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SALIGAO DURING MY SCHOOLDAYS (20s and 30s) AND NOW By C. Azavedo Our younger generation might be interested in the changes that have taken place in our village during the last seventy years. To the best of my knowledge and ability (not much), I give below some changes under various heads. EDUCATION: In the 'thirties, there was one English high school, Mater Dei Institution. In those days, there were no SSC or HSSC Boards. High schools were affiliated to the Bombay University. Their final exams were conducted by the universities and were called `Matriculation'. There were only three other high schools in Goa (then) -- Aldona, Parra and Arpora. (Mater Dei is now an ICSC school.) In addition, there were three other English schools, one exclusively for girls and the others, including Mater Dei, were co-ed. As regards Portuguese schools, apart from the Government Primary School, there were two other schools. There also was a church school, on the site of the present stage (adjoining the church), which taught music and the three Rs. It will therefore be seen that, as regards education, Saligao was better off then. When I hear of villages, which were unheard of during my school days, having colleges, I feel very sad (because Saligao does not have any). TRANSPORT: There were only two roads, the Mapusa-Verem road branching to Calangute at Arrarim, and the Sangolda-Saligao road, ending at Saligao, near where the Villa Saligao (CIE, i.e. Cottage Industrial Exposition, an outlet for carpets and Italian food) now stands. Both were red-mud roads. While the Mapusa-Verem-Calangute road is the same, except for having got tarred around the time of Liberation, the narrow Sangolda-Saligao road has been replaced by the broad CHOGM (Commonwealth Retreat) road. There were no motorable roads in vaddos. Now, they are practically in every vaddo, and the people seem to want more. Passenger transport then was by bullockcart-like `match boxes'. Six could sit comfortably, while eight could squeeze in. These disappeared slowly, while I was in Bombay. Passenger cars were beginning to make their appearance, though they were for long extremely rare. Buses made their appearance in the mid-thirties, but they were quite different from the elegant modern buses, and they were few and far between. People then used to walk. Saligao people working in Mapusa would daily walk the distance (around 6 km). Walking to, say, Aldona (around 12 km) was considered nothing much. I have myself done it a few times. Cycles were beginning to make their appearance, and becoming popular. HOUSES: There were four big mansions in Saligao -- Gama Pinto's and Pinto's in Cotula, Pinto Lobo's in Pequeno Morod and Marques, in Muddavadi. Of these, only two still exist: Gama Pintos in Cotula, partly occupied by the Gama Pinto family and partly by the home for the aged and the Marques's. The Pinto's mansion having become too old had to be demolished. Mr. Gil Lobo's house is partly on the site of this sprawling mansion. Similar was the case with the Pinto Lobo's huge mansion which had an attached chapel. It was demolished some years back, and in its place came the `Villa Saligao' (CIE). There were hardly any houses with upper storeys. Today's trend is to build comparatively smaller houses with upper stories. There were, of course, no multi-storeyed buildings with flats, the type now coming up in Saligao too. SPORTS AND ARTS: Our football team was among the three best in Goa, the other two being the Mesticos of Panjim and the Siolcars. Cricket and hockey were also played, but not as much as football. I have witnessed two basketball matches between well-dressed boys and girls. Today, one can hardly see any worthwhile games (in the village). I understand that our football team consists more of outsiders rather than Saligaokars. Saligaokars have had more than a common measure of the gift of music. Many of our ancestors have made their living and prospered by music. There were top violinists like Salvador Cordeiro, Daniel D'Souza in Colombo, Roque Fernandes in Calcutta, etc. Today, musicians in Saligao are somewhat rare. The services of the church were generally in Latin, and there was not much participation of the congregation. The singing being mainly in Latin, a special choir trained to sing in Latin, mainly by the church school, was essential. Inspite of this, the singing used to be generally excellent. Services now being in the vernacular, there is wide participation by the congregation. The singing in our church, as in the days of old, is definitely good, and on special occasions excellent, thanks mainly to our curate and some dedicated young ladies and men. (Ends) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Frederick Noronha 784 Near Convent, Sonarbhat SALIGAO GOA India Freelance Journalist TEL: +91-832-2409490 MOBILE: 9822122436 http://fn.swiki.net http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks fred at bytesforall.org http://www.bytesforall.org =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--W-E-B--S-I-T-E--=-=-=-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from Saligaonet | http://www.goacom.com/saligao_tinto/ ============================================================================ * Send e=mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (NOT [EMAIL PROTECTED]) * Leave SUBJECT blank <--- Commom Mistake !! * On first line of the BODY of your message, type: subscribe saligaonet YOUR.EMAIL OR unsubscribe saligaonet YOUR.EMAIL Questions/Problems? Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
