Vol 4 No 4 | Jan-Mar 2025
Paradise Lost?
Story by Annie Sen Gupta | Art by Annada Menon
A First-Person Tale
This comic emerged from the lived experience of its writer, Annie Sen Gupta, who moved to Goa along with his wife Anjali and four dogs in 2006. During the 18-odd years they have lived there, the state has gone through many changes, very few for the better.
How one relates to a place depends, of course, on your own mindset and world view. Some people crave the hustle and bustle of a city, and thrive in the opportunities it provides. But there are those who prefer a more laidback life, one that allows them to enjoy the slower pace a place like Goa offers, along with a unique historical and cultural vibe that isn’t self-evident to casual visitors.
Protecting People and Places
As with Goa, many places that have natural beauty, or a higher standard of living than others, tend to attract people to come and visit, and in certain cases, set up lives there. In small numbers, this is often welcomed by those who already live there, as it provides for an infusion of new ideas and fresh faces. It is when the trickle of people coming in becomes a flood that damage is done. Infrastructure can’t cope, cultural practices are threatened, local populations feel overwhelmed.
Here are a couple of good books to read if you’re interested in learning about Goa and the pressures it faces:
https://goafoundation.org/publications/
https://www.penguin.co.in/book/becoming-goan/
Many places that suffer this sort of invasion have tried stemming the tide through regulation. This is true both across India and around the world. Another of the stories in this issue talks of the pressures felt by Kashmir and Kashmiris. The north-eastern states of the country, that have special social and cultural practices of their own, have long had friction with those coming in from outside the region and trying to impose their own norms. States such as Himachal Pradesh, whose fragile ecosystems are susceptible to over-development, have rules in place to curb such destructive practices, but often unscrupulous persons exploit loopholes in the system or connive with corrupt officials to bypass those restrictions.
What Can Be Done?
At the international level, countries like Bhutan and Costa Rica have taken such steps as a hefty fee to visit the country, and strong deterrents to the purchase of land by non-natives.
https://borgenproject.org/sustainable-tourism-in-bhutan/
At the national level in India, there’s not much that can be done. Article 19(1)(d) under Part III of the Indian Constitution guarantees the citizens of India the right to move freely throughout the territory of India, and to freely reside in any part of the country. However, this right is subject to reasonable restrictions that states can impose. This is a very liberal and desirable aspect of the Constitution, but it does have the side effect which this story is about.
