We have recently celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rising from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion on the Cross, Jesus gave us eternal hope which is the greatest gift of Easter. This hope makes us have that confidence in God and in His goodness and love. In our own lives we too have our burdens and a Cross to carry, which will lead to sadness and disappointments, but in the end our hope tells us that defeat will always be followed by glory. Covid-19, the dreaded sickness, did bring everything to a standstill. We are painfully aware of the hardships and trauma faced by one and all for such a long period of time. So many people were in a total mess and many even lost their lives and that of their loved ones, leading to a critical and hopeless situation. But we also know that our God is all-powerful and merciful. Slowly but surely, He has made it happen, helping us to turn the page. The infections have been reduced to a bare minimum, almost negligible. In a big way, it’s a victory of sorts over the disease. We could celebrate Easter in the true spirit of hope manifesting victory over the sufferings. Praise and thank God for His goodness.

We have a new government in place for our state of Goa. Whilst congratulating this new government, we look forward to people centric decisions in the next five years. The need of the hour is to provide good governance to all Goans, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Most importantly Goa’s interest of religious harmony needs to be taken care of, at all costs. This Government would do well to focus on job creation, poverty alleviation and curbs on rising prices of almost everything from fuel to other essential commodities. Sadly a few controversial statements are being made by the Ministers and the CM in particular, specially the one on religious conversions and the issue of rebuilding of temples destroyed 500 years ago by the Portuguese. This can create mistrust and unrest among people of different faiths. It is imperative and of utmost importance for every Goan to be vigilant and watchful, specially to ensure communal harmony at all costs. Let us hope and pray that our elected representatives leave no stone unturned to ensure that peace prevails over Goa and the common man witnesses all round economic prosperity.
Until we meet again

Felix Dias
Editor