the goan I network
PANAJI
Leading Advertising Film Director Pralhad Kakar gave a call to the social leadership to stand up against the fast fading Goan identity, culture and ethos while touching on the key issue of Goa - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, at D D Kosambi lecture series in Kala Academy on Tuesday.
Stating that he owns a house in Goa, Kakar, who is the Chairman and Founder of the Prahlad Kakar School of Branding and Entrepreneurship said he has been a distant spectator to the negative changes that the State has undergone over a period of time.
While linking the tourism industry that Goa is synonymous and the hospitality of the people of Goa, Kakar lamented the quality of tourists coming to the State has degraded.
“Today we find cheap tourists coming to Goa... littering and cooking along the roadside and destroying the environment”, he said.
Kakar said Goans should develop a sense of ownership otherwise the State will turn into a Mumbai slum where people do not have any ownership for the land they live in.
People should not wait for the government to find a solution to problems. If the society takes the initiative then the government will automatically do what the people want, he added.
Stressing that the keyword is responsibility, Kakar said “if people do not take responsibility no government will help”.
He cited the example of Bhutan which has a restricted the number of tourists to 30,000 per year with minimum spending of 500 dollars.
He also appealed to the older generation who has seen changes in Goa to take the lead in preserving Goa as younger generation may not be aware how beautiful Goa was.
Stating that he can sense a gradual decrease in the quality of air, he said sometimes the number of tourists in Goa exceeded its population. Goans should decide who they want to entertain and who they do not.
He said mining, tourism and manpower are the three verticals that Goa has given to the world and asked Goans to set an example for responsible and sustainable mining business.
