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Still in the nineties!


So…..it’s been three years of living in Goa, and surprisingly enough, today was the first day in those 365x3 (plus or minus some days) days that I took it upon myself to go out and have fun my way, alone! That’s right, I left my friends in deep slumber in their hostel room beds this Sunday morning and ventured off to Panjim to enjoy the day my way (can’t get rid of the rhyming sense, what to do?)
After all, I thought, if a baby could have its day out why not Devanshu ? (I for some of you, it might have been suitable to replace Devanshu with my other name, but this is a blog, respect… ;) ) So I got into the bus onward to Vasco da Gama, from where I was to take another bus to Panjim. While traveling, the idea of this particular blog entry dawned upon me.
You see, Goa is a strange state. When I came here three years back, it seemed stranger to me. I must tell you, being from Rajasthan, I belonged to the north Indian culture (Ya, I know Rajasthan’s in the west, but that’s how we classify here in India, there is a North Indian culture, there is a south Indian culture and then there is North-Eastern culture, the one which not many Indians know about or care, no offense) So, when I came to Goa, the difference in culture, the people, the style of living and languages struck me as something very, very different than what I was used to. Be it the long lunch hours here, the laid back attitude of shop keepers, the heavy transportation fee- It all took some time, in fact, much time, getting used to. But that’s the thing about Goa. This place grows on you.  You see, for most people outside Goa, Goa is all about sun, sand and the seas. However, as a student here, I got the opportunity to interact with the life of the cities/small towns.

This right now, is 2011. But believe me when I say this, if you are in Goa, it still lives in the 90’s. This property of Goa is evident in almost everything that has to do with daily life here. For example, if you get on a bus or a taxi here, and the driver decides to play the songs of his choice, all you would hear is the Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Shabbir Kumar, Pankaj Udas hits from the last decade…. Rarely would a song belonging to the present century cross your ears, if only for a second or two. ‘What’s good about this?’ – you might ask. Well, I am someone who grew up in the nineties.  And when I hear those odd songs while traveling in the bus, a cool Goan breeze blowing on my face, it gets me all nostalgic, takes me into my childhood and I get lost sitting right there, right then.  Then I get to Panjim, get down from my bus, and what do I see around me? Beautiful red, yellow, white, brown houses and buildings (any color, name it and you’ll see it there). Large spread out markets, with different shops, besides the main streets with no hint of those towering shopping malls we’re so used to up north. Even when you enter Dominoes to grab a pizza, you’ll catch a glimpse of the nineties. Now, Dominoes has to have a television set right? With what else will the customers  pass their time while waiting for their meal? In the north, you’ll see Sony Bravias, LG’s HD LED widescreen technology and what not. Not here in Goa. Here you’ll watch the match in Dominoes on a Sony Wega, 21 inches (which was in use across fast food joints in India in the nineties in cities like Delhi, Mumbai) Someone like me is almost thankful for all of this, as it provides the escapism which is so rare in the fast moving life of this century.
However, if this nineties nostalgia doesn’t entice you, there are of course the sun, the sand and the seas or even the green Goa of the monsoons to seduce you, so much so, in the end you’ll be bound to say “Goa meri jaan! “ See you soon J

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