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 Goa's
isolation from the rest of India
for more than four centuries
under the Portuguese rule, its
geographical borders in the form
of the Sahyadri ranges and the
tidal rivers have managed to
give the people of Goa a unique
and separate identity.
The people of Goa prefer to call
themselves Goans and not Goanese
as mentioned in guidebooks and
brochures. Goans are very much
aware of this unique identity;
they are proud of it and guard
it fiercely.
The population of Goa is
composed of a Hindu majority of
around 65% and a Christian
minority of around 30%. Muslims
and other religions make up the
rest. The interesting part in
all these percentages is that,
as is the case with most
statistical figures, they
conceal more than they can ever
reveal.
The Hindu community is dominant
in the talukas (districts) of
Ponda, Bicholim, Pernem, Satari,
Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona.
These areas actually form part
of the Novas Conquistas, or the
New Conquests, made by the
Portuguese in the last stage of
the expansion of their Goan
empire in the eighteenth
century.
By this time, the Portuguese
military might was on the wane
and the religious ardour for
forced conversions was at its
lowest ebb. Hence the population
in these newly conquered areas
were pretty much left to
practise their religion in
peace.
The Old Conquests on the other
hand, consisting of Salcete,
Mormugao, Tiswadi and Bardez
bore the brunt of the Portuguese
army and the religious zealots.
Together, the two arms of the
Portuguese empire, managed to
destroy temples and converted
hundreds of non-Christians in
these areas, which are
predominantly Christian today.
Fortunately, these bitter
memories of the past have done
nothing to change the warm,
 friendly and loving nature of
the Goan people. By and large,
the Goan considers himself a
Goan first and a Hindu,
Christian or Muslim afterwards.
The bonds of language and the
Goan identity are strong enough
to allow for different religious
persuasions.
In contrast to other parts of
India, Goans have developed a
remarkable degree of tolerance
towards each other's religious
beliefs, and hence religious
fundamentalism is completely
unknown in the state.
The best evidence of this is
seen in quite a few places of
worship in Goa, where both
Hindus and Christians go
together. The Damodar temple at
Sanguem, the Church of Our Lady
of Miracles in Mapusa, the
Shantadurga temple at Fatorpa
are excellent examples of this
unique religious harmony that
exists in Goa. Besides these, a
number of other festivals in Goa
are celebrated by members of
both communities with equal
fervour.
In proportion to their numbers,
a very high percentage of Goans
live abroad than the members of
most other regional communities
of India. But no matter where
they might be on the surface of
the planet, Goans love to
express the adoration of their
homeland in some form or the
other.
Goa is a state of mind. And to
most Goans, this is best
expressed in the lines of the
Konkani poem penned by the
eminent Goan poet B. B. (Bakibab)
Borkar:
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