Goa is not only a popular tourist destination but also many want to move to the coastal state. Such aspirants grow each year, sparking worrying trends in locals about ' demographic change', over-construction and the crowding of a tiny state.
However, away from the beaches and the laidback lifestyle, another worrying trend has erupted. Goans are leaving their state. The migration on such a large scale that entire localities have been emptied, turning neighbourhoods full of life into “ghost villages", reports TOI's Marcus Mergulhao.
Tradition being lost
About 10 km from the state's capital Panaji, is Goa Velha. It is known for its penitential Procession of Saints, which is a 17th Century tradition that is unique to the St Andrew’s Church belongs to the village.
People from over the world view the 31 statues of saints, some of them extremely heavy, carried in a procession through the village streets by villagers in their traditional attire. For long, the honour of carrying the life-sized statues was reserved exclusively for the residents of Goa Velha. But that is not the case anymore.
It was only a couple of years ago that villagers from other villages were allowed to bear the saints for the festival.
“We don’t have enough people here,” Iyno D’Souza, former sarpanch and currently a panchayat member of St Andre panchayat, told TOI. “Over the past few years, many have migrated to Europe, so there aren’t too many locals to shoulder the saints and take part in the procession. You wouldn’t see any migrants here in the past, but now it’s a common sight."
The procession is held on the first Monday of the Easter week and keeps the village busy as many who have migrated return for the event.
However, Goa Velha has a different look for the rest of the year and it is not pleasant. Houses are deserted, keys are given to the caretakers as at least one-third of the 1,800 households have earning members abroad, while several lavish houses, remain locked.
“I’ve lost count of the number of houses I am supposed to be looking after,” said sarpanch Agnelo Lourenco Fernandes.
“Some belong to relatives, others to friends. They trust me since not many are around here anymore. Entire families have moved abroad.”
The Goan migration
It is not a very different story for some other villages of Goa. Many unoccupied and destroyed bungalows can be found in villages of Siridao, Batim and Agassaim as a large chunk of people have left to Europe.
Migration for Goans is not new. They have been moving across oceans for centuries with destinations including East Africa, other parts of Asia or, more recently, to the Persian Gulf.
Several people from Bambolim, Siridao, Goa Velha, Batim and Agassaim, all villages in the Tiswadi Taluka of North Goa, have left for Europe in 1990s and 2000s.
More Goans have been opting for Portuguese passports in order to seek better livelihoods in the last 15 years. Hundreds of locals give up their Indian passports each year and become Portuegese nationals. The data from the Regional Passport Office shows that, on an average, there are nearly 10 to 15 daily by Goans who are ready to surrender their Indian passports.
Under Portuguese law, those born in its colonies before Portugal gave up control (Goa was a Portugal colony until 1961), continue to remain Portugal citizens if their birth was registered at the Conservatoria dos Registos Centrais (Central Registry of Births in Lisbon).
Further, their descendants up to the third generation are also eligible for a Portuguese passports. This means that the younger generations move abroad.
“Almost 70% to 80% of the houses in Siridao are locked,” said Menino Afonso, president of Siridao Sports Club and former chairman of the Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Co-operative Society.
An estimate suggests that about 3,000 Siridao residents, who traditionally belong to the fishing community, have left the country.
“In the past two years, we’ve had several thefts. Miscreants break into houses and pick up whatever they can get their hands on. They come searching for gold and cash. They ransack cupboards and return mostly with liquor bottles that are inside. In some cases, even taps have been stolen,” said Afonso.
These thefts are known only when families return during summer to celebrate the feast of Jesus of Nazareth.
Collateral damage
With youngsters opting to move to Europe, sports, which a big part of Goan life, has taken a backseat. Siridao had a football team in the top tier state team for years and had a volleyball team that took part in inter-village tournaments regularly. However, now three clubs, including Siridao, Jesus Nazareth and Centre SC, exist only on paper.
Football is still popular in Goa Velha but football it now has players from outside the village. Its grandest football tournament is sponsored by villagers who are now settled in the UK and is now called the ‘London Trophy’.
“People are now not even applying for govt jobs or looking to find employment here,” said former sarpanch D’Souza. “Having seen others move around in big cars, spend lavishly and build bungalows of their own, they are fixated on moving abroad, leaving everything behind.”
(With TOI inputs)
However, away from the beaches and the laidback lifestyle, another worrying trend has erupted. Goans are leaving their state. The migration on such a large scale that entire localities have been emptied, turning neighbourhoods full of life into “ghost villages", reports TOI's Marcus Mergulhao.
Tradition being lost
About 10 km from the state's capital Panaji, is Goa Velha. It is known for its penitential Procession of Saints, which is a 17th Century tradition that is unique to the St Andrew’s Church belongs to the village.
People from over the world view the 31 statues of saints, some of them extremely heavy, carried in a procession through the village streets by villagers in their traditional attire. For long, the honour of carrying the life-sized statues was reserved exclusively for the residents of Goa Velha. But that is not the case anymore.
It was only a couple of years ago that villagers from other villages were allowed to bear the saints for the festival.
“We don’t have enough people here,” Iyno D’Souza, former sarpanch and currently a panchayat member of St Andre panchayat, told TOI. “Over the past few years, many have migrated to Europe, so there aren’t too many locals to shoulder the saints and take part in the procession. You wouldn’t see any migrants here in the past, but now it’s a common sight."
The procession is held on the first Monday of the Easter week and keeps the village busy as many who have migrated return for the event.
However, Goa Velha has a different look for the rest of the year and it is not pleasant. Houses are deserted, keys are given to the caretakers as at least one-third of the 1,800 households have earning members abroad, while several lavish houses, remain locked.
“I’ve lost count of the number of houses I am supposed to be looking after,” said sarpanch Agnelo Lourenco Fernandes.
“Some belong to relatives, others to friends. They trust me since not many are around here anymore. Entire families have moved abroad.”
The Goan migration
It is not a very different story for some other villages of Goa. Many unoccupied and destroyed bungalows can be found in villages of Siridao, Batim and Agassaim as a large chunk of people have left to Europe.
Migration for Goans is not new. They have been moving across oceans for centuries with destinations including East Africa, other parts of Asia or, more recently, to the Persian Gulf.
Several people from Bambolim, Siridao, Goa Velha, Batim and Agassaim, all villages in the Tiswadi Taluka of North Goa, have left for Europe in 1990s and 2000s.
More Goans have been opting for Portuguese passports in order to seek better livelihoods in the last 15 years. Hundreds of locals give up their Indian passports each year and become Portuegese nationals. The data from the Regional Passport Office shows that, on an average, there are nearly 10 to 15 daily by Goans who are ready to surrender their Indian passports.
Under Portuguese law, those born in its colonies before Portugal gave up control (Goa was a Portugal colony until 1961), continue to remain Portugal citizens if their birth was registered at the Conservatoria dos Registos Centrais (Central Registry of Births in Lisbon).
Further, their descendants up to the third generation are also eligible for a Portuguese passports. This means that the younger generations move abroad.
“Almost 70% to 80% of the houses in Siridao are locked,” said Menino Afonso, president of Siridao Sports Club and former chairman of the Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Co-operative Society.
An estimate suggests that about 3,000 Siridao residents, who traditionally belong to the fishing community, have left the country.
“In the past two years, we’ve had several thefts. Miscreants break into houses and pick up whatever they can get their hands on. They come searching for gold and cash. They ransack cupboards and return mostly with liquor bottles that are inside. In some cases, even taps have been stolen,” said Afonso.
These thefts are known only when families return during summer to celebrate the feast of Jesus of Nazareth.
Collateral damage
With youngsters opting to move to Europe, sports, which a big part of Goan life, has taken a backseat. Siridao had a football team in the top tier state team for years and had a volleyball team that took part in inter-village tournaments regularly. However, now three clubs, including Siridao, Jesus Nazareth and Centre SC, exist only on paper.
Football is still popular in Goa Velha but football it now has players from outside the village. Its grandest football tournament is sponsored by villagers who are now settled in the UK and is now called the ‘London Trophy’.
“People are now not even applying for govt jobs or looking to find employment here,” said former sarpanch D’Souza. “Having seen others move around in big cars, spend lavishly and build bungalows of their own, they are fixated on moving abroad, leaving everything behind.”
(With TOI inputs)
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