The Goan landscape was completely different and serene if we rewind 25 years back. The houses had their own distinct features and quirks and when researcher and the founding member of Goa Heritage Action Group, step foot in Goa, Heta Pandit found a sense of belonging. With homes in different places, Mumbai, Panchgani and Goa, her heart still yearns for Goa.
“I
feel most at home here. You could call this house in Saligao my soul spot, my
sweet spot. It’s funny but even when I am in Goa and traveling all over town, I
am yearning to come back home. Of course, my dog Goru and cat Ginger have
something to do with that pull!” says Heta Pandit as she gleams with joy.
With 25 years of educating her readers through her books, she
describes her literary journey, “My journey began with writing about heritage
and environmental issues way back in 1982 in Bombay (now Mumbai). It began with
articles on specific buildings in Bombay that were in peril and certain areas
that were being threatened by insensitive development. When I came to Goa in
1995, my journey once again picked up with writing for local dailies and magazines.
Everything then was focussed on houses because that was the most neglected
segment of our Goan heritage. I’m grateful to Gerard da Cunha for thinking of
bringing out a book on Goan domestic architecture way back in 1998. I would say that book became a milestone in the journey,” says
Heta.
‘Stories
from Goan Houses’ focuses on the lives, struggles and triumphs of the people
who are looking after houses. With similar stories from many houses in Goa,
Heta and her team had to, unfortunately, restrict to only to the ones featured
in the book. “The stories that the home owners have shared with us were so
extensive that we could have done a book on every house. My team and I have
been working on this book for the past two years. That is about the time it takes
for a book to come to fruition. Don’t forget, we have to stop our photography
during the monsoons and that slows us down a bit. But we use that time to edit
the pictures, complete the interviews and other mopping up of the details,” she
explains.
Having written ten books on the history and architecture of Goan
houses, the one characteristic of a home that Heta feels is the soul of the
house, is the kitchen. She elaborates, “It is always the kitchen that is the
heart and soul of a house. It does not matter if the house is modest or grand,
it is always the kitchen. That’s why we have included photos of kitchens and
lots and lots of recipes from the houses in the book. That is why, when we
restored my house in Saligao, I insisted that we should turn the old kitchen
into my room.”
There
are 21 chapters in the book, each chapter features a house and the family or
families that live or look after the house jointly. All the houses have
revealed their inner selves; their traditions and the customs followed. “What
is most charming is that some of the houses I visited 20 years ago and were not
doing so well then have now been restored and are looking absolutely gorgeous.
That is the power of awareness!,” adds Heta.
The book also has a
gorgeous spread of Goan houses which adds more depth to Heta’s retelling of the
stories. “It is really a fine balance between photos and interviews. There were
times when I did the interviews and collected the stories while Daniel D’Souza,
the photographer, took the pictures. There were times when I collected the
stories on a separate day. There were also days when Daniel, our videographer
Aaron Monteiro and our communication consultant Harihara S S went to a house on
their own and took the pictures, planned the chapter and the videos for the
media reach,” she explains.
She further adds, “I owe the research process to our colleague
Er Alinto Coelho, who did a lot of the groundwork, made the contacts and
furthered the interaction between me as the researcher and author and Daniel,
the photographer. I knew several of the house owners featured in the book but
it was Er Alinto, who did the legwork and made the research project easier.”
Vivek
Menezes has written the Foreword for the book and he has even curated the
Literature segment at the Goa Heritage Festival Campal. He has invited Heta to
release the book on November 15 at the event which will be open to all. However, the first release of the book will
be at a private event to be held at the Figueiredo Mansion, Loutolim on
November 13 for family and friends and for the house owners featured in the
book.
Dividing her time
between different homes was a breeze before the pandemic. “I had a routine. I
used to leave for my home in Panchgani in the last week of every month. Pay a
little attention to maintenance, accounts, give the staff a pep talk. Then head
for Mumbai to spend some time with my nephew, Farhad and our four cats. The
pandemic turned things around. I could not travel and everyone concerned learnt
to rely on the phone to report problems and find
solutions. Now I find that the new system works in our favour. I don’t need to
travel as often and I can spend more time in Goa,” says Heta.
Readers
can get their hands on the book through the pre publication sale offer is open
now on her website, www.hetapandit.com which closes on November 5.