It's Christmas around the corner and as tourists make a beeline to Goa for some susegad, let's not forget the freedom struggle that makes it possible. When we think of freedom struggle in India, we almost only think of the freedom movement against the British. Gandhi, Sardar, Netaji, Nehru, Bhagat Singh, Savarkar, etc, are our heroes but we have scarcely heard of those Goans who fought against 451-years of Portuguese rule in Goa. Today's Goa Liberation Day, it's 60th year of Independence. This year, I launched a fiction series called The Goa Saga which showcased different aspects of Goa and some of the conflicts in the state - the struggle to emerge from its colonial past, the influx of north Indians and migrants from other states as labourers, tourists and settlers and how it's changing the socio-cultural fabric of the state, the role of the Church, environmental degradation because of mining, drugs and human trafficking, foreigner-run establishments, etc. The idea was to look beyond beaches, beers and babes into a culture that is so diverse and multi-ethnic. For me, Goa's less about the beaches, more about the river, the Mandovi, that needs to be cherished, protected and loved. People (including publishers) asked me, why Goa? Why not? Why did I write the books? Well, to live in the place I love when I couldn't be there because of the pandemic. I write for many reasons. The Goa Saga opened my doors to many authors, historians, freedom fighters, Portuguese colonialists from Goa and Lisbon after it was published. While promoting my books at The Goa Book Club, I discovered writings on the much feared Agente Casimiro Monteiro who carried out state-sanctioned assassinations in Portugal, Mozambique and Goa. That's the thing about writing and reading books. They open doors to worlds and people you never knew existed.
#goaliberationday #thegoasaga #goa #booksongoa #portuguese
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