<< But I still love my GOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(And why the hell am I here?) >>
Silviano, what stops you coming back to Goa? You know that you are welcome at any time! Just curios! Cip --- Silviano Barbosa <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > After my friend Roland Francis's nostalgic view of > Goan Bombay of yester > years, I will add here my two khote paise's worth. > > Although I lived in Bombay (near Dabul(St Sebastian > Goan High SChool or St. > Anne's)/Cheera Bazzar) just for a year or two from > 1970, just next to Bosco > D'Mello's Building, I have some vivid and sweet > memories of Bombay of that > time. > > I used to love to frequent Dhobitalao (The > Washerman's tank of centuries > ago) every evening, although most of Goans from > Dhobitalao are now in > Washington(Why? Do they have tons of laundry in > Washing?) > Like everyone else I used to go to Dhobitalao's St. > Francis Xavier's > Restaurant for a nice dish of sorpatel/chourissam > and even buch and unddo. > Sometimes I used to go to Cavel, Pedru's restaurant. > I loved to walk along > Girgaum Road(What is it called now? (Shankar Shett > something) crossing > Princess Street and go to Parsi Dairy Farm for > icecream, then follow along > to Dhobitalao via Sonapur Lane.(Is it called Dr. > Simon Lane now?) By the way > I used to see Dr. Simon once a week when I used to > write for Goa Times. The > Sunday mass at Our Lady of Dolours was a treat. Nice > Goenchim mana and manae > and uncles and auntios, in a typical Goan millieu > within a sea of crowded > Bombay megacity. Then we used to take in some movies > at Metro cinema after > Kyani and Bastani's famous pudding, after watching > the Tiatr sign board > then go to Moidana Khuris where lovers used to light > candles and others > would come to pray. Tarvottis would pray for a clean > medical check-up, other > unemployed looking for jobs. Girls looking for boys > and vice-versa. Further > on we used to go to see who's come from Goa on > buses, anyone that we knew > who brought some fenni or sausages. Then we would > see some amateur soccer. > Later the young romantic hearts s would fill up the > whole of Back-Bay and > walk along Taraporewala Aqurium all the way to > Chowpatti Beach sipping the > cold coloured milk from Aarey Milk Colony or > munching the massala corn on > the cob or tasting the green coconuts. And later at > night we would walk to > Crawford Market's Maharaja's Cold drink house with > Mango/oramge fresh juice? > And I remember that night when Lorna and Chris Perry > had that first open Air > Konkani show at St Xavier's Rang Bhavan open air > theatre with a complete 20 > piece band live on stage with "NOURO MOZO DEVCHAR". > Oh my God, How many > Goans were walking along Girgaum Road after it was > over? Oh those were the > days. It was the "Talk of the Town" then. Later I > went for a show in > Shanmukhananda Hall in Matunga for a live show of > "The Jetliners" with that > lively compere "Usha Ayyer" And I used to go walking > to Flora Fountain to > drink refreshing sweet "Neera". And I can remember > when I saw my first big > time movie "The Graduate" at Fort's "Sterling > Theatre(Tata's). I loved > Dustin Hoffman falling in love with an older woman > (I was a young graduate > too) . > Oh Bombay of that time, it was still dirty but I > loved it! And at night I > used to drink that hot hott milk with that thick > "sai"(Well who knew of > cholesterol then?). And how about those large peram > (peru). And not > forgetting big pamplittam (avoiss) with reichad > massala or even machhi- ka > kaddi with hot rice eating with hand. Oh what a > taste without fork and > spoon? Then biknam and chonnem. And of course the > Tiatr with Prem Kumar , C. > Alvares and M Boyer at Bhangwaddi. > One day we went for Bandra feast. There was a small > hill there. People went > to auntie's room for the local booze brewed from > battery churo?(yak).One > day I went to Sewri cemetery, where most Goans lay > buried. I remember > someone taking me to Mazagaon Dock on board the > ship. WoW! What food and > drinks! Sapporo or Asahi beer and Barbecued > chicken.That Bottler was very > generous to us, the Goan cook prepared a buffet for > us. I even went to > Goregaon Seminary just for a visit, it was a huge > structure. Oh yea, I can't > forget the picnic to Mud Island, where I could see > lots of wayside crosses > of the East Indian Catholic community, where lots of > Hindi films are shot > with smugglers singing and dancing to the tunes like > "Haum Saiba poltoddi > oitam". > And I always liked that spicy goat chop in a Muslim > Restaurant with kotmir > and other hot spices. > Oh yes, that time I could only window-look at those > 5 Star restaurants, with > a Nepali guard standing next to the "Diners Club" > sign on the door. Always > wondered what "Diners Club" was. Arre it's only a > credit card mure. If I > knew then, I'd say "Charge it". I used to marvel at > those Bombay rich people > who entered such fancy restaurants(we used to call > them hotels) along the > classy Marine Lines. > I guess rich Sindhis and Gujeratis and film > producers lived in those rich > apartments along Marine Lines. > Oh what a life in a fast city. We were too poor to > enjoy like them rich > guys. Oh what a pity, I am sure it's not like it any > more NOW, even if you > have tons of money. Bombay is no more the old > Bombay. It has become Mumbai > of today! > But I still love my GOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(And why the > hell am I here?) > Silviano Barbosa > (Repeat) > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > Cip
