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Goa, a home away from
home for Punjabis
PANAJI . The Punjabis
too came to Goa in large numbers and have made it their home. There are
about 10,000 Punjabis living in the state and have adapted well to Goan
lifestyle, but unlike others who came here soon after the Liberation, the
Punjabis started coming here in 1970s.
Retired defence personnel
(who served in Goa while on postings here) are among the large number of
Punjabis who have settled in Goa and have ventured into various businesses,
while some came here for the sole purpose of getting into business.
A smaller number of Punjabis
are working in various concerns (both private as well as public sector
besides in government establishments) with some of them occupying top posts.
The second and third generation
Punjabis having got educated here prefer to stay put in Goa rather than
going back to the motherland of their parents. They, however, visit Punjab
on rare occasions like weddings in the families and some religious functions.
To keep connected with
their homeland and to carry on the practices they follow there, the Punjabis
have formed an organisation called the Punjabi Samaj (Goa), which is based
in Margao and headed by Mr Vinod Saini a senior official with a pharmaceutical
firm here.
The Punjabis are among
the prominent businessmen in the state.
And their presence can
be found in different fields of businesses varying from hotels to transportation,
etc. A number of them also occupy prominent posts in various government
establishments.
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Though the Punjabis have
assimilated well with the Goan society, they still prefer to marry within
their own communities and that marriages between Goans and the Punjabis
are rare, said Mr Jasvinder Singh, the secretary of the Punjabi Samaj.
He went on to add that
the Punjabis love Goa so much that they do not want to part their company
with this beautiful state and that they have preferred to stay here and
make it their permanent home in preference over the land of five rivers.
The Punjabis celebrate
the festivals like, Lohri, Baisakhi, etc besides observing the Vaishnodevi
Jagran, Gurunanak Jayanti and Guru Govind Singh Jayanti. Langars are also
held to mark the occasions. |
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