When short trips to Goa gradually grow in frequency, the cool summer breeze seems to engulf you, the waves on the beach appear to be calling out to you and the restaurant owners know you by name....
When signs like these get more often, you know it’s time to revisit your priorities in life.
Some do it, and so, for the past seven years, writer and national award winning filmmaker, Apurva Asrani, has made Goa his home and he loves every bit of it – from walking in the fields to long strolls on the beach.
“I fully moved to Goa before the Covid-19 pandemic, and it was a huge shift. I’ve been coming to Goa since I was young, and my initial introduction to Goa was beaches, booze and music.”
“But, as time went by, I came to know the peace, nature, the greenery and quiet that Goa offered me – the walks that I could take without hordes of people walking past me," says Apurva.
"The susegad life in Goa also fascinated me a lot. I learned that, here, you can have some fun as well as action-packed moments while living a susegad life,” he adds.
GOANS ARE WARM, LOVING PEOPLE
The Shahid editor said he finds Goans warm and loving.
“The type of people I interacted with were people who would let you be who you are. Everyone here has a simple funda – 'you are good to me, I’ll be good to you'. It never mattered to people what community or religion or orientation I came from,” he says as he sits on his couch in the sitting room where the national award stands tall.
"I found a lot of warmth and acceptance from people,” he shares.
WENDELL RODRICKS AND TASTY PORK AMSOL
As Uzzo, his pet dog lies on Apurva’s lap, he talks of one of his first acquaintances – the late Wendell Rodricks.
“His untimely passing away is a great loss for Goa. And, for me, a friend. It was Wendell who used to share a lot of Goa with me, and he was the one who introduced me to what Goa really is.”
Talking about the grand gestures, he said, “I used to love the mackerel cutlets made at Wendell’s home. I even wrote down some recipes there and made them at my own home."
"The cutlets were a nice dish that I liked. I first discovered pork amsol at his house and it became my favourite,” he remembers.
My favourite fish market is in Siolim, where not only is the fish fresh from the river banks, but also an attraction.Apurva Asrani
SMALL FISH IS MY FAVOURITE
Apurva is so local that he knows which fish to buy and from where.
He says, “My favourite fish market is in Siolim, where not only is the fish fresh from the river banks, but also an attraction. The local fishmongers have become my friends, too, and now, I know what kind of fish I can get.”
He adds, “Some of my favourite fish is reserved for me. I like small fish because they are fresh and tasty – lepo, velleo. I also like crabs. In fact, I could go on and on about the excellent food that can be found in different places in Goa.”
OUTSIDER MENTALITY
According to Apurva, change is inevitable, and every time you visit the same place, there will be transformations.
“If you look around in the world, there is a lot of change, but somehow, in Goa, people were at peace with what they had. They valued what Goa was, and they were happy to keep it like that. But, since the Pandemic, I have seen rapid change and development," says Apurva, who is also the editor of movies like City Lights, Aligarh, Om Jai Jagadish and Mukhbiir.
He adds, "A lot of people realised that they can work remotely, and Goa offered them the best of everything."
"There is a need to preserve what is unique to Goa. People need to be getting together for this – but, I also notice that they have this mentality of the ‘outsider’,” concludes Apurva with a sigh.