Sun, Sand and Siesta in Goa

There is no happiness for the one that does not travel.
Living with the same people, the best of men becomes a sinner.
The God Indra is the friend of travellers. Therefore wander.

Aitareya Brahmana (ca. 600 B.C.)

"See, there it is - the first liquor shop!", Suresh, my taxi driver excitedly pointed out as we were crossing the border of Maharashtra state into Goa. "Ab maza aiyega", he smilingly added in his native Hindi, "now the fun begins", the sheer prospect of a forthcoming bacchanal already impairing his bilingual capabilities. Liquor prices in India vary according to local taxes - three states are even completely "dry" - and Goa is generally known as a drinking man's heaven, with all kinds of alcoholic beverages available at rock-bottom prices. And what better place for a liquor shop than right by the highway. Suresh was thanking his lucky stars. "Goa is wonderful," he serenaded, trundling off to buy a week's supply of bottled bliss.

Goa has something for everybody. With 3,702 square kilometres the smallest of India's 25 states, Goa is located on the Indian west coast, halfway between Bombay and Kerala. Aside from the low liquor taxes which attract many tippling day trippers, it is blessed with beautiful palm-fringed beaches, a lush and hilly hinterland, friendly people and a unique Portuguese-influenced culture reflecting the state's chequered past. For 451 years, Goa was under Portuguese rule. After a Portuguese flotilla under Vasco da Gama had discovered the sea route to India in 1498, the Portuguese went into an alliance with King Deva Raya of Vijayanagar, to fight the Muslim sultans of Bijapur and Calicut. The undertaking was not entirely selfless, as the Portuguese were granted the right to keep a trading settlement in Cochin, as well as a fort in Cannanore in return. In 1510, the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque took the town of Old Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur; two years later, another Muslim bastion, Banasterim, fell to the Portuguese. In 1534, they conquered Diu, a small sea port in Northwest India, and Goa was declared the capital of all Portuguese colonies in Asia.

As Portuguese power grew, the Catholic Church predictably set out to Christianise the local population. From 1541 onwards, Hindu temples were systematically destroyed, and more often than not churches were built upon the ruins. "Non-convertible" Brahmins (members of the highest caste in Hinduism) were expelled from Goa and in 1560 the Inquisition was introduced. Between 1561 and 1774, 16.172 cases of suspected blasphemy or heresy came before the Tribunal do Santa Oficio (Tribunal of the Holy Office); how many of the accused were executed remains unknown. When the building in which the tribunals had taken place was finally torn down in 1830, mountains of human bones were found.

On the other hand, despite the obvious religious repression, at a political level mercantile sense prevailed and the colonial power skilfully aligned itself with neighbouring Hindu and Muslim rulers. Trade went on with Hindus and Jews. Marriages of Portuguese with local women were never forbidden, often rather encouraged by grants of land or money; it was hoped that the offspring of such marriages would become loyal Portuguese citizens and, no less important, good followers of Christ. Despite the efforts of proselytisation, Christians never even numbered 50 per cent of the overall population. Today, the figure is about 28 per cent; due to the constant influx of Hindus and Muslims from less well-off parts of India the percentage is still decreasing. The Goan Christians have assumed Portuguese surnames, and you come across as many Fernandes, Rodrigues, Pintos, de Souzas, d'Arbreos or de Mellos as in Lisbon. Though the Portuguese tried to abolish the onerous caste system, it has surreptitiously persisted and today, for example, Brahmin Christians may consider it beneath them to marry Shudra (the fourth or workers´ caste) Christians.

Portuguese rule was to last until 19th December 1961. In Operation Vijaya (Victory), Indian troops marched into the colony - as well as into the other Portuguese territories in India, Daman and Diu - taking them without much effort. Goa became part and parcel of India again. Not that this was universally welcomed - till today, many older Goans look back on the Portuguese period with unadulterated nostalgia. Life was carefree then, they say, prices were low, things were better organised and crime was almost non-existent. And liquor and beer were as cheap as water. Adieu Goa of old, Hello India.

To many tourists though, it is still Hello Goa. In the sixties, its beaches and its laid-back lifestyle attracted numerous western hippies, many of whom spent their days high on sun and smoke. If there is still a marked antipathy in some Goans towards tourism, it is largely an after-effect of these ultra-bohemian and often loony characters. Most hippies insisted on sunbathing or even walking about in the nude, brusquely offending the locals' finely tuned Christian/Hindu senses. Today's tourist though is more likely to be a backpacking economics student with his/her trousers in the right place, or a middle-aged salary-man on a safely-arranged package tour.

Begin your trip through Goa in the state capital Panjim (Panaji). Situated by the wide Mandovi River, the town's name may be derived from Panjali Khali, "River, which is Crossed by Boats", but not all etymologists agree. With its unabashedly Mediterranean architecture, Panjim still retains a very colonial flavour. Walking through the lanes between the small Querem River and the church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, one might well forget which continent one is in. The church itself, whitewashed into an almost blinding white, is Panjim's spiritual centre, and a fabulously majestic one at that. Built in 1619 on a small elevation, Our Lady of Immaculate Conception looks as Portuguese as it can get; long winding staircases lead up to the building, which is topped by two small belfries on the side of the roof and a bigger one in between. Inside the church, a statue Our Lady of Fatima is kept, which on every 13th October is carried in a candle-lit procession to the bishop's palace. The crown which tops the figure is decorated with pearls and jewels, donated by Panjim´s pious womenfolk.

For more Portuguese-style churches proceed to the town of Old Goa (or Velha Goa), Goa's capital until 1843. Old Goa's many churches and convents attract countless Christian, and even many non-Christian pilgrims from all over India. The main focus of religious fervour is the Jesuits' Church of Bom Jesus (built between 1594 and 1605), which houses the remains of St. Francis Xavier y Jassu. The saint, born 1506 in Navarra, Spain, played a major part in spreading the word of Christ in Asia. After founding the Societas Jesu (or Order of Jesuits) with Ignatius de Loyola and five other priests in 1534, Xavier went to Goa as a missionary eight years later. For a few months he taught at the College of St. Paul. Then he moved on to Kerala, where he is said to have converted 30.000 fishermen in a very short spate of time.

In 1545 he sailed to Malacca, which he took an intense disliking to - when he left the town he is recorded to have brushed all the dust from his clothes and shoes, as to completely free himself from that "wicked" place. In those days, Malacca was infested with pirates and other soldiers of fortune. After many more travels, Francis Xavier died in 1552 on the tiny island of Sancian near Canton, en route from Goa to China. He was buried on the island, and when a fellow Jesuit arrived to open the grave for a last glimpse, oh wonder - the body had not decomposed. News of the miracle spread far and wide. It soon reached Goa, which Francis Xavier, despite only three relatively short stays there, was supposedly fond of. The body was brought to Goa in 1554, after it had been interred for a few months' "transit period" in nasty old Malacca.

Till today, the remains of St. Francis Xavier seem miraculously well preserved. According to local lore, the body's hair and nails still keep on growing and have to be cut periodically. One toe is missing though, having been bitten off by an over-zealous devotee. Every ten years, the Exhibition of Francis Xavier is held, during which the body is laid out in the Sé Cathedral in Old Goa for all faithful to see. To avoid another toe-biting incident, it is kept in a coffin of glass. The saint's body attracts up to a million pilgrims, many from overseas and many non-Christian. For Goans living outside their state it is a matter of pride to return for the occasion. The next exhibition will take place in 2004, but there has been talk of the Vatican disapproving of the practice and considering a ban.

A further must on a cultural tour through Goa is a visit to the "double mansion" of the Bragança and Pereira families. Built in the small town of Chandor in the late 18th century, this amazing building contains an enormous number of valuable objects that the families - formerly wealthy landowners - have collected over the centuries. There are old palanquins, richly carved pieces of furniture, countless household objects, old toys, books, family portraits, and whatever else you can think of. A simply stunning collection! A member of the family will show you around, probably recounting many an old anecdote. The mansion also comprises a chapel, in which a thumb nail of St. Francis Xavier is kept in a sealed receptacle. Admission to the mansion is free, but donations to help maintain it are appreciated.

Travelling through Goa, one cannot help notice the generally laid-back atmosphere, which sets it quite apart from the rest of India. Goa's citizen do like a good time. For three days in February or March, carnival is celebrated with all the gay abandon the populace can muster. Almost all of Goa lines the street, dressed as fancily as possible, watching the parade of King Momo, the carnival´s bizarre patron "deity". Christmas, the "Big Day" in local vernacular, is celebrated with a fervour that surely brings tears of joy to the Vatican's collective eyes. But also in everyday life the Mediterranean influence shines through - go to any shop in the early afternoon a you will most likely find it firmly closed. Business shuts down from about 1 to 4 p.m., a snoozy homage to that mother of all inventions, the siesta.

While most sleep in Goa is naturally induced, feni may occasionally help. Feni is a locally produced alcoholic drink, distilled from fermented cashew fruits or coconut toddy. The annual output of feni is more than three million litres. Feni is quite fiery, but if that doesn't agree with you, you may also use it as a body rub - a good rubdown is supposed to help against colds and fever. To "export" feni from Goa into the rest of India one officially needs a permit, the forms for which are available in liquor shops. Very often the border guards are simply bribed - with a few bottles of feni.

Goa is also a producer of wine (made with grapes from the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh), but it is usually very sweet, rather like port or sherry. If you are in need of a good non-alcoholic beverage, go for germ-free and cooling coconut water. Goa grows 70 million coconuts per year.

Goan food is mostly as mouth-blowing as the feni, curried seafood being a staple. Try Ambot Tik, a spicy curry made from shark or catfish, or Xec-Xec, a fiery crab or prawn curry. To cool your cavities, use plain yoghurt (dahi), or lassi, a slightly salty or sweet yoghurt drink. If your taste buds are of a somewhat Teutonic bend, you may want to try the little pork sausages available in many markets. In some restaurants you may even find Beef Stroganoff on the menu, but mind you, the beef comes from water buffaloes, not from cows. Goa is part of India after all!

Speaking of food and drink - the last I saw of my driver Suresh was when he was haggling in a market over a basket of fish, to take home to his wife in Maharashtra. By that time he was high as a toddy tapper, reeking of feni like a long unscrubbed barroom sink. The fish deal over, he told me good-bye, slumped in his car and sped off, almost hitting an oncoming bullock cart. Whether he made it safely home, I don't know - I hope God Indra, the friend of travellers, protected him well.

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