Gaodongri Water is a luxury in Gaodongri. At martyr MangeshGaonkar’s Gaodongri village, people wait on the road from 3pm to 7pm eagerlyfor a water tanker to fill their drums, once every four days
“We have waited for five years for assurances of a dam beingbuilt at Mashem to improve water supply. Now I have built a wall around a smallreservoir we have in the nearby hills and plan to bring my own pipeline fromthere to our house,” reveals his father Nagesh. The rest of the villagers lookat him curiously, wondering how he can get water when the government couldn’t.But then it is this sheer spirit that keeps the Velip and Gowda communityfighting back.
Neutin Gaonkar, the next door neighbor, pointed out that theGaondongri residents sometimes have to skip half day’s salary on daily wageswaiting for the tanker for water and the residents often fight for water whilefilling the drums. The fields have dried up because there’s no water to growvegetables and sell in the Chaudi satellite market. For the young, the going istough. Even jobs in Margao and Panjim are rejected because they find it hard topay exorbitant rents.
“We are pluck cashews and use the juice to make feni andurrak. There is not much money in these traditional businesses. That’s why Itook a loan to send Mangesh to do his Higher Secondary education in Kolhapur. Iwas keen on moving to a town and my son was my only hope,” says a teary eyedNagesh Gaonkar.
In three months, it will have been two years since chaos andriots in Balli. Prakash Velip, one of Goa’s most prominent tribal leaders,remembers how necessary permissions were taken from the authorities and thateveryone from the Chief Minister to the Superintendent of Police to theCollector was aware of the Balli agitation.
But despite all this there was a lapse of security and lathicharge broke out followed by gruesome crimes in the Adarsh Society building,resulting in the death of Mangesh Gaonkar and Dilip Velip. Post riots, thenChief Minister Digambar Kamat assured the SC/ST community that all theirdemands of jobs, schemes for agriculture and education and assistance infarming and traditional activities like making of feni, would be met. The BJPin turn got the UTAA (tribal) agitators to be a part of the Parivartanbandwagon. But despite promises from both sides, nothing has changed. TheVelips and Gaonkars are reeling deep in poverty with agriculture and educationloans and nobody to offer them jobs.
There’s a touch of irony here. The man in the center of theagitation Ramesh Tawadkar is now Tribal Welfare Minister. “Now that Tawadkar isTribal Affairs Minister, we hope things will change”, says village elderChandru Velip. It’s still a hope though.“We are yet to get funds from the SC/ST Commission setup neither have we gotbetter schools in the area or healthcare facilities. The electricity in thearea fluctuates. Our youth have to go 35 kms away to Canacona for highereducation which required money. Last time, around the 90s, Vashu Pai Gaonkarour neighbourhood former MLA was a minister but he didn’t do much for us,”pointed out Chandru Velip.
Cut to Morpilla. It’s the same story. The village strugglesfor better sanitation, connectivity and funds to improve its standard ofliving. The hamlet depends on plucking cashews and growing vegetables in theoff-season. They still wait in vain for government assistance to start a smallscale choir industry from the coconut produce.
“When Dilip died then Digambar Kamat and our local leaderBabu Kavlekar came visiting and made many assurances. Besides compensation tothe deceased, our youth have got nothing. We don’t receive the subsidy forelectricity, our old don’t get their pension schemes and even the new ladlilaxmi schemes and griha aadhar have not reached our women under the BJPgovernment.” exclaimed Undi Velip, a young boy who studies in Cuncolim andwalks home to Morpilla every evening because there are no buses.
Life does go on though. After school play cricket with abroken bat and a soccer ball while theelders dry their chillies and wait in hope for times to improve. Even time hasforgotten the martyr’s corner of Goa.
