The 19th C Hotel Republica is among the city’s earliest hotels, and is located along Afonso Mexia Road in central Panjim, near the Old Secretariat building. W. Somerset Maugham stayed here in 1938 during his visit to Goa. If I recall correctly, the hotel also had a bit role in World War II history – German spies were caught on its premises. Today, Hotel Republica has devolved into a low budget way station for ill-mannered tourist hordes.

Hotel Republica in Panjim, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Hotel Mandovi enjoys the same kind of cachet in the Goan mind as that accorded the Taj Mahal Hotel by the denizens of Mumbai. The hotel was erected on the Noronha family land (the family chapel still stands), and is owned by the Quenim family. Built in the Art Deco style, it first opened for business on December 1, 1952. Although some of the old world elegance has now frayed, its restaurant Riorico is known to this day for outstanding Goan cuisine, especially its signature Goan-Portuguese specialties.

Hotel Mandovi in Panjim, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Also see -

Panjim Promenade – 2.
Panjim Promenade – 1.

Today the situation for Goan farming is dire and the Gaude face a grim future. Fertile fields are being wiped out overnight, taken over by builders in collusion with local politicos. Delicious local produce has now made way for mass imports from outside the state. The Gaude have no clout to resist the forces leading to their demise. As can be seen in the photos below, the tenacious few that persist have been pushed to the periphery – literally – of the market in Panjim (and other towns).

Fresh produce at Panjim market
5D Mark II, 14L II

Sorting yard long beans
5D Mark II, 14L II

Parvati Vernekar, traditional farmer from Curca, Goa
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Fresh produce at Panjim market
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Fresh produce at Panjim market
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Casa Dempo also has an uplifting past. For several decades, the Dempos have thrown open its premises to thousands during lunchtime and served free vegetarian food – annachhatra, as this old Hindu practice is called. In particular, generations of needy students of all religions and castes have benefited from this largesse of the Dempo family.

Beyond Casa Dempo in the photograph below, the old building with the yellow facade houses the government printing press. (Aside: the first printing press in India was set up in Goa in 1556.)

Casa Dempo in Panjim, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Take a look at the next item – a photograph of an old photograph (c. 1880) from the Central Library archives. Seen are the homes on what used to be the Afonso de Albuquerque Road (now the Mahatma Gandhi Road). The red arrow points to Casa Dempo. I took my shot above standing only a few feet right of the man seen in the middle of the street.

Casa Dempo around 1880 (from the Central Library Archives)

Also see: Panjim Promenade – 1.

Ganulo of Korgaon, Goa
5D Mark II, 85L II

Ganulo of Korgaon, Goa
5D Mark II, 85L II

A few weeks later I was again in Korgaon and there he was, hunched over in the temple verandah.

Ganulo
5D Mark II, 85L II

Panjim attained prominence in 1827 when the Portuguese transferred their capital from Old Goa. In 1843, it was elevated to a city, awarded upgrades befitting the capital of Estado da Ìndia, and renamed Nova Goa. A description of that time cuts a smart picture: It is a very beautiful city, modern, with broad and spacious roads drawn in grid pattern (tiradas a cordel), large squares, excellent footpaths, six beautiful bridges and a fine dock. That quote and its source are found in the monograph Snapshots of Indo-Portuguese History – Part I – Pangim, by Vasco Pinho.

I was born and raised in Panjim. It remained essentially the same idyll through my young adult years. All the ingredients of a world-class town were in place beginning with its picture-postcard setting. It was clean, quiet, the pace was languid, and an old world collegial ambience prevailed. Violent crime was unheard of. It had fine educational institutions, an outstanding medical school & hospital – said to be the oldest in Asia, a superb Central Library, a clutch of cultural institutions, lovely jardims, and wide open spaces for outdoor activities. Above all, it was a pedestrian’s delight with all neighbourhoods within the ambit of a leisurely stroll.

Where in India – or even in Silicon Valley for that matter – could a young fellow sit through a music class, then go out and shoot soccer balls, then polish off a plate of bhaji-puri at the legendary Cafe Tato, then traipse across the jardim to the reading room at Central Library, and finally pedal to Miramar beach for sundown? All in the space on an afternoon, immersed in delightful surroundings, without jostling crowds and honking traffic. Panjim was our cosy nest for what the Italians call dolce far niente. This is not a tall tale of “the good old days” – I am talking Panjim of as recent as the mid-1990s.

Sad to say, since 2002 or so this exquisite city of ours – amchi Ponje – is on a downward spiral like much of Goa. Soon it will devolve into another noisy, squalid, jumbled mass of urban chaos that is characteristic of all Indian cities and towns. By and by I shall have more to say on this.

In this extended series to be run over the next several months, I will focus on remnants of Panjim‘s past. The photographs will strive to convey a sense of the city’s surviving heritage assets and its (fast-fading) character.

One final note before we head to the gallery – the book, Walking In and Around Panaji (2005), put together by Heta Pandit and her colleagues at Goa Heritage Action Group is a good starting point for an exploration of Panjim and surrounds.

This first photograph was taken from the Reis Magos fort across River Mandovi.

Panjim on the River Mandovi
5D, 24-105L

The next photograph was shot late evening from the upper maintenance deck of the Doordarshan tower (notice the long shadow), looking towards Patto, Mandovi bridge, and the island of Chorão across the river. I had to obtain special permission for access to the tower. The climb up the dark, dank space was quite hairy given the heavily corroded iron railings & stairs.

A bird's eye view of Panjim
5D, 35L

By way of comparison, this is a photograph I took of an old (c. 1900) photograph from the Central Library archives. The bridge leading into Ponte de Liñhares (1632) that joins Panjim with Ribandar is seen, as are the salt pans to the right, and Chorão across the river.

Panjim circa 1900 (© Souza & Paul)

The final photograph was taken in Corte do Oiteiro (colloquially called Cortim). Houses of this type, featuring windows laced with nacre, characterize Panjim‘s old quarter.

Old house in Panjim's Cortin quarter
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

For 15 minutes I watched the proceedings, with my lens barely 8″ or so away.

Village barber Apa Korgaonkar in Korgaon, Goa
5D Mark II, 14L II

Village barber Apa Korgaonkar in Korgaon, Goa
5D Mark II, 14L II

Village barber Apa Korgaonkar in Korgaon, Goa
5D Mark II, 14L II

* RCC = Reinforced Cement Concrete

Panjim Inn in the Fontainhas area of Panjim, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L