Recently, a friend of mine, who is on a visit to Goa, brought me a profoundly meaningful souvenir -- a small piece of that historic Berlin Wall. Now, my dilemma is what part of Goa do I gift him or rather what meaningful is there to share from our sunny State? The Berlin Wall fell and divided Germany for progress, but in Goa we are falling apart. I thought of gifting a vial of water from our mythical Mhadei, which will soon cease to flow tranquil. Or should I gift a sachet of white sand from our beaches which are about to lose their charm and serenity? A canister of Goa’s fresh unpolluted air, which is already a rarity? Or a handful of our red soil, before it is all mined and packed to distant furnaces by the greedy looters?... What else are we left with now, to go along with our warm embrace sprouting from our friendly hearts -- alas, currently bared by the evil crown, the Covid. Sadly, I may have to leave my friend to go back with just an unpolluted selfie in Goa.
