Near Vík í Mýrdal, south Iceland
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II
The mere mention of jackfruit stirs fond childhood memories of Goan summers. The baby jackfruit meant breakfast to us brats unshackled from the tyranny of the school year. You slit the fruit open with your hands, scooped up the fleshy nuggets and then spat out the seed.
The Konkani word for jackfruit is the same as the Sanskrit panas. In Goa, two varieties obtain, differing in the nature of the flesh: the pulpy rasaal, and the firmer, crispier kaapo. The fruit is abundant along India’s Konkan and Malabar coasts. Look up the Wiki link above for details.
A more generous fruit would be hard to cite. The flesh is eaten as is, or used as the main ingredient in several traditional preparations. The chewy saatth, prepared by grinding and flattening the pulp and then drying it in the sun, is much relished in Goa and other south Indian states. The roasted seed is a wholesome snack and jackfruit chips make for irresistible nibbles. To cap it all, the neighbourhood cow is ever grateful for the skin tossed her way.
Jackfruit mountain near Thrissur, Kerala
5D, 24-105L
Low hanging fruit - Mayem, Goa
5D, 24-105L
Jackfruit tree at Nunem, Goa
5D, 24-105L
2 comments
Finally something that I completely agree with and thouroughly enjoyed. Excellent work. Now I have to go looking for some canned fruit that I may have….
ah… tempting tempting. this is one fruit i miss so much…. if you don’t mind, i am posting a link to my piece on this million dollar fruit, for you to read:)
http://www.yentha.com/news/view/5/KOCHU-VARTHAMANAM-The-Million-Dollar-Fruit
In one short verse, the great Goan poet Bakibab Borkar (1910-1984) captured the essence of what it means to be Goan1:
Please Sir, God of Death
Don’t make it my turn today,
not today
There’s fish curry for dinner.
[1] Great Goans by Mario Cabral e Sa and Lourdes Bravo Da Costa, N.N.A.P. Publications, 1991.
Fish is the Goan’s raison d’être, and to say that our seafood cuisine has no equal in the world is a statement of fact, not a boast. When two Goans meet, the conversation opener is always “What fish did you have today?”
Entire communities in the coastal fishing villages were once committed to the occupation. The advent of commercial fishing and its big trawlers in recent times has considerably weakened the older socio-economic practices. And with access to education and alternate career choices, the children of traditional fisherfolk have taken to casting their net on Facebook instead. There is still enough critical mass of fishing culture left in Goa to perhaps last another generation or two.
The photos in this sequence were taken in Siolim and Siridona, and convey a sense of the informal market setting in a Goan village.
Catch of the Day
5D, 24-105L
Fresh fish for the early bird
5D, 24-105L
Sorting
5D, 24-105L
Traditional fisherwoman in Siolim
5D, 24-105L
A classic Goan village scene - in Siridona
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP
In Siridona
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP
The Goan fish market - by Mario Miranda
From 'GOA with love'
3 comments
Rajan,
I had a totally different picture of Goa, the traditional tourist one. of beaches and churches. Seeing your pictures gives me a much better sense of Goa. You are doing an excellent job photo-documenting all these places thereby giving people like me a glimpse of the actual Goa. Thanks for sharing these photos.
A cultural and culinary feast. Wonderful post.
Dear Rajan,
We met once at a Goa Sudharop function. George circulates all your posts. I must say you are doing a great social service with your photo blogs of annotations of Goan culture. I think the Raga compilation is fantastic and this photoblog of fish markets brought back warm memories.
cheers
Ajit Desai
Hallgrímskirkja was built in 1937 and is a Reykjavík landmark. Architect Guðjón Samúelsson patterned its façade after the basaltic lava columns that are common in Iceland.
The first two photographs were taken close to midnight in the beautiful light of the low summer sun. Maintaining the verticals of such a tall structure is made possible by the use of the Canon Tilt-Shift 17mm lens.
In the church compound ahead of the entrance, a statue of the legendary Icelandic explorer Leifur Eiríksson greets all visitors (the shadow it casts is seen in the first image). It was a gift by the USA to the people of Iceland. Leifur is today regarded as the first European discoverer of North America, long before Columbus.
Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L
Draped in the light of the midnight sun
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L
Looking down from the church tower towards Leifur Eiríksson
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II
1 comment
Your use of the TSE-17 really shines here – the shape of the building is essential to its gracefulness.
These are candids of Goan ladies taken during a leisurely morning spent in the villages of Narve and Chorão.
Crossing
5D, 300L f/4 IS
Waiting
5D, 300L f/4 IS
Walking
5D, 300L f/4 IS
1 comment
Thank you Rajan,
Every ‘shot’ of yours in Goa takes me back to my roots
and permits me to ‘slide’ into my nostalgic memories.
Deu borem corum
Con
by Rajan P. Parrikar
4 comments
Superbly shot. One lucky fellow that house owner is
What a place to stay. I have been to so many nice places. The only problem is there are people there !!! A place like this I would love.
Nice !
Hmmm.
No broadband, no cable TV, heavy rain, mudslides, avalanches, short sun exposure, 4WD needed to access, 2 hour round trip for groceries and you dig yourself out when it snows as the power is off. The romance of the location fails the test of practicality.
That said, it’s a superb photograph!
Thomas, one more thing – the feared active volcano Katla is behind the mountain on the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, not too far away from this location!