It has been quite a year. With the shadow of the virus receding
in the distance, this was the year when there seemed a return to pre Covid
times in terms of business as well as in the general sense of living and
enjoying life. The tourism industry witnessed a gradual return to the days of
old. Recruitments in the industry increased and the number of smiling faces had
increased. It was a year when people were willing to spend money however
little.
Everyone had their own experiences, some
of which were pleasant and others less so. For people in the state it was an
interesting year. Moses Pinto said the incident that stood out for him occurred
when he visited a rustic town in Karnataka called Gadag. Moses said, “That
evening I found myself craving Idli Sambhar and lo and behold, I was standing
before a famous restaurant line known for its Udupi style snacks. The people
who joined me at the table were a duo of a father and his blind son. I
immediately felt a lump in my throat as I fought to keep away thoughts of pity
for the unfortunate child. As the father ordered and waited for their meal, I
offered to pay their bill for the tea and snacks as a gesture of solidarity.
The father declined my offer stating that he did not want my pity and nothing
was going to stop the father from ensuring that his son would lead a normal
life. After the food arrived, I saw the father help his blind son to grip the
plate near to him and feel the items on the plate in order to judge what was
hot. He remarked “the only constant my boy has: was the reliance he could place
on family for his continued support and sustenance. All the rest were momentary
handouts.” Family has always been a socialist institution from times immemorial
and one that has ameliorated the helplessness of its members up to the point
where they need the support and care. This he said remains in his memory bank
long after he had returned to Goa. For restaurateur Timothy Lobo his most
memorable incident this year certainly was the Goan Carnaval in all its colour
and glory. Then there was Nupura Hautamaki who visited Scandinavia and saw the
Northern Lights. She said, “Seeing the Northern Lights for the 1st time was
definitely one of the most surreal and memorable experiences for me. I could
have sat and watched them for hours, that was how mesmerizing the sight was”.
Writer and observer of the human condition, Savia Veigas said she had many
memorable moments in her life but at this point in time the opportunity to
watch Angelo da Fonseca paint was memorable. Savia said, “I was there when he
did a quick sketch of Alice Costa Pereira on black satin with white colour. His
lines were so quick I stood mesmerised. An uncle, Tieo Manuel Faria who was an
artist had begun teaching me rudiments of Chinese painting and I seemed to see
a connection between that and the portrait. It hung in their sala for a long
time and every time I saw it I gasped. Now I know that genre of art was
influenced by the art of Eric Gill. Today we have an exhibition of his work
open at Xavier’s Centre for Historical Research which has a few visitors. But a
time will come when art lovers will queue up to have a look at his originals.
Till then we have to strive through research to make the people own their
heritage”.
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Memorable experiences can mean different things for different
people. For Conrad Barretto it was a specific football match in England.
Baretto said,” It has to be watching Liverpool beating Man City 3-1 at Anfield.
That place is Magic. It’s probably just grass, it’s just buildings, it’s just
steel, but when the people are inside it, when the players are inside it, it can
be special. When I reached Anfield I first called my mother and said “Look mom
I made it”. It was emotional. The noise at Anfield on a CL night is glass
shattering. The Kop creates an absolutely electric atmosphere which just feels
different”. For others it was about starting a new business and experiencing
the trials and tribulations that came with it. Nisha said, “I have recently
started a pots and planters business. During my initial days there were a lot
of teething problems that I had to face like it happens with all the
businesses. It was during this time when I bagged my first landscaping
assignment where I had to landscape an entire garden for the client. I had
everything set up from workers to pots to plants. On the D-day when the work
had to be done, we got to arranging all the pots to plant them. However, when
we removed pots from their boxes, to my utter horror I found out that they were
of a different colour. The deadline to finish the work was the next day and it
would have taken a good seven days to source the right coloured pots. It was a
logistics nightmare. I decided to be transparent with the client and told him
about the goof up. Surprisingly, he listened to me calmly and was very
accommodating. He suggested using the existing planters and later on replacing
it with the correct ones since there was a big event in the next couple of days
for which the landscaping was being done. I was relieved and ensured that the
pots were replaced later. This was learning for me too and now I always ensure that
I procure the products well in advance, at least a week earlier. But I could
never forget how considerate the client was and it’s because of such people you
feel motivated and encouraged”.
One
can be quite sure the New Year will guarantee new experiences.
