Goa, Jesuits and Hippies

Today we called at the port of Mormugao, our gateway to the Indian state of Goa. People have been mining the mountains here for the last 10,000 years. In the third century BC this area was part of the Maurya Empire ruled by Buddhist Emperor Ashoka of Magdha. This port was frequented by Roman and Chinese traders for a thousand years before any European ever heard of it.

Mining is still important here. This area produces considerable amounts of iron, manganese and bauxite (aluminum ore). Unfortunately the Indian Supreme Court stopped all mining here last Monday because the government says the mining companies have not paid enough in taxes. The mining companies say that they have paid all their taxes, but they have just not sent in the proper bribes to the right officials. Stay tuned.

This place was the first area colonized by a European nation when Vasco da Gama came in to trade here in 1510. The Chinese had been peacefully trading here for over one thousand years, but had never sought to dominate, nor to influence local politics. Vasco da Gama, on the other hand, took advantage of a local power dispute and brought his military and naval resources to bear against the less friendly of the adversaries. Less friendly to the Portuguese, that is. The Portuguese liked it so much here that they stayed until 1961. So Goa was the first place in Asia to be colonized by a European power and the last place to be given its independence. The Portuguese were here for a total of 451 years. Goa still bears the marks of its Portuguese overlords. There were times today, especially in the town of Margao, when I had to keep reminding myself “This is India, not Brazil.” It still feels Portuguese.

Goa was ground zero for the hippies in the 1970’s and 1980’s. For the first time, America became aware of Hinduism. Lots of folks of my generation, including the Beatles, became enamored with the sitar of Ravi Shankar and the spirituality of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. People started (thoughtlessly) to use words like “karma.” They even started reading translations of the Bhagavad Gita and the Kamasutra. Or they pretended to. Everyone was advised to “Drop out, tune in, and turn on,” as the tide of Eastern spirituality, the drug culture and free love washed over a generation. Well, it washed over a certain segment of affluent American youth. Some of us were never affected because we were poor enough to be forced to go out and get jobs, or to go to Vietnam. For us poor kids in the South, Haight-Ashbury might as well have been on Mars. Still, the media likes to spread the myth that we were all druggies back then. We weren’t, but for those who were, Goa was the place to be.

Like the rest of India, the climate here is lush and hot. Everything grows here. The towns are full of busy-ness and activity. The pace, even in little Panaji, is frenetic. It’s amazing! And wonderful! While Goa holds all of the same extreme contradictions found in the rest of India, the cities of Panaji, Vasco, and Margao are fascinating places to visit.Read more