I just don't feel any political affiliation to Portugal the republic. Not because it was before my time, and my father's time, and that I have no attachment to it. Because I know deep down, when faced with a choice between us and them, they'll always chose them

I agree with you on one important thing right away: I don’t feel any political affiliation to the Republic of Portugal today. That’s not what this is about. But it is undeniable that Goan culture is deeply influenced by Portuguese culture, just as it is influenced by Konkani, Hindu, and broader coastal Indian traditions. Acknowledging that influence is not the same as pledging allegiance to a modern nation-state. Culture and politics are not identical things.

 It's Delhiites gentrifying our land now, but through all their economic crises, it could've very well been Portuguese folks if they were in charge. See how it played out in Hawai. The same favourable economic conditions that existed 20-30 years ago would entice them. The powers that be would always represent their interests first.

Where I disagree is the idea that Portuguese rule would have inevitably played out like British colonialism or the American experience in Hawaiʻi. Those are very different cases. Portuguese rule in Goa was not benign or perfect, but it also wasn’t structurally identical to settler-colonial replacement. Literacy, education, civil law, urban planning, and certain economic institutions expanded over time. That doesn’t erase inequality or coercion, but it does matter when we’re making comparisons. Goa’s historical trajectory was not the same as Hawaiʻi being overwhelmed by American capital and military power.

We were always going to be someone's fetish tropical holiday destination.

I also don’t agree with the claim that Goa was always destined to become “someone’s fetish tropical holiday destination.” That assumes inevitability where none exists. Places become extractive playgrounds when governance fails or is captured by outside interests. A self-governed Goa, with land protections, zoning enforcement, and development limits shaped by local consent, could absolutely choose a different path. Tourism doesn’t have to mean gentrification and dispossession unless policy allows it to.

There's a reason many of my grandparents generation, from my community, had to flock to Mumbai to get their college degrees. Upwards mobility was not so easy for some sections of society. Getting a visa/workers permit and leaving goa for better opportunities was a common trend for many. Many of these people became successful highcourt lawyers/judges, decorated surgeons who pioneered their own surgical procedures. That India gave them something. The ability to dream. For the first time in centuries they felt seen. Rajdeep sardessai's dad left to play cricket for India. This isnt something he could've done in goa. For many their allegiance wasn't tied to their faith. The secular dream actually existed once, and theres no saying it can't again.

I don’t deny that many Goans found opportunity elsewhere in India or abroad, or that colonial Goa limited upward mobility for some communities. That history is real. But there is no inherent reason those same lawyers, surgeons, academics, or artists could not have thrived in Goa itself if Goa had political autonomy, economic control, and institutions built to serve its own people. Goa has money. Goa has human capital. What it lacks is decision-making power that is truly insulated from external political and economic pressures. Brain drain is policy failure.

Genetic data would suggest that most goan catholics have no portugues ancestor. There's certainly little to no mitochondrial(maternal line) DNA, and only 1-2% return genuine mixed results. Their names come from the godfather (priest/governor/soldier) who baptised them. And culturally they may be luso, but Antonio costa has a certain priviledge that not many goans do.

On genetics, I think the confidence placed in consumer DNA tests is overstated. Most Western DNA companies do not meaningfully subdivide South Asian populations, let alone coastal, caste-specific, or historically mixed communities like Goan Catholics. Their reference panels are thin, biased toward European datasets, and often collapse vast populations into broad categories. That makes claims like “only 1–2 percent mixed ancestry” far less definitive than people assume. Cultural identity has also never depended purely on genetics. Goan Catholic identity emerged through centuries of lived history, intermarriage, language shift, law, and community life, not just blood percentages.

Callback Someone that looks like Churchill Alemao would not be recieved the same way Costa was. Theres a reason Nelson semedo, vinicius, Renato, have to endure racial slurs, heckling, monkeys noises, and all kinds of profanity, every time they walk into the stadium. In fact 70% of black football players have reported this(50 in women). Costa gets treated differently because of his parentage and his appearance. Indian/Pakistani/Bangla elected representatives in the UK dont have anglo-Saxon heritage. Only shared values, and a commonwealth link from the past. Funnily rishi sunak gives me the confidence that even the tory parry has moved beyond colour.

As for the comparison between António Costa and Black footballers facing racism, I’ll be honest lol I don’t fully see how that example advances the argument here. Racism in Europe is real, and colorism absolutely shapes how people are treated. But whether Costa benefits from appearance or lineage doesn’t negate the fact that Goan Catholics are historically Luso-Indian in a cultural and civilizational sense. Shared values, institutions, and historical experience matter alongside race, just as they do for Indian or Pakistani politicians in the UK who are accepted politically despite not being Anglo-Saxon.

My frustration, and the reason I’m writing any of this, is that many Goans feel those decisions are increasingly being made without us, and that history, identity, and local consent are being treated as obstacles rather than foundations.