Exploring Goa in Monsoon

 
Exploring Goa In Monsoon                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Monsoon season always makes one emotional and sentimental; the pleasant atmosphere creates a romantic feeling for travelling. During the monsoon, one can enjoy the lush green paddy fields in the drizzling, against the grey sky. Goa is such a nice place that everyone desires to go there any time of the year. After a brief stint with the life, to breathe some fresh air, we decided to travel towards Goa, which is always a fascinating place with its unique culture and scenic beauty.  Both young and old  desire to visit Goa; the weather was perfect for the drive; slight drizzling added beauty to it. The grayish sky, the greenish fields and the drizzle were in a perfect blend and harmony. We travelled through the Western Ghats and the experience was really enthralling. The curves in the roads which took us up and down the Ghats offered us enchanting views of the distant mountains and the clouds’ group. We stopped mid-way to have tea at the road-side small tea stall. Hot tea served in the small glass tasted good. Reached Panjim in the afternoon; it was exactly lunch time. Goa is known for good fish joints and it is ideal to taste local cuisines to get the real feel of the culture. We had delicious fried fish, prawn’s curry and rice for lunch.  Later on, checking into a room which was in the heart of Panjim, we started towards the Calangut beach. Due to weather, the sea was bit rough and sounding scary. The coast guards were alarming the crowd not go forward.

On the way back, we dropped in Mario Miranda’s gallery. Mario Miranda was a famous cartoonist from Goa. First time, I saw his cartoons in late 60s, in The Illustrated Weekly magazine. The illustrated weekly magazine was an English language magazine. Those caricatures attracted everyone’s attention, mine too, especially club caricatures for which he was famous. His drawings reflected the finer nuances of the higher society. I fondly remember famous journalist and editor Kushwant singh who had quite a dominating personality,of that period. As an editor of The Illustrated Weekly, Kushwant singh was very dynamic and powerful. During his tenure as the editor, Mario Miranda and R.K Laxman, famous cartoonists of India, got break in The Illustrated magazine. Coming back to the scene, the gallery opened on us a sea of drawings printed on various commodities.  Art is commodity, now a day.  Small and big commodities carried Mario’s drawings in a very presentable manner. In fact, each and every object with Mario’s drawings was so enticing that I was at loss as what to buy and what not. I still remember a café named Mondegar in Colaba area, in Mumbai with Miranda’s murals on the walls. It is a very interesting pub with lots youngsters hanging around it. The two walls of the pub are presenting different themes like Life in Mumbai and the Atmosphere of the café. While going around, I saw a spread of Mario’s galleries in different parts of Goa. Salute to Mario Miranda!!  Mario had his shows in France, Germany, and America and so on. Mario through his drawings made Goan Culture famous throughout India and abroad.  

Goa has a typical culture which has the strong influence of the Portuguese .It was colonized by Portuguese  for 450 years. Goa was a Portuguese colony for centuries from about 1510 to 1961. It offers a many combination of many cultures.  The Portuguese influence reflects in the attire and attitude of the people of Goa. Goans are very modern in their outlooks. Rice and varieties of fish preparations form the Goan Cuisine. While travelling through Goa, one comes across the Indo-Portuguese architecture with their vintage look.  Small winding roads with lush green background dotted with beautiful spacious bungalows offer a unique sight to the travelers. Goans love music and foot ball.  Konkani is the main spoken language in Goa. Now a day, casino culture is also growing in Goa and many tourists want to enjoy the feel of casino culture. Casinos are attracting tourists from neighboring states.

After a long search, we were able to find out the much talked about museum of Goa. A huge white architecture designed specifically for showcasing contemporary works stands apart in the industrial area.  After leaving a lucrative career in medicine, Dr. Subodh kerkar shifted to art line. This recently started museum of Goa, which showcases contemporary art, is a very interesting place and presents works of art which are very creative and conceptual. The ongoing curated show in the museum was about Goa and its history. Most of the works reflected the regional flavor and its influence on the life of people over there.  A documentary screening was going on in small compact auditorium; artist Subodh Kerkar was sharing the concept of his works. Postmodern art refers to history whereas modern art rejected history. One could see works in different mediums with different approaches.  All together it was refreshing experience.

                   We moved towards Anjana beach. The sea was very rough and furious. The cloudy grey sky was complementing to the sea emotion turbulence. The beach was deserted as there was sign of raining any moment. We checked into a beach side dhabha for lunch. As usual, fish curry and rice for lunch. Luckily, we got some vegetarian food.  Cats and dogs had befriended and were living happily under one roof. After having lunch, we left for our destination. On the way, it was raining heavily. While climbing up the ghat, rain was down pouring heavily. Mist had covered the way making the driving pretty difficult but it was a lovely experience.