Champions of Goan identity
The recent comments by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant saying that supporters of Roman Konkani lack a sense of Goenkarponn have caused concern among many Goans. For over 450 years, Roman Konkani has been central to Goa’s cultural, spiritual, and literary identity, especially within the Catholic community. Post-Liberation, while Goa gained statehood and Konkani was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, Romi was not given equal status—although the recognition of Marathi has been accepted without resistance. The Global Romi Lipi Abhiyan has rightly urged the inclusion of the Roman Konkani in the new education policy, and called for legislative and constitutional action to ensure its official status. Recognising Romi is not just about script—it is about honouring identity, history, and cultural belonging. As Goa moves forward, acknowledging and preserving its linguistic heritage will only reinforce its unity and deepen its cultural richness.
Everette Assis Telles, Margao
Apostle of peace
It is apt that October 2, the birth anniversary of the peerless Mahatma Gandhi, is observed as the International Day of Non-Violence. Mahatma Gandhi himself said, “Non-violence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed.” The Mahatma also said, “Non-violence is the summit of bravery.” Therefore, only brave countries with equally brave leaders can preach and practice non-violence. Forgiveness was a strong point of Gandhi. Forgiveness led to reconciliation, and the consequent mending of fences. The Mahatma’s unbelievable sympathy and empathy towards wrongdoers is unmatched till now. Like Martin Luther King Jr, the Mahatma firmly believed that non-violence cuts without wounding, and ennobles the man who wields it. Tall leaders of all generations held the simple, but strong, man with high reverence due to his single-minded dedication to the cause he firmly thought was the right path to life’s journey. “Live simply so others may simply live” was his prayer.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
IIT project in quagmire
Bowing to public pressure, the state government has scrapped the proposed permanent site for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus at Codar village. Apparently this is the sixth identified site that the government was forced to drop following strong opposition from locals. There have been protests by residents of several Goan villages over mega housing and tourism projects. These include villages like Loliem, Orlim, Varca, Sancoale etc. There are several reasons for the opposition to mega projects which include water shortage, the loss of farmland, the displacement of wildlife, etc. It is feared that development projects will come at the cost of Goa’s environment. People are not against development. But the site for the project needs to be chosen carefully in consultation with locals. Codar village is agriculturally rich and locals are engaged in farming. The villagers are the ones who know the difficulty they face. Hence they need to be consulted before choosing the site for any project. Goa needs a permanent IIT complex. In this regard WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar and his cabinet colleague Ramakrishna Dhavalikar have batted for a permanent campus at Farmagudi. With several colleges here, Ponda taluka can become the educational hub of Goa. Villages that oppose mega projects could be officially recognised as “protected areas” due to their natural resources.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Frenzied fans
As a senior citizen of Tamil Nadu, I hang my head in shame over the way people of this state have become blind followers of cine actors. The recent stampede in Karur testifies to the uncontrollable frenzy of the fans who rushed in a disorderly manner just to have a glimpse of actor Vijay, resulting in the loss of 41 precious lives and serious injuries to several people. That the craze for the actor has gone so deep in his fans that, despite losing her 13-year-old daughter in the stampede, and being well aware that the actor had run away from the site of the tragedy to save himself, the mother of the deceased girl went extra miles to defend her matinee idol from any blame whatsoever! Senior citizens like me dread to think of the kind of a state, we are going to leave behind, for our future generations!
Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai
Culpability in stampede
The remarkable alacrity with which the Tamil Nadu government acted after the stampede at Karur contrasts sharply with the reaction of the state after the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy and many other unfortunate events that recently took place in Tamil Nadu. Clearly they sense a political opportunity over the deaths here. The point is that they are also culpable for the disaster that happened. But their media is on hand to put the entire blame on star and politician Vijay. That is the narrative you will hear in the coming days, that only Vijay and the TVK are responsible for the 41 deaths. That is not true. Questions must also be asked of the state government.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
