The unexplored Goa!!

A teeny tiny state in the west coast of India called Goa, known to many as the pearl of the orient, tourist paradise and by several such fancy names given to it by travel writers is undoubtedly worthy of praise and craze. The name of Goa definitely appears in the internet browsing history of any globetrotter. One can hardly spot a travel website or website of a tour operator company with no mention of Goa in it. On such sites, Goa is showcased through pictures of overly crowded beaches with special highlights on foreigners, of numerous nightclubs, of sunburn crowd and so on. Amidst this touristy Goa there is an unexplored, untouched, culturally rich side of it which has been blessed abundantly by nature has remained away from the limelight till date. It is the place where one can experience the perfect blend of Portuguese and Goan culture. The left over influences of Portuguese after 450 long years of colonization is seen in several aspects of Goan life such as architecture, language, cuisine etc.

Away from the hustle bustle of touristy beaches, there are serene and peaceful ones which sadly, do not appear in the travel sites listing out top 10 places to visit in Goa. A few steps away from such untouched, serene beaches are located tiny villages where one can see much more than just scenic beauty. In a typical coastal Goan village one can get glimpses of Portuguese housing architecture which typically have stretched veranda. The long stretched, patterned coconut gardens, a render (a professional coconut plucker) murmuring a melodious konkani song while taking strolls in coconut gardens, fisher women dressed in nine yard sarees, a string of flowers in hair and a basket filled with fish on their head calling out to the villagers shouting nuste jaay ge (who wants fish) while housewives arguing with them for an extra fish, a poder (bread seller) on his cycle and to add to this this perfect scene a soothing background music of waves hitting the seashore!! As the merry evening approaches, the scene gets even more beautiful with local Goan lads showing off their true love for football which is said to be in every Goan's blood.  

 

Festival times are the times when true Goan spirit oozes out and everyone is immersed in the merry festival atmosphere crossing the realms of religion, caste and creed. It is not at all surprising to see Christians participating in the Narkasur procession which is held a day prior to diwali and hindu youths in 'saaybin' (a procession of mother mary). Best times are the times of Carnival and Shigmo which are typically christian and hindu festivals respectively. Carnival is the unique, colorful festival with huge parades with bands, floats, dances and music throughout the city at night.  Shigmo on the other hand is a Hindu festival with similar merry ambience when groups of youths from each caste perform local folk dances some of which include goff, romta mel etc and songs in the front yard of each house. What adds to the charm of shigmo is fantastic widespread dinner parties hosted by several households. 

A glimpse of Goan culture would not be complete without the the mention of tribals of the region who have very proactively brought up their unique culture to the masses. The tribals of Goa known as Kunbis, unlike other tribes of the country have been very active in the political, social, economic and cultural aspect of life. ''Dhalo'' and ''dekhni'' are the traditional dance forms of the state which are performed by women. ''Mando'' is the folk music of Goa which is popular amongst the christian communities. There is even a Mando festival that takes place every year inviting music lovers from several places. The tuneful sound of Ghumat ( a traditional musical instrument) can be heard from every street during the times of shigmo and chavath ( ganesh chaturthi).

Goa has been blessed with two extremes of worlds, with west coast being a coastal region with beautiful regions and eastern region of the state which forms major part of western ghats with thick forests with flora and fauna is recognized as one of the major biodiversity hotspots of the world. The stunning waterfalls of Dhudhsagar and Haravale never fail to mesmerize its visitors.

  

Every place has an unexplored beautiful side which remains suppressed due to the conventional way of looking at things and places. Goa is conventionally portrayed as sea, sun and sands and n the process has lost its unconventional charm. To erupt the culturally wealthy side of our tiny state one needs to look beyond the three S's.