GOA
Goa has a
well-earned reputation for its beautiful beaches, hospitable people, great food
and being the party city of India. But the sunshine state of India is more than
just beaches, sundowners, cocktails and seafood.
The crescent-shaped State of
Goa covers an area of 3,610 sq. km and lies on the Western coast of India,
between the Western Ghats mountain range and the Arabian Sea. The charm of Goa
is its picturesque landscape, temperate climate and gracious people.
Ancient Goa
Goa was founded
in the fifteenth century by the Muslim Sultanate of Bijapur as a port on the
banks of the Mandovi River. Being strategically situated, it was coveted by various imperial
powers and came under successive dynasties, the Muslims, the Portuguese and
India.
During the rule of Hindu
kings, magnificent palaces, temples and forts were built and Goa became a great
trade and commerce centre, unrivalled in India. The
voyages of the Portuguese navigator, Vasco
da Gama (1497–99, 1502–03, 1524), opened the sea route from western Europe to
Asia by way of the Cape of Good Hope. For almost a century (1500–1600), the
Portuguese held a monopoly on European exploration and trade in the Indian
Ocean. In
1510 came the Portuguese conquest of Goa led
by General Afonso de Albuquerque, who razed it almost to the ground. The General recognized that Goa would make a perfect
permanent base for Portugal's navy and commerce in the Indian Ocean. Portuguese
interests were largely determined by sailing conditions and in Goa they found a
defensible island site with excellent harbour facilities on either side.
Goa was the
first territorial possession in Asia to be ruled directly by Europeans
since
Alexander
the Great conquered Punjab. Goa served as the main Portuguese base in the East for four
and a half centuries and was called "Rome
of the East". Albuquerque had intended Goa to be a colony and a naval
base, distinct from the fortified factories which had been established in
certain Indian seaports. Goa again became the greatest commercial and
trading emporium in the East and only Agra and Delhi could be compared to Goa.
The country was also known as ‘Golden
Goa’ and it was said of Goa - “Whoever
hath seen Goa, need not see Lisbon”.
For judicial
purposes, the province of Goa also included Macau in China and Timor in the
Malay Archipelago. Portuguese India formed a single administrative province
under a governor-general and a single ecclesiastical province subject to the
Archbishop of Goa, who was also primate of the East.
Who are the Christian Goans?
According to anthropologists,
Goans are thought to be descendants of mixed Aryan-Dravidian marriages. The
Christians are the descendants of Hindus converted to Christianity by the
Portuguese. In Goa, ethnic Goans are predominantly Hindus and Roman Catholics,
followed by a tiny Muslim community.
1
Excerpt from ‘Ancestral Goa’ photobook by Astrid Diana Fernandes,
Canadian Photographer
Early in the
development of Portuguese society in India, Albuquerque encouraged his
Portuguese soldiers to marry the native Goan women (termed ‘Politicos dos casamentos') and to settle
in Goa as farmers, retail traders and artisans. The Luso-Goans came into
existence following these intermarriages. These men and their descendants soon
became a privileged caste and Goa acquired a large Eurasian population. Some
Portuguese explorers expressed a disdain for their existence. Parson Terry,
writing in 1616, stated - "The truth
is that the Portuguese, especially those who are born in the Indian colonies,
most of them a mix'd seed begotten upon the natives, are a very low,
poor-spirited people, called therefore the Gallinas Del Mar, the hens of the
sea!" The Portuguese also shipped over many Portuguese girls - 'Orphans of the King' - to overseas
territories to marry either Portuguese settlers or natives with high status. By 1580, Goa was a
sophisticated city with its own brand of Indo-Portuguese society. During this time,
all Goans were educated in Portuguese. It was only when Christian Goans
migrated, did they learn English and the lingua franca of their adopted country
– Kiswahili in the case of East Africa.
Portugal also
introduced the concept of assimilation of the colonized people into the
population of the motherland. ‘Assimilado’
is the term given to colonized subjects (from the 1910s to the 1960s), who had
reached a level of 'civilization',
according to Portuguese legal standards. This theoretically qualified them for
full rights as Portuguese citizens. Only through being Portuguese in
every facet of life, from language to schooling to personal
association, could one be considered a useful tool in society, and thus be
afforded special rights. Portuguese colonizers claimed as the goal for their assimilation,
practices of the 'close union of races of
different degrees of civilization that help and support each other loyally'.
Albuquerque and
later colonial administrators left the customs and constitutions of the 30
village communities of Goa almost untouched; only the rite of suttee in which
widows were burned on their husband's funeral pyre was abolished.
The 450-year
Portuguese rule has heavily influenced Goan culture, cuisine, and architecture.
Goa's head of state, often titled the Viceroy, was appointed directly by the
Portuguese King. Luso-Goans had a choice to either be citizens of Portugal or
Portuguese citizens with an Overseas Citizenship of India granted by India.
They enjoyed the most privileged status in Goa and held the most important
offices. Luso-Goans of noble descent have a well-documented family history and
heritage recorded and maintained in various archives in Portugal and Goa.
Many Luso-Goans
left the Indian subcontinent for other Portuguese territories and colonies for
purposes of trade and work. During the days of the British empire, many
Christian Goans migrated to the British-ruled regions in East Africa of Kenya,
Uganda and Tanganika (now Tanzania). Even after India became independent from
British rule on August 15, 1947, Goa remained under Portuguese rule.
Relations
between India and Portugal began amicably but relations declined after 1950
over Portugal's refusal to surrender its exclaves of Goa, Daman and Diu and
Dadra and Nagar Haveli on India's west coast.
2
Excerpt from ‘Ancestral Goa’ photobook by Astrid Diana Fernandes,
Canadian Photographer
Winds of Change
On February 27,
1950, India asked Portugal to open negotiations on the future of its colonies.
This
followed the statement by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that "Goa is part of the Indian Union and it
shall return." On July 15, 1950, the Portuguese government responded by declaring the question "could not be discussed, much less
accept the solution that was proposed."
Portugal
asserted that its territory in India was not a colony but part of metropolitan
Portugal and hence its transfer was non-negotiable; that India had no rights to
this territory since the Republic of India did not exist when Goa came under
Portuguese rule. The Portuguese constitution, which affirmed that the
diplomatic and military defence of sovereignty was imperative, was amended in
1951 to explicitly designate colonies in India and Africa as 'Overseas Colonies' although Goa had
been treated as one since 1518.
In January 1953,
the Indian government sent an aide memoire to the Portuguese government
pointing out that "political
barriers artificially created by an accident of history for which no
justification existed at the present time can no longer stem the rising tide of
the national urge for unity." Further India assured Portugal that it
would "maintain cultural and other rights, including language, laws and
customs of the inhabitants of these territories and make no changes in such and
like matters except with their consent."
When the
Portugal refused to respond, the Indian government, on June 11, 1953, withdrew
its diplomatic mission from Lisbon. When in the course of 1954, the Portuguese
government appealed to Great Britain to bring pressure on India, Foreign
Secretary, Alec Douglas-Home, made it absolutely clear the
NATO alliance did not extend to Portuguese entanglements overseas, and they
should not expect anything more than a mediating role. He also warned that
Britain had no intention of engaging in hostilities with a member of the Commonwealth of
Nations. India attempted to use its position in the Non-Aligned Movement
to gain support for its demands, while Portugal, as a founding member of NATO,
sought support from Western nations, as well as from India's rivals, Pakistan
and China.
India then
instituted visa restrictions on travel from Goa to India which paralysed travel
between Goa and other Portuguese exclaves in India. Meanwhile, the Indian union
of dock workers, had instituted a boycott on shipping to Portuguese India.
Portuguese forces were stationed in Dadra and Nagar Haveli. In anticipation of
this operation, India sealed the border on June 28, 1954 and prevented the
Portuguese from dispatching armed forces from coastal Daman.
On November 30,
1954, Prime Minister António de Salazar addressed the Portuguese parliament,
laying out the country’s position on Goa. Salazar dismissed India's claims to
the territories as a 'fantasy', and
lauded Goans for their steadfast patriotism in the face of 'Indian provocations '. By 1955, the two
nations cut off diplomatic relations, triggering a crisis that led to war being
declared between the two countries. On December, 18,
3
Excerpt from ‘Ancestral Goa’ photobook by Astrid Diana Fernandes,
Canadian Photographer
1961, supported
by artillery, air and naval forces, India conducted an armed invasion of Goa,
Daman and Diu. After 36 hours, the Portuguese surrendered.
India's
liberation of Goa was met with both international support and condemnation.
Portugal refused to recognize India's sovereignty over Goa. Salazar died in
1970. In 1974 a democratic government took power in Portugal and recognized
India's sovereignty in Goa. After annexation, the Indian government changed the
Portuguese names of many places and institutes. But many signs in Portuguese
are still visible over shops and administrative buildings in cities like
Panjim, Margao and Vasco da Gama. Following the annexation many Goans fled Goa
mostly for Portuguese-speaking African countries.
Christianity
& Goa
Goa has a
Christian history stretching back to Apostolic times. St. Thomas the Apostle is
known as a great evangelizer of India. But another Apostle, St. Bartholomew, is
also credited with bringing the Gospel to the subcontinent. It is believed that
Bartholomew reached the Konkan Coast, the rugged section of the western
coastline of India, in the 1st century. The 'Butler’s
Lives of the Saints', noted about a century earlier that people in India
showed St. Pantaenus, a Greek theologian, a copy of St. Matthew’s Gospel. But
it wasn’t until after Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, visited the west
coast of India in 1498 did widespread evangelization get underway. From the
year 1500, missionaries of different orders (Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits
and Augustinians) accompanied the colonists and began to build churches along
Goa’s coastal districts. A missionary expansionist spree from Goa to South
Africa, Japan and China followed. In India, after Kerala, Goa is a hub of
Christianity.
When the
Portuguese came to India, they set as a priority the removal of Nestorianism
from the Christianity practiced by the so-called “Thomas Christians” and to bring the community into union with the
Catholic Church. This was accomplished by the Synod of Diamper in 1599. (the
Oxford English Dictionary defines Nestorianism as "The doctrine of Nestorius, patriarch of Constantinople (appointed in
428), by which Christ is asserted to have had distinct human and divine persons."
Portuguese
missionary activity resulted in large Christian communities being formed in the
south of India and sporadically northwards as far as Bengal, Agra, and even
Tibet. The chief successes were within the strictly Portuguese Goa. According
to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, the decline of Portuguese power in the 17th
century also meant a decline in the supply of missionaries. The Holy See began
to send out missionaries independently of Portugal - appointing vicars
Apostolic over several districts. Goa today has a reputation as a small place
that has produced many priests and bishops which stem in part from the practice
of families traditionally “offering one
child to God”. In 1888, my great granduncle, Father Vincente Caetano, was
ordained in the family Chapel of St. Lourenco, Arossim.
Francis Xavier,
the saint and missionary, is credited with bringing Catholicism to Goa, and
while his arm (which was said to have baptized thousands) is kept in Rome, the
rest
4
Excerpt from ‘Ancestral Goa’ photobook by Astrid Diana Fernandes,
Canadian Photographer
of his body lies
in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa. Specifically for its splendid and
numerous Catholic religious buildings, Goa was known as the 'Rome of the East'.
Migration of
Catholic Goans
Outgoing Goan migration has
been continuous since the late 19th century when the British convinced the
Portuguese to build a railway that linked Goa to British India. Later, difficulty getting jobs within Goa and aided by Goan Catholics' different mindset, better adjustment to
communities overseas, propelled many of
Goans to secure jobs outside India - in the Portuguese colonies of Mozambique
and Angola, the former British colonies/territory of Kenya, Uganda, Tanganika
(now Tanzania) and in the Gulf states. During
the Indian blockade in the final years of Portuguese rule, thousands of Goan families headed to
Pakistan with plans to either venture on to Africa and other countries, or
return. Some decided to stay on in Pakistan. Before British India was carved up
to create India and Pakistan in 1947, thousands of people from Goa travelled,
worked and settled in large cities like Karachi. On annexation, many could not
return to their ancestral homes in Goa. Their assets were frozen and deemed “property of the enemy.”
The end of British colonial
rule in East Africa in the early 1960s, the subsequent process of Africanisation,
the changes to Britain’s immigration laws and the expulsion of South Asians
from Uganda (1972) and Malawi (1974) saw a massive movement of Goans and other
Asians, mostly to the United Kingdom and Canada, and others to Australia and
the USA. Under the Portuguese constitution, every Goan born in Goa before
December 19, 1961 or his progeny is entitled to Portuguese citizenship,
empowering them to settle in any part of the European Union under the Schengen
Agreement. After the Indian annexation, many Catholic Goans applied and were
granted Portuguese passports. They secured the right to settle in a European
Union (EU) country.
In the two years after India
annexed Goa, around 50,000 Catholics emigrated. The trend continued as the
community could not progress beyond a certain limit. During this emigration,
thousands of immigrants, mainly Hindus from neighbouring states, entered the
newly declared federally-ruled territory that only became a fully fledged
Indian state in 1987. This continued migration over the years has increased the
Hindu population to a level higher than the Christian one. Muslims, who were
less than 1 percent in 1961, made the biggest inroads in Goa to become close to
9 percent of the population today. Catholics were heckled and branded 'Portuguese agents' despite hundreds of
them being involved in Goa's freedom struggle. In more recent years, Indian
Prime Minister Modi, is carrying out what his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has
long sought - a return to Hindu dominance, despite the country's secular democratic
history. The Catholic Goan emigration has again shown a dramatic spike.
The
ever-changing face of Goan migration
Goans Today
It is estimated
that there are around 600,000 Goans living outside India, with 40,000 in
Canada. Goans are phenomenally successful in their adopted countries.
Their assimilation into western societies has been seamless. They continue
to keep strong ties with Goa and have managed to maintain their distinct
identity, albeit with an understated profile.
The Goans have
always been a sporting, fun loving and socially orientated community. To
satisfy the diverse needs of the community, early Goan immigrants to Kenya
established the first Goan Overseas Association (G.O.A.) in Nairobi. Today,
there are active Goan organizations in Canada’s five major cities, in the UK,
the USA and Australia. The Goan social clubs in Kenya continue, though with a
lower membership than during their pre-independence heydays. These
organizations outside of Goa keep the Goan culture, traditions and values alive
and provide community support.
The Toronto Goan
Overseas Association was founded in 1970. Lazarus, my father, was a founding
member. Members hail from many parts of the world including East Africa, Goa, India,
Pakistan and the Middle East. In June 2021, under the inspired and visionary
leadership of President, Selwyn Colaco (my second cousin), G.O.A. Toronto saw
the realization of a 50-year dream when it took possession of a 7200 sq ft
facility at 20 Strathearn Ave, Brampton. With the enthusiastic, unprecedented
and talented volunteer efforts of members, the facility was transformed into an
attractive and functional community gathering space - 'Casa Goa' - the first Goan community centre in North America. It
was officially inaugurated five months later with dignitaries from the
governments of Canada, Ontario and Mississauga, past G.O.A. presidents and
proud members in attendance.
February 2024
(excerpted from various sources)
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