Photo Blog by Rajan Parrikar » Saligao

Christmas Eve in Goa

Rajan P. Parrikar — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:12:47 +0000

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Merry Christmas to all!

These are images from Dec 24, 2007.

Midnight mass at Mãe de Deus church in Saligao
5D, 35L

Midnight mass celebration at Aldona
5D, 35L

Christmas spirits
5D, 35L

Windows of Nacre

Rajan P. Parrikar — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:25:48 +0000

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Window screens fashioned out of nacre are a characteristic of the traditional upper class Goan house. It is unclear where or when exactly the idea originated. Some say it came from coastal Gujarat, others point to Cape Comorin. Given the mercantile links Goa enjoyed with the rest of the west coast from the earliest times, a good deal of give and take prevailed in the region. But it required the ingenuity and skill of the old Goan craftsmen to elevate the science of house construction to the level of art. A cursory look at the butt-ugly concrete eyesores now populating Goa brings home this point. (Boo! to the RCC-addled bozo architects and engineers.) Traditionally the highly skilled masons and craftsmen of Goa have come from the Pernem taluka.

From: Ethnography of Goa, Daman and Diu (first published in Portuguese in 1923) by A.B. de Bragança Pereira (translated by Maria Aurora Couto), Penguin Group, 2008.
p 85
…Since the Hindu house is very low, daylight can only enter through the door and a few small windows supported on wooden balusters. In some houses, window panes are made of conch shells instead of glass. These conch shells are called karepa (a translucent conch shell of oyster placuna placenta which filters a soft and muted light)…

From: Living Heritage, Shared Space by Angelo Costa Silveira (translated by Maria Flavia Ribeiro), Yoda Press, 2008.
pp 96-99
Carepas are undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic elements of construction in Goa. They have been used practically from the time of the arrival of the Portuguese. Their use was motivated by the need to illuminate and at the same time preserve the interiors of the house where social events could take place during the day…Carepas came to replace the system of wooden shutters and balusters which was very common in the early period…From the early days this system impressed travellers who frequently made references to it. Pyrard de Laval says in 1616: ‘(in Goa) they have no glass windows, instead very fine and straight oyster shells are used, inserted into wooden frames, allowing the light to come in as if it was of paper, as they are not as transparent as glass.’…

The images adduced here are a few examples of the exquisite windows of nacre drawn from the Bardez and Tiswadi areas.

Window panes of Nacre
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

House in Sangolda with balcão
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

Robert Menezes' home in Saligao
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Rebello Mansion in Anjuna
5D Mark II, 135L

In Sangolda
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

In Cortin, Panjim
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

In Malar, Divar
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

Weathered ruins in Piedade, Divar
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

Stained glass and nacre in Saligao
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

Morning in Goa – Saligao

Rajan P. Parrikar — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 02:09:26 +0000

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These photographs were made last month in the village of Saligao.

A short window of a few weeks in January and February brings to Goa a combination of low hanging mist and pastel skies to harmonize the marvellous pre-sunrise scene in the first image below. The foreground bed of green is the foliage of red cowpeas (alsande) cultivated at this time of the year. To the left of the frame is the hillock of Monte de Guirim and its chapel.

Trivia: Since the Cricket World Cup is currently on, I thought I’ll mention this – Saligao is the ancestral village of Anthony De Mello, one of the founders of BCCI and the driving force behind Bombay’s legendary Brabourne Stadium.

For earlier installments of Morning in Goa, go here.

Morning in Saligao
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar + Singh-Ray 2-Stop Reverse GND Filter

Starting out early
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

And off they go
5D Mark II, 135L

Last of Their Kind

Rajan P. Parrikar — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:10:41 +0000

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I have a good recollection of the Goan gentry of my young days, of their modes of dress, speech and mannerisms, of the old world charm, adapted from the Portuguese and synthesized into a uniquely Goan composite. That kind of codger is today a rare sight in Panjim. Likewise, the hardy Goan of the working class has been transformed by the times although a few still cling to the old ways – but surely not for long – even as their grandchildren conquer the new worlds of Facebook and Twitter.

These images were made while waiting for a sunset shoot in the village of Saligao. The 300mm telephoto lens enabled enough separation from the men for a candid shot. The mellow orange of the late evening sun was a bonus. As is my wont, I try to engage my subjects once the photographs are secure in my bag.

Julio Rodrigues wearing his loincloth (in Goa, called the caxtti) was returning with bags of livestock feed. For a tinge of nostalgia, notice the Hercules logo on his old bicycle. In the second image we see Jagannath Morajkar trudging home after an honest day’s work. There is something very Goan to their look, and soon sights like these will exist only in our memory.

On the way home: Julio Rodrigues
5D Mark II, 300L f/4 IS

Day's end: Jagannath Morajkar
5D Mark II, 300L f/4 IS

Jagannath Morajkar
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

The Flaming Cross

Rajan P. Parrikar — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:14:10 +0000

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Awhile back I posted photographs of the cemetery cross in the Goan village of Saligao framed against the setting sun. As mentioned there, I had to stake out the location for a number of days before I scored that shot. On one of the earlier ‘unsuccessful’ evenings, Nature flashed an unexpected spectacle. I call it The Flaming Cross, seen below.

Note: I have cloned out the intruding power lines in this image.

'The Flaming Cross' in Saligao, Goa
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

A Photographer is Born

Rajan P. Parrikar — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:41:35 +0000

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My little nephew Yash insists on accompanying me on my photo shoots in Goa. The joy of having him around is tempered with exasperation for he follows me like a shadow, replicating every single move of mine. If I bend he does likewise, if I crouch he follows suit, and if I take a piddle his bladder also finds itself in sync.

I managed to snag a few candids of this Dennis the Menace.

Babu in the field in Saligao
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

Babu in the temple at Virnoda
5D, 24-105L

Sunset in Saligao

Rajan P. Parrikar — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:03:29 +0000

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The apposite positioning of the sun at this time of the year vis-à-vis the cemetery cross in the village of Saligao, Goa, made possible the following composition. In early November, a lingering tropical depression over the Arabian Sea thwarted me for almost 2 weeks. Once the skies cleared, I staked out the location – the edge of a sloughy field – for a number of days and managed to score varied interpretations of the setting, some of which I shall post by and by.

I had the 300 mm lens mounted on one body and the 70-200 mm zoom on the other. The latter, it turned out, presented the problem of flare when pointed directly at the sun; I got around it by selecting the uppermost focus point.

Note: Intruding power lines have been cloned out in Photoshop.

Sunset in Saligao, Goa
5D Mark II, 300L f/4

Sunset in Saligao, Goa
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS