Once upon a time ...........

History is replete with examples of civilizations and cultures that have flourished and enriched mankind, but then disappeared without a trace. Often this phenomenon appears to have no mourners. And sadly the fate of the Goemcar 'Camelot' appears to have followed in those sad footsteps. The Goem we knew was, I sincerely believe, an earthly Eden. Of course there were serpents. Of course the devil had a relatively free rein. But God had certainly left his mark on the land of my youth.

I remember how we were taught the Ten Commandments and the Commandments of the Church. There were breakers of these Commandments and morality was not always prevalent. But we all knew the parameters of the acceptable and the wicked. There were social injustices which sometimes led to sad incidents, but the social cohesion and common well being that prevailed was something the present generation will never be able to comprehend. The pro- Indianisation lobby will accuse those of us, who hanker after the past, of being dinosaurs and blinkered. But by all that is holy what have we now?

In the days of yore Goemcars had to migrate to ensure a decent financial standing. Are things better ? The difference now is that in the yester years, migrant Goemcars would have returned to spend their last days in the comfort and familiarity of their motherland. But now a days Goem is stranger to the Goemcar than many a foreign land.

I do not want to be pedantic about this and will only point out that the niz Goemcar Catholic populace has diminished to less than 15% of the total. Indians have settled in Goem and become the new 'Goans' . I do not question their role or their legitimacy. My only regret is their coming and the Indian takeover has resulted in the disappearance of the irreplaceable ambience of a lovely land, of Goem Dourada.

One way to salvage something out of this disaster is to form a world wide link up and if at all possible to try to acquire a part of the world, maybe a salubrious island, somewhere - bearing in mind that money and not munitions dictate the modern world. And then to convert this virginal land into a replica of the Velha Conquistas. Recreate once more a little bit of heaven on earth. God's little acre - Goem. Amchem bhangarachem Goem.

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GOEM - É UMA DOURADA NÃO MAIS LONGO

There is something rotten in the state of Goem.
Check this:
80% NON CATHOLIC. Does it matter? It may if you expect to come home to the culture and ethos of your forefathers.
40% NON GOEMCAR. Does it matter? It may, if you do not want to meet people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kannada, Tamil Nadu - all posing as Goemcars and fleecing the gullible at impromptu markets, on the beaches and at tourist landmarks.
ABSOLUTELY NON EXISTENT PUBLIC SEWERAGE. Does it matter? It may if you do not like the sight and smell of human excreta.
ABSOLUTELY NON EXISTENT PUBLIC HYGIENE. Does it matter? Depends on you I suppose. Do you mind indiscriminate spatters of red chewed betel leaf tinged spittle dotting and smearing everything in sight? Do you mind dirty, stinking, waterless, toilet paperless toilets? Do you mind the sight and smell of human excreta and urine along footpaths, along seashores, along riversides?
NONEXISTENT BUILDING PLANNING. Does it matter? Horribly inadequate buildings without the basic safety and hygiene facilities. No proper planned access to public roads. Encroachments on public and private lands.
BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION EVERYWHERE. Does it matter? When you have to grease every palm to access absolutely any facility in the land.
INTOLERANT. Does it matter? When greedy, stupid, superstitious, intolerant, prehistoric buffoons hold the reins of power and where any other religion other than hinduism is looked upon as foreign and undesirable.
Am I wrong or exaggerating?

70% of Catholic Goemcars live in diaspora.

If I am wrong, why do they?

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GOEM DOURADA

Friends, Goemcars, Countrymen.

The Goem that we knew; the Goem that we loved; the real Goem Dourada does not exist any more in the Gomantak of today. Admittedly there are enclaves and little oasis of the khorem Goem still extant. But they are too few and far between for our idyllic haven to be resurrected to the glory that we knew. We have got to re-create our community with our ethos, culture, cuisine, music, theatre, literature et al.

The usage of the English tongue, a language that has become the de facto and de jure lingua franca of the world wide Goemcar diaspora, will have to be adopted as the binding link. Like the Irish and the Jews with their Gaelic and Hebrew, Roman script Concannim will have to used and taught and learned to ensure our progeny maintain their links to our history.

The only way an international community like the Goemcars can sustain common roots and bonds is via the internet. We should start with the world wide web and then plan physical get togethers, massive 'jamborees' of Goemcars.

Goemcars contribute your ideas and let us commence Operation Bangarachem Goem - Goem Dourada. The European, Indian, Arabic, Christian 'khichri' that is the true Goem. Let us proudly proclaim to the world that we are truly Goemche dottore-vhoile - Niz Khorre Goemcars.

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1963; The Present and The Future

The year 1963. The Indian Army unleashed by Nehru and egged on by Menon rolled down the Ghats into Goem. At this fateful hour of our history, when the future of Goemcars rested on the pride and courage of the then pillars of Goemcar society, this spineless elite let us down. If they had taken up Salazar's offer, a selfish one, but nonetheless because of the desperate situation the Portuguese found themselves in, a genuine one, and declared themselves a separate entity, Goemcars would have today enjoyed a life style and ethos so much more different and better. But the fenim induced Dutch courage Goemcars are so renowned for, evaporated with the advance of the Indian army and Goemcar 'fidalgos' meekly sat back. The rest is history.

Much water has flowed down the Mandovi. Before every vestige of Goemcarponn disappears, let us commit ourselves to resurrecting the Goem of old . To start with, an anthem. What sweeter sound than "Vudon gelem paruvianchem bhirem...." The rest will follow. We Goemcars have proved ourselves on varied battle fields throughout history - military, diplomacy, academic, medicine, science, sports, literature. There is nothing to be afraid of but fear itself.

I am not calling for an armed struggle. In the modern world that would be archaic and stupid. Let us begin by uniting on the world wide web. And then make arrangements to gather our 'pindka' in a modern day Eden. Recreating somehow, someday, sometime, somewhere - Goem Dourada.

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DIASPORA - BANISHED FROM PARADISE

There was a land
beyond the end
Aparanta Goem
once upon a time
seems so long ago
those who lived there
even those who visited
believed was Eden.
The people were poor
the land a colony
ruled from afar
by sad incompetents
basking in past glories
yet the citizens
they were happy
with their lives.
Then one day
a sanctimonious giant
walked right in
into this haven
the sad denizens
like Adam and Eve
were banished forever
from Paradise.

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PUCCA GOEMCAR NAMES

I make a suggestion which may sound a mite outdated nay even one coming from a bigot. I have travelled around a few countries in the world and almost every nationality celebrates their ethnicity with great pride. All nationalities want to hark back to their ancestry and delve deep within their past ethos and explore their ancient mores. Now we Goemcars are equally proud of our heritage. Both the Catholic and Hindu traditions proudly and sometimes even heatedly proclaim and pronounce their history. The one thing wrong with the Catholic tradition's history is that it is so recent. Five hundred years, however deeply etched and however glorious is not enough to really mark out national character. Why if Catholics are honest, they will admit that their habits and habitat have been and are still being moulded by our Hindu heritage. All the Goan Catholic feasts and functions have been made to coincide with what used to be our forefathers' Hindu celebrations. This does not mean that we are slaves to the jingoistic Hindutva slogans of todays Jana Sanghi/BJP 'Ravans'. Hell no. But even the caste system that defined and ruled Goemcar society still prevails and though on the wane, still dictates our social paths. And would we not much rather take justifiable pride in what is over many millenia old rather than just concentrate over five centuries however influential and defining they may have been? After all why should we let our dislike and abhorrence for the bigoted and fundamentalist intolerance of the Bajrang Dal devils make us disown what is our proud and glorious civilization and heritage. The civilization of Sanskrit, of Manu, of the magnificent ages that have defined and given the world cultures and discoveries that are our heritage. Our Aryavatra!! Let us not permit some jumped up advanis and parrikars to tell us that we are not the inheritors and heirs to the great civilization that is and that has made India. One of the ways of reclaiming our heritage proudly and vocally is for everyone of us Goemcars to 'double-barrel' our names by adding before our Portuguse surnames our original Goemcar surnames. For example, Pai-Souza or Sardessai-Souza or whatever your original name was alongwith with Souza , a hyphen between the two.A simple and effective way to reclaim our heritage and to celebrate what we are and what we were. Old church records should easily give us details of what we used to be named, as each 'vangodd' was given a Portuguse surname.

What do Goemcars think of this?

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AN ANTHEM FOR GOEM

VHUDDON GHELEM PARRUVIANCHEM BHIREM
VHOIR VHOIR PAVVON IXCOTTONU GHELLEM
BESSAU TUMCHER PODOVN RE
BESSAU TUMCHER PODOVN RE
SORGINCHEA DEVA BAPA CHEM.

VIVA VIVA MAGUNYEA
AMCHEA GOEMCHEM BOREM MAGUNYEA

VIVA VIVA MAGUNYEA
SOGLEAN GOEMCARANCHI SAVUD CORUNYEA.

VIVA!

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Lharan Samballyea: November 2005

Sonvsarachea somdirac fuddo corun
Jivitachem vhodden tandyea
Devacher bhavarth dhorun
Fuddem ami soryea
Marli mhunttoch bhortti
vhovlli mhunttoch sukhti
Lharan samballyea.

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COMMENCE THE CRUSADE

IT IS INDEED A CRUSADE. MEDIEVAL EUROPE SET OUT TO FIGHT AND DIE IN ORDER TO PRESERVE WHAT THEY BELIEVED WAS THE BEDROCK OF THEIR CULTURE AND CIVILISATION. THEY LOOKED ON JERUSALEM AS THE LAND OF THEIR RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL FOCUS.

TO US GOANS, OUR JERUSALEM IS GOA. THERE IS NO WHERE ELSE ON EARTH. NO LAND OR COUNTRY COULD HAVE SPAWNED THE TRADITIONS AND THE CULTURE THAT GOEMCAR -PONN IS.

LET US MAKE THIS FORUM ONE WHERE ALL GOEMCARS CAN AND WILL MAKE SUGGESTIONS AND CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS WHICH WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HELP PRESERVE THE LEGACY OF GOAN HERITAGE.

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