It’s never a good thing when a sect or a community is painted with the same brush, when hard-working members are put on the same level as the black sheep of their community. What’s worse is when it happens to a community that has been responsible for building most of Goa’s infrastructure from the 60s to the 80s and beyond, and when they have also become card carrying members of many industries, integral to the economy of the state.
Goa’s Minister for Tourism, Baby Azgaonkar made a few statements that border on the controversial. He mentioned the fact that many members of the Lamani community harass tourists, while selling them trinkets or clothes. He also stated that some of them were involved in illegal activities. The minister claimed that all people working in shacks on the beach would be now issued identity cards. People who deal with tourists at shacks and who don’t have cards would be arrested.
While the endeavour to clean up the beaches and remove obstacles to a relaxed day at the beach is in good faith and is a welcome move, there is no need to label an entire community as harassers, drug dealers and so on. Without adequate or any proof, Babu Azgaonkar should know better than to make a sweeping statement like that. This is not becoming of a minister in Goa.
The Lamani community, also known as the Banjara community, started to come to Goa in the 60s and 70s from their villages in Karnataka, through an MLA from Vasco, to work as labour in the construction industry. Back then, single infrastructure projects would take years and this community came in and put roots down. They later started working in the fishing industry. They also are firmly entrenched in the tourism industry now, in shacks and with watersports, and also form a large part of the ragpicking and cleaning arms of municipalities and some panchayats. Today, thousands of members of the Lamani community work across industries in Goa and call themselves Goan. One cannot paint the entire community with the same brush, on account of a few hundred workers.
The entire drug business in Goa needs to be investigated. There are as many Goans involved in selling drugs as there are people from other states and countries. The Lamani hawkers aren’t the only ones causing an inconvenience to tourists so why single them out? Yes, regulation of hawkers and other beach sellers is necessary. Yes, there is a need to start improving on the facilities provided for tourists. But let’s not forget that this hard-working community has earned the right to live amongst us in Goa.
