The renowned relaxed and laid back culture of the state received
some international coverage when the venerable The Guardian in UK and a paper
in Italy reported on it. This
was due to a statement by Vijay Sardessai, Former Deputy CM, when he
declared that if he became CM, we would make a one hour siesta any time between
1 pm and 4 pm mandatory. This caused amusement in the rest of the country but
this is nothing to be sneezed at in Goa. It is not unusual for a Goan
shopkeeper to down shutters at 1 pm to eat that tasty fish curry and rice This
is then followed by a snooze that refreshes him. The shutters are then pulled
up at 4 pm. Noted
writer Savia Veigas said “Having grown up in a Goan village some six decades
ago and having been born in a family where agricultural and horticultural
practices were the part of everyday life, I remember 1-3 was strictly siesta
time. But the life of the worker and owner cum manager was laden with
physically strenuous work done in sunlight. So after a heavy meal in the
afternoon, a nap was found to be rejuvenation for the evening session of
work. She went on to say that even workers like coconut pluckers,
carpenters, and daily wage workers would take a snooze. She felt it in modern times, would be important to weave in forms of exercise
into people’s lives to improve health and longevity rather than provide siesta
breaks. Shalu
Sharma a mosaic artist based in Goa for the last eight years smiled when asked
whether she had a siesta. She said “I don’t sleep in the afternoon. I am
not used to sleeping in the afternoon. With regards to a siesta, to each his
own. I have a studio at home and I work 24 hrs a day. I sleep for seven hours,
sleep at 10 wakes up at 4, and then it’s work. It is my passion”. Colin
D Cruz renowned musician laughed and said “Goans are inherently susegad and we
don’t need any mandatory assistance to ensure we rest in the afternoon. It is
mandatory from birth.I think a short nap in the afternoon is certainly helpful,
helps you remain fresh in the evening and focused especially when you have a
gig to play”. Another
musician Varun Carvalho said a short nap in the afternoon was very helpful
because of many composed music at night. He said “The time from 1 o clock is
the best time when the brain is creatively inclined and I cannot afford to feel
sleepy. I catch up on my sleep during the day in the afternoon. This helps me
be sharp and on the ball if I have a gig or I have to compose a piece” Dancer
Varsha Bedekar young dancer smiled and said as a young artist she was not
interested in sleeping in the afternoon. She said, “I am focused on my art, on
practicing and getting better. Perhaps this practice of sleeping in the
afternoon could be recommended to older artists and it would certainly be
beneficial”. Noted
Goan artist Subodh Kerkar said he had mixed feelings about it. He said “ I am a
workaholic and would like the day to be longer. My work is not working it is my
passion, it is something I love. So I don’t need to sleep in the afternoon. I
however know many shop owners who down the shutters in the afternoon for their
favorite fish curry and rice. Their argument is that if I can’t do this then
what the purpose of life is. Purpose of life is not money but to enjoy it”. He
said it was important to a lot of people in the state but not for him. This
is a rather distinctive part of Goan culture and it would be distressing if it
was consigned to memory. But there’s nosuch danger. Siesta loving Goans know how important it is to keep
‘sleeping’ fit.
