C
hange is continuous. It never stops for a minute. Cities, towns
and villages change over a period of time. Sometimes for the better. The city
of Panjim has been changing and the area around the General Post Office has
been transformed. Several high end outlets, a Japanese restaurant, coffee shops
by international brands have sprung up in the city. Panjim is no longer a
sleepy town but now has more buzz. It is in the words of the younger generation
“happening.”
Heta Pandit a heritage activist said “There was a time when Ar
Dean D’Cruz and I would wonder what one could do to infuse life into the city.
Panjim used to shut down by 7 pm in the early 2000.It’s heartening to see some
of the heritage houses in Sao Tome Fontainhas and Mala neighbourhoods being
turned around into hip watering holes! Of course it comes with its own share of
trouble like the overcrowding with tourists, un-cool behavior from the cool
instagrammers. We’ll have to put our heads together and find a good solution to
that”. Valid points without a doubt.
Raya Shankhwalker is
an architect who is very interested in the developments that was happening
around him and willing to speak about it. He said “I work out of Fontainhas and
I have been part of the journey as the place transformed. Yes, there were
concerns by residents but it was certainly nice to see people able to monetize
what they had. I strongly believe business should be aware that it should not
become a nuisance for the people in the area. This is a great development and I
hope things work out fine for everyone.”
Another architect who
has never been fearful of voicing his opinion is Dean D Cruz. He was not very
pleased with the development. Dean said “The main thing driving all this is the
casino. You look at the area at night and it is packed with cars. You can’t get
parking, especially at night. You have noisy tourists racing around. People no
longer like to live in the area. Even traditional restaurants in the area like
Club Nacional and Club Vasco are suffering. People get rowdy. It is sad to see
the place develop like this”. He went on to say that it was a young crowd not
averse to rowdy behavior. Thus was a crowd he said who would not appreciate the
culture of the state. He said “You have these loud boats blasting Bollywood
music. I am not very happy with all this. I am sentimental for the Goa I grew
up in. People now prefer going to the villages to eat at restaurants. That is
the state of affairs now.”
Anuradha Holst who
moves around and keeps a track of developments had an opinion all her own. She
said “Panjim is no longer the sleepy town that it used to be as the social
scene is no longer limited to just the tourist strips. The capital city is fast
becoming the new hot spot to dine out with a lot to offer from new restaurant
brands opening shops from other metros to fine dining bistros, homegrown brands
popping up as well as small trendy eateries or bars and health food cafes.
Panjim’s food scene is becoming on par with any great European city. In many
ways, this is a welcome breath of fresh air as long as Panjim does not lose its
old-world charm and elegance. There is still room to grow and many of us local
residents are delighted to have options in Panjim where we are more likely to
meet our friends who live and work in Goa.”
One
can only watch with interest and some trepidation as to how it will turnout.
