The vulgar and Sex Tourism that is under the promotion in Goa though however much in the closed door rooms, this brngs a bad name to Goa. But who cares for the sanctity of Goa? The big businessmen are ready to do anything to acquire money and more money, they don’t care whether the money they collect is legal or illegal for this reason they are called as Pimps. The top busnesmen like Tatas and Birlas and others are least bothered of our character, discipline and good behavior. The busnessmen who landed in Goa with the initiative of development of one of the economic sectors was the Tourism sector and it was initated by the Taj Group of Hotels under the leadership of J.R.D. Tata. In the late sixties Taj personnel discussed this matter with the locals to obtain the land for erecting the Taj Hotel and got the land on loan basis that is on LEASE for a long term and then the Taj commenced the preliminary work of the construction. I was a young man still studying but full of dynamism, in fact in whole of my locality there was no boy like me, courageous and fearless ready to pounce on any wild animal like Lion and Tiger leave aside human beings who had no courage to cross my pathway for the cause of poor people and physically I was well built and by seeing me only from a distance with an ulterior motive somebodywould disappear from my site. BESIDES I WAS well groomed by the home discipline, I was always ready to oppose our local leaders from giving our village on platter to the top business houses in the name of tourism. I was very much loved by our villagers for whom along with my entire family members would do anything within our capacity. During the discussions with the Taj the locals who were brought into the picture were the local Panchyat and its Sarpanch, Communidade of Candolim in whose jurisdiction falls the village Sinquerim where the Taj wanted to build their First 5 Star Hotel in Goa to cateer to the requirements of 5 Star TOURISTS from all around the Globe. While the negotiations were going on between the Taj personnel and our local leaders, the tourism was developing in Goa on its own and at a faster pace independently of any assistance from the Government, in the early stages there was no hand of the government in the promotion of tourism in Goa, the role of Government in the tourism development in Goa especially in the beginning is either nothing or minimal even though the Governmen is trying to take the credit for developing and flourishing in its output. It is the old ‘Garamae and Garapae’ who without knowing any language other than the Konkani promoted the Tourism in Goa and the entire clientele of Hippies patronized this Tourism in Goa. Hence government must shut its mouth instead of taking cheap credit for the starting and developing the tourism in Goa. The promotion of Tourism among the Western Tourists, Hippies created a strong impact in the lower strata segment of GOANS that locals started making good money by renting their houses to the Hippies.
When the Hippies started coming to Goa? First Hippy culture I saw in Goa was in my village Candolim somewhere in 1963-4. The first Hippies to come to Goa was a young couple, a male and female from the West, they came to Candolim where they spent their nights sleelping in the Marathi Xalla (School) outside in the Entrance (Bolcao) and during the daytime they this Western couple who was fluent in English spent their time on the Candolim Beach. After spending the first season they again came to Goa in the next season and spent the second season in the similar manner as they did in the first season but this time they were accompanied by one more couple. In the third season they came in more numbers who gradually migrated to Calangute where they became famous for various reasons. Later on in the late sixties very many accompanied them thereby swelling their number they gained the goodwill of the citizens of Anjuna, Chapora and elsewhere and made their dwellings there too and made it very comfortable. Then there was no hurdle on their way in doing anything for them and according to one British Hippie speaking to this writer said that India is the worst corrupt country and since sadly Goa being one of the States of India, Goa also got this Tag attached to it as corrupt State. According to those Hippies Indian Police force is the most hard, most corrupt and the most ignorant.
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To be concluded ……………….3/..
A.Veronica Fernandes.