Goa ForGiving has its roots early in the millennium when we started off with small acts of community work at an orphanage in Agacaim where North Goa ends at the bridge over River Zuari. Our philosophy has been about giving our hearts to people less privileged than us, and this has taken us through a beautiful journey of serving people and causes wherever we can.
So, whether it is doing work with the old and the infirm, or inspiring children in the slums via workshops of various types, or working hard to create the awareness for the Revival and Rehabilitation of the Campal Creek, or energizing and executing the work to save the then desecrated Mermaid right in the heart of Panjim, or doing everything possible to create the platform to save Goa’s cultural assets through extensive media coverage, or doing anything that has its roots in Goa or in the God given concepts of Giving and Forgiving, we are there! Our recent support to the upmarket Goan Portuguese Restaurant, Assado in London, is a clear case where our interest ranges from serving the poor right up to doing things that make Goa proud anywhere across the world.
Today’s India is full of jingoistic slogans and aggressive thought, when actually what is more important than that, are acts of giving and forgiving. If we can forgive each other, there will be more love that is circulated amongst us. You can see distrust everywhere, whether it is between different castes, religions, communities, states and the like. Where are we heading with this type of a negative mindset? Is money the only aim that we have in life when it is quite clear that money is never an end to anything?
We would be very keen on having some Western laws out here as well; laws that punish small crimes with community work in prisons, schools, orphanages etc. Wouldn’t that be such a nice way to inculcate a softer spirit amongst people who cross the not so terrible lines in our society? Imagine someone who has erred in some minor way being given 100 hours of community service; where would that take us, deep into our own selves?
India is at the crossroads, and aggression has never been our forte if you go through the ages. It is important that we take
a pause and understand that there are better things to do than just talk of development and money. Of course that
is important too, but at what cost? Goa has always been different from the rest of our country, and in many ways
can be considered to be the diamond studded crown on India’s head. Whether it is our time tested virtue of communal
harmony which has evolved from a time tested use of the Uniform Civil Code, or whether we talk of the Opinion Poll
being the only Referendum ever held in Free India, or whether it is beautiful mix of East and West that has almost
no rival across that spectrum anywhere in the world, or whether it is high education levels, good medical facilities
etc hardly seen anywhere else in our country barring a few pockets maybe amongst many other things, Goa is special
as everyone would agree. So, instead of even thinking that we are the tail in the bigger scheme of things, it is
time we believe that Goa has it all, to lead our nation in an era where thought is more important than numbers.
WhatsApp was sold for a record $ 20 Billion, whilst we are breaking our heads over one third that amount over the
mining scam. Of course it is important to recover that one third from the criminals who looted us, but let us not
forget that we have better things to do. It is time our young Goan boys and girls are given the opportunities to
think big rather than remain in the quagmire that we seem to have gotten ourselves in. And we can do this only
when we work together, when we understand that a giving and forgiving spirit will lift our dreams to the harbour
of success, love, peace, goodness and the like.