UP community praises Goa for its hospitality

by SUDESH BHOSLE
Posted on 2008-08-16
VASCO- The people of Uttar Pradesh who have settled down in Goa are in full praise of the state for its hospitality, high standard of education, infrastructure facilities and job opportunities. The community association — Uttar Bharatiya Goa Rahivasi Sangh — showers encomiums on the state for not promoting any kind discriminations vis-à-vis business activities.
The UBGRS president, Mr Kedarnath Pandey, a transport operator, told ‘The Navhind Times’ that there are around 40,000 people from Uttar Pradesh settled down in Goa, and around 20,000 of them live in Vasco.
Going into detail of background of the UP community in the state, Mr Pandey informed that some UP residents came down to Goa circa 1957, four years before Goa was liberated from the yoke of Portuguese regime. In fact, some of them took part in Goa’s freedom struggle. Late Jagdish Shukla was one such freedom fighter, he claimed.
Over the decades the Goa-based UP residents have been working at the MPT as Class IV employees. But now some of them have taken up jobs in Goa Shipyard Ltd, Navy, marine services and other industries. Some members of the UP community are captains of ships and vessels. There are several others who have been pursuing various careers in Goa -- law, medicine, engineering and even police force.
Holi is the important festival of the community, which they celebrate with Goans. They also celebrate Vijayadasami (Dussehra), Ramlila and Mahashivratri with pomp and gaiety.
The community members congregate at the Kantheshwarnath Jata Shankar temple at Mangor Hill for 24-hour recital of ‘Ramcharit Manas’, a religious text written by Goswami Tulsidasa in Avadhi language.
Mr Pandey recalled that the community members had organised a nine-day Ramlila programme at the MPT Ground in Vasco sometime in 1993, which was attended by the then chief minister, Mr Pratapsing Rane. This was a unique programme, which brought the community members at one platform helping them shape their identity in Goa, stated Mr Pandey.
Speaking about the community association, the UBGRS secretary, Mr Birendra Singh, a lawyer, said the body has helped in bringing the community members under the umbrella of the UBGRS.
Stating that the UBGRS is determined to solve all problems faced by the community members, Mr Singh said the association has a demand for direct train from Goa (Vasco Da Gama) to UP. Recently the association members put forth their demand before the Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav when he was in Goa.