The House from Zanzibar
The following article appeared in today’s (April 4, 2011) ‘HERALD
ESTATES AND HOMES’ Section of O Heraldo:
On March 27, a gleaming life-sized marble statue of Dr. Manuel Francisco
de Albuquerque, a son of Anjuna, was unveiled in the sprawling garden
outside his grand mansion. ZARINE AHMED travels back in time to recount
the times of the ‘Star of Zanzibar’ and the heritage he left behind in
the coastal village of Anjuna.
Photos: http://bit.ly/fM9vQ3
The Sultan was more than satisfied with his personal physician from Goa,
who apart from saving thousands of his subjects from the 1903 bubonic
plague in Zanzibar (now Tanzania,) had been serving him and his family
meticulously for years. In return, he wanted to give something worthy to
the good dotor. He asked him for a wish. “I wish to build a replica of
your grand palace back home in Goa,” was the doctor’s answer. The Sultan
was bemused with a wish so small, and answered with a laugh: “Your wish
is certainly granted.”
Thus, the construction of the mini castle in the doctor’s village at
Anjuna commenced in 1918. Hordes of marble slabs were shipped from the
famed marble quarters in Italy. Regal Arab hand-carved rosewood and teak
furniture made their way from Africa and Europe on wind-driven boats
that sailed and landed at Chapora, from where they were transported to
the building site on bullock carts.
For the decorative plastering of the ceiling, artisans from Mumbai and
North India were specially hired. Whenever the doctor came to Goa for
short periods, he brought with him a number of skilled laborers from
Zanzibar, since they had the knowledge of the architecture of the
Sultan’s palace. Even an entire imposing wooden flight of stairs was
transported from Zanzibar.
People from distant parts of the state came to see the making of this
stately fairytale-like castle. After years of toil to replicate every
tiny detail right from the intricate roof carvings to the picturesque
turrets, this massive project was finally complete.
Built on an area of 16,680 sq meters, equipped with a sprawling garden
and a fountain, it was the jewel of Anjuna – one of the stateliest
mansions of Goa. Beautiful winding stairways, long corridors, gorgeous
halls, spacious well-furnished rooms and gleaming black and white marble
floors donned the interior of this house. The exterior possessed tinted
glass fixed on its many entrances and pointy roofed turret; the latter
impressing upon its viewer a picture of a charming medieval castle.
The doctor, none other than Manuel Francisco de Albuquerque, who was
held in high esteem by locals, addressed as ‘your Excellency’ was a
refined man. He led a well-deserved luxurious life with his wife and
three children. He had a daughter and two sons, the younger of which had
a premature death. Life within the mini castle was at its fullest, with
scores of servants mingling to keep it lustrous and organized.
Dr. Albuquerque ate and drank from silver and China crockery and
cutlery. The older son, Joseph, was sent abroad to pursue a career of
his father. In 1946, after 50 years of medical service, Dr. Albuquerque
retired and came to Goa for good. He brought with him several valuable
mementos ranging from ivory figurines to huge oriental vases from China.
These mementos numbering in hundreds were gifts from the highest
echelons of the Portuguese government and the Court of the Sultan of
Zanzibar.
He personally looked after his beloved house and its garden. Every
evening, one could see the elegant old gentleman leave his majestic
mansion to take his three mastiffs for a stroll down the quiet Anjuna
beach in his three piece suit, complete with a fob watch and cane.
Till the end of his days, he remained a true gentleman never uttering a
single harsh word to his juniors, truly keeping up with the protocol
befitting a man of such high stature. Casa Albuquerque, as it was
called, lost its master in 1956 and with its landlord gone, the decline
of its splendor commenced.
By this time, Joseph now a young doctor who passed out from the same
university in Brussels like his father returned to Goa, back to his
grand old mansion. Here, he was informed about a girl from the same
village of Anjuna. “Her skin is as smooth as porcelain, her complexion
an ebony white and lips as red as rose” informed one of his friends.
She was none other than the grand niece of the renowned priest of Goa,
Father Agnelo, now Venerable Agnelo de Souza. The beautiful young Ruth
had arrived from Mumbai, where she lived for many years and also did a
course in nursing for a year. The soft spoken girl with pleasing manners
soon became the talk of the town. Young Joseph instantly fell in love
with her and soon they were engaged and married in 1957.
Joe, as he was fondly called, practiced his medicine in the back portion
of the house that was turned into a consulting room. Time took the
massive mansion within its clutches and soon the old building started
withering a little, while moss, dust and creepers started to conquer the
outer walls of the palace. Although Ruth, now the lady of the house
never met her famous father-in-law, they both shared a common love –
beautiful things.
It broke her heart to see the grand old building ageing in this manner.
She felt that it was unfair on her part to allow the house that was so
fondly built by her great father-in-law to wither away just like that.
So, sometimes in the mid seventies, she took up the massive job of
re-plastering the compound wall and building a wall enclosing the
massive car parking area. The whole façade of the mansion was plastered
and painted to give a rejuvenated look.
She even personally looked to the revamping of the garden and cemented
the entire area, leaving only those patches un-cemented that would be
used to grow plants and trees. This she did for two reasons: One, to
give the ramshackled garden a neat and new improved look, and second –
to do the gardening herself, even with her three inches stilettos. This
was another common thing she shared with her father-in-law. She was a
lover of fashion and always in the latest fashion trend. They threw
lavish parties to celebrate Joe’s birthday. It was during these times
that the luxurious halls of the mansion were brimming with activity.
The couple was well-known for their charity work as well. On 29 June
1983, they bestowed the entire first floor to the Society of S. Francis
Xavier, Pilar. About 28 priests lived on the upper floor for two years.
The well-meaning priests used to look after the house and took up the
cleaning of the entire mansion right from swabbing the marble floors to
removing the cobwebs from the high ceilings on their own.
Ruth was extremely happy with the young priests, whom she called her
sons. With the lively priests gone, the mansion suddenly became a vast
lonely place and the childless couple did not need such a huge area to
live in. Therefore, they locked up all the rooms and used only five
rooms at the rear of the mansion, where Joe’s consulting room was located.
However, the couple could not ignore the heavy toll the monsoons had on
their beloved house. They had to sell a few priceless furniture sets to
spend on its maintenance. There came a time, when the couple thought of
selling off their little palace – lucrative offers started coming from
the affluent. But Ruth thought twice and decided not to plunge into
something so shallow, as it would have been unjust to her great
father-in-law.
So in 1992, the couple donated the palace to Kripa Foundation, an NGO
that runs a detoxification Center for alcoholics and drug addicts. The
terms and conditions of the donation of the house were to look to its
proper maintenance. The godown of the house was transformed into
rehabilitation center and the consulting room of her now aged husband
serves as the NGO’s office.
In 1999, Joe passed away and from then on the elderly lady lives alone
with her two beloved dogs. She has kept only three rooms for her own use
– the rest given to Kripa.
Adjacent to where she stays are two rooms that played an important role
in the past. One, a massive green colored hall that still exudes
splendor and luxury; the other a lady’s chamber, where in the good old
days, ladies after a tiring journey on dusty tracks used to change off
their soiled clothes.
Ruth now 78, does all that she can to keep the house in shape. She isn’t
particularly happy with the way Kripa is maintaining the house, but she
doesn’t blame them, as she thinks they are doing whatever they can.
Every year, in December, just before Christmas, she calls the carpenter,
painter and mason to do the needful. She says the amount she spent over
the years on the maintenance of the structure runs into lakhs.
She had to sell beautiful rosewood furniture set for five lakhs to spend
on the maintenance. The amount that she spends every year is reimbursed
by Kripa after four to five years. At present, although the place
appears well looked from afar, a closer look would reveal the peeling
plasters of the beautiful decorative roofs that would break the heart of
any eye that has a craving for beauty. The rains, too, have affected the
exterior walls with moss growing incessantly every year.
A most beautiful imported brass hinge that once donned the massive solid
door at the entrance fell off recently. It is now replaced by a common
unappealing hinge that is brought from the market. Ruth says that it
breaks her heart to see such things happening to her beloved mansion,
but spends as much energy as she can to shape it up. As of now, she is
dead against selling off the house.
However, the future of the mansion and its garden is uncertain.
Therefore, she recently erected a marble statue of her beloved
father-in-law at the entrance of the house. The statue of the good
doctor will always remind one that no matter whoever owns the mansion,
the original owner will forever make his presence felt ….
Moi-mogan,
Domnic Fernandes
Anjuna, Goa
Mob: 9420979201
