########################################################################## # Don't just read the news...discuss it. Learn more about Goa via Goanet # # Goanet was setup in 1994 and has spent the last decade building a # # lasting Goan non-profit, volunteer-driven network in cyberspace. # # Visit the archives http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/ # # To join, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and ask to join Goanet. # ########################################################################## LOOKING BACK AT THE SIMPLE, SLOW-MOVING GOA THAT ANOTHER GENERATION KNEW
Domnic Fernandes [EMAIL PROTECTED] Life in Goa in the 1940s and 1950s was not a piece of cake. Those of us who were born during this period have witnessed tremendous changes including the changing of the guard -- from the Portuguese regime to a democratically-elected government. I look upon the past with nostalgia because I have experienced many things, the most important of all being the transition period from almost the Stone Age to the modern world and the determination with which we forged our lives and came out victorious. Life in those days was very quiet and simple, totally dependent on Mother Nature. There were no proper roads; transportation was almost absent. Unlike today, the environment was pollution-free. The only things that moved about were human beings and domesticated animals like cows, bulls, buffaloes, goats, dogs, cats, chicken, and the like. Man in those days was healthier than today because he ate pure food and was always on the run. Since there was no transportation, he walked from the north to the south and from the east to the west on foot. He was never tired of walking, because his continuous walk built enough stamina in him and helped him survive the odds at the time. He walked because he had to; but it also worked in his favour. Walking burned calories and kept him fit and healthy; he didn't have to go to a gymnasium to do that. Everything was practically carried on foot. Things were filled in a big 'panttlo' (basket made of bamboo) and placed on the head on a 'chomlli' (cloth folded into a coil shape.) In order to relieve the humble head-loader of his or her burden, a 'dovornem' (pedestal built of stones) was made available at almost every three kilometers. This enabled the carrier could place the burden on it and then reload it on to his or her head without anyone's help. Not only things, but also people were carried by men in palanquins or machilas on foot. Anjuna church had and still has two palanquins -- one was used to carry the parish priest, and the second to carry the Bishop and other dignitaries whenever they visited the parish. Each church then employed four men called 'boyyas'. Their main duty was to carry the parish priest in a palanquin -- two on each side, but they also did other work like church cleaning, ringing the bell, digging of graves, and the like. A parish priest made use of a palanquin to visit people in the village, to carry Holy Communion to the sick, to bless houses. The place in Anjuna where 'noveo bhatacheo konnxeo' (new rice stalks) are blessed is hardly 200 meters from the church premises, but even this short distance was covered in a palanquin. The 'boyyas' were never happy with their job. I remember sometime in the early 1950's we had a parish priest who was so fat that he could hardly fit into the palanquin. Every time the boyyas were required to carry him, they would curse him. While the parish priest sat in the palanquin with his shoes on, poor boyyas walked barefoot! The only mode of transport available in those days was a 'gaddo' (bullock cart). Today, many of us tend to make mockery of a gaddo but I admire and salute both, the gaddo and the 'gaddekar' (bullock cart rider) because it is they who served our society with dedication when transportation was almost non-existent. It is the gaddekar who helped the yester year Goan to build his house by transporting building materials like laterite stones, sand, 'xencaro' (locally collected gravel from 'vhalls',) wood, etc. Some of those houses have now become symbols of Goan heritage and an attraction to tourists. We, therefore, ought to be thankful to the gaddo and gaddekar instead of despising them. Besides helping our ancestors to put in place the basic infrastructure, the gaddo and the gaddekar went on to become part and parcel of their daily lives. Goods from port to market places were transported by bullock carts. Until the end of the 1950's and early 1960's, goods meant for the Mapusa old market, which was located behind the Mapusa Municipal building where the Alankar theatre and other buildings now stand, were transported by bullock carts. Bullock carts were registered with the Municipality and issued with a 'toktto' (badge) which was fixed to the main beam or chassis of the cart. The main parking area for bullock carts was opposite the Benao shop or Farmacia Ferrao where gaddekars tied their bullocks to a small 'benddiechem zadd' -- the place was obviously always full of dung. While in Mapusa, gaddekars took the opportunity and horse-shoed their bullocks while they rested in the parking lot. During harvesting, paddy was usually transported from the field to home on a person's back, provided the residence was close by. If it was far away, a bullock cart was hired. Para-boiled paddy was taken to a husking mill by bullock cart, and so was 'khobrem' (dried coconut) taken to a 'ghanno' (bullock driven oil extractor.) In the olden days, people hired a bullock cart to go to weddings, parties, and the like. They would place kon'nam~ (woven coconut leaves) on the cart and make women sit in the center; men sat on the edge. As soon as they approached a choddtti (up slope,) and if the load was too heavy, everyone was required to get down and they would board the cart again only after it had cleared the slope. A gaddo was also used to carry 'vojem' (gifts of home made sweets consisting of mainly 'boll', 'dodoll', 'doce' and bananas,) from the bride's place to the groom's. The bride's family would fill the vojem in several 'panttle' and place them on the gaddo. The 'randpinnim' (female cooks) and a woman carrying a 'tambddi xedachi sontri' (red silk umbrella) usually accompanied the vojem. All these women would sit by the edge of the gaddo except the woman carrying the red umbrella; she would take the center spot and sit there with the umbrella wide open. The randpinni were always in a happy mood when they traveled with vojem because they knew they would receive good tips from the groom's family. HARVESTING PADDY: Goa's main paddy harvesting takes place in the month of October. The 'zotkar' (a person who ploughs the field) collects the hay from a paddy field and carries it home on a gaddo in order to store it into a 'kuddem' (huge pile of hay). The hay is placed on a gaddo and tied to its frame with a 'sumbachi dhori' (coir rope.) Since roads in those days were full of pot-holes, no matter how tight the hay was tied, some of it would fall on the road as the gaddo made its journey home. As children, as soon as we saw a gaddo loaded with hay pass by our house, we would fetch a dry 'piddo' (coconut leaf stem) and run after it. We would place the piddo on the road and push it forward as we ran and thus collect all the fallen hay. By the time gaddekars finished transporting hay to their homes, we would have collected a lot of hay and have a little pile of our own. We used hay to fry smoked 'bangdda' (mackerels,) making sure that we were left with enough hay which we stored in a ~'zollovachi khomp' (firewood storage) to use at Judev on the eve of St. John~Rs feast. Speaking of a 'kuddem', here is something on the lighter side. A guy called Enddo (crack) Inas was engaged to get married. Since they knew his character, they wanted to make sure that he would not commit any stupid mistakes on the crucial day. They told him: ~'Polle, tum atam vaddon novro zala, dekun ami tuka kazar kortanv. Aiz tuzo kazaracho dis. Tum novro mhunntoch tuvem sogleam poros unch ravonk zai ani loka lagim khaltikaien ulovunk zai.' (Look, you have now grown up into a groom which is why we are going to get you married. Today is your marriage day. As a groom, you must be above all and talk to people politely.) Cracked as he was, he totally misunderstood them. He thought he was asked to remain in a high place. The only such place he could think of was a 'kuddem'. So, he fetched a ladder, climbed it and sat at the top of it. In the meantime, it was time to go to church but Inas was missing and everyone was looking for him. Finally, one of his relatives who passed by the kuddem saw him and asked him: "Arre enddea, sogott tuka sodunk bonvtat ani tum susegad hanga kuddear boson assa? (You crack fellow, everyone is looking for you and you are coolly sitting here on the kuddem?)" Enddo's reply: "Tumi mhaka sangonk naslem sogleam poros unch rav mhunnon? Dekunuch hanvem hi unch suvat sodun kaddlea. (Didn't you all tell me to remain above all? This is why I chose this place.)" Most gaddekars are drinkers; some drink within limits and some beyond, and I don't blame them for that. Nowadays, if anyone has a headache or body ache, he uses pain killers to get rid of the pain, but in those days liquor was the only pain killer known to them, specially from a life of drudge work. They used it for a dual purpose - to get rid of pain and to get a kick out of it. I have had a very good relationship with gaddekars right from my childhood to date. One of the reasons that brought us closer was the problem they always faced on the choddti adjacent to my house. It is a small slope but quite steep. Every time they carried a full load, the bullocks would find it difficult to climb the uneven, pot-holed road. As soon as the bullocks hesitated to move and the gaddo began to move backward, the gaddekar would run and fetch a sizeable stone and place it under one of the wheels, which would halt its movement. Many times, the gaddekar would lose his temper and beat the bullocks mercilessly with a 'lingddachi boddi' (a local whipping cane of sorts). As a result, 'paddo thopkon marun getalo', (the bullock would stubbornly sit on the ground.) Once this happened, it was very difficult to make it stand up; even twisting of the tail would not help. Sometimes, both the bullocks would turn stubborn. If I noticed this situation, I would rush out of my house and lend the gaddekar all the help I could, including pushing and controlling the wheel by shifting the stone underneath for which they were ever grateful to me. My reward: "Dev borem korum baba," and a hello with a smile whenever I passed by them with a casual question: "Baba, koxe assat tumi? (Baba, how are you?)" I would reply: "Hanv assa boro". They would say: "Dev tujer bessanv ghalum (May God bless you)." Gaddekars are hard workers, but they are always in a happy mood, and this is evident when one hears them hum tunes. Due to the nature of their work, they are always in a dirty state; they get completely dirty when they load and unload laterite stones. During our childhood whenever we returned home soaked in mud, our parents would say: "Zala polle gaddekar kosso! (You have become like a gaddekar!)" My father had a well dug and built on our property when I was a small kid. Every morning, Dot'tuli gaddekar from 'Munngan' in Assagao brought laterite stones to our place and unloaded them in front of our house. He was a nice, sincere, medium built, fair complexioned person. He wore a white kashti-dhothi, and a made-to-order white vest with a pocket on the left side. Since his clothes would be covered with dirt and mud all the time, they always looked reddish in color. His lips were red in color because he always ate 'paan'. He supplied us with very good quality stones - something called 'mirieo fator'. In fact, the masons were unhappy with the quality because their 'pikanor' or 'taxnni' (work-tools) would go blunt every now and then due to hard nature of the stones. Each gaddo load contained 25 stones. Every Saturday, Dot'tuli would count his stones. He never began the count with the expected 'ek' (one) but always with the word 'lab' (profit.) Every count of stone was marked with a dot of 'chuno' (whitewash.) Thus, there was no way he could have missed the count. My house is located on the main Siolim-Panaji road (formerly Siolim-Betim road). Nirla (or, the village of Nerul) is very famous for 'godd konngeo' (sweet potatoes). When it was the season for 'konngeo', every Tuesday evening, bullock carts loaded with sweet potatoes passed by my house to go to Siolim for the 'budvarachea bazarak' (Wednesday bazaar). Similarly, during the summer, mangoes were transported in bullock carts from Siolim to Calangute on every Friday evening for the 'sonvarachea bazarak' (Saturday bazaar.) One means of transportation of the 1950's was a 'boilanchi gaddi' (oxen-driven carriage). Unfortunately, it was not a public transport. So, it became a conveyance of only a few. The person riding the carriage was known as 'gaddiekar'. Gaumvaddy has always been in the forefront and here again the first gaddi in Anjuna was started by Kashinath from Gaumvaddy, followed by the second in Bhattin by Pundalik and the third by Raja in St. Sebastian ward. A gaddi was made of wood. It had a half-door entrance with a metal step below, and two small windows -- one on each side. It had a bench on either side with sitting capacity of two persons each but three each would be squeezed in. In addition, a small stool or two would be placed in the middle of the carriage to accommodate children or a lighter person(s). The carriage was painted a mustard colour with fine brown bordering around the edges. The wooden spokes on the wheels were painted black. The gaddiekar always tied a bucket to the main beam of the carriage and a small 'zablli' (small net made of coir) filled with fresh grass or dry hay. As soon as he reached the destination, he would untie the oxen and tie them to a near by tree. He would then remove grass or hay from the zablli and place it before them. Next, he would fetch water from a well with a bucket and quench their thirst. During the summer season, he would collect extra water and splash it on the oxen's backs to make them feel cool. During night travel, he lit the lamp which was fixed to the right side of the carriage. During the cold season,, he wore thick clothing and covered his head and ears with a muffler, and smoked a traditional cigarette or 'beedi' to keep warm. The beauty of a gaddi was that it never got punctured nor did it break down or run out of petrol like a car. Neither was the gaddiekar required to change gears every now and then; a gaddi always ran at one speed -- slow and steady like a tortoise -- and reached its destination without any problems. The occupants kept themselves busy either discussing various topics from the village or if they were going for a wedding, they would sing mandos, dulpods and dekhnis. I enjoyed travelling by gaddi in those days and wouldn't mind travelling by it if it were made available today! There were also a few 'ghoddeancheo gaddieo' (horse carriages) during the same period. In the late 1950's while I pedalled my way to Escola Technica in Mapusa via Parra, I always saw a horse and a carriage parked by the roadside, about a 100 meters from the 'denvti' (downhill slope). It was a pleasure to watch a horse carriage ply between Parra and Mapusa. Since a horse trots and because its carriage and wheels are lighter in weight, it runs much faster than a boilanchi gaddi. A gaddekar plying his gaddo as a goods carrier would sometimes fix a leather collar belt in the oxen's neck fixed with 'ghantleo' (jingle bells,) and so would the gaddiekar. But there was a difference in size and sound -- the jingles tied to the oxen of a gaddo were bigger in size and produced a thicker sound, whereas those tied to the oxen of a gaddi were smaller in size and produced a thinner sound. Thus, people were able to differentiate between an approaching gaddo or gaddi from a distance -- say from about half a kilometer. During a cold silent night, the sound of a gaddo or gaddi could be heard from a much further distance. A gaddekar or gaddiekar would also tie small pieces of red cloth to the oxen's horns to ward off evil eye. Speaking of a gaddi and the sound of jingles from the oxen's neck, I have something interesting to share with our readers about one of the incidents of the olden times, the kind of which were quite common in those days. My house is just three meters away from the main road. I have seen all types of transport on this road. Many times, I heard my mother tell our neighbors that every night, past midnight she heard the jingles of a gaddi from as far as a kilometer away in Bhattin, and that she could feel the gaddi slowly approach and pass our house and proceed towards Arpora-Calangute road. The neighbors obviously were very curious but nobody was willing to bell the cat. One of our relatives who was older than me, used to come to sleep at our place at night. I told him what I had heard and we decided to find out the truth for which we had to keep awake. As soon as it was midnight, we heard the jingles from a distance and there was no doubt the gaddi was fast approaching my house. The sound of jingles drew nearer just as it would with a gaddi on the move. When the sound got closer to my house, we came out and stood by the roadside but to our surprise the jingling stopped for a while and we couldn't see anything pass by us, but we felt a jolt of breeze brush us. Within less than a minute we again heard the jingles on the other side of the road thus confirming the fact that there indeed was a gaddi on the move but we could not see it. It sends a shiver in the spine when one hears such ghost stories which were quite common in those days when darkness prevailed in Goa. It is believed that the introduction of electricity gradually got rid of such happenings. Believe it or not! A gaddo may be out of fashion but Efifanio, colloquially known as 'Efulo' from Mazalvaddo in Anjuna, did not shy away to prove to the people that it was the only means of transportation in the olden days. When he got married in 1998, he went to church by car but once the nuptials were celebrated, he proudly returned home with his bride on a gaddo which was specially decorated for the occasion with a real coconut tree top fixed to it under which the bridal couple sat. It was indeed a sight to watch and I salute 'Efulo' for his courage to do that. As a child, I did accompany Simao Fernandes from Gaumvaddy to church in a gaddi on his wedding day. I am also very proud of Vincent D'Souza, known to all as Lulu -- the owner of Lulu -- farm at Igrozvaddo in Anjuna, for constructing a gaddo in a contemporary style. He is the only person to own a modern bullock cart fitted with car wheels with bearings. He introduced this novelty in the late 1960's and it went on to become the marvel of one and all. Of course, he had a person who rode the cart but sometimes he would take over the reins and ride the cart majestically. As far as house decor is concerned, Casa Proenca in Calangute has a bullock cart wheel fixed to the front wall of the house. The bullock cart may be outdated but every time people pass by the house, it reminds them of the good old days and of the oldest transportation in Goa! I have known and been a friend to many gaddekars in Anjuna since my childhood but the most interesting character of all was Nanu Tuemkar (originally from Tuem in the adjoining taluka of Pernem, as his name suggests), who was colloquially known to all as 'Nango'. This man was a very strong person. He would load a gunny bag on his back filled with a quintal of paddy as if it were a feather. He worked very hard from morning till evening, but he had a bad habit. As soon as he received payment, he would visit a 'dukorn' (tavern) and drink to his heart's content. He drank so much that he was unable to walk to the cart and even if he got there he couldn't board it; he would fall flat on the ground. His oxen were so wise that once they knew their master had fallen flat on the ground, they would head home without him. The moment the bullocks arrived home, Nango's wife, Bhagirati, immediately knew that her husband must be drunk and lying somewhere on the road. I don't think there is anyone in Goa then who has not watched the Hindi blockbuster of the 'seventies 'Sholay'. Bhagirati would leave everything, tie her 'kapodd' into a 'kashto', sit on the gaddo, take charge of the reins and say to herself 'Chal Bhagirati', just as Hema Malini said 'Chal Basanti' in the Sholay movie. The oxen surprisingly would lead her to the exact spot where their master lay flat. And what did Bhagirati do? She would lift her husband, place him on the cart, again take charge of the reins and ride home. Bhagirati never allowed Nango to sleep without food. As soon as they reached home, she would feed her husband just like a child and put him to sleep. The couple loved each other so much that every year Bhagirati gave birth to a child. Nango's eldest son, Hari, colloquially known as 'Horgo' carries on his father's profession and is probably one of the last gaddekars to be seen around. People who lived by the rivers, estuaries and creeks made use of canoes to travel across. Anjunkars would cross the Xapora River in a canoe to go to Morjim, Mandrem, Arambol, and the other villages of the Pernem taluka. The journey was quite dangerous, especially in the month of May when the current at the mouth of the river is very strong, resulting in the swaying of the canoe. As a teenager, I traveled only once by canoe on this route and found it to be very unsafe. However, I enjoyed my canoe trips from Siolim to Vai Dongor in Pernem. A couple of times, we even carried our bicycles on the canoe. ERA OF THE BICYCLE: The 1950's and the early part of the 1960's were the era of the bicycle. Every middle class family's male member owned a bicycle. Bicycles were also given for hire on an hourly basis as well as for a full day or night. In Anjuna, 'maknakar' (the guy who owned the husking mill) Bhiku had bicycles for rent. In Mapusa, bicycles were available for rent adjacent to the Municipal Garden, next to the temple. Hiring of a bicycle for a night cost only eight annas -- or half a rupee -- then. Many made use of this system. When people from far away places reached Mapusa late at night there was no transportation available for further travel. So, they hired bicycles for a night and traveled to the neighboring villages like Parra, Assagao, Anjuna, Siolim, Bastora, Ucasaim, Moira, Aldona, etc. Some working members also made use of bicycles for hire at night to travel from Mapusa to their villages and back to the town the next morning. As a boy of 13, one of our neighbors passed away in the early morning hours. I was asked to go to some villages to inform his relatives and friends about the funeral which would take place the next morning. I was hesitant at first but I accepted the challenge. I set out on the mission and successfully completed it by the evening. These are the places I traveled on one day on my Hercules bicycle: Assagao, Siolim, Mapusa, Nachinola, Moira, Aldona, Sucorro, Porvorim, Calafura (Santa Cruz), Pilerne, Candolim, Calangute, Saligao and Arpora. I was required to repeat the feat a year later and it was much easier the second time round. Over the years, if anyone died in the ward or was getting married, I would be picked as a messenger. It was a difficult task but I didn't mind it. From 1966 onwards it was much easier for me to go on such missions as I then used my Honda motorcycle. To my knowledge, four persons owned motorcycles in Anjuna in the 1950's. One was my neighbor, Anthony D'Costa, owned a BSA, Albertinho D'Souza, an ex-Africander from Gaumvaddy, owned a red moped. Fernand Rebello from Chivar he owned a Florett, and there was another person from Gumalvaddo who also owned a Florett. He was employed in the Electricity Department in Panjim; so, he passed by my house every day. By the mid 1960's, quite a few guys in Anjuna owned the Indian-made Rajdoot motorcycles and Lambrettas; Rui Monteiro from Monteirovaddo was probably the only person who by then owned a Java motorcycle. TRANSPORTATION, A MAJOR PROBLEM: Until the early 1960's transportation was a major problem in Goa. In our locality, in the 1950's, there was only one caminhao which belonged to Gabriel or Gabru from Siolim and which plied on Siolim-Betim road. In fact, it was known as 'Gabrucho caminhao'. Fortunately, since my house is located on the main road, we did not undergo the hardship which most Anjunkars did. People walked all the way from Danddo, Praias, Peddem, Sorantto, Gumalvaddo, D'Mellovaddo, Kudchem Bhatt, Mazalvaddo to the main road in front of my house to catch the caminhao. If it was jam-packed, it would not stop, but the passengers in wait would keep on shouting 'Arre, rav re matso, rav re padd poddlelea, arre, rav re! (Hey, halt a while, halt you cursed one, halt please!)" Finally, they would be resigned to the fact that they had missed their chance. You can imagine how bad those people must have felt, especially when they had to wake up earlier than usual just to arrive at the stop in time and then to return home disappointed. As far as private taxi cars were concerned, there were only three cars in Anjuna in the early 1950s. They belonged to the late Domnick motorcar in Gaumvaddy, the late Pedru motorcar at Tembi, and the late Shridar motorcar in Xapora/Kaisua. By the mid-1950's, each village in Goa was assigned a car for 'piketik' (night duty) in order to attend to night emergencies. In Anjuna, such a car was stationed at the 'Saud Saibinnimchem Kopel' (Chapel of our Lady of Health.) It was a Vauxall brand car and it belonged to Gabriel's or Gabru's family in Siolim; it was driven by one Vinayak. The Shirodkars from Gaumvaddy, Anjuna, who rose from rags to riches, were the first to own a personal Opel car in the mid-1950's, followed by Sirsat from Mazalvaddo who owned a Mercedes Benz during the same period. The Mascarenhas family (bhattkars) in Mazalvaddo already owned a Volkswagen. Dr. Afonso, known to people as Dotor Fonsa, was the only person who was seen driving his antique car on the Calangute-Anjuna road in those days. At the beginning of the 1960's, two new Prince brand cars were introduced in Anjuna -- one belonged to the late Krishna from Gaumvaddy and the other to late Nonko from Mazalvaddo. The latter was financed by late Albertinho D'Souza from Gaumvaddy. Around this time, one Raghuvir from Kudchem Bhatt also owned a Dodge car, and late Pirsahab (Salim's father) from Arpora plied his private Morris car, followed by late Dakuli from Assagao who served the Anjuna-Assagao public with his Hillman car. Dakuli happened to be quite a heavy drinker. Every time he felt the urge for a drink, he would say to his friends: "Let's go to Mary's house," meaning, let's go to a bar! All these cars plied as private taxis between Anjuna and Mapusa. These cars were parked at the Anjuna Taxi Stand on the downhill slope opposite Coulecar's shop. As we know, the sitting capacity of a car is five persons including the driver, but they would pack the car like a sardine tin. The car owner would say: "Sogleankuch ghora vochonk zai, hoi ki nam? Tor, matxim fattim fuddem gollon bosat num! Barik assa tannem manddier boschem." (Everyone wants to go home, right? So, why don't you adjust yourselves back and forth and be seated. Lean persons please be seated on somebody's lap.) Thus, he would fit eight persons on the back seat and three to four more on the front. He then would take his seat and take charge of the steering. He was never able to sit straight. So, he would twist his body and fit himself against the window. He then had a problem -- he could not change gears. So, he would request the guys sitting on the front seat to keep pushing towards the window on their side to enable him move the gear. Once he was able to use the gear freely, he would say: "Ahhhh! Atam tumi sucegad bossat; ami rokdinch ghora pavteleanv. (Ahhhh! Now you all can sit at ease; we shall soon reach home.") The person(s) bearing the weight of another on his or her lap knew exactly what the word 'ease' meant. By the time they got home, their legs would be numb from the weight and it took them some time to walk properly after they exited the car. The fare from Mapusa to Assagao or Anjuna was the same; it didn't matter whether one got down at ~Vollan in Assagao which is just down the slope as you enter Assagao or at Danddo -- extreme end of Anjuna. The best thing was that nobody complained either about the car being jam-packed with passengers or the fare. When the cars were jam-packed, drivers never went from the front of the Quartel (police station) but they always made use of the road behind the police station. By the late 1950's, the flow of foreign cars into Goa began to increase and one could see quite a number of private taxis plying on main roads like Mapusa-Betim, Panjim-Agasaim, Cortalim-Margao, etc. Some of the common brands of taxis then were: Austin, Dodge, Chevrolet, Cadilac, Consul, Hillman, Impala, Opel, Peugeat, Prince, Mercedes Benz, Vauxall, Pontiac. In the mid-1960's, a bus service was introduced for the Anjunars. The starting point of the bus was Xapora. It passed by Vagator, Sorantto, Tembi, Mazalvaddo, Gaumvaddy, St. Sebastian Ward, Assagao, Khorlim and finally halted at the Anjuna bus stand in Mapusa, opposite the Sirsat building. Being the only bus, it was always overloaded and here again nobody complained because everyone wanted to get to Mapusa or back home. The same seating system as that of a car prevailed in a bus, e.g., the conductor would say: "Matxim gollon bossat -- bhurgeak matxem manddier ghe. (Please adjust yourselves -- take the child on your lap.)" People who traveled by bus for the first time were so excited that they couldn't believe they were travelling above the road and the surprise was evident from the blush on their faces followed by a smile every now and then. They would also look at the floor of the bus and then peep outside the window to affirm that they were really being carried by a bus. Everyone wanted to sit by the window, especially during the summer, so that they could feel the air and sweat less. The bus would be so full that it would travel tilted on its left side because at least ten passengers at each door would catch hold of the bar and hang out! The bus driver's name was Gozo, and over the years the bus itself came to be known as Gozo's bus. Gozo was a very fat person. He was a chain smoker; he smoked the then locally-popular Charminar cigarettes. He smoked cigarettes like a chillum. Gozo was also a heavy drinker. The moment he parked the bus at the stand, he would straight away walk into the Central Bar and drink there until it was time for the bus to depart. Fortunately, he never met with an accident, though once the breaks failed on the slope at the U-turn at the Khorlim ghatt, but the bus miraculously halted on the protection stones. It was believed that the Holy Cross at the top of the hill had saved the people from a disaster. All drivers plying their vehicles regularly via Khorlim ghatt, including two-wheeler riders, celebrate a yearly litany to the cross in the month of May as a thanksgiving for protecting them from accidents on the ghatt. The bicycle was gradually replaced by the motorcycle in the early 1960's. It went on to become one of the main means of transport of every Goan. With the arrival of tourists in Goa around the same time, the motorcycle picked up momentum and became a craze of hippies. Many coastal residents gave up their regular work, bought motorcycles, began plying them as private taxis and made a living out of them. Bicycles were ignored and they rusted in compounds where they were left. By the end of the 1960's almost every working member in a family and even a non-working member owned a motorcycle -- thanks to the banks for facilitating the purchase by lending loans to individuals. Unlike bicycle, the motorcycle (and scooter) did not fade into oblivion. It is still one of the preferred means of transportation by every Goan -- male or female. In fact, children in Goa learn to ride a motorbike by the age of 10-12 and by the time they grow up, they handle it like a toy. By the late 1960's, made-in-India cars -- Ambassador Mark I, followed by Mark II, and the Fiat -- slowly took over the aging fleet of foreign (mainly European) cars and captured the market. The first public service Ambassador car in Anjuna was owned by Sahadev, colloquially known as Shadi. The car was financed by late Tiplin, an ex-Africander from Mazalvaddo. During the same period, buses were added to each route in villages as well as towns thus marking an improvement in public transportation. And, now here we are in the 21st century, where every family owns at least one car -- again thanks to banks for facilitating the purchase of cars with loan schemes. However, most people still depend on public transport and it continues to be very much in demand. Unlike the past, nowadays there are buses plying every half an hour or 15 minutes everywhere plus there are several mini buses and private cars which also provide service to the public. Transportation may have eased our travel problems but it has become a thorn in our lives as far as health is concerned. People are so habituated to using vehicles that they hardly use their feet to walk. The result: poor health. Some do find time to go for a walk or jog and burn their calories but there are many who take life very easy and subsequently suffer the consequences. Recently, many low-budget -- or alternative -- foreign tourists have been seen using either mopeds or bicycles for their mode of transport in Goa. Some people in countries like China, which ranks number one in population in the world, have reverted to the 1950's mode of transport, the bicycle that does not only save them petrol expenses and parking problems but also helps them maintain good health through regular pedalling to and from work. That's all for now from Dom's antique shelf for now! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Domnic Fernandes is from Anjuna and works in Dhahran, KSA where he works for Saudi Aramco. He is known for his nostalgic writing about the Goa of the past in his Dom's antique shelf series. Send in your comments and feedback to [EMAIL PROTECTED] GOANET READER WELCOMES contributions from its readers, by way of essays, reviews, features and think-pieces. We share quality Goa-related writing among the growing readership of Goanet and it's allied network of mailing lists. If you appreciate the above article, 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. Goanet Reader too welcomes your feedback at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Goanet Reader is edited by Frederick Noronha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>