Portuguese is cool again. That’s the message in this week’s cover story of Goa Streets, where we examine in depth all the reasons why, half a century after liberation, so many Goans are embracing their Indo-Portuguese culture. This is not just academic. If you’ve ever sat in a Goan pub watching Portugal play on a wide screen TV, you might think you were in Lisbon, not Panjim, judging from the alternately jubilant and despondent reactions from the audience at every triumph or failure of the Portuguese players. In the end, however, it’s not actually a story about Portugal. This is about a unique Goan hybrid that has seamlessly assimilated elements of various civilisations through the ages, including the Portuguese. It’s not Portuguese. It’s Indo-Portuguese. Or as one of our sources in the story insisted, it’s Goan.
The rule for content in Goa Streets is simple: It must be compelling, fun-to-read and honest. So when you turn to our story on migrants and vigilantism, we deliver not what we think you might want to read, but the facts as our writer saw them. And we draw attention to how safety concerns are in some cases leading to intolerance.
On these pages, we also bring you a story about how a group of young Goan footballers trampled their counterparts in Barcelona on their opponents’ own turf, a piece on how jazz guru Colin D’Cruz is using the Internet to showcase local musical talent, and a surprising story about some extremely bold and unusual Shigmo performances taking place inside a Hindu temple. Don’t miss our story at the back of this issue on efforts to keep alive the famous Goan No Motor Zones, or NoMoZo’s, where people, not cars, populate the streets in designated areas.
All that, of course, is in addition to our stories on food, relationships, books and other topics – and our comprehensive listings telling you everything you need to know on how to live it up in Goa. It’s April now. It’s getting warmer, and before we know it the monsoons will be here. We’ll be here too, by your side, week after week. Please be sure to log onto www.goastreets.in to see everything on these pages, plus much more.
We’re Goa Streets. We’re way ahead!
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