Of Goan Window Grills & Water Tanks I am no writer; a writer is someone who writes books not plays games on Facebook. And, I play games and not write books.
A real writer not only writes books but they must also be big; a large size weighing a kilogram or more. The type of books you will find in well known book shops or on coffee tables in the houses of the rich. A couple of books that are waiting to be written, according to my guru in Ponda are 1) a book on window grills 2) a book on water tanks. The book on window grills is an open window into the Goan mind. He adds, we all know a pic is worth a thousand words (at least says Kris Kristofferson) and this book has to be full of pics. The Goan mind can be seen in all manifestation in this case. Ancestral houses which invariably cause friction among siblings are evident in the display of one half having one pattern on one side and another on the other side. Some siblings even go to the extent of having one half of the railing painted one color and the other another color. No one has ever thought it is good enough to have separate names written on different entrances. No, not good enough. Not Goan enough. Goan water tanks have become a hallmark in modern Goan houses and are proudly displayed on the roofs of the houses. Have water tanks attained the status of a BMW or Mercedes Benz? Maybe. Never hurt a Goan ego or worse feeling by telling him or her to hide the water tank. That would be the ultimate insult. Don’t do it or you might start a war worse than Putin’s. Guruji says it is better to keep our eyes wide open if we want to understand a culture profoundly. Water tanks and window grills make for a good view of our culture he says; forget about books by scholars as they have little or nothing to offer in comparison.
