RISE OF THE GAURS

PROCESSING THE PROTEST ROUTES AND NODES: THE BACKGROUND

Goans are a proud race with a strong sense of rights and duties as citizens. They are tolerant, cheerful and fun loving, and live a life that is termed as ‘socegado’, much like ‘ikigai’ in Japanese, which is contentment and going with the flow of life. As such, their tolerance is often taken for granted, leading to unpredictable reaction with the last proverbial straw on the camel’s back. It is for this quality that we have selected as our protest mascot, the Gaur, (a bison) which is the State animal. The Gaur is a large, strong but gentle, timid vegetarian bovine, who displays a similar temperament: he will charge if threatened but will peacefully graze with domestic cattle when undisturbed.

Goan history is rife with revolt, albeit only when injustice takes its toll on an otherwise contented existence. Be it against unjust policies, injustice in governance, social or civil matters or human rights, Goans have been raising their voices against injustice and unwise, inequitable regulations when occasion demands.  

Goa does not have a Hyde Park. However, a large open space in the heart of Panaji, the capital city, has been developed with all the necessary basic amenities, as a memorial to the Freedom Movement. The ground has been called ‘Azad Maidan’ which means ‘Freedom Ground’. Being located in the heart of the capital, it has witnessed all the major and minor revolts and revolutions.  With roads leading to it from the inner city and surrounded as it is by roads on all sides, this Ground has been selected as a Central Address and Gathering Node of the protest route.

Panaji is a waterfront city, with a wide promenade along most of its waterfront. The promenade flanks the main road which connects the city to the State Medical College and Hospital from both its ends, as well as to places of touristic interest like the Miramar beach and Dona Paula headland. The waterfront is visible from the entire parallel stretch of villages across the Mandovi river. Casinos dot the Mandovi river, hosting tourists who come to the city to indulge in the vices of gambling and its offshoots. The protest route is selected to provide for the best vantage point and outreach to a wide variety of onlookers: tourists, traders, Government officers, Police, Students, casual visitors to the city, and the daily workforce commuting to the city for employment.

The Address and Gathering Nodes for the protest are selected for their strategic locations with respect to connectivity and accessibility for various vehicular modes of transport as well as pedestrian inflow, their vantage point in terms of visibility and audibility to a wide audience, access and availability of essential amenities and infrastructure such a toilets, drinking water, electrical outlets, lighting, address podiums/platforms, crowd carrying capacity and parking availability.

There was a unanimous desire of the team that the route should cause minimal disturbance to regular activity of non-participants, commerce, trade, employment and academics as well as of essential services. Routes were also selected for visibility and audibility of the target audience: Government agencies and authorities. The route also takes into consideration the past rebellions held, thereby entering the Azad Maidan via the Church Square and the 8th June Road (so named after the freedom rebellion held through the street on 18th of June). The visibility from the vessels in the river like casinos and yachts, as well as from the opposite riverbank, sufficient to arouse curiosity, was also a point of consideration.

Prop Stops were selected midway between Address Nodes. These prop stops would dispense refreshments, drinking water, caps, umbrellas, T-shirts, placards and banners, arm bands, headbands and other protest gear and equipment as well as cater to first aid of protestors, with a paramedic on duty at each first aid kiosk.

The team went through a couple of diversions and possibilities of the route before a final selection was arrived at. Other routes investigated were dropped for reasons such as bottlenecks that would disrupt traffic flow, disturbance to schools, insufficient target audience, reduced access to amenities, etc.

The first address and assembly point was selected as the Dr. Ambedkar Park near the Main Bus Depot of Panjm city. Buses and vehicles from all parts of Goa arrive and depart from the Bus Stand which is adjacent to this Park. The Park is also adjacent to the 3 bridges and enjoys a great vantage point from these bridges. What better location for an initial address point, than the Park dedicated to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, author and architect of the Indian Constitution

The team comprises of activists who are frequent participants and leaders of protests of varied nature, as well as those who had never been part of protests. This gave opportunity for healthy dialogues on various perspectives for the route. Routes were visited, photographed and documented for existing amenities and requirement for additional infrastructure if any. Identified nodes were studied for accessibility, parking, amenities and the possibility of introducing alternate energy harvesting infrastructure. Vehicular and pedestrian access routes were studied and documented. Historic protest precincts were considered and adopted into the route to provide a historic reference and pay homage to the leaders of rebellions of the past.

The programme was finally concluded with the decision that an underlying theme of the protest mascot, the Gaur, would be introduced at strategic locations along the route so as to enable protestors and the Police to identify the route for the purpose of maintaining a lawful, peaceful and successful protest and permit new entrants into the protest to join in from the many feeder routes/streets. The programme also decided to adopt sustainability planning principles in its process and execution.

The policy for selection of materials and processes was based on sustainability, zero carbon footprint and minimal interventions in terms of additional infrastructure. Materials selected for banners, posters, refreshment containers are all biodegradable. No vinyl banners, Styrofoam/plastic cups would be allowed. Eatables will be distributed/sold in paper/leaf cones in the traditional Goan style. Drinking water will be made available via foot operated fonts that can be drunk from directly without cups. These will be part of the regulations noted behind the route map distributed at the address points and stations enroute. Waste disposal bins would be introduced enroute and at all nodes.

The success of any protest is dependent on a variety of factors, most important of which is the selection of route. Route is selected to meet the objectives of maximum outreach to targeted audience: Governing Bodies and Authorities, policy decision makers like the Ministry at the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat, the Judiciary, and law enforcers like the Police. Government Agencies who are in charge of infrastructure management and maintenance like: Electricity Department, Public Works Department, Directorate of Health Services and other essential services and infrastructure agencies. The route covers all these and more, giving effect to the cause of the protest and ensuring it’s undisturbed success.

Essential amenities and infrastructure are required enroute for protestors in order to facilitate the protest: Toilets, drinking water, refreshments, resting points, first aid and props. Except for props, all the selected gathering points already have all the necessary infrastructure. We propose knock-down kiosks for prop dispensing and first aid. We also propose solar and wind hybrid energy harvesting trees at all essential gathering nodes and address points. These can be permanently incorporated into the city infrastructure and become a part of the proposed Smart City infrastructure

The long hours of the protest should not leave the protestors drained of energy and fatigued, as the protest would lose momentum. In order to keep the protestors animated, invigorated and enthused throughout the route, the selection of route provides for a variety of spatial experiences, motivational quotes embedded in pavements and walls, artistic, enlightening, entertaining installations and artworks enroute including sound and light displays. The protest route culminates on the Miramar Beach front, ending in theatrical and musical demonstrations with evocative and satirical content.

The route provides for expansion linearly to reach the Governor’s Palace. Feeder routes exist from schools, residences and developing commercial establishments enroute. The selected route and interventions provide for flexibility of design interventions as well as circular/loop routing via feeder routes as well as reduced lengths based on individual protest targets and audience. With the passage of time, the route could progress into a multifunctional route for parades, rally’s, the carnival floats (most of the route is already used for this purpose). It could have more permanent infrastructure at the nodes and prop stops. Bins, seats, gazebos could be developed enroute for general purpose use as well as doubling up for resting spaces for protestors, whereby temporary kiosks could be dispensed with.