On Goa Liberation Day (19 December), Goan ministers, along with public and private institutions, schools, and colleges, will once again engage in a largely superficial recognition of Goa’s liberation.
I call it superficial because, in reality, what we are witnessing today is not liberation, but the steady liberation of Goa from Goans. Large-scale land conversions are being approved, forests and green cover are destroyed, and unchecked real estate development is encouraged”often benefiting powerful entities from outside the state. Goa is being converted into a coal corridor to maximise corporate profits. Our rivers are now under national control, key decisions affecting Goa are taken in Delhi, and many Goans feel compelled to seek passports of the former colonial power, Portugal.
If Goans collectively commit to preserving our land, environment, identity, and autonomy, Liberation Day can regain its true purpose and become a meaningful reminder of what freedom should stand for.
