GOANS LIBERATED?

In response to Harbans Singh's GOA LIBERATED
 

I have a few comments to make about some of Harbans' statements,
seeing as he seems not to take certain circumstances into account:

Harbans: [It has been stated that Indian Army just "Walked into Goa" in order  to liberate it.]

Well, when one side has 35,000 (and more to call upon at a moment's  notice)  well- armed troops with armoured vehicles, artillery and air- support and the other side has 3,500 ill-armed troops virtually un- prepared for 'war', almost no armoured vehicles or artillery to talk  of and absolutely no air-support whatsoever, if you cannot call this  a walk-over, no wonder India did so badly against better-armed China  soon after!

I don't know how you, as a military person would consider it a 'victory' against a side which is outnumbered 10-to-1, let alone being out-gunned. Its like saying you won a boxing match against an opponent having one arm in plaster and the other with kid gloves on!

There's bound to be casualties on either side, but remember some
casualties were the result of Indian aircraft mistakenly shooting at their own army and vice-versa

(see  http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Goa ). 

To quote the IAF epilogue in that web- page, "The Goa operations gave the IAF an opportunity to employ jet  air power for the first time on a massive scale. However (it was a pity) that the Portuguese did not have any AA defenses nor aircraft to defend their positions. This robbed the IAF of a realistic battlefield scenario. "

So it appears that the "Operation Vijay" was all a show and a trial of strength, rather than "liberation".



Harbans:[They would further make us believe that it was an army of
occupation and not of liberation.]

It still is. Re not-so-recent altercations between the army people
jostling Goans at market-places etc. In May 1967, my mother had a
brush with the military when their truck nearly rammed her car in
Margão. The army refused to bear the cost of repairs, which were
fortunately relatively minor.

Where do Goans stand when something of a more serious nature were to occur with the army?

It may not be true, but it appears to me that there is more Indian
military presence in Goa today than there was Portuguese military
presence in 1961.

Harbans: [there were two candidates from Margao, Goa]

Who were pulling the triggers of the guns at the Jallianawalla Bagh
massacre at Amritsar? It was the Indians under a certain Gen Dwyer.
Therefore I am not surprised that persons of Goan parentage (i.e. not
Goans themselves) were leading the assault into Goa. It is to be
expected. Like the French who sided with the Germans against their
own people during WWII.


Harbans: [had a generous sprinkling of Goan names like Fernandes, Desouza, Parulekar, Rodricks, Gomes et al. ]

Did you know that Bombay (originally named by the Portuguese as
Bombaim ("good bay"), now known by its corrupted version, Mumbai) was a Portuguese colony for about 200 years before it was given to the Brits as part of a dowry? Naturally there are and have been people
with just those family names, just as in Sri Lanka (Ferreira, de Silva, etc) (The Portuguese were there before the Dutch).


Harbans: [It is true that Goans were always welcome in India.]

Sure, they needed them because they were the most honest, and
probably better-educated people around, at the time.


Harbans:[It is the Portuguese administration of the time that did not
encourage the Indians to come into Goa and mix with the locals.]

Not on your nelly, mate. Remember the blockade imposed by Nehru in 1954? India closed the borders and severed all communication
(including telephonic and telegraphic) with Goa, Damão & Diu. So how can you say that?


Harbans:[It may be realized that cultures do not flourish under isolation as
well as they do under free environment]

You should have told that to Nehru in 1954.


Harbans:[The shackles of the colonial era must be abandoned]

Yep. Free Dabolim airport from the Navy and release the airport for
commercial development.  Reduce the army presence in Panjim, Ponda, Margão, Vasco, Bambolim etc.

Gabriel

The original article : Are Goans Liberated?

Harbans Singh's reponse: Goa Liberated
 

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