THE STRONG INFLUENCE OF PORTUGAL & CHRISTIANITY ON GOA & GOANS. PART - II.

Then with the advent and establishment of Christianity in Goa, the influence of Christianity very powerfully reflected not only on newly converted Christīans but even on others too and thus turning the entire Goan population into a totally different type of  people as peace loving and as far as their   character, discipline and morality are concerned, they are the best compared to those  people beyond the borders of Goa. And these characteristics of Goans lasted till 19.12.61 when borders of Goa were kept open for any of the  third rated Bharati from other parts of Bharat to come and settle down in Goa as if Goa is his father’s property. Taking advantage of this freedom, in the beginning most of the low quality Indians came to Goa and with this influx of third grade Indians came also the worst class of Indians. The early Bharatis to enter into Goa after 19.12.61 were the Maharastrians many of whom had no class in them but lot of hatred for genuine  Goans mainly the Christians who were described to these Maharastrians by their mentors, as Chamchas of Portuguese.  In fact Christans  were not the Chamchas of Portuguese, the real Chamchas of Portuguese were those who got  the trade/import  licences to do business in Goa and those holding the monopoly of major Industries and main businesses of Goa in their hands, some of them they got these facilities even thru illicit means. However, one thing must be borne in mind that No other community did as much as Goan Christians community did for the cause of the liberation of Goa by driving away the Portuguese from Goa,  many of the biggest and sincere and devoted  freedom fighters of Goa to oust the Portuguese from Goan soil were the Goan Chriustian Catholics.  Who were the Pinto’s revolutionaries who conducted the Revolt of 1787 against the Portuguese rule in Goa?  They were all Catholics mainly the Priests from Candolim Pinto’s family whose ancestral palatial house with "Brazao" engraved at the entrance of their house is still existing.

Who was Dr. Francis Luis Gomes who by standing erect on European soil  forcefully demanded freedom from the Europeans not only for Goa but for the entire India? He was a pure Roman Catholic Christian representing his South Goa constituency in the Portuguese Parliament in Lisbon.  When he demanded freedom for the entire India the topmost leaders of India were sleeping in Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Hyderabad, Assam and elsewhere in India, the impact of his statement demanding freedom for India was so powerful  that none of the Indian leaders could match  with the wisdom  and ferocity of this statement of Dr.Gomes. It was also declared to the World that Goans were not just the “Panpotti" and "Dhoti” but Goans were the highly educated and intellectual giants knowing how to eat and dress and behave in the more westernized Western society. They knew to integrate with the Westerners and act as westerners, they knew to eat and drink like westerners only and because of this accessibility of Goans in the Western society, they were more preferred by the Westerners.The influence of Portugal and Christianity on Goans has helped immensely  Goans not only to integrate with the West but more than that to penetrate thru them.  This superlative characteristic of Goans attracted a deep degree of envy from the Indians from other parts of India.  In fact some of the Indians who landed in Goa soon after the ouster of Portugal from Goa were so zealous of Goans in social life while most of the Indians were behaving like donkeys and since they lacked the decent mannerism they were called as Ghannttis because according to my knowledge and experience, in my neighbourhood for the first time  I heard the word "GHANTTI" from the mouth of our elders somewhere in 1955 when I was a small boy watching  them with deslike for their dirty habits and with fear too for their anger on  their colleagues who were seminude among the male group and women as scantily dressed while their small children totally nude who were crying for  drink and to eat for which their fathers were silencing them with extremely high pitched shouting, they were staying under the shade of Trees and Plants and speaking among them in a language that sounded like Marathi but not Konkani. It was informed by one of our elders that they were  wonderers, nomadic type of people who were put on the road and in the jungle by their own society leaders.  Then later on when they left for the next destnation, they robbed our Tumbler that we gave them to fill water from our Well sonce they were staying near my house. I as a small boy I was watching their every move and I found them they lacked human hearts, no human discipline, they were number one robbers and no human attributes because they lived a rough life.  It is here that I heard the word Ghantti first time because people used to call them as such and cautioning us to be very careful since they are capable of robbing you bodily and soully too.   

To go to a step forward and to give further justification of my statement in praise of Goans, the demand that was made by Dr. Gomes was much before the great Indian leaders namely the Gandhis and Nehrus were born.  See the advancement of our Goans in the political field!!.  Much before some of the top Indians could know to pronounce the Democracy our ancestors in Goa already mastered the art of electoral democracy and much before Parliamentary democracy born in India, our Goan politicians already got elected in the Portuguese Parliament where two Seats were reserved for 2 Goan representatives, one in the South Goa and the other in the North Goa and as such Goans were very matured in the political field.  The educational and intellectual standard 0f those days Parliamentarians was very high compared to that of the current ones.  


But now the level of Goan Parliamentarians and Legislators have reached to such a low ebb that it is already become a shame to accept these Parliamentarians and Legislators because they have refused to act as per their roles to work for the cause of the society and instead they are gone  into robbing and looting spree by occupying the respectable positions thereby bringing their positions into disrepute. What a disgraceful quality of some of our current Legislators and Parliamentarians !!. They are so corrupt that to call them as Parliamentarians and Legislators is a big shame, not only that but a big sin too, oh no, not only that but a great sacrilege. Most of the current Legislators are  puny minded parochial and communal whose job is not to sit in the Legislative Assembly and National Parliament but elsewhere. These intellectually bankrupt people are a big shame on the topmost image of Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes  who even taught Indians what is the meaning of Freedom.

Indian Military convoy while moving on to Goa, others to as civilians followed them shortly and yet still others  were brought to Goa by that anti-Goan, anti-Christian and anti-Konkani the first Chief Minister of Goa, Dayananda Bandodcar and his Political Party, The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party that was fighting to merge Goa with Maharastra and thus liquidate Goa and everything Goan. When the relevance of this Party is no more valid since the issue of merger of Goa already buried,  Is it not a shame and disgrace for those Goans to build the monument of the greatest traitor Dayananda Bandodcar,  in many places in Goa and falsely  depict him as the patriot of Goa?  Does the patriot sells his land to his neighour by stripping him of his citizenship of his own land?. During the Portuguese rule in Goa this traitor Bandodcar  lived a previlleged life and enjoyed all the business facilities from the colonialists Portuguese just as other top business magnates enjoyed namely Salgaocars, Dempos, Chawgules, Bandecars, Caculos, Naiks etc. It is this class of Goans who enjoyed all the top benefits from the Portuguese and sadly many of the members  of their community defaming Christian community as recipients of the largess of  the Portuguez.

To be concluded  ...........3/-

A.Veronica Fernandes.