Manohar Parrikar failed Panjim for two decades as its MLA -- By Nisser Dias

An hour’s shower this monsoon submerged most of the main roads in the capital city of Goa. What does this indicate, obviously that its former MLA Manohar Parrikar miserably failed his constituents in Panjim for the last 20 years.

Manohar Parrikar was first elected in this constituency in the year 1994 and since then the voters have reposed faith in him repeatedly till date. So much so that after vacating the seat to become the Defence Minister he managed to get his trusted lieutenant Siddarth Kuncolikar elected in Panjim in 2014.

18th June road in Panjim city

Thus from 1994 to 2014 he did not even achieve to have a proper drainage system for his constituency and people of Goa had to bear the consequences. Most of the time we tend to criticize other MLAs sometime even without rhyme or reason. But when it comes to the IIT alumni, we consciously take a step back and talk about the bridges that he built, of having brought International Film Festival of India to Goa or he being intelligent, not forgetting his arrogance and the tag he attained of being autocratic but when it comes to development of his constituency nobody really dares to pass judgment against him.

Incidentally we should not lose sight of the fact that he was the chief minister of Goa for three times. That he never did complete his term is his own doing. In his first stint as CM he dissolved the assembly as he wanted absolute power through absolute majority. During his second stint he was toppled after huge drama in the august House where he allegedly engineered bodily lifting of ex-MLA of Velim Philip Neri Rodrigues by police officer appointed as Marshals. But he was not successful to hold on to the chair. His third stint from 2012 to 2014 was full of U-turns and hollow promises which he cut short to go to Delhi as Defence Minister and subsequently passed on the reins to his party colleague Laxmikant Parsekar.

As things stand traffic movement in Panjim is a mess, vehicle parking is in total disarray due to lack of space, lack of scientific drainage network system has left Panjim submerged, garbage collection, segregation and treatment is a mess, the list can go on.

Opposite Captain of Ports near Panjim jetty.

The reason being former or rather Panjim MLA of 20 years was more involved in  politicking games rather than development. Secondly he can never get along with anybody due to his arrogance, thinking that he is always right and only he knows everything and that it should be done only his way or the highway for the one who opposes him. With such an attitude he has brought development of the city to a grinding halt.

This man can never get along with any elected Mayor as they are not from his party. A rare exception was for a short period when his man was in the seat. And to always counteract or put spokes in the functioning of the ruling group, Parrikar would always appoint his ‘Yes man’ as the Commissioner. And for years it has been Sanjit Rodrigues. The ex-CM has stalled basic infrastructure being either put in place or upgrading it by using the commissioner. Sanjit Rodrigues not only genuflects in his presence but lies down at his master’s feet. A rather disgraced officer.

Man who supervised the destruction of
Panjim for 2 decades

The Defence minister as the CM of the State always used to say that he will have a solution for any issue, but for the last 20 years that the voters of Panjim has given him the mandate, he has not honoured it. And that is the reason collection, segregation, dumping and treatment of garbage has become the nemesis of Panjim city, drainage system has doomed the capital city of Goa.

Infact one could safely say that instead of improving the situation on land the longest serving ex-MLA of Panjim has gone on to even pollute river Mandovi further by permitting more casinos.

It seems to be high time that voters of Panjim to wear their thing caps or ‘topis’ and decide to bring about a change for 2017 elections for drastic transformation of our capital city. Panjim truly needs someone better.

 

Weekend special Stuffed Squids

Ingredients

Squids - cleaned and washed

Stuffing

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes 

2 tbsp recheado masala

Salt and oil

Method

Clean squids by removing the flaps and tentacles from the pockets. Wash them thoroughly. Cut the flaps and tentacles in small pieces.

To prepare the stuffing

Saute onions in a pan with oil.

Once they turn brown in colour add tomatoes and cook for 2-3 mins.

Now add the recheado masala and pieces of tentacles and flaps, cook for five minutes.

Take the squids and fill them with the stuffing.

Close them from top with the help of a tooth pick.

Heat oil in a pan and cook the squids for 10 minutes or till done.

(Un)covering the Power of Horror behind the Denial of kabrastan -- By Fr. Victor Ferrao, Rachol Seminary

 

One question that has disturbed many is that of the opposition to the kabrastan by some Catholics in Borda, Margao.  What does this tell about us Catholics? How do we understand this resistance to kabrastan? In a Year of Mercy it certainly makes us look unmerciful and egoistic. The denial of a dignified post death ritual closure to any human being appears wicked and unchristian. This brings us to the relation of fear and faith.  Both fear and faith appear to be opposite of each other, though in some cases fear may draw a person to faith. May be a psychoanalytical analysis  becomes a tool that might enable us to understand how an intense fear  triggers resistance to the said  kabrastan.  The proposed grave yard seems to have become a symbol that produces disgust and horror among a tiny but significant minority in Borda.  

Along with Freud, we may need Jacques Lacan to understand the psychodynamics of fear that triggers resistance and anger among some of our catholic in Borda.  Freud rightly discovered that our conscious state is under the control of what he called unconscious.  Freud taught that unconscious cannot be fully understood and accurately rendered verbal. Moving beyond this Freudian principle, Lacan teaches that the unconscious is structured like a language and is the discourse of the other of the self. This means our passions are conditioned by the desire of the other.  Thus, unconscious is less something within person than an inter-subjective space between people.

In the case that we are trying to understand, with great respect and love to all stake holders, one might say that it becomes clear that the desire of our Muslim brethren (the Other of the Catholics) becomes a point of trigger that has unleashed passions of fear and resistance among some Catholics. The desire of the Other (the legitimate wish to have a dignified burial space) has dismantled the imaginary cocoon that had been the source of sense of right order of things for the aggrieved Catholics.  When the bubble of this order of things exploded in the context of an encounter with the desire of the Other, one encounters the fear of disintegration and loss of grip over the future. Once, the narcissistic illusions of the self break down in the context of its Other , the false sense of self mastery over life begin to fade away.

In Borda, it appears that some of the Catholics experienced the Other (in the form of the Muslims) as a point of rupture that brought about a false sense of disruption of order of things. This sense of horror has led to the eruption of passions that are fomenting the rejection of the burial space for our Muslim brethren. Within the texture of meaning of life, the Catholics seem to have encountered an imaginary  point where all meanings seem to fall away leading to a  false sense that the ground beneath their feet is falling away.  Panicked by this imagined loss of joint of time, their resistance becomes a cry for a sense of balance and security. This might explain the repugnance and rejection of the proposal for a burial ground by a minority.

But what puzzles many is the question that asks:  how could the resources of our Christian faith be not enough to overcome the castration anxiety that anyone can be subjected in the face of an encounter with a supposedly intruder ? With great respect, love and admiration to our Catholics brethren, we may have to agree that the crisis that they are facing is also a crisis of faith. While the actions that are triggered by fear are far from our Christian morals and ethics yet the desire that is expressed as resistance is self damaging and is an expression of what Freud calls death drive. May be we might get an insight into this subjection of self to a mode of self destruction if we interpret Lacan’s presentation of the mirror stage.

Lacan presents the mirror stage as a crucial developmental stage of the self of a child. He says that a child between the ages of 6 to 18 months comes to identify itself with the image in the mirror, the other of its fragmented self. The child experiences a brokenness of its body and deceives its self by identifying with its image in the mirror that bestows a sense of wholeness and balance. Hence, the self imposes an illusory order and build its comfort zone. The same is true about all of us.  We too have illusory sense of order of things that bestows on us a sense of equanimity. Like us, the Catholics in Borda seem to have build an imaginary mirror image of themselves and life in general and when the real life comes biting the imaginary world comes down collapsing triggering anxiety and resistance

Hence, it is important that we all realise and understand the power of horror over life. The power horror/fear is controlling some of our Catholics in the case under our study. It is important that we bring these brethren to a leap of consciousness that would take them to a heightened awareness of the fact that without their intension, in that given situation Christian faith is crucified on the altar of fear. This awareness can break open the constrictions that debilitate their minds. We need to exhibit compassion to both side of the divide and yet firmly tackle the unfounded fears of our people in Borda and work to change the discourse that is routed in fear to the one that is rooted in faith, courage and openness.  It is my earnest hope and prayer that all stake holders in the case that we have studied receive the divine gift of discernment that would allay all fears and anxieties and open us to offer a dignified closure of death to our Muslim brethren.   

Are all Freedom Fighters genuine? FFs’ unfortunate display of anger against fellow Goans. -- By Jose Maria Miranda

Jose Maria Miranda

It is an undisputed fact that Goans, during the foreign dictatorial rule, displayed much more courage and determination in fighting issues concerning Goa and Goans than they show today. It was not alone in matters of civil liberties, freedom of expression, end of Portuguese colonial rule, autonomy, etc but also those related to the State and people’s welfare that Goans stood up for fearlessly and tenaciously. While those who demanded civil liberties and autonomy under the Portuguese were looked upon with suspicion and considered persona non grata, those who demanded the ouster of the Portuguese and Goa’s merger with India were treated badly and many incarcerated and deported, some having suffered even torture for several years.

These people who suffered both physically and psychologically to attain freedom for us ought to have commanded great love and respect from the beneficiaries of this great gift. Unfortunately, that does not seem be the case. And for the sake of fairness, I must emphatically say that it is not right to paint all the Freedom Fighters with the same brush.

I have the greatest regard, and surely many do, for the genuine ones. A few, I understand, have not even availed of the pension and I salute them. But this is immaterial here. However, what is regrettable is that some who do, were apparently charged with other offences and turned into “freedom fighters”. Until a few years back, people from all over the country were still being enrolled as FFs – under what circumstances, why so late and where were they for half a century, is still an enigma. It may be interesting to know their ages. But such enrolments, without a whimper from the genuine FFs, have immensely lowered their prestige in the eyes of the people. Secondly, and this is a resentment I fully share, the FFs did nothing after the take-over to safeguard the interests and address the concerns of Goans against the inevitable invasion of outsiders with serious repercussions to our demography and our own existence.

On the contrary, some people, not necessarily FFs, in their enthusiasm to please the new rulers, shot down attempts in that direction. The inevitable eventually happened and this is perhaps the main reason for this resentment, which was not witnessed some decades back. May I quote here FFs like Lambert Mascarenhas who asserted that he preferred the Goa of Portuguese days and Prabhakar Sinari who lamented that Liberation had only benefited politicians, lobbies and migrants? Thirdly, hardly any FF has been vocal or active against the outrageous destruction of Goa and Goans, the corruption and loot witnessed in the last few decades.

A few FFs gave recently a call to the Government to “punish” Goans who registered their birth in Portugal, claiming that these were fully aware of what they were doing. Any true blooded Goan who has love and concern for his Goan brethren would have appealed to the Government to find a way out for these people for the simple reason that they themselves have not sought Portuguese citizenship, which they could easily do if that was their intention, and even if they did, they would go to UK or elsewhere, for Portugal can hardly manage jobs or accommodation for their own people.

Far from it, they called for them to be punished. I must tell these honourable gentlemen: i) Had safeguards been ensured by you and had you fought for the rights of the Goans for a decent livelihood, those who chose to leave, much against their will, some leaving their dear behind, did so solely in search of livelihood and to support their families. ii) Their decision is not out of love for Portugal, which they have never seen or will ever see, but out of an opportunity that arose, which could save them from penury or misery. iii) Their decision is no different from millions of Indians who have acquired foreign nationality and refuse to be back despite offer of good jobs. iv) Goa does not belong to you and me, who are on our way out, as much as it does to these young people who love Goa dearly but were constrained to leave it behind.

It is surely imprudent for Goans who are doing reasonably well here to leave Goa for an uncertain situation abroad. The target of FFs being Goans who have only registered their birth, it is obvious that they wish to deprive them of privileges both in India and in Portugal, as the latter does not concede any benefits of settlement, travel, vote, etc to such solely registered individuals.

My appeal to the FFs who have voiced their views is: Your anger against the Portuguese is perhaps understandable, though the generation responsible for your ill-treatment may be no more. But do not extend it to your own Goan brethren. Vassalo e Silva suffered because he refused to carry out Salazar’s instructions, which would have caused destruction and bloodshed. Hence, do not bracket all the Portuguese in the same league. In general, they are lovely people and did not indulge in racial discrimination unlike the rulers of the rest of India.

I was recently told by an elderly gentleman that he had himself seen a big board in “Rendez Vous” restaurant in Colaba around 1947 displaying “No entry to Indians and dogs”. Remember that if our rights and privileges were safeguarded in 1961 by you and in 1974 by you and me, we would have not had this situation today.  And last but not the least: please do not betray your communal colours, which some of you did also in case of grants to Diocesan schools, though a majority of students in these schools are non-Christians. It behooves you to be different.

Weekend special Shark Ambot Tik. (Shark Sour-Spicy gravy)

Requirements

 Shark good size

 1 big onion

 1 Tomato

 10 Dry Kashmiri Chillies

4 Flakes of Garlic

1/2″ Piece Ginger

4 Pepper corns

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1/4″ Turmeric

  Heaped tablespoon of Tamarind

2 Tablespoons of oil

Direction

Slice shark fish into slices, wash, apply some salt and keep it aside.

Grind the above ingredients with a little water.

Fry sliced onion till golden brown.Add pieces of tomatos and fry them till mashed.

Add masala in the pan and cook it for a few minutes then add some water and bring it to a boil.

Add pieces of shark to the gravy and ensure they are below the gravy line. Bring to boil and then on low flame till fish is cooked.

Taste the dish for vinegar and salt, add if required.  

Greed is the main ingredient for getting duped – By Nisser Dias

For last couple of months one section of the public are gunning for the police for shoddy investigations or rather let’s say for not taking interest in investigating duping of people by Nilesh Raikar of the Kamakshi Forex Pvt. Ltd. Now this section of public call themselves ‘investors’. Yes they have invested their hard-earned money where it should not have been. Nowhere does the said hoarding say that Kamakshi is an investment company.

So who is to be blamed for unauthorised investment. It is the so called investors themselves for their greed to double or triple their money in quick time. These individuals did not report to the police that the accused was illegally accepting their money in lakhs of rupees. They did not complain while accepting huge interests on monthly basis.

But now since they have realised that have been duped, is the government to be blamed? Is it right to point fingers at the police and lastly is it right  to pressurize advocates not to take the brief of the proprietor or accused?

This is not the first time since people have been duped. It has been going on for decades and still people have not changed and in future too greedy people will be swindled in a similar fashion.

The main ingredient for falling prey to these con-men is greed. Infact these individuals thrive of the people’s greed to make quick buck. With their glib tongue they attract gullible individuals into their lair. After a person is trapped, dividends/interests are paid regularly for few months to couple of years. This is to win over the trust of ‘investors’, and bring more investors and then deceive them.

Two decades back Reserve Bank of India permitted NBFCs (Non Banking Finance Company). These companies could accept deposits as FDs, provide loans but were not allowed to have Saving or Current accounts. They could make loans available at higher interest rate compared to banks at the same they gave higher interest rates for deposits. All these companies ran aground with depositors losing their money and those who had availed loans benefitted.

The reason for downfall of the NBFCs is that it was not profitable to give higher percentage of interests than the banks to the depositors. Secondly those individuals whose loan applications were rejected by the regular banks availed loans from NBFCs because of the relaxed norms. Hence when loans started going bad NBFCs started defaulting on the payments to the depositors. The investors were the losers.

The promoters of the company were arrested, the managers thrown behind bars and within 14 days they were released on bail.

In some NBFCs cases, the head of the family with some banking background was the promoter and his wife, brothers and sisters were directors. In a sort it was family business and in some instances the companies were floated to cheat ‘get-rich-quick’ individuals.

Couple of months back we have had Kamakshi Forex going into red. The story is similar. Greed made individuals invest with this company. It is plain and simple ‘Forex’ simply means ‘Foreign Exchange’. Nowhere on the hoarding it is said investment company.

Along with Kamakshi Forex another company by name Evolve Consultancy has also duped lot of people and the proprietor is also on the run.

Couple of years back it was Jayant Nalwade who duped not only lay people but also government servants like DySPs, deputy collectors, mamladars, police inspectors, PWD engineers.

Earlier to Nalwade, there was Mahesh Mehta who conned hundreds of individuals of their hard-earned money.

Can we forget con-men posing themselves as overseas recruiters, collect money from naïve job-seekers and disappear?

The modus operandi of these con-men is based on a simple human weakness that is greed. Greed and more greed to accumulate more and more money at a rapid pace. These con-men cultivate the greed in individuals but in the end harvest rich benefits for themselves.        

 

 

 

 

 

Freedom Fighters and overseas Goans: A Psychoanalytic Reading -- By Fr. Victor Ferrao

 

Fr. Victor Ferrao

The unfortunate angry outburst of the freedom fighters and their call for punishment of the Goans who have registered their birth in Portugal is in bad taste. The fact that they continue to use the term Goan to refer to these people shows that they too admit that they belong to Goa.  With due respect to our honourable freedom fighters, a detour into psychoanalysis might assist us to understand their outburst.  The case appears to me as one that fits the proverbial Freudian Oedipus Complex which triggers what Freud called castration anxiety. This anxiety is resolved by running to the law of the father.  Though, the Portugal of today have moved on by accepting a Goan as its  Prime Minister, the Portugal in the imagination of our honourable freedom fighters seem to have become a fetish object. In this context, the desire for the object of fetish is expressed in the form of hate of Portugal. Within this complex desire, the Goans who have registered their birth in Portugal become rivals in relationship to the object of fetish. Their anxiety is articulated clearly in an imagined catastrophic war between India and Portugal in an immediate future wherein they unfoundedly construe that the Goans who have registered their birth in Portugal would betray India. Hence, they seem to run into the arms of the law of the father and seek punishment of the erring Goans and stay relevant.

This slide into a new low, though puts on a mask of patriotism seems to be privileging the law of the Father.  It is striking that the freedom fighters who refused to accept the colonialist’s rule as a law of the father and became what theorists like Deluze and Gauttari term anti-oedipus have now become the proponents of the law of the father in context of  today. Thus, our very own anti-oedipus (freedom fighters)   seems to find the Goans who have broken ties with the Father (motherland) and became the new anti-oedipus as rivals.  Well, this psychoanalytical critic is aimed at understanding the recent outburst of the freedom fighters and in no way aims to discredit and de-merit their struggle for Goa’s liberation. This quest only attempts to understand how the past complexly lives in our present in our society and afflicts us. The new anti-oedipus seems to have become a victim of projection and thus seem to be steadily shaping up to be a new object of fetish at another level of the spiral of  the purposive desire (hate) of the freedom fighters.  An object of fetish is always a Body without organs. It is a reductive totalization of the body that forgets the specificity as well as definite functions of each organs that constitute it. The term body without organ is popularised by Deleuze and Gauttari. Now Portugal as an object of fetish is divested of all its present and future and even its past. The only exception is its past relations with Goa. The same is true of the Goans who are now the new object of festish. These Goans are divested of all their diversity, narratives of struggle, displacement and discrimination in Goa. What remains unforgotten is their so called breaking of ties with India .

Thus, Portugal and the Goans with ties with Portugal are treated as ‘Body without organs’. The forgetting of the specificities, diversities and rounding of everything into generalities  transforms the object of fetish into a source of fascination that produces repugnance and hate. That is why we might trace a kind of fixation of a tensive relation of some of the  freedom fighters with Portugal.  The fact that Portugal has become a fetish object is clear from the fact that their attack on Portugal almost always remains generic and very rarely specific. Moreover, the position of the freedom fighters often appears to resonate with that of fundamentalists among the Hindu nationalists. Hence, the fact that values trumpeted as nationalist are often converting India into a body without organs forgetting its plural and diverse being. In some way, our honourable freedom fighters consciously or unconsciously reproduce the values encoded by the divisive forces of the right wing.  Hence, this nationalism has to be rightly declared as not national enough.  Therefore,  we might agree with scholars who propose that fetish is a site of formation and revelation of ideologically driven consciousness. I am afraid, but must utter the unutterable. Say the un-sayable with great admiration and love for our freedom fighters, I say that they seem to be repeating the discourse of the Hindutva nationalists .  

The construction of the native Goans who have left Goa in search of better economic pastures as anti-nationals is naive position that glosses over the complexity of the  issue. There cannot be only a legal reading of the supposed transgressive act of the Goans who registered their birth in Portugal.  Such a reading will convert them into a body without organs and is profoundly rooted in Oedipus complex that privileges the law of the father. The socio-economic as well as political factors that afflict these Goans  cannot be brushed aside. Moreover, the reductive legal reading (an Oedipalizing act) is meshed in a discriminatory aesthetics that sees these Goans as corrupted and consequently produces repugnance towards them.  What we need is an integral, reasoned and compassioned perspective (anti-oedipal approach) to understand the plight of these Goans.  Punitive solution (an oedipal act of upholding the law of the father) as championed by our honourable freedom fighters cannot be a solution to this crises. It has to be holistic and as such has to have political, social and economic coordinates besides the legal elements. The socio-economic solutions to these crises are difficult though not impossible. The freedom fighters have identified the legal (oedipal) solution as the easiest one. But they have taken it in a punitive direction. What we need is a politico-legal solution that will consider dual citizenship or confer overseas Indian certification to everyone of our Goan brethren.  True love of Goa and even mother India does not lie in the punitive solution (oedipal tangle) but in a compassionate and reasoned embrace of our overseas Goans. We need an urgent political and legal response since we seem to have no capacity to offer a socio-economic solution to these Goans.

Sunday special Tangy-cheesy Salad

Requirments:-

Fresh lettuce leaves

Coloured peppers/capsicums

Baby Corn

Olives

Cheddar cheese

Olive oil

Preparation:-

Break lettuce leaves from the bunch,

Break off the extra stalk. Put in bowl, fresh wrap it and refrigerate.

Cut coloured capsicums in half inch size squares.

Cut baby corn similar size (either round or cubes)

Slice the olive round (three pieces of one olive)

Cut cheese into similar size cubes

Mix all together with two tbs. of olive oil, salt and white pepper.

(steamed carrots cubes, cherry tomatoes can also be added)

Dressing:-

At the time of serving, get the lettuce leaves from the refrigerator, they will be crisp.

Dap some olive oil for shiny texture and place it around the bowl.

Place the colourful mixture of coloured peppers, baby corn, olives, cheese in the  middle.

 

J&K, SPECIAL STATUS AND UNEMPLOYMENT -- By Cleofato Almeida Coutinho

Adv. Cleofato A.Coutinho

As unrest in Jammu and Kashmir shows signs of receding, the state has seen tremendous increase in the domestic tourists footfalls. The foreign tourists are yet to look at Kashmir as a holiday destination. Even when peace returns to the valley, educated youngsters are seen throwing stones at the Indian army and its vehicles parked in the precincts of the Jama Masjid.  Why should educated young some of whom hold Masters and Ph.D degrees throw stones at the Indian army particularly at a time when there is a rainbow of peace around the skies of the state?

On one hand the unrest over the long period and on the other hand the state law prohibiting sale of any land to non Kashmiris, J&K lost out on investments. Due to this, big industrial houses have not entered the state despite the enticing climate of this paradise. Only the Jammu and Kashmir Bank branches are seen in Srinagar. Other banks seem to shy away.

With the insurgency now becoming the thing of the past unemployment issue has come to the fore. Not that the employment situation is bright in other parts of the country, but at any given time the number of registered unemployed youth in J&K is more than double that of the national average. A huge chunk of educated youth is working on daily wages. Thousands of young boys drop out from school to take up jobs as pony riders at Pehalgam, Sonmarg, Gulmarg and other areas. Hundreds of graduates work as tourists guides, drivers and other odd jobs in the tourism sector.  There is hardly any scope for the educated without any major industry.

The state government has on number of occasions come out with various schemes like Sher-e-Kashmir Welfare employment Programme. The Central Government’s ‘Udaan’ Scheme to provide skills and employment to youth and ‘Himayat’ Scheme providing training to youngsters. Only a handful get benefits of such schemes. Only pumping of more money into the state has done too little. The problem is that the industrial houses are just not interested in investing in the state. During the UPA-II Rahul Gandhi led a delegation of Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Deepak Parrek and Rajiv Bajaj. However nothing substantial has come out of that political initiative. 

The industrial houses want land for industry and land for their staff on long term basis which is not possible under the land laws of J&K. Having realized the seriousness of the matter the J&K  government under the brief period of Governor’s rule proposed new industrial policy 2016-26 permitting to non Kashmiris to acquire land on lease for  90 years beyond the designated industrial estates. Fear of loss of identity both as Kashmiri Muslims and in terms of their land, the new industrial policy 2016-2026 is under severe attack in the valley. Even the High Court Bar Association is unable to look at the broader picture of employment   and the PDP led government is all set to review the scheme.

There is a misconception that the prohibition of sale of land to non Kashmiris come from the special status in the constitution. J&K came into Indian Union under  peculiar circumstances  and article 370 dealt with the federal scheme only. Law on prohibition on sale of land is not under that special status scheme. The prohibition dates back to 16^th March 1846 A.D. when the ‘treaty of Amritsar’ was signed between the British government and Maharaja Gulab Singh of the Dogra dynasty who became the Maharaja of the J&K state by the said treaty.  Maharaja Hari Singh who ordered the signing the agreement of accession facilitating the J&K becoming part of India was the last Dogra ruler.  Even in parliament in 1963 when the issue of sale of land to non Kashmiris came up Nehru said “that is an old rule coming on, not a new thing and I think it is very good rule which should continue, because Kashmir is such a delectable place that moneyed people will buy up all the land there to the misfortune of the people who live there; that is the real reason and that reason has been applied ever since British times and for one hundred years or more”. 

 Through a number of presidential orders issued by the central government, in connivance with puppet rulers of J&K, the  promised autonomy under Art. 370 has been diluted. It is a myth that J&K enjoys special status as envisaged in the year 1950. It is that dilution of autonomy that the Kashmiri population finds itself vulnerable and insecure in respect of its identity so close to their heart. But the special status permitted J&K to retain the 1846 Dogra law and that is one law which the central government has not tinkered with.

Should 1846 law continue in the 21^st century with the same rigidity, at the cost of growth of youngsters and development in the state? At the heart of the matter is the dilution of the Kashmiri Muslim identity and of course the dilution of the valley raven landscape of Kashmir. The Kashmiri sentiment is against any perception of diluting of that identity and even when it comes to land for industry. That sentiment is fuelled by existing industry. The result is, the young find nothing better to do then throw stones. 

The manufacturing sector  spurs  better growth and provides employment. The over exploitation of the tourism sector without development and infrastructure  cannot be the substitute. Some compromises for small and medium enterprises in the 1846 Dogra law is needed in the interest of the young. If J&K has to grow it has to be seen as an investment destination.  J&K must find that fine balance between land for industry and its landscape without any compromise on the special status under Art. 370.

 (The writer is an advocate, senior faculty in law and political analyst)

 

 

Who is Goan? The Politics on the Goan and the Non-Goan Tangle -- Fr. Victor Ferrao



Fr. Victor Ferrao

The question that asks: “who is Goan?”  has gained importance in the context of the recent decision of the Government to offer  mediclaim to any Indian who  has a domicile of five years in Goa.  Does that mean anyone who stays in Goa for a minimum period of five years becomes a Goan? Is Goan-ness transferable ? Can it be passed on in such a short period of time? These and other disturbing questions arise in the context of this decision. May be we have to reflect on our Goannness and its transferability with profound respect to our other fellow Indians in Goa. That is why it may be important to clearly state some abiding principles here.  The question of health is primary and any Indian should be able to get health security from the government anywhere in India.  This also applies to our fellow Indians in Goa. But the fact that these benefits are offered on the basis of mere five year domicile in Goa in the election year smacks of vote bank politics of the ruling BJP and its allies.  Hence, rather than being a humanitarian act, it appears to be a political act which is directed to get our other Indians in Goa to vote for them.    

I do not question the health benefits offered to the needy. What is disturbing me is that Goan-ness has become reduced to domicile of five years in Goa. Certainly, every citizen of our country can stay with full freedom in any part of our country. Like Goans  staying in other parts of our country,  other  Indians can come and stay in Goa.  But the issue is: why they should be forced to erase their identity and mask as Goans to receive merely the health benefits. All identities are intimately linked to the person and cannot be easily dumped to acquire new ones. It may take a generation or two to evolve and metamorphize oneself into a new identity.  Even than the traces of the sources of one’s earlier self-hood would still stick around.  We still hold every Indian in our embrace in Goa, without demanding of them to become Goans. This indirect demand placed on the non-Goans to become Goans through the allurement of the health facilities is in inline with the fascist’s ways of mono-culturing the citizens.

While expanding of the health facilities is welcome humanitarian move, it may not be received well by all Goans. Goans feel the multiple loss of the sources of their self. Some fear the loss of their land. Others fear the death of Konkani.  Still others fear a loss of their religion as somehow they undergo discrimination. This complex phenomenon of the sense of loss of the sources of our Goan-ness has produced three reactions: fight, flight and freeze among Goans. Goans in the mode of fight are on the streets fighting it out against land sharks, abrupt and unplanned development and corruption. Others who are in a flight mode are leaving Goa by taking up Portuguese citizenship.  Still other Goans feel powerless and remain passive not knowing to choose the course of action.  This sense of loss of the multiple sources of our Goan-ness has triggered a struggle for special status for Goa. Hence, the political decision in the garb of health facilities for the non-Goans would come across as a betrayal of the Goans.

The promise of the special status at the pre-election mega rally by none other than the then P M candidate Shri Narendra Modi appears to be forgotten. That is why several among us do feel that full liberation is yet to come. Once upon a time we were a colony of Portugal and today we have been rendered to a colony of Delhi.  The high command culture of the national parties re-enact the colonial power dynamics that provides space for some tall leaders to camouflage their self command as high command. Luckily the rise of Goa-centric political party has provided hope to several Goans. This does not rule out National players like AAP in Goa. In fact to rule out corruption and bestow primacy to Goa and Goans, there has been loud thinking in several circles that both AAP and Goa Forward have to come together and defeat the ruling dispensation and save Goa. The question is who will bring these two together?  May be both have to put the good of Goa and Goans ahead of them. An integrally inclusive politics that is rooted in the ethos of Goa is the way to save Goa from destruction.  

     

The ruling party has continued its divisive vote bank politics. The fact that Goans seem to have been disillusioned with it, may have led the ruling dispensation to cleverly cast it’s net among the non-Goans who have five years of domicile. This means it appears that the Government has crafted a strategy to lure the non-Goans who have a vote. This may suit their Hindutva agenda and strategically bring Goan and non-Goan Hindus on its side. But the politics that divides other Goans from their fellow Goans on the basis of religion is a manifestation of deprave moral condition of our  society. What we need is an inclusive politics that keeps every Goan as well as non-Goan in its embrace. While the government can give health benefits on humanitarian grounds, it cannot come across as one that is depriving  the same to  Goans. May be a health card to every Goan family is the way ahead. Such a health card to the Goan family would keep us Goans together and non-Goans in our embrace. Hence, in response to a divisive politics of BJP what Goa needs is an inclusive politics that protects the interest of Goa. This primacy of Goa and Goans cannot be at the cost of alienation of the non-Goans but has to include the non-Goans in the forward movement of the aspirations of all Goans. 

 

Weekend Special Beef Roulade

Requirments:-

2 lbs of thin sliced round steaks of 4-5” diameter.

1 medium onion diced

1 tomato diced

1 tbsp of recheado masala

2-3 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp of vinegar

3/4 cup water

salt to taste

toothpicks or cooking twine for tying

Directions:-

Wash the sliced meat, apply ginger-garlic paste, vinegar and salt and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.

Make strips (slightly finer than chips) of potato, carrot, small piece of pork fat or sausages.

Spread each sliced meat and layer over it with potato, carrots and fat or sausages, roll the meet and tie it together or use toothpick.

Heat oil add onions, saute till translucent then add tomatoes, saute till soften. Then add the recheado curry paste and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the water, salt to taste and a pinch of sugar cover and let the gravy simmer

Add the rolled beef and cook for 25-30 minutes on medium heat covered till the meat is soft and the gravy thicken.

While serving cut out the cooking twine or take the toothpicks off the rolls.

“ACHHE DIN” FOR SEASONAL SOCIAL WORKERS – By Saturnino Rodrigues

Saturnino Rodrigues

‘Social service’ sounds very pious and respectfully puts one on a higher pedestal. Today, it is used to camouflage the profession of politics as no one would like to introduce his profession as a “politician” for lack of respect from the media to intellectuals to common people for that profession.

Social service sounds different from the word philanthropy whereas both have the very similar essence in all practical means. Goans are used to the word ‘Social Worker’ and one could seldom see the mention of the word ‘Philanthropist’. In fact, the social worker or a philanthropist’s works with people and families to support them through difficult times makes the effort or have inclination to increase the well-being of humankind. They give money or gifts to charities, helps needy people in many ways with the love of humanity in the sense of caring them. Our self declared social workers in Goa seldom practice the actual meaning of the word but tag it to their names to gain respect and call themselves as Social Worker.

Now, “Aaache Din” are back once again for the seasoned self declared Social Workers from the nooks and corners of Goa. They are once again appearing from long hibernation by feeling the heat of the approaching elections. Knowingly that in India, politics is the most lucrative profession, the social worker’s interest to operate on goodwill remains truly political in nature until exposed before the time of elections. The newly appeared social worker is now everywhere to show presence.  One can see them through media displays via self inserted greetings on their own birthdays in the name of various people or establishments, in news on local dailies even to the context of full page greetings or more. They are everywhere, from chief guests, special invitees, inaugurations, local tiatrs, etc. Research has revealed that the name ‘social worker’ is used to create a face value and therefore the expenses are silently met by self or forced on someone. Goans at times wonder how come so many social workers appeared like the pre-monsoon flies, they are countless just in the season of the elections. Some of the people fail to understand that they are seasonal opportunists since the elections are approaching nearer in Goa, they show their presence so that probable candidates can take note of their existence and contact them in garnering votes for a price. These social workers project themselves as local mass leaders. It is advertising of their skills to increase their face value, to make hay while the sun shines, extort as much as possible from the paymasters – the candidates in exchange for local support extort money in the name of the poor people.

It is indeed a shame to note that some of these so called social workers are convicted criminals, some are out on bail seeking appeals from one court of law to another, to delay the natural justice to their victims, in many cases to twist and turn the justice. India’s twenty percent of the politicians face one or the various criminal charges and so are some of these self declared social workers. Most of these seasonal self certified social workers are village illiterates having self-centered motive to fool the people and loot in the guise of social work, they are social workers without doing any social work in their life, many are not even gainfully employed. Most of them possess the ill-reputation of being the village rowdy, extortionists or a person with double standards, easy to be bought by the politicians, a person without morals. Many of the stock of Goan politicians appeared from this category and started their initial political career as a panch or councilor winning elections disguised as a social worker, camouflaged their real intentions and motives which were exposed later. Some turned billionaires by way of corruption, some became Ministers and even Chief Ministers from that platform. One common thing with these practicing social workers is the denial that politics is their profession, indulging in corruption is the intention. Education is the last thing needed for this profession.

The noble vocation of social work in the past was more meaningful and self motivating. Groups or individuals collectively were helping or reforming social causes dealing with poverty. Helping the society was the main focus of early social work, it is intricately linked with the idea of charity work, but it must now be understood in much more broader terms into politics. Social work was about being there for the society in its welfare, upliftment and improving the conditions of a family or of the area. Today, it has become a brand name in Goa to fool people losing true meaning of the words but used to socially thieving and looting.

One can notice around in Goa a large number of huge hoardings with photographs of self declared social workers depicting themselves as the mass leaders of the community. Many nooks and corners of Goa are filled with these types of banners. Visitors or tourists visiting Goa must be amazed and wonder how popular and charitable citizen he or she must be, as a social worker. Intelligent Goans knows the reality that these so called social workers are nothing but political aspirants, are having their fingers in every dirty pie of self interest. What they are doing is not at all any kind of social work but self upliftment to the chamber of politics to get publicity and fame, to try the journey to the dirty altar of corruption. All what they have in mind is to loot Goa through various modes along with the corrupt senior politicians some of whom share common ground with them, they too were at the same level once who now are raised to the higher status through much common deceiving ways.

The real social workers have seldom displayed their photographs with claims of achievements neither been active as chief guests or special invitees as they feel that social work is not for publicity of to become famous. Display of banners put up by these self declared social workers is a sore to the eyes and distraction for road-users, the government should tear down all these distractions from different spots especially at those points where traffic hazards are of critical concern. The government is reluctant to act as some of these social workers are the same criminals who help the present politicians to survive and breathe. Hopefully, the people of Goa will not fall prey to this new breed of Social Workers at election times.

Union Govt. puts the onus on citizens. Either relinquinsh 'Bill of Identity’ or hold on to Indian passport -- posted by Bihu Ray Courtesy Indiatoday.in

Parrikar had asked the Centre to look into the matter as around four lakh Goans had registered their names in Portugal's Central Registry of Births, Marriages and Death that gave them the Bill of Identity.

Generations of Goans who enjoyed easy access to Europe through their Portuguese ties may now have to give up the privilege of holding a 'Bill of Identity' granted by Portugal to retain their Indian citizenship.

The dual identities of thousands of Goans had created confusion over citizenship issues. People from Goa could travel to Portugal on an Indian passport and with the Bill of Identity granted by the country, they could travel across all European Union states without a visa. Former Goa chief minister, Manohar Parrikar, who is now the defence minister in the Narendra Modi government, had flagged the issue.

Parrikar had asked the Centre to look into the matter as around four lakh Goans had registered their names in Portugal's Central Registry of Births, Marriages and Death that gave them the Bill of Identity.

HOW TO DECIDE CITIZENSHIP? 

An inter-ministerial committee, headed by additional secretary in the home ministry, BK Prasad, has recommended that the issue of citizenship of such persons should be decided as per the Citizenship Act 1955 and Citizenship Rules 2009. It has recommended setting up of a designated authority that should examine each case as per Indian laws."They will have a choice of either relinquishing their Portuguese identity or hold on to Indian passports," said a home ministry official.

BENEFITS

As per Portuguese law, those who register their names in the Central Registry, are given rights to purchase property in the country. "Many people are ignorant and became victims as they were lured by the option of having a document from Portugal that allowed them easy access to Europe without a visa," said a home ministry official.

Several public servants, including MLAs and MPs, have registered their names in the Central Registry, which they claim was not been done by them or done without their knowledge.

After going through various deliberations, evidence and records available, the inter-ministerial committee felt that if any question arises as to whether, when and how any citizen of India has acquired the citizenship of another country, it should be determined by provisions of Citizenship Act 1955 and Citizenship Rules 2009.

PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS 

The panel recommended that the issue of citizenship of such persons will be decided by an authority designated by the central government after receiving representations that have been enquired upon, in a just, fair, reasonable and transparent manner. Thereafter, a report will be submitted to the central government along with recommendations for necessary action.

The inter-ministerial committee suggested that whosoever has acquired a Portuguese passport automatically became citizen of Portugal and ceased to be an Indian citizen.

To determine nationality status of all such persons who were born before December 20, 1961, when Goa became independent from Portuguese rule, in the territories comprising the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu, an order called the Goa Daman and Diu (Citizenship) order 1962 was issued through a notification dated March 28, 1962.

According to the aforesaid notification, every person, who or either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents was born before December 20, 1961 in the territories now comprised in the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu became a citizen of India on that day, if the person did not opt to retain the citizenship or nationality which he had immediately before December 20, 1961.

Subsequently, many Goans who became citizens of India as per Goa, Daman and Diu (Citizenship) order 1961, registered their birth in the Central Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths in Lisbon, Portugal.