THE GREAT GOAN EXODUS

What Happens When the Youth Don't Return?

- Gauri Ghadge

A tide that no longer turns There is a rhythm to Goa: slowtide mornings, the thwack of carrom in balcaos, church bells dissolving into birdsong. Yet the tempo of everyday life is shifting.

More school-toppers and skilled graduates leave after college, and far fewer come back to plant careers in Panaji, Margao or Mapusa. They return for Ganesh and Christmas, for weddings and anniversaries, enough to keep festivals alive, not enough to keep villages vibrant. This isn't a lament; it is a civic puzzle with economic, cultural and emotional stakes that will shape the next decade.

THE SCALE OF THE OUTFLOW, BY THE NUMBERS

Two facts frame the moment. Tourism is booming again: provisional data show Goa welcomed over 10.4 million visitors in 2024, including roughly 9.94 million domestic and 0.47 million international arrivals-a sharp rise on 2023. And connectivity has reset the map: Manohar International Airport (Mopa) handled about 4.64 million passengers in FY 2024-25 (around 15,000 a day), making "outside" feel closer than ever. But prosperity in arrivals coexists with anxiety at home: Goa has posted elevated unemployment readings in 2023 compared to the national trend, a push factor for outward movement.

WHEN CLASSROOMS EMPTY, COMMUNITIES THIN

Demography makes itself heard first in school corridors. Official replies in the Assembly confirmed that since 2019, 61 government primary schools have shut, including several with zero enrolment; many others face merger. A classroom that closes removes a reason for families to stay; a school that struggles to fill benches weakens neighbouring sports clubs, church or temple youth groups, tiatr troupes and folk-art lines of apprenticeship. The result is a subtle hollowing: quieter lanes, fewer volunteers, and a shrinking pipeline of local leadership.

IDENTITY IN TRANSIT, NOT AT REST