Cosmopolitan Toronto boasts of more than 10,000 Goans. The substantially vast Goan community in Canada is generally made up of those who came originally from East Africa, Pakistan and India. It’s only lately that Goans are coming here from the Middle East.

Wherever Goans go, they take their club culture along with them. It does help a lot in alien environs. Hence there are three premier Goan clubs here: The G.O.A. (Goans Overseas Association comprising of members hailing from East Africa), The Bombay Connection (confined to Goans from Bombay) and The CanOrient Christian Association (made up of folk from Karachi/Pakistan and the rest of India).

Despite that fact that there are thousands of Goans here, a mere handful of the members in any of these clubs ever speak Konkani. So it is largely left to those coming from the Middle East to nurse and nurture the mother-tongue because they are the only Goans around, who can speak Konkani fluently.

Goan Culture

Our Goan culture manifests itself at the annual Konkani celebration of the tiatro, which has been held every year without fail since 1975. Goans coming from East Africa take the honours for having formed the first tiatro group--the Goan Theatrical Group. Sometime around 1989, Goans who had come from Goa proper, set up the Goan Konkani Troupe. And now it looks like another group is in the offing.

Just like in Bombay or Goa, there were always two rival tiatro groups around. Virtually everyone of Toronto’s 500 plus tiatro-goers wants to witness our Konkani culture being portrayed adequately on stage.

Today's kids are sufficiently aware of the need of getting acquainted with their ethnic heritage and they often yearn to learn Konkani. But the irony is that their parents don't know a word of it. So when we find that young Goans from Karachi, on Goacom chat, converse in fluent Konkani, we nearly turn green with envy. Keep it up Goans!

In Toronto alone, so far, four Konkani cassettes have been produced and a couple more are already in the pipeline. The Konkani reawakening will definitely get a shot in the arm soon since tiatrist-singers Alfred Rose and Rita Rose are scheduled to perform at a couple of shows in Toronto from July 18, 1999. What else can we ask?

Work

On the whole, Goans in Toronto are doing pretty well economically. One should not be surprised to find quite a few millionaires, who have risen from the middle-income and low-income Goan ranks in Canada. Similarly, Goans have infiltrated in all kinds of professions: doctors, scientists, engineers, teachers, computer professionals, accountants, clerks, musicians, mechanics, nurses, etc. We don’t have any elected politicians yet, but watch out.

For the new-comers, the most favoured occupations are computer software professionals in the programming and technical area. Where other occupations are concerned, we don't even have bikunns to kill here. Few businesses have any future here, and unless you are a financial guru you remain where you are in this global economy.

Among the clergy, there are at least 10-15 Goan priests working in God’s vineyard. There are at least two Goa-associated Indian restaurants: The Pride of Goa and The Flaming Copper Pot and there was also the old "Indian Flavour".

Food

Home-based Goan caterers scattered all over Canada make Goan chourissos, samosas, xacuti, pulau, sorpotel, para, pickles and other delicacies. And let's not forget the thousands of Goan wives and daughters, who turn out delicious Goan food at home. No Goan party would be fun-filled without the Goan sorpotel, xacuti and pulau, which goes down nicely with a strangely named beer called "Kokanee".

Our ethnic ambot-tik Goenchem cuisine sizzles here because the local Indian stores deal in all kinds of Goan food and spices. Alphonso mangoes are being flown from Bombay. We can get even chikoos, peram, boram and ponnos. You should see how we make our own Goa sausages and salted pork meat and even the brinjal bharta (no gobor here, but you can use the oven).

You can even get a nice barbecued, succulent leitão here. There's nothing we don't get here that's available in Goa. Unfortunately, the taste is not the same, especially sausages here don't taste the same as in Goa. Is that because of the special dukor from Goa or the toddy vinegar? Even kharem is available and we do prepare para. We also get Bombay pomfrets here and we reichad-fry them in the true Goan tradition. Do we miss Goa? You bet. That's why we go to Goa as and when we can afford the nostalgic trip to our beloved maimdhes.

Social Life

Goans gather socially at picnics, Goan functions, dances, and parties to celebrate auspicious occasions like the First Holy Communion, Baptism, weddings, funerals, anniversaries, etc. There is also a multi-cultural festival called "Caravan", celebrating the foods and cultures from all over the world. On this occasion, Goa showcases the Panjim pavillion displaying ethnic dances like Fugddi and performances of manddos and dulpods, Portuguese Corredinho, fados, etc.

Picnics and camping in groups of more than 100 families is not rare in summer. Women bring bhoje, bottat vhodde, coconut chuttney, pork vindalho, pulau, barbecued ribs, chicken wings, green mango xiro, pickles, etc. Hey, what more do you want... so far away from Goa? For Christmas, we prepare kolkol, vhodde, et al.

The senior citizens have their own clubs--the West End and East End Seniors. They organise regular meetings, dances, games and fun-filled activities almost every weekend. They live in their own cozy apartments and are quite independent. The senior citizens get government pension and are entitled to subsidized services.

There are Goan dances for young adults, senior adults and for just adults. Life, eventually, is how you make it. Most people possess their own homes; some live in apartments. Most own cars and some flaunt cell phones and computers. Are there poor Goans? I don't know, but if there are, the government surely takes care of them through welfare.

I haven’t heard of any Goan drug addicts/prostitutes here, but one can’t rule out some stray cases. The overall Goan standard of living is more than that of an average Canadian here. Most seem satisfied, except for better jobs.

Oh, yes, among Goans socially, thrives always jealousy, gossip, back-stabbing, just like in Goa...it runs in our genes. And...of course, a little bit of the famed "crab" mentality, to add some more spice to our existence.

Goan marriages were fairly stable in the past, but there are a sizable number of divorces taking place these days. Hey, who and what is perfect? Certainly not us.

But life’s not a rose garden here. We are beset with problems, worries, commitments, mortgages, loan instalments, taxes to pay, applications to fill for jobs and rejections. Do we have race discrimination? You bet. But it might not be as bad as elsewhere. But unlike India, there is no corruption or under-the-table kickbacks or unfair influence peddling for jobs. And we have human rights to fight race discrimination. There's not much Goan awareness among the Canadians, as much as there is of say, Sikhs and other Indian communities.

Every time we go to church and we see Indians, we say "Are, to Goenkar mure puta!" Konkani is widely used in Toronto churches during Lent and Christmas and even at Goa festivals. We do sing the Ladainha here for the senior citizens, but without feni and ukoddlele chonnem. There is a Goan Village Soccer tournament running every Summer.

Toronto has at least five to eight Goan bands. In the early seventies, for the G.O.A. functions, the band never struck Konkani numbers, though Swahili songs were belted out. But today, at all the Goa functions the bands include at least a few Konkani songs due to popular demand (sign of the times...have we finally found our real roots?)

Oh, it feels so good to live in this land: peaceful, sincere and honest! We have the best of both the worlds. Life is good here. Life offers the best social life for Goans outside of India and West of Suez. But we still miss something. Our parties don’t come anywhere close to the ones in Goa or Bombay. People are not too jolly. They have been burdened by stress. Their moods swing due to domestic worries, work problems, and mostly because there is no one close enough to care for or share your worries. And the taxes are awfully huge, but everyone pays more than their share here.

Children

The kids, however, cannot be raised like we have been raised. They stand up for their independence and freedom. Most parents have adopted a laissez-faire attitude: que sera, sera. However, Goan kids are really sweet, without attitude hassles since their parents are mostly quite responsible.

Goan youngsters are broad-minded and marry in any community, though the preference is generally Goan/Indian. We find many Goans who married whites, Filipinos, Chinese, Guyanese/Indians...and religion is hardly any hassle? Konkani Amchi Bhass vissrum-naka re!!

Silviano Barbosa