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TOURISTS COME TO GOA TO PARTY, TRACING THE ROUTE FROM ADIL SHAH TO CANNES By Joseph Zuzarte [EMAIL PROTECTED] Since the consensus in the public at large seems to be to convert the old Adil Shah Palace into some kind of a tourist attraction, it is necessary that the government does the right thing. A museum would be a dead attraction at that kind of location. Tourists come to Goa to party. Besides, except for a few interesting tidbits, there are no great museum pieces here. You only have to go to the Patto museum to see that. The riverfront is for all practical purposes already a tourist promenade, and using the Palace to house something like the archives department would be against character. I have been to the archives in Mala many times in the last few months. People throng there from all nooks and corners of Goa to find their old documents. It is probably best left where it is. With due respect to the former sanctity of the Palace, it might be a better idea to convert it into an entertainment centre which will blend in with the riverfront action all around in that area. Something on the lines of Cannes where there are the various 'Palaises' for film festivals, casinos, nightclubs, etc. For example, it could be called 'Festival of Goa'. I recently visited the Palace and it is quite a huge place, with a few cavernous halls, nice wooden floors, an inner courtyard, and an absolutely grand-standing location. The Festival of Goa could be conceived as a 'Living Museum', showcasing various facets of Goan life. Food is one of the most vibrant expressions of a culture and is a great indicator of the trajectory a culture has taken. Goan food is no different. There could be a number of restaurants in the palace serving all the different Goan cuisines. For example, there's the famous Goan Catholic cuisine represented by such dishes like pork sorpotel, the Saraswat Hindu cuisine, plus sea food delicacies and the various tribal dishes. Western powers like the Portuguese after all had come East initially for the spices and also introduced to India fruits and vegetables like the cashew, jackfruit, the tomato, and many others. Thus the restaurants could also serve a treat in history. Any good restaurant consultant could help the government in conceptualising such a restaurant. Goan food is an adventure in itself and has been cross-pollinated by a number of influences. Chicken Cafreal, one of the most popular dishes in Goa today, came back with the Goan settlers who had moved to serve with the Portuguese in Africa. It's originally an African dish, but has today acquired a Goan identity. Fish Recheado is also quite uniquely Goan. The Goan big red chillies -- Kashmiri chillies as they're known here -- are sought after by most leading Chinese chefs throughout India for their special pungency which replicates the fiery sparkle of Szechuan cuisine. So there's a Chinese connection there somewhere, possibly via Macau. Besides food, the Festival of Goa could also have a taverna serving some of the Goan beverages like feni, port wine an the various other wines and liqeurs made from sundry fruits all over Goa. Even kokum. But only the finest feni should be served, preferably from the cashew farm high on the upper slopes of Vageri Hill, one of the tallest mountains in Goa (near Valpoi), and it should not be adulterated. Considering that Goa today allows gaming casinos, there could also be a gaming room. In keeping with the long political history of the Palace, international gaming consultants can be asked to create special political toppling games and such like featuring intrigue, scams, scandals, corruption, toppling, defectors, money-bags, chief ministerial aspirants, suckers, besides centrally-appointed governors, observers, bureaucrats and also local agit-prop crusaders, NGOs, police and all the other elements which make up the political circus in Goa. No entertainment centre can be complete with music. Goa is synonymous with good music and has produced a number of leading musicians including Lata Mangeshkar, Kishori Amonkar, Shobha Gurtu (and her son Trilok Gurtu, a Downbeat award winner, whose favourite holiday spot is Goa), besides some pop singers. There's our very own Konkani cantaram, tiatrs, lok sangeets, devotional music, fugdis, mandos and many other forms. All of them can be lined up everyday at the Festival of Goa. There should also be a special section demonstrating the evolution of Goa Trance in Goa, considering this form of music attracts the highest number of tourists to Goa. Of course, consumption of drugs could perhaps not be permitted. No Festival of Goa can be complete without some of our dances. The Catholics have made many of the Western dances like the fox-trot, waltz, sambas, etc, an integral part of their culture. One of the existing halls could be made into a ballroom for that Goan dance experience. There could be things like 'Learn the cha-cha-cha' in one hour for the wide-eyed tourists from Orissa or wherever it is that they will be coming from. Besides of course all the other traditional dances of Goa. There could even be political musical chairs set to the music of some of the Konkani songs about our duplicitous politicians, using the old, real ministerial chairs. Though, of course, that might be stretching things a bit. All of the above can also be combined in innovative ways. For example, there could be laments of 'supper theatre', wherein people get to eat some food while at the same time watching some theatrical action. The Taverna within the palace could be used to promote Goan liquor manufacturers. All kinds of spices and masalas could be sold at a retail outlet. There could be a take-away section for those who would like to take their food and eat it in the great outdoors alongside the lovely Mandovi. There could be a bakery and confectionery outlet selling all kinds of Goan breads and sweets. The fame of the 'poi' has travelled very far, but I personally these days am enamoured by the 'katri pao' which to my mind combines the delicate flavours of a roti and a pita bread. Everything should be wholesome entertainment for the entire family, and there should be a ticket to simply enter the place, which will keep the riff-raff away. But things like handicrafts and those kind of things should be left out since the focus has to be on entertainment. There couldn't be a better interactive experience for those visiting Goa. They will get to party the real Goan way while at the same time experiencing the unique cultural fusion that the palace on the banks of the Mandovi symbolises. Besides, only a Festival of Goa Palace can help us compete with Cannes, since that's what our netas (or rather aya rams) have in mind for us. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOANET-READER WELCOMES contributions from its readers, by way of essays, reviews, features and think-pieces. We share quality Goa-related writing among the 7000-strong readership of the Goanet/Goanet-news network of mailing lists. If you appreciated the thoughts expressed above, please send in your feedback to the writer. Our writers write -- or share what they have written -- pro bono, and deserve hearing back from those who appreciate their work. 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