Topic: Goa Life

In a state where hotel ownership, restaurant businesses, and even beach shack operations have increasingly moved to outside investors, the taxi sector represents one of the few industries still predominantly controlled by residents.

In Bahishkrut Gomantak, Dadu Mandrekar shows a Goa that exists far away from the dive bars, heritage tours, and laid back beach shacks.

The myth that casino development represented some organic evolution of Goa’s character has been demolished. Now, Panjim stands alienated from itself, where even basic institutions carry the branding of private gambling operators.

Japanese bartender Hiroyasu Kayama’s interest in Goan urrak is a recognition that certain traditions carry weight in their resistance to standardisation.

The future of Goa can no longer lie in the endless parcelling of its paradise, but in reimagining what makes a place truly valuable.

For those who wish to go deeper into Goa’s built history, spending an afternoon at Palácio do Deão will get you up to speed on life as a Portuguese noble.

While we’re busy arguing about who gets to enjoy Goa, the state itself is vanishing. There is a battleground on every front, whether it’s Goa’s hills, forests or beaches.

'Goans by and large, have no sense of history. We don’t write history, unlike the Portuguese who had a record of everything,' said Konkani author Uday Bhembre.

I met the genial Joseph and Martha Pereira at their quiet home in a placid part of Goa, untouched by tourists. Joseph was the only applicant from the state under CAA.

In a khazan system, an outer embankment guards against tidal flows, while a wooden sluice gate regulates water levels, and a natural depression or ‘poim’ serves as a reservoir for excess water.