A Historian’s Reading of Konkani Proverbs Related to Conflict Management Down the Ages in Goa

Abstract

This essay attempts analysis of numerous proverbs and popular sayings in Konkani language which is spoken in Goa and Konkan, a region where the Portuguese controlled pockets on West Coast of India like Goa until 1961 and held sway as its exclusive sphere of influence prior to the rise of the British in Indian subcontinent. Oft repeated Konkani proverb zhogddeachim mullam tin: bail, zomin ani duddu (three, the roots of all conflicts - women, property and money) indicates plainly what people valued economically and ethically and their associated power games. Content analysis of colonial and post-colonial press indicates that friction and associated tension among villagers in Goa is indeed largely because of women, land and money. It is hypothised that Konkani community’s preference down the ages was for an ‘avoiding’ mode of conflict management as indicated by a host of proverbs.