Let us start on this rhythm: There were times this season in Goa when the guest and the host fell out with each other, and at times, led to bloodshed and the ugly consequences that follow such mindless thoughts.
There have been reported instances when the guest was hammered and the host went bragging that he did it because he had no other choice, and the little boy he was supposed to look after, wore shoes he shouldn’t.
If the host was nasty, there were times when the guest was nastier, and at most times, violence came to be the last resort, when it shouldn’t. A lot can be said or written about violence, but everyone will agree that it is a language best avoided.
'When God created man' wrote Kahlil Gibran, 'he gave him music as a language different from all other languages. And, early man sang her glory in the wilderness; and she drew the hearts of kings and moved them from their thrones.'
A lot can be said or written about violence, but everyone will agree that it is a language best avoided.
We have chosen to adopt a language that makes little sense. And, there could be many reasons for this. But, right and wrong is personal, and therefore, it is best when differences are kept within.
When the host attacks the guest, it is a reflection of the former’s upbringing, and the same applies to the latter. It gives everyone a bad name, one that is not easily forgotten.
Butterflies are watchable when they fly around, but the reaction of people who matter when things go out of hand are an indication that one should not try to fly when still in a cocoon.
Tourism has been a beautiful butterfly whose flight has drawn to Goa millions from around the world. And, despite the slump, the flight still draws many because its path is painted with stories of happy souls.
Goa is a small land with a big heart and that is why people who have come once, want to return.
Goa is a small land with a big heart and that is why people who have come once, want to return. Hence, it is difficult to colour Goans differently, for good cannot be painted bad.
In a nutshell, tourism is about the people and not the land. The latter is just a frill and not the cherry on top, and therefore, attempts to define tourism will always fall short because people cannot be defined. They are born spontaneous.
The ignorant will display their ignorance by getting other similar souls to chant stories of a land that they are not well conversant with, or know little about. Today, many of them are called 'Instagramers' and the message they spread is understood only by them.
Things go haywire because many a time, for many, God is a concept. God and not Goa, and this is what needs to be understood because this was, has been and is the land of good. A good that has a link that many of us believe is God.
'Man, with his understanding, cannot know what the rain is saying when it falls upon the leaves of the trees or when it taps on the window panes. He cannot know what the breeze is saying to the flowers in the fields,' wrote Gibran in The Prophet.
To be able to understand the rain, one first has to hear it fall, and to do that, one’s heart needs to be able to communicate with good. Tourism in Goa could learn from this.