Sunday Navhind Times GOA: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE Narendra K.Wagle and George Coehlo (eds.) University of Toronto, Centre for South Asian Studies, Toronto, Canada, M5S 1A1. Price not mentioned. 1995. Pp 212. Like religion and politics, identity and history too can be very contentious issues. More so when the debates happen to concern us Goans, prone to infighting and factionalism at the best of times. But these subjects can also turn into fascinating themes for research. Here is one such impressive effort. Even if the quality is patchy and uneven merit, at least some sections of Goa: Continuity and Change make it an easily recommendable read. This book offers a mixed blend. Well-researched papers are enmeshed with the first-hand experiences of second-generation expatriate Goans. This makes for a useful mix of archive-based research and first-person narration. Essays included were originally presented, way back in 1991, at a University of Toronto conference on Goa. But most remain refreshingly informative. Both Goan identity (12 essays) and local history (5 more) are looked at in this tome. It is the latter which tend to be more engaging. More so since the `history' included is barely three decades old, thus offering insights into still-relevant issues. Arthur G. Rubinoff on Goa's Campaign for Statehood is perhaps the most rewarding essay included. Rubinoff collates his facts well, digests them, and churns out fascinating insights on what one thought was all old-hat. The way he tells the story deepens one's understanding of Goan politics and sociology. New Delhi, for instance, was not prepared to administer Goa when colonialism came to a speedy but belated end. So, "the ensuing inefficiency and declining standard of living the former (Portuguese) colonies endured actually inhibited their integration." Tenancy laws, says he, gave property to those who worked the land at the expense of those Goans -- mainly Christians -- who lived abroad but owned land in the territory. Rubinoff also indulges in some very interesting what-if arguments. In the Opinion Poll, he notes, Goans staying elsewhere in the country were denied the right to vote. But, on the other hand, if alternatives offered to the voter included statehood, three choices could have split the anti-merger camp. Similarly, he argues to show that the MGP government was kept in office "not by its own achievements but by a divided opposition". In addition: "Both the MGP and the UG were more like personal extension of the Bandodkar and Sequeira families than political parties." One essay that goes back to a more remote period in time, studies a quaint narration from yesterdays' Goa. It looks at the British intrigue and cunning used to occupy this region in the late eighteenth century. Randolf G.S. Cooper's study is of particular interest to many of us who might be unaware about this episode itself. (There are reasons for our poor sense of local history. Our rich historical records of Goa are in Portuguese or Modi script, which are hardly learnt here today. And there's a contempt for regional studies, more so in colonial times and even now.) Goa's `occupation' was undertaken due to British fears that Napoleonic France might try to get a toehold India through Portuguese Goa. British military personnel came here in 1799, and stayed till 1815 when the Napoleonic Wars formally concluded. By the way, there was even a suggestion that that East India Company might consider the "outright purchase of Goa". Janet Rubinoff has another useful essay, which helps unveil the role of caste is a supposedly-egalitarian religion like Catholicism in Goa. Rubinoff raises valid questions: Firstly, why did the Church in Goa choose to accommodate caste affiliations among new converts? Did Indian and feudal Western (or the Church's) concepts of hierarchy mutually reinforce each other? In the past each confraria (religious confraternity) in local churches were distinguished in religious processions by colours of their collar-like garb (*mursa*) worn by members, and by special banners or flags. "Because they were predominantly caste- specific, the confraria became the focal point for status rivalries within the village, which were sometimes very vociferous and even violent," says she. Volume co-editor Dr. Narendra Wagle also gives a concise and sharp essay on the Gaud Saraswata Brahmins of India's west coast. Writes Wagle: "The focal point for the GSBs' spatial and temporal unity, above all, is Goa, which the GSBs hold as their cultural centre." From the turn of this century, there have been efforts to minimise internal divisions within various GSB subdivisions. David Higgs' piece on the eighteenth century Inquisition in Goa narrates how converted Catholics, who were suspected of going back to their old faith, faced severe punishment. One widow from Arpora (Bardez) was denounced for offering to cure someone with "meizinha" -- a Portuguese word derived from the Latin for medicine, but meaning prasad here. Two potters from Soccoro parish, also in Bardez, faced the wrath of the Inquisition for going to the shrine of a folk deity. Higgs suggest that the Goan elites might have used the "familial socio-religious authority" afforded to them by the Inquisition. Elites "had power over the peasantry in their ability to threaten them with Inquisition proceedings," says he. Other contributions come from varied sources. Some -- like Sharon de Souza's on dating and courtship trends among Goan expatriates, Lola Vaz's on intergenerational conflicts, Jennifer Noronha's on multicultural relations -- are more impressionistic writings on young Goans coping in the West. Lino Leitao writes on Fanchu Loyola's Contribution to Goan Political Thought and Democracy, while Peter Nazareth argues "why Goans should read Goan literature". Nazareth, better known for his fascinating compilation of Goan writing done some time back (Goan Literature: A Modern Reader, Michigan State University, Winter-Spring 1983), makes an interesting point: Goans are not used to seeing themselves in literature....(W)hen it comes to reading literature with Goan characters, they tend to think it is gossip.... Obviously, Goan writing in Konkani (or even Marathi), unable to reach out to a wider audience due to a lack of apt translations, have not been taken into account here. In this volume, writers who are not ethnic Goans have done a better job. One suspects their willingness to be far more critical in their evaluation of Goan society, and all its warts, has helped them sharpen the utility of their research. Prof. Narendra K. Wagle, who recently also took over as the vice-president of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute's operations in India, and George Coehlo have achieved this task well. His volume throws up quite a few useful insights into the past and present too. It creates space for researchers trying to understand an unusual colonial reality, and also give a chance to young Goans wanting to make their point. Such a useful work makes one wonder why we in Goa itself can publish so little on contemporary issues affecting our society. Frederick Noronha Journalist |