What relief that
António Gomes has strayed far away from the favourite themes of the
Indo-Portuguese writers, Devdasis, muscular sadhus reclining on tiger skins. Or
the other genre, the batkar-shetkar with kashti, pez, hunger and poverty thrown
in. Sadly he could not resist the most favourite of all the themes an inter
caste marriage, but this aspect is just a part of a beautiful book.
Eschewing these time
tested themes, António Gomes boldly writes about a landowning Brahmin Catholic
family from Loutolim in Goa. Set a little before the Liberation of Goa in
1961 and ending a little after the Opinion Poll in 1967, the story describes
the joys and sorrows, the mistakes made by the Albuquerque Family, the
repercussions but most of all he dwells on those heady days when the hippies
found magical Goa.
Paulo, returns to Goa
after completing his Degree in Law at the prestigious University of Coimbra,
but this is also the story of so many young men from ‘Boas Familias’ who moved
to Coimbra to finish a Law Degree, bleeding their parents dry; some did extremely
well but a great number, whiled away their lives, spending money in bars,
visiting prostitutes, the Law degree hanging somewhere out there. Most stayed
as paying guests with impoverished landladies who took in students to
supplement their income. The landladies doted on these well to do students who
in turn abused their hospitality. Life for some of these aspiring lawyers was a
never ending carousel of fun until the loan sharks caught up with them, as they
did with Paul.
Amanda the daughter
falls in love with Winnie a college professor, the eternal route taken by
Indo-Portuguese writers, rich girl from Brahmin Family falls in love with poor
but highly educated man of lower class. Tears, recriminations, threats follow
but here António Gomes gives it a twist, Amanda the highly romantic woman does
marry Winnie, despite the fact that he is practically on death bed, makes love
to him on her Wedding Night, and in the manner of most romantic heroines
commits suicide, although saved in the nick of time.
You see both Amanda
and Maria are brought up as fragile creatures, nurtured on Romance, they dream
beautiful clothes, serenatas, the highlight of their lives Baile de Escola
Médica where they would dance the night away in the arms of their loved one,
envied by the less fortunate girls. Once married, life turns drab, hardly any
balls, the husband perpetually busy. With no training whatsoever they have no
clue how to run a house, cooking? That’s for the maids, but in Europe or
America where are the maids? How to spend those endless hours? No desire to
improve their life, because their life in their opinion, is already perfect,
how they long for Goa, the chatter, the clothes, the maids at their beck and
call. Life is a mass of depression, mothers and ayahs to their rescue, but for
how long? So long holidays back home…….The Mothers, Aunts and ayahs all shield
the ‘delicate’ Baie.
Roberto, nobody
thought of him as a genius just an ordinary hardworking boy, everybody thinks
of him as mediocre, not to be confused with Paulo the Mother’s pet. But
sometimes surprises spring from nowhere. He achieves much just by dint of sheer
hard work.
You get a catch in
your throat when António Gomes describes the dinner for the return of Paulo,
the typical mix of Goan and Portuguese food, the wines; Dona Isabel’s
flower arrangements. The soiree plans made by this very musical family. And
when Dona Isabel says ‘Roberto water my Begonias’ you are yanked back in time
with violence; for you realise those joyful, heady times have made way for a
different set of variations in etiquette and all that was dear.
Roberto is no angel,
he has his whisky-sodas, he mixes with the hippie crowd in Baga and Anjuna,
samples drugs, experiences the highs and lows of hash, has his liaisons but
unlike his wayward brother keeps his wits about and graduates a brilliant
Doctor.
The scariest aspect
however is will those stately mansions go the way Roberto’s house with only an
old, trembling Carmina to take care of them?
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