The Xacuti Bozo Singh Harder Talk Interview !

 XBS & TGF on the events of December 1961 - 1

TGF preface: The history of Goa is both fascinating and enigmatic. Goa is a little parcel of land on the west coast of the Indian peninsula. The topography is no different from any other part of the Konkan coast. What is definitely different, is the ambience created by the 450 year contact with Portugal.

In December of 1961, India invaded Goa and sent the Portuguese packing.

Indian planes bombed key Portuguese installations in Goa, sent several hundred thousand troops in and secured a mercifully quick surrender from a couple thousand poorly equipped Portuguese troops stationed in Goa, effected a regime change, and claimed to have liberated Goa.

There are many who challenge the legality of the 1961 Indian invasion of Goa. There are many who even challenge the notion that Goa has in fact been liberated. There are others who are shocked that Goans would even consider rehashing this 40+year old 'has been" event. They strongly believe that the doubters of Liberation 'must be living in dreamland or be boot lickers of the Portuguese colonialists'.

Even to this day, there is distinct divergence in opinion about the events of 1961. It must be understood that many among those who question "liberation" were vocal opponents of the Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar; many who make the most supportive noises about "liberation" were actually pro-Salazar until December 1961. That is the irony of 1961!

Accepting that Goa was under the control of Salazar & his cronies (who even the Portuguese in Portugal hated)

*Was armed invasion, the best course of action? Couldn't the transfer of power been handled peacefully as in the case of Macau?

*What (besides the floundering electoral fortunes of the Nehru Congress Party of India) was the urgency of the armed action?

* Why were Goans not asked what they wanted? Why did the Indian Prime Minister Nehru turn down (in 1955) the Fanchu Loyola request for a Plebiscite?

* Why were Goan shops looted by members of the Indian Army?

* Why have qualified Goans routinely been denied top Government jobs in post 1961 Goa?

* Why was the Goan communidade system stifled, and the increasingly acrimonious & corrupt Panchayat system installed in its place?

* Why was the access to the Catholic church on Anjediva cut off without appropriate discussion with members of the Catholic faith in Goa?

* Why has Goa been allowed to be filthified and environmentally polluted thus over the past 40 years?

* Why did Goan Freedom Fighters like Gaitonde, Loyola and Quenim migrate to Portugal after the 1961 event?

Xacuti Bozo Singh (XBS) is a well known journalist. He rose to fame with the hard hitting cyber program Harder Talk. What follows is a dialogue between TGF and XBS. It appears that many other Goans joined the marathon dialogue. In effect, it eventually turned out into a Town Hall meeting.



Dateline April 20, 2003
Margao, Goa


The summer heat is upon Goa, most of the European tourists have gone back home, the mango trees are teeming with blossoms, and the infamous mosquitos are set to arrive at any time now.

Margao, the once pretty damsel of a garden city, is now a shambles with chaotic traffic, people rushing to God alone knows where, noise, dust and filth.

The world famous Harder-Talk host, O senhor Xacuti Bozo Singh finally caught up with TGF at the ever popular South Goa watering hole, Longuinhos.

At a time when there is death and despair within ruins of war and devastation, a tall glass of very chilled Kingfisher lager had a remarkably calming effect. The world famous Goan Fish Curry & Rice aka Xitt Codi along with miskut, transported TGF and Xacuti Bozo Singh (XBS) into another world.

A world of........... reviewing of the past in the context of the present.


XBS: Thank you very much for agreeing to have this conversation about 1961.
TGF: No problem, only.....I do not see the benefit of discussing 1961. It is done. Finished. It has been hashed and rehashed and trashed so often. Why waste a whole afternoon on this?
XBS: I appreciate your sentiments. Even so, it would help me understand your feelings about 1961.
TGF: There is one condition!
XBS: No conditions! I will be upfront about my feelings with you, you be upfront with me.
TGF: I will be upfront with you. There is still a condition.
XBS: What condition?
TGF: Whatever my views, these are my personal views. They should not affect our friendship.
XBS: Oh Sure! That is a deal.

TGF: Well then, let me ask you this. What are your feelings about 1961?
XBS: About 1961? OK.. Well...OK... Let me put it this way. Goa was always part of India. The Portuguese invaded Goa. India kicked them out and LIBERATED Goans. End of story! That is my view, Now tell me your view.
TGF: I will, I will...but first, let us discuss your viewpoint. Then we can discuss mine. When you say that 'Goa was always part of India', what are you talking about?
XBS: Take a look TGF! Is Goa in India or in Portugal?
TGF: My dear XBS, let me repeat my question... this time in very simple English. When you say that 'Goa was always part of India', what are you talking about?
XBS: I said what I meant and I meant what I said. Goa has always been a part of India! FULL STOP. No ifs and buts about that.

TGF: Let me understand this clearly now. According to you, Goa was always a part of India, the Portuguese came in 1510 and took it away from India? Right?
XBS: Right! That is exactly how it happened.

TGF: This "India" you are talking about....what exactly did it constitute at the time the Portuguese came to Goa?
XBS: All this land mass you see from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean, that entire area called the Indian subcontinent... was, is and will always be India. Comprende Senhor?

TGF: The entire land mass?
XBS: Yes, the entire land mass!
TGF: Including Pakistan, Burma, Nepal and Bangladesh ?
XBS: Look....that is a complicated matter. When India became independent from the British, there was partition. The Britishers always ruled by dividing people. So, they divided India into India and Pakistan.
TGF: And Nepal & Burma?
XBS: I don't know where this discussion is leading. We are discussing 1961 not 1947!
TGF: Will you agree then that there was NO political state called INDIA before 1947?
XBS: There was India; Only it was called British India.
TGF: Arre baba XBS, are we discussing British India?
XBS: No, but when India got independence from the British, British India became India.
TGF: That means, Pakistan and Burma became part of India? and Ceylon too?
XBS: minus those small areas.
TGF: "those small areas" ?
XBS: OK OK, the political state INDIA came into effect only in 1947. But the geographic entity called India was there from the times of the Mahabharata.
TGF: So, which entity took part in the 1961 armed action on Goa, political or geographic?
XBS: Both!
TGF: Both?
XBS: Yes of course, BOTH.... minus Pakistan, Nepal, Burma and Sri Lanka.
TGF: In other words, the Political Entity INDIA, right?
XBS: Ok...the political entity. So how does that affect the price of mirsaangh?
TGF: And when did the Political Entity INDIA, come into being?
XBS: 1947! at least 14 years before the 1961 action.
TGF: Sure, 14 years before the 1961 action BUT a full 437 years after the Portuguese captured Goa.....from the Turkish rulers of South India, if I may add.

At this time our waiter, Rosario brought some rechiado vagio (King Prawns) along with some stuffed pomfret and some more Kingfisher beer. Rosario was probably evesdropping onto the conversation. He had a mischievous grin on his face when he whispered to TGF "Xacutik Borem bashen petoilem tuvem"

TGF looked over to the left (by the prawn patties display) and saw some familiar faces. There were Livia & Jorge. They were sharing a meal with Bernadette & Paulo, Aurea & Fernando and Marina & Tony . And who are these folks walking in? It was Marinella & Ben, Ema & Jose. Wow, that table had some very interesting dishes being ordered including TGF's favourite ...samosas! Wonder what the topic of discussion on that table was, thought TGF. There was "quiet" and polite discussion on this table.

To the right, near the wooden cubicle area were another bunch of 'for the day solteiro' Goemcars. Rene, Mario, Gaspar had just walked in. Joining the table were well known Goans Aires, Floriano, George, Cecil and Fred. Umhhh...wondered TGF.  Fred on the same table as Cecil and Gaspar.  Something interesting certainly happening in Goa today!

Their wives probably got wind of it and decided to stay at home!

Part 2 overleaf

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