Goa Calling
(Taken from Frankly Speaking - Collected Writings of
Prof. Frank D'Souza)
Never was a rarer gem set in the Arabian sea. Goa has
been described as a narrow strip precariously poised
between the sun-kissed mountains and the blue sea. Of
its scenic beauty a writer has said: "...Through the
mist of green that first catches the eye, the palette
of Goa reveals itself in a ripple of
colour-measureless blue, paddy-green, the rich and
moist red of laterite, a shimmer of river-silver
culminating in the sunburst of Dourado."
The sea laps its shores on the West, while two rivers,
the Mandovi and the Zuari, beginning East, girdle the
land from the North and South. Thus the backdrop of
hills climbing the mountain ranges in the blue
distance, meandering streams, lands washed by the
Mandovi and Zuari and the lovely shimmering beaches of
Calangute, Colva, Vagator and Bogomalo give Goa its
particular charm.
Nature has showered Goa with its abundant blessings in
a munificence of mango, jackfruit, pineapple,
cashew-apple and water-melon. Coconut groves, banana
plantations, and arcca-nut groves bear testimony to
the fecundity of Mother Earth in Goa. These make up
the verdant scenery of Goa.
In 1510 the Portuguese conquistadores under the
intrepid leadership of Alfonso do Albuquerque wrested
this prize of Western India from the Muslim ruler Adil
Shah. The Portuguese were so delighted with the land
that they called it "The Pearl of the Orient' and "Goa
Dourado" (Golden Goa).
Goan Identity
Goa and its people have felt the impact of three great
cultures-Hindu, Muslim and Portuguese Christian. A
strange enchantment broods over Goa, which derives
partly from the sacredness of the land and partly from
its scenic splendour.
The reference to the 'sacred soil' of Goa is no empty
cliche. The Christian churches and the Hindu temples
give it a sacredness of its own. The most famous
temples we those of Mangesh at Priol and Shanta Durga
at Ponda. Many Hindus outside Goa have their ancestral
deities in Goa, and make periodical visits to this
ancient land to pay homage to them.
The Goan is an amalgam, a synthesis of the East and
West, and that constitutes its unique identity:
individual, ethnic and cultural. He has his roots in
ancient Hinduism, the stem has been grafted with
Portuguese culture, but his branches have spread out
all over the world. That makes him a true
cosmopolitan, a citizen of the world.
With Portuguese India, it may be said that the cross
followed the flag. Their mission was not only to
govern, but to proselytize, to convert. Goa has been
described as a land of churches, chapels and crosses.
Goa has also been described as the land of the three
p's -- pigs, priests and pegs
.
Glory That was Old Goa
The seat of the Portuguese Empire in Goa was Old Goa,
or Velha Goa, as the Portuguese called it, situated on
an island. It was the throbbing centre of Catholic
life and activity. Five-different religious orders had
their houses and churches here: the Dominicans, the
Franciscans, the Augustinians, the Carmelites, and the
most powerful of all - the Jesuits; all of them
operating in a small area which was known variously as
the 'Sorbonne of the East' and 'the Rome of the East'.
Antonio Mascarenhas, the Goan historical researcher,
calls it the "Catholic Nitlanda", which flourished
from the 16th to the 18th century. Most of these
churches, convents and monasteries arc in
ruins-impressive relics Of the glory and grandeur that
was Goa. Still dominating the scene is the Cathedral
and the Basilica of Ban Jesus. As Father J. Velinkar,
S.J. writes, "The cynosure of all eyes is the
mausoleum of St. Francis Xavier in the southern wring
of the transept." The casket in which the sacred
remains Of the saint are preserved is so well-wrought,
it can be described as a "miracle of rare device."
A blight fell upon the place however, and the
Portuguese shifted their capital to Ribandar
(Raibunder), nearby. Eventually it was shifted to
Panjim (now Panaji), in 1843.
Where Man and Nature Sing
The people of this land, with its green bowls, arc by
nature, warm and hospitable. The late Indira Gandhi,
when she visited Goa, 'during the CHOGM retreat, paid
a tribute to the Goans, as being warmhearted. The
people are also richly endowed with musical talents.
As a brochure states so lyrically, "Their songs in
Konkani have an appeal that. bring to mind the gentle
murmur of the surf on the glistening white beaches of
Goa." The Konkani folk-songs of Goa fall into three
categories: the sentimental Mando, the lively rhythm
of the Dulpod, and the unique Dakkni, the songs of the
dancing girls of Goa. In addition to all these, we
have the songs of the original inhabitants, the
Kunbis, reflectying the gay abandon of these sons of
the soil.
Goa, with its idyllic natural surroundings, has been
the cradle of renowned musicians, violinists and
pianists too numerous to enumerate. The Goans excel
not only in Western music, they also excel in Indian
music. Lata Mangeshkar, her sister Asha Bhoslc,
Kishori Amonkar, and the legendary classical singer,
Kesarbai Kerkar, have their origins in Goa. Goa
indeed has been, to adopt a phrase from the literary
historian, Legouis, "a nest of singing birds" through
the ages.
The Goan is a bon vivant, a lover of good food, of
good wine, and the good things of life in general. He
represents the very spirit of bonhomie. The Goan
cuisine has a distinctive savour and flavour of its
own, To the
Goan Christian, his 'sorpotcl' and 'vindaloo',
prepared from pork; to the Goan Hindu, his Xacuti,
prepared with pieces of mutton or chicken in coconut
gravy, as pungent as you make it, with tears streaming
down the eyes while eating it. That has been my
experience, at least, but still I yearn for it. The
Goans, whether Hindus, Muslims or Christians, are
great fish-caters. Rice and curry, xit-coddi in
Konkani, is the common bond that unites all the
communities of Goa. No wonder that the Goan is so I
passionately fond of fish, considering that the boats
come laden with the harvest of the seas twice every
day, in the morning and in the evening, to the
welcoming shores.
The indigenous liquor brew -- distilled from the
coconut juice or the cashew apple juice -- is the
Goan's preference, which he appropriately calls `the
spirit of Goa'. 0 nossa terra. The `taverna' in the
villages is a unique Goan institution. It is the local
equivalent of the English pub. To this resort, the
village men-folk repair to quench their thirst after a
hard day'swork; hither the ploughman wends his weary
way after having borne the heat and burden of the day
to fortify himself before going home to his well-
earned dinner and well-deserved repose.
I will not be doing justice to the Goan culinary art
if I do not record my appreciation of that delicacy
known as "Bebinca de sete folhas" (seven-layered
behinca). It is delicacy which has to be sampled to be
really appreciated. Every morsel melts in the mouth,
leaving a rich leingering sweetness on the palate.
>From November 21 to January 13 last, the focus on Goa
was theExposition of the sacred relics of St. Francis
Xavier which have been preserved in the Basilica of
Bom Jesus. An article on St. Francis Xavier and his
missionary activity appeared in the October 1984 issue
of Home Life.
The next stupendous attraction was the `Carnival'
which precedes the penitential season of Lent. The
Latin temperament of the Goan finds uninhibited
expression in three days of riotous merriment of
gaiety inexcelcis. Unfortunately commercialisation and
tourist-baiting has played havoc with this essentially
folk celebration.
Golden Goa lies in the shade of its glorious past,
dreaming of the splendour that was, under the canopy
of the centuries going back to a tim ebeyond human
memory.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Like movies? Here's a limited-time offer: Blockbuster Total Access for one
month at no cost.
http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/text4.com
