NOSTALGIC GOA

From a dream that little Johnny got to becoming  the great saint DON BOSCO. ,It was all for the love of youth. .. Don Bosco loved the youth  .  Shaping young people was his dream.. .so he set up oratory in Italy for children who were a part of streets and slums and in this way Don Bosco institutions started. ..  Don Bosco institution Panjim was established in 1946, Opening gates to the poor children back in 1950's ,giving children of Goa a A grade education, along with knowledge of music ,skills on ground and devotion to lord My father studied in Boscos and as the tradition even if was sent to the same school .  Eight years in this prestigious institution have shaped me as a person I am  Don Bosco Panjim will always be special for me 

Sao Joao or São João is a Catholic festival celebrated in Goa in an unusual manner, with devotees leaping into, and swimming in, domestic drinking  water wells, as a form of tribute to  St. John the Baptist . It is organised on June 24 each year. This festival is a significance of St John the Baptist jumping in the womb of his mother when  mother Mary came to visit her  People every year eagerly wait for this festival where there's no end to the fun .... .. .Everybody enjoys wholeheartedly without being worried about anything But in my opinion the way these people celebrate this festival is really wrong ... Some of them don't even attend the mass ,some don't even know why do we celebrate it with water. I still remember when I was small my father used to take me to church every year but we didn't celebrate like this some mad people do  But it is their choice how they wanna do it so it doesn't matter. But it would be good if we celebrated it in proper way

Brahmanand Sagoon Kamat Sankhwalkar (born 6 March 1954)in Goa Taligao,  is a former  Indian footballer  and a captain of the  Indian team from 1983 to 1986, who played as a  goalkeeper .  Considered one of India's best goalkeepers, he had 25-year playing career. He played for Panvel Sports Club,  Salgaocar ,  Churchill Brothers , Anderson Mariners at the club level, that included 17 years with Salgaocar, and for  Goa state team  in the  Santosh Trophy . Playing for Goa, he led the team to two consecutive wins at the Santosh Trophy; in 1983 and 1984. Having maintained a clean sheet of 576 minutes in the 1984 tournament, he holds the Indian record. source:Wikipedia 

Gaudas , kunbis , Velip and Dhanger are the major triple communities of Goa. In our village there is a large community of Gaudas. Their main occupation is farming and sheep rearing but over time they have also learned the techniques of morden fishing. They are all mostly Hindus but they have surnames like dias , pereira etc. since their ancestors were Christians converts by the Portuguese. It is said that in the year 1928 an hindu organisation from bombay came to Goa to re-convert the people who were converted to Christianity. So many Christian Gaudas from our village and from all over Goa were re converted to Hinduism by going against the Portuguese govt. Since the Portuguese government was against this they brought hurdles to stop it and also did not accept the change in the name of the people. So till date the surnames of the Gaudas have remained the same. But nowadays there is full liberty for the people to change their name and some of them have done it. But most of them hav

Goa is a land gifted with beauty, nature and scenery, with land almost everywhere which gives us goans an opportunity to grow our own farm fresh food. May it be fruits, vegetables or any crop. Due to this FARMING has been an important occupation in Goa. We goans are mostly dealing with either farming or fishing. Farming is not just a job; it’s a way of life. Having the best rainfall is another advantage. In olden days it was very common that every single household had a piece of land which was cultivated by not only them but their whole family together. The crops were farm fresh and there was no chemical or harm to us. But nowadays this tradition of farming is lost. Todays generation has ignored farming and its importance. We have fruits and vegetables from the market. Not that they are not fresh, but some are injected with chemicals and we consume all these chemicals. In Goa during monsoon rice is cultivated. Rice being the staple food of  Goa it is important that we know more

  The feast of Our Lord Redeemer, normally held on the third Sunday of November, is celebrated with deep religious fervour by all the inhabitants of the island, irrespective of their religious affiliation.For this day, all the members who have otherwise migrated to other places, return to their ancestral homes on the island. A festive lunch is normally hosted for the villagers and the visitors by the celebrant(s) of the feast. The history of the arrival of this statue is obscure. While there are versions of this legend which are more reliable, I shall give my version on the subject, a country version confirmed as an authentic legend by those still surviving 90. There once was a villager named Caetano Ferrao whose house was the same premises where today this Chapel stands. He worked for a sculpting firm in Sicily. After 27 years of service, he was to return home for good. He had made up his mind to take home one of the products of his own making and worked on his personal masterpie

Just imagine staying in panjim and being called a Maharashtran or Marathi , what if you and me had no liberty to be known as GOANS ,What if my n yours identity and the identity of our beautiful state GOA and it's uniqueness would be merged with our neighbouring state. All these thoughts may scare u but all this was a certain possibility back in 1967 When  Maharashtrawadi Gomantak party won 1963 elections and Dayanand  became first chief minister of Goa daman and diu   and Dr. Jack de sequeira became leader of opposition party Soon after this  Bandodkar wanted a merger with Maharashtra, and on January 22, 1965, the MGP stated this resolve in the Assembly. On March 10, the Maharashtra Assembly passed a resolution in favour of a merger..  On 17 April, United Goans party along with their leader jack de sequeira held a strong protest in margao opposing to the decision of merger with Maharashtra . After which Dr Jack de sequeira went to meet then prime minister pandit Jawaharl

It is always a pleasure to see ripe, yellow, aromatic mangoes heaped in the market amid the sweltering heat. The sweet mangoes down the parched throats feel refreshing and cooling. Mango cultivation is a bankable project because it may take 5-8 years to start bearing fruits but would do so for the next few centuries or till the tree is cut- whichever is earlier.

MIRAMAR miramar is one of my favourite places in Goa. It is most famous popular place in goa known for its beaches. I like to visit Miramar with my friends and family on weekends. Miramar Beach is situated 3 kms from Panaji in North Goa. A lovely golden beach of soft sand girdled with palm trees facing the blue Arabian Sea, is the nearest to Panaji. Miramar is an urban beach where the Mandovi River meets the Arabian Sea. It is not a safe beach .  While at the Miramar Beach one can visit Dhempe College of Arts and Science, the memorial to Goa's first chief minister and other places that are worth a visit. Another attraction nearby is Aguada Fort. One can have an excellent view of Fort Aguada from the beach across the river. its my favourite beach.

The word Tiatr comes from the Portuguese word for theatre (teatro). It is a type of Goan konkani drama which includes dancing, singing, music and acting. It is very popular in Goa on the west coast of Indian as well as Mumbai, and with a lot of people migrating to foreign land Tiatr has also gained appreciation in places like London, the middle East and other cities where konkani speaker's have a considerable presence. Just two years back on April 17th 2017 tiatr completed it's 125th year anniversary and the following year workshops were held for school students to instil in them the love for Tiatr and to teach them the skills of writing and staging a good Tiatr so that we could carry on this unique form of art in the future. I was also a part of a two week theatre workshop from which I learned a lot of things like how to write a Tiatr(play), stage set up, how to write songs and sing it inbetween the pordhe(acts) and I got to know a lot about the history of Tiatr. Th

Imagine, if one day you sat to have food   and your mom said " Aiz Kodi na " Won't that be hard to believe ??  As a goan, fish curry rice is the prime items of our meals everyday. Goans just love their prawn n okra curry, specially when it's cooked in the earthen pot (kennel)                                                                    The  Earthen Pot It is believed that if the curry is simmered in the earthen pots, the curry gets a bit earthy flavour which makes the taste irresistible for goan taste buds .As compared to other utensils ,cooking in earthen pots is also considered to be healthy... Usage of such kind of pots keeps us connected to our roots , giving up these practices would be like forgetting all the valuable tradition .. ..                                                                  Prawn curry  in kunnem Everyone has their own recipes but what makes us all same is that we use the same kunnem from generation to generation .

The Raj Bhavan is a residential palace and fort situated in Dona Paula,Goa. It was known by the name "Palacio do Cabo" until it gained official status as the residence of the govenor of Goa. It is said that the palace was built between the 16th and 17th century by the Portuguese. Since the Portuguese belived in the motto "God, Glory and Gold" they built a church inside the palace which is dedicated to Our Lady Of The Cape and the feast of which is celebrated annually on 15th August. The church was looked after by the priests of different orders (Jesuits, Dominicans ,Franciscan) who also had a convent(Franciscan) attached to the  church. Since the fort was a safe heaven, it was later controlled by the priests without any military help and later on it became a temporary guest house for the archbishop, who was in most cases the governor. But in the mid 18th century the Jesuit priests who looked after the whole fort were forced to move out of the palace

GOAN FISHERS.. fishing is art and profession. Goa is very rich in fishing. Fishing being one of most important occupations of goan people.

  One legacy of the long period of Portuguese colonization which is still quite in evidence and in everyday use is the magnificent architecture of the traditional mansions of the Goan gentry. Goa can perhaps claim to be the only place on the subcontinent where houses dating back to the 1700s are still in pristine condition and still inhabited by generations of the original owners.    These mansions were built in an era which saw the Portuguese raking in a handsome profit from their trading colonies in Africa and South America. Interestingly, the owners were not usually Portuguese noblemen, but wealthy Goan merchants and high-ranking officials who were granted land by the Portuguese. The materials and techniques for the construction of such houses was usually local while the furnishings and decorations came from all around the world. The walls and pillars were built of red laterite stone and local wood while the roof was overlai with terracotta roof tiles from Mangalore. Insid

  “Music is the harmony of the heart. Brass music became a part of the Goan culture though it was brought by the Portuguese,”Brass bands hold a beloved place in the Goan heart – for Catholic funerals, order for village feasts, for carnivals of every kind The fact that players in Goa can at best hope to earn about Rs 600 per performance only partially explains why the glitter of brass instruments has failed to draw young musicians into the orchestra. Tony Fernandes, who plays the trombone for the Goa police band, explains simply that brass is not “in.” “That’s because youngsters think it’s old-fashioned to be blowing a trumpet, saxophone or a clarinet. For them, it’s more mod, and hence attractive to strum a sleek electronic guitar or play the keyboards,”         Jose Cotta, 44, isn’t nearly as optimistic. A musician based in the village of Santa Cruz, he blames modern music gadgetry like the synthesiser for strangulating brass bands. “It is killing traditional music

The Basilica of Bom Jesus or Borea Jezuchi Bajilika (Basílica do Bom Jesus) is located in Goa,India and is a UNESCO world Heritage Site. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. The church is located in Old Goa which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rules. Bom Jesus' is the name used for the Ecce homo  in the countries of Portuguese colonization. The Jesuit church is India’s first minor Basilica, and is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India. This church belongs to our goicho saib, St. Francis Xavier. On 3rd December people from all over the world come to experience the spiritual bonding with the saint on feast day. This church is also an amazing part of goan tourism.

Early in the morning at around 6o'clock I wake up by this sound Ponku Ponku.. .It is the sound of no bell nor vehicle,it is the sound of the honking of the horn made by the neighbourhood baker (Poder) announcing his arrival in the village on his bicycle. The poder delivers variety of freshly baked, hot breads like the paõ (soft bread) undo (crispy bread) poie (whole wheat bread) and not to forget the kakon(bangle shaped crispy bread)at our doorsteps 2 times a day (morning and evening). All this has become like a part of my life,without listening  the honking of the poders horn I don't get up in the morning. Bread making is one of the traditional business of Goa. It is an art, legacy which was granted by the Portuguese to the Goan people. Since then it is been carried on for centuries. Bread making is not just a business it has become an identity of Goans. My brother who is a seafarer told me that people abroad call him and every other Goan "paõ" because we

'Myths' ... Well people talk about myths most of the time....but who knows it better then our granny's and grandpa's....this is the topic which they have a lot to speak on...when asked about it, the interest they take in explaining, increases our curiosity to know what happened next. So why not lets talk about it now. I have a beautiful picture to share with you'll. This is the Arc located in Dhaddo,Corlim . It  is said that this arc was built by the Paulisth's in the ancient time. You may wonder who Paulisth are. No worries, I'll tell  you'll, they are humans like us but they have a tail. It is said that they complete their work within one night. Must say that they are creative too and this arc says it all.

Divar is an amazing  place filled with nature to admire. The silence in this place gives peace and calmness to one's mind. Its beauty is indescribable. Divar is also famous for its various festivals. Two of the popular festivals are Bonderam and Potekar. Bonderam is a carnival that takes place every fourth Saturday of August, when each part of the village takes out their floats for the parade. Potekar, like Hallowe en, is celebrated three days before Lent and is a spectacle where locals roam around wearing handmade masks and bells!