Goa governor P S Sreedharan Pillai may have inadvertently touched a raw nerve while speaking to senior clergymen at an event in Ernakulam, Kerala on Saturday. Pillai was curious to know why the Christian population in Goa had come down to 25 per cent from 36 per cent while the Muslim population rose from 3 per cent to 12 per cent. He later opined that it could be due to "brain drain”.
The governor’s comment stoked instant reactions from a few sections trying to give it a political flavour even as Pillai promptly clarified his comment. There was nothing wrong with the figures since they came from the census books. As per the 2011 census figures 25.10 per cent of Goans were Christians against the 26.68 per cent recorded in 2001 data. The figures that Pillai quoted are from 2011, and it would be appalling to realise that by the next census possibly in 2026, the Christian population could very well plummet below the 20 per cent mark. The decline has been steady since 1851 when Catholics were 64.5 per cent.
The real worry is over what Pillai reasoned out -- Brain Drain. There has been an exodus of Goa’s population to foreign destinations like Europe in search of better jobs and living, and there are many others who are seeking better opportunities in India’s metros. The sole reason is that Goa does not hold out opportunities that can measure up to the high standard of living in the State.
On the brighter side, Goa offers ease of life, comforts of living, luxuries, pricey real estate, sea, sand and surf, but all this comes at a price that is not entirely affordable for the salaried class in the State. Hence, the obvious choice is to look at greener pastures. One may ask, why only Christians come into this category of “brain drain”. That is because a large section of the Christian community is influenced by the Western world, and the colonial past has only helped this cause. Portuguese citizenship has been the green card for thousands of Goans who have migrated to the United Kingdom before Brexit. They are now seeking opportunities in other nations like Ireland and Germany, and the trend continues. The irony is that the vacuum in Goa is filled by migrants of various denominations from other States who capitalise on the dearth of labour.
The downward spiral is a worrisome trend, but that’s got nothing to do with religion. This cascading effect on such out-migration can be offset if the governments bring about constitutional amendments to accommodate dual citizenship so that Goans are granted the right to be connected to their home State, beyond the liberties an OCI status bestows. That would be a win-win situation for the people and the State.
When one sees the entire issue from a political prism, the dynamics change because the Christian community numbers have a direct bearing on the electoral math in some pockets. Pillai must be commended for touching a crucial point that has been buried in the sands of time. We hope it ignites a larger debate dwelling deep into a situation that is foreseeably turning grim.
