Issue of the outsider

From the advent of Sumerians in 2200 BC to the Portuguese conquest in the 16th century and thereafter, Goa has been home to an influx of migrants since times immemorial. Some of the earliest were the Indo-Aryan migrations to Goa and as empires changed, new installments of migrants set foot in Goa. Presently, Goa is home to numerous migrants hailing from different parts of India.
 

As per the census results declared on 1st march 2011, Goa's population comprises of 14,57,723 individuals. Out of these, a considerable chunk is migrant population.  Though they contribute to the state’s demand for labour work and odd jobs, they are seen as nothing more than a ghatee (Goan term for country bumpkins) and bhaile (outsiders). I spoke to some of these migrants, who have now made Goa their home, to listen to their side of the story. 

Gous Muddin Siddhapura a man in his sixties narrates his tale. He came to Goa in 1967 from Karnataka and initially used to live in Altinho in a ghetto near the TV tower. “Life was difficult then,” he says, “but we sailed through. When I first came here, I was a carpenter and a construction worker. At that time, my daily wage was Rs. 10 per day. The bus fare from Altinho to the construction site was Rs. 3. With Rs. 6 invested in travel, I would be left with only a meager four rupees to provide for my family. It was of course not easy but I worked hard to make ends meet.

“The then government which was MGP led told us to leave from Altinho. We had a Jhopadpatti Sangh whose leader was Ashraf Aga. We demonstrated five times and then got arrested five times. The Delhi government also intervened. Finally, after a lot of hullabaloo, under the Twenty Points Programme, we got plots in Chimbel to build our own houses and stay. We got property here, water supply and electricity was eventually provided. A government primary school was also constructed for our children to study in.

“Education is important for prosperity and to let the future generation stand on their feet to lead a respectable life. Thus we built the Jadeed High School here of which I was the founding chairman in 1993-1994. We built the Chimbel Masjid and initially started Jadeed primary school there. Then we got a permit to have higher classes, then introduced computer studies and later founded the Jadeed Higher Secondary School.

“When this area was given to us to reside, Ashraf Aga named it Indranagar as that time Indira Gandhi was the PM. When we first arrived here, we were altogether 360 people. Today, over a thousand Muslim families and hundreds of non-Muslim families reside in Indranagar. I have been living in Chimbel for 38 years and have faced no problem at all. We have the Panchayat’s permission to stay here. We pay our taxes right. As long as you work sincerely and earn your daily bread, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Not more than ten authentic Muslim Goans live here in Indranagar. But other communities like Kunbi etc are many.” adds another source “The inhabitants of Indranagar consist of people who come from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madras, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh etc. There are about 3000 houses with a population of 35000 people. The literacy level is 61%. People here work as vegetable vendors; government and private service, drivers, mechanics, coolies, masons, construction workers and the ladies mainly are employed as domestic servants in neighbouring villages.

“The houses in this area are government allotted under the Twenty Points Programme. The new settlers set up in their ghettos in Gaffurbasti near the water tank uphill. The people of the older generation are using their own powers since they have become landlords now. This older generation has now become aggressive. New people who settle here don’t interfere. They just keep to themselves.”

Speaking about the increase in the level of crimes in Chimbel, he says, “The crime rate is high here. Nowadays one will get to see a lot of police nakabandi here near the bus stop. This maybe out of suspicion. But you cannot blame the entire community if one thing goes wrong. The bastifolk are okay. But because of some people, the entire basti’s name is spoilt. Groups are formed for gundagiri, these are mixed groups of hooligans belonging to all communities. They get into brawls and use physical power to assert their authority. That way they think of themselves as mighty. Otherwise there is no social tensions or communal tensions of any kind. 

“The only threat migrants face is the fear of being removed from here if they don’t vote. Chimbel is a vote bank for politicians. People here have turned from passive to aggressive due to vote bank politics. The antisocial attitude may be due to personal grudges. Otherwise, Indranagar a safe place.”

A large percentage of migrants can be found in Vasco. In Baina especially, hordes of shanties, and ghettos can be seen. Shahappa Harijan, originally from Bagalkot Karnataka, lives in a tiny shanty on rent. “I work as an airport loader at the Dabolim airport. Our parents came here years ago to work as labourers. We have been here since childhood so we connect with Goa better. The people here are good to us and we do not face any kind of problem. There are eleven members in our family and we all live in a single room. In the past thirty years, we have moved from ghetto to ghetto nomadically yet survived in Goa. We are all uneducated so cannot apply for a qualified job. Let’s see what happens in the future.”

Prakash Rathod, another migrant who lives in Kattebaina says “My family has been in Goa from the past 50 years. We live in legally built homes and pay our taxes on time.” This young lad is a student of Mechanical Engineering in Goa Engineering College, Farmagudi. He lives alone with his mother who is a fish vendor. “My group of friends in college consists of Goans. They treat me as their equal. In this area (Kattebaina), migrants come from different communities like Banjarans, Marwadis, Marathas, Karnatakis, Punjabis, Gujratis, Andhraites etc. Most of them live in slums and their occupation is primarily that of labourers, plumbers, waiters, hotel helpers etc. Almost all the children here go to school.

Overtime, Prakash and his neighbours have assimilated in the Goan culture thus adopting the food and dress habits of Goa. “We speak Konkani and English but we do not know our native tongue, ie Kannada. Most of us prefer eating fish curry rice over dal bhaat. We have made Goa’s staple food our own. But despite all this, people still say we are ghatees and claim that we are living here illegally. Besides this we do not face any grave difficulties. The only issue we faced in the past was from the indigenous Goan fishermen who refused to sell fish to us since we are bhaile. Then we requested to them over and over after which they complied.

“Another problem was created when the red light area was destroyed. That time, some houses of innocent faqirs living there were destroyed. Some of those houses were legal. The government did not do anything to help them out of their misery. Now all those faqirs have rebuilt a home for themselves and live in Shantinagar.”

Laxman Chavan, who lives in Moti Dongor, Margao also shares his story, “My father was originally from Gadag, Karnataka. He came to Goa years ago for a living. He settled here, got married here and thus I was born here. It has been more than 40 years that we’ve been in Goa. Our predecessors have sold our lands in our native place and come here in search of a better life. My generation of ‘migrants’ were all born and brought up in Goa. We have assimilated in the Goan culture completely. We cannot do without fish curry rice just like any other Goenkaar (authentic Goan). Our predecessors have died but still we don’t have an identity. We have a voting card, ration card and even an Aadhaar card, yet we are considered migrants.”

There are approximately 500 families living in Moti Dongor. Each house is home to 3-8 families. Inhabitants of Moti Dongor claim that they all live in peace and harmony and there is absolutely no communal tension. It is only once in a while that there are personal tiffs between some of the families in the neighbourhood. “All the inhabitants here are from the first settlements.” continues Chavan, “All are from Karnataka. There is no new influx of migrants. We have a school, mosque and two temples here. We all live in peace and harmony. There is absolutely no communal tension. Goans are very nice people. I have a lot of friends here. We don’t have tiffs with them either. The only problem created here is by the politicians.”

Shabbier Shaikh, who has been in Goa from the past 35 years laments about the predicament of being a migrant, “We always thought that we’re here to stay but honestly speaking, we’re dangling in the middle. We neither belong in our native land nor in our assimilated land. We are very unsure about our future. 

“Government demolished houses in Moti Dongor claiming that they are illegal. We all live in fear today. The MLA says don’t worry but everyday there’s something in the papers saying the government will demolish all illegal houses. The only thing the MLA did was build toilets for our sanitation. 

“If any crime takes place, they blame the inhabitants of Moti Dongor for it. Even if there is a personal row between two families here, the incident is exaggerated in the newspapers. We are uneducated and don’t know how to fight for our rights. We get lured towards the leader that promises us a secure future.

“Our women work as domestic help in many households. Some of them even work in the houses of High Court lawyers and the Judge. If we were that bad then why would such repecatable people employ our women? “

 “Whether BJP government comes to power or Congress, whether MGP or UGP, we have always supported the government who promises us a secure future. It is therefore not a question of taking sides. We request the present ruling party to take our woes into consideration.”

 “People are entitled to have their opinions.” continues Prakash Rathod “If they hate us, they hate us; there is nothing we can do about that. I can understand the insecurity that people feel when it comes to migrants, they feel we are not good but what can we do? We depend on Goa for our livelihood. If we are forced to leave despite our legal rights then we’ll fight. After staying here for so many years, we are also Goans.”

Abdul Karimsaaab orginally from Savanur Karnataka has been living in Moti Dongor, Margao for over 50 years. Like most other migrants, he also came to Goa to work as a labourer. “When I first settled in Moti Dongor, there were about 8-10 houses here. Then, there was absolutely no problem here. It is only now due to political influence that we face problems. We all used to live like brothers and continue to do so. Otherwise if you go to see then there is no fear here. It is just people who make a big hue and cry. We left our native land to come and settle here; now this is our home. After half a century if you suddenly tell us to leave this place, then where will we go?”

  - Nida Sayed 

@nidsay on Twitter

God’s Angels mistreated on Earth

Some of you might find my title too dramatic, but being an ardent animal lover who witnesses cruelty towards animals daily, specially the stray dogs I genuinely feel they are mistreated and terribly neglected. If properly used, the law can be your most effective weapon against animal exploitation. India has one of the most comprehensive set of animal protection laws in the world. There are detailed codes of conduct governing our use and treatment of both domestic and wild animals.  In fact, India is unique in the fact that animal protection is enshrined in our constitution and every citizen is required to show compassion to all living beings. Unfortunately, in spite of the importance accorded to animal protection by our founding fathers, animal protection laws have remained mere pieces of paper because either people do not know how to use it or are not aware of the law at all. 

How many are even aware of the basic laws for animal rights?

Domestic animals & Pets

Beating or causing any animal pain or suffering by the owner or any other person should be reported to the police. The penalty is a fine of Rs 100/-or jail up to three months or both. 

Caging or confining an animal in a cage or enclosure too small to allow reasonable movement. The penalty is a fine of Rs 100 and jail up to 3 months or both.

Tying with a short or very heavy chain. The penalty is a fine of Rs 100 and up to 3 months in jail or both.

Keeping the animal constantly confined or tied for extended periods thereby denying it the opportunity to exercise. Punishable with a fine of RS 100/- and up to 3 months in jail or both. 

Failure to provide sufficient food and water to a pet animal. Penalty is a fine of RS 100/- and up to 3 months in jail or both. 

Failure to provide proper shelter. This means failure to provide protection from the external environment e.g. leaving a dog out in the rain or cold. Penalty is a fine of RS 100/- and up to 3 months in jail or both.

Maiming or injuring an animal in any way or any surgical or invasive procedure without anaesthesia. This would include ear or tail docking is a cognisable offence under Section 428/429 of the Indian Penal Code. The penalty is a fine and up to 5 years in jail. 

Stray animals

According to section 11 of the Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act 1960 it is illegal to put out poisoned food as these could pose a serious health hazard. Also it is illegal to transport any animal in any manner that will cause it unnecessary suffering. This includes loading cows into trucks without ramps and overcrowding the vehicle, tying up pigs and carrying them on cycles and so on. All violations of Section 11 are punishable with a fine of Rs 100 and /or up to 3 months in jail. Section 428/429 of the Indian Penal Code makes it a cognizable offence to maim or cause injury to any animal. Citizens can report any such nuisance to the Municipal authorities. I request you all to please do so. The High Courts of Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Mumbai, and several other states have specifically forbidden the killing of stray dogs and directed the municipality to introduce a sensible sterilisation programme instead. Stray animals cannot be used for research. Rules for Experimental Animals as formulated by The Committee for the Control and Supervision of Experimental Animals has laid down that only animals bred for the purpose of research by institutes registered by the Committee may be used for experimentation. Therefore it is illegal for any medical, educational or commercial research institute to pick up stray animals either from the street or from the municipal pound for this purpose. 

So the next time you see a poor stray dog on the road instead of ignoring it or being afraid and running away try feeding it, or probably contact the blue cross or any NGO for animals if it is injured. All they require is love and care.

RoxanneWadia

The writer has completed her studies in law and is a passionate animal lover.

Prisoners of Hatred

Paulo Coelho wrote in his famous book The Alchemist, “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”, and as his fan, I have always believed in these words and tried to incorporate them in my life. Various aims and ambitions rule our lives and the intermingling phase between those ambitions and dreams is the very base of our existence. We are born as ordinary individuals but the moment we grow into this world as people who have nothing but suspicion that is when the problem starts. Even I am no exception to that rule.
 

When I was in the seventh grade, there lived a Pakistani family in my neighborhood. They had a son named Ali. Being a social butterfly at a very young age I was very excited to have a foreigner friend. But then I never understood why all other people thought them to be a social outcaste. After 6 months they left the area and nothing exactly changed except for a constant query in my mind why were they being treated like that. And somewhere in my subconscious the answer came, “They were Pakistanis”. I stepped into the age of reasoning and rationality and found my answer to my biggest query. I learnt about the wars being fought, relations being snapped, laws being disobeyed and most important of it was a deep distrust being created between both sides. Something inside of me never accepted that two countries with so much of history, culture and heritage to share could ever be so far torn apart. I always dreamt that people will change and they will understand their mistakes which costs and will cost so many lives. It is not really a one – sided job, it needs to be done by both parties.

In the recent past, the deaths of the two war prisoners have made me rethink the reality of those naive dreams. The killings of Sarabjit Singh and Sanaullah Ranjay ached my heart. They were already suffering from being imprisoned in an inhuman condition and on top of that being killed in a prison scuffle perpetrated by hatred. But the important thing which really crossed my mind was the attitude of both the nations. India to save her territorial strategies never actually claimed the release of Mr. Singh and many more like his, so was the egotist and unstable nature of Pakistan’s foreign relations. Though there were so called ‘Talks’, but they were inconclusive, and they are still left to die in a foreign prison governed under foreign laws. After Mr. Singh’s death, Indian Govt. called the act “Barbaric”. Wasn’t their attitude barbaric when they left him to the whims of a different government?  As Einstein said, “To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Was the death of Mr Singh the action and then death of Mr. Ranjay the reaction? I still can’t find the equal and opposite part of it. 

There are more than 100 of PoWs who are still imprisoned on both the sides. Officially, 54 prisoners have been claimed to be PoWs in Pakistan and have been put to trial at the International Court of Justice, but no one counts the unofficial statistics. Agreements have been breached by both the sides. There are unknown accounts of similar attacks of hatred on other prisoners too. It is difficult to know how many prisoners have faced the same fate as Mr. Singh and Mr. Ranjay. So, on the whole, prisoners on both the sides are in constant danger of death. They might be given death sentence for their crimes, but they die every day with the fear of being killed by fellow inmates and more importantly by the cruel attitude of the respective governments.

Politicians have a habit of exaggerating the true accounts. But what about us? Are we so blinded that we really can’t understand the true nature of any act? We say that they were Prisoners of War and crime, but I think they were the Prisoners of Hatred. The hatred which have been bubbling in our veins since the day we got independence and lost our dignity. We are not born hating other people. It’s the society which teaches us to hate and teaches us “They are Pakistanis”, “They are Indians”. No amount of movies, talks, speeches would help people to raise the blood stained curtains of hatred, but it would be our own realization. But for that realization to come, I can’t imagine how many blood battles will be fought and how many lives have to be sacrificed.

We should always understand one simple fact that opposite of Love is not hate, but love gone bad. My dream of meeting my old friend in the streets of Lahore remains a sharp edged dream which can cost our lives too. But then I will do my part of believing in that dream without the fear of failure.

P.S – This is a personal account. Apologies if it hurts anyone’s sentiment. Comments are encouraged but I hope it won’t be based on “Hatred”.

Sharanya Kundu

@sharankundu on Twitter

The author is a young law student at ILS law college, Pune. She has worked for women's rights in the past  and dreams of visiting Pakistan. She has a strong belief that India and Pakistan will share a positive future.

The Security of Choice

“Well, in any case, I will get married off in an year or so, and from then on, I will see how I can adjust my career according to the family I’ll have.” This was the response of a fellow female Indian student I met on campus when I asked her about her immediate future plans after graduate school. It wasn’t in the least a surprising answer for me: this is perhaps the way a vast majority of Indian girls would answer if asked about their career plans after their undergraduate degree. This particular student was already pursuing a graduate degree in the US, and even with an educated family background, she could only view her future as hanging on such fine balance: hoping earnestly that her future husband through an arranged marriage would be supportive of her career.

When I heard that statement, the response to the same question by an American friend of mine inevitably came to my mind: she had graduated in family studies, and was hoping to work for children with Developmental delays. Before she told me about her major, I never even knew someone could get a degree in such a field. And here she was, explaining how she and her boyfriend were planning to shift to another state within the US, so she can take up a great job offer there, and he would try to acquire a job in the city she would be in.

This is not a generalized picture of both societies, of course, but it is definitely a reality. When I heard my Indian friend talk about her ambitions as if they were a function of her luck in finding a complacent groom, I thought on how secure she might be feeling about her education and life ahead. And given the complexities of caste, astrology and age restrictions in India, what are the chances that she would find such a groom within the age window that society has judged acceptable for its women to marry?

My friend had simply followed her older siblings into choosing engineering studies as a career since that was a ‘natural choice’ in India. And although to her credit she indeed did very well, all the efforts that she might put into her research, her relentless pursuit for a scholarship, could all be a story of legend she would perhaps tell her children at bed time, ten years from now.

Looking at the Indian society from afar and comparing it with the West gives me the opportunity to see pros and cons in both. But one painful reality back home shames me most: our judgements and stubbornness to tame and domesticate our women. How women are judged based on their marital status and ‘homeliness’ rather than their ambition and merit.

But if this was just another grim example of all that is wrong with the arranged marriage system in India, why was she here in the first place spending thousands of dollars into a degree that would tax most of her youthful years and her parents’ financial savings?

The answer is the ray of hope that gives me reason to argue our case to the world about Indian women and our current society: our constant willingness to adapt and grow. It makes me proud whenever I see my Indian friend at a research meeting or make a smart move in class. She may not know how her future husband would value her education and her ambitions, but she surely knows how to make the best of what comes her way!

- Abhijit Sunil

@abhijit_sunil on Twitter

The writer is currently a Research Assistant at the Computer Science and Engineering at the Southern Methodist University of Dallas, TX, USA.

Knowledge or numbers?

“A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers” said the legendary Greek Philosopher Plato. But it is heart-breaking to see how when it comes to the statistics of children who are enrolled in schools for elementary education all over India, some people rely on numbers than knowledge.

Data released by the National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) revealed the statistics of children who are enrolled in schools for elementary education all over India. It was shocking to note that Goa has the lowest number of Muslim children in schools.

It has been reported that on a national level, with 10.49% enrolment in elementary schools, Muslims fare worse than the Other Backward Classes (42.26%) and the Scheduled Castes (19.72%). The comparison of enrolment at elementary level between the SCs, OBCs and Muslims shows that the OBCs and SCs are doing much better than Muslims in terms of elementary education. According to the recently released statistics of 2008-09, just 0.20% of Muslim children in the state are enrolled in schools, making Goa perhaps the worst state in educating children of the Muslim community. The figures put Goa below states like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Harayana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and even Uttar Pradesh.

Disturbed by this statistic, I sought to find out why Muslims were poorly educated in the state. Educationist M K Shaikh disagrees with the statistic. “It is false!” he says, “To understand this problem, we will have to go back to pre-liberation times. During the Portuguese rule, very few Muslim families sent their children to schools because they could not afford to pay the fees as education was not free at the time. The economic conditions were such that they could hardly make both ends meet. The liberation of Goa in 1961 opened the doors for education to everybody, thanks to the first CM Dayanand Bandodkar’s vision and efforts of taking education to every nook and corner of Goa. Like any other community, Muslims in Goa also started sending their children to schools. The oil boom in the gulf in the early ‘70s enabled Muslims to migrate to those countries where they improved their economic conditions. Awareness among Muslims that education plays an important role in life coupled with improvement in economic conditions gave Muslims a boost t to educate their children.”

“With the construction boom in Goa in the early ‘70’s, people from other states migrated here and this filled the vacuum that was created by the migration of Goans to the gulf. These migrants were influenced by the original Goans and so they also started sending their children to schools of their choice. Today, every migrant who has settled in Goa ensures that his children are enrolled or admitted to the school of his choice and they continue their education in whatever field they choose. Not that every migrant child that joins school reaches college. There is the factor of dropouts in between but this factor is applicable to every other community. The original Muslim migrants who came to Goa and joined either the construction activity or started selling fruits or vegetables wherever he got the place, has ensured that his children are not following the same profession… they are educated. To say that only 0.20% of the Muslim children in Goa join schools is false and I think it is based on false data that is provided to the NUEPA.”

According to Shaikh Sulaiman Karol, president of All Goa Muslim Samaj, who incidentally also is the chairman/centre in charge of two schools in Goa, majority of the Muslim population in Goa is that of migrant Muslims, in comparison to which, the authentic Goan Muslim population is very less. “In Goa, Goan Muslims are quite less.” He says. “Most of the Muslims here are immigrants. These immigrant Muslims do not want to send their children to school, they want to send them to work since they are poor. Mostly, these kids sell polythene bags, groundnuts, etc. Our organisation is working very hard for these children. As far as Goan Muslims are concerned, they are all economically well off but the conditions of the migrant Muslims in Goa are not very good. They come to work here as labourers, get a ration card etc. and live here as Goans. Now, there is a population of more than two lakh Muslims in Goa. As far as education is concerned, awareness is a must. Most organisations like Goa Muslims Samaj, All Goa Muslim Association, Social and Cultural Association of Goa, All Goa Urdu Teachers Association are working for the upliftment of Muslims students in Goa. Most of these migrants do send their children to school, but they don’t get admission in higher secondary schools after SSCE. This is because people have various pre-conceived notions regarding Urdu medium students, especially since they come from Chimbel. Mostly, people consider the Chimbel crowd to be very rowdy so they don’t want children from Chimbel studying in their institutions. So, I have started a higher secondary school in English medium. It is open to students of all communities and social strata.”

According to the study, the socio-economic condition of the community was one of the chief causes for these children being denied basic education. Most parents preferred to engage their children in economically productive activities rather than educating them. Another problem was that of ghettoisation. The people in certain segments of Goa, in fact, live in closely-knit houses which are impoverished, most of them self-made with cheap and sub-standard components. I visited some of these ghettos and spoke to some migrants who have made home in Goa. The women mostly work as domestic help and the men work at construction sites. Some are in the business of selling fruits and/or vegetables. Almost all those who can afford to send their children to schools try to make ends meet. They choose to send their children to the best possible schools even if it burns a hole in their pocket; the most preferred schools being Ideal Primary school, Don Bosco High School and Government Schools. Though a few have not been able to pursue their higher education, most children have done their basic elementary schooling.

Ibrahim Khalilullah, happily skips about as he says, “I am in Std II and go to Ideal Primary School. There are 27 students altogether in my class. I like to go to school, it is very nice.” His other two siblings also go to school along with him and he has aspirations to become a big man one day.

Affrin Nawar, who has just answered her Std X board exams speaks fluently in English as she says, “I have just completed Std X in Auxilium High School. As a child I went to a Government Marathi medium school. After my SSCE results are out, I will study further. I want to pursue my studies in the Arts stream and after Std XII, I want to graduate in Travel and Tourism from Don Bosco College. My mother is a domestic helper and my father works on construction sites. My brother has completed his XII commerce from Lyceum HSS. He had passed his SSCE from Don Bosco High school. He wanted to study further but due to financial issues, we are forcing him to go overseas and earn.”

Basha Shaikh says, “My mother is originally from Haveri District in Karnataka and my father is a Keralite. My parents came to Goa in search of employment about 20-21 years ago. I got my basic education in school. As a child, I went to a Government Primary school where I studied till Std IV. After that I was admitted in Progress High School, I studied there for two years but had to leave as my mother could not afford the fees there. Due to this, I joined Don Bosco’s night school and I would work in the day time. But because of financial problems, I had to discontinue my education after Std VII. I worked in a garage for five years as a mechanic of four wheelers. Then I learned to drive and now work as a driver. I would like to complete my studies but if I leave work and study then it will create a lot of financial issues in my home.”

Such a scenario thus begs the question whether reservation in jobs and in higher educational institutions will be a solution to bring the community into the mainstream. “That is not enough,” avers Shaikh Sulaiman Karol. “There are many problems that Muslims face. I hope Manohar Parrikar will spare some time for the Goa Muslim Samaj, so that we can place our difficulties and grievances with him. We have really high expectations from him. We hope that Manohar Parrikar’s government solves the problems of educating Muslims.”

“Now we are implementing the Right to Education Act,” added M K Shaikh. “According to that act, a child must be educated till the age of 14. I think the government should notify it and implement it in letter and spirit. There is no question of giving compensation; then they’ll have to give it to all communities.”

Parvin Nawar says, “We are originally from Raniminnur, a village in Karnataka. I studied till Std V in my village in an Urdu medium school. We were six children, so my father could not afford to send us all to school due to our financial conditions. I was married at seventeen and now I have three children. My husband and I didn’t get to study but we are doing whatever we can to make ends meet and send them to school. I want my children to study well and get a good job somewhere. Inshah Allah, this will happen. Manohar Parrikar has said that he will provide us help. Many of our children from the basti who have completed their BA and BCom went to see him but the CM was inaccessible. No one allows us to meet him. The government had made many promises to us before coming to power and we are looking forward to what happens. We have been staying in Goa from almost forty years. We pay all our taxes, water and electricity bills etc. Despite this, we have got a notice from the Municipal Department to vacate the place. How shall we live if we get thrown out? The notice has come as a nightmare to us. How will the poor children study? Because of this, we have to force our sons to discontinue their studies after HSSCE and send them overseas.” Is the current ruling party listening to the woes of these people?

Speaking about the number of students enrolled in his schools, Sulaiman Shaikh said, “Our newly started pre-primary has 80 students and 20 students have enrolled in Std I. This is in Chimbel. In Valpoi, from the Std I to Std X, we have more than 700 students. Majority of these students are Muslim. In the past 2-3 years, 100% of the students have pursued higher education after passing out of my schools. Some years ago, it was 0%. Earlier they would get admissions because they were from Chimbel and came from Urdu medium schools. Now some students are in Government HSS, Lyceum HSS and People’s HSS.”

In M K Shaikh’s Jawaharlal Nehru HSS, “50% of Muslims are enrolled. There is a mixture of authentic Muslim Goans and migrant population. Sometimes we get students from Anjuman Urdu Medium School, Margao. Everyone who passes Std XII joins the first year in college maybe in different streams. Very few, maybe 5%, of them dropout, especially when it is a girl. Migrant Muslims in Goa like to arrange the marriage of their daughters soon and won’t wait till she completes her education. So most of the girls drop out after Std XII. Otherwise, most students pursue their higher education.”

Dr. Yasmin Mudassir, Principal of Dhempe College of Arts and Science reveals the statistics of Muslim students enrolled in the college for the Academic year 2011-2012, according to which approximately 7-8% students enrolled in BA/BSc are Muslim students. “As far as the college is concerned,” says Dr. Yasmin Mudassir, “it welcomes minority students and there is no discrimination. Approximately, 7-8% Muslim students are enrolled in BA/BSc for the academic year 2011-2012. In these, there is a mixture of Goan Muslims, migrant Muslims and students sponsored by the ICCR.”

Plato founded one of the earliest known organised schools in Western Civilisation, Academus or the Academy to cater to the intellectual thirst of the scholars of his time. Similarly, there are organisations in Goa that are trying their best to uplift school children at the grassroots level. Also there are rational Muslim families sending their kids to pursue higher education in some of the finest institutes of Goa/ India and even overseas. This picture is vividly present before all, yet it appears that numbers weigh more than knowledge.

Nida Sayed 

The writer is a Reporter at The Goan Observer Newspaper.