Today’s post is about Vivek Khdye, my friend and fellow walker, and about Goa, India’s smallest State.
Introducing Vivek
Vivek was first introduced by me in one of my earliest posts (“3. Bombay, India”). He was born in Bombay, a large city which is now known as Mumbai. This city had made a big impression on me when I had first visited India, 70 years ago, when I was only 19 years old.
Vivek’s name came up again a second time in blog post 29 (“A Fish called Bombay Duck”), which is the name widely used to refer to a species of fish, which was, and still is, very popular in India. Vivek told me his mother used to cook this for him.
He received a further mention in my blog post about Roger Whittaker (37 – “The Last Farewell”), because Vivek is a virtuoso whistler, just like Whittaker.
Vivek is a highly qualified professional man, an engineering graduate with post-graduate qualifications from prestigious universities. He has travelled the world and has worked in senior positions in India, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai. He and his family were invited to come and settle in Australia as permanent residents. His wife is a highly qualified medical professional.
Vivek is very much loved by all the early morning people. He has a kind and engaging personality, offering “good mornings” to everyone he meets, the runners, the joggers, the walkers and their dogs, the fishing folk and the mothers walking with babies in strollers. When he relaxes with close friends, he entertains them by playing the harmonica or the bongos and by singing Indian songs or whistling the melodies. Music is very important to him. As he told me: “No music, no Vivek”.
Vivek is also a serious and thoughtful person, true to his Indian origins and Hindu religion. Although he is now of “retirement” age and would be able to live a comfortable life, he decided, soon after his arrival in Australia, that he wanted to help others who were less fortunate. He began by volunteering, part-time, in aged care facilities. After doing this for 2 years he wanted to be able to offer more for those in his care, which led him (aged 60) to finding a college where he could study (for 3 years) to gain the appropriate Australian nursing qualifications for aged care workers, including qualifications to assist and support dementia patients. Since graduating from this college, he has been working in a local nursing home.
Vivek often walks together with hi friend BK, who is from India as well, and with Brian, who was born in Sri Lanka. Most mornings the three of them walk along the waterfront to the Shorncliffe Pier where we (my other friends and I) meet them and where we usually stop to exchange greetings and talk for a while. Sometimes we walk back to our cars together and that’s when I learned more about Vivek’s special interest in Goa.
Goa – some facts
The state of Goa is located on the coast in the south-west corner of India. Vivek tells me that it is only a short flight away from Mumbai, with “just enough time to have a cup of tea”. Goa is very small, covering an area of only 3702 square km, just a little over 5% of the size of Tasmania. It is a place that greatly interests me because of its long history as a Portuguese colony (1510-1961). It was granted statehood by India in 1987. 65% of Goans are Hindus and 23% Christian. The main official language spoken in Goa is Konkani. Only a small number of older people remain who still speak Portuguese.
Portuguese colony
The Portuguese were brilliant navigators, who completed the first circumnavigation around the world as long ago as 1522, the first Europeans to do so. They also established a direct sea route from Europe to the East Coast of Africa and onwards, crossing the Indian Ocean to India.
The Portuguese established many trading posts and fortresses in India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, the Spice Islands and elsewhere and Goa became the capital (in 1530) of the whole of Portugal’s empire in Asia, which covered all their colonies east of the Cape of Good Hope. All of these colonies took their orders from the Viceroy of Goa.
During the Portuguese invasion of Goa the local population suffered greatly from intense religious persecution, but although the people were challenged by this, over many years, the old Hindu civilisation survived and thrived, as is evidenced by the many famous temples, some very ancient, which can still be found in Goa.
Tourist destination
Goa is a major tourist destination. It is famous for its beaches (with beautiful sunsets), its landscapes and wildlife sanctuaries as well as its “vibrant nightlife”. Attractions include waterfalls, national parks, spice plantations and other eco-tourism experiences. It has forts, churches and cathedrals, as well as casinos. As mentioned, it also has old and renowned Hindu temples, well worth visiting.
What makes Goa very special and different however is the blending of Portuguese and Indian cultures, which is reflected in Goa’s cuisine and in its music.
Goan food
Vivek has been to Goa many times, most recently a few months ago following a family wedding celebration in Mumbai. He told me that he used to enjoy eating a lot of the food in Goa when he was younger, and I can well believe this, because the variety of food choices available in Goa is impressive.
The evidence of this was plain to see in the many YouTube videos he sent me during the past year, featuring reviews of restaurants and eating places in Goa. I think that I may have received close to a hundred clips, many more than I thought possible for such a small place. Some of the clips are quite entertaining, featuring the same group of reviewers who move from one restaurant to the next in both North and South Goa, eating copious quantities of delicious food in the process. I’ve seen reviews of traditional Goan dishes in upmarket restaurants, of seafood and street food in beach shacks, of fast-food eateries, pizza shops with woodfired ovens, of a French Café, where the food is excellent but only the name is French, and much more.
Goa’s Music
Goa’s music is special. Some of it, like the food, evolved into genres unique to this former Portuguese colony. Mando, which is a form of Konkani (Goan language) music, was popular among Goan Catholics, and Portuguese Fado also still has a presence in Goa.
Fado (which means Fate or Destiny in Portuguese) is a form of singing, “often about the sea or the life of the poor”, which was originally associated with the working-class people in Portuguese society. It is a music style which involves a singer who is accompanied by a Portuguese guitar, a viola and, sometimes, other string instruments. The emphasis is on the lyrics, which evoke nostalgia and melancholy. The songs are often very intense and emotional, and the music is sometimes referred to as Portuguese soul music. I find it very attractive. Fado is believed to have also influenced the Indonesian Keroncong music genre, which I love. I’m hoping to write more about these music genres and some of the history of Fado in a future post.
Goodwill Ambassador
In a world where self-interest seems to be the norm these days it is always a pleasure to occasionally meet people, like Vivek, who are willing to share their experiences, brighten up our days and give practical care to those in need.
I’m glad I met Vivek. Meeting him on my walks is often one of the highlights of my day. I thank him for introducing me to the story of Goa, for providing me with a wealth of information about Goa’s history and culture and for rekindling my interest in Fado and Keroncong music. To me, he really is “Goa’s Goodwill Ambassador to Moreton Bay”.
O.P.
P.S. The next post will be published on Sunday, 27 April and will take us back to the Netherlands, where the people will soon be commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.