PANAJI, PANJIM, PANGIM OR PONN'JE -- LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD
And as for fortune,
and as for fame,
I never invited them in
though it appeared, to the world,
they were all I desired.
They are illusions,
they're not the solutions they promised to be.
The answer was here all the time.
I love you, and hope you love me
Lines from the immortal song, 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina, based on the life
of singer Eva Peron, wife of Argentine dictator Juan Peron, a small town
girl who married the Argentine president and saw a life of riches and
extreme wealth.
But this is a song that the city of Panaji may well be singing. As our city
undergoes a huge physical transformation -- new swank theatres, four lane
roads, celebrities and a make-over, THE WEEKENDER takes a walk with one of
Panaji's most famous sons, Percival Noronha.
He takes us through the lanes and by lanes and resurrects the beauty, the
grace, quaintness and the sheer history of our beloved city. But like Eva
Peron, who says that the trappings of new beauty are illusions and that real
beauty lay in Argentina's history, Percival Noronha captures this spirit in
a morning walk-about with PAUL FERNANDES.
There is something else Eva Peron said:
You won't believe me.
All you will see is a girl you once knew,
although she's dressed up to the nines -
for sixes and sevens with you.
As Panaji dresses up, like never before, we ask our readers never to forget
that little girl, Panaji, who you once knew.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A city steeped in legend, history and heritage, much changed and changing.
And a man who has seen and experienced its evolution for over 70 years and
also knows expertly about its past. How does one keep pace or relate to both
on a nostalgic drive through its quaint streets and a halt at some of its
imposing landmarks?
The task was simply difficult. But to visualise the Panaji of the hoary
past, the mid-layered yesteryears and of more recent vintage from the crisp
and kaleidoscopic narrative of a man with rich a knowledge of its lineage
was a refreshing experience.
>From the time, Percival Noronha joined us for a ride through the city at
7.30 am, its glorious past seemed to follow us everywhere. As our ebullient
photographer Barnabe Sapeco clicked happily at every landmark we stopped,
Noronha revived his old memories of the city during his childhood or later
and how it was in the past. "The city has changed much and pretty fast,"
comments Noronha.
>From his old house `Ajenor' in the heritage precinct of Fontainhas, we drove
along the Rua de Ourem creek with the sun sparkling on the water to the
Ponte de Linhares which links the city with Ribandar. The causeway built in
1633-34 was at that time the longest bridge in the East.
>From here, we turn left and drive past the old building of the Mint House
and site of Tobacco Square, General Post Office, the Fazenda and the Adil
Shahi palace and along the Calicut Road (now Dr Vaidya Road) to the Boca de
Vaca (Mouth of a Cow) fountain.
"It is here and near the other spring Phoenix in Fontainhas that
life in this city began," he says. During his younger days, there
were many but small houses at Boca de Vaca, of mud walls and Roman
tiles. A few of the wells, which they sourced then have been buried
now. It was only in 1834 that Viceroy Dom Manuel de Portugal e
Castro gave the present shape to it.
The temple of Mahalaxmi was built around 1820 during the tenure of Conde do
Rio Pardo, notwithstanding the strong opposition of the then Bishop S
Galdino.
The mass of land from the Oiteiro de Conceicao (hill of Conception) and the
municipal building to Pharmacy College and Don Bosco was a dense coconut
palm grove known as `Japao' which belonged to the Conde de Nova Goa, a
Portuguese count settled in Goa in the early 18th century. The government
acquired it for a new township in 1831. Their palace was located on the
present site of Don Bosco school of which no vestiges are left.
Similarly, non-cultivable land was acquired by Panaji municipality below the
church to develop the church square.
The first hermitage under the invocation of Our Lady of Conception came up
prior to 1541, according to Noronha. The Church became looked more majestic
with the laying of the double stairs in 1870.
Buildings of Santa Casa came up in 1896 while a progressive engineer
Luis A de Maravilhas designed the central zone of the city with its
broad roads on an unique grid pattern. "During my childhood, there
were still large patches of land with coconut trees," says Noronha.
Viceroy Dom Manuel de Portugal e Castro (1826-35) was rightly called the
father of the city as he carried out extensive works of reclamation and
levelling of sand dunes from the old Goa medical school and hospital complex
up to Campal and Gaspar Dias till Tonca.
He laid the canals and several bridges and worked out the drainage system of
the area. The massive constructions in the town of past days included the
Customs building, the police cum collectorate with the central library and
other establishments.
>From here, we moved further along the road past the old Kala Academy
building to the intersection at the foot of Altinho at St Inez. Noronha
points to a small but exquisite house on the right, where a sub post office
is located. It belongs to the Rodrigues family. The area near the
intersection was being used as an open toilet. Only a narrow road inched up
the shoulder of the hill, where only a few structures were located up to
1950s.
We then passed by the Vales and Tamba houses, which were one of the first in
the area to land at the gate of the St Inez church, which was built in 1584
by Dom Francisco d'Eca. Noronha is not happy with the extension of the
church, which mars its Baroque facade.
We move on to the military hospital, which was up to 1932 a prison.
Near it, there is a little know commemorative monument to mark the
500 years of the Discovery Age by Prince Dom Henrique. Past the
conservation zone and pretty houses of Campal, we reach the site of
the Cannon of Banastari. "The waters of the river Mandovi were
lapping the shore here," says Noronha. The area is covered by a
large sandy track.
Not very far, we stop at the old GMC Complex, which has undergone tremendous
change. The house of the Conde de Maquinezes, which housed the oldest
medical school in the East and the newer building (1928), which houses IFFI
offices stand in a new avatar.
Then we proceed along the river-front. Says the secretary of Indian Heritage
Society, "The river is already silted at an alarming rate and dredging which
was being done annually during the Portuguese regime should be carried out."
We pass by the road leading to the Azad Maidan, which was earlier known as
Praca de Sete Janelas (Square of Seven Windows).
Further on at Adil Shah Palace, we halt at one of the city's
best-identified landmark, where the future of the territory was
decided for nearly 244 years. As we move on to the Church Square, we
pass the Republic Hotel, which was meant to be the palace of
Governors.
The newly painted comunidade building, which came up in 1903 catches our
attention.
>From here, a broad road which is later known as 18 June Road leads to the
other side of the town. But it is very sad that in a short span of 30 years
or a little more, the city had to suffer the physically traumatic insertion
of large RCC blocks, which disfigured its romantic look. The high FAR
(floor-area ratio, a regulation which controls the height of any building in
a locality), without proper setback and parking space, was a disruption and
despoiling force with the haphazard and `organic' growth like any other
Indian town, he says.
Permitting the use of columns over the footpaths narrowed the perspective of
the imposing avenues. The folly committed by the Town and Country Planning
Department in allowing constructions over public footpaths is now exposed.
In some places, footpaths in the same street, take different widths and
heights. Interestingly, the height varies from 22 to 45 cms. May be this is
a new concept of the present planning machinery of the state, Noronha says
sardonically.
Finally, we move on to Mala, which was levelled and made into a coconut
garden by 'Mosmikar', Antonio Joao de Sequiera, who returned from Mozambique
in the 18th century. The Phoenix spring below the Maruti temple and amidst
the quaint houses with unique Latin influence appears to be neglected.
"This part of the city has not changed much but whatever little has been
done has scarred the face of the heritage precinct," Noronha says as we end
our trip. (ENDS)
Contact the writer Paul Fernandes at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOANET-READER WELCOMES contributions from its readers, by way of essays,
reviews, features and think-pieces. We share quality Goa-related writing
among the 7000-strong readership of the Goanet/Goanet-news network of
mailing lists. If you appreciated the thoughts expressed above, please send
in your feedback to the writer. Our writers write -- or share what they have
written -- pro bono, and deserve hearing back from those who appreciate
their work. GoanetReader welcomes your feedback at goanet@goanet.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goanet, started in 1994 by Herman Carneiro. Building community for a decade.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
