-Brian Mendonça
15 August was another day to reflect on India’s past. After
the hoisting of the flag an elder spoke about the valour of our armed forces.
At Amar Jawan Jyoti, at India Gate, New Delhi, are the lines, ‘We gave our
today, for your tomorrow.’ Students too had presented a power-point with the
names and photographs of members of the defence forces who were killed in
combat last year. In some cases their bodies were mutilated. The speech
continued, to remind us about the 75th anniversary of the Quit India
movement. The speaker recalled the lines of Gandhi to ‘Do or Die.’
So it was with infinite distaste that I overheard a yell in
the back rows the moment the speech ended saying, ‘Thanda lao, khana khao.’ This was all a charade to him. It did not
matter that this was a freedom we enjoyed at a heavy price. As long as he was not paying it, it was of no
consequence.
A list of concerns some youth of Goa had listed was
revealing. One spoke of corruption as a major drawback. Another voiced her
opinion about the rising number of rape cases. Even children were not being
spared. The third held superstitions responsible for holding India back.
Education was a must to overcome this hurdle. Gender discrimination was practised
everywhere, said another. Boys are allowed to come home any time, while girls
have a fixed time. Poverty was another issue. Finally one bemoaned the cutting
of trees for road widening. Acquisition
of land should also be done with due process and not at the cost of the rights
of others.
For some reason, WhatsApp forwarded Tagore’s poem ‘Where the
mind is without fear,’ for want, I suspect, of anything better on 15 August.
These clichés need to be replaced with modern idioms to galvanize the public,
otherwise we become victims of ‘dead habit.’
The priest who said the Mass on 15th August for
the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary spoke about the
privilege of celebrating Independence day. Freedom cannot be taken for granted.
Piping hot Goan food awaited us at the Ribandar causeway where
we headed for the annual fishing competition for lunch. There was pulao with
chicken xacuti, Goan fish curry (with
bhendi) and Goan rice, mackerel fry with reixade,
crab xec xec, and fried velho.
Chilled Tuborg and Kingfisher were also there in good measure. We loved
the live Konkani music. I even wished Aires Rodrigues all the best for his
vigilance about Goan matters. As luck would have it, as my fingers tried to
grasp the container with pulao and xacuti,
it tipped over and fell to the ground. It reminded me of how we can never take
anything in life for granted - let alone freedom. After a dessert of patoyos we meandered over to my cousin’s
place where we were fed some delicious vonn
– traditionally made on 1 August with the first harvest in Goa.
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Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, St. Inez, Goa on Sunday, 20 August 2017.
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