Go Goa

Goa is synonymous with feni and fun. Its beaches and iconic churches have a magical pull that attracts tourists in hordes. The very mention of its name tickles your heart and gives you a dopamine rush. Nostalgia strikes you at once, and you fall into a reverie recalling your old ‘educational’ tours to Goa with your classmates, which were less about education and more about wild and reckless revelry. It was as if you had been briefly set free from your iron cages of patriarchy and insularity to touch the skies and let the golden sun warm the cockles of your shy, sullen heart. Inhaling the free Goan air, wading through the sands and frolicking with sea waves, splashing water at each other and pulling your sea-shy friends a bit deeper, you felt the throbbings of what ‘freedom’ is all about. For us young, land-locked northerners it was like being on some kind of ‘temptation island’. Emboldened by its sensuous sea-breeze, and merry festive ambience everywhere, you gave your inhibitions goodbye and tried all the tricks of a callow youth to woo your secret crush in the class… And when you pulled a fast one on your stern, ever-on-the-guard, and forbidding professors, for a sly swig of beer or sip of feni, your rebellious spirits soared even higher.

A Shakespearean quote – though penned by the Bard in a different context – aptly reflected the Goan tryst:
“Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive/, But to be young was very heaven.”

That was a few decades ago. Since then, Goa’s golden sands and its fabulous beaches have lost that old, pristine charm. After all, how long can nature’s bounties suffer the sustained onslaught of an unregulated, overly commercial human footprint? Beaches like Calangute – a favourite haunt of the North Indian tourist (infamous for his polluting and littering habits) – have turned messy, noisy and, dirty, and are now best avoided by the more discerning tourists, especially in the peak season.

In November I went on a short family tour to Goa. Our port of call was Candolim. Once again, Goa stirred up the old wanton flippancy of youth in me.  An evening walk on the Candolim beach, despite the crowd, offered a heavenly sight: the playful sun melting and mixing its golden hues with the coquettish, flirty waves. Come morn, we were again at the beach sunbathing, sipping beer, eating fish and prawns, and having fun with the sea waves. Of the eateries we tried, ‘Thalassa’, a Greek restaurant further up north, though expensive, was well worth it. But ‘Vishal's Goan Food’ restaurant and bar, a small, unassuming one near the Candolim beach, was easy on the pocket but heavenly in Goan food.  (Try out this Vishal eatery on your next trip and send me thanks if you like it: a flying kiss would be a better idea!)

Vishal's Goan Food restaurant: Pic, courtesy, Trip Advisor


Goa has had bad press of late, and partly rightly so.  The narrower arterial roads are dirty, with dog and cattle shit greeting you. Strays are a common sight. The beaches are chock-a-block with cacophonous crowds and prices during the peak season hit the roof… And so on. Despite these negatives, Goa has an intrinsic pull and magic that never wanes. The fun-loving Goans with their beaming smiles, the dusky, hip-swivelling fisherwomen with fish-catch baskets on their heads, Goa’s rich folklore and colourful festivals, the vestiges of Portuguese architecture, and the ubiquitous cashews, coconuts, fish, and prawns will continue to haunt and entice you again and again.

Therefore, I for one, will gladly yield to Goa’s many seductions and never stop my romantic bond, my affair d’amour, with it.

So, ye folks, what are you doing in the bleak, smog-filled air in the north? Book your tickets, pack the bags and: GO GOA. Long live Goa!

(Sorry, I could not upload beach pics because of problems with WhatsApp Web)

PS. Friends, I will be taking a break from my blogging for the time being. Hope we will meet again...Insha 'Allah!

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