The Indo-Iberian charm of Goa
The distinguishing characteristic of this sun, sea and sand state is that it’s a middle class society unscarred by visible poverty and want When the first cool winds heralding winter start blowing across the sweaty brow of the subcontinent, the thoughts of most cerebral individuals and party animals who take their rest and recreation seriously — as all productive professionals should — lightly turn to Goa, India’s smallest (pop 1.5 million) western seaboard state, which offers a French Riviera or Caribbean style holiday at a fraction of the price of these two exotic destinations. Much has been written about Goa in recent times — perhaps too much. But most of the coverage of this golden state which offers a unique combination of sun, sand and sea, and a lot else, tends to be impressionistic, i.e long on lyrical descriptions and short of hard information. A satisfactory explanation as to why this state’s population doubles — surely a phenomenon unprecedented in the annals of tourism worldwide — during the peak of the tourist season (Christmas-New Year) has thus far proved elusive. Certainly there is a je ne sais quoi about Goa which attracts people from across the subcontinent and from around the world. But thus far the lure of this state remains largely a matter of conjecture and media hype. In particular it is important to note that the great majority of holiday-makers who swarm this tourist paradise annually are domestic revelers who aren’t enchanted by its glorious sun, sand and sea which could darken complexions and ruin values in the marriage and related markets. So what is it about Goa which attracts domestic tourists by the hundreds of thousands? Those conditioned to swallowing traditional Marxist (exploitation of poor natives) and loony right (alcoholism and debauchery) explanations, skip the next paragraph. It might sound strange, but for my money the major attraction of Goa is that it is India’s most well-educated (English language, forget about fudged literacy figures) state. This translates into good manners, easy transactions, cleanliness and hygiene. Surrounded by filth, the uncouth and PWD architecture, a growing number within the nation’s new middle class is attracted to these elementary charms of the golden state. Moreover, Goan politicians are — as yet — unmoved by the hypocritical posturing of their counterparts in other states on liquor and prohibition. As a consequence liquor prices are the lowest in India. Good manners and education also translates into respect for women (even if clad in beach wear or less), and the natives have the intelligence not to dirty the beaches as is common in the rest of the country. Indeed the distinguishing characteristic of Goa which makes it an attractive destination for tourists from India and abroad is that it is a predominantly middle class society unscarred by the visible poverty and want which often diminishes the charm of other tourist destinations in the subcontinent. This is the bottomline for the annual exodus to this Mediterranean-style experience from the hinterland. Surprisingly not a…
