I was an atheist till...

Yes, I said that. I am an atheist. But there can be no other explanation for the present state of affairs in Goa. God has to be playing a hand. Ergo, God exists. And I believe. Without a shred of doubt, God has to exist.

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I was not born an atheist. But somewhere down the line, I became one. I believed that the universe was a perpetual clockwork machine that ticked without any divine intervention. The rise of fundamentalism all over the world redoubled my belief in non-belief. If there was a God, he would definitely have struck down all those who executed the most murderous and violent deeds in His name.

In our own glorious country, God, if he exists, must surely have been on vacation, or at least AWOL, when the Sikhs were butchered in Delhi in 1984, when the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992 and again when Gujarat was supposedly cleansed in 2002.

I was convinced that God was a myth.

But the state of the Government administration in Goa today had made me rethink. Visit any Government office anywhere in Goa today. From the Secretariat at Porvorim to the tiniest Police Outpost or Forest Checkpost in any remote corner of the State. With a few honourable exceptions, and thank God(?) for them, it's a wonder any output, useful or otherwise, emanates from any of them. Each office seems to take pride in aiming for the highest levels of incompetence, inefficiency and corruption. Accountability has gone for a toss, sycophancy and chamchagiri rule the roost and proximity to politicians is the ultimate aspiration of each Government servant.

It is estimated that virtually every 25^th Goan is employed by the Government. And with such a large band of Goans working - or rather sponging on public money - the way they do, it is a miracle Goa progresses. It is said that development takes place when the Government sleeps. But what about a Government whose employees have abdicated all responsibility to the people they are supposed to serve and abandoned their allegiance to the Constitution of the country?

If the state progresses, and I am told it does, only GOD can be responsible.

Yes, I said that. I am an atheist. But there can be no other explanation for the present state of affairs in Goa. God has to be playing a hand. Ergo, God exists. And I believe. Without a shred of doubt, God has to exist.

This epiphany inspires me to suggest a new initiative for Goan tourism. We can write a new chapter in Devotional Tourism for the state. One that will not have Hindu or Christian shrines on its itinerary. Goa can be projected as a destination for the Tourist Who Does Not Believe. The itinerary would start with the tourist's arrival in Goa. Overnight stay in a Government run hotel. The next day would be a tour of 4 -5 Government Offices. I bet the guy or gal would shed his or her atheism by the 2^nd or 3^rd stop. One more conversion achieved.

On a serious note, it is high time we, as stakeholders in the State of Goa (and it is a very sorry state), took steps to tackle this issue. We blame the politicians, both the ruling and opposition benches, for Goa's myriad problems. They definitely are, but we have proved ourselves incapable of voting them out of power. They seem to come back, in spite of, or is it because of, their innumerable misdeeds.

But, if every 25^th Goan is wedded for life to the principles of incompetence, inefficiency and corruption, there is much to be done. For every Government servant who does not work, there are 24 Goans who should be demanding his accountability. Because if every Government servant refused to kowtow to his political bosses' illegal commands and demands, if every Government servant were not fazed by threats of transfers and suspensions, if every Government servant did not have skeletons in his cupboard, there is very little the politician can do to loot the state's coffers.

I do not think our democracy has not failed us. We have failed our democracy. We have steadfastly refused to reject the politicians who have let down their voters. We have achieved such a level of subjugation that our politicians buy us whenever they feel convenient or necessary. This point of no return has come about because of our total lack of vigilance over the last many years. It is time to change tack. Let the politician alone for the time being. Let the political parties fight their battles and stew in their own juices.

We should focus on the 60,000 Government servants of this state. Let us punish the culpable among them for the crimes they have committed. The crimes of betraying the people of the state for the interests of a few should now come home to roost. Judicious and widespread use of the RTI Act to expose scams and frauds can fix the blame on officers who actually put their signatures to the files. A few examples would instil the fear of God in the rest.

Maybe, then, they will refuse to be cowed down by their political bosses. Maybe, then, in this holy land, miracles will happen. Maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel.