VINIKA VISWAMBHARAN
NT BUZZ
The memory of a police jeep arriving at his school and asking teachers to send students home remains with 77-year-old senior journalist, Gurudas Sawal. It was the eve of Goa’s Liberation, an event he witnessed as a schoolboy. Decades later, he draws on such memories and years of political reporting in his second publication, ‘Goa, Mukti ani Pragati’.
The book written in Marathi, released yesterday, features 51 articles on Goa’s political journey from 1961 to 2025.
Sawal began compiling the articles in March 2025, after several had appeared in a newspaper at the suggestion of an editor. The collection gradually developed into a broader account of the state’s political history.
He says, “I wanted to cover the period from 1961 to 2025, documenting all the political regimes and their respective chief ministers in power at the time.”
The book draws on his personal experiences, diary entries, newspaper reports and research from other publications. He also consulted books and reports to supplement his notes and recollections.
Sawal’s account is informed by decades in journalism. He joined the profession in November 1974 as a reporter and sub-editor and worked with Navaprabha for around 33 years. He also wrote a political column titled ‘Chakravyuh’, whichwas popular among readers.
Over the decades, he has also witnessed changes in Goa’s infrastructure. He points to the expansion of national and state highways but is concerned about the environmental cost of this development.
Recalling life before Liberation, he says agriculture played a more important role in everyday life. “People produced their own food. There was not the same dependence on the market,” he says.
Sawal is now working on another book about Goa’s Liberation movement, which will cover around 100 people involved in the struggle.
