If you’re someone who would like to see a side of Goa beyond the revelry it’s widely known for, then a heritage walk around the capital Panjim, is just the thing for you. Pritha Sardessai, an architect is part of Cholta Cholta (which loosely translates to whilst walking in Konkani) an initiative that organises themed walking tours conducted in English.

They are led by local experts who support walking and learning. The walk costs ₹2,500 for one or a group of five and includes a Goan breakfast with the guide. Normally the tours on offer have a fixed itinerary. She decided to club together the bare bones of three walks to make most of the time.

We started at the Church of Immaculate Conception, a baroque-styled structure built in 1541. We made our way through Fontainhas, the Latin Quarter of the city. “The city is planned in a gridiron pattern. Streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid,” said Sardessai.

To the north of Fontainhas is Sãn Tome, its old part. “This part is characterised by its architectural features such as hanging verandas and high-roofed houses,” she explained.

The buildings here are untouched by time and are mostly painted in indigo, ochre and terracotta colours. “The houses have evolved in keeping with the local climate and incorporate Portuguese aesthetics,” she added. We continued our walk on to the waterfront and stopped outside the summer palace of Adil khan, the Sultan of Bijapur. “It’s Panjim’s oldest surviving building. In 1961 it became the Secretariat, and today it’s a modern-art gallery,” said Sardessai. Our walk-about ended with a breakfast of Goan pav and bhajis at Café Tato’s. Sardessai explained that these walks were initially conceived for school children to help them get to know their cities. While Cholta Cholta continues to organise walks for children, the one for adults is a means to an end.

“The money from these walks is pooled into Bookworm,” she added. Bookworm runs a Mobile Outreach Programme and Library, which takes the experience of story-telling and books out to the children of some of the poorest socio-economic groups.

“We go to the migrant labourers’ bastis and interact with children, sometimes in their own tongue: Hindi, Marathi, Konkani, Kannada and English,” she added. Apart from this, it lends books to under-resourced schools and offer support to teachers throughout Goa.

Related Topics