The Obscure Goa

This article is about Goa. However there are a few things that need to be clarified.

Firstly, all of these small facts came to me from a young man who spent a few years in Goa, came to love it, and saw Goa in different perspectives. The views are not necessarily my own.

Secondly, the person explored Goa and brought to me several mementos…. but not all. Therefore I cannot vouch for the authenticity of all of the stories here.

1. The State of Goa gets its name from the word ‘Govarasthra’ , meaning the land pf cows and cowherds. However, the boy quickly realized that milk in Goa is expensive and is supplied by the ‘Nandini Dairy’ of Karnataka. Further research led to the finding that Goa was named after the “GWA” or “GUA” grass that grew on the coastal marshy edges, and the Portuguese called the land Gwa, the British changed it to Goa. I can not vouch for this theory, but sounds interesting.

2. Goa is known for its beaches, but Goa has more rivers than many other States. Granted, not all of them are big and grand rivers, but they are rivers all the same, which meet the sea in marshy tracts. The larger rivers are the Zuari, the Mapusa, the Mandovi . The smaller ones like the Setsia and the Ranas are no larger than creeks. They are beautiful, though and worth a visit.

3 Goa grows a few varieties of very sweet mangoes. This fact I can vouch for, because I ate them every summer. The names, as far as I can recall are Mankurad and Fernandin. Both are smallish red and yellow mangoes very similar to the ‘sindur kouta’ of Bengal. Excellent mangoes, which always left me wondering why the State did not promote these two varieties. Next time you are in Goa in summer, do taste these mangoes.

3. Goa has sand, but has a red lateritic soil which is found on the slightly higher level than the beach….on the plateau tops and the escarpments coming down to the flat flood plains. This part of Goa, the young man said, is really beautiful and unspoiled. There is hardly any tourist trade here and the forests of teak and sal on a moonlit night can be ethereal with the forest floor bathed in the dappled silver light. This is particularly true in the forests of Morle and Shigga.

4. Now, this fact is obscure and I can find no one to vouch for it. Laurie Baker, a famous architect built a small low-cost hut for an old village lady. The hut I was told is an architectural marvel. It has a thatched roof, built on bamboo pillars. There is a natural skylight for the heat to escape and the diffused sunlight to come in. The inside of the hut is as cool as air-conditioned, and a central courtyard allows total circulation of air. However,I have some sketches of this hut in a remote South Goa village. The old lady is called Thankamma and she ” is a very good cook”.

5. Goa, I was told is a land of Forts. There are several forts and some citadels. All of them are in a state of disrepair, and is open for anyone to walk in. The more famous ones like the Aguda Fort and the Tiracol Fort attract a fair number of tourists. The smaller ones on the plateau top are unknown, sometimes unnamed and I was told ‘fascinating’. There is even a fort called Cabo da Rama, after the mythological Ram of the ‘Ramayana’. Ram took shelter in Goa, and the fort was built for him. All the forts exhibit excellent brick-work and water-supply system.

6. Can not miss the Feni (Fenny) of Goa. What you may not know is that Feni is totally country liquor. And for this same reason, is not for sale outside the State of Goa. The young man clearly told me that Feni can be made from cashew nuts or from coconuts. Southern Goa grows more coconuts and therefore makes coconut Feni, and Northern Goa grows cashew nuts to make Kaju Feni. This lad brought some of this Feni to me. Very potent, very fiery. Ideally to be mixed with a sweet juice. However, I was given to understand that this stuff “is had all the time…..plain”. The so called ‘branded’ ones are “Reals” and “Big Boss”. Make a note…. Sattari tehsil has the best Feni.

7. I have had this very peculiar samosa called ‘egg samosa’ brought all the way from Goa. It is like no other samosa I have ever tasted. These are small flattish ones, filled with ‘egg bhurji’. Spicy, but tasty. These I was told are available at a small restaurant in Panjim called “Sartaj”. From the same shop was brought to me (in a flask) the lime juice-soda that they make. Though every time I have had this, the soda had gone flat, I will agree that for a commercial lime juice this is the best I have ever had. Quite near to Gatorade.. “Sartaj”, I was told “does a mean Biriyani and a potato bake”. Sartaj, I suppose is worth a visit.

8. Christmas time, this young man got us bebinca and dodols and guava cheese. Much traveled and much treasured these used to come to us a little squashed, but they were much awaited. I was told Pasteria in Panjim, and George’s in Panjim made the best bebincas. I never knew which packet came from which shop, as they were all wrapped in brown-paper, but these are delicious Goan desserts which should not be missed.

9. This lad often talked about the flea-markets of Mapusa (Friday Market) or of Anjuna (Wednesday Market) where everything from clothes to books to T shirts could be bought. These markets had live music and Goan women brought to the market their local cuisine. A plate of Goan fish-curry and rice could be had for Rs. 30. I do not remember much what this guy told me about these markets, except that the both times he went, his pocket was picked !!! But these markets sell Goan pork sausages with poee (bread or pau) which is not available in any shop.

10. The two bookshops I constantly heard about was Broadway at Panjim. These people let their customers browse and read with comfort. To boot, they keep the book aside if you want to come back the next day. The other book shop this boy frequented was Literatti at Calangute. This shop was a little way out for my resource person, but there was the owner Divya Kapur (I think I have the name right) who served chilled kokum juice and cold coffee for customers who spent the day there. Of course, at a price.

11. I was told with great emphasis that Goa had the most beautiful churches, and I never had any reason to disbelieve. Francis Xavier, the Basilica, the Don Bosco Church ….. I heard of so many. What impressed this boy was the complete and total 4 voice choir at St. Inez at Panjim and a Latin Mass at 7am in a small obscure Church in North Goa. I last heard a full Mass in Latin about 40 years back in a Chapel in Darjeeling. Not only for the architectural value, I do believe that a Full Mass in a Goan Church is not to be missed……specially a Sunday Mass.

12. A small item. A small bottle of home made chepnim (mango pickle) and a small bottle of prawn balachao was brought by this young man. Home made by one Auntie. I think most Goan homes make these. Try to scout around and buy some. Taste some. Enjoy.!!!!

Not all these are my views or my take on Goa. It is just that these interesting topics do not seem to be discussed on general travel sites on Goa, and yet this lad shared his find with me, and I found the ‘finds’ interesting.

Hope you can scout around for the obscure Goa, next time you go there.