Cavelossim capers

Lunch on banana leaves at Balli village.

 -Brian Mendonca

As the Jan Shatabdi from Madgaon hurtles towards Mumbai, my thoughts are with my school friends who are on it. Last weekend they had breezed down from Bombay to spend a few days with us in Goa. Most of us were boarders who had passed out from Don Bosco High School, Matunga doing our SSC in 1981. Forty years on there was so much to share still. 

We had kept in touch during our furtive forays to Mumbai and Goa. When Nizel graciously threw open his house in Cavelossim for the sojourn, the boys from Bombay had some place to lay their hats.  

Boris organized delicious lunch at Balli near his farm in Canacona. Prepared by Hindus in a typical Goan dwelling with dried coconut fronds as the roof, we were served on banana leaves. The repast consisted of Goan rice, prawn curry, pumpkin vegetable, fried lepo, kismur with mackeral, papad, kokum, chicken xacuti and the piece de resistance -mackeral smoked in hay. Sevian was served as desert. The appetite was whetted by chilled beers and the signature urrack laced with mint prepared by Caje. There was something totemic about it - a gathering of tribal chiefs endorsing their lineage.

The boys were in the mood, having tripped down for lunch after frolicking in a spring close by. Sunny observed that Goa is just like Kerala. He lamented that a cannon was just lying unattended at Cabo de Rama fort which they had visited earlier. 

Cavelossim church, Goa

Capturing it all on video was Francis, who along with Sunny, stitched the trip together. With the many jokes and loud guffawing it seemed as if we were back in the refectory in school once again. This was a time to build bridges and catch up on the hidden years. After lunch we trooped back to Boris's farm to buy some of the delicious Goan masalas of cafreal and vindalho, and perada - which for many would have served as souvenirs of the trip. 

A game of futsol awaited us at the splendid court in Benaulim. Eager feet clambered down the minibus which was hired for the day and took their positions on the field. When I expressed my reluctance to play, Boris reassured me by saying, 'Just stand.' I did better than that. I made a goal line save - with my hand. A penalty was promptly awarded. But it was not converted. 

My son Dwayne was playing in the opposing side. I would not have believed it if someone told me that I would be playing one day with my son and my own school friends in Goa. It was worth driving 50 kms. South from where we stay, for this.

Here's hoping the lads from Mumbai land on Goa's shores again. In the mellow light the strings of the guitar beckon.

As Gene put it, 'We can't get our childhood back. But we can recreate moments like these.'

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12052 Jan Shatabdi leaves Margao at 1200 hours and reaches Mumbai CSMT at 2330 hours. Pic of the lunch taken by Boris at Balli on Sunday, 29 October 2023. Pic of Cavelossim church, Goa taken by Brian Mendonca on Sunday, 29 October 2023.