It is said that it is the inalterable soul of a person, a place or a thing that defines its essence. Any attempt to change the soul will only stifle it to death.
The kind of soul-crushing transformation that took place in the tiny coastal State in the year drawing to a close – 2024 – threatened to smother its soul.
And, what happens when the soul is crushed? It leaves a hollow shell or a lifeless body. We surely do not want such a fate to visit the vibrant Goa, whose beaches are alive with salty sea-breeze, marine life and tongues of waves that hungrily lick the sand.
We also do not want to silence the throbbing hum of the jungle creatures in Goa’s forests, nor would we want its hills in the Western Ghats to suffer the indignity of being denuded of its green jewels.
These are things that make Goa soulful and set it apart from some of the degenerating Indian cities.
CHANGE FOR REGENERATION
The year 2024 was disruptive for Goa in many ways – some augured well for it but some chipped away at its core – the stuff that is distinctly Goa. No doubt, change is a necessity for regeneration, but some change can be degenerative.
It’s this kind of transformation that seems to be set in motion by a few greedy and shortsighted dealers of change in the names of development and societal obligation.
It’s this kind of transformation that seems to be set in motion by a few greedy and shortsighted dealers of change in the name of development and societal obligation.
It has seen Goa’s spotless and azure skies silhouetted with grotesques structures, crowding small areas and wiping out the old tree-lined shaded neighbourhood.
In the quest for sea-view and open sky, buildings have tried to outdo each other and created a concrete jungle. This has restrained the sea-breeze that once fiercely blew around and whistled with joy as it squeezed its way through hollow spaces.
There was a time one could hear the operatic music of the sea-breeze on the wind on a fine rainy day. Now, no amount of straining of the ears can extract those lyrical notes from the fatigued winds – only it’s soundless ghost roams around the valleys between buildings.
NIGHTMARES ON ROADS
And, as buildings spring up around Goa, the vehicular traffic whips up nightmares on its roads. Mounting traffic has stolen away the joy of driving on streets with no traffic lights, cruising at your own pace and not being hounded by blaring of horns.
Mounting traffic has stolen away the joy of driving on streets with no traffic lights, cruising at your own pace and not being hounded by blaring of horns.
Most stretches of Goan roads now resemble streets of other states. Narrow Madani-esque roads – like the one in Parra village – or those running along the beach, flanked by paddy fields or traditional homes are vanishing fast. These narrow roads can no longer hold the ever-burgeoning traffic of Goa.
Slashed hills are now a common sight in the State. One of the charms of Goa was its undulating landscape. Houses perched on hilltops or merging with the environment on the slopes of hillocks were not uncommon in the Goa of the past.
Today, hills are being sliced or torn down for buildings and infrastructure.
DISTINCTIVE GOA
Acre upon acre of forests, orchards, fields and hills are being replaced with residential houses, commercial buildings and developmental projects, are diminishing Goa’s soul – drop by drop. If this continues, it won’t be long before only its shell or corpse remains.
In just Pernem and Bardez itself, there is a proposal by Goa’s Department of Town and Country Planning (TCP) to reportedly convert around two lakh sqm of green cover to settlement land.
Hearteningly, even today, the State’s soul is briefly redeemed when one experiences snatches of the old Goa.
In the recent past, thousands of hill-cutting cases have been reported. If not checked, Goa – spread over 3,702 sqkm – will lose its distinct charm and start resembling any other shoddily planned city of India.
SMALL MERCIES
Hearteningly, even today, the State’s soul is briefly redeemed when one experiences snatches of the old Goa on beaches – unmaligned by rowdy tourists, in the synchronised medley heard in the heart of its dense forests, on the snaking paths of the Western Ghats, and in the tranquillity and the soothing humdrum of its villages.
And thus, Goa gets the kiss of life every time the tourist buzz does not drown the sound of crashing waves on the beach, when the poder’s (breadman) horn can be heard in the distance, the day breaks with the sound of the rooster crowing, paddy fields glisten with the morning dew, the tiger roars in the heart of the jungle, the hills are adorned with luscious greenery, the gusty winds flow freely through it, it is sprinkled with abundant sunshine and its spirit is not reigned by commercial compulsions.