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THE COMPOSITE CULTURE OF GOA

Maria Couto

In the last four decades since its integration into the Indian Union on 19 December 1961, Goa has found a place in the imagination of the nation and indeed the world. However, manipulation of images of the state to promote tourism misrepresents its people. Popular perceptions miss its essence of a composite culture that enriches the life of Goans and contributes to the unique humanism of this society.

The Goan once lived an amphibian existence—he travelled by canoe and then across dense forests and rough terrain inland. Never more than 55 km from the sea, the Western Ghats form a well-defined eastern border for Goa. All of Goa’s rivers rise here and wind their way westwards to the Arabian Sea that adjoins ...

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