G’bye Goa: “Ghanttis,” ahoy!
By Valmiki Faleiro
Goa, historically a land of in-migrants, turned into a land of out-migrants, thanks to
vicissitudes of the times. From antiquity, locals left the land either to seize better
opportunity in new kingdoms or to flee from repression.
Thanks to the overzealous Portuguese, Goa (then comprising of Bardez, Tiswadi and
Salcete, which included today’s Mormugao) turned predominantly Catholic. Native
Hindus either converted or fled. The other seven talukas, predominantly Hindu, were
added to Goa only in the 2nd half of the 18th century.
Emigration, largely by Catholics, initially led to intra-Goa demographic changes, as
Goan Hindus from the new talukas took their place. Continued emigration led to
in-migration from the rest of India, while the Portuguese were still here.
Finally dawned 19-Dec-1961. By late 1963, Goans were in charge of their own
destiny. But, in yet another twist of irony, Goa went into a tailspin. Today, her
demography is beyond redemption.
Post 1961, education facilities improved. But political improvidence was obsessed
about Goa’s merger with Maharashtra, without a thought to her economic welfare.
Education led to no local jobs. With emerging world markets, Goans emigrated in
larger numbers. And folks from the rest of India took their place.
Many think that Goans have today dwindled to about 60% of Goa’s population from
the 1960s to the 2000s, and are now inching towards the halfway mark. May I explain
why I think we already were a minority by the turn of the millennium. Briefly today, a bit
elaborately next Sunday.
Goa’s population (i.e. of the three Old Conquest talukas) was 60,000 in 1580. Two
decades later, it increased to 75,000 in year 1600. After the economic decline set in,
the figure plummeted to a mere 20,000 in 1700, the effect of emigration and plagues
during the 17th century.
Though Goans trickled out during the 18th century, the population drastically depleted
from the early 19th century because of emigration to British-held lands. Emigration
again increased dramatically from 1920, and yet again, after 1961.
Emigration and death, in the natural cycle of human anthropology and population
control, ought to have severely shrunk Goa’s resident population in the 20th century,
unmatched as it was by births. Lesser births not because of absentee husbands.
Rather, from prosperity and better education. As any student of economics knows,
increased education and wealth reduces the size of families.
Thomas Robert Malthus, the 18th century British economist, is the acknowledged
father of the theory on population. In his “Essay on the Principle of Population,”
Malthus espoused that overpopulation caused poverty and, coupled with illiteracy, led
to larger families. Inversely, better education and wealth led to a smaller population.
That’s what Goan émigrés brought to Goa. More wealth, better education, and sharply
reduced human fertility.
Goa (Old & New Conquests combined) had 4.65 lakh inhabitants in 1821. Out-
migration depleted the number to 3.63 lakh by 1850. The count in 1860 stayed
constant at 3,63,788 (Christians 2,32,189; Hindus 1,28,824; Muslims 2,775.)
It just inched up in 1870, to 3,84,429. The trend continued all that decade (1875:
3,90,500; 1876: 3,88,712 and 1877: 392,239.)
The combined effect of emigration and reduced fertility should have nose-dived the
graph line of Goa’s population. But no, from the 20th century, thanks to the British-
modernized Mormugao port and rail line, it actually rose … because of in-migration
from British India. The 1900 Census placed the figure at 4,75,513.
By 1910, Goa’s population shot to 5,48,242.
The Census figure of 1914 surged to 7.00 lakh, obviously the result of continued
in-migration by Indians into Goa. However, it dipped to 5.20 lakh in 1926 (following the
swell in emigration from 1920), but maintained at 5.00 lakh in 1931. That year, the
population rose by 48,010 (9%), and in 1940, the rise was 42,207 (7.6%).
In 1949, it was 6,24,147. In 1950, it marginally rose to 6,37,846 (Hindus 4,88,741 and
Christians 3,34,021). In 1960, Goa had 5.90 lakh inhabitants.
P.S: I called Noel da Lima Leitao late last week. Needed some info on his maternal
uncle. He was at a private dinner in Calcutta. Yet, he obliged me. Less than 48 hours
later, Noel was no more. That’s life. May he rest in peace. (ENDS)
The above article appeared in the Herald, Goa, edition of September 20, 2009
..."Nobody gives a push to youngsters and newcomers. It looks like the stage here is dominated only by a certain number of artistes. 'Sompeponim' there are no directors who will encourage new faces." -Katty de Navelim....
