Being in Goa...

Why is it that every Goan wants to come back to Goa at every chance he gets? Why is it that even a decade after I left Goa, every visit back to Goa is just like the fist one - something I look forward to desperately, and try and live every single moment I am here to the fullest!

Here's what being in Goa means to me...


1) Being in my ancestral home which has been my only real home every single day of my life - a place where I always have lots of company, from family, from my cats and our dogs - and yet have lots of places and corners where I can sit with a book and a cup of tea, completely alone and at peace!

2) Watching the kittens play as the mom cat sits in my lap, purring with pleasure as I stroke her


3) The smell of the earth, the weeds, the farms, the rain, the spray from the sea, the sand beneath the feet, the cows, the crows, the wind, the chirping of the birds everywhere you go

4) Seeing true warmth and open arms everywhere you go and everyone you meet - from the waiters in the small cafe, to the taxi driver, to the fisherwoman, to the traffic policeman, to the grocery storekeeper - where wishes come from the heart, where smiles are not just curly lips, where true happiness comes from sharing and giving. Where you can have a real conversation with just about every one, where you can just pop into any random house, uninvited, and be sure you will be offered a hot tea, a soft drink, some chilled limbu soda, or maybe even lunch! Where you can wave out at just about any one - the children, or the elderly - and be assured of a warm smile and a wave in return

5) The awesome fish, the mussels, the crabs, the prawns, the "pokshe paav", the "bhaaji-pav", the "kalwache tonak"

6) The clean roads, the smiling people, the majestic Portuguese buildings jostling with the shiny new stores cropping up at every nook and corner

7) The multi colored busses with names like Raegan Baba and Rocket, or Shantadurga Prasanna, the conductors hanging out of the doors, their whistles ready, always pleading with you to "faati woch" (go behind), where there are no tickets, and everything is about trust!

8) The beautiful temples, where even the athiest will experience true peace and serenity, where the bhatjis do not run after you for your donations, and where beggars do not pester you for alms. The numerous chapels and crosses dotting the villages and roads, where you will find a devout Chistrian or two offering candles, or just stopping by for a quick prayer, while their Hindu and Muslim friends stand by to continue the conversations

There's a lot more that is Goa - but isn't this enough to tell you why a Goan is always gonna be a fish out of water any where else?