Heritage is defined as something that has been passed down from generation to generation. Sometimes, it’s as simple as a brown book with discoloured pages and dogears, and at other times, it is a house on a tiny patch of land that all the siblings are fighting over, but nobody really knows who built.
The world celebrates World Heritage Day on April 18, and Goa is no stranger to rich and tasteful heritage.
Often mistaken to be only old houses and monuments, “Our natural cover is also our heritage. It is not only about buildings and monuments, although those are important,” clarifies author, independent researcher and activist, Heta Pandit.
“Books, utensils, grinding stones, pots and pans and stories from our ancients – all these constitute our tangible and intangible heritage,” she says.
"If you don't have a magnificent mansion to boast about, you must have a family recipe? A closely-guarded secret stash of ingredients that your grandma used to make that tastiest of curries? That is your heritage!” she smiles.
As for the capital city, “Panjim, as a whole, is a heritage city,” explains Heta who spends her time admiring the old buildings that usually stand unnoticed.
“It is not just individual monuments (like the Old GMC, Campal, Fontainhas, Sao Tome, Adil Shah Palace, Maquines Palace, Police Headquarters, Azad Maidan or the Old PWD Building). but the city also has heritage trees, bridges, stepped streets that qualify. It has many firsts to its credit,” she adds.
Panjim has the longest river promenade in the country. It is the only Indian city with as many stepped streets. The Ponte de Linhares, that connects the city to Ribandar, is built on zambo wood piles, and is over 500-years-old today, Heta shares her insights.
The government and the civic bodies in the towns and villages of Goa are doing nothing to preserve our precious heritage, she says.
“In fact, they are destroying what we cherish. Hills are being cut and built upon. Beaches are being eroded and mangroves destroyed, choked to death,” Heta rightly adds.
“There seems to be a deliberate attempt at emptying monuments and letting them go to seed. Is the government of Goa waiting for heritage (natural and man-made both) to collapse so they can turn every inch into real estate?” she asks, but knows that these questions will fall on deaf ears.
GOA’S HERITAGE HOMES
“Our heritage homes were built with a purpose, to the contour of the land, and adapted to Goa's tempestuous climate. We are restoring houses for two reasons: to upcycle building materials so that we don't go out into the countryside to plunder our natural resources and, to preserve and protect the intellectual property rights of our ancient and wise builders,” Heta says.
And when it comes to maintaining and restoring these heritage houses, “most homeowners complain about roof leakages, dampness in the walls," she says.
"These homeowners must examine what has gone wrong over the years with the house. Has it been treated right? Have heavy pumps and tanks been erected on the roof?" she asks.
"Have tiles been placed on the walls so that the lime plaster is choked, unable to breathe, and therefore, there is no place for the moisture to escape from? Have you shut down the well, and therefore, blocked the rainwater from draining into the well? These are just general things to look out for,” advises the heritage enthusiast.
“Sometimes, the ones that value the house don't own it. Sometimes, the house is in ruins because there are legal ownership disputes, family quarrels. Sometimes, there are just so many owners that the custodians, who are living there, do not know where the money will come from to carry out the repairs," she continues.
"We have seen good restoration happen when there is unity amongst family members, and often when the house is seen as a united asset, irrespective of who is currently living there,” she concludes.
The past was once the present, we were just too distracted to notice. So, once the moment has passed, the past leaves behind souvenirs – something to remind us of all the moments that we took for granted, all the people we did not see, and all their stories that nobody paid attention to.
And, stuck between the past and the future, the present often goes unnoticed by the ignorance of people who fail to realise that history is being created in this very moment.
It’s true, sometimes, history is something that dates back thousands of years, and other times, history can be something created just five minutes ago.