By Ranjan Solomon
Syed Azarudin’s book on the Goa we need is a timely publication at a time when Goa is at a crossroads. Goa is a hugely dependent economy relying on overseas remittances and tourism. Mining belongs to the past although powerful people clandestinely work within it.
Syed traces the post-liberation era of Liberation and Statehood in a critical fashion. He brings valuable perceptions and learnings for tomorrow, covering The Adil Shahi Legacy: Goa Before the Portuguese.
He refers to Goa’s ‘Cultural Diversity: A Plural Society’ and the book would have done well to also analyse the myths of Goa as peaceful and pluralistic. Yet, he has raised important questions and issues. In contrasting global images vis-à-vis the ground reality, he queries the reader, especially the Goan reader, as whether plurality is an asset or losing its steam.
He calls Goa’s Small Size a double-edged sword. It leads to his next point if Goa is indeed a Model State.
The loot of natural resources is well identified. It is a chapter worth studying in depth. Just as he exposes the deadly cocktail of graft, drugs, corruption, communalism, and an inadequate media.
In fact, by exposing the gap between paradise and fact, he outlines the suffering of the ordinary people. Unemployment, gender mismanagement, women’s capabilities, issues of public transport gaps, healthcare, and environmental decline.
The slide that tourism experiences is a chapter worth focussing. He avers that over-reliance on tourism may turn out to be Goa’s pitfall.
He bemoans the lack of transparency and demands Transparency Matters through an Independent Ethics Commission. He calls for a transition from transparency, political opportunism through commodifying politicians as defectors minus principles.
His suggestions are that Goa be a Beacon for India. For now, it seems a pipe dream. Yet his thoughts make compulsive examination.
[The writer is a Freelance Writer and Independent Consultant.]
