Goa beyond the beaches (Part I)

Goa beyond the beaches - Part I

Text and photographs copyright Neville Bulsara, 2006. All rights reserved.



Their expressions were priceless; I mentally kicked myself for forgetting to lug my camera along.

"What? You mean there’s more to Goa than the beaches?" they said, carefully setting down their cups of coffee, incredulity writ large on their faces. "Come on, you should know better that that! Goa’s all about it’s beaches, that’s why people go there in the first place!"

"There is a lot more to Goa", I said, before rattling off a long list of places to visit and document on the photography tour I was planning to undertake; a tour of Goa where I planned to photograph everything save the beaches.

Incredulity gave way to skepticism, complete with the exchange of furitive glances at each other as I progressed with my monologue. And then, I mentioned temples… I really wish I’d carried my camera along. I mean like really!

Not surprising really, considering that most people know Goa for it’s beaches (and that’s all they know about Goa!) - things be as they may, they kind of figured that I was serious, not under the effect of some hallucinogen, alcohol, sedative or what-have-you, and decided to sign up for the trip.

And that’s how it all began - three photographer’s discovery of "Goa beyond the beaches".


A week later saw us driving down from Bombay to Goa. The highway wends it's way along the Western Ghats. A rather picturesque journey of sorts, but we had a long way to go - all 650 kilometers of it - so we dispensed with the odd opportunity to halt for photographs, concentrating on covering as much distance as possible before nightfall. The drive can take from anywhere between twelve to sixteen hours; our's took fourteen. Our first port of call was the town of Mapusa in Goa.



Mapusa is primararily a market town, and there's little to see and do here, except visit the lively market held here once every week, which is the reason I choose to head with my group there. Unlike the weekly flea-martket at Anjuna, the weekly market here gives the visitor to experience first hand a true Indian marketplace. If there's one thing that characterizes the true Indian marketplace, its a riot of colours, and we find plenty of those here. Spices of all sorts, assorted fruits and vegetables, peppers, coloured bottles (yes, coloured bottles!), buckets and assorted household paraphenalia jostle cheek by jowl with a throng of humanity. No experience of India is complete without a visit to the local market, and the market here is a true reflection of part of the culture that is India. Of course, India being the melting pot that it is, each market reflects the characteristics of the people of that state, and the market here is no exception - keep an eye peeled for strings of spicy Goan sausages (chourico) and rows of fisherwomen selling their catch. Our "end of day" ruminations focus on why we tend to ignore the marketplace (and everything else) back home - from a photographic viewpoint - and tend to seek out the same environments elsewhere. It's the same reason why National Geographic never assigns a photo assignment to someone in their own backyard -- our minds tend to take the familiar for granted; we tend not to "see" photographic opportunities that may stare us in the face. Yet, transport the very same elements to another locale and we are confronted with a wealth of photographic opportunities. Food for thought, I would think!


The next day we head off 12 or so kilometers further south to capital of Goa - Panjim. Most vistors would view this "city" as little but a convenient disembarkation / embarkation point, and could be excused for thinking that the grand Church of Immaculate Conception (centrally located at - well - Church Square!) is all that there is to this town, but there is a lot more to this old town as my group will soon discover.

We spend some time around the square, photographing the toothpaste-white facade of the church, before I lead the group into a maze of alleys, heading off to "discover" the real reason why Panjim is on my list of "must-see, must-photograph" places in Goa. As we head due west further into the city, we're accosted by taxi wallahs galore, who almost seem to crop out of the woodwork; actually its quite difficult not to bump into one who'll slither up to you and hopefully go "Taxi?"

As we enter the maze of small streets, the town takes on a whole new look; broad sweeping roads are replaced by narrow alleys fringed by old, small buildings crammed together. We are now in the business district of Sao Tome. Most of the establishments here are restaurants and hole-in-the wall watering-places (Goans love their drinks!). The white-washed walls of the "newer" part of town give way to shades of green, ochre and yellows. Photographic opportunities abound here, but I am quick to remind my companions not to exhaust their stock of film / digital media as the best is yet to come...


From Sao Tome, we move on to the old latin quarter of town - Fontainhas. It is here that we come face-to-face with the real Panjim as it existed during the rule of the Portugese here. Narrow streets fringed with old houses sporting the most dazzling colours, - a throwback to the times of the portugese who insisted that the walls of each house be preshly painted after every monsoon - except for churches, who got the mandatory white-wash.

Goa retains the laid-back feel that has traditionally set it apart from the rest of India, primararily because while most of the subcontinent was being colonized by the stiff-upper-lipped British, Goa's European overlords were the Portugese, a people far more inclined to enjoy the good things in life than their Anglo-Saxon counterparts. And, nowhere is that laid-back feel more obvious than in Fontainhas, where life progresses at a veritable crawl.

As we walk through Fontainhas, I get the distinct impression of a being in a town-within-a-town. In one sense, we are within the thriving, busltling city of Panjim. Yet, in Fontainhas, life has a different pace, a different feel. It is almost like Fontainhas clings to the past, while the rest of the city marches to the inexorable beat of time. Will Fontainhas manage to retain it's old-world charm? It's slow pace of life? It's distinct heritage? Or, will it give way to bustling concrete structures over time when the present (older) generation passes on? Will their children succumb to the lure of Mammon, and leave Fontainhas to crumble ? As these thoughts run through my head, I spot an old gentleman step out of his home. As he turns to lock the door behind him, two young schoolgirls walk past him. The visual incongruity is a true reflection of the thoughts that run in my mind - the march of time, old versus new.... I raise my camera and make the image I had in mind; I know I have my story.

By the time we finish shooting in Sao Tome and Fontainhas, the sun has begun it's descent into the Arabian Sea to the west. I hurry the group back to the Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception so that we may be able to photograph the Panjim skyline and Church Square by dusk; by experience I know that twilight is the best time to photograph the skyline of a city - there's just enough light in the sky to be able to make out details in unlit areas, and, as the city lights come on, the overall effect can really make for good images. I choose a vantage point that will enable us to overlook Church Square. A long exposure renders the lights of moving vehicular traffic as brilliant streaks.


Christianity came to Goa courtesy the Portugese who came here in search of "Christians and spices". Finding none of the former, they began evangelizing with a zeal. Four and a half centuries of Portugese rule left an indelible stamp on the people of Goa and their culture - especially in the fields of of religion and dietary habits. Traces of this impact can be found all acrosss Goa - Baroque churches, wayside crosses, spectacular mansions and a dress code far different from anywhere else in India. What with this profusion of religious iconography, my group was rather surprised when I mentioned that up that the next day we'd be busy photographing churches. They were probably too polite to voice their thoughts, but their looks said it all : "Churches? What's so special about churches? We've been seeing so many way side chapels. And what's so special about a church, anyway?"

In hindsight, I wish they had vocalized their thoughts; there is a kind of perverse pleasure to be experienced in having people eat their words (while one keeps a stoic face and acts magnanimous in victory! heh heh). Things be as they may, their looks said it all the next day - eyes wide in surprise, mouths wide open (I'm sure a couple of them must have had to have their jaws re-wired!)... you get the picture? I didn't - it's rather impolite to photograph people at such times! But, I'm getting ahead of myself, so let me re-wind events a bit and start at the begining...

The next day saw us heading the 10 odd kilometers north of Panjim to Old Goa - the erstwhile capital of the Portugese. When the Portugese first landed in Goa, they established their capital along the banks of the River Mandovi. Soon this bustling town grew as it attracted traders and merchants. Grand churches and monasteries were built in and around the town. At it's zenith, the town was renowned throughout the civilized world and it came to be known as Goa Durado - Golden Goa. However, lack of a proper sanitation system and the nearby marshes led to the outbreak of cholera and malaria - diseases that practically decimated the population of the city. This led to the capital being moved to Panjim, and Old Goa fell to ruins; all that remain here today are a cluster of old churches and cathedrals. If it were not for the sites being declared as "World Heritage" structures by UNESCO, and, the efforts of the ASI (Archeological Society of India), it is quite possible that these structures would have fallen to ruins and prey the vandalism of miscreants.

The cluster of churches and monuments in Old Goa can be broadly divided into three groups - the first being concentrated around the Rua Das Naus De Hormuz - the main driveway, the second in and around Viceroy's Arch, and, the third around Holy Hill. Our route from Panjim brings us on the Rua Das Naus De Hormuz, and I'm not too surprised to hear the gasps from my companions as they view the cluster of churches there. I take them on a quick orientation drive around the complex, then heading off to Viceroy's Arch, before zeroing down on Holy Hill for the day's program.

From a photographic viewpoint, it would take several days of intensive photography to do justice to the monuments in Old Goa; I'd earmarked two for our program. The first day sees us photographing around Holy Hill. The most prominent structure here is the erstwhile Augustian Monastery. The monastery itself is in ruins - all that stands is the partially collapsed belfry, the most visible landmark from miles around. We spend a good amount of time in the complex, in search of images that reflect our personal impressions of the place. As I walk around the complex, I see the image I want - remnants of a wall against a backdrop of the partially collapsed belfry. I choose to shoot it in black and white, to better reflect my impressions of the place.

The other structures on and around Holy Hill include the Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary, Chapel of St. Anthony, the Convent of St Monica, and, the Convent of St. John of God. We spend the rest of the day photographing in and around these structures, before returning to Mapusa for the night.

We return to Old Goa the next day to photograph the cluster of churches around the Rua Das Naus De Hormuz, and those around the Arch of the Viceroys.. There are several structures around the Rua, the most famous of which are the Baslica of Bom Jesus and the mighty Se Cathedral. We start off with the Se Cathedral, spending a good hour photographing the interiors before moving out to photograph the facade of the cathedral. Rather than try to fit the whole facade into a frame, I position myself in front of the grand entance and wait for a passerby. As luck would have it, a small girl begins to walk towards it -- I know I have my shot. The white of her dress contrasts brilliantly with the dark interior, and I make the shot just as she passes in front of the entrance. I end up with an image that shows less, but tells more; I imply size by a process of abstraction and scale incongruity - leaving much to the imagination of the user.

The rest of the day is spent photographing in and around the Bascilica of Bom Jesus and the Church of St. Cajetan. The Church of St. Cajetan is modeled along the lines of St. Peters (Rome) and the archs in there make for some fascinating photographic material. The Basicilica of Bom Jesus houses the remains of St. Francis Xavia - Goa's patron saint. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock here every year on the day of his feast (in December), and the site becomes a veritable bazaar of sorts with people from all around the countryside flocking here to sell their wares to the throng of worshipers. On a weekly basis, mass is still conducted here every Sunday. Photography of the worshipers however, is frowned upon (and rightly so!). The church however does provide some interesting photographic opportunites.

Having obtained our "fix" of photographs for the day, we return to Mapusa. The next few days will see us travelling to the interiors of Goa - a Goa very different from what we have experienced and seen so far. But that is a bridge that we'll cross when we come to it - material for Goa beyond the beaches - Part II

---

---