While the whole of India is feverishly seized with the idea of shivlings in masjids, the purported temple run has also reached Goa's peaceful shores. A prominent minister in the erstwhile cabinet has exhorted ASI and the local archives & archaeology department to look for temple remains in Goa under places of worship of other faiths. To softpedal the Hindutva angle he added that remains of structures of other religions would also be found. While the majority of eligible Goan youth remain unemployed, prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing, manufacturing is in the doldrums and the economy is in a tailspin, the state has made an infructuous provision of Rs 20 crores in the budget for rebuilding these imaginary temples. Some kind of ennui seems to have set in the citizenry who have adopted a policy of 'grin and bear it', there seems to be no other option while the politicians are digging up the foundations of our syncretic culture and tearing asunder the fabric of a secular state. Jai ho and salaam a-leikum friends, I say this while I can still say it ; tomorrow I may not be allowed to.
