Goan Nostalgia

Akeru’s Casas de Goa
Carmo D’Souza ,
E-mail:carmodsouza@gmail.com

Majestic houses standing amidst desolate vegetation. Large spacious verandahs. Flight of steps. Impressive balconies , where once political future were discussed or designed. Also small tavernas where the village folk would have their gulp of “cutt”. Ghostly chandeliers peeping through the main door or making their appearance felt through windows . Well that is Akeru’s Casa de Goa.

I had been on a casual visit to Kala Academy when I seemed to strike a treasure. In one of the rooms there was a painting display of Casas de Goa. As Ismilda Research Consultancy (www.ismilda.org ) is involved in motivating Research on Goa, I considered the discovery of the silent show, a rich haul, a wealth for research. The exhibition tempted me to visit the place a second time for reinforcement of ideas. I took of some minutes for a small chart with the painter and discovered that she had imbibed the spirit of the Goan houses. And her unique experience had enabled her to put the real Goa on canvas , with her Japanese instinct of art and painting.

During the next half an hour, I was carried through the different shades of Goa. I visited a double storied house with excellent supporting pillars, which had the additional duty of adding grace and grandeur to the building. The pillars gave a royal front look, as in a cat walk demonstration . As if houses can walk. But I saw that elegance in the house , perhaps reflecting those dainty ladies and damsels of yore , who inhabited it. The pillars were tenderly embraced by designs of green creepers. The next house that I visited had two impressive flights of steps to enter inside. I am not too sure whether a choice was available in those days or there were precise rules of etiquettes of entrance and exit to the old ‘Solar’.

Somewhere I found a small little house “Martins Corner’ inviting for a tasty Goan meal of fish curry rice. The canvas spoke of it all, though the sensory art of adding perfume to canvas is yet to be developed. At other place I came across a small taverna licenciada that seemed to be taken out of Goa of the 1960s. But surprisingly it advertised the Kingfisher beer brand.

My attention was drawn to a huge mansion with large verandah , all round , and capping it all with a very high roof to cover its balcony. In my imagination, the balcony seemed to be wearing a bishop’s miter . I presumed the intellectual capacity of the inmates who must have discussed the latest political news sitting in that verandah. I could imagine them hotly debating political issues, drafting a resolution calling the attention of central Government in Lisbon and telegraphically dispatching to the authorities at Terreiro do Paco in Portugal. That was the first half of twentieth century politics in Goa. A few heads sitting on that verandah could claim to represent the “Povo de Goa” and attempting to sway the Central authorizes even against the local powers that be.

The painter has seen to details. That’s Akeru’s style. Thorough the main door of an elegant mansion one could see the huge chandelier hanging at the entrance. Or it may be a dog faithfully at his duty , behind the door. The artist has brought the elegance of some of the antique houses that seem to be standing on stilts. No in fact, the houses are built over a high pedestal foundation in the front to keep perhaps with the level with its rear portion. And I noticed a house double storied , eight windows to be precise up and down. It was fully equipped for any occasion, in days where halls or celebration venues were hardly available on hire.

How can one go through Goa without Fish land. That is a small antique very tiny house , a utility residence of old which has its own magic. Today it serves as a small food joint. Akeru’s brush captures the spirit of the past together with the new brand of small eating joints to cater to the tourist and the Diaspora Goans.


The artist has captured each house as per its mood. Sometimes the windows of the spacious houses are closed as if hiding secrets and wealth from the outsiders. At other places the windows are wide open, inviting the stranger to walk into the spacious halls. And there are crumbling houses too with their outstanding windows of oyster shells ( corpan). That’s the unique Goan art that has not escaped Akeru.

A day with Akeru’s painting can be an experience in art, culture, history and environment that makes Goans proud of their all round heritage.