Like a grandfather
clock which has stopped in the cavernous chandelier of a living room of an old
Goan house, time stands still in Curtorim. The only appointment villages like
Curtorim have, is with not disturbing the age old fabric of simplicity and a
steady pace of life which neither mobile networks, social media or fast cars
have rattled.
But there are times when even the stillness
of time in Curtorim gets into an even deeper freeze. At time like this. A few
weeks ago, a concert came to town. The ABBA weren’t reuniting in Curtorim, nor
was Boney M, getting revived, nor was Elvis, in reincarnation mode, performing
live in his new avatar or was Cliff Richard coming to the tinto to sing
‘evergreen tree’. This was bigger than all of this. Lorna was coming. Now those
uninitiated with this fuss (and very of you will not be), the world (i.e the
village) goes into freeze mode if Lorna is coming to sing. She may be in her
mid seventies and from grandmother to the five year old grand-daughter
(likewise for the male lineage), each connects to her as “their generation”.
She is the one and only who can join1970 to 2018 with one shake of her hips
bursting onto her highest pitch.
So this is what happened to Curtorim
at the end of February the day THE Lorna arrived. A couple of local banks shut.
Isn’t that obvious? After all folks had to go home early, change, get diner
ready. Mundane matters like banking can very well be tided over in song. So
don’t bother banking. But what about attending the age old institution of life
called the Taverna. We need to sadly report that out of the troika of
Curtorim’s taverns, of Lenny’s, Cassain and Sheryll, which dominated Curtorim’s
social drinking scene, Lenny’s (opposite MLA Reginaldo’s) house has shut with
the passing away of both Lenny and his wife while Cassain and Sheryll follow
the fine tradition of “we open when we want to”. So you can reach at seven in
the evening and find Cassain shut or reach at five and find boisterous mirth
flowing from the insides. Sheryll also follows more or less the same
arrangement. On the day Lorna was in town, there was no decision to make. If
everyone in the village was going to hear her sing, why should a bar be open
when, a) there is no business and b) the bartender himself will be in the
audience?
But this is what makes Curtorim,
Loutolim, Raia, Chandor and many such villages remain what they are and
hopefully will be, frozen in time because Goa’s change is at times, scary.
There is transformation happening in
many of the interior villages closer to the coast in North Goa. In Assagao,
Sucorro, and now increasingly Moira and Aldona and the peripheral villages,
there is an infusion of creativity, eclectic use of spaces, restaurants and
cafes which can be placed on any global picture postcard. These villages look
as if they have been chiselled into the finest shape with creative masons
populating its spaces with a quality of life that is enjoyed in any suburbia
across the world. But if you look at them, you hear different languages of the
world spoken, the local village feel has moved from being goan to very globally
posh with international designers, chefs, architects, artists and singers
moving in, restoring homes wonderfully. Lands are being sold, old homes are
being brought down giving Assagao a new look and anew language. Ask for
directions in Konkani and you will draw a blank there. English of course but
German, French and Spanish will work just as well.
Moira and Aldona are inching in that
direction with art galleries, restaurants and shops springing up, while Sucorro
(pronounced sukur) is firming itself on the same highway.
While these changes have perhaps
brought a different world into the villages, the basic essence and way of life
may be undergoing a change, which may no longer be Goan. If this is acceptable,
who are we to argue? But it’s important, or at the very least debatable, if all
of Goa’s beautiful villages should retain or even enhance their beauty but lose
their quintessential simplicity and unique character of a Goan village, like
Curtorim or Loutolim.
After all, who can beat the charm of shutting down a bank or
even a tavern to go and hear Lorna sing?
