Lal Kishinchand Advani also mentioned his disapproval when his Ram Naik reveals that the BJP is gatheringĬountrywide support to oppose any likely celebration. Operators in Kerala that it would bring several wealthy GermansĪboard the ship following the same route as the Portuguese explorer. Hussoung, a German tour operator, had reportedly traced However, heĪdded that those plans had been shelved as the department did not want Him to sell the event to the international travel circuit. Tourismĭirector U K S Chouhan says some tour operators had approached Have dampened the enthusiasm of the Kerala tourism department. Would celebrate the event to promote tourism. In his address to the legislative assemblyĮarly this year, the governor expressed the view that the state government To re-enact Gama's landing in Calicut - has thus been pushed into Which had earlier agreed to the proposal from a German tour operator The Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Kerala government. Many protesters in Kerala express dismay over the ruling Left government's willingnessįor such celebrations since they have been most vocal "The arrival of Vasco da Gama unleashedĪn era of cruelty and exploitation," says historian Dr M G S Narayanan. The committee has already drawn upĪ year-long protest programme, including demonstrations, public Has been formed to resist any kind of celebration to mark Gama'sĪrrival on the Kappad coast. Meanwhile, in Calicut, an action committeeĬonsisting of historians, writers, social and political activists In Goa named after Vasco da Gama and has demanded that the names ofĬities and villages written in Portuguese be changed. Launch a separate movement to change the name of the port town The Samiti, after meeting the President of India, has also resolved to Karmali, president of the freedom fighters association. The most torturous colonial era in the country," says Nagesh "It is shamefulįor India to celebrate the arrival of Vasco da Gama who began Portuguese rule - it lasted all of 450 years - in Goa. The rally was attended by local freedom fighters who had fought In Goa which organised a statewide rally in the capital Panaji recently. Such an event is improper," says Ram Naik, the BJP MP fromĪ similar opinion is shared by the Deshpremi Nagrik Samiti The Portuguese came here and established their colony, celebrating "Vasco da Gama is associated with colonialism and repression. Several politicians - from the Left and from the Right - in new age India have denounced the proposed commemoration of theĥ00 th anniversary of Gama's maritime achievement. His effigies are being burnt, black flags are being waved aboutĪnd politicians are protesting angrily in Parliament. The voyage connected Europe to India, and Vasco da Gama sailedįive hundred years later, the Portuguese explorer has been sucked into a whirlpool of controversy far more treacherous than the ones he encountered on his travels. The lucrative Malabar coast of peninsula India. Past the Equator and vast expanses of unknown waters, he reached Tip of Europe fringing the mighty Atlantic Ocean. With four small ships, 171 men, food reserves for a minimum of three years, a short and swarthy aristocrat took off from the western Amidst allegations that he marked the advent of colonialism, the Portuguese explorer is trapped in controversy in new age India. Plans for a proposed celebration have fallen on rough weather. Will mark 500 years of Vasco da Gama's arrival in India. The Rediff Special /Archana Masih Explorer or Exploiter? Rediff On The NeT: 500 years after Vasco da Gama arrived in India, a controversy erupts over commemoration of the event