Entrepreneur Sumeet Bhobe has been a regular
at the Saturday Night Market (SNM) in Arpora for the last several years and has
fond memories of this place that he believes is “an institution in itself”. Or
so it used to be! He was in for a rude shock for reasons more than one on his
recent visit to the SNM, as it opened for the tourist season. For starters (pun
intended), the roast chicken stall, Sumeet’s favourite from the food court at
the market, was missing. Sumeet had hardly recovered from this shock when he
received another blow. Another of his favourites – the Boutique House, that, according
to Sumeet, plays amazing music, had been wiped out too. Naturally, he took to
social media to voice his umbrage, only to be joined by many others who share
the feeling.
Sumeet said, “This is a pure example of how
volatile the whole atmosphere has become in terms of commerce and
relationships. There is no predictability in the way we lead our lives. It is a
very disruptive environment. When we went to SNM, we noticed that about 20-30
stalls were empty, music was lacklustre and there was no live performance. Most
of the good exhibitors were missing.” Reema Kamat, a PR professional and
another regular at the SNM, was one of the many people who commented on
Sumeet’s post on Facebook and voiced similar opinions. When contacted and asked
to elaborate further, Reema said, “Over the years, SNM has changed. The night
market has always been an amalgam of many things, but for a foodie like me, it
has primarily been a melting pot of different cuisines. This year, I think the
waffles, which were perhaps the best waffles in the world, were the first to
go. Now, with news of the roast chicken stall going off, and Thalassa also
pulling the plug, I think it is quite a bit of a change. I think it is stalls
like these that collectively make a brand. And when you take these things away,
it kind of dilutes the overall experience.”
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
According to others who visited SNM
recently, the food court at the market seems to have taken the biggest hit.
While not much has changed as far as the stalls are concerned, the regular
sellers have been replaced by new ones, that perhaps do not contribute in the
making of the good ol’ charm that SNM had once upon a time.
Sumeet believes that it is a double whammy,
as on the one hand, visa regulations have been tightened, and on the other, people
do not have cash to spend because of the whole demonetisation process. Other
reasons for the unpleasant change include a new competitor who has managed to
create a replica of SNM, by the name of Saturday Night Bazaar, that too in
close proximity to the original. Joseph Pereira, another fan of the old SNM,
said, “From afar, the new ‘bazaar’ looks identical to SNM but as you take a
closer look, and you don’t have to enter the market to notice this, you do not
get the ‘inviting’ vibe that SNM has (or had). It appears to be built to
capitalise on the popularity that SNM has built over the years.”
Over time, the SNM has attracted tourists
from within the country and abroad, but a major chunk of the ‘true fans’ of
this extravaganza have been the locals. Goans have cherished fond memories of
the times spent indulging in the various aspects of this unique setup – be it
the food stalls, shops, music, etc and the SNM is perhaps one of the few things
that the locals look forward to in the peak tourist season in Goa. But for now,
the popular consensus is – The Saturday Night Market is not the same anymore!
