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| Sunrise Arlem Goa |
British rule in India gave us an inheritance that has
been difficult to shrug off. So if names like Connaught place, Dalhousie, Elgin
road, Chelmsford Road and the likes are common in most of India,the Portuguese
gave Goa a culture distinct from the rest of India. So when the D’Costas, the
Braganzas ,the Farias and the Carvalhos greet you as you land in this very delightful
state ,you know there is a wonderfully different experience in store for you.
The small Goa airport seems distinctly incapable of
handling the number of tourists that must be visiting this place, so high on
the must visit place on every tourists list. Come out of the Dabolim airport
and take in a deep breath to inhale the very pure air of nature. I have a three
day stay in Goa but only a one day and a little more of touring itinerary. As we move away from crowds at the airport , we pass the Verna
Industrial area and I spot a graffiti on the wall which is a sign of the times
I will spend here. It reads “Goa where you can hang out all day”. But I hope
the busy manufacturing units of this area, I can spot Siemens and IFB ,do not
follow this dictum ! The Sumo driver drives at a pace which belies the laidback
attitude of the Goan people. I think he is not from Goa whispers Harsh . We
head south to Arlem, Margaon reaching Arlem circle, in 30 minutes, crossing
“many thank you for visiting …” boards. The smallest state of India has to have
small handkerchief sized towns.
It was the second day of my trip which
had been slotted for a Goa darshan,by which time I had got a glimpse of the
relaxed pace of life of this beautiful city.The shops open late ,close for
siesta at one in the afternoon and then reopen at four in the evening .No brisk
commercial oversell here, atleast not where I was staying. In one day we
decided to pack in old Goa,Panaji and a beach ! A cross-section of Goa I
thought. So come morning and Harsh and I set off for Old Goa or Velha Goa.The roads are
two laned in most parts and traffic is comfortable. Our driver was an
enthusiastic young fellow, Shiva,who drives such that the wind catches in my
hair and my breath almost stops a few times.Though the roads are not so wide
yet there is something so expansive about the place, with its swaying palms, its
red laterite soil covered ground, its fields of lotus and the general
atmosphere of peace fills me with such a pleasant feeling of relaxation that I
do not reprimand him ,but let him continue with his mad driving.
We pass through the old Goa and I want him to slow down to get a look at the lovely houses which are the architectural
inheritance of this place. The gated villas with rundown gardens and, I
fantasise, a piano kept in the sitting room, a grandfather chair, pink and
violet flowers in vase , a picture of Mother Mary with the Baby Jesus and strains of jazz wafting in
the air. I wish I had the time to walk through the lanes and admire the charm
of these villas . But time was scarce and we drove past a group of young girls
coming back from school all with hair done in almost identical two plaits and a
group of old women chatting in a veranda wearing pretty flower patterned
dresses.
We reach the main square of old Goa, the part of Goa where the Portuguese had their capital and built their magnificent churches and cathedrals, convents and e.We had decided to see the most famous church of them all the Basilica of Bom Jesus and
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| Acts of Faith at Basilica of BOM JESUS |
uge exposed brick 16th century church again and
then cross the road to the new cathedral .The new is always relative and this
new cathedral is actually the Se
Cathedral ,also dating back to the 16th
century. This is the largest church in Asia ,with a building that is all white and renovations are going on. It’s
an imposing church and I saw a belfry with a large bell, called the Golden bell
because of its rich sound . The main church has the altar of St Catherine of
Alexandria to whom this church is dedicated .And on the sides are small chapels and altars like the “Cross of Miracles”
,Our lady of Doloures Chapel of Blessed sacraments . We spotted near the altar of St Joseph a slab which could be lifted
and we made up stories of the secret tunnel that led all the way to the sea and
then on to Lisbon ,if you please !
Nothing like an overactive imagination to make a trip exciting! However the slab actually
covers the bones of Dom Gaspar de Leao Pereira, First Archbishop of Goa Next door was the convent which has
now been converted to a museum. The
museum has exhibits from the past when Goa was also predominantly Hindu and
took us through history ending with life-size portraits of the Portuguese
Governor Generals till 1961. A lovely lesson in history. A quick visit to the
adjoining church which was undergoing massive renovations and then it was lunch
time. 
We decided to go to Panaji where we could have found a vegetarian
restaurant in this fish crazy place. The road to Panaji ran parallel to the
Mandovi river on our right and we enjoyed the sight of several casinos at one point
on the way. Did not stop to try my luck, I was lucky enough to be cruising
along in a relaxed sleepy pleasant place. Panaji, of course is a little more crowded
but has its very own character. In the main market, we reached the Church
square and on the road which ended at the church of Our Lady of Immaculate
Conception made famous by the Aishwarya- Shahrukh film Josh ! The white church flanked by flights of stairs on
both sides was splendid. But we went instead to search for our eating place and
found Kamats. Neat and clean we were served a huge dosa enough for both lunch
and dinner I thought. And then we walked along the streets enjoying the market
and its shops. I was particularly fascinated by the hats and caps and the
lovely bags. Even though it was afternoon and warm, we loved walking and doing
some window shopping .I am not much of a shopper, it was fun to see the lovely
cotton dresses, the strappy sandals and
the bright umbrella so correct for a day at the beach.
Our next stop was decided by Shiva who wanted us to see the Vasco
da Gama beach . We let him have his way because Harsh had never been there .We
drove past the airport, to Mormugao and its dockyards, lots of iron and metal
and unfinished ships being worked upon there. Ahead was a coast guard and a
naval establishment and next to the
Mormugao Port trust residential flats was our beach . The Vasco beach was
beneath a small hill and a garden called the Japanese garden and we had to wind our way down to the sea
shore.Interestingly the beach is also called the Grandmothers hole beach or
even the Japanese beach . The place was isolated with hardly a soul to be seen.
While descending there was a Durga Shiv temple. We just saw two groups of five or six people in the garden
up on the hill where we were descending. But the beach had nobody except for a
family which stayed near the temple and their women were busy in making some
yarns .We did not linger much there, I am not given to a lot of bravado and
instead of regretting later, I thought it prudent to go back .Anyways it was
too hot and the sand fairly scorched our feet . We ascended the narrow path and
were off to our home for some rest.
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| GRANDMOTHERS HOLE BEACH |
As a reward for having given Harsh and his flatmates homemade breakfast, hot tea, dinner and lots
of motherly affection, the boys took me to a dinner on the beach . So in the evening
we went to Benaulim beach some 5 kms away from his house . Motorbike is the way
to travel in Goa and so I pillion rode. It was cool, the not so distant sea
breeze fanning, the roads narrow but vehicular traffic was minimal and the joy
of riding a motorcycle very invigorating and “being young once more”! On the
way we saw some low mist crossing the road and I learnt that a ghost had been
sighted in this stretch . It was already
dark when we reached the beach but the lighted shacks, the food and the music was
so much fun.
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| AT BENAULIM BEACH |
Goa is a fun place and the
the gentleness of the place infectious. I promise myself a longer trip soon .
