The year 2000, which was talked about so much that everyone wondered what awful events it would usher in, has eventually dawned...just like any other yester year. Nothing has really changed save for figures. The six-digit date now denotes all zeroes for the year, signifying perhaps the meaningless hype which was being drummed into our ears for several months.

Fortunately, some representatives of the thousands of Goans, spread all over the world, met in Goa on the occasion of the millennium celebrations. More fortunately, Mapusa and Margao witnessed a flood of talented Goan footballers, young and old, coming from several countries to play their own version of the World Cup...on their beloved home ground.

Unfortunately, for many people in the neighbourhood of coastal Anjuna, the noisy last night of 1999 ended into a restless morning as the calendar changed. Well past the midnight, it appeared that all the vehicles in the country, and all the tourists, were heading towards Anjuna alone, blocking the narrow, village roads like never before for hours together. Because international entertainment, unheard of ever before--the fifth largest rave party in the world--was to happen here. But young Peter D'Souza from Siolim was unnerved by the reports of the proposed rave party. So he reminded the people that to rave means to behave wildly or furiously as in delirium.

Peter must have remembered Jesus quoting the proverb: "A people without sense will be ruined." He moved against the mighty, all alone with many people's prayers but no one's support. And the court heeded his earnest call and banned what everyone knew would be totally illegal...bad for nature as well as people.

With slight bad taste in the mouth, Goa moves ahead to face the vagaries of tourism and the avarice of many, whom we had chosen to rule us prudently but who seem to be ruining Goa without knowing that they are doing so. Will someone do something? That was the question Peter posed while speaking about why he had risked his life to stop the rave party.