Dear Patrao

Patrao Portugese word for ldquobossrdquoDeu boro dis dium Good morningAdeus GoodbyeMaaf kor Forgive meDev borem karun Thank youDear PatraosDeu boro dis dium all you feniguzzling landowners sitting on your balcaos fishermen ravaged by the elements out on the high seas trawling for squid and clams fat contented owners of beach shacks Fathers listening to confession after Sunday mass in their whitewalled churches frock dressed aunties arguing in the market over the price of ldquochonakrdquo and ldquochorizordquoAs I board the plane from the incredible MOPA airport to return to Mumbai having dealt with some property issues a 350yearold home takes some maintenance my mind is filled with conflicting thoughtsI last came to my fatherland in late 2017 there is some taking for granted here itrsquos that lsquoghar ki murgi dal barabarrsquo thingmdashMaaf korPatraos all every time I visit your fair land Goa seems a little changedhellip the landmarks are the same but the landscape is just that little transformed Some new ldquoherordquo is attempting to commercially transform the state in the name of ldquopreserving culturerdquoThe arrogance of the invader who feels he can walk into Goa and feel entitled to change stuff itrsquos uncouth and uncoolYour CM wants to ldquostamp out any stain of the Portugueserdquo Sir changing the face of Goa isnrsquot your birthrightmdashI learnt a new term this week ldquocultural syncretismrdquo means different cultures coming together to create a new subculturemdash thatrsquos the uniqueness of Goa This is a social fabric a tapestry woven over years of tumult and tolerance Restoration isnrsquot reformation yesSee Patraos I know yoursquore a peaceful people itrsquos not your way to object forcefully but you do implode I can see itmdashthe Russians thought they could invade Morjimhellip that is their way as recent history has revealedmdashroad signs menus all suggesting ldquoLittle Moscowrdquo the Israelis kind of strutted into Arambolhellip flexing their musclesSouth Delhi has honked its car horns into North Goa The gentle Anjuna resembling the garish Greater Kailash Vagator now a sad version of Vasant Vihar buildingmultistorey structureshellip ogling at the women jumping into assorted water bodies fully clothedLook I donrsquot want to be that backseat driving outofstation person giving orders with no accountabilitymdashbut it galls me that anyone feels they can ldquochange Goardquo not integrate not assimilate but ldquowipe away the remains of the Portugueserdquo callously decimating 450 years of preserved magnificence for four years of political mileagePatraos I accept your nonconfrontational naturemdash but donrsquot let them misinterpret your ldquosusegadordquo for sleepiness your laidback attitude for lacklustreness Your ever smiling good nature for acceptanceCall me old fashionedhellip call me nostalgichellip allow me to occasionally venture into ldquothe old daysrdquo but Goa has been ldquomodrdquo since hippies roamed naked on Anjuna beachmdashit doesnrsquot need crude modernisation Just leave her aloneGoa is fluid Goa is transitory Goa is calm Goa is sublime Donrsquot dare attempt to reinvent itmdashItrsquos impossible to fit Goa into your convenient little cardboard boxIt is not your call to make it will refuse to be what you want it to beAnd oh yeshellip Goa time to become a true patrao Stand your ground on the beaches on the balcaos in the bars in the balchaoserving shacks in Bardez in Baga in Betim in BenaulimPush back in any language mdashKonkani Punjabi Hindi Russian or HebrewAdeus Patrao Dev Borem karunRahul daCunha is an adman theatre directorplaywright photographer and traveller Reach him at rahuldacunhamiddaycom