The term 'Ghanti' originally referred to migrants from the ghats who came to Goa seeking livelihood through manual labour. Over the years, it has come to include educated professionals from neighbouring states employed as teachers, engineers, and officials after Liberation. Unfortunately, the word is often used with prejudice. The influx of skilled and unskilled workers from Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Kerala has filled the vacuum created by Goans migrating abroad. Goa, now seen as an El Dorado, depends heavily on these workers”masons, carpenters, bakers, welders, tailors, nurses, and domestic helpers”roles once proudly held by Goans but later abandoned under a false sense of dignity. Unregulated vending, crime, and political patronage have added to the public unease, though the real issue lies deeper. As Goans aspire only to white-collar jobs, traditional skills fade and dependency grows. The solution is not to demonise migrants but to revive respect for labour and reclaim the work ethic that once defined Goan pride.
