There is a noise appearing in certain areas
at the border of Goa-Maharastra especially in the Maharastra side to merge
Dodamarg with Goa. According to one
spokesman supporting this move of merging Dodamarg with Goa feels that there
are lot of cultural similarities between the peoples of Dodamarg and Goa
besides many other similarities. So much
so that as given to understand, very many of the people of Dodamarg are those
who came to Dodamarg centuries back to
evade conversion and that they are come from Goa are indicated by the Goan surnames
these people carry namely Raiturkar, Pednekar, Siolkar etc. According to these people they want to be a
part of their ancestral Goa.
According to my information they want to
join us because they are not developed as we are developed because their
government of Maharastra neglected them and their area and not because of cultural
link. I feel it is dangerous to allow
them to join us beccuse their culture is already a Marathi culture as against
our Konkani culture. These two cultures will never move together and
ultimately they by aligning with our Marathi lobby jointly will declare Marathi as our official
language dethroning Konkani totally.
Secondly, there is no guarantee that they will remain
true to our Goanness because they have already absorbed everything Marathi and
as such their affiliation will go to the Marathi people only.
Thirdly, what is the percentage of the
Christian Goans settled in Dodamarg? In
Goa Christians and Hindus/Muslims live peacefully,
will the Dodamarg people adapt to the current living ways and standard of Goans
living in Goa? I think we should not keep open our border for any other segment of
Indians to join us, what was decided thru Opinion Poll should remain as final.
Let Dodamar people be where they are, I wish them all the best where they are.
A.Veronica Fernandes.
