The sheer inaccessibility of Goa by land has always kept it out of the mainstream of Indian History. On the other hand, its control of the seas and above all the lucrative spice trade made it a much-coveted prize for rival colonial powers. Until a century before the arrival of the Portuguese adventure Vasco Da Gama who landed near Kozhikode in Kerala in 1498, Goa had belonged for over a thousand years to the kingdom of Kadamba. In the interim it had been successfully conquered by the Karnatakan Vijayanagars, the Muslim Bahmanis and Yousuf Adil Shah of Bijapur but the capture of the fort at Panaji by Alfonso De Albuquerque in 1510 signaled the start of a Portuguese occupation that was to last for 450 years.

Meanwhile, conversions to Christianity started by the Franciscans gathered pace when St.Francis Xavier founded the Jesuit Mission in 1542. With the advent of the inquisition soon afterwards laws were introduced censoring literature and banning any faith other than Catholicism even the long established Syrian Christian community were branded heretics. Hindu temples were destroyed and converted Hindus adopted Portuguese names such as DA Silva, Correa and De'Sousa which remain common in the region. The transitional influence of the Jesuits eventually alarmed the Portuguese government. The Jesuits were expelled in 1749 which made it possible for Indian Goans to take up the priesthood. However, standards of education suffered and Goa entered a period of decline. The Portuguese were not prepared to help but neither would they allow native Goans equal rights. An abortive attempt to establish the Goan Republic was quelled with the execution of fifteen Goan conspirators.

A spin-off of the British conflict with Tipu Sultan of Mysore (an ally of the French at the end of the eighteenth century, was the British occupation of Goa, a little known period of the region's history, which lasted sixteen years from 1797. The occupation was solely liberalization such as the restoration of Hindu's rights to worship, the nineteenth century saw widespread cvivil unrest. During British occupation many Goans moved to Mumbai and elsewhere in British India to find work.

The success of the post independence Goans struggle for freedom from Portugal owed as much to the efforts of the Indian Government who cut off diplomatic ties with Portugal as to the work of freedom fighters such as Menezes Braganza and Dr.Cunha. After a "liberation march" in 1955 resulted in a number of deaths and the state was blockaded. Trade with Mumbai ceased and the railway was cut off so Goa set out to forge international links particularly with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. That led to the building of Dabolim airport and a determination to improve local agricultural output. In 1961 Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru finally ran out of patience with his opposite number in Lisbon the right wing director Salazar and send in the armed forces. Mounted in defiance of a United Nations resolution "Operation Vijay" met with only token resistance and the Indian army overran Goa in two days. Thereafter Goa (along with Portugal's other two enclaves Daman and Diu) became part of India as a self governing Union Territory with minimum interference from Delhi.

Since Independence Goa has continued to prosper bolstered by receipts from iron-ore exports and a booming tourist industry, but it is struggling to hold its own against a tidal wave of immigration from other Indian States. Its inhabitants voted overwhelmingly to resist merger with neighboring Maharashtra in 1980's and successfully lobbied for Konkani to be granted official language status in 1987 when Goa was finally declared a full-fledged state of the Indian Union.

THE STRUGGLE FOR KONKANI

Even before Goa's Independence in 1961 a handful of Goans were fighting a protracted battle to have Konkani recognized as a separate language. The Struggle to preserve it was more than just a quibble over the school syllabus. It related to the whole question of statehood and identity, at a time when Goa was threatened with absorption into one or other of its large neighbors.

The problem lay in the fact that after several hundred years of foreign rule there was little sense of what the language of the people really was. Konkani, the natural language of the region had been sidelined and had failed to develop under the Portuguese. Language had become divided on caste and community grounds. High caste families mostly "Catholics and Hindu Brahmins" spoke Portuguese, English and Konkani. Lower caste Hindu families tended to speak Marathi (the natural language of Maharashtra) as a first language and some Konkani. Although Konkani was the only language spoken by almost everyone in the state it was far from standard and the local dialects and scripts (there are five scripts in all promised problems of its own.

For those fighting the battle of Konkani the first step was to have it recognized as one of the language of India rather than as a dialect of Marathi which may in Maharashtra claimed it really was. With the assistance of the linguistic experts a few enthusiasts set about proving its separate identity. The first success was to have konkani recognized in 1978 as "an important Language" by the Sahitya Academe.

After this issue was quietly dropped until early 1986 when Luizinho Faleiro introduced a bill demanding the Konkani should be declared the official language of Goa. Finally after much political maneuvering an Official Language Bill was introduced and Konkani was declared the state language with safeguards for Marathi. Konkani was added to the schedule of the Indian Constitution as the 18th national language in 1992.

THE PRESENT

As a legacy of its unusual colonial history Goa was inherited a mixture of language. Portuguese is still spoken as a second language by a few Goans, although it is gradually dying out. The official language of India is Hindi, which children in Goa are obliged to learn in school. Konkani is now accepted as the official language of the state and Marathi is also taught as a standard subject. Ironically the primary language used in many schools is none of the above - for most children are actually taught English. The arguments about continuing or abandoning this policy of placing such importance on English rage on. Most feel that continuing use of English is a distinct advantage to their children who will need it if they are to find good jobs in the future. Meanwhile children in Goa are taught three or four languages as a standard part of the school syllabus.

Tourism



Goa, one of India's smallest states with an area of 3,702 sq km is cradled in the Sahayadri range in the Western Ghats. The vertical strip of the state begins from Tiracol in the north to Palolem in the south and is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west, Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south.Goa is blessed with marvelous beaches and sunshine, splendid churches, and peaceful, warm and friendly people. Goa is adorned with a rich culture and some of the prettiest sceneries India has to offer. Goa's beachnik lifestyle is best experienced during the winter months between October and the end of February.

Goa Dishes
Ambot Tik
Assad Roast (Goan Pork)
Caldeirada
Chicken Baffed
Chicken Cafrel
Chicken Xacuti
Fish Rolls
Goan Egg Curry
Goan Fish Curry
Goan Fish Pulao
Kulkuls
Pork Vindaloo Watch
Prawn Balchao
Prawn Curry Watch
Sanna
Sorpotel

Language and Religion

Konkani is the official language of Goa which is written in Devanagri script. The other main languages spoken in the state are Marathi, Kannada and Urdu. Gujarati and Hindi are also spoken by a considerable number of population of the state.

Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are the three major religions followed in Goa. There were also Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains.

The people of Goa are among the friendliest. The social outlook of the Goan is different. They love their music and simple musical instruments. The Goans work as musicians in restaurants and hotels and bars across the country and abroad because music comes naturally to the people and becomes part and parcel of their life.

The festivals are also musical in nature and a great deal of dance, forms part of the carnivals which are celebrated on special occasions. An extravaganza of music and dance lasting several hours is witnessed by the people of Goa and the tourists who throng the state all the year round. The people of Goa are also excellent cooks and some of them are regular employees of some famous restaurant in India and abroad. Catering, dance and music combined with big business like production and export of iron ore and owning of ocean going ships are facets of the life of the people of Goa.

The Hindu tradition is equally strong and the villages and towns of the state reverberate with the sound of temple bells and the drums being beaten at the time of the worship in the morning, noon and evening. Goa is thus a state of Hindus and Christians. Here Konkani language is held in much reverence although Marathi is spoken and understand by many people.

Fairs and Festivals

Goa is famous for its varied culture and tradition. One of the highlights of its culture is the numerous festivals celebrated here. Most of these festivals are religious, and some are organized by the government of Goa state. The observance and celebration of feasts and festivals constitute the joyous aspect of the religious life of the Goan people.

Goa carnival is the most colourful and unforgettable festival of Goa. Of the religious festivals and fairs, Chovoth, Dussera, Diwali etc are quite popular. Main church feasts include Feast of Immaculate Conception and Feast of St. Francis Xavier.

Economy- Industry

Mining is one of the principal source of Goa's industrial and trade development and offers considerable scope for employment. Mineral resources are an asset of Goa and iron ore is a leading commodity. Other minerals include manganese ore and ferro-manganese ore which are produced and exported, but iron ore occupies the pride of place in Goa's economy. Some of the most productive and important mines are located in the northern and eastern parts of Goa.

There are units manufacturing a variety of items like pesticides, fertilizers, tyres and tubes, iron ore pellets, foot wear, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, sugar, wheat products, steel rolling, fruits and fish canning, cashew nuts, textiles, brewery products etc. There are handicrafts units mainly engaged in the manufacture of wood, crafts, brass, pottery, handloom, leather and bamboo crafts etc.

Agriculture

Agriculture is one of the important economic activities in Goa. Goa has done much to improve and develop its agriculture so that it becomes more productive and the farmers who work on the field get a better return for their labour. Rice along with fish is the staple diet of the people and it is also a principal agricultural crop. The important crops grown are paddy, ragi, maize, jowar, bajra and pulses. Cash crops like coconut, cashew-nut, arecanut, mango, jackfruit, banana, pineapple etc. are also grown in abundance. Sugarcane cultivation has been taken up only recently and a sugar factory has also been set up in Goa.

Paddy is the principal crop of Goa. There are two paddy seasons, namely Kharif or sorod and the rabi or vaingan. The monsoon crops are called the kharif or sorod crops and the winter crops are called rabi or vaingan crops. The main sources of irrigation for winter crops are the nallahs, rivers and streams, tanks, wells, canal etc. Crops grown in the Kharif season consist of paddy, ragi (locally called nachani) and some pulses. Crops grown in the rabi season are comprised of paddy, pulses like horse-gram (kulith), black gram (udid), a variety of beans and some vegetables.

Cashew is an important crop in Goa. An exhilarating drink called Feni is produced from cashew. It is a kind of gin or vodka.

A variety of mangoes are grown in Goa. Some of the famous Mango varieties are mancurade, mussarade, fernandine, xavier, alfonsa, colaco etc. There are two varieties of jackfruit grown here namely kapo (hard) and rasal (soft).

The kind of vegetables grown in the Goa are brinjal, lady's fingers, radish, cucumber, pumpkins, drumsticks, breadfruit and different varieties of gourds. Sweet potatoes, chillies, onions are also available.

Animal Husbandry

The animal husbandry and the veterinary services form an important sector of rural economy. Cattle feed, milk products, meat etc were imported on a large scale. There was one cattle farm at Dhat in Goa district having an important herd of Sindhi cows and a small poultry farm at Tonca, Panaji.

A Piggery farmwas also functioning at Curti in Ponda latuka to produce qualitative pigs for their distribution to farmers for breeding. Large white-York-shire and other improved breeds of pigs were maintained at this farm.

Fishing formed an important economic activity of the Goa. The Goa is abounded in rich marine and inland fisheries potential which consisted mainly of prawns, one of the most important foreign exchange earning commodity and commercially important shoaling fish like mackerels and sardines.