ANALYSIS
A typical Goan village is a bucolic tableau where clean roads and potable water mirror a life lived in dignity, says Rajiv Desai
Panjim: This city by the awe-inspiring Mandovi River is probably the nicest capital city in India. Laid back but alert; somewhat sleepy but wide awake in terms of its splendid roads and its tasteful buildings, decked up in lights at night and by day resplendent with gorgeous colours, Panjim is unrivaled in its big city pretensions and its small town ways.
It feels like an India that should have been but got lost somewhere in the transition to modernity. If all Indian cities even came close to the languorous beauty of Panjim, our country would be a blessed place.
And just imagine: to many Goans, this restful capital is the big, bad and stressful place. So in what havens do they live? For one thing there’s Uccasaim, a small village that is less than 10 minutes away from the National Highway 17 that crosses nearly 150 miles of Goa from north to south on its way from Bombay to Kerala. It’s a bustling road but just a couple of kilometres away, past the white majesty of St Jerome’s Church, close to where we live, you may as well be in the capital of quiet.
I know this for a fact because some of our friends driving to our place one evening simply followed the music that emanated from our house. And it wasn’t played at an elevated volume either. At its medium setting, our friends heard our Beatles CD all the way at the turnoff near the church, a few minutes drive from The Uccasaim House, which is what we have christened our home in the village.
Our village is so small, nestled between paddy fields and a picturesque hill that it does not show up even on a local map of the Goa. And yet, we can drive from our house to the outskirts of Bombay in eight hours. St Jerome’s Church is the centre of our village.
Of an evening, just outside the church, residents gather at the plaza, which has a sweeping view of the paddy fields and the unnamed river in the distance. There they while away the evening with a snifter or two of feni, the deadly local brew that’s made from the cashew fruit, as they watch young people play volleyball in the church
compound and talk about things that I would dearly like to know about.
For us, as we flit in and out of the village perhaps half a dozen times a year, it is a bucolic tableau. We don’t participate in it but simply in observing it and waving to the people as we drive past the plaza in and out of our house, we feel part of it. In a vicarious sort of way, we feel we belong there. That is the attraction of Goa. True, its beaches and hills and rivers are breathtakingly beautiful; but then I’m sure there are similar landscapes elsewhere in India.
The difference is Goa gives you a sense of belonging. It’s my village; my gorgeous church; my small but tasteful temple that plays bhajans in classical form each morning. And the residents of the village keep the village clean; run good schools and take good roads, water and sanitation for granted. Most can read and write and above all, regardless of their socioeconomic status, live their lives with dignity.
It’s been six years since we moved into The Uccasaim House. One of these days, I say to myself, I will also walk down to the plaza of an evening and there share experiences with my neighbours. I feel I belong and I must get the village to accept me. I don’t want to be an absentee landlord but a member of the community, who also has a house in Delhi.
One of these days, I say to myself, I will come to The Uccasaim House and there, away from the hustle and bustle of the newly energetic India, I could write novels and poetry and read books and listen to music with only the church bell, the temple’s ragas, the birdsongs and the hoot of the bread man’s bicycle horn at dawn and at dusk to distract me.
This is the dream that every urban Indian has... the back to nature dream. Except that in most parts of India, the village experience is filth, disease, violence and oppression. Not in Goa. Here the villages are truly communities, where the communidades (panchayats) are a positive force. In Uccasaim, we have no festering garbage dumps or open sewers. Water is no problem. There is a home for the aged. There is no police force because there’s no crime.
The Uccasaim House is our retreat from the exciting new world of India. It is many ways like Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, where “I go and come with a strange liberty in Nature.”
Email: rdesai@comma.in
Empowering Neurodiversity: Strategies for Inclusive Supplier Diversity By Harshila Gujar
Big move by BSNL, launches 7 new offerings to woo users, challenge for Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio
India star Sarfaraz Khan blessed with a baby boy, pics go viral
Parineeti Chopra has a perfect reply to hubby Raghav Chadha's heartwarming birthday wish
'Will work with India to implement...': China on LAC patrolling agreement
Tata-BSNL partnership promises BIG relief for customers, set to provide fast internet in...
'This is pathetic, disgusting': Nia Sharma faces backlash for promoting 'vagina tightening' tablets
Big move by Gautam Adani: Ambuja Cements to acquire this cement brand for Rs 8100 crore
Why US Presidential Election is always held on first Tuesday in November?
'Perfect for him': Aamir Khan in talks to play Kishore Kumar in Anurag Basu's film; fans react
After calling Prabhas a 'joker', Arshad Warsi says 'everyone is allowed to...'
BRICS Summit Prelude: India and China move to defuse border tensions
Sakshi Malik’s BIG claim, says BJP's Babita Phogat wanted to be WFI chief, encouraged wrestlers to…
India launches its 4th nuclear-powered submarine, set to play major role in…
Uttar Pradesh: 6 killed in oxygen cylinder blast in Bulandshahr house
Why Kriti Sanon used to be called 'Tiger didi'? Actress reveals reason
'Zyada Hero Ban Raha Hai': Rohit Sharma's chat with teammate caught on stump mic, video goes viral
Prince Narula, Yuvika Chaudhary share FIRST photo of their daughter
Delhi AQI October 22: Air quality in ‘very poor’ category, Centre imposes GRAP Stage II from today
Man who threatened Salman Khan, demanded Rs 5 crore, issues apology: 'It was...'
Karni Sena announces Rs 1,11,11,111 for any police officer who kills Lawrence Bishnoi
US Presidential Elections 2024: Republican Donald Trump sued for defamation by Central Park Five
‘Will be able to…’: EAM S Jaishankar explains India, China patrolling deal along LAC
'Even double standards are...': Jaishankar's big attack on Canada amid diplomatic row
Hyundai Motor India IPO listing today: All you need to know about largest-ever IPO in India
Diwali Gift: THIS company gave Tata, Maruti cars to its employees ahead of festival, they cost Rs…
IMD issues alerts as Cyclone Dana approaches, heavy rainfall predicted for these states
RSMSSB Rajasthan CET 12th-level exam starts today, check guidelines here
DNA TV Show: Terror threat in Delhi after Rohini blast? Police tighten security ahead of Diwali
Taylor Swift suffers wardrobe malfunction on stage during her Miami concert, video goes viral
Ruturaj Gaikwad to lead India A squad for Australia tour; Ishan Kishan in, Shreyas Iyer misses out
THIS was going to be Aishwarya Rai's first film in Hindi but it didn't release because...
Meet woman, born in Pakistan, attempted suicide at 22, now leads Rs 1 lakh crore company, she is...
IPL 2025: This star overseas player likely to be KKR's top retention over captain Shreyas Iyer
Deepinder Goyal's Zomato clarifies on 'Continue', says 'Not venturing into...'
This company paid Rs 1328 crore tax to move its headquarters to India from US, it works in...
Meet man who works in Rs 1617003 crore company, now set to lead Walt Disney as...
Tata Group set to construct landmark building to honour Ratan Tata in...
Kagiso Rabada achieves massive feat, becomes first cricketer in the world to...
Elon Musk is offering over Rs 5000 per hour for THIS job, it requires you to be...
Steps To Select The Best Term Insurance With a Term Plan Calculator
IRIS Home Fragrances Introduces a Fresh New Range of Four Exquisite Diwali Gift Sets
Mukesh Ambani's next BIG step, set to challenge Elon Musk in…
Vasan Bala breaks his silence on Jigra's box office failure: 'Alia Bhatt could have...'
Meet man who began his career with Tata Motors, now runs Rs 2690 crore company, married to...
'Ye ek PR activity...': Flying Beast breaks silence on divorce rumours with wife Ritu Rathee
Mohammed Shami gives massive injury update ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, says, ‘my fitness is…’
'Quit if you don't want to return...': Amazon AWS CEO Matt Garman warns staff
Indian Railways announces rescheduling, regulation, and restoration of trains due to...
How can Rohit Sharma-led India qualify for WTC final after losing against New Zealand in 1st Test?