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GOENKARANCHO AVAZ
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BRUTALISATION OF GOA

GOANS IN GOA have a reputation for being peaceful and law abiding. Never mind all the road rage and neighbours or even members of the same family brandishing koitas literally or figuratively at each other. But seriously, Goa has always been an oasis of communal harmony in the ocean of discord that the rest of the country is. Even neighbouring states like Maharashtra and Karnataka have witnessed large-scale communal riots. Goa has never seen a communal riot. The only occasion I can remember when there was a high degree of friction leading to violence was an agitation several years ago over non-Goan migrants in Vasco.

Goa has not only been a shining example of secularism and communal harmony, it has also, over the years, promoted not just harmony but communal fusion. The Catholic community in Goa ‘Indianised’ or if you like even ‘Hinduised’ many of the doctrinal Catholic practices. The cult of the mother Goddess was in any case almost universal even before Christianity came to Goa. So Santeri became Saibin. And to this day Catholics follow many Hindu traditions. Including some rather nasty and unfortunate traditions like ‘Casteism’. Hindus and Catholics alike have always eagerly and enthusiastically participated in each other’s religious festivities. As many Hindus attend the novenas of St. Francis Xavier as Christians participate in the zatras, particularly that of Shantadurga at Fatorpa. Even after conversion, the original gaonkars of Assolna, Velim and Cuncolim still get precedence in worship over non-Gaonkars Hindu at the Shantadurga temple at Fatorpa.

The Goan has never been involved in the kind of insanity that has been witnessed elsewhere in the country. The kind of insanity that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid and its deadly aftermath in the form of the bomb blasts and the Shiv Sena inspired riots that followed the blasts. Goa has never been witness to the kind of insanity that Gujarat witnessed post Godhra. There were of course rumours that a group of Goans had participated in the kar seva if not the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. I do know for a fact that bricks were carried from Goa also for the proposed construction of the Ram Mandir. I have personally witnessed a shilya naras ceremony in Bicholim a couple of months before the demolition of the Babri Masjid. But religious fanaticism has never been part of the Goan psyche.

Unfortunately, things have changed in the last five years. Ever since the BJP acquired power in the state, it has been systematically attempting to polarise communities along religious lines. The BJP has been extending patronage, protection and financial and physical support to the Sangh Parivar in its campaign to spread hate. The number of RSS shakas has grown alarmingly over the last five years. There have been acts of vandalisation, including some suspected to be by the RSS themselves to provoke incidents which would help them in deepening the communal divide. We are not surprised that a group of VHP activists were caught red-handed at Mahad en route to Pratapgarh with the avowed intention of demolishing the tomb of Afzal Khan. Nevertheless we are appalled that Goans could possibly indulge in this kind of insanity. We have focussed on the Goan involvement in the conspiracy to demolish Afzal Khan’s tomb, as we believe the incident is a wake-up call. There are things happening in Goa, which could destroy Goa. All secular forces need to get together to fight the forces of fundamentalism. We cannot afford to be complacent.