My fellow Goans, we were born into a land blessed beyond measure – a land kissed by the Arabian Sea, nourished by rivers and mountains, and enriched by centuries of culture, faith, and unity. Goa is not just a dot on the map; it is an emotion that flows through our blood, a heritage that shapes our identity, and a soul that binds us as one people. But today, that soul is under attack. Our Goa – the Goa our ancestors built and protected with dignity – is being sold piece by piece to greed, arrogance, and political betrayal. And if we continue to remain spectators, we will be the first generation in history to witness the death of our own homeland while quietly sipping tea and scrolling through social media.
Look around you – the signs are everywhere. Hills sliced open, wetlands buried, khazans destroyed, rivers polluted, and farmlands converted into concrete jungles. Look at our coasts – slowly choked by unregulated commercial expansion. Look at our villages – their character disappearing under the weight of high-rise greed. Today, Goa has become the playground of land sharks who see our motherland not as a living heritage but as an opportunity for quick money. They do not love Goa. They do not feel its heartbeat. They only calculate its real estate value.
Our demographic fabric is changing rapidly. We do not oppose anyone coming to Goa for livelihood or peace – Goa has always opened her arms generously. But what we cannot accept is the political conspiracy to dilute Goan identity, create vote banks, and make Goans strangers in their own homeland. When land is bought not to live, but to convert Goa into another overcrowded metropolis, then it is not settlement – it is silent invasion. Our cultural identity – from the ghumot rhythm to our festivals, our cuisine, our language, our susegad life – all of this is being pushed to the margins while commercial noise takes center stage. When our youth are forced to leave because they cannot afford a home in their own land, what remains of Goa except beaches and casinos?
Silence from Goans has become the biggest weapon of those destroying Goa. We complain in taverns, in our WhatsApp groups, and on Facebook comments. But when the moment comes to stand united, we hesitate. We fear retaliation. We fear inconvenience. We fear losing favor with those in power. But ask yourself: What will you fear more – raising your voice today or losing Goa forever tomorrow? Because that is exactly where we are headed.
Let us not pretend development is the problem – development is necessary. But development must honour the environment, respect the cultural fabric, protect communities, and preserve Goa’s identity. What is happening today is not development; it is demolition disguised as progress. Destroying hills is not development. Filling wetlands is not development. Handing over land and resources to select lobbies while Goans suffer unemployment is not development. Allowing unchecked drug trade and organized crime is not development. This is betrayal – a betrayal by those elected to protect Goa.
Our political system has collapsed into a circus of party-switching, corruption, and shameless power-brokering. MLAs treat your mandate like a personal business deal. When leaders can be bought, when policies can be bent, when illegalities can be regularised overnight – then the democracy of Goa is nothing but a rubber stamp for mafia interests. My fellow Goans, do not wait for these leaders to save Goa – many of them are the reason Goa is sinking.
Today, the fight for Goa is not about parties or religions or villages – it is about survival. We must come together as Goans first. Protecting Goa is not activism – it is duty. We must build united citizen action. We must insist on accountability at every level of governance. We must preserve what remains of our heritage, our villages, our environment, and our cultural identity. We must teach our children to love Goa enough to defend it, not sell it.
Think of the generations before us – they fought foreign rule, defended their land, and protected freedom with courage. We now face a different war – a war not fought with weapons, but with awareness, unity, and resolve. The question is: Will we rise like them or surrender quietly?
Picture a future where your grandchild looks into your eyes and asks: “Why did you let Goa disappear?” What answer will you give? That you were too busy? Too afraid? Too comfortable? Too silent?
We are standing at a decisive moment in history. If we act now, Goa can still be saved. If we delay, we will only be left with memories. The beaches will remain but without Goans. The churches will stand but with no Goan believers inside. The feasts will continue but the soul of the celebration will be gone. The land will remain but the identity will vanish. And then it will be too late to cry for what we willingly allowed to be destroyed.
My fellow Goans, rise up – rise up for your land, rise up for your heritage, rise up for your future. Rise up for the soul of Goa that cries out for your protection. Stop believing someone else will take responsibility. The responsibility is ours. Our Goa. Our duty.
Unless the people of Goa rise now, Goa’s soul will be destroyed – and the greatest tragedy will be that the killers of Goa will not be outsiders alone, but Goans who chose silence over action.
Stand up. Speak up. Fight for Goa. Because if Goa dies, a part of every Goan dies with it.
