Little Village, Great Legacy
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Misha Britto
The winds of change have forced the villagers of Arpora to ditch their ploughs and rake in the moolah, thanks to tourism
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The Times of India
The winds of change have forced the villagers of Arpora to ditch their ploughs and rake in the moolah, thanks to tourism

The village of Arpora can be traversed in just about four kilometres. Yet, what it lacks in terms of distance, it makes up for in history and

heritage.

Skirted by Anjuna, Parra and Calangute, this quaint North Goa locality was the seat of knowledge in the days of yore. For, it was here that St Joseph's High School, a pioneering educational institution and also the state's first English medium school, was founded by William Robert Lyons, a missionary, in 1887. With Lyons at its helm, St Joseph's High School became a force to reckon with, in both, education and sports. Members of the older generations recount that it managed to outclass every other school in the state and went on to produce scores of illustrious Goans. It is presently run by the Diocesan Society of Education.

Further inward, past a large expanse of paddy fields, lays a roadside chapel dedicated to St Sebastian. Owned by the Pinto family, who lives in a sprawling mansion just across the road in the Tambudki ward, the chapel comes alive when faithful from far and wide, cutting across religious boundaries, converge to celebrate the feast of the early Christian martyr on January 20 every year.

While several places of worship dot the landscape of Arpora, St Sebastian's Chapel is to the local Christian population what the imposing Chauranginath temple is to the Hindus. Located in Xim vaddo ('xim', incidentally, is Konkani for 'border'), the temple is dedicated to Chauranginath, a disciple of the 10th century saint and yogi, Matsyendranath. Research indicates that Chauranginath's idol was temporarily moved to Nanora, near Assonora, during the Portuguese period of conversion. Today, the yellow-hued shrine, basking in the glory of its heritage, continues to attract several devotees and tourists alike.

It may be a largely agrarian village, but an upswing in tourism has led many in Arpora to ditch field work for fast bucks. This is evident in the mushrooming of holiday resorts and the wilting of pasturelands in comparison. Earlier

this year, an expanse of the village's agricultural land was converted into the venue of the 4th Indian Bike Week (IBW). A part of the now fallow fields has long been used as a football ground by locals and is popularly known as the

'Salt Lake Ground'.

Another of the village's traditional occupations that has quietly retreated into oblivion, is salt extraction. Arpora was once immensely famous for its salt pans, or 'agor', whose sections resembled those of an ice cube tray and where 'mit-gavddi' (salt farmers) would labour under the sweltering summer sun to gather heaps of rock salt. They would also breed delicious fish called ghollxeo in the pans' shallow waters and eventually sell them. Now inundated by water from the Baga river, which flows parallel to them, the 'agor' have died a rather unceremonious death.

Further inward, the fishing community of Arpora's most famous ward, Baga, is dwindling, too. This picturesque riverine vaddo, which is geographically detached from the village - one needs to cross a bridge near the salt pans to get here â has now become a tourist hotspot. That several families have revamped their properties to accommodate guesthouses or eateries is evidence enough. Yet, in Baga lies a quaintness that is rather difficult to erase.

It is along the meandering creek, for instance, that the much-loved sangodd wends its way every year on June 24, the feast of St John the Baptist. Sao Joao festivities in the ward continue to brim with tradition and camaraderie, prompting even the most aloof onlooker to join in the revelry.

The 'tunnel bridge' or 'coffin bridge', nicknamed thus because of its peculiar, box-like design, linked Baga to Calangute's Sauntavaddo and became rather infamous because of the inconvenience it caused locals. It has now been replaced by an open, wider bridge, facilitating the safe movement of vehicles and people.

The mouth of the Baga creek is enclosed by a cliff on the northern side that many experts term a 'geological marvel'. The steep, semi-circular rock is made largely of quartzite. A dolerite dyke, known by locals as 'Chor Baim' (pirates' well) acts as a natural barrier, protecting the land mass from sea erosion. Folklore has it that the dyke was so named following the discovery of a large cargo of lead within it several decades ago, a remnant of a wrecked pirate ship that, villagers say, got wedged between the rocks and eventually sank.

Atop the cliff sits the iconic Xavier Retreat House - a 70-odd year old building belonging to the Jesuit order and built by Belgian priest Fr Adrian de Tellier SJ. Last year, the geo-heritage site was in the news for all the wrong reasons. In a brazen violation of environmental laws, a contractor engaged by the state's water resources department (WRD) excavated a considerable portion of the cliff, purportedly at the behest of a local panchayat member who was looking to create road access to his shack located on the other side.

That the winds of change and fast-paced development are blowing into Arpora and its 10-odd wards is no secret. Yet, many who live here admit that the charm the village exudes can't be easily overlooked.

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AT A GLANCE

As per the Census 2011, Arpora comprises 834 households and has a total population of 3,255

Arpora's Catholic locals are parishioners of the Holy Trinity Church located in nearby Nagoa

The concept of night flea markets was born in this village. Today, Arpora has two such bazaars; one in Xim and the other in Baga

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ROADS & PUBLIC TRANSPORT

In Baga, where I live, good roads, speed breakers and an efficient public transport system are essential. The ward currently has none of these. There should also be consistency in the intake of private property for road widening. Most importantly, we require a clean and non-discriminatory ward representative to address our problems at the panchayat-level. As of now, most of us are forced to knock on the local MLA's door all the time

- Anita D'Souza | homemaker, baga

____________________________

INFRASTRUCTURE

Over the last three years, infrastructure in Arpora has improved and continues to improve. Illegalities exist, no doubt, but the number has reduced considerably. The most obvious problem is that several hotels in the village have been constructed without proper infrastructure and have greatly inconvenienced villagers. Development is necessary, but not at the cost of harassment to locals

- Edward Ferrao, | entrepreneur, ghorbhat

____________________________

AUTHORITY'S TAKE

As of May 15, public works, particularly widening and hotmixing of roads, generally ceases in view of the monsoon. These will be taken up once the rainy season ends. We are ready to assist the people provided they voice their grievances first. They can even submit proposals with their suggestions for improvement of their respective wards. I agree that there is scope for a lot of development

- Sakaram Naik | arpora deputy sarpanch

_______________________________

Renowned residents

Dr Acacio Gabriel Viegas, a native of Arpora, detected the outbreak of the bubonic plague in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1896, thereby saving many lives. He was also the first Christian president of the Bombay Municipal Corporation. A life-size statue of him stands opposite Metro Cinema in Mumbai

Another son of the village, Jose Gerson da Cunha, was a physician who attained international fame as an orientalist, historian, linguist and numismatist. He also wrote 'The Origin of Bombay', believed to be the first book on the history of Bombay

'Amul girl', the hugely popular advertising mascot for the Amul brand, was executed by an advertising agency owned by Sylvester da Cunha, who has his roots in Arpora. His elder brother, Gerson da Cunha, himself a former advertising man, is an actor, social worker and author

Indian athletics legend Edward Sequeira, considered to be one of the country's most rhythmic distance runners, has his ancestral house in the village

From the ward of Xim came the music genius and self-taught sound engineer, August Braganza. He is credited with having pioneered the public address (PA) system among Goan bands. August was also the brains behind the extremely popular 'Haystack', one of the state's very first dine-and-dance venues

Ana Maria Engracia Braganza of Baga, served as headmistress of Diocesan-run schools in the state for about two decades. She was probably the first lay woman to have assumed the role. One of her children, Anyssia Viegas, is a

former director of IPA (Provedoria)

End of Article

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