From Sunsets to Subterraneans: Goa’s Corporate Cave-In Begins

Setting the Scene Goa < 2075 is a bilingual novel by Mayabhushan Nagvenkar, which is set in a dystopian future when Goa is ruled by the Democratic Corporation of Go-aah, a state that is corporate in nature. The novel is set in a dirty, subterranean world where corruption, ecological catastrophe, and totalitarian rule have driven citizens into huge underground habitats dug out of depleted mining shafts. Sewage and sweat permeate the atmosphere, and the citizens—subterraneans—reside in dirty, poorly ventilated tunnels.

Key Highlights

Claud the Clairvoyant, a former permaculturist who became an underground prophet, is combined with a termite mound that sustains him.

His symbiotic relationship with termites has earned him a revered place among subterraneans

Reporter Sandeep encounters Claud in quest of answers after a traumatic encounter with powerful forces Vikramaditya and Joy

Chainika Sinhalata, a grassroots historian, writes Claud's mysterious prophecies on pebbles with laterite shards

Claud's revelations have already unveiled conspiracies such as carcinogenic milk exports from Ethiopia

Themes and Symbolism

The book explores environmental degradation, displacement, and survival commodification

Claud's termite mound represents resistance and strength in the face of systemic oppression

Chainika's pebble messages demonstrate the transience and tenacity of truth in the face of censorship

The world of the underworld is employed as a symbol of exclusion and erasure of opposition

Cultural Impact Goa < 2075 is not speculative fiction—it's a reflection of the anxieties of our times regarding environmental degradation, corporate greed, and the repression of the voice of community.

Sources: Outlook India