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'

Not long ago Goa had some of the finest fresh produce in the world, sustained for hundreds of years by the traditional farming methods of the hardy Gaudo community. The Gaude were among the first settlers in Goa and are thought to be Austric in origin.

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