For over six centuries, the Goan diaspora has been living and thriving amongst several cultures across the globe. The Goan emigration and circular migration has been a documented phenomenon since the Portuguese arrival in 1505. Now an exhibition at the Museum of Goa (MOG), Pilerne, attempts to showcase just that.
Curated by Wendy Amanda Coutinho, along with several artists like Subodh Kerkar, Viraj Naik, Sonia Rodrigues Sabharwal, Shripad Gurav, Sagar Naik Mule and Siddharth Kerkar, ‘0832’ traces the journey of Goans migrating to the Anglosphere, Lusosphere and the Persian Gulf owing to socio-religious and economic concerns.
WHAT'S AT THE EXHIBITION?
During the exhibition, viewers will get the opportunity to deep-dive into an array of parallel records, personal and collaborative, that amplify a sense of identity. Inherently linked with the boon and bane of the diasporic existence, these works invoke a sense of belonging and nostalgia - a bittersweet symphony.
Ranging from language to religion, cultural icons to personal reflections, clothes to folklore, food to local archives, stories to beliefs, heart to home, the exhibition is the coming together of what ‘Goa/home’ means to Goans who inhabit it, emotionally and/or physically.
In the aftermath, following this encounter, it becomes imperative to gauge, through this temporal connection, what we can retain, alter, and pass on -- both, tangible and intangible.
WHY 0832?
The number ‘0832’ is the area code for Goa, in order to enable prompt communication between two parties -- from the rest of the world to Goa.
The functionality of this code, through this exhibition, is transferred to other mediums, tangible and intangible, that help establish instantaneous connections, allowing those in the diasporic setting to teleport themselves, for a beat, to Goa, their home.
‘0832’ explores the affinity towards one's homeland and its transfiguration into the diaspora, hoping to answer multi-layered non-linear quests for connection and rootedness.
HOW MIGRATION TOOK SHAPE
It began with Bombay (now Mumbai), followed by Poona (Pune) and Calcutta (Kolkata), who attracted the first wave of Goan migration, which then spread to Karachi, East Africa, Burma (Myanmar), the Middle East, Canada, and in the last thirty years or so, England, because of the Portuguese passport eligibility.
Goan assimilation into other societies has been seamless. Post-Indian Independence, given the comprehensive national situation, cultural, economic, and socio-political changes amongst others, the movement of Goans into the diaspora stayed consistent.
Undoubtedly, the history of the Goan diaspora has been embodied in the narratives of globalisation and transnational movements of our time.
DETAILS
WHEN: November 12, 2022 to December 12, 2022
WHERE: Plot No. 79, Pilerne Industrial Estate, Pilerne, Bardez, Goa – 403511. India.
TIMINGS: 6 PM onwards.
CONTACT: 7722089666 / info.museumofgoa@gmail.com