We take so much out of Goa—food, selfies, memories, but what do we bring into the state, and what do we leave behind? Saurabh Gupta, a screenwriter from Mumbai and a Goa regular, tweeted a thought-provoking thread last evening with simple, actionable advice. “We bring our bad habits—parking, honking—over from the city. Sometimes we just need a gentle nudge. Susegaad. Chill. Ain't nowhere to go in a hurry.” Here's his 10-point appeal for tourists visiting the sunshine state this season:
Refuse plastic bottles of water. Carry water bottles. Everyone is happy to refill with filtered water. It's safe. Tastier.
Don't eat Lays chips. Don't eat anything from packets. There's a garbage crisis—don't add to it. Carry your empty beer cans, bottles [back] if you're drinking outdoors.
Don't drive fast. People live on both sides of the road—this is their home. 40 is fast. Amble. Get Goa speed. It's super fun.
Park in empty spaces, not in front of your favourite restaurant. Don't honk. This is what we all came running away from. Sometimes it takes 10-15 minutes for traffic to clear. That's because a lot of us are here. Chill. Listen to music. Look outside. Talk to your friends.
Don't waste water. Don't fill that massive bathtub. There's a water crisis. And there's an ocean (sorry, I'm trying hard to not outrage) and loads of swimming pools.
Please tip. The food is excellent. The servers smile. Smile back. Yes, I'm looking at you, Dilli. Carry change. Tip.
Switch off the AC and fans and lights when you leave your rooms. There's massive load shedding. Do your bit.
GST is a killer. Carry your own coffee, tea bags. Buy cold drinks and mixes. Buy snacks at the local bakeries. The small stuff really adds up if you're in a hotel.
There are folks from Punjab, Jammu, Himachal (and Nepal) at the shacks on the beach. Be nice. They're your countrymen.
Don't use selfie sticks. Yes, engineering guys from Bengaluru and elsewhere–you need to stop that. Don't video everyone at the beach. Don't take pics of kids. Just don't. One of these days, someone will lose it at you and put that selfie stick where it belongs.
"We all need to sober up and treat Goa better. Be nice. To the people and the environment. It will go to hell pretty fast otherwise," he adds.
Amen.
You can follow Saurabh Gupta on Twitter here