Goa’s two cultures

The best view of the Goan coast can be seen from the topmost turret of the ruined Portuguese fort above Chapora. From the dark upper slopes of the Pernem hills down to the level ground of the coastline stretches mile upon mile of banana and coconut groves, the deep green of the palms offset by the white sand of the shore and the foam of the breaking rollers. In the palm groves you can just see the toddy tappers throwing ripe king coconuts down from the treetops. Further up the beach, lean fishermen are beaching their catamaran-canoes on the sandbanks. From these dugouts,a crocodile of women carry panniers of freshly caught fish to their huts.

Most people who come to Goa do so for the beaches and a bit of winter sun. The state has not only the best beaches in India but also some of the best beach hotels, such as the Taj Fort Aguada, built within the ruins of one of the most magnificent Portuguese forts. My own favourite is the small Fort Tiracol in the far north of Goa, which is less luxy but much cosier and comes with its own 17th-century baroque church. It would be a great mistake, however, not to leave the beach at least once during a trip to Goa, for the former Portuguese enclave is a fascinating place.

What distinguishes Goa from almost anywhere else in India is the subtle interplay of Portuguese Catholic and Hindu Indian beliefs that animate the lives of its people. The older generation of Goan aristos still regard themselves as Portuguese. My friend Dona Georgina Figueiredo, who died this year, once bit my head off when I referred in conversation to Nehru’s liberation of Goa in 1961.