Twice I had been to Goa and only thing I can tell about it that it is a perfect place to visit concerning scenic beauty. Today we read many horrid stories about Goa and celebrities from Goa keep blaming foreign tourist for this state, as it is very easy for them to make a statement in the media. Mainly crimes towards the women are in Goa is a common thing now these days and every here and there you will hear something happening and mostly associated with women. Rape, Abuse, Molest and Murder are sounds like as it is some word from school syllabi in Goa. Frankly speaking, Goa was never safe place, not today and not before, I am talking about as back as early eighties.
Yes early eighties first time I visited Goa. I was not holidaying, I gone there for the wedding of my friend’s brother. After eighteen hours of bus journey when I reached there, my friend was there at the bus stop, we had our lunch in a local hotel and proceed to their village house. My friend just bundle me out to a Bike, I thought the rider may be known to her but after reaching her village home I came to know that the Bike was one type of convenience and I have to pay for my ride. It was not that bad but only Goa where I have seen this kind of public convenience. The house and surrounding was picture perfect, you cannot ask something more than that for a few days gateway from Mumbai, a dreamland. That time the village was not having electricity.
I born in Kolkata and most of my childhood spend in Jammy, so never seen a real village before that one. My friend’s grandmother was very fond of me and whenever she used to visit Mumbai always used to make a point to meet me. Night we served with Goan food, just what we Bengali’s like, Fish Curry and Rice. Nevertheless, the rice was fresh from there own farm. Next morning, when I got up I could hear lots of hustle and bustle around the neighbourhood, when I asked my friend what all about it, she informed me that a bus for Panaji just going to arrive and that was the only bus, which will go to capital of Goa, and by late afternoon, the bus will return. Even the bus was having a regular conductor but it stopped to every doorstep to the request, which sounds like this ‘Rao Re’ (Stop). It was very enjoyable experience. By late afternoon, I found that the dress I supposed to wear for next days wedding was not properly iron. When I told this to my friend, she told me that I could do this only on the main road, which was twenty minutes away from her house. So I decided to go to the main road with a twelve year old boy from neighbourhood. When we reached to that laundry, the man was busy with other cloths, after finishing, he ironed my cloth and when we about to return back, it was little dark. We keep talking many things, as I was knowing Kokani very well. When we reached midway, it was very dark and then we heard a footstep just behind of us. Then all of certain the boy shouted at me
- ‘Aunty run’. I said ‘Why?’ he never replied and started running. I too followed him. I was very athletic person and running was not new thing for me, but running for life, yea, it was only for the first time. After running rest of the distance, only stopped when we reached at my friend’s house. Then I asked him ‘Come on, why you make me run?’ he told me that –‘Aunty, the fellow behind us may be following us, this is Goa and you do not know, nothing is safe here’.
The incident was part of my life happened in early eighties and the above dialog was just from a Goan and above all he was only twelve years of age. Even until today, I can laugh for one of that situation, when in dark and dusky evening; I was running for my life through narrow village road of Goa, very adventures. Not just the women, the beautiful land which they inherited, itself raped, molested, abused and murdered by the anti-social elements of Goa. Drugs and liquor are something which available in every by lane. Therefore, big mouth celebrities, stop blaming the tourist, because of them only Goa is a hotspot among tourists, and try to do bit and find a solution.
Yes early eighties first time I visited Goa. I was not holidaying, I gone there for the wedding of my friend’s brother. After eighteen hours of bus journey when I reached there, my friend was there at the bus stop, we had our lunch in a local hotel and proceed to their village house. My friend just bundle me out to a Bike, I thought the rider may be known to her but after reaching her village home I came to know that the Bike was one type of convenience and I have to pay for my ride. It was not that bad but only Goa where I have seen this kind of public convenience. The house and surrounding was picture perfect, you cannot ask something more than that for a few days gateway from Mumbai, a dreamland. That time the village was not having electricity.
I born in Kolkata and most of my childhood spend in Jammy, so never seen a real village before that one. My friend’s grandmother was very fond of me and whenever she used to visit Mumbai always used to make a point to meet me. Night we served with Goan food, just what we Bengali’s like, Fish Curry and Rice. Nevertheless, the rice was fresh from there own farm. Next morning, when I got up I could hear lots of hustle and bustle around the neighbourhood, when I asked my friend what all about it, she informed me that a bus for Panaji just going to arrive and that was the only bus, which will go to capital of Goa, and by late afternoon, the bus will return. Even the bus was having a regular conductor but it stopped to every doorstep to the request, which sounds like this ‘Rao Re’ (Stop). It was very enjoyable experience. By late afternoon, I found that the dress I supposed to wear for next days wedding was not properly iron. When I told this to my friend, she told me that I could do this only on the main road, which was twenty minutes away from her house. So I decided to go to the main road with a twelve year old boy from neighbourhood. When we reached to that laundry, the man was busy with other cloths, after finishing, he ironed my cloth and when we about to return back, it was little dark. We keep talking many things, as I was knowing Kokani very well. When we reached midway, it was very dark and then we heard a footstep just behind of us. Then all of certain the boy shouted at me
- ‘Aunty run’. I said ‘Why?’ he never replied and started running. I too followed him. I was very athletic person and running was not new thing for me, but running for life, yea, it was only for the first time. After running rest of the distance, only stopped when we reached at my friend’s house. Then I asked him ‘Come on, why you make me run?’ he told me that –‘Aunty, the fellow behind us may be following us, this is Goa and you do not know, nothing is safe here’.
The incident was part of my life happened in early eighties and the above dialog was just from a Goan and above all he was only twelve years of age. Even until today, I can laugh for one of that situation, when in dark and dusky evening; I was running for my life through narrow village road of Goa, very adventures. Not just the women, the beautiful land which they inherited, itself raped, molested, abused and murdered by the anti-social elements of Goa. Drugs and liquor are something which available in every by lane. Therefore, big mouth celebrities, stop blaming the tourist, because of them only Goa is a hotspot among tourists, and try to do bit and find a solution.
!!!In our life, blaming someone else is the easiest thing to do, easy way-out if you want to hide your own weakness.!!!
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