Pulling into Goa on a steamer from Bombay, one morning soon after Goa ceased to be Portugese India, I witnessed the symbolic transformation of our motherland. A large board atop a famous shop that read "Quexava Naique" for perhaps five decades, was being taken down, to be replaced by another that read "Keshav Naik''. I watched that switchover with more than a mere few tears. But today? O tempora! O Mores! That isn't Portugese, but it will do to express my anguish. - - - ___________________________________________________ Goa's ‘All is well’ approach to life ‘Susegad’ – which comes from the Portuguese word ‘sossegado’ for quiet – refers to the laidback attitude of Goans, who seem to live in a perennial state of contentment. By Charukesi Ramadurai nothing in Goa is open between 13:00 and 17:00: this seaside state in western India heaves a collective sigh of ‘susegad’ around lunchtime and switches off from the heat outside. The Indian state of Goa is known for ‘susegad’, its relaxed, laidback attitude. Susegad – which comes from the Portuguese word ‘sossegado’ for ‘quiet’ – refers to the laidback attitude of Goans, who seem to live in a perennial state of contentment. Perry Goes, a Goan living in Bengaluru in India's southern Karnataka state, told me, “Like siesta itself, susegad is born of an innate realisation that you cannot and should not fight the small things of life. Like on a hot, sultry, soporific summer afternoon, it is best to shut down and spend time in the shade. Otherwise, you won’t be able to enjoy the balmy summer evening that comes later.” Like other Goans, Goes uses the Spanish word siesta rather than the Portuguese sesta. Yet, susegad is much more than just taking a nap in the afternoons. “It is about living life at a slow pace, taking your ‘own sweet time’ about everything,” as Shekhar Vaidya, a marketing executive who was born and lived most of his adult life in Goa, explained. “After all, where is the hurry?” he added. It is about living life at a slow pace, taking your ‘own sweet time’ about everything. Susegad does not mean laziness or lack of interest in work, though, as Lobo was quick to point out. “As an outsider Goan or Bomoicar [as Bombay Goans are referred to], my biggest gripe is with how the word has been twisted and misconstrued to mean that Goans are lazy and laidback. That’s just not true. We work hard but also want to enjoy life,” she declared firmly. Goes had a similar reaction describing a family situation where he felt helpless. “Sometimes, the only thing to do good for my soul is to have a chilled beer and a good siesta. It is not sloth or laziness. It is deciding on what to fight for and what to give up on, and having the sense to decide between the two.” Stereotypes about various regions and communities flourish in India, each viewed with a modicum of suspicion and oodles of superiority by everyone else – from the loud and boisterous Punjabi to the cerebral and rabblerousing Bengali. But Goa, it is acknowledged, marches to the beat of its own drum. This state, which has one of the smallest populations in India (just more than 1.5 million), revels in a uniquely happy syncretism between Indian Hindu and Portuguese Catholic influences. It was only in 1961, a full 14 years after India gained independence from the British, that Goa ceased to be a Portuguese colony. Indeed, it is common in Goa to hear locals speak about India as though it were a county separate from their own, with which they have little in common. And the spirit of susegad is just one of the vestiges from the Portuguese period, in this land with a temperate, Mediterranean spirit. The Portuguese period is reflected in Goa’s culture, including its cuisine. Travellers will find the cuisine a delicate mix of Portuguese dishes married with coastal ingredients like coconut and pepper; even the ubiquitous spongy bread pao is a Portuguese import. If you walk around the Fontainhas area in Panaji, called Goa’s Latin Quarter, you’ll see classic Portuguese architecture, from churches to mansions. In fact, a few Goans have started restoration of old Portuguese mansions, keeping the traditional art and architecture intact; the Palacio do Deao in Quepem and Figueiredo House in Loutolim are now open to visitors. Vaidya explained that a mutual affinity between Goa and Portugal exists to this day. “Unlike the British who exploited Indian resources, the Portuguese did not consider Goa just a colony to make money from; it was actually considered a part of Portugal. Therefore, the Goans also thought them to be their own people, rather than outsiders,” he said. In fact, according to blogger Anuradha Goyal, who moved to Goa five years ago after working in New Delhi and Bengaluru, susegad is as much a Goan attraction as the sun and the sea. She explained that over the last five years, since she moved to Goa, her own daily routine has now become slower and easier, following that that local life. The afternoon siesta was a necessity in Goa, traditionally an agrarian society where people woke up early. Many Goans enjoy afternoon siestas, a practice leftover from the time when the Indian state was under Portuguese rule. Goes explained that Goa has always been blessed with natural prosperity and plenty, something that is reflected in the content attitude of its people. Furthermore, he said, “Community bonds are still strong in Goa: people farming and harvesting together, or providing collective labour for the tiling of roofs or painting of walls at home.” According to him and others who live in Goa, village and town borders are a “notional concept” in the tiny state, and there is an innate belief in egalitarianism, with “simply no stress to be better than my neighbour”. It’s an attitude that has carried over from the old days, when Goa felt isolated, not geographically, but socially, from India, which was ruled by the British, while they themselves had the Portuguese as rulers. There was, therefore, a need to stick close to each other, irrespective of social status or religious affiliation. As Goyal said, “When you are new to Goa, it takes some time to get used to its susegad approach to life, but once you adjust to its rhythm, you begin to enjoy it and it sets a pace for your own day.”
