Author of Oriente e Ocidente na Literatura Goesa believes Portuguese is important to Goa

From here in Portuguese:

The author of a book on Goan literature in Portuguese, presented in Goa today, argues that the Portuguese language is an asset for Goans, especially in the sector of information technology.

On the day he presented his book "East and West in Goan Literature" (Oriente e Ocidente na Literatura Goesa), Eufemiano de Jesus Miranda shows a desire to see a growing interest in the Portuguese language among Goan students.

"For my part, I will do everything I can for the Portuguese language, which for me is a second language from birth", he told Lusa (news agency) by telephone after the book's presentation, which is one of the few books written in Portuguese to be launched in Goa in the past 50 years.

The Portuguese language, dominant in Goa until 1961 when Indian forces captured the territory from the Portuguese, now has a relative weight, centred mainly on the study of history, he admits.

But he added that Indian industry, "especially in information technology", needs Portuguese "to fit in better with Portuguese-speaking nations", particularly Brazil and Angola.

Eufemiano Miranda acknowledged that "students in Goa still do not fully consider the potential of learning Portugese as a means to improve themselves professionally", but said that there "is some interest...I hope it grows."

He recalled that there is still a whole generation, to which he belongs, which was trained by the Portuguese and because of this speaks Portuguese daily...compared to other languages like French, which is "an entirely foreign language to Goans", learning Portuguese has some advantages: "In families that speak Portuguese, the youngest are looking to learn Portuguese to communicate with their elders."

He explained that the book resulted from his doctoral thesis in Portuguese literature, which dealt with "the main themes of Indo-Portuguese literature in the 19th and 20th centuries in a socio-historical context."

Another article here on the same subject (in English) also includes his views on Konkani, which he believes is enriched by Portuguese influence:

Dr Miranda who is also a fan of the Konkani language opines that the Portuguese language actually helped in developing our language. “As a Goan I feel proud of my Konkani. It defines us and we should make every effort to nurture and develop Konkani. But, at the same time Portuguese helped us to create a cosmopolitan image. It is said that a language is enriched with the words borrowed from other languages. So, I think Portuguese has enriched our Konkani language. My identity is the Konkani language but at the same time our views and overviews have changed due to the Portuguese influence,” concludes Dr Miranda.