The motto of the History Lovers’ Group says – ‘Our aim is to conserve and protect our history and heritage, to carry forward our glorious and historic past to the next generation’. The words are short, but the task is long and arduous. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We are not the makers of history, we are made by history”. Therefore, the question is – do we really perceive history as the guiding path for our future or as a mere series of events that took place in the past? History is not just about monuments and wars, its more about the people that have created it and paved the way for future generations. But of course, it’s the monuments that remain, albeit some in ruins, which tell the tale.
The History Lovers’ Group (HLG) was perhaps created with a similar thought process. Started in May 2014 as a WhatsApp group by Yogesh Nagvekar, the founder and president of this group, it brought together like-minded people with a passion for history. Today, the core team comprises of 7 people along with Yogesh. And they have several volunteers and supporters. The aim of this group is simple – to bring some of the history to the people today, especially the youth. One of their first successes in Goa has been the recognition of the Betul fort by the Government of Goa.
The fishing village of Betul lies on the beautiful picturesque banks of river Sal, where it meets the mighty Arabian Sea. The quiet and peaceful village was quite unaware of the legacy that hid behind the overgrown bushes in their village. Its reported that in 1675, when Ponda, Balli, Advat came under Raja Shivaji’s rule, he ordered the Havaldar of Balli to build a fort at the mouth of Sal river at Betul at this point where the Sal river meets the Arabian Sea. After changing hands a couple of times, the fort came under the control of the Portuguese in 1763-64 and remained under their control till 1961. Says Yogesh Nagvekar, “Here’s where we learn about the strategies Raja Shivaji adopted. The location of the fort was crucial both from a defense as well as economic point of view. The river provided a route inland for traders and the fort provided protection from attacks from the sea.”
The fort was dilapidated and neglected and the History Lovers Group convinced and enlisted the villagers of Betul to support them in their initiative to clean the fort area. This included making the locals aware of the historical significance of the fort literally in their backyard. The local sarpanch, Sudhakar Joshi was enthusiastic in his support for the initiative. Thus began the initiative to preserve and protect this historic Betul fort. The first activity was to get the fort cleaned, which they started in November 2014. They also enlisted renowned historian, Professor Prajal Sakhardande to provide the historical perspective on the Betul fort. Raising this awareness has now helped the group to get the fort listed with the Department of Archives and Archaeology, Goa. HLG has also held the Independence Day celebrations in 2015 at the fort and plan to do similar events in the future.
The HLG is not resting on its success with the restoration and awareness drive of the Betul fort. They conduct several activities including heritage walks in Vasco, the Mormugoa Heritage Walk. There are similar walks organized in Ponda, Chandor and a future one is being planned at Sancoale.
Goa has several forts and they are unique in the sense that most of them are built along the sea. There has been neglect in the past but with cleaning and restoration, their glory can be revived to some extent. There have been governmental efforts but without the participation of the local population, these efforts will not be adequate. Moreover, with a significant portion of revenues coming from tourism, historical monuments such as the Betul fort can only contribute to the growth of tourism in the state.
