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Goa - A Social History (1510- 1 40): P. D. Xavier; Rajhauns
Vitaran, Minaxi Building, Wolfango de Silva Marg, Panaji,
Goa-403001. Rs. 300.
The book, based on the author's doctoral thesis, documents the
historical evolution of the Goan society spread over 1 30 years.
The period of study covers the early years of Portuguese rule.
The author presents both the good and the bad aspects of Portuguese
rule with specific references to the Indo-Portuguese cultural
conflicts, role of the church and the crown, the system of slavery,
the status of women and the type of education.
Two curious aspects ofthe rule are that they were the first to
arrive anti the last to depart from India and unlike the other
Europeans, they were religious fanatics and played all tricks to
convert their subjects.
According to the author the Portuguese came to Asia not only for
spices but also for promoting Christianity. They succeeded in
transforming the Hindu-Muslim dominated society of Goa into a
western-dominated one. "The frenzy of the (Catholic) religious
orders in Goa, the unethical methods they adopted to change
overnight the long established customs and traditions hallowed by
and embedded in the religion of the land, the privileges and
immunities they showered upon the converts, the banishment of the
stoutly refuting and refusing orthodox Hindus and the confiscation
of their properties, were indeed the catalytic agents of social
change."
A large number of Muslims Including women and children were put to
death, in the Portuguese conquest of Goa from the Sultans of
Bijapur. They considered Muslims their greatest enemy as they
monopolised the trade in the cast.
But the lives of good looking young wives and daughters of the
slain Muslims were spared only to marry them to Portuguese
nationals willing to settle down in Goa.
Non-Christians did not enjoy privileges. Persecution laws were
passed and Goans were compelled to embrace either Christianity or
emigrate from Goa. Hindus were forbidden to celebrate their feasts
and festivals.
Although caste was unpalatable to the church, the upper caste
converts considered themselves superior to the converts from other
castes, and never allowed the other converts to celebrate church
feasts. The church ultimately succumbed to the caste system among
the converts and passed resolutions to select only men of upper
castes to be ordained priests.
Though the Portuguese and the church professed that they did not
believe in racial discrimination, the higher positions in the army,
navy. civil administration, judiciary, municipality and even in the
church hierarchy were filled only with the whites. Converted
Christians too Were given jobs in government and church offices,
but only in lower cadres.
Temples and mosques were destroyed and churches were built over
them. The lands belonging to some destroyed temples were handed
over to St. Paul's College, which served as a great centre of
learning attracting students even from other parts of India as well
as abroad.
Long before the conquest of Goa by the Portuguese, Konkani was the
language of the Goans. Later, there were Marathi, Kannada and
Persian influences.
The Portuguese used their language as the lingua franca and made it
the medium of instruction in seminaries, colleges and parish
schools. Education remained with the Church just as in medieval
Europe. Only in 1773 a secular, official and graded education
started in Goa.
The church also built hospitals as a tool for converting Hindus.
The clerics also assisted the poor, consoled the weak and gave alms
to the needy. The life of St. Francis Xavier had a profound
influence on the natives.
The Christian women enjoyed property rights, they could move out
freely, converse with strangers, and their opinions were sought
whenever a new scheme was launched. The freedom enjoyed by the
Christian women influenced [lie Hindu outlook. A law was passed to
prevent child marriage which enabled girls not only to receive
education but also to have a say in choosing their partners. The
church encouraged widow remarriage and championed against sail and
also burying them alive.
Just as in the rest of medieval India, the Portuguese used a number
of slaves as domestic servants and farm hands in Goa.
Since slave trade was a lucrative business the church accepted
slavery: but it asked the Portuguese masters to be kind towards
their slaves. to teach them catechism, to give them food and
clothing. Several restrictions were pat on non-Christian slave
traders. The clerics in Goa tried to convert as many slaves as
they could.
The converts were forced to adopt western ways of life. But to
satisfy the Indian mind, the Jesuits at St. Paul's College composed
Christian Puranas which was read in churches and homes. Also the
craze for image worship was satisfied with the procession of
crosses and holy pictures.
The author rightly regrets the "artificial insemination of
Portuguese culture in the womb of the Goan society." But for the
fact that no convert was allowed to use any Hindu name or caste
name, to wear dothi or saree, to apply tilak or wear nose ring, to
celebrate the wedding in oriental style. the Goan Christians would
not have got culturally alienated from the rest of Indians. The
book makes for interesting reading about the factors that went into
the making of enchanting Goa.
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