Feast of Three Kings

Perched high on a hill in Quelim, Salcete, stands the tiny centuries-old stone chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios or Our Lady of Cures. The incomparably beautiful statue of the Madonna is seen holding the Child Jesus in open arm and a small vase in the other, which has in it the panacea for all ills.

The Lady of the Mount is famous for her wondrous protection and miracles and is also reputed to be the giver of children to sterile mothers. On the day of the festivity She is covered with jewellery as tokens of gratitude by Catholics and Hindus alike for favors and blessings received. The chapel as well as the image are very ancient and are steeped in historical associations, traditions, and legends.

Every year thousands of devotees congregate at the stone chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Reis to offer prayers of thanksgiving to Our Lady of Immaculate Conception - a lighthouse of faith and courage to its people. High mass is offered on the day of Epiphany and it is a time to rejoice and partying.

Some say the Jesuits built this place of worship during the religious persecution that raged Goa during the time of the Marques de Pombal. This fact seems to be borne out by the subterranean passage found in the chapel that terminates about a mile away in a huge boulder with six secret openings through which, it is believed, that the faithful entered. These caves were later used by tigers and panthers as lairs.

According to a legend another boulder on a nearby hill is clearly stamped with two baby footprints and those of an adult, together with a trough carved out of the rock which, marks the spot where the Virgin rested with the Infant while the horse that brought them quenched its thirst, before proceeding to Hill of Remedies where she chose to remain.

However, some historians state that the site now occupied by the Chapel of Remedios was once the site of a Hindu temple. Perhaps that's the reason why a large number of Hindu devotees make the yearly pilgrimage to the Mount to worship the Madonna, bringing with them offerings of flowers, incense, and candles.

The Hill of Remedios is situated at such a dizzy height that one can practically see the whole of Goa nestling around in a panoramic picture at its feet. The chapel itself is the Goan mariner's lighthouse of faith, hope and courage.

Surrounded by the curious curves and shapes of maiden mountains, by waving and whispering palms, the softness of golden sands, the endless changing moods of sea and sky, and the bewitching magic of the chaste sun and moon, this sanctuary is truly the realm of mystic beauty, the Abode of the Gods, and one of perfect peace.

One seems nearer to Heaven in this hallowed spot, and the sublime and child-like faith in the Lady of Cures by her ardent devotees makes you leave the hill richer in mind and spirit.

It is on the Festa dos Reis or the Epiphany on January 6 that the isolated Hill of Remedios and chapel suddenly spring to life and activity. After staying almost whole year in isolation, just nine days before the Feast of the Novena starts, the hill revives and resounds to human voices and feet.

Come early dawn, kettledrums and the blare of trumpets, announce to the sleepy little neighboring villages that the day of rejoicing and festivity has arrived.

The tolling bells call the faithful to prayer and devotees visit the shrine in a non-stop stream. There's now an excellent road winding its way up the steep hill right to the door of the chapel, making the ascent possible by car. Still, most of the devotees prefer to climb up hill.

Even the very old and infirm make their way up for nine consecutive days to hear Mass and recite the Rosary before the Lady of the Blue Mantle. Many come to offer their thanks for fulfilling their wishes. The devotees are always lead by a drummer-boy with his kettledrum who, by the loud beat of his drum, announces of another favor having being granted by the Lady of Remedios.

The dramatic climax is reached on January 6, the day of the Feast of the Magi, when three little boys ranging in years from 8 to 10 are selected as kings from the three neighboring villages of Quelim, Cansaulim and Arrosim to bring their gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense to the Child-God.

Throughout the year expectations and excitement run high as to who will be the fortunate ones chosen as it must be either a son or grandson from these three villages; no outsider can claim this privilege or honor.

To be a king, if only for a day is no joke, so the young monarchs take meticulous care to groom themselves for the exacting role. Meanwhile, on the Mount, the crowds gather from all parts of Goa to attend the Mass and get a glimpse of the three kings.

An extensive fair also springs up covering the entire hilltop. One can buy anything from a meal to copper and brassware, furniture, clothes, toys, trinkets, sweetmeats, glass bangles and spices of all sorts.

The surging and trampling devotees congregate on the hill's edge to watch the three kings from three different routes make their appearance. Mounted on white horses, they make their way up, outfitted in their royal garments elaborately embroidered in gold and silver, a crown studded with glittering stones on their heads, and a whole procession of relatives, friends, retinues bringing up the rear.

Each procession is preceded by a brass band played as loud music and bursting of crackers all the way up. The crowd in a frenzy of enthusiasm hails the Magi with a deafening ovation. The kings dismount from their white steeds, and are solemnly led to the special seats of honor reserved for them to assist at the High Mass.

After the service, they are led down with the same traditional ceremony with which they were brought up the hill. The whole picturesque scene is a color-drenched dream of ancient pomp, pageantry and glory.

A curious feature of the festival on the Mount is that after midday, one will not find a single soul anywhere near by. The staggering and swelling crowds disappear as mysteriously as the huge giant fair, within a few hours, while the flags, buntings and other fanciful decorations are all removed.

Since no priest consents to reside in the parochial house, the chapel is closed till the next annual feast. During the year should any devotee wants a mass of thanksgiving to be said at the shrine, he goes up with the priest.

The reason for this fear of the Mount is the belief that the place is haunted by Shivaji and his army who after dusk make their appearance with flares that light up the whole countryside around, which echoes to their marching feet.

Talaulim

Quietude is the welcoming hug one gets on entering Talaulim. Serenity is your constant companion as you scout around the scenic village. Bucolic at heart, its crescent shape is delineated by thickly forested hills on one side and the fertile fields and a rivulet on the other. The scanty populace it nurtures is dwarfed by its vastness and by that of its huge Church.

The towering church and the miniscule number of 500-odd Catholics don’t really add up, and one is left trying to figure out why and how the imposing edifice came into being. The past alone can give us a suitable reply. And it does.

The fact that Talaulim is seeped in history comes to the fore. And that the present tranquil atmosphere is only a faded shadow of its bustling heyday is also revealed.

It is on record that in 1577 some pious people bought a piece of land and offered it to Jesuit priest who was preaching the Gospel to the locals of Talaulim and neighbouring Gualim-Moula. As soon as a sizeable number of locals converted to Christianity, this priest began constructing a small chapel, but had not decided as to which saint it would be dedicated to .

It was then that a ganvkar Bartolomeu Marchona declared that he had met an old lady on the hill. He said that the old lady, wearing a hat and carrying a walking stick, told him that the chapel being built belonged to her and that she wanted to stay there. Coincidently, a Brahmin lady is also reported to have seen an old lady in her dream, who gave her name as Ana and who wanted a place to stay. It then dawned upon the priest that the old lady was none other than St Ana, the mother of Mary. The chapel was then dedicated to St Ana. It was extended by Msgr Francisco de Rego from 1681 – 1689 and the magnificent structure was completed by Fr Antonio Francisco da Cunha in 1695 at a time when more than 12000 Catholics (mostly Portuguese Fidalgos) lived around the Church. The very same year it was elevated to a church. As a reward, Marchona and his wife were given the honour of being buried inside the church.

Talaulim’s Church of Sta Ana is one of the oldest and biggest and stands 110 feet tall, 147 feet long and 105 feet broad. On the main altar lies a statue of Sta Ana and next to her, on her right, is the Blessed Virgin Mary carrying the Infant Jesus. Above the Infant is seen the Holy Spirit and God the Father. On the left and right altars are the images of Our Lady of Bom Viagem and Our Lady of Loureto.

Intricate architecture can be noticed on its rounded roof. A tiled ceiling covers the roof which can be walked upon if approached via the staircase that leads to the belfry.

The feast of Sta Ana, known as the Cucumber Feast (touxeamchem fest or pepinchem fest) is wellknown throughout Goa since the 17th century. At that time bachelors wanting a bride would offer a spoon, spinsters aspiring for a groom offered a handful of uddid, and the newlyweds and childless couples offered cucumbers to Jesus’ grandmother. Offering of spoons and uddid has now stopped. When a couple is blessed with a child, some offering, either in cash or kind needs to be made, it is believed. The Touxeamchem Fest, which is celebrated on July 26 or the Sunday following it, is attended by both Catholics and Hindus in large numbers.

Besides the feast, nothing about the Church could add colour and cheer. The dilapidated state it has been lying in for years on end brings a tear to the eye. That such a majestic Church could one day crumble down only because of the utter neglect and unconcern of the authorities, both Church and government, ignites an angry spark within. Urgent repairs and expert renovation work is the need of the hour. But who is going to take the initiative? Of late, hopes that a foreign organization might undertake the Herculean task is eagerly anticipated.

Just for the record, the former Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) Deputy Superintending Archaeologist Muhammed KK, in a letter dated 9.12.91 and addressed to the Under Secretary (Ed), expressed `the inability of the ASI to protect the St Ana Church and many other monuments worthy of protection, due to the total apathy and indiffernce of the State government of Goa……..’

The Talaulim Catholics are looked after by the Curca parish vicar Fr Oscar Quadros and the Pilar priests. On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Fr Quadros celebrates Mass, while on the rest of the week days, the Pilar priests. Tiswadi’s biggest church, which has a Confraria and Fabrica, doesn’t have a resident vicar since the day the aged Fr Thomas D’Aquino Lobo expired on October 18, 1979. Senior parishioners yearn for a resident priest, as they feel that the children and the youth are neglected.

The only consistency is that the church has a sacristan since March 1945. The sankistao, 68-year-old Joaquim Pereira, has been dedicatedly serving the parish for the past 55 years. Religiously tolling the church bell four times a day, Pereira, who lives right below the church, is one of Talaulim’s most respected citizen.

Gualim-Moula, formerly having a status equivalent of a separate parish, had its own church which was built by an Italian much after Sta Ana’s Church and dedicated to Our Lady of Loretto. After the Moula parish was denotified, the church was considered as a chapel and came under the purview of the Talaulim parish. However, what remains today is only a small chapel which houses the image of Our Lady of Loretto on the ruins of the church. Elderly villagers inform that Our Lady of Loretto’s image stubbornly stood its ground and just could not be lifted when some parishioners tried to shift it to Sta Ana’s Church.

The historic Quinta de Sta Rosalina also existed on the hill closer to Moula. It is said that St Francis Xavier regularly used the road behind Sta Ana’s church that connects Talaulim to Old Goa to deliver lectures to students studying there. Although not in good shape, the road is still used by the people of Talaulim, Siridao and Curca while going on foot to attend the novenas and feast of St Francis Xavier at Old Goa. The beautiful Quinta de Sta Rosalina is said to have been gifted to the King of Sundem by Bishop Dr Antonio da Purificacao in 1764.

That the King of Sundem (Reis de Sundem - as known to the village folk) lived in a palace or castle on Talaulim’s hills is widely spoken in rural circles. We decided to personally check out their claims about a well, spring and palatial ruins lying on the mount .

Led by the tall, slight, yet hardy Joaquim, on an unusually misty morning we trudged up the hill in search of the ruins of Reis de Sundem’s palace. After a steep heavily forested uphill climb that left us, except Joaquim, almost breathless we were face to face with a huge well. Not less than eight metres in diameter; the deepness is now reduced to just a quarter of what it was, we are told. It is believed that besides providing drinking water the well was used to escape from the enemy. If the king or his men were hotly chased, they would fox their foes by daringly jumping into the well and disappearing through a window that lay just near the water level. While some villagers say that this mysterious outlet led to a tunnel that opened out somewhere near the Santa Monica convent in Old Goa, others state that the tunnel could lead one either to the palace or to the spring that today lies snuffed out nearly fifty metres below to the right side of the well. Seating arrangements, changing rooms, large wash-basins carved out of stone, are some of the tell-tale signs of ‘royal’ baths.

By now the mist had lifted and so also our hopes of finding the royal palace or castle. And find we did, as after battling stubborn vines and thorny foliage we were right in front of the ancient ruins. Amidst the ruins, in which some walls are half standing, we walked down the steps that lead to an underground dungeon-like area. History seemed to unfold in the wind-ruffled silence, but we weren’t sure whether the ruins were those of the King’s Palace or those of Quinta de Santa Rosalina. As we were about to walk down to the present from the past, but not before we had feasted on the borams (Indian jujubes) that carpeted the area, a King Cobra’s shed skin made sure we knew that the royal ruins are now his domain.

The last Portuguese Governor of Goa, Vasalo de Silva, was perhaps the only one holding office to have visited the site. The entire area is now owned by the Salgaocars, the villagers inform.

Talaulim, which is made up of three main wards (Portal Vaddo, Corpir Vaddo and Goalim-Moula) is fused with the Curca-Bambolim-Talaulim Panchayat. Sabina Rodrigues and Vivekanand S Volvoikar are the two incumbent panchas. Most of the 500-plus Hindus live in Goalim-Moula. The small centuries-old Shree Diteshwar Maharudra Prasanna temple, renovated in the 1980s, takes care of the Hindu religious activities. Mahashivratri, Vadh Dhivas and Dhallo are celebrated with great pomp and gaiety.

The Hindus that live near the church in Portal Vaddo were all formerly Christian Gawdas. A century ago they left Christianity and converted to Hinduism only because the Church did not allow them to give away their 12-year-old girls in marraige. They were all Fernandes’, but got themselves ‘christened’ as Vernekars. They, however, retained their Christian first names; and the last generation bearing names likes Domingo, Thomas, Bottal and Custodio passed away only a few years ago.

For market purchases, schooling and postal services, Talaulim leans on Goa Velha. There is only one government primary school situated in Goalim-Moula. The only other seat of learning was the Parochial Primary School, which Fr Cupertina Pereira ran till 1957. A Parochial Music School also existed, and there was a time when even three mistirs were brought all the way from Bardez to coach Talaulim’s musically inclined parishioners.

Public transport took a bow only in 1970. Before that, travelling to Goa’s capital city was invariably by foot via Merces or Bambolim.

Medical aid was unheard of in the village until Dr Cajetan Ignatius Fernandes began his practice recently. An expert of Alternative Medicine, Dr Fernandes claims to have successfully treated a number of diseases including Cancer.

Footballing talent abounds in the village and its St Ana Sports Club established in 1989, is presently figuring in the 3rd Division Football League. "We have the talent, but it has to be promoted. We play in front of the church as there is no football ground," informs St Ana’s General Secretary Jerry de Mello. The sports club has also been in the forefront for pushing for the restoration of the church.

The histrionic side of the village folk is fully displayed at the annual Tiatr they stage in May on the occasion of the feasts of the Portal and Corpir Vaddo chapels.

The village, accessible via Merces-Curca, Goa Velha-Batim-Curca and Batim, lies, South of Panjim. Teak, jackfruit, mango – of the Mankurad and Fernand varieties, bamboo and tamarind trees dot the peaceful countryside. Cashew trees pack the forests. Agriculture and cashew farming are the main occupations. Bamboo was once a flourishing business, informs Shrikant Volvoikar. "Till 1952, sailboats carrying tiles would come and offload close to Goalim-Moula, and would carry back rice and bamboos," says he. Today even a small canoe cannot make the journey from Siridao to Talaulim as the channel has been choked. The only income-generating water body is the regularly auctioned calandur and xevtte infested pond.

Talaulim, now more famed as Santana (the name drawn from Santa Ana), was a home to the rich and the regal who died or fled the village when Cholera struck fatally. The Catholics believe that the deadly punishment came following an insult to Christ’s image during Lent. The widespread Talaulikars too must surely have left around that time, never to return.

A prosperous Talaulim of yore may never be recreated, but the present will make sure the future doesn’t forget its brilliant past.

By Alister Miranda

Goa Institute of Management

The autonomous school is governed by a Board, and offers a full-time MBA (PGDBM) program (2 years) and executive MBA (3 years) and also is a resource center for PhD programs in Management for Goa University. Current MBA classes have a size of approximately 120 students. Present Director of Goa Institute of Management is Mr. Peter F.X. D'Lima.

History

Located on the banks of the beautiful Mandovi river in Goa, the Business School was founded in 1993 when Fr. Romuald D'souza(ex Director - XLRI (Xavier Labour Relations Institute), Jamshedpur and XIMB (Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar) moved from XIM, Bhubaneswar to create a center of learning and excellence in Goa.

Infrastructure

The Campus, located at Ribandar, on a hillslope, is housed in a Heritage Building Santa Casa De Misericordia The Royal Portuguese Hospital, dating back to the Portuguese Rule in Goa. The building, in which the school is housed, is supposed to be one of the earliest Hospitals in India and only in 1993 was converted from a Hospital building to a Business School Campus.

Keeping its Hospital legacy, some of the campus blocks still carry their past names.The various blocks are

• Admin
• Library
• Office
• Operations Theatre known as OT
• Morgue
• Hill Top
• Ladies Hostel
• Joe's
• The Quadrangle (Quad)
• Mess
• Jaggu's
• Kailash

Library

The library subscribes to most major national and international business and industry publications. The Institute provides access to various online databases and sources of information like Proquest, CMIE, Capitaline, and EBSCO.

Affiliations & Linkages

• Approved by the All India Council of Technical Education of the Government of India (AICTE) for offering postgraduate courses in management at the MBA level.
• Recognized by the Government of Goa and by many of the major industrial corporations in the country
• Member of the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools, which facilitates linkages for collaboration and exchange among some 60 Business Schools in 25 different countries in various parts of the world.
• Hosted Joint Study projects for two years in which 12 MBA students of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, USA, under the guidance of their faculty, have worked with 12 GIM students in teams of four, on projects assigned to them by local industries.
• Ongoing tie-up with The University of Antwerp (Universiteit Antwerpen) for facilitating student interaction and joint study.
• Student exchange program with, Fachhochshule Ingolstadt, Germany (up to 5 students)

Ranking

• Indian Business Magazine BusinessWorld India has ranked GIM as 18th in Best B-Schools in India for the year 2004. BusinessWorld India 2004
• August 23, 2005 As per Rediff.com, GIM ranks amongst the 15 Top institutes offering the MBA degree or equivalents in India
• GIM has been ranked 17th in the BusinessWorld India's Cosmode BW survey for the year 2005.

Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Ajuda

A Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Ajuda or The Church of Our Lady of Help (i.e., Auxiliatrix Christianorum or Perpetual Succor) was built on the banks of the Mandovi river in 1565. The ship bringing the body of St. Francis Xavier from Malacca was welcomed with canon salute at this church on the night of 14th March, 1554. The church has a peculiar architectural style, being built like a ship.

The Santa Casa da Misericórdia or The Holy House of Charity, also called The Royal Portuguese Hospital: Today it houses a management school, the Goa Institute of Management. It is a heritage structure and has been left unchanged despite the pressures of housing a college. Unconfirmed sources claim that this Hospital is Asia's first one.

Ribandar

Ribandar is an unincorporated town in Goa, India, in the district (conselho) of Ilhas or Tiswaddi, lying in between the cities of Pangim (or Nova Goa) and Old Goa.

It is separated from Pangim by the Rio de Ourem, River of Gold, whose junction with the Mandovi here forms a large, wide marshy estuary.

This estuary in traversed by an old causeway built in 1633 under the auspices of one of the Viceroys of Portuguese India, the Count of Linhares, after whom it is called the Ponte de Linhares. This causeway is the sole direct land access Ribandar has with Pangim.

The name Ribandar originates from "Rayachem Bandar" meaning the wharves, docks or portage of the Rayas or Kings.

It is unclear which kings are meant. Goa was ruled by a break-away branch of the Kadamba dynasty belonging to native Kannadiga language speakers of Karnataka. It was conquered by Sultan Allauddin Khilji's General Mahmud Ghawan for the Delhi Sultanate, became part of the breakaway Bahamani Sultanate, conquered by Vijayanagar, Yusuf Adil Shah I of the Sultanate of Bijapur before being conquered by Affonso de Albuquerque in 1510.

Presently, Ribandar, although far separated geographically from Pangim by the Rio de Ourem, has been made a part of the City Corporation of Pangim.

Assagao

Assagao figures amidst the tiniest and well laid out villages of the Velhas Conquistas of Bardez. And small is naturally beautiful. Assagao is a mere strip of land of about 7 kilometres in length, and it is sandwiched between greenhills clothed in caju groves. From Mapusa town, the road u-turns uphill and, while descending the pass in the small plateau, splits into two. The main artery proceeds straight along the church of St Cajetan, the Assagao Union High School and St Michael's church in Anjuna towards the Vagator beach. The second negotiates circuituously westward and passes by the Pallotine Seminary to Badem. .

These parallel roads run alongside the hillrange and are lined with modest to magestic mansions. Virtually at every kilometre, a crossroad connects the main roads in this valley known for crossandra flowers. In Konkani the flame-coloured flowers are called abolim and since they grew here in plenty once, Assagao was known as aboleamcho ganv or fulancho ganv.

These parallel roads run alongside the hillrange and are lined with modest to magestic mansions. Virtually at every kilometre, a crossroad connects the main roads in this valley known for crossandra flowers. In Konkani the flame-coloured flowers are called abolim and since they grew here in plenty once, Assagao was known as aboleamcho ganv or fulancho ganv.

Pals from neighbouring villages generally greet us with Assa re ganv.They tell us that our village got its name when a prince, who was lost on the hills of Assagao on a dark night, heard the cock crow to announce the dawn. Overjoyed, the forlorn prince heaved a sigh, Assa re ganv. Being brought up in the proximity of cocks and bulls, Ascoumkars don't buy such cock and bull bluff. We believe that Assagao has something to do with the timbre trees called hasson, whose bark is known to cure pain particularly from joints. Hasson being abundant in the village, it was named Asson-ganv or Hasson-ganv. But it's the height of annoyance when anyone mistakenly presumes that our ancestors hail from Azgaon in Maharashtra.

Anyway, what's there in a name or even a nickname when Goans take the cake in calling names? The early inhabitants of Assagao were Saraswat Brahmins of the Atri gotra. There must have been others too. But all were invariably Hindu with Ravalnath being the presiding deity. There was no dearth of temples too. However, only an odd pillar called kator on the hill at Socolvaddo is the vestige of the Hindu past. It was the temple lamp-post and to preserve the relic of their Hindu heritage, the elders cleverly slapped a legend over the kator. They the common man to believe that there was something inscribed on the kator in a strange a language. They claimed that the one who manages to decipher the inscription would be blessed with a bhangaracho handdo (a large copper pot full of gold). Nobody ever saw the inscription and so no one ever got any gold either.

The majority of the locals turned Christians sometime around 1603, baptised by the Franciscan missionaries. The temples became redundant and were razed to the ground and white-washed chapels mushroomed. In the early years, the freshly converted Ascoumkars attended the church of St Michael in Anjuna. In 1813, Archbishop S Galdino raised the chapel of St Cajetan (built in 1775) to a church and expanded it.

Being an important village with many illustrious people, there are at least two books published on Assagao, Aldeia de Assagao by Mons Gomes Catao being quite popular. The late Robert D'Souza, writer-poet-advocate from the village, gives an informative account of the church in the souvenir of the bi-centenary celebrations in 1975. D'Souza says that the 46 ft wide and 121 ft high facade of the church presents a multifaceted design of detached structures with two storeys surrounded by a balustrade and surmounted by three towers, one of which is houses two bells. The church of St Cajetan's in Assagao is often confused with that of St Alex in Calangute because of the architectural similarity.

Prompted by its architectural splendour, JJ Machado, a former Governor-General and an engineer, sent the photographs of the church for an exhibition in Paris. And a beautiful church needs a tidy cemetery. So the local cemetery is probably the tidiest in Goa. All the credit goes to Assis Conceicao Fernandes, the hardworking sacristan. But Assis irmao's task would have been tough hadn't Fr Manuel Albuquerque got the cemetery covered with a roof overnight in 1895 ere the government ban on covered cemeteries could take effect.

The overall population is around than 3500 and though there are less Hindu houses, the Hindu population exceeds that of their Catholic counterparts. Our elders always say that virtually in every rich house in Assagao lived a priest. From these, Dom Frei Joao Xavier de Souza Trindade almost became a bishop sometime in the 1800s. He was even elected to the Portuguese parliament from Timor in 1844 and from Goa in 1845. But one whose fame won't ever fade away was the erudite orientalist Mons Rodolfo Sebastiao Dalgado (1855-1922), who graduated in Roman and Canon Laws and Theology at the Rome's Papal University. He was a distinguished linguist who knew Kanarese, Malayalam, Sinhalese, Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Italian, German, Arabic, Persian and Portuguese besides his mother-tongue Konkani.

Mons Dalgado analysed the structure and vocabulary of Konkani and in 1893 he published the first ever Konkani-Portuguese dictionary. Among several works, he also wrote the treatise 'The Influence of the Portuguese Language over Asiatic Languages'. In 1917, Mons Dalgado occupied the chair of Sanskrit in Portugal. Today, when I say that I hail from Assagao, immediately shoot back, "So you are from Dalgado's village". Some even say, "Why have the Ascoumkars ignored Lucasinho Ribeiro? Don't you know that he is the father of Konkani Tiatr?"

Fr Antonio Vicente Lisboa (1828-1883) too earned honours for his religious fervour and administrative acumen. The honour of being the first parish priest of Assagao, however, belongs to the late Fr Domingos Salvador da Silva. To counter the phenomenon of dwindling vocations, the Pallottines set up a house in 1961 in the residence (Vhoddlem Ghor) of the late Domingos Caetano Athaide. The house was nearly gutted by fire virtually on the eve of celebrating a century, but the Pallotine philosophical seminary goes on from strength to strength. They are already about to embark on a spacious premises for their educational needs.

In the meanwhile, Assagao has a young parish priest for the first time in the person of Fr Gualberto de Souza. Fr Gualberto, who hails from Cunchelim, has galvanised the smallish congregation into united Christians.

In the meanwhile, Assagao has a young parish priest for the first time in the person of Fr Gualberto de Souza. Fr Gualberto, who hails from Cunchelim, has galvanised the smallish congregation into united Christians.

Among the predominant Comunidades of Bardez, Assagao alone possessed a large complement of 13 vangors, all of which Brahmins. The Brahmins of yesteryears were well educated, dignified and equally a domineering gentry, in front of whom the common man had to doff his hat. Of course, the mansions of many such bhattkars have now kissed the dust and if they have any kith or kin, they don't live in Goa or in this village anymore. Assagao also had her share of haunted houses and the one most known is of Cundlo bhattkar. Queerly enough, the ghost wouldn't harm anyone. He was obsessed with the more charming of the two daugthers of the house. Though the young lady couldn't see the good ghost, she felt him kiss and caress her. The man who relates this to me is 96 now, and he has so many more incidences to tell.

Ascoumkars are generally considered to be very gentle people. They are justifiably proud of a long list of eminent men. The first Goan to become a governor was Anthony Lancelot Dias, former governor of West Bengal. He was also the chairman of the Goa Land Reforms Commission soon after Liberation and had proposed farsighted reforms which were clouded by political shortsightedness in liberated Goa.

Now let's turn over to medical science to read a very important chapter. To read about a pioneering physician, botanist, linguist and humanist - Dr Jose Camilo Lisboa. Dr Lisboa has two plants namely tripogen lisboa and respagan odoratus lisboa named after him for his research on varieties of grass in Goa. Dr Lisboa was among the batch of doctors including Dr Bhau Daji Laad, who passed out from the grant Medical College in Mumbai in 1851.

Patrocinio de Andrade, a philosopher, presided over the session on Ethics at the Lahore Philosophical Congress. C.J. Francis, editor and proprietor of the Luso-Concani publication, published 'A Dictionary of English into Concani with Three Thousand English Proverbs' by Alex M Dias in 1912. SFr Anthony D'Souza was a director of the Xavier Institute of Management in Bombay and his book "Leadership" has been even translated into Chinese. Judge Luis Cordeiro was a First Class Magistrate of Bombay City and the chairman of the Indian Hockey Selection Committee. Eddie J.S. Godinho was a renowned journalist.

Bengalis may be the country's soccer wizards but they haven't scored any goals in Olympics soccer. In India's soccer history, only the mercurial striker Neville D'Souza, originally from Assagao, notched a hat-trick in Melbourne Olympics in 1956. Deryk D'Souza, Neville's brother and a renowned coach now, has the record of netting the highest number of goals in a single match while playing for Caltex in 1963. Their earlier generation had Cyriaco and Nelson D'Souza, stalwarts of the Lusitanians in Bombay.

As far back as 1800 almost, Antonio Filipe Fonseca, nicknamed bandmaster entertained the ancestors of Maharaja Shivaji Rao Gaekwad of Baroda. His son Agapito Roldao Fonseca built the Ajoha Sarovar Lake in 1850 and in gratitude the maharaja named a village as Fonsecapura in the vicinity of Baroda. Time stands still while one unfurls Assagao's list of honour. I wish I knew of more Ascoumkars who have shone in others spheres of endeavour wherever they have spread over the globe in search of greener pastures.

The pioneering sons of Assagao started an English school in 1927 and named it after Dr Augusto Souza. It is a high school already and called the Assagao Union High School. The name of Dr Augusto's is still retained for the primary section. Of course, the VNS Bandekar Commerce College, built on the hilltop belonging to the Assagao Comunidade, has given a resounding push to education.

The Pallottines prepare priests at their minor seminary, and there is a Pallotine nunnery at Mazalvaddo, near the house of Dr Armando Braganca, who was very popular in Assagao, Anjuna and Siolim. And if the Mapusa merchants give up their dog-in-the-manger attitude over the Assagao Comunidade hillock, then the Agnel Ashram Fathers too can embark on their ambitious Rs.10-crore Agricultural College, for which NABARD funds have already flowed in.

In recent years, many a foreigners have found sanctuary in Badem during the tourist season. People rent rooms to the foreigners and live in the outhouse till the season lasts. Many restaurants too have cropped up and, of course, Edwin Fonseca has opened a hotel called "Hotel Astoria". Europeans buy dilapidated houses and properties in Assagao now. The house of the late Roque Fernandes in Mardungo, has been brought by foreigners, who have converted it into a holiday home for Europeans with a swimming pool et al.

Badem is an even more beautiful part which split from the Assagao parish when the former got its own church of Our Lady of Miracles. It's one of the most wondrous spots from where one gets a panoramic view of the Arabian azure and the palm-lined tiny beach of Gudem in neighbouring Siolim. India's famed rockstar Remo Fernandes lives in Gudem but finds the Badem hill good for inspiration. It is from Badem that the best women's tailors hail. There was a time when a group of three to five tailors with one carrying the sewing machine on his head, would visit the entire Bardez taluka. Today even Kashinath tailor has put up his shop in Mapusa.

And who has not heard of aging Fenelanv? He and his sons have painted churches and altars almost all over Goa. And there is Johnny A. Pereira, who represented India in hockey, though he is not from Badem, but has settled in Badem. Of course, I can't miss Hubert McDonald of the school of driving and a host of business activities that he has been conducting so efficiently.

The greenhills separate the Assagao from Siolim in the North, Mapusa in the East and Parra in the South. The only village Ascoumkars can reach without crossing a hill is adjacent Anjuna. But with the tourist inflow coastal Anjuna would prefer the foreigner than their country neighbours. Anyway, Assagao is happy with her hillocks, which prevent industrialisation but keep away the noise, congestion and pollution of the Mapusa town down the eastern slope. Ascounkars are a graceful people but rather sussegad. When a Goa minister proposed a garbage dump on the Assagao hill for Mapusa's garbage, only Ms Blossom D'Souza and a couple of others protested. The rest of us merely gloat over the fact that this scenic hill is the gateway to the golden beaches of Vagator and Anjuna (Goa's tourism minister's ancestral village!).

Once the waters of the Dossa-zor spring would provide water for irrigating the mollo (garden) where abolim, jasmine and other sweet-scented flowers were grown and taken to the Mapusa market by fulkaram (flower sellers) from Assagao. The spring waters also helped heal rheumatism and eye problems and reduce sterility. The tollem water served for drinking purposes and was good for mitigating lung problems and rheumatism. Today there are taps at street corners and in several households but the water is found only in the wells. The taps are mostly dry and when they flow on a few days taps they flow at midnight.

On the threshold of the 21st century, let's take stock of the village of great Goans, with a population of about 3500 souls. One hardly finds anything commendable happening here. The street lights dim and disappear and so do the coconuts in the groves. The telephone cuts distances but only when the lineman permit it to function. Unfortunately for a village of distinguished men, the first sarpanch the late Subha Govekar, though a very good man, couldn't even sign his name. Things changed, educated men became sarpanchas but nothing really worked still. Today Assagao has a woman sarpanch in Mrs Angela D'Souza for the first time, and this time round at least one hopes for a change.

-Article by Joel D'souza

St Anne Church

Of all the churches in Goa, the most ostentious and notable for its excellent architeture is that of St Anne. It was reconstructed by Mons Francisco do Rego with his own funds and with the constributions of some villagers. Unfortunately he could not complete the task thus the onus befell on Fr Antonio Francisco da Cunha for its completion which he did 1965. The main altar is consecrated to St Anne.

There is a belief that the main altar is pledged to this beloved Saint due to certain reasons as narrated By Fr F de Souza in his ‘Oriente Conquistado’ - In the island of Goa (Tiswadi) in the year 1577 some devotees purchased the site which came to be known as ‘Quinta de Sant Ana’ where every week the students of ‘Colegio de S Paulo’ used to indulge themselves in some leisure activities.

The priest who was residing at the local was entrusted for the conversions of the villagers of Moula and Talaulim decided to consturct a small hermitage though he failed to consecrate the same in honour of any known saint.

However a ‘Gaokar’ Bartalomeu Marchon said that he saw an old woman coming down the hill with a walking cane and a hat and claimed that the hermitage was her abode and wanted to set her residence therein.

Not knowing the name of this lady the priest propagated in the village this reported instance. On hearing about this incident, an old Brahmin lady, claimed that when she was seriously ill the same old lady appeared to her in her dreams and held her hand to rise from her stricken bed and said that her name was Anne and wnted a house in the village.

The result of this dream was her miraculous cure and subsequent conversion which precipitated the priest to avow that the glorious St Anne had to be revered in theta village as such the Church was consecreated to St Anne.

The festivity of St Anne which falls on July 26 is celebrated throughout Goa, but more with aplomb in the tiny village of Talaulim (near Goa Velha) where it is known as ‘Touceachem Fest’ (Cucumber Feast). It is a recorded fact that though the Portuguese introduced their Christian festivals to Goa, Goans with their characteristic ingenuity modified these festivals to befit their seasons without altering the dates.

The ‘Touchachem Fest’ is a well attended festival by people of all walks of life and communities who beseech the venerable saint with various offerings to comply with their most ardent wishes. The most common ones bing: ‘Senhora, Tomai Colher, dai me mulher’ - pertinent to the bachelors who pledge with a wooden spoon to appeal for a wife; the females intone - ‘Senhora, tomai urido (Dhal type - phaseolus max) dai me marido’; the newly weds supplicate - ‘Senhora, tomai pepino (cucumber) dai me menino’. Devotees say that the boons in most of the cases are granted.

It is notable to mention that the Church of St Anne follows the Indian architecture amalgamated with Western propensities to adopt the 5x5 scheme appropriate the Indian way to a grand temple but modifies the proportions of the pilasters according to the native flavour, forsaking the European fixedness, while molding the shafts in consonnance to the rural needs.

The Church of St Anne at Talaulim can be termed as the master-piece of the Indian Baroque style. It is poignant to note that this admirable church is in a fairly derelict state at the present time.

Corjuem

Corjuem forms a dainty bead in the river-rimmed necklace of the emerald islands, which are enveloped by silvery rivers or their tributaries, comprising Goa’s rich heritage and natural grandeur. The little known island, an appendage of Aldona village in the Bardez taluka, is bedecked with undulating landscape and lies just about 10 km-drive east of Mapusa town. The Mapusa river, which emerges from the jungles of Dumacem and Amthane, drains itself in the Mandovi river at Penha de France, which hitherto had set apart Corjuem from mainland Aldona.

Every Goan island has a date with country-crafts and flat-bottomed ferries. The crafts of either kind has sailed into the pages of Corjuem's history with the advent of the lovely FCONS-built bridge, whose foundation was laid on 30 May, when Shripad Y Naik was a Union Minister of State for Roads, Transport and Highways. The Rs.20.70 crore cable stayed, 235-metre bridge, which is the fourth of its type in the country, has curtailed the drive between Bicholim and Panaji by 6-8 kilometres and by 15 km between Aldona and Panjim.

The landmark's pylon rises 45 mt in height, and is lit with floodlights. It is already a part of the tourist's list of attractions. The foundation was done using a hydraulic rig, for the first time in Goa, for speedy construction, which eventually saw that it was completed ahead of schedule.

The island sends three elected panchas to the Aldona-Corjuem panchayat. Corjuem comprises eleven vadde: Cuxem, Primeiro Vaddo, Segundo Vaddo, Podwal, Sinkeri, Colomb, Baga, Barazon, Novi Khazon and Khursachi Muddi. It is at Khursachi Muddi that new houses and bungalows have sprung up recently, fuelled largely by Gulf returned wealth. Otherwise, hardly any housing space is available amidst the 350 odd houses, with a population of around 2000. The people once earned their livelihood by raising vegetables in the traditional vharvem. With the increase in the mining activity at neighbouring Poira in Bicholim, menfolk sought employment there. Others found jobs in government departments and private companies elsewhere in Goa, or travelled to the Gulf to better their future.

The entire island once belonged to a big landlord named Ferreira, who lived in a grand mansion with an impressive arched entrance, seen from the erstwhile ferry point. Since then the Ferreira house has changed ownership and now houses the Indian Overseas Bank. As and when the locals could afford, they purchased their small plot and built a house. However, Fr Condilac Olegario Nazare, the founder of the Mae de Deus High School, is said to have obtained plots in a sort of auction held by the Ferreira family, and made it easier for other needy landless islanders to own their plots.

According to Fr Moreno de Souza, sj, (Bardezcheo Igorzo), the island’s name originates from Khor+Zunvem (khor as in khorik=deep or lower, zunvem=island). But one elderly man, we came across, maintained that it could, in fact, be khor or tough and hot-headed. He remembers hearing his older folk talk about the locals burning several country-crafts because a canoe-man had refused to ferry some islanders across the river.

Some lovely houses grace the riverine countryside. Taking a left turn near the chapel, the narrow road heads towards the largest and historic landmark, the Corjuem fort. Caetano de Mello e Castro had snatched it from the Bhonsles in 1705, whereafter it was rebuilt. The students of the Military School were trained in maneuvers at the fort, which was armed with four guns until the beginning of 1800. Since 1834 the fort remained abandoned. Recently, however, the quadrangular structure, which would serve as a superb amphitheatre with at its centre, has witnessed some repairs.

Once frequently comes across traditional fishing contraptions called mannxeo (dykes), those of which on the east overlook the massive iron-ore dumps beyond Poira. The local MLA, Dayanand Narvekar, seems to have ensured that even the narrowest lane, leading sometimes to almost nowhere-in-particular, has been tarred. Assonora provides water to Corjuem, which saw the earliest telephone connection some time in the year 1999.

The Comunidades of Corjuem are: Boa Esperanca and Fraternal. As in Aldona, the people of Corjuem are wellknown singers, mestre Tavares being an outstanding musician. It is a place peopled by simple, rural folks. Bishop Vincent Castellino and Fr Francisco Pinto are the only two names most people recall, when asked about the illustrious sons.

The age-old cultural pattern had wellknown customs like vor, xim, xiro marunk, etc, which were in vogue during the grand weddings in yesteryears, have gradually lost their glitter except for the wedding portonnem. During the Sao Joao feast, however, the menfolk still reain the tradition of jumping the wells, through only in the Cushem ward, where the dalis (trays laden with fruits and bottle of feni) are being offered on the occasion of wedding or birth in the family to the Sao Joao revellers.

The Hindu community worships principally at Shri Sateri Panchayatan Praxn temple. According to “Hindu Temples and Deities” by Rui Gomes Pereira, "The deities of the island of Corjuem were transferred to Poira in the Bicholim. The main deity is Malambadevi Satpurusha, who has six affiliate temples. Its mahajans, divided into two groups, belong to the Vaisha and Sudra-Maratha classes.”

The Mae de Deus High School and the Corjuem Gymkhana Club, which was founded by the islanders in 1946, figure among the important institutions. As far as health care is concerned, the village has no resident doctor, but there is a Health Centre, with a regular nurse while the Doctor visits once a week. Hence Aldona, across the river, is the closest place for healthcare and in case of emergencies.

Country-craft was the sole mode of primitive transport to and from the island until the flat-bottom ferries were introduced sometime around 1973. Unlike during the post-bridge days, the daily newspaper, fish, vegetables and virtually everything remained at the Aldona bazaar. The fisherwomen, however, used to move from house to house to sell prawns and fish caught at the various mannxio (dykes).

Way back in time, a band of robbers who had attacked the Aldona church, had landed at the Sinkere tar in Corjuem. A local legend says a small boy met the robbers and advised them to abandon their ill-conceived mission. The proceeded on adamantly only to be greeted by misfortune. Aldonkar womenfolk beat them black and blue and some of the infitrators lost their lives while those who jumped into the river to swim away got washed away.

Article by Joel D'Souza

Bogmalo

Bogmalo was initially a very quiet fishing village until tourists started pouring in and tourism stated catching up in this small Indian state of Goa. Despite modern eating joints, hi-tech shops selling handicrafts surrounding it, the village at Bogmalo still manages to stay alive. Bogmalo beach in Goa is clean and not very crowded like Anjuna beach or other beaches in Goa and while at Goa Bogmalo beach, you can definitely go in for a swim as the water is moderatly safe for swimming. After the swim, you can try out those numerous eating joints offering delicious Goan cuisine.

REACHING BOGMALO BEACH

You can reach Bogmalo beach by bus or taxi from Vasco da Gama which is 8km from Bogmalo. Goa Bogmalo beach is also situated very close to the airport, the beach is about 18 km from Dabolim Airport and is well-connected by buses, motorcycle taxis, and taxis.