[goanews] FEATURE: Goa's mystery of the vanishing Christian: where did the numbers go?

[FREDERICK NORONHA <fred@bytesforall.org>]

GOA'S MYSTERY OF THE VANISHING CHRISTIAN: WHERE DID THE NUMBERS GO? 

PANJIM, March 9: Goa's religious composition has changed
"substantially" over the last decade and half, and Christians have lost
the majority status with they maintained till 1900, says a recently
published book on the state.

But contrary to what might appear to be the case, Christians lost their
majority position in colonial times itself. It is still unclear as to why
precisely this happened, though out-migration could be one of the major
explaining reasons.

"Correct figures in respect of religious composition of the population of
Goa are not easily available as they are not officially published on a
regular basis," says 'Goa: An Economic Update' by Prabhakar S. Angle, a
book recently released in the state.

But, says the author who is a prominent businessman based in Panjim,
compiliations based on available data gives a "reasonable idea" as to how
the religious composition of Goa "changed substantially between 1851 and
1991".

Christians, says the book, had a majority of 64.5 per cent in 1861. They
maintained the position till 1900, with a majority of only 0.48 per cent
-- or some 2000 inhabitants -- in that year. 

"Then, the decline started, and Christians who once had a majority fo 64.5
per cent became a minority community with a share of 29.86 per cent in
1991," says Angle.

Recently, the just-concluded Census 2001 also focussed attention on how
the 'politics of numbers' has become a prominent factor in India in recent
years. 

This means that relative strengths of religious groupings have been given
considerable importance, though such an approach could obscure other
factors like economic clout, access to resources, caste- and other-based
differences, etc.

Angle points out that no studies are available to ascertain the causes
responsible for the decline in the percentage of the Christian population
in Goa. 

This decline, it must be noted, is in relative terms (as a percentage of
the total population). In absolute terms, the Christian population has
grown from 232,189 persons in 1851 to 349,225 in 1991 -- though this did
not keep up with the general population trend.

"Presumably, one of the reasons could be the stoppage of missionary
activities of proselytization. Re-conversion of a section of the Gauda
community to Hinduism  (through the 'Suddhi' movement) may be another
reason," he writes.

One important factor that has contributed, he says, is the
"post-Liberation labour influx" from neighbouring Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh. 

But, he says, the puzzle remains of how to decline of the Christian
population from 50.2 per cent in 1900 to 38 per cent in 1961,
even in times when no in-migration took place.

"Emigration of Christians outside Goa in search of jobs cannot, by any
stretch of imagination account for such a decline," he contends. 

But this view perhaps does not give due importance to the tens of
thousands of mostly-Christian Goans who opted to settle in cities like
Bombay, and smaller numbers that went to Bangalore, Calcutta, Rangoon,
Karachi, East Africa, Lisbon and other centres during the early twentieth
century.

Angle goes to check whether the Portuguese Civil Code -- applicable to all
communities and castes of Goa -- could have affected the demographic
ratios of this state's main two communities.

"Elders used to comment on the small-sized families of Christians, saying
that the latter did not wish to fragment their properties and
wealth," says Angle.

Angle also says that in the last three decades, Goa's Muslim population
has "increased substiantially" from 1.95 per cent in 1961 to 5.25 per cent
of the total population in 1991.

"This can be attributed to the fact that the entire vegetable and fruit
market as well as the hawking trade during fairs and festivals is almost
monopolised by Muslims, coming to a large extent from the
(neighbouring) Belgaum district. Some Muslim labour is also found in
construction activity," says he. 

"Religion being an important and perhaps a basic cultural
characteristic of the population, such a study may turn out to be an 
important document in respect of Goan culture," argues Angle.

His recently-published 'Goa: An Economic Update' is subtitled Goa's
Economy in Perspective. It is an update of his interesting book
titled 'Goa: An Economic Review' published way back in 1983. (ENDS)



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