediately grab credit for the Goan Catholic community. Should not have Frederick Noronha substantiated his claim that Anthony de Sa (incidentally the Campos in the family surname has apparently disappeared) was a Goan, which would have not necessitated me asking questions. Now coming to your own mail, I find most of it drivel. What is the connection between 'Maria Aurora de Couto' (sic) whose name to the best of my knowledge is Dr Maria Aurora Couto, and the subject of this letter? I don't understand why you dragged her name in and she will get to know about your letter as I'm going to cc it to her. As regards how much credit I give to Goans who have achieved something I would like to say - I'll praise all Goans who claim they are Goans. If they aren't then why should we gain credit for what is not ours? In your verbose reply you state: Yes, they bent to enter a smaller door, but with their backbones intact! I presume you mean to say it was OK to claim Anglo status and enter into service with the British. I too have no problem with this. Many of them have taken up foreign citizenship (would you like to challenge this?) on this basis. No problem again. But do we now have the right to claim them as our own? In your final paragraph you quote some mysterious Navy Officer who ... lives in Goa (and who is) in a position to hold you by you-know-what! Valmiki I wish your courageous Navy Officer at least has the gumption to say what he has to say publicly and then we shall see. Best Augusto On Fri, Oct 4, 2013 at 1:52 PM, Valmiki Faleiro valmi...@gmail.com wrote: Dear Prof. Augusto, Please don't blame Frederick Noronha for this. The blame actually credits to my stupid habit of checking email just once a day, and taking each email in the order it came in: first in, first out. In fact, much after I posted my rejoinder to your silly view on expatriate Goans, I did see that you had corrected your stance, but only as regards Anthony de Sa, the new Chief Secretary of MP. Hope you consider Goan a person like Maria Aurora de Couto -- to cite just one example -- who is now in Goa, but most of her life, with her husband, also a highly respected IAS officer, outside Goa. (If the Ma'am gets to reads this, my advance apologies to her!) It appears that your general view on how *Goan* expatriate Goans are, and how much credit we
Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa)
Our friend, Prof. Augusto Pinto, received an eminently merited rap for -- as he is apt to -- shooting his gun before getting his facts right. A person of Goan origin is a *khaas Goemkar* if he cares for his native soil. Augusto obviously forgets the reasons why Goans by the drove chose to out-migrate, particularly from the 19th Century. On a personal note, however, I am grateful to Augusto that he did not raise this issue when reviewing my book, *Patriotism in Action: Goans in India's Defence Services*. None of the 400-odd Commissioned Offrs listed in the book -- including my father -- would fit into Augusto's idea of a Goan! Goans in Goa could not join the British Indian armed forces until 1947 and India's forces until 1961. I particularly liked the part in Tino's reply retained below. Well said! Best, v -- Original message -- From: Goanet Reader goanetrea...@gmail.com Date: Thu, Oct 3, 2013 at 4:25 AM Subject: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! goanet@lists.goanet.org Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident Tino de Sa When Goanet carried a report saying Goan becomes Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, there was a counter-view questioning the use of the label Goan for an expat Goan. The poster said: Why should we as Goans leap to grab credit for the achievements of people who may have some Goan ancestry but for all we know have little or no desire to be identified with Goa, which again for all we know may be a dampener to their career prospects. See http://bit.ly/GoanityDebate Here, Anthony (Tino) de Sa responds, to a debate that is relevant to Goa's large expat community. 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. ###
Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) (Valmiki Faleiro)
Dear Valmiki I think if you look at Message 10 of Goanet Digest, Vol 8, Issue 700 you will realize that I had apologized for presuming that Tino was not a Goan but my apology was not put on the Digest mode thanks to possibly to a malicious Goanet moderator who I will take the liberty of naming: Frederick Noronha. Because my post was delayed being posted to the Digest mode, it appears that mud is all over my face. Be that as it may. I will get my just deserts in due time. I don't forget insults like this easily. As for your second point that None of the 400-odd Commissioned Offrs listed in the book -- including my father -- would fit into Augusto's idea of a Goan! I don't think you quite understand my point. A very great number of Goan Catholics in pre-Independence times decided to change their status from Portuguese citizen of Goa to Anglo-Indian citizen of British India. Thus Barretto became Barrett; De Sa became D'Sa; Fernandes became Ferns; De Souza became D'Souza or even Delaney and so on and so forth. In this way they were able to claim Anglo-Indian status and further got an opportunity to get into the IAS and British Indian Army and so forth. I don't think your book Patriotism in Action: Goans in India's Defence Services*, Valmiki, sufficiently dwells upon the aspect of the how Goans managed to become upwardly socially mobile (which incidentally, I am not against per se; although what I am against is the humbug of Goans who have availed of such routes to upper-class-hood, today trying to deny their little chicaneries in a holier than thou manner). BTW Valmiki when are you going to come out with that magnum opus on Goan proverbs and idioms? If you need any help from me - let me say that I'd jump on the bandwagon faster than a bass guitarist let alone a drummer and forget a ghumottkar.. Regards Augusto -- `Message: 3 Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2013 12:03:36 +0530 From: Valmiki Faleiro valmikigoa...@gmail.com To: goanet@lists.goanet.org Subject: Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) Message-ID: CAC9Y6cgGJHjVxMqpiR= upgiyWWS1T1y0JNEZsuZ0N9M2h=5...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Our friend, Prof. Augusto Pinto, received an eminently merited rap for -- as he is apt to -- shooting his gun before getting his facts right. A person of Goan origin is a *khaas Goemkar* if he cares for his native soil. Augusto obviously forgets the reasons why Goans by the drove chose to out-migrate, particularly from the 19th Century. On a personal note, however, I am grateful to Augusto that he did not raise this issue when reviewing my book, *Patriotism in Action: Goans in India's Defence Services*. None of the 400-odd Commissioned Offrs listed in the book -- including my father -- would fit into Augusto's idea of a Goan! Goans in Goa could not join the British Indian armed forces until 1947 and India's forces until 1961. I particularly liked the part in Tino's reply retained below. Well said! Best, v -- Original message -- From: Goanet Reader goanetrea...@gmail.com Date: Thu, Oct 3, 2013 at 4:25 AM Subject: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! goanet@lists.goanet.org Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident Tino de Sa When Goanet carried a report saying Goan becomes Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, there was a counter-view questioning the use of the label Goan for an expat Goan. The poster said: Why should we as Goans leap to grab credit for the achievements of people who may have some Goan ancestry but for all we know have little or no desire to be identified with Goa, which again for all we know may be a dampener to their career prospects. See http://bit.ly/GoanityDebate Here, Anthony (Tino) de Sa responds, to a debate that is relevant to Goa's large expat community. 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. ### Augusto Pinto 40, Novo Portugal Moira, Bardez Goa, India E pinto...@gmail.com P 0832-2470336 M 9881126350
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa)
Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident Tino de Sa When Goanet carried a report saying Goan becomes Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, there was a counter-view questioning the use of the label Goan for an expat Goan. The poster said: Why should we as Goans leap to grab credit for the achievements of people who may have some Goan ancestry but for all we know have little or no desire to be identified with Goa, which again for all we know may be a dampener to their career prospects. See http://bit.ly/GoanityDebate Here, Anthony (Tino) de Sa responds, to a debate that is relevant to Goa's large expat community. An unfortunate presumption, Augusto. The fact is that my grandfather, Dr Antonio de Sa, was born in and did his medicine in Goa. From the year he left Goa (1899) to the year he died (1946), he and his family (my father included) came back to the ancestral house in Piedade, every year, and the first thing, I am told, my Avo did while stepping on to the soil of Divar each year was to pick up the mud and anoint his forehead with it saying Minha terra. It is a tradition which my father (until his death in 1981) and myself (and, I am happy to note, my son Rohit) maintain to this day, (and we do it with pride, I assure you). Right through my youth my father made it a point to bring us every May to Goa (whether by ship or by bus or by rail -- and fifty years ago it was an arduous journey of a thousand kilometres from Bhusaval to Piedade). He further made it a point that we live in our ancestral village house (though it was a difficult time my mother had to open up a house that had been shut for a year; but she did it willingly, because, after all, it was -- Goa!), notwithstanding the fact that it did not have electricity and only sported a 'pig-toilet'. I hasten to add that those annual holidays in Goa, include bathing at the well and fishing in the Mandovi estuary, are among my best childhood memories. My ancestral house in Piedade is one of the oldest structures in Goa, the ground floor dating back to the time when my family name was Kamat, and this house of my ancestors is something that I would never part with for anything in the world. It represents for me my roots. In spite of my father himself being born and brought up outside of Goa, both he, and I (as soon as I completed 14 years) were registered in Goltim (Divar) for our 'zonn'. As were my mother's brothers (in Saligao/Anjuna) even though they all lived abroad. Both my parents have bequeathed to me and my sisters an abiding love for and pride in our heritage. The waters of the Mandovi and the Chapora are mingled with the blood in my veins. Soon after my post-graduation from St Xavier's in Mumbai, I was a research fellow in the Heras Institute. While preparing for my IAS entrance exams also researched -- surprise: the history of Goa! -- under the supervision of my cousin, Fr John Correia-Afonso, SJ, a scholar of international repute and an authority on Goan history and culture (again -- he too was born and brought up outside Goa)! Practically every wedding in the family, including that of my daughter, has been celebrated in Goa. A whole section of the poems I have composed are dedicated to Goa, and a book of short stories that is soon to be published are entirely located in Goa. If you were to check the Govt. of India records you would see that my 'home state' as stated in the IAS is recorded as Goa and that my mother tongue is recorded as Konkani, in spite of the fact that I am not very fluent in it (my wife, Malusha, though, is fluent in both Salcete as well as Bardez Konkani - again, even though she too has been born and brought up outside Goa, in Mumbai), and we have consciously tried to familiarise our children with the language of their heritage, even though, understandably they are more fluent in Hindi. I further assure you that it is no dampener to any one's career in the IAS to be equally proud of your native state as well as express your devotion to the state cadre one is allotted to (Madhya Pradesh, in my case). That is the very essence of an all-India Service, such as the one I belong to. I am equally proud of my 'karmbhoomi' Madhya Pradesh, and its people, whom I have had the honour to serve these 33 years, hold a very special place in my heart. 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
Re: [Goanet] Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa)
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
