In this merry month of May, many — holiday-maker, travelers come to Goa and a few Goans, get trapped with familiar call, as, “We will be arriving in Goa tomorrow to spend a couple of days at your home.” The next day they descend with friends, perhaps even with friend’s friend with their brood. So, with open doors, generous Goans welcomed them and treat guests like gods.
And then the unbearable thing starts. Housewife gets stressed. Some guests are not so fussy about food. They say, “Whatever you cook we eat.” Others are diehard non-vegetarians; therefore, the host and hostess sit with pen and paper to find out who eats what, and who won’t eat what. It gets on the nerves when a friend’s friend asks politely, “For me, boil a little, a little glass of milk at night before going to bed. And as for dessert summer fruits – mangoes would do.” And if the hospitable Goan, owns a car, the host is expected to chauffeur them around to see the sheer scenic beauty of this great, wide, wonderful world of Goa — its sandy beaches where the fair breeze blows, the white foam of the sea flies; and the captivating greenery of its villages rise.
Noisy guest’s children made the host’s house a mini playground with a lot of noise so much so, that passersby think that either a great calamity has happened in the house or that India has just won a cricket match. And the noise though irritates the host they push their feelings aside.
At night when it is time to sleep, the relatives occupy the master’s room, their friends the hall and the dining room. Even the storeroom is not spared. The roof coldly shelters the visitors to sleep. The host like a humble sheep starts space research; as to find out how the overcrowded guests in the house used the space and maintained individual distances while sleeping. The guests remain unmindful of the host’s difficulty. The housewife on a hunt to find a place to sleep at last finds one in the kitchen – the only available space left unoccupied. Then the host and hostess lie down to sleep in gloominess having surrendered their house to the guest who came, saw and conquered it.
After a couple of days, time comes for the relatives with friends to part. They shower accolades on their host for making their stay very comfortable and restful by keeping them well dined and wined in sociable Goan style. They leave with a promise to visit again very soon during October holidays, as they described the place a ‘picnicking spot’. The house frowns at the parting visitors.
Really, anyone digs where the ground is soft. The host and hostess were like soft ground for the fox wise relatives to take advantage of them. Dear reader, one should snap the threads of bonds of such people who come with friends and fill your house and makes you a victim.
