Goa Cruti unveils the past in vibrant detail

The best address for a journey into Goa’s past has just become better. The destination for this journey nestles in the coastal village of Benaulim. It’s not the crowded beaches of the present that can bring back some nostalgic memories of the once deserted sands where today’s senior citizens in their youth strummed the guitar and sang the Portuguese fado and the Konkani mando, but a collection of artifacts that dates back to the 16th century and displaying the colonial influences on Goan culture.

Already presenting a rich tapestry of Goa’s past, Benaulim’s Goa Chitra has now been enriched by the addition of a new museum – Goa Cruti – that brings to the present the colonial past of Goa and was a promise by Victor Hugo Gomes, the owner and curator of Goa Chitra, Goa Chakra and now of course Goa Cruti.

“The collection of Goa Cruti is precise and definite, and dates back to the 16th century influences, where travelers travelled to Goa to work and live, and Goans who travelled abroad, created a new identity to the culture, while still retaining the ethos of the land,” says Gomes.  

Goa’s long colonial history gave rise to unique designs lending a European touch to Indian art, architecture and furniture. This happened especially because of the Indian artisan who was working on piece and would carve traditional marine and flower symbols on the furniture that was otherwise Western in look. This can be seen in Goa Cruti in the furniture, crockery, cutlery and other objects displayed. 

Goa Cruti opened for preview on Saturday. It will be open for preview for two months, before the museum is thrown open for viewing to all. There’s furniture – tables, chairs, beds, sofas wardrobes – as well as crockery, cutlery, wine decanters, bottles, costumes, jewellery, perhaps what people have seen in their homes or in the homes of others. Quite common they were once upon a time, for they were items used daily, as Gomes pointedly says, the colonial furniture on display ranges from the basic and very simple patterns of the low middle class to the exotic and intricately carved designs that upper middle class and aristocracy were known to have. Teak and rosewood cupboards displaying motifs and designs with inlaid work and tile patterns, show typical European influences and the richness of cosmopolitan lifestyle of the middleclass Goan. Chairs with ornamental carvings on the back rest to intricate cane weaving. 

But there’s more than that. There are items that few will have seen and even senior citizens who lived in the latter part of the colonial period would perhaps find it difficult to identify, for the museum has a special legal gallery and another medical gallery. The former has a lawyers desk complete with stamps and typewriter, a collection of photos of Goans who were appointed to the position of judges during the Portuguese period, and fishcards with judgements pronounced, that possibly no one else in Goa has.

The medical gallery has rare instruments used in surgery, ENT, dentistry, pharmacy and maternity care. Along the way, it provides some remarkable insights into an age-long campaign against illness, disease and injury.Visitors will also have the opportunity to engage at the marvels of progress made in the field of medical care. 

The museum is dedicated to Jashwanth Singh, who worked at Goa Chitra for over 17 years and passed away last year. “There are some people who walk into your life and create a relationship with you that has no name. Yet they are there with you at every step, focused and dedicated to your vision and tirelessly with little expectations work in creating history for others. I dedicate this museum to Mr. Jashwanth Singh, fondly referred to as chacha by us,” Gomes said. 

The mushrooming museums in Goa have been making Gomes uncomfortable, as he finds them to be mere exhibitions under the guise of museums. “Unfortunately such attempts bring down the meaning and expressions of a museum. For a museum to be an institution of learning it has to have a serious backup of documentation and relevant research,” Gomes said.