Goa to Goa
April 20, 2005, 5:12:36|
If one word could be said to encapsulate the essence of GOA , it would have to be the Portuguese sossegarde , meaning "carefree". The pace of life in this former colonial enclave, midway down India's southwest coast, has picked up over the past twenty years, but in spite of the increasing chaos of its capital, beach resorts and market towns, Goa has retained the laid-back feel that has traditionally set it apart from the rest of the country. |
Goa was Portugal's first toe-hold in Asia, and served as the linchpin for a vast trade network for over 450 years. However, when the Lusitanian empire began to founder in the seventeenth century, so too did the fortunes of its capital. Cut off from the rest of India by a wall of mountains and hundreds of miles of unnavigable alluvial plain, it remained resolutely aloof from the wider subcontinent. While India was tearing itself to pieces in the run-up to Independence in 1947, the only machetes being wielded here were cutting coconuts. Not until 1961, after an exasperated Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, gave up trying to negotiate with the Portuguese dictator Salazar and sent in the army, was Goa finally absorbed into India.
Festivals
Some of Goa's festivals are on fixed dates each year; ask at a tourist office for dates of the others. The biggest celebrations take place at Panjim and Margao.
- Festa dos Reis (Jan 6). Epiphany celebrations include a procession of young boys decked out as the Three Kings to the Franciscan chapel of Reis Magos, near Panjim on the north bank of the Mandovi, 3km east of Fort Aguada. Other processions are held at Cansaulim and Chandor.
- Carnival (Feb/March). Three days of feni -induced mayhem, centring on Panjim, to mark the run-up to Lent.
- Shigmo (Feb/March). The Goan version of Holi is celebrated with big parades and crowds; drum and dance groups compete and huge floats, which threaten to bring down telegraph wires, trundle through the streets.
- All Saints (March). On the fifth Monday in Lent, 26 effigies of saints, martyrs, popes, kings, queens and cardinals are paraded around the village of Velha Goa, near Panjim. A fair also takes place.
- Igitun Chalne (May). Dhoti -clad devotees of the goddess Lairya enter trances and walk over hot coals at the village of Sirigao, Bichloim.
- Sanjuan (June 24). The festival of St John is celebrated all over Goa, but is especially important in the coastal villages of Arambol and Terekol. Youngsters torch straw dummies (representing St John's baptism, and thus the death of sin), while revellers in striped pants dive into wells after drinking bottles of feni .
- Janmashtami (Aug). Ritual bathing in the River Mandovi, off Diwadi Island, to celebrate the birth of Krishna.
- Dussehra (Sept/Oct). Nine days of festivities in which more effigies are burned on bonfires, and children perform episodes from the life of Rama.
- Diwali (Oct/Nov). The five-day Hindu "festival of lights" features processions all over the region, often accompanied by fireworks, and the exchange of sweets by neighbours, regardless of their faith.
- Christmas (Dec 24-25). Celebrated everywhere in Goa. Late-night Massis usually followed by music, dancing and fireworks.
Trouble
While the vast majority of visitors to Goa never encounter any trouble , tourism-related crime is definitely more prevalent than in other parts of the country. Theft is the most common problem - usually of articles left unattended on the beach. Don't assume your valuables are safe in a padlocked house or hotel room, either. Break-ins, particularly on party nights, are on the increase. The most secure solution is to rent a deposit box in a bank, which costs around Rs100, or to opt for one of the few guesthouses with lockers.
Finally, remember that nudism is prohibited. In case tourists miss the "NO NUDISM" signs posted at the entrances to most beaches, police regularly patrol the busier resorts to ensure that decorum is maintained. If you are tempted to drop your togs, check that there are no families within eyeshot. No one is likely to object openly, but when you consider that wet Y-fronts and saris are about as risqu� as beachwear gets for most Indians, you'll understand why men in G-strings and topless women cause such a stir.
Moving on
Wherever possible, try and book plane tickets directly through the airline as private agents charge the dollar fare at poor rates of exchange; we've listed the addresses of airline offices in Panjim. Seats on all Konkan Railway services can be booked at the KRC reservation office on the first floor of Panjim's Kadamba bus stand (Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 8am-2pm), or at KRC's main reservation hall in Margao station (Mon-Sat 8am-4.30pm, Sun 8am-2pm; tel 0834/712780). Make your bookings as far in advance as possible, and try to get to the offices soon after opening time - the queues can be horrendous. Seats on the Konkan Railway from Goa to Mumbai are in notoriously short supply as the lion's share of the quotas goes to longer-distance travellers from Kerala, with the result that peak periods tend to be reserved up to two months in advance. Book Kadamba bus tickets at their offices in Panjim and Mapusa bus stands (daily 9-11am & 2-5pm); private companies sell
theirs through the many travel agents immediately outside the bus stand in Panjim, and at the bottom of the square in Mapusa. Information on all departures and fares is available from Goa Tourism's counter inside Panjim's bus stand.
Mae mogan nomomoskar, mhojo noman. Mogachea bhava bhoinino, mhaka hea tumchea mankulea Goeant eun he misache bhettent vanto gheunk khup khushalkai bogta. (My dear brothers and sisters, I am delighted to come to your tiny Goa to participate in this Eucharistic Celebrations)
+Pope John Paul II�s speech in Konkani at Campal,Goa on 6-02-1986.
http://videos.phototributes.com/pellerinfh/PopeJohnPaulII_files/PopeJohnPaulII.html
MAY BALL 2005
Organized by Goan Welfare Society (GWS)-Kuwait
Date: 12th May 2005, Venue: Safir Palace Hotel, Riggea
Band: Stepping Stones Highlights: Crowning of the MAY QUEEN 2005.
Enjoy the Goan hospitality at its best.
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A quote for your thought:
Jealousy is no more than feeling alone against smiling enemies.
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