In response to  Nitin Singh's "My turn now" June 24, 2002

The Blindest are the ones who refuse to see

Livia de Abreu Noronha
5 Jul 2002

In Portuguese they say that "O pior cego eh aqule que nao quer ver", literally meaning that the blindest person is someone who does not want to see.

Portugal has had enough of bashing.

OK, Europe colonised India but isn't the caste system still prevaling in India worse than any colonialism?

The Europeans dominated us Asians, but isn't it ignominius how many Indians treat their fellow Indians, their brethren?

In "Caste and Democracy" K. M. Pannikar mentions that "It is a religion rather than a changing order....and the non-observance of its rules, rites and ritual is met with condign punishment with a rigidity which could put to shame the Grand Inquisition...."

Mahatma Gandhi fought against white supremacy or "apartheid" in South Africa and Nehru took up "arms" against the British because on returning from the West and wishing to enrol himself as a member of a British Club he was refused admission because he was Indian. How much is denied by Indians to Indians of lower caste?

I must have missed some of the postings of Dr. Nitin Singh - we had some problems with the computer - but I will quote here some recent exchange of e-mail I had with a fellow Goan, and this in respect of what Paulo Colaco Dias writes about the Portuguese Nationality.

Mail received:

[Here are some facts about me so that you can have a global idea about my situation. Born in Goa I did travel to Belgium (via Portugal) in 1957 with a Portuguese passport. In 1967 I wanted to go back to Goa but it was not possible with a Portuguese passport because of strained relations between Portugal and India.(I think there were no diplomatic relations between the two countries at that time).

So, I got an Indian passport from the Embassy in Brussels and they kept my Portuguese passport.

In 1971 I got married in Belgium and in 1972 we came to Canada where I got Canadian citizenship. Our four children are also Canadian citizens.]

My Reply:

[I am going to be very frank with you. It is not true that you could not go back to Goa with a Portuguese Passport. Jorge and I left Goa 1957 and 1959 respectively, we married abroad in 1959, and in 1964 we went to Goa with our Portuguese Passports and took our two small children with us. We went there again before 1974 (the year when a treaty of friendship was signed between India and Portugal), always with a Portuguese passport - never held any other.

Of course the passports were not valid for India but there were gentlemen's agreements between certain governments and India under which their embassies/consulates issued affidavits in favour of Goans holding Portuguese passports which permited them to travel to India. Therefore the passports were never stamped, but entry and exit stamps were put on the loose sheets of paper holding the affidavits.]


The fact is that many Goans were only too happy to get rid of Portugal because Portugal at that time was a loner, Salazar's policy of "Orgulhosamente Sohs" and Portugal was poor and backward.

What very few appreciated in Portugal was the great "humanismo" (humanism) which still exists, rooted deep down in the very "alma portuguesa" (Portuguese soul).

Now that Portugal, although still not so developed as its European partners,is one of the stars that shine in the European Union sky, untold number of Goans are trying to get a Portuguese passport.

Mind you, I don't condemn them for this, it is their birthright after all, and we Goans, who are Portuguese and hold Portuguese passports and specially those who live in Portugal, feel very happy for their option. It is just like the Parable of the Prodigal Son. And I know that almost every Goan who lives in Portugal helps a fellow Goan (relative and friend) when approached in this respect.

It may not be possible for non-Goan Indians to understand our unique identity.

What makes a Goan who has already a Canadian citizenship take back the Portuguese nationality, and will go into all the trouble to get it?

And I say the same about many Australians and others. It is something that cannot be explained, it is a sense of "belonging" I suppose.

So, as we say in Portuguese " Nao vale a pena discutir o sexo dos anjos" (let us not discuss the sex of the angels) because the person who does not want to see will be further blinded, if at all this is possible.

 

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