Goa Diary-1 2023

Goa Diary - 1

I am in Goa after a gap of 12 years . 

Goa is situated on a strip of land between the mountains of the Deccan and the Arabian Sea. Its soil is a deep red, the sea blue-green, the sands as white as sugar, and the tall coconut palms burst with green against a clear blue sky.

The higher reaches of the hills are covered with thick forests, while the lower slopes are dominated by plantations of teak, cashew, mango, areca, and bananas. Between the mountains and the beaches are the fields—lush through the year with successive crops of rice, vegetables, and sugarcane. Between the fields and the coast are the famous beaches of Goa, enclosed by groves of coconut palms, stretching for miles along the entire coastline, only to be broken by the occasional river or rocky promontory. It was ruled for almost 400 years by Portuguese which has brought European influence in terms of faith, culture , food  and lifestyle . Developed as an Ideal location for a laidback tranquil holiday. 

I started visiting this beautiful archipelago some 50 years back, thereafter every year as I fell into love with it at the first sight.

It used to be  a very exotic destination  for we , the North Indians, very affordable, plenty of Goan cashew and coconut feni , food of different kind which we never got an opportunity to eat, Portuguese Casas , villas , friend locals always in a easy going mood, very neat and clean virgin beaches flooded with semi clad European tourists and hippies, we had never come across so many foreigners in any other part of India. To sum up , it was a kind of feel  as if you are visiting  Europe.

Much water flown in Zuari and Mandovi  rivers in Goa in last fifty years, six lane roads came up , new resorts, hotels, casinos cropped up like mushrooms, I  tried to explore new Goa during this weeklong visit. 

First thing first, there is a lot of tourist influx these days. During sixties and seventies, most of the tourists were from abroad or the  Indians who dreamt to experience Europe but could not afford to travel overseas essentially upper middle class from big cities. But now suddenly profile of tourists has drastically changed in this archipelago , better connectivity, little bit additional disposable income to avail a  domestic tour has enabled people from smaller cities of Punjab, Haryana , Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal also. 

Fish curry and rice has been staple diet of Goans , and lot of Portuguese influence is also visible. Most popular  Goan dish with Pourtugese tadka  is vindaloo. The name vindaloo is derived from the Portuguese dish “carne de vinha de alhos”, which is a meat dish, usually pork prepared with wine and garlic. In addition to okra, which is used in many  Pourtguese curry recipes, Goa’s cuisine also uses cabbage, green beans, cauliflower, spinach and eggplant, among others, that were brought  to India by the Portuguese. But  they are often cooked in coconut milk here to give local flavor . But these Goan cuisines did not go well with North Indian tourists and during sixties,  seventies and eighties it was a uphil task to locate an authentic North Indian food. Now wherever you go whether it is a beach town or state capital Panaji, you can easily find a Pure Veg North Indian or Punjabi Dhaba style restaurant . 

New hotels, resorts have cropped up everywhere, this has definitely changed the local landscape. In fact uninterrupted connect with nature has also obstructed to large extent. Beach towns such as Candolim, Calangute, Bagha are the worst affected. They are more like market places having so many Wine Shops, souvenir shops, health Spas , Beauty and Massage Parlors, Clubs , restaurants and bars. So definitely tranquility is seriously marred. 

01.04.2023.