Fun, sand and the sunny people of Goa
Being a journalist for close to half a century, I have done a fair bit of travelling around the world, and within my own country, India. Which are my favourite places? Scenically, there’s little to beat Hawaii with its spectacular beaches, some of them ideal for surfing and one where the sand is jet-black because of a near-by active volcano. I did my first snorkelling at a bay near the fabulous Kahala Hilton Hotel, which has its own dolphins. Most unusual! The climate in Hawaii is the same all-year round, nice and warm with the occasional light rain. Then, Rio de Janeiro and Capetown are both breathtakingly beautiful, with their respective Sugar Loaf and Table mountains, looking down into the blue ocean. For those who like history and monuments, there is Venice and Istanbul. But for sheer enchantment that combines the land, the people, the food and drink, my favourite is Goa.
I first went there in the mid-1960s, on my initial reporting assignment for the the I was just 24 and instantly fell in love with the place. It has a unique mix of cultures that was immediately captivating. I was covering an ‘Opinion Poll’ that was being held in the territory. A few years earlier, Indian troops had marched into Goa, the only part of India then still under foreign rule, that of the Portuguese, who had come there over three centuries earlier. Though there were some Portuguese soldiers in Goa at that time, they offered little resistance to the Indian army. After the “liberation”, the Goans had to decide whether they wanted to be part of the adjoining state of Maharashtra, or have an identity of their own and be more autonomous, as part of a union territory. To everybody’s surprise they opted for union territory (Goa is now a separate state within the Indian union).
About 25 years ago, after many visits to Goa, I decided to buy a tiny, one-bedroom flat in south Goa, near a beautiful beach called Colva. I had earlier swum alongside a dolphin in the Colva waters and that decided that was exactly where in Goa I wanted to be. The property cost me the equivalent of just $8,000, affordable even for a journalist. It was the best investment I have ever made.
What explains Goa’s unique charm? Firstly, its people. They are the most friendly, easy-going, and tolerant that I have ever met. The total population of Goa is a little more than one million, around 60 per cent being Hindu, 35 per cent Roman Catholic, and five per cent Muslim. Goa has the highest literacy rate in India, after Kerala. The Catholics reside mostly along the coast, since the sea-faring Portuguese first established themselves there, before moving into the interior. Hence, the main churches and chapels are in the villages and towns close to the sea, while the Hindu temples and mosques are further inland.
The most famous Hindu shrine is the Mangueshi temple, where the ancestral family of India’s most popular singer, Lata Mangeshkar, comes from. It probably attracts the largest number of visitors in Goa, mostly Hindu pilgrims from outside the State. Other notable Goans include the late Indian test cricketer, Dilip Sardesai and artists V.S. Gaitonde and F.A. Souza (their works sell for millions of dollars). Except for the years of the “Inquisition”, when non-Catholics were persecuted, Christians, Hindus and Muslims have lived amicably in Goa. Hindus visit churches and Christians go to temples. The party in power is the Hindu- nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), yet even the minority Catholics have little to complain about the administration.
Christmas is the biggest festival of the year in Goa and is celebrated all over the territory. It is my favourite time of the year to be in Goa, as it is for the one million tourists, foreign and domestic, who come in droves to the place, by plane, ship, train, bus and car, every year. The weather then is marvellously balmy, especially for Europeans escaping their usually harsh winter. Russians, in particular, love Goa and most of the restaurants and hotels they frequent, have menus in Russian. The food and drink is relatively cheap — and food means mainly seafood: Several varieties of fish (Sea Bass being my personal favourite), shrimps, crabs, calamari and lobsters are available in the markets. Beef is difficult to get in most parts of India now, thanks to bans introduced by many Indian states. Not in Goa, however, where it is widely served. I must admit I come to Goa, partly for the beef, which I cannot get in Delhi or Mumbai.
Lest this read as a PR handout by the Goa administration, let me add that there are some clouds on the horizon. The ambiance, inexpensive cost of food and accommodation has attracted a lot of outsiders, particularly from north India. Many of them have bought a “second home” in Goa. Some are boorish and insensitive to local feelings. They have caused resentment among the normally tolerant Goans, even a certain amount of hostility. But I have enough faith in the goodwill and understanding of Goans that I am sure those clouds will soon disperse.
Goans are the most friendly, easygoing, and tolerant that I have ever met