Goan Diaspora, the Home and the Host

Conferência, no Sábado passado, organizada pela associação goesa local de Deli, sobre a diáspora goesa. Inauguração por Eduardo Faleiro, actual ministro para os "Non-Resident Goans" do Governo de Goa. Fiz uma pequena intervenção da parte da tarde, intitulada "Goans in Portugal, from Bela Goa to Real Goa". Entre a assistência, tive o prazer de contar com o Embaixador de Portugal, Luís Filipe Castro Mendes.

Seminar evaluates role and importance of Goan Diaspora

The relations of the Goan Diaspora to its respective host countries, as well as to homeland Goa were the focus of attention of scholars, policy-makers, Goans residing in the capital city and other interested in the day-long seminar organised by the local Goan association “Goenkarancho Ekvot”, last weekend, at the India International Centre, New Delhi.

The initiative, coordinated by its President Suman Kurade and Professor Peter Ronald de Souza, was inaugurated by Eduardo Faleiro, Commissioner for NRI Affairs, Government of Goa, who gave an overview on the most recent programs designed to protect Goan emigrants and attract their skills and assets for the development of Goa. He also announced the preparation of a comprehensive Goa Migration Study and a 2-week study tour programme for diaspora youth to visit and learn about Goa and other regions of India. He welcomed initiatives of organisations outside Goa and abroad to discuss the Diaspora and the ways it has contributed to the development of other countries, and at the same time kept its unique identity and links with Goa.

The morning session addressed the “Place of the Goan Diaspora in the making of Contemporary Goa”. While Julio Ribeiro, former ex-Commissioner for Police, resuscitated memories of past Goan life in Mumbai and the importance of the “kuds” as social and political meeting points, reputed architect and writer Pramod Kale discussed how Gulf Goans are represented in “tiatr”. D H Panandiker, former Secretary General of FICCI, made a detailed presentation on the role remittances from the Diaspora play in the economic development of Goa. Foreign remittances and deposits strongly affected the nature of sectoral economic growth and consumption patterns, he underlined.

The afternoon session on “Goan Diaspora and the Host Community” included a presentation by Edgar Ribeiro on the environmental challenges which Goa is facing today, analysing the impact of tourism, CRZ and SEZs. Young foreign scholars of Goan origin Beverly Bhaangi (Bharein) and Constantino Xavier (Portugal) shared their experiences and perspectives on Goan identity abroad. Bhaangi critically noted that third generation Goans in the Gulf had mostly lost touch with Goa and Konkani language, while Xavier underlined the potential of Goan Diaspora in bringing India and Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries closer together.

Peter Ronald de Souza, who has been appointed director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, in Shimla, offered the concluding remarks and welcomed the support expressed by Minister Eduardo Faleiro to a future project studying the role of kuds in Bombay’s social, economic and political life. Present were also H. E. Luís Castro Mendes, Ambassador of Portugal to India, and Professor Balveer Arora, former Rector, Jawaharlal Nehru University, among several other Goans residing in New Delhi and neighbouring regions.