There is little appreciation of worthy heroes (and heroines) from our past. Those selected are done so with an eye on today's politics
Now that the heat and dust has settled (?) on the issue of Shivaji statues in Goa, maybe it's apt time to revisit the subject. Rationally and more sceptically. It's my view that the statue politics of today's Goa has very little to do with how we view heroes, leaders, and icons from the past. Instead, it tells us more about ourselves, and how we would like to place our stamp on today's world. Or claim hegemony over it.
Recently, one came across an interesting bit of information. This is from the 'Rajhauns Goa Saunskrutik 2023' (a recently-published book containing a lot of information on Goa). It lists statues which currently stand across our State.
Out of a total of 99 statues in this small State, Shivaji turns out to be the most built figure in Goa. The Maratha emperor has a presence in Bicholim, Canca, Canacona, Chicalim, Corgaon, Farmagudi, Honda, Corlim (Mapusa), Mandrem, Mayem, Mapusa, Porvorim, Pernem, Ponda, Sal, Vagator and Vasco da Gama. Now, Calangute. In other words almost one of every seven statues in Goa is a Shivaji statue. His son, Sambhaji, also has a lone statue at Pernem.
Besides this, the list of other statues in various parts of Goa are also interesting. While this may be straying from the point, it makes for an interesting aside nonetheless. Goa has statues devoted to expat achievers like Dr Manuel Albuquerque in Anjuna; freedom fighters; political leaders like Rajiv Gandhi and Bandodkar and Dr Jack Sequeira or Francisco Luis Gomes and Hegdewar and even Matanhy Saldanha; great Goans like Abbe Faria; even hoteliers like Tito Henry D'Souza in Baga.
There are of course religious leaders (Fr Jacome Gonsalves in Divar) and educationists like Edward J Soares (Aldona) or a mix of both Fr Nicolau Pereira (St Xavier's College), among others. Not many parts of India or Asia would have a statue to Beethoven (as Siolim does). There are also statues to campaigners like Floriano Vaz (considered the martyr for Konkani).
Shakuntala has a statue at the centre of the Mapusa market. Miramar has a unity statue, though everyone forgot what was to be held jointly in the hands of the two men standing at Miramar. There are others too.
But let's look beyond what might seem like a laundry list. Supporters of various individuals have pushed forward their own heroes. But merely celebrating someone in stone or metal does not mean that the person is respected or even remembered. Statues have been speedily built across the country, and neglected with as much alacrity. The less that is said on this the better.
One need not forget that the politics of statues does not stop at just setting up statues. It also extends to bringing some down. Those seen as politically inconvenient were pulled down in Goa too with hasty speed and misplaced enthusiasm.
Vasco da Gamas and Afonso de Albuquerques were deemed unacceptable after 1961. But even good old Camoes, a poet of global repute who spent some (not an inconsequential part) of his working life in Goa itself, had his statue blasted. After protests by freedom fighters, the statue was shifted to the Archaeological Survey of India Old Goa Museum, where it now stands. Photography prohibited.
Still, all this is only one side of the story. There's a lot more. Clearly, the only (or main) purpose of erecting statues in our times is to play politics with them. As long as these pieces of stone (or whatever) can draw electoral gain and help build a vote-bank, that's all our politicians seem interested in.
Two aspects betray this reality. For one, there is little appreciation of worthy heroes (and heroines) from our past. Those selected are done so with an eye on today's politics, in whatever way.
Some are more equal than others too. Recall that while Goa's first chief minister Bandodkar had his statues all over the place, hardly a thought was spared for the then leader of the Opposition, Dr Jack de Sequeira. Only after citizens and his kin took the lead, did some statues to Sequeira come up in Dona Paula or Calangute.
Occasionally, issues related to history and heritage come up in the Assembly. This is probably spurred on by wanting to score points between the Opposition and the Government of the day.
For instance, in August 2019, the then Congress MLA Aleixo "Reginald" Lourenco asked the government if it had studied "historical monuments of Goa in terms of its heritage, its antique value, like wood carvings, paintings, and statutes housed in the churches, temples and other religious sites."
The government's neither-here nor-there reply was: "(The) Directorate of Archives and Archaeology has been doing study of historical monuments of Goa and also taking note of studies done by academicians and researchers in this field."
We are oft reminded that the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology has notified 51 "monuments and sites of archaeological importance". The tragedy is such that hardly anyone in today's Goa would know where many of these are located, or what their relevance is. Our ignorance is indeed profound....
There are no images of these monuments in the public domain. If school students want to study the same, they will not be able to see photographs of most. Likewise, there is an acute shortage of information on many such monuments.
Lastly, a related point, though this doesn't deal with statues. It however gives a good idea of how our history is little more than a tool to play politics with.
In 2019, when Aleixo Lourenco was still a Congressman, he raised an Assembly question. He wanted to know whether the photo of Nehru had been removed from Std X history books, and if so, the reason thereof. Also, whether the photo of Veer Savarkar had been added in the book. As everything gets reduced to a BJP-versus-Congress battle in Goa too, the CM then responded to say that Nehru was "seen in a photograph" on the "transfer of power" in the book. Savarkar's photo was "as per enclosed Annexure II" (where it appeared).
More interestingly, Lourenco also asked "whether it was a fact that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar [the founder of the political, Hindutva ideology] had written to the British regarding clemency to set him free when he as jailed in Port Blair". The government replied: "The Goa Board does not have any records of the same." Ironic indeed....
So, in a word, don't go by the politician's take on history. They're playing, massaging and manipulating it for their own self interests.
