01 Dec 2021  |   04:29am IST

It’s a good life in Goa

The last few years have witnessed the entry of a large number of millennials to Goa to get away from the rat race in Mumbai and the other major cities. Many of them spoke about the reason to shift and their experience in Goa

Ajit John;

It is a dream treasured by many

to chuck the city life behind with all its stresses and tensions and all that pollution. For an increasingly large number of millennials in the country, fed up with it all, they prefer to take a radical step and turn away from that life. Many of them prefer to shift to Goa. With its quieter life, it’s easier pace and more importantly better quality of life. Young professionals from various professions are shifting here and conducting business sitting in Goa and enjoying its sanity.

Aroonapha Ghose came to Goa in 2016. He set up a company in Mumbai at 23 and at that time picked up a project from an ex-boss for a football club based in Goa. Part of the requirement was to live in Goa for the next 4 months. He met locals during his stay and since everyone was Goan it helped him a lot. He said “I was asked to lead the photography and video department for four months. I came down with the team of 4 people and worked with 4 people based here. The locals showed us around and it was good. I was doing work for clients in Mumbai while being based in Goa and it was fine. If it was needed I could fly down, conduct a meeting and fly back at night”. His business partner and he had a talk and they discussed the difference in the quality of life. Living in Mumbai could help one earn a lot of money but it would all be spent on weekends. He said “I worked for a couple of years and did a lot of work but the downsides to it were high. We decided to take a call and work in Goa before the covid. We realized Mumbai was full up and eventually it would have to spill over into Pune or even Goa. And we decided to get ahead of the curve and it has been a great decision”. He moved out of a 140 feet room in Malabar and shifted to a5 bedroom bungalow for the same rent in Goa. He said it was better to earn Rs 40,000 in Goa and live comfortably instead of earning Rs 3 lakhs in Mumbai and finding it tough to handle it all. Culturally he felt at home and he said having grown up in Kolkatta, he said it was similar to how laid back Goa was. The sense of community in Goa, he pointed out, was very strong which was something he had to get used to after living in Mumbai. He also pointed out that he understood the anger felt by locals against outsiders which were usually tourists. The areas he said where tourists congregated had been destroyed. People who were settling in faced no problems but it had to be understood that land was a matter that was sensitive here. No one faced any problems apart from the tourists in his estimation.

Another Mumbaikar Zafar Raiz moved to Goa 5 and half years ago. Involved in digital marketing, he and his mates set up a small operation in Goa. He said “I was getting done by the monotony of life in Mumbai. Earlier we would spend 15 days in Mumbai and the rest here. It has been three years since I shifted to Goa”. He admitted there were initial hiccups like the internet network or the journey to the airport which was a challenge. Now he said they recruit locals which can be a challenge because the best talent leaves and goes to the creative hubs. He however said the standard of living was so much better and in Goa it was possible to be amidst nature which was a fantastic experience. Zafar said “We have bigger space here, we can switch off on weekends and go on treks. It’s just wonderful. In Goa, your neighbours want to know what is happening in your house. It is all about understanding the ecosystem. Living in Goa has not been much of a cultural shock for me.”

She came all the way from the Reunion islands more than a decade ago to work with the farmers in Madhya Pradesh and then Andhra Pradesh. Christelle Ledroit came to Goa in January of 2019. She and her husband who worked in Delhi decided to shift to Goa because the climate and culture was similar. She said “France ruled Reunion and Portugal ruled Goa. We have a lot of friends here and yes family members too. And yes the people are nice and friendly. I love the fresh air here. We live in the village in a small community and yes I am happy to be living in Goa.”

She is a familiar name in Bollywood circles. Aadore Mukherjee is a casting director who did work on Delhi Belly for one. She has been living in Goa for two years and conducting business casting for movies and on the OTT platform. She said “Goa has fresh air, Goa is more cosmopolitan, people are nicer and a beautiful environment to work in which Mumbai does not give up. Goa is home, Mumbai is work. I live in Bambolim and it's wonderful. I have done work in Goa before and so I have my local contacts. Wherever I may be my work is not affected”.

Pranay Bajekal is a content creator living in Aldona and loving it having shifted to Goa 5 years ago. He said “What is not to love in Goa. I can meet my deadline sitting in Goa. The pace of life is slower and the standard of living is higher. The people are nice and accepting. I have wonderful neighbors, they send food over. Of course they are scared about the changing demographics and I can understand why some of them are so upset but they have been very nice to me”.

Life here is so much better than in the cities of the country. People live healthier lives and have the time to stand and smell the roses.