Thanks for sharing this FN. The review is by Sameer Kumar on his book review website. https://booksfirst.in Brian D'Souza knows him and shared it on GWG, however the review is written by Sameer Kumar. I saw it posted on LinkedIn.
On Sat, 16 Mar 2024 at 23:08, Frederick Noronha <[email protected]> wrote: > Book Review: Becoming Goan – A Contemporary Coming-Home Story > > Goa. For a lot of people, it’s their idea of paradise. White beaches. Blue > water. Cocktails and a balmy sea breeze. Snoozy, lazy days. Parties in the > night. A relaxed, chilled-out Goan lifestyle that’s a world away from the > helter-skelter of a Delhi or a Mumbai. That’s the dream, right? Sure, and > for a lucky few, that’s exactly how things might work out. For many others > though, the reality of Goa might be a bit different. If you’ve always > thought about what it takes to truly become Goan, Michelle Mendonça > Bambawale’s book, *Becoming Goan <https://amzn.to/3V6bAwP>*, gives you > the lowdown on what it’s like. ‘In June 2020, Michelle found herself moving > to the 160-year-old house she had inherited in Siolim, a village in North > Goa, with her human and canine family. Having never lived in Goa before, > she couldn’t help but wonder if her Goan ancestry made her an insider or if > she would forever remain an outsider. In this memoir, she confronts her > complex relationship with her Goan Catholic heritage and explores themes of > identity, culture, migration, stereotypes and labels,’ says the publisher’s > note. ‘She also takes us back to Siolim and Goa <https://amzn.to/4a73XKE> of > the 1970s and 1980s, where she spent her summer vacations, without paved > roads or electricity, pulling water from a well. Today, she dodges reeking > septic tankers, earth movers and piling plastic garbage while walking her > Labrador, Haruki. *Becoming Goan* is a heartfelt and charming story of > Michelle’s love for this land that her grandparents left her,’ it adds. > > Born in Pune in 1966, Michelle moved to Bombay <https://amzn.to/49BbX6V> in > the mid-1980s to study and went on to work in advertising, with Ogilvy. She > got married in 1989 and later moved to Dubai with her husband, where she > spent a good ten years, after which they also spent a few years in Thailand > and in the UK. They came back to India in 2011 and the plan was to continue > working in Delhi/Mumbai for a few years before finally retiring and moving > to Goa <https://amzn.to/4a0aIxK>. However, the Covid-19 pandemic happened > and the family relocated to Goa in 2020. ‘I was looking to find safety in a > place my grandparents had left. Over the years, coming to this house has > given me a sense of belonging. I feel a connection to a culture that was > familiar, yet alien,’ she says, adding that she’s always had a complicated > relationship with her Goan lineage as she’d never lived in Goa full-time > and neither did she speak Konkani. The latter, she says, is ‘tragic, as > language is the key to a culture. In any case, they moved to the house her > grandfather built in Siolim back in 1859, which Michelle and her husband > had extended and modified (in order to add contemporary creature comforts, > while keeping intact the basic structure of the old house) in 2009. > Christened ‘Casa Mendonca,’ this would now be the family’s permanent home > in Goa. > > Michelle writes about having to search for her true identity once she’s in > Goa <https://amzn.to/49Kort0>. She struggles with finding answers to > questions about whether she really belongs there and if she’s a ‘real’ > Goan, or an outsider who has returned to her ‘native place’ after spending > years in various cities around the world. She also feels some pressure of > getting her memoir – her Goa story – just right, since it would entail the > responsibility of documenting the current state of Siolim, and Goa, itself. > But she seems to relish the challenge and wades in with gusto. There are > some hard questions that must be answered. For example, will the Goan > identity survive in contemporary Goa? What is unique – and special – about > Goa and about Goans themselves? And then there is the village of Siolim > itself, with all its stories and legends, the way things used to be in the > Goa <https://amzn.to/3T6sKb3> of the 1970s-80s and how things have > changed and evolved (and brought chaos to Goa in the process), Portuguese > property laws, how these are still in effect in Goa and how they make > things complex for those who are either inheriting property there, or wish > to buy a house in Goa, the challenges of managing a house in Goa (which > includes dealing with assorted wild animals and creepy-crawlies), > understanding Goan celebrations and local traditions, and more. > > Michelle’s memoir is quite the eye-opener and makes it clear that romantic > notions associated with living in ‘an old Portuguese house in Goa’ aside, > the Goan dream might not be for everyone in the actual, real world. Some of > that is, of course, due to overcrowding and the fact that the place seems > to have been run over by hordes of uncaring tourists. ‘The current > amalgamation of cultures is moving from Goan <https://amzn.to/3PgSMau> and > Portuguese to Bollywood on one hand and globalized capitalism on the other. > You can hear loud bhangra beats in shacks, dished up with generous helpings > of chicken *tikka*, served with a side of *mutter-paneer*,’ says > Michelle. Older Goans complain about unpredictable and frequent power > outages, exorbitant prices, rampant corruption, dirty and overcrowded > streets, and even hordes of rampaging monkeys who destroy roof tiles and > damage trees and other plants. Those Goans whose parents or grandparents > were born in Goa before 1961 are eligible for Portuguese citizenship; some > of them have a Portuguese passport and want to sell their ancestral > land/home, and relocate. It’s a state of social and cultural influx – the > locals want to move out, while swathes of ‘outsiders’ want to buy property > in Goa and move in. Michelle says it’s hard for her to identify with one or > the other of these two and that she doesn’t know whom to identify with. ‘I > was caught in the middle, defending Goans <https://amzn.to/43ctLCN> to > everyone else and defending outsiders to Goans,’ she says. > > Goa is certainly India’s favourite party town and that party, says > Michelle, started in the early-1950s when the first starred hotel in Goa > opened up. In the 1960s, Goa <https://amzn.to/3wMf4dL> attracted hippies > <https://booksfirst.in/2023/02/20/on-the-hippie-trail-part-i/> from > across the world, complete with their psychedelic clothing, music, drugs > and liberal attitudes towards sex. And indeed, Goa back then – with its > serene, secluded beaches, quiet villages and the simple life – really must > have been the closest one could get to paradise while still being alive. > Things started changing in the mid-1970s and early-1980s, when big-name > hotel chains set up shop in Goa, ultimately paving the way for mass tourism > and completely changing its earlier European/Portuguese vibe to one that > more closely matches that of the rest of India <https://amzn.to/3Tx3LPG>. > The answer to whether that’s unfortunate or an inevitable part of > ‘progress’ depends on whom you ask. And while we’re trying to figure out > that, the Israelis and the Russians have muscled their way in and have > ‘colonized’ parts of North Goa – things have gotten to the point where some > restaurants now don’t even allow Indians to enter their premises – only > Russians are allowed entry. If that weren’t enough already, word on the > street is that the Sudanese and the Nigerians are beginning to get in on > the act and are now dabbling in drugs and weapons right alongside the > Russians. More? There’s illegal sand mining, gambling, floating casinos… > you get the drift. > > All is not gloom and doom, though. Michelle, in her eloquent manner, > writes about Goans’ love for their land even if they have to migrate to > other places for higher studies and/or to find jobs. And of the laidback, > Goan <https://amzn.to/48OKZYm> way of doing things (‘why do today what > you can do tomorrow?!’), their relaxed attitudes towards mundane things > like punctuality, their suspicion of every car that does not bear a Goa > numberplate, their need to eat fish at least five (if not seven) days a > week and their distrust of all outsiders. One of the best parts of the book > is where she describes her holidays in Goa <https://amzn.to/3v39naK> in > the 1970s-80s, which makes you wish Goa had remained the way it was. ‘In > the 1970s, Siolim was truly pastoral – coconut trees and fields, a few > grand old houses, hills to climb and backwaters to explore. Over the last > fifty-seven years of my life, other than the church and the Chapora river, > everything else has changed,’ says Michelle. She writes of her memories of > Mapusa market, which she used to visit for Goan sausages, cashew nuts, > puffs and *doce*, *falooda* and assorted trinkets. ‘We often ventured out > and took buses everywhere. Taxis were very few and unaffordable, and the > travel took half the day, but we didn’t care – it was an expedition and we > had plenty of time,’ says Michelle and notes that then, as now, these buses > run totally packed and smell of ‘stale sweat, fresh fish, dried chillies > and other special Goan aromas.’ > > Over 275-odd pages, Michelle paints an exquisite picture of Goa – her Goa, > your Goa, the Goa of tourists’ dreams, the Goa of its long-term inhabitants > and many others. In this, she is able to give you a clear idea of what it > was like to live in Goa <https://amzn.to/4a2yMAg> 50 years ago, how > things have changed, and what’s good, bad and ugly – take it or leave it. > She writes wistfully about the wide open spaces, the fields and the fruit > trees that were once everywhere and which are now much harder to find. And > she wonders if Goa’s beaches and its unique flora and fauna will survive > and whether it’ll all still be around for her children and their children > to enjoy. In the future, will Goa be all about gentrified gated > communities, luxury villas and golf courses, she wonders. However, she ends > the book on a hopeful note, underlining the fact that this is a land worth > fighting for and that we must strive to preserve Goa’s environment and > ecology while enjoying its undeniable charms. Her stories are wonderful and > are told with the elan of a talented writer. For anyone who’s in love with > Goa and who’s ever thought of moving to this magical place, you certainly > won’t regret getting a copy of this book. > > > *Becoming Goan: A Contemporary Coming-Home Story > <https://amzn.to/3V6bAwP>Author: *Michelle Mendonca Bambawale > <https://www.instagram.com/michelleinsiolim/> > *Publisher: *Penguin India <https://www.penguin.co.in/book/becoming-goan/> > *Format: *Paperback / Kindle > *Number of pages: *288 / 278 > *Price: *Rs 299 / Rs 288 > *Available on Amazon <https://amzn.to/3V6bAwP>* > > > > https://booksfirst.in/2024/03/09/book-review-becoming-goan-a-contemporary-coming-home-story/ > > -- > *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Goa Book Club" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAMCR53LSoJLAfeJ%3D4SnGaoTaZ8xmdcV9HQE774UyjmZZ97Pyig%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAMCR53LSoJLAfeJ%3D4SnGaoTaZ8xmdcV9HQE774UyjmZZ97Pyig%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Goa Book Club" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAO%2BEfC1sYek4oEOruJ7HREBggGhLu2qW7HTx1RJ2PQn1HSbThA%40mail.gmail.com.
