THE BATTLE OF THE NAIKS

SHRIPAD vs RAVI FOR NORTH GOA

The Bhandari Samaj is Goa's biggest caste in terms of numbers, constituting about 20 percent of the state's population. Come April 12, the North Goa seat is all set to witness a big clash amongst the two tallest leaders from the community. The seat is presently held by former Union Minister Shripad Naik, who has won from here continuously since the 1999 General Elections. Meanwhile, with the local Congress unit clearing the name of former Goa CM Ravi Naik to contest from this seat, the two backward caste leaders are set to fight against each other for the third time in political history of the state. I have stayed in this constituency for eight long years (four years in Panjim and another four in Porvorim) and hence have been following the political developments here for long. There is enough to indicate that the fight for Panjim is going to be the most keenly fought in this part of the country (Link).

A former member of the state legislature, Shripad Naik first contested from North Goa in 1999 Lok Sabha polls. As the party romped home to power in New Delhi, Shripad won a handsome victory, beating his closest rival and former Union Law Minister Ramakant Khalap of the INC by over 80,000 votes. In the Vajpayee cabinet, he held various portfolios as a junior minister. In the next big polls, even as the BJP fell out of favor across the country, Naik still won his seat. In 2009, even as the Congress consolidated its position and crossed the 200 mark, the North Goa seat still went to the saffron outfit. However, the margin was wafer thin. He just scrapped through, winning about six thousands votes more than his nearest rival NCP's Jitendra Deshprabhu. What works for Shripad Naik is his clean image. After having been in the murky politics for Goa for nearly three decades, no allegations of corruption or wrong-doing were ever raised against him. The second and perhaps the biggest plus point for Shripad is the fact that he has never switched parties. In a state like Goa where it is common for politicians to hop from one party to another, he is perhaps one of the few who have stood loyal to the BJP. One threat to saffron leader though is anti-incumbency. After electing BJP for 15 long years, you should not be surprised if North Goans chose the Congress this time around. Another factor that could damage his prospects could be the alleged differences between him and CM Manohar Parrikar. During the 2012 state polls (Link), Shripad who was said to be keen to contest from Porvorim was initially denied a ticket as he could be a potential competitor to the IITian post elections. Though he was offered a ticket later after his public outburst, the North Goa MP declined to contest. A split in the saffron ranks could prove suicidal for its prospcts here, especially with Ravi in the fray.

Ravi Naik, or the politics he does in many ways epitomizes the politics of the beach state, a state that has seen over 20 Chief Ministers in less than three decades. Hailing from the temple town of Ponda in central Goa, Ravi who is more known for his 'not so holy' activities. He began his career with the MGP. A legislator in the state assembly, he shot to prominence when he along with five other MGP MLAs joined the Congress in 1991. For this act, Ravi was made the Chief Minister and continued in the post till 1993. In June 1993, he became the first CM to be disqualified under the new Anti-Defection Law. He got another shot at the top job in 1994 but remained in the office for just seven days. Admist the chaos that Goa saw in the late nineties, he shifted his base to the Centre, winning on a Congress ticket from North Goa. In 2000, he walked into the BJP, serving as the Home Minister under Manohar Parrikar. However, he returned back to the Congress before the 2002 polls and won from Ponda for two consecutive terms. However, in 2012, after the BJP and MGP entered into a pre-poll alliance, former police officer Lavoo Mamledar defeated him by a margin of over 3000 votes. Ravi’s son Ritesh who contested against MGP heavyweight Sudhin Dhavalikar from Marcaim too was also routed.

In many ways, Ravi and Shripad complement each other. While the latter has stuck with the saffron brigade ever since he made his debut, the former has hopped from MGP to Congress to BJP and is back with the INC. Also, the former CM has a ‘tainted’ image amongst the people of the state. He is known to be power-hungry and his name has figured in several scams. Most notably, a Swedish model has accused him and his son of being involved in the drug trade. However, there are some things that work to his advantage. His humble origins and his amazing rise with in the state politics have won him many admirers, especially within his own community. The Muslims too have continuously backed him. Besides, with the Congress pushed to the walls in the state assembly polls after the drubbing that they got, it is expected that the INC leaders would unite and firmly support Ravi.

While their war to become the dominant leader of the Bhandari community in Goa has gone on for over two decades, the two Naiks have fought each other in politics on two different occasions. In 1994, Shripad Naik was the candidate of the BJP-MGP coalition in the state from the constituency of Marcaim. He was up against Ravi who had joined the Congress recently. Although Ravi was the incumbent Chief Minister of the state, the other Naik had the last laugh as he won by a handsome margin of 2700 votes. In 2002, the two were again locked in a political fight, this time from Ravi's stronghold of Ponda. Ravi had left the BJP and rejoined the INC once again. In a bid to teach him a lesson, the saffron party asked serving North Goa MP Shripad to contest against him and replicate the success of 1994. While much of the background between 1994 and 2002 was same, there was one major difference. This time around, the MGP was not in any kind of agreement with the BJP. The split in votes helped Ravi take revenge as he trounced the BJP leader by over 1000 votes. The upcoming polls for the 2014 Lok Sabha will be the third installation of this political rivalry with scores at present being one each.

There are a host of issues which will decide who wins the North Goa seat, this time around. The numerous scams and economic slump will hurt the INC whereas local topics like the ban on mining and Parrikar government's flip flops on the Medium of Instructions at the primary level are said to go against the BJP. In this contest which one can expect to go down to the wire, it could be the regional parties who will influence the final outcome. Getting the support of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) would be a big boost for Shripad. Remember, he lost to the former CM when his party was not in alliance with the MGP in 2002. The Congress on the other hand will need the help of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to put on a good show. However, convincing Pawar's outfit will be difficult. Earlier the INC always allowed its partner to nominate candidate from North Goa. It is highly unlikely that the NCP will not field a candidate from this seat if the talks wit the Congress fail. It was speculated that BJP rebel Vishnu Wagh would resign from the legislature and contest from this seat as a NCP candidate. Meanwhile, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) has nominated Dattaram Desai from here. Finally, the support of the Catholics and the Muslims too could decide the ultimate winner.

AN EVENING IN VAGATOR - PART 2

THE GOA DIARIES: SUNSET AT VAGATOR

Sunset at Vagator

If playing in the sea is not something that you enjoy, then the best thing to do at a beach in the evening is to sit down and watch the sun going down. As the temperatures dip and the cool winds start blowing from the sea, the sky is transformed into a canvas changing shades from blue to yellow to golden, sometimes strewn with shades of pink as the lone star in our solar system - now resembling a bright orange ball, disappears into the waters in the distant horizon with its reflections shimmering on the waves. Having spent about an hour and a half at Vagator, we got the 'golden' opportunity to witness this spectacle while we were walking back from the Orzan beach towards DD's car, covering all the three segments of the shore. We walked along the edge of the shore enjoying the marvelous view in front of our eyes as the sun went about its business to illuminate the other half of the world, providing some wonderful photo-ops.

The descent of the sun

We had parked our car in an open place, close to the entrance of the Big Vagator beach and not in the parking area around the headland. As this was not an organized parking, some 'irresponsible' fellow had ended up parking his vehicle right in front of ours leaving us stranded. This is quite common as domestic tourists, in their hurry to hit the beach, end up acting like 'idiots', with least concern for the the inconvenience that they cause to others. It is true that one is here on a vacation but so are many of us and it would be great if all of us act sensibly. However, the blessing in disguise was that from here, the view of the sun descending in the background with coconut palms in the front was amazingly beautiful.

Sun setting amongst the palms

As we waited at the parking area, cursing the guys who had left their car right in front, thirst got the better of us and we headed to a nearby shack for some refreshments. The humidity levels was extremely high and we were soaked in sweat. With the climate in Bengaluru staying pleasant throughout the year, I do not remember when was the last time I had perspired so much. Some time later as we headed back, we were relieved to see a group of visitors, I guess they were Keralites from their peculiar accent, going back in their Indica which was parked in the front row. While this was not the four wheeler that was left in front of our car, we got just about enough space to move out of the parking lot. Though the space was less, DD managed to maneuver his brand new Wagon-R like a skilled captain negotiating his ship along a rocky coastline in rough weather. With Sav's GPS showing the way, we left for Panjim, bidding farewell to Vagator and planning for our next get-together.

A painting of the Buddha at a shack in Vagator

PS: The images posted here were clicked by me and my friends Sai and Sav.


For more on the Goa trip:
(1) The Chance Encounter (Link)
(2) Dil Dosti Etc (Link)
(3) An Evening in Vagator - Part 1 (Link) 
(4) Life is a Beach (Link)
(5) Birds at Goa Velha (Link) 

AN EVENING IN VAGATOR - PART 1

THE GOA DIARIES: VAGATOR BEACH - A PROFILE

Vagator in the evening

Having spent most of the first two decades of my life along the Arabian coast, it should hardly be surprising that I do not have any fascination for beaches, because for me, the sea has always been in the proximity and unlike hill stations or forests, it is not something that we have looked forward to while planning our holidays. However, there is one beach in North Goa which has been my favorite, so much so that in the 10 years that I have spent in Goa, I have never missed any opportunity to go there, be it with friends, relatives or on class picnics. As such, during my trip to the state in the last week of May, when I and my friends from GEC (that's Goa Engineering College for all those who don't know) - Niks, Sav, Datta and Sai were deciding on a place to spend the evening after having a sumptuous meal at Hotel Texas in Panjim, I instantly vetoed for Vagator and in a flash, we were on the way with Sav's GPS leading showing us the way, listening to Linkin Park.

Vagator Beach - North Goa

This serene beach is located in Bardez taluka of North Goa - the tiny patch of the Western coast flanked by the rivers Mandvi and Chapora on either side. Calangute - arguably, the most famous of all Goan beaches, Anjuna - renowned for the Wednesday flea market and trance parties, Baga - known for dolphin rides and Candolim which offers some of the best facilities for water sports in the state are some of the other famed beaches that are located in this stretch of land and are swarmed by tourists, both domestic and foreign during the season. The seaside headland where the car parking is situated, divides the beach into two major parts - Big Vagator in the north and the Little Vagator in the south. Besides the pristine beach, the sea waves creating a splash as they hit the numerous rocks along the shore, the coconut trees swaying along with the cool winds, the imposing 17th century Chapora fort, the pleasant weather and the tourists enjoying their time here away from all the tensions and worries, all contribute in making a visit to this place more than worthwhile.

Rocks at Vagator

The north side, better known as Big Vagator beach seems to be more popular with Indians than firangs. Also, it is far less crowded when compared to its southern counterpart. On the hillock over looking it lies the majestic Chapora fort. Considering its strategic importance, the place seems to have been fortified much before the Portuguese invasion of Goa. In the 1680s, when the Marathas under Sambhaji invaded Goa, this place was the scene of heavy fighting. The present fort was built in 1717 by the Portuguese. As the borders of their  possessions along the west coast grew beyond Bardez following the New Conquests, it lost its strategic importance and was neglected thereafter. As such, besides the laterite walls and the gate which have stood for close to three centuries now, nothing else remains of it today. The structure is huge yet simple. Nonetheless, the view of the sea and the beach below is spectacular. In fact, some of the scenes of the Hindi blockbuster Dil Chahta Hain were shot here.

The Big Vagator Beach (Left) and Chapora Fort (Right)

The Southern beach is further divided into two more fragments - the Middle Vagator beach and the Little Vagator beach. The middle beach, which is the smallest of the three is also called as the Tel Aviv beach. The reason being the large number of Israelis who come here each year. Personally, I find it the most beautiful stretch of this shore primarily due to the uneven nature of the slope, the red cliffs and the large number of coconut palms. The Little Vagator beach, the busiest part of the stretch is popularly known as the Orzan beach. It used to be one of the famous hippy haunts of the 1960s, particularly amongst those of British nationality. One of the reminders of this bygone era is the Shiva statue carved out of stone at the southern end of Vagator. It is believed that it was sculpted by a hippie who is said to have been a devotee of Lord Shiva in a period spanning over a couple of years. Today, there are several shacks here and on any given season except for the rains, one can find hundreds of tourists here, either basking in the sun or playing in the waters of the Arabian. 

The Middle Vagator Beach (Left) and the Little Vagator Beach (Right)

I personally have very fond memories of the place over the several visits that I paid to Vagator. One of them was in Standard XII when we had gone there on a class picnic. Young men that we were then, watching so many white skinned women sans their tops was very exciting. As we were coming back, I distinctly remember me, Amba and Habbu Sir talk about a wide range of topics on our way to the bus which was waiting in the parking area. A couple of years later, I and a few friends, most of whom I have mentioned earlier in this post had been here on a Saturday in December 2008. Sitting near the Shiva statue we tried to out do each other in stone skipping. The competition between Sai and Niks was close. Eventually, it was the latter who won. I am very sure that my trips to Goa will never be complete without going to Vagator and refresh those memories amongst the undulating slopes, the tall coconut trees, the rocks, the sun, the sand and the sea.

A crab at the beach

PS: The images posted here were clicked by me and my friends Sai and Sav.


For more on the Goa trip:
(1) A Trip to Goa... Finally (Link)
(2) The Chance Encounter (Link)
(3) Dil Dosti Etc (Link)
(4) An Evening in Vagator - Part 2 (Link) 
(5) Life is a Beach (Link)