Looking at the Goa of today, I have come to believe that we don't value what we have and are not even minutely troubled by what we are gradually losing – our nature, our culture, and most importantly, our humanity.
Today, many of us feel anxious, and others are helpless looking at things and events shaping around us. Life is moving at a fast pace in this tiny state with many having become more ambitious and less conscientious.
When we walk on the streets, we try not to allow the garbage strewn around us to affect us. After all, we are living in one of the most literate states! Garbage can wait and rot, we have more serious things of concern to look after.
The lure of trading and consuming drugs is what brings many to Goa these days. It's making hay while the sun shines for hustlers.
The situations that we have created for ourselves might become a permanent feature if we don't act today. Look at our beach tourism – there is no control, but rather chaos and yet we want the best to come here.
One look at the mess our beaches are in, we don't even qualify to be among the top 10 destinations in the country. Whoever is giving us that top rank and awards has certainly not walked the glass-ridden golden sands. It makes me ask a question: are these tourism awards bought?
The lure of trading and consuming drugs is what brings many to Goa these days. It's making hay while the sun shines for hustlers.
One of the most disheartening changes observed is that some greedy Goans have fallen prey to the lure of money and have sold their sanity and their souls.
Our age-old institutions are falling apart. The comunidades are a case in point. An institution our ancestors nurtured with their wisdom and hard work.
Today, there are very few who are fighting to keep them alive. Many youngsters are not even aware of what a comunidade is.
Another peril that we are promoting at a great cost to our green surroundings is indiscriminate construction activities. People have been opposing mega housing projects in their neighbourhood, but the real estate lobby is having its way willy-nilly.
Goa's land is under siege from the real estate mafia and the next decade will be about lobbyists trying to influence politicians and bureaucrats with their money power to change land laws to facilitate the building of monstrosities.
Goa's land is under siege from the real estate mafia and the next decade will be about lobbyists trying to influence politicians and bureaucrats with their money power to change land laws to facilitate the building of monstrosities.
Among the many ills plaguing Goa, the serious one among them is the increasing number of crimes.
Not a day goes without citizens reading about rape and murder in the newspapers. They are worried about the safety of their children.
Some of those who have committed serious crimes are from impoverished states who came here to earn their livelihood. After finding themselves with no work options here, they resorted to criminal activities.
The fear of crime is making senior citizens more insecure despite the police trying to soothe their fears on the occasion of Senior Citizens Day last month. The tide of crime is ever-changing, and, in Goa, it is only getting worrisome.
Amid all these ills plaguing Goa, it's time to ask which way are we headed. We need to first clean our house. And I don’t mean a physical cleanup.
While we clean up our act, we also need to create the right experiences for people who come here, because the first impression is the last. The choices we make today will determine our future tomorrow.
