Special Status Urgent for Goa

My first big disappointment with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar came about this week when he declared that the case for special status for Goa was not his immediate priority, and that he would take it up over a period of time. Now this is one issue over which the people of Goa are not divided. One issue which has been pending for too long a time. One issue for which the time has come. Now.

Now or never. We have waited for fifty long years. In the past we had to fight over divisive issues and win bitter victories. Victories bring euphoria and happiness, but also bitterness, especially when the process results in wounds and divisions.  This is one issue over which there are no divisions and there will be no wounds. The only wound that we could have may be caused by delay, for justice delayed can be justice denied. And it is a case of justice having been denied for too long. We were liberated from the Portuguese fourteen years after the rest of India had won independence. We missed having our representatives in the Constituent Assembly that drafted India’s Constitution. We missed two general elections to India’s Parliament.  We missed two five-year plans, and development that would come from them.  And after Goa was liberated at last in December 1961, we missed a decade fighting sad issues like wanting to merge Goa in Maharashtra.

As French writer Victor Hugo wrote, nothing can stop an idea whose time has come.

Mr. Chief Minister, Sir, the time for special status for Goa has come. And history has placed the leadership on your broad shoulders at this point of time that you may lead Goa to obtain the special status due to her in the Republic of India.

Why the urgency? There are at least two important reasons.

First, the bill to amend article 371 of the Constitution of India will come up in Parliament anytime now. This bill proposes to give special status to certain regions and states for various reasons. The case of Goa has to be included so that the land, language and culture of our small state can be given proper protection, and our State Assembly given powers to enact special legislations to protect these. It is land, language and culture that give us our identity. And the identity of each region and state adds to the mosaic of a colorful India.

Second, it is a well known fact that our small state is facing terrible pressures especially regarding land. Our language Konkani needs careful attention, more so in view of many conflicts which are divisive. Our culture has to be preserved in the face of cultural invasions in the tourist belt. But the protection of land is the topmost priority. These matters can’t be left for the future or to be settled over a period of time. If our government does not act firmly now, then it may be too late. There may be no land to protect. And the Konkani speaking people may become a minority in their own land. And there may be no identity to preserve.

Therefore I repeat that our present Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar must lead the state with a vociferous demand for special status. Our fifty years of liberation and twenty-five years of statehood must be capped with the crown of a special status. We do not need another mass agitation for this. All political parties are willing to accompany the CM if and when he decides to lead a delegation to Delhi. And the CM had indicated in the House on 7^th August that he would take up the matter with the Prime Minister. What made him go in the slow mode now? Shantaram  Naik, our Rajya Sabha Member, has volunteered to do whatever he can. I don’t think political affiliations and considerations should matter in this case. It is a case for Goa and for all the people of Goa, whether speaking Konkani or any other language; whether Hindus, Christians, Muslims, any other religion, atheists, or agnostics; whether industrialists, businessmen, professionals, retired, at home, or in service; whether Congress, BJP, MGP, UGDP, GVP, or Communist. There are times when we must set all differences aside and only sing one song, the song of Goa. That time is now.

The people of Goa have elected all big national parties at one time or the other. This time it may be BJP. It was the Congress for almost three decades. And before that it was the regional MGP. All have drunk from the wellsprings of Goa. Will it be asking too much to sink differences on this one issue? We now have the BJP ruling and the Congress in opposition in Goa. And Congress led UPA ruling and BJP in the opposition at the centre. Reverse roles otherwise, but could be complementary in seeking special status for Goa. Will the Congressmen in Goa persuade their High Command and the BJP their central leadership in Delhi?

I began by expressing my disappointment with the CM. I hope and pray that disappointment may not turn in to disillusionment.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 26.08.2012 

Peace and Progress

 “Peace must be our ideology, progress our horizon”

I begin by quoting the ending words of President Pranab Mukherjee’s maiden address to the nation on the eve of our sixty-fifth anniversary of Independence, last Tuesday. It was a great speech which captured the essence of the here and now situation at this point in the history of our nation.  Earlier, in his acceptance speech after taking oath of office on July 26, President Mukherjee had also spoken of peace and economic progress. Both speeches are in sync in projecting his vision and emphasis.

Unfortunately, the contents of the President’s address to the nation did not find important space in the print media. In some dailies it was relegated to the interior pages while in some important dailies it found no mention at all. Baba Ramdev’s pronouncements were highlighted more than the message of the President. This, I feel is not a proper perspective. The President is the head of state, the first citizen of our country. While the Prime Minister’s annual speech at the Red Fort may be guided by the  exigencies of immediate contexts and even political colors, the President is supposed to look at the state of affairs from an impartial platform. The Independence Day is a solemn occasion to celebrate and ponder. Politicians, civil society leaders and others speak, act and agitate  the whole year round. They say one thing today and another tomorrow. But the President addresses the nation only twice a year, on the eve of Independence Day and that of Republic Day. And what an experienced and senior First Citizen of the country says should not be sidelined by the press, though I can very well understand that the speeches of some past occupants of the Rashtrapati Bhavan may not have been inspiring.

Coming back to the theme of peace and progress, President Mukherjee struck the right chord when he said in his acceptance speech: “Peace is the first ingredient of prosperity. History has often been written in the red of blood; but development and progress are the luminous rewards of a peace dividend, not a war trophy…… But the visible rewards of peace have also obscured the fact that the age of war is not over. We are in the midst of a fourth world war; the third was the Cold War, but it was very warm in Asia, Africa and Latin America till it ended in the early 1990s. The war against terrorism is the fourth; and it is a world war because it can raise its evil head anywhere in the world. India has been on the frontlines of this war long before many other recognized its vicious depth or poisonous consequences.”

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 19.08.2012 

Independence Days of Yore

As we approach the sixty-fifth commemoration of our Independence Day this Wednesday, my thoughts go back to the early nineteen-seventies, especially the silver jubilee year, 1972. That was the year when, having passed out my SSC, I had entered the campus of St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa. That itself meant freedom from the restrictions of school to the broader environs of college life.

The whole country was looking forward to celebrate twenty-five years of Independence. Our college had organized a symposium to mark the occasion, with Pratapsingh Rane, a young  first time minister in the MGP government, as chief guest. We were not used to seeing such refined and soft spoken ministers at that time, and Mr. Rane definitely made a good impression on us. There were many other functions, and patriotism was in the air. We were becoming a strong nation. We had a strong leader in Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. We had not only won the war against Pakistan in December 1971 but had marched right into the heart of East Pakistan, helping in the liberation of this territory from the domination of West Pakistan, now Pakistan. We had played a big role in the birth of Bangladesh. We were not only an independent and free democracy but liberators of another country.

Immediately after the victory over Pakistan, Indira Gandhi led the Congress in an election to all state assemblies. Her Congress party swept the elections. There was stability. The war on poverty, “Garibi Hatao”, was the rhetorical slogan. Socialism and mixed economy were the creed of the day. Self reliance was another goal of the government. And non-alignment was a prominent feature of our foreign policy, though we were inclined towards the Communists of USSR.

There were no threats to the minorities. Communal disturbance and riots were very rare. Extremist organizations were on a low key, unlike today. Minorities felt secure and rallied behind the ruling dispensation. I should say that generally speaking our country India was at peace with herself.

When the mood is so upbeat, the people of the country naturally sing praises to their motherland. No pressure is required from authorities. I remember writing an article for the Silver Independence Day issue of the school magazine of my Alma Mater, entitled, “The Flag is in my Heart”. I meant every word of it, and remember some of the juniors telling me that it was the best piece I had written in the magazine which I myself had established with the help of Fr. Raymond Carvalho, our principal, and some empowering teachers during the final years of my schooling.

My school, St. Thomas Boys’ High School, Aldona, had prepared me with a nationalist fervor. I had studied under three teachers, Sir Pereira, Sir Pinto and Sir Godinho, who were freedom fighters for Goa’s liberation from the Portuguese. The Independence day and the Republic day were great festive occasions for them. So though born in the nineteen-fifties, we could understand better what the Indian freedom struggle meant, and much more what Goa’s freedom struggle was. During my final year, I was asked by the acting principal, to deliver the Independence Day speech after Flag hoisting. I was delighted and prepared my own speech. The principal, having confidence in me, did not ask me to show him the script. I referred in my speech to the Twenty-year Indo-Soviet Treaty, which had just been signed a month earlier and which would strengthen the defense of our country in the event of a war with Pakistan and even China. The United States of America, and China were inclined towards Pakistan. During the next civics class, Fr. Archie Fernandes, the acting principal, referred to my speech and gave us his interpretation of the Indo-Soviet treaty. Could the Soviet Union which suppressed freedom not only within its state boundaries but in the Communist ruled countries of East Europe, be expected to protect our freedom in India? Did we know how the Soviet Union intervenes in and controls countries like Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland? I did not know. But my horizons were widened. I began to understand the full dimensions of freedom and liberty. When Indira Gandhi declared emergency and curtailed our freedom in June, 1975, I did not celebrate the Independence Day for next two years during the emergency. But I did celebrate the day when she lost the post emergency election in March 1977. That, I thought like many others, was our second liberation.

We celebrated the golden and diamond jubilees of our independence in 1997 and 2007 respectively. Both were big celebrations but lacked the magic of the silver jubilee in 1972, perhaps due to change of circumstances. In 1972 we were one nation fighting against external threats. From nineteen-nineties, for the last twenty-two years, our external threats have diminished. But our internal threats have substantially increased: terrorism, communal tensions, riots, depriving people of land, partialities in the face of injustice, police atrocities, economic disparities, corruption, etc..

We shall regain the magic when equality before the law, freedom for all citizens and communities to grow to their full potential, decentralization that empowers citizens to decide at the local level, and inclusive growth – all these become not just provisions on paper but a reality. Unity in diversity.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 12.08.2012 

Dialogue and Bridges

We need to have more dialogue. We need to build more bridges. Not only bridges over the rivers, but bridges of trust between individuals, communities, organizations, children and parents, students and teachers, people and authorities, states and countries. The list is long. The one sure way to build such bridges is through dialogue that generates trust.

We are going through tough times on almost all fronts: economic, social, political, national and international.  But instead of talking with each other, or even to each other, we are talking at each other. Hence the confusion and the chaos continue. We need good leaders who can also be great healers. Leaders who exercise power with justice, healers who bring peace through justice. Justice is the key word, but lacking to a large extent in our country and our world. Bias, favoritism, nepotism, suppression and oppression, self promotion at the cost of others, and many other factors hamper justice. Can there be peace without justice? And can there be true development without peace?

We have to ask these questions to ourselves, search within and out for answers, and articulate them in a trust enhancing dialogue. That will be a good way to celebrate sixty-five years of Independence of India this August.

Our families must be the first schools of dialogue. Children should be encouraged to take their parents in confidence and to tell them whatever they feel is wrong and unjust in their daily encounters. The parents must set the good example of dialogue among themselves and promote the same at home. The children will then be more open and articulate with others, hence healthier in their outlook. They would then be less burdened with the fear complex and suppression of unfavorable facts that cause further problems. Suicides may not then be the option to be considered. A child who is harassed physically or otherwise would feel secure to report the matter to the parents at the initial stage, averting aggravation. My thoughts go to the teenager who lost her promising life because of the shameful acts of her teacher.

People in general are afraid of authorities. They endure injustice to avoid harassment and persecution. They curse the authorities in the silence of their hearts and in whispers to their friends. If it is so among the adults, imagine how much worse it must be among helpless children. I know of a young boy who waited, till he passed out from school, to tell his caring father about the remarks his headmaster made and the wrong type of physical punishment given to him by one of his teachers. ‘I hate that school’, he said. He knew that matters would be worse for him if his father had to confront the school authorities when he was still in school. The boy also knew that his headmaster had made those remarks because his father was an outspoken member in the Parent-Teacher Association of the school.

I have brought to light what happens in the schools because the same is repeated in organizations, establishments, offices and even within the structures of some of our holy places. As far as government and other public offices are concerned, it is the order of the day. There are a number of people who accept the injustice meted out within organizations and establishments only because they have to earn their daily bread. If they report the matter to the higher authorities, they know that the higher authorities are not likely to take any action as long as it does not affect the profit and loss account. And so life goes on. The best performers are not rewarded but those who toe the line and conform. The conformist is the king. The confrontationist is the enemy, even when the confrontation is for a just and worthy cause. That is why we have so many mediocre managers; and so many honest and hardworking men and women who never make it to the top. A man who knows his worth does not usually bow down to authorities. His or her sense of pride does not permit him or her to do that. The less your worth the more you may creep when asked to crawl. And creeping, creeping you may reach the top. The organization, the country may reach the bottom. But who cares?

We must care. We must reach out through dialogue. Even as things are bad, hope is not lost. There are some tall leaders among us whom we must project and work with. With our few tall leaders we must all become healers. Healers to those who have been suppressed by the system. Healers of victims, builders of trust.

With apologies to Rabindranath Tagore:

Where dialogue builds bridges of trust, into that heaven of freedom my Father, let my Country awake.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 05.08.2012