FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
The three water bodies namely ‘Bhokti Khanddi’, ‘Puskonni Khanddi’ and ‘Rumdder Khanddi’ of Nuvem, on which dams were built for water conservation like in the other villages of Goa, can be considered as perfect examples of maintaining the ecological balance of the environment due to its primary sector of agricultural production. However, the unexpected and man-made nuisance has become a major threat to the ecology of Nuvem, which was once protected by the ancestors by fighting all odds.
Surprisingly, no timely attention has resulted ‘Bhokti Khanddi’ of Nuvem becoming the most polluted one due to unstoppable flow of sewage into the rivulet attached to the ‘khanddi’, amongst the three and also of the Salcete, and the whole of South Goa. This pollution due to the sewage has taken away the livelihood of hundreds of farmers in the last few years.
Further, ‘Rumdder Khanddi’ is also on the verge of becoming another polluted water body, due to the uncontrolled release of sewage, chemicals, and dumping of garbage, including food waste. As a result farmers do not just fear the loss of livelihood, but at the same time are very much upset due to the destruction of the environment and ecology, and the mythological importance, besides the hard efforts of ancestors who had put their life at risk in protecting and preserving all three khanddis of Nuvem for decades.
Team Herald attempts to find the importance of these three khanddis, and the relation with the ecology which reveals several inspiring facts and the myth behind all, more especially the ‘Bhokti Khanddi’ in protecting the ecology.
People of Nuvem, mostly the farming community, are very much upset with the man-made development which has caused the pollution to these historical khanddis.
All the three khanddis has a close connection to the River Sal, the lifeline of Salcete.
Typical Indian village
Every time we hear about any Indian village, the picture that comes to our mind is a simple array of mud-plastered walls, shaded by trees, overlooking the large stretch of green fields with a few people lazily moving around in bullock carts or slowly fidgeting their feet on cycle pedals! Of course, the illustration is incomplete without imagining a village lass with an earthen pitcher either resting on her waistline curves or on her head, walking with the grace as that of a corn swaying in the wind! Her skirt waving gently to the grass blades gives the finishing touch to the image created in our mind! Contrary to this, an Indian village is the heart of never ending fulfilling activities with uncompromising principles and ethics.
One must say that the village of Nuvem, located in the heart of Salcete taluka in South Goa is not an exception to the artistic imagination cited above. However, Nuvem’s magnificent houses, which have come to exist in the last several decades, are also worthy of praise. Once upon a time, this village played a major role in maintaining the ecological balance of the environment due to its primary sector of agricultural production.
The church, dedicated to Jesus Marie Jose, celebrates its annual feast in honour of Our Lady of Mae Dos Pobres with much pomp and splendour, but one cannot deny that the worship of God and the devil would go hand in hand in protecting the village.
The three water bodies namely Bhokti Khanddi, Puskonni Khanddi and Rumdder Khanddi on which dams were built for water conservation, can be considered as examples.
Mythology to protect khanddis
There is a myth that surrounds two of these locations, Bhokti Khanddi and Rumdder Khanddi that makes one gasp in amusement and will undoubtedly present a vivid image of our forefathers’ commitment to environmental preservation.
Bhokti Khanddi
“The myth has that the name ‘Bhokti’ relates to a girl called ‘Bhakti’ who died when she was just eligible to marry. The shock of their young daughter’s tragic death left her parents shattered and in tears. Unable to cope up with their grief, they decided to throw away the gold ornaments in the water,” said Constancio Miranda, an 80-year-old citizen of Nuvem.
He further narrated that since then the basket of gold has been available for poor women who lack gold ornaments to attend weddings, or any equivalent event. It is rumoured that the needy women would pray in fervency and deep faith and the basket of gold would float on the water for them to pick it up. Once the need had been met, the ornaments were to be returned intact.
Guadalupe Dias, grand-daughter of Jose Miranda, who was the first sarpanch of Nuvem panchayat and who took major responsibilities of all the three khanddis, including Bhokti Khanddi, said that this continued until the human race stopped believing in evil forces.
“As the story goes, greed overpowered the fear and the gold ornaments were never returned by one of the borrowers. This very incident put an end to the age old practice of helping needy women by the departed soul of Bhakti! Subsequently, the wails and weeping of Bhakti could be heard throughout the night by the villagers. Consequently, the place acquired its name as Bhokti Khanddi,” said Guadalupe.
Rosy Barretto and John D’Costa (74), residents of Nuvem, also confirmed the above narrated myth related to ‘Bhakti Khanddi’.
At the moment the flow of sewage into the rivulet attached to the ‘Bhokti Khanddi’ is unimaginable. The stink all over the place has made the life of the people living nearby miserable.
“We cannot even stand over here for one minute in the evening hours. Building of dams over the Khanddi has been stopped completely, as the nuisance of sewage water creates more problems for the farmers,” said Francisca Borges, who is in her 80’s.
Rumdder Khanddi
A different story is told by the magnificent crucifix that stands tall on the banks of Rumdder Khanddi. If you look closely, you can discover many emblems and symbols that exalt this cross!
The gothic architecture of this cross appears to have been created during the Portuguese era, and it has since been regarded as the village’s defender.
According to the elderly people, pouring wine at the base of the cross on an auspicious occasion was an age-old custom.
Along with Catholic followers, this cross also held a place for remarkable worship of Hinduism, implying that even if Goa was converted under Portuguese authority, the inhabitants would not abandon their Hindu culture. As a result, the lighting of candles and the offering of ‘prasad’ were seen on an equal footing, and these acts never resulted in any disagreements between the villagers of both religions.
“Our forefathers had a unique manner of conserving our culture and nature since they thought that the planet is a habitat for all living organisms, not just humans. They never challenged the law that everything on this planet has an equal and opposite counterpart! The day is followed by the night, the uphill is complemented by the slope, and the beginning is accompanied by an end, and so on”, said another senior citizen of Nuvem.
As a result, no one was able to stop them from worshipping both God and evil forces! Ximpuris and Gaunkar were some of their creations, which they used to inspire fear into the minds of the villagers so that no one would deviate from their morals and ethics.
It’s no surprise that this Rumdder Khanddi acted as a water conservation project for the village’s agricultural development. During the monsoon season, a bundh or a dam-like structure would be built and that would prevent the water from flowing down the tributary of River Sal. This conservation of water would be supplied to the farmers at the time of cultivating the rabi crop in winters for a minimal charge. This saved water would provide solace to the farmers.
“However, the green-eyed monster has not spared any members of our species, so we can’t say that our forefathers were saved from its deadly clutches”, he added.
It has never been an easy operation to construct the bundh. The process of obtaining this contract would entail floating tenders, winning auctions, sourcing materials, and hiring labourers, all of which would be time-consuming. There were times when the bundhs construction contractor was obliged to spend every last penny of his savings. The total expense of this undertaking was significant, and it was undoubtedly noteworthy in those days.
The senior citizen, who preferred to remain anonymous, further said despite the fact that the hamlet was ruled by the horror of the Holy Cross; these nuisance issues were not uncommon in those days.
Frequently, the builder would discover the bundh had been purposely broken by some miscreants, resulting in significant financial loss and emotional anguish.
This act of envy lasted until one fine day a rumour spread like wildfire that whoever could decipher the markings and emblems on the cross would see massive copper containers full with gold tossing in the Rumdder Khanddi water.
No wonder, from then on, every villager’s mind and spirit, including the criminals, was captivated by a weird mixture of terror and excitement!
Though the reason for this abrupt story remains unknown to this day, it duped the villagers into believing in both God and evil forces, causing them to think twice before disrupting and damaging someone else’s business.
Bartholomew Miranda, an eye witness to the agricultural activities related to the Rumdder Khanddi for many decades, said the ancestors had systematic plans on how to take care of the khanddi.
“Several farmers and their families used to get benefits of the khanddis, as more and more cultivation was a routine activity in the village of Nuvem. Bhakti Khanddi was another source of livelihood for the people. More important was that agricultural fields were not left barren”, he informed.
From the eyes of
new generation
“When I talk about this place, I have every reason to be proud of, because it is my grandfather, the late Jose Miranda, one of the few people who worked tirelessly to promote peace and harmony in this small village”, said Guadalupe Dias, famed Konkani writer.
She further said, as I look back to those golden years, my wistfulness for perfect nature and clear lakes appears to address the devastation caused by this tranquil village within the title of development.
“The soul of my grandfather seems to hover in the sky, looking for answers to the piles of garbage and untreated sewage in these bodies of water, which were once the heart of this village. The tall cross on Rumdder Lake also seems to be caught in the faith dilemma that our ancestors once believed in,” said Guadalupe.
“As I recall the myths going around Bhokti and Rumdder Khanddi, I ponder if our predecessors truly implied around the yellow pliable metal? Or was it just past that maybe they needed to tell us that the environment itself is the gold and we ought to secure it under any circumstances?” she added.
Pollution all over
Out of three, ‘Bhokti Khanddi’ has been affected very badly due to the release of sewage for the last one decade. As a result there is pollution all over and nearly 50 farmers have stopped cultivating.
Speaking to Herald John D’Costa, a farmer said that with no other option and fear of health hazards they have stopped cultivating the fields, despite dedication towards the farming activities.
“The situations are so pathetic that one cannot step in the field due to sewage water all over. The release of sewage is one of the main factors of pollution in the Bhokti Khanddi”, he stated.
Rosy Barretto, sarpanch of Village Panchayat Nuvem, is also of the same opinion that several farmers have been deprived of farming, and earning livelihood due to the pollution in the ‘Bhokti Khanddi’.
She further said that no one has shown any concern to the issue and no attention from the concerned authorities have further worsened the conditions of Bhakti Khanddi, which was one of the main sources of livelihood for the farming community.
Now, the Rumdder Khanddi is also on the way of getting polluted due to the release of sewage, chemicals and waste.
Recently, sewage flowing into the Rumdder Khanddi has been noticed by the locals, but no one knows from where it has been discharged.
The howling of the young lady Bhokti was truly for her misplaced gold or was it a caution about the damaging future?
Heading towards end of all the myths revolves around the three historical ‘Khanddis of Nuvem, and the evidences given by the people, it is high time that the concerned authorities and the elected representatives pay serious attentions towards the destruction of ecology and environment.
