An integral part of Goan architecture, the balcão tells the story of the state’s colonial history Growing up, my time in Goa was limited to annual summer vacations. While traversing the narrow, winding streets of my village St Estevam, about 22km from Panaji, I remember being intrigued by the houses that seemed to be perfectly…
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the three linear projects that threatened Goa’s environment. In January 2021, I was approached by Dr. Nandini Velho, who runs the MyMollem movement, to create a visual story around the issue. This gave birth to the series ‘Heritage at Risk’ which aimed at highlighting the present day impact of the railway line on Goa’s heritage homes in the Mormugao-Vasco belt.
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‘‘My husband Gery Mascarenhas was a surgeon. He put this up to see his poor patients, who he was treating for free. So when Charles visited, he saw this and said ‘That’s not mine, Marie’… I said ‘No, Gery built that’… He got quite upset.’’ (laughs)
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Goans take immense pride in their rich architectural heritage, and are generally aware of the need to protect it. However, when it comes to actually conserving heritage, they often adopt a stance that threatens its very existence…
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”A few steps later, there it was. Brushing aside some leaves, the chapel revealed itself to us in its full glory. It was a moment of epiphany – one that is tough to put down in words. In that moment, I felt this immediate connection to the modest edifice in front of us. A strange feeling took over me – I felt I somehow knew the man who built the chapel – the glimpses of his life that I had just heard about flashed before my eyes. That is the power of architecture…”’
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In Chimbel, lies an architectural gem that is in dire need of conservation The missionary spurt that immediately followed the advent of the Portuguese in Goa meant that Goan Church architecture developed much earlier compared to its domestic architecture. The exposure to ideologies from Europe and their transfusion with local art and craftsmanship became visible…
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There is an erroneous notion prevalent in todays soceity that heritage – is something colonial, something ancient. The latest to fall prey to this is the Kala Academy – a bustling centre for the arts on the banks of the River Mandovi in Panjim. Recent leakages have brought the tarpaulin over the affected parts and…
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In the years preceding 2013, a new phenomenon started to take place, at least in the lives of millennials. They would recollect an incident that happened, say, in 2006, or 2007, and would go on to narrate it gleefully, only to get depressed when they realized that the phrase ‘this happened 5 years back’ was…
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On 15th April 2019, the world woke up to some heartbreaking news. Shocking images and videos of the The Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris swept across social media, its central spire and steep pitched roof ablaze. The fire eventually consumed the towering spire and the medieval roof. And while Parisians all exclaimed in shock, people all…
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