Being a youth in Canada is not what you might expect. In a myriad of cultures, races and religions, it is not easy to understand the hardships our parents and grandparents experienced in coming to a foreign country with nothing but $10 in their pockets and steely determination. It is hard to appreciate the 3 meals a day, the roof over our heads, a laptop, IPOD, cell phone and a $40,000+ post-secondary education – all the benefits of a North American lifestyle – when we have never experienced anything less.

For those of us growing up in a Canadian concoction of cultures, being ‘Goan’ is not a significant part of our way of life. The Department of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Affairs with the Government of Goa, headed by Commissioner Eduardo Faleiro, saw this as an opportunity to create the Know Goa Program,  a sponsored two-week trip for twelve ‘People Of Goan Origin’ (affectionately know as POGOs) to visit the land of our forefathers for the very first time. The program was intended “to acquaint youth of Goan origin, who are not Indian nationals, with Goa in particular, and India in general, so that they may contribute to and promote understanding, good will and cooperation between their country of adoption and the country of origin.”

On November 28, 2008, twelve Goan Diaspora youth journeyed from Australia, Canada, Mozambique and the United States to Goa and New Delhi. The Canadian delegation showed their spirit with seven participants from Toronto: Charlene D’Cruz, Christine D’Souza, Donovan Fernandes, Vincent Fernandes, Jonathan Pinto and Lyndsey Vas and I, Rachel Castelino.  With a variety of educational backgrounds, such as engineering, business, education, public health, marketing and sciences, we came together to learn about the current state of Goa’s government, economy and industry, to question the system and to debate ideas.

In addition to soaking in the sun on the beautiful Goan beaches, we visited education institutions such as Goa University, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani and the National Institute of Oceanography. We learned about Goa’s industries including the iron ore shipping facilities at Mormugao Port Harbour, the drug manufacturing and packaging plant at Wallace Pharmaceuticals and the Salaulim Irrigation Dam Project. We delved into true Goan culture through attending the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, eating on bamboo leaves with our hands at the Sahakari spice farm, solving math problems with the children at a school in Morpirla village and enhancing our bargaining skills at Mapusa market.

Our experience in Goa concluded with a press conference featuring the Honorable Chief Minister Mr. Digamber Kamat, the Commissioner for NRI Affairs Mr. Eduardo Faleiro, and Development Commissioner and Secretary of NRI Affairs Mr. Anand Prakash. Later, we enjoyed tea with Dr. S. S. Sidhu, His Excellency the Governor of Goa, where we were invited to talk about our experiences and newly formed opinions about Goa. Then it was off to New Delhi where we visited the Aurobindo Ashram Campus, Qutub Minar, Lotus Temple, Connaught Place and, of course, the gorgeous Taj Mahal.

Of the many eye-opening discoveries, we came to a unanimous acknowledgement of the unlimited opportunities emerging for Goa. The Goan people, both abroad (approximately 80% of Goans) and local, need to establish a clear vision for industrial growth, preservation of natural beauty, and evolution of Goan culture.

Make no mistake! This was not just a free vacation to lie on the beach and soak in the Indian sun, nor was it intended to convert Canadian youth into full-fledged Goans. Instead, it was meant to educate and expand our boundaries; to teach us that the world is bigger than just a North American society. As President Obama recently said in his inaugural speech “And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to those suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.” And so I say to the youth of today, be proud to be a Goan-Canadian. We are not trying to preserve a culture nor label it as a culture belonging to history books, but evolve into a new generation linked to both Goa and to Canada, ever determined to make the world better for ourselves and for our future generations.

Location: In front of Goa University
Back Row (from L to R): Aaditi Dubale (U.S.), Charlene D'Cruz, Jonathan
Pinto, Lyndsy Vas, Vincent Fernandes, Karl Noronha (Australia)
Front Row (from L to R): Donovan Fernandes, Rachel Castelino, Christine
D'Souza
Missing: Diana Quelhas (Mozambique), Danilo De Souza (Mozambique), Ivan
Andrade (Mozambique)