AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when the Election Commission has advertised in all the national dailies, to reach out to the migrant Bihari worker. For a Saturday following the week when Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai is moving on and the new governor of Goa is Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the aviation minister in the Narendra Modi government. For a Saturday following the week when Minister for Industry & Transport Mauvin Godinho claimed that he would make a film on the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. For a Saturday following the week when a controversy was generated by the preliminary report of the Ahmedabad Boeing plane crash. For a Saturday following the week when the wet cold rainy weather currently in Goa is almost literally freezing bones and joints of senior citizens, particularly those suffering arthritis.
ELECTION COMMISSION ADVERTISING
AND a few stray thoughts on the Election Commission advertising in all the national dailies, to reach out to migrant Bihari workers. This is in the context of the special revision of the electoral rolls on the eve of the elections to the Bihar Assembly. A very large number of ethnic Biharis have migrated to various parts of the country including Goa, because of lack of jobs and livelihood in Bihar. Most of the Bihari labor force of unskilled workers is working in the more economically prosperous regions of the country.
In the city of Mumbai we understand that all the major newspaper distributors and vendors are from Bihar. The exclusive distributor for the Indian Express group of newspapers in Mumbai was a Bihari who could hardly speak any English. But he was so rich that he used to lend money to Ramnath Goenka, the owner of the “Indian Express.” Goenka used to live a very simple life and when I went to visit him once, he was lying on a khatiya getting himself a massage. The newspaper vendor outside Churchgate Station was a Bihari who was not very literate but knew the names of all the papers and magazines and even the names of the editors.
There are also a large number of Biharis in Goa who celebrate Chaat puja every year at the Miramar beach. This year, the Bihari Association celebrated Bihar Statehood Day at the Kala Academy. The Election Commission, as part of its special revision, has been trying to persuade Biharis settled in other parts of the country, whose names are registered in the electoral roles in Bihar (and maybe in Goa too), to return to their home state to cast their vote. This is not practical as migrant laborers do not have enough money to travel all the way back to their villages in Bihar just to cast their vote.
The EC should initiate a plan for online voting for migrants with a Bihar electoral card who have settled outside the state. This will help other migrants also from Karnataka and Kerala settled in Goa. Conversely, Goans settled in other parts of the country or world should also be able to participate in elections in Goa.
There is been some controversy over the Election Commission excluding the Aadhar card from the list of documents needed to register as a voter. There seems to be some logic behind this. Anyone residing anywhere in the country can get an Aadhar card as long as he is able to provide proof of his residence.
A domicile certificate is not needed for an Aadhar card which requires only proof of identity. The EPIC card on the other hand is available only to permanent residents of the state and requires a domicile certificate of at least 15 years of continuous residence in the state. The problem is that if a state has a large number of migrants, it can change the political power centre in the state.
In Maharashtra for instance, particularly in Mumbai, there are a large number of members of parliament and MLAs who are Maharashtrians by birth. Though there have been no migrant MLAs, many panchayats in Goa have been taken over by migrants. Perhaps in a globalized society, we should accept the fact that migrants will be active participants in the government. The wife of the Vice President of the United States is a woman of Indian origin from Andhra Pradesh, Usha Vance. The democratic presidential candidate who lost to Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, is of Indian origin, her grandparents hail from Tamil Nadu. Till last year Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was an Indian Muslim who traces his family roots to Vasco da Gama in Goa. The most probable next Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, is the son of the Indian origin filmmaker Mira Nayar who made the film “Salam Bombay.” There is a possibility that Panaji and Vasco da Gama could one of these days yield a migrant mayor for Goa, though it’s been a long wait for Goa to get a migrant chief minister.
NEW GOVERNOR PUSAPATI ASHOK GAJAPATHI RAJU
AND a few stray thoughts on PS Sreedharan Pillai being replaced as governor of Goa by Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who was the aviation minister in the Narendra Modi government. Raju in fact, belongs not to the BJP but to the Telugu Desam, which is a partner of the Modi government at the Centre. Raju claims to belong to the royal family of Vizag, which is now part of Andhra Pradesh after the division of the former Andhra Pradesh into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Goa is seen as a temporary parking space for governors and has few governors who have completed the full term of five years. The first governor of the state was Major General KP Candeth who was the military governor soon after Liberation. The only lieutenant governor of Goa during its period as a Union Territory was Nakul Sen who served between 1970-1977. The first governor after statehood was a tiny little sardar barely five feet in height Dr Gopal Singh who had only a two-year tenure from 1984-1989.
Governor Gopal Singh was close to the Gandhi family and supported Operation Bluestar. The army’s intervention in the Golden Temple. He was on the Khalistan hit list and had policemen with sten guns on guard even at the Raj Bhavan. As editor of “Oheraldo” then I had the privilege of publishing his books of poems on Jesus Christ titled “The Man Who Never Died.”
The most controversial governor of Goa was Bhanu Prakash Singh, who dismissed the Dr Wilfred Dsouza’s government without permission from the Centre, and brought back Ravi Naik who had been disqualified. Ravi Naik stayed as chief minister only for three days before being sacked along with the governor. The only Muslim to be appointed governor of Goa was Mohammad Fazal who was governor between 2002-2004. Fazal was so much in love with Goa that he stayed back at the age of 70-plus, married a Goan Catholic and settled in south Goa.
PS Sreedhran Pillai, the outgoing governor, converted the Raj Bhavan into a Mallu Bhavan. Sreedharan Pillai also got the Goa government to publish all his books most of which was written by other people. Despite belonging to the BJP, Sreedharan Pillai played host to senior Syrian Catholic cardinals and bishops at the Raj Bhavan. We hope that the new governor will not make Goa an extension of Andhra Pradesh.
Goans who may be invited for dinner at the Raj Bhavan by the new governor can expect a lot more spice in the food served. The Andhra chilly is much more “thika” (spicy) than even the Canacona chilly “khola.” We hope that the new governor will enjoy the fat Goan chilly or “mirsang bhoji” for breakfast.
BABRI MASJID FILM
AND a few stray thoughts on Minister for Industry & Transport Mauvin Godinho claiming that he will make a film on the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. With Narendra Modi becoming virtually the emperor of Goa, the Catholic MLAs of Goa have realized that they have to prove their loyalty to retain their kodel.
Mauvin has been amongst the most opportunistic of the politicians in the state. Mauvin started his political career as a dedicated Congress worker. Mauvin was close to the Gandhi family and was appointed president of the Youth Congress in the state. I recall attending the wedding reception of Mauvin Gudinho at the Chicalim Park at the entrance to Vasco city. His bride, who was recovering from jaundice, almost toppled over during her first dance with the newly married husband.
Mauvin was the industries minister in the Pratap Singh Rane’s government. Mauvin was accused by Manohar Parrikar of extending power rebates to steel rolling mills even after the cabinet had decided to terminate them. The cabinet led by senior Rane found that steel rolling mills had piled up huge errors in payment of their power bills. In the first place steel rolling mills came to Goa because of the low power tariffs as power is the main cost factor in the electric arc furnaces used by steel rolling mills. The police promptly registered an FIR against Mauvin Gudinho. But subsequently, when Mauvin joined the first Manohar Parrikar coalition government, he tried to withdraw the complaint against Mauvin. Parrikar was not allowed to do so and Mauvin was convicted by the HC on the evidence provided by the Pratapsingh Rane. I understand the appeal is still pending in the SC. Obviously, Mauvin believes that he is making a film justifying the demolition of the Babri Masjid will improve his status with the BJP at the centre.
AHMEDABAD FLIGHT TRAGEDY
AND a few stray thoughts on the controversy generated by the preliminary report of the Air India Boeing plane crash which claimed 224 lives at Ahmedabad airport outskirts. In addition, over 40 resident doctors of the medical college hostel nearby also died when the plane crashed into it.
Now an unsigned report based on the cockpit voice recorder of the flight has created a lot of confusion. An exchange between the pilot and the co-pilot suggests that the fuel switches were cut off within three seconds of the flight taking off. This meant that there was no fuel supply to both engines of the aircraft. It is the exchange between the pilots which is causing the confusion. One pilot is heard asking the co-pilot why he had put off the fuel switch. The co-pilot insisted that he did not do so. The conclusion should be obvious that there was some mechanical fault that led to both the fuel switches shutting down within three seconds of takeoff.
The Boeing company, which is the largest civilian aircraft manufacturer in the world, has been trying to manipulate and evade charges that its Dreamliner aircraft have lots of safety issues. Any evidence that the crash was due to a technical failure or manufacturing defect would affect Boeing and the United State very badly. Not surprisingly agents of Boeing have been spreading the vicious allegation that the one of the pilots deliberately put off the fuel switch because he wanted to commit suicide.
Understandably, there is anger and outrage from pilot associations all over the world. It is patently unfair to attribute the crash to human error till the final report comes out. Meanwhile the Director General of Civil Aviation has asked airlines to check fuel switch locking systems in all Boeing 787 and 737 planes. The chief executive office of Air India, Cambell Wilson, has rightly pointed out that it is unwise to jump to any conclusion till the full report comes out.
MONSOON AND ARTHRITIES FLARE UPs
AND a last stray thought on the damned cold wet weather literally freezing the bones and joints of senior citizens, particularly those suffering from arthritis. At 78 and with a damaged spine I am finding it increasingly difficult to move my limbs. Doctors agree that cold weather causes stiffness of joints because the blood slows down at the body’s extremities. This causes muscle and joints to become stiff.
Senior citizens and others with muscular problems also experience increased sensitivity to pain. The nerve endings become more sensitive in cold conditions, making the experience of pain more intense. Among the recommendations is to stay warm and use heating pads. But heating pads can be dangerous if left too long as I ended up with burns on my shoulder from using a heating pad for long stretches.
It is also recommended you go on an anti-inflammatory diet with the focus on fish, turmeric drink and green vegetables and fresh fruit. However, when the cold weather causes persistent swelling or a loss of joint function, it is time to go to the GMC to see a doctor.