It looks like Goa... but this is Sindhudurg >From Frederick Noronha
PANJIM: It looks like Goa, it's not far from Goa, but it is not Goa. Sindhudurg, the long sandy stretch along the southern Maharashtra coast, is keen to pick up where Goa left off. It's now trying hard to build itself as a tourist destination though it may lack the quaint history of this state and the east-west mix of Portugal's former colony. "The natural beauty of Sindhudurg is certainly breath-taking, but there are other treasures to explore and experience in this land of history -- such as ancient Maratha forts, hermitages, 'mutts' (religious centres), heritage properties, (plant) nurseries and diverse animal and bird (life)," says a new guide to the region just published. Sindhudurg, just a stone's throw away from the north Goa border at Pernem, also boasts of green villages, houses of red stone and sloping tiled roofs, towering roadside trees, a "mouth-watering" seafood cuisine and a wide range of summer fruit. Some unusual facts emerge from Dwarkanand D Dicholkar's guide 'Paradise Sindhudurg'. For instance, this district is nearly one-and-half times entire Goa. Languages spoken in the area are not just Marathi, but also the regional dialect called Malvani -- which some locals see as a mid-way compromise between Marathi and Konkani, two neighbouring if sometimes conflicting and competing languages. Small hotels have come up in the area, including some of which are owned by local politicians or their associates. In the past, statements emerging from the Maharashtrian state-capital of Mumbai have voiced an interest in avoiding the "mistakes" that Goa made while Sindhudurg goes about promoting its tourism. Exotic and with a special spicy taste of its own, the Malvani food is not wholly alien from Goan palates. For instance Hotel Bamboo, located near Vengurla's State Transport Bus Stand, promises the visitor 'chamchamit masali tikhle' (mackerel and pomfret), 'zanzanit kombdi suke' (dry chicken) and 'masaledar kurlya (spicy crab). On its menu too are 'kolambi fry' (prawns in Malvani style), 'mori', 'kalva' and 'tisryache suke' (fish and shell-fish, Malvani style), and even 'kurkurit bhombil' (the special type of seafood called 'Bombay duck'). One strength of this region is that, unlike Goa, room rates of the mostly-small hotels still sound reasonable. In Sindhudurg's "cultural capital" of Kankavli -- along the route of Goa-Bombay buses -- a hotel offers standard double rooms for Rs 300 per day. Adding to the quaint charm of this region, Sindhudurg also has its own processed food products -- like kokum (sometimes called 'bindna' in Goa) squash and 'aagal'. This is a sweet or salty digestive drink, taken after meals, and made from the garcina indica fruit. It also has bottles of 'jamun' juice, mango pulp and squash and pineapple squash produced locally. But unlike Goa, the favourite mango here is not the Mankurad but the Hapus (Alphonso). "More varieties of fruits are being developed by the Regional Fruit Research Centre at Vengurla, which attracts tourists to see its gardens," says the new guide. Vengurla -- once a prominent commercial centre for Dutch traders and British rulers -- has its own history. In 1639, Dutchman John Van Tist obtained permission to set up a Dutch factory. Some people are believed to have fled Portuguese-ruled Goa to work on Dutch ships. In 1665, Dutch trader Lindart Johnson erected an "elegant-looking structure" called the Dutch Wakhar, at the cost of 3000 guilders. "This building reflects Portuguese, Dutch and local influences," says the new guide book. It attributes Vengurla's rise in business prosperity to the Dutch. This place on the Indian west coast got linked with Arabs and Europeans by trade. Vengurla also has its own "small prototype" of Mumbai's famous Crawford Market. Malvan's fort is a short boat ride from the jetty. In the monsoons, the fort is completely cut-off from land. Sawantwadi has its own specialty of wooden toys -- some of which end up in places like Mapusa market -- and also carved bison horns, and 'ganjifa' handmade traditional playing cards featuring the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Other places int he region are Kudal, Devgad and Kankavali. More information on the region can be got from websites like www.konkanmati.com, www.sawantwadi.com, www.malvanimasala.com, www.sindhudurg.com, and www.konkandarshan.com There's even one put up in the name of the minister who was only recently in the news, when made to step-down from the central cabinet by Sena supremo Bal Thackeray -- www.sureshprabhu.com Of course, Goa continues to have some edge because of its image built up over the years. But then, tourism circles here clear fear the growing potential of places like coastal Maharashtra and southern Kerala, in cutting into Goa's tourism pie, which has not been growing fast enough to cope with the increasing number entering the business here. Goa's image is, not surprisingly, imprinted on the minds of many globally. In its August 18 issue, 'Business Today' magazine found Goa was one of India's "ten most global non-corporate brands". Goa was well known to 44% respondents from seven mainly-Western countries. It was only marginally behind the Bollywood giant film industry of India and Bangalore's software appeal. Most of those who remembered it linked it with tourism, hippies, the former Portuguese rulers and being an "island". Kerala was known to 26% of the respondents. "Goa, as it is today, doesn't need much selling. What it needs is some efforts at making it more esteemed," commented Business Today. It said: "Goa is a bit like the tried and tested Maruti 800; relevant but hardly different; well-known but certainly not esteemed; low-priced and, therefore, perhaps easily sustainable." "Unlike the Maruti small car, however, the former Portuguese colony enjoys tremendous global recall, being more a household name in Stockhold or Capenhagen than in Surat or Ludhiana. Thanks to the good old rupee, Goa makes for a cheap, long, sun-kissed, lager filled vacation," it added. (ENDS) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
