Fashion designer Wendell Rodricks writes about his childhood memory of Tia Rosa, a woman who lived in the neighbourhood of his small village of Colvale, and taught him a few secrets of the Goan kitchen.
It was almost at the end of morning mass that a chapel bell begins to peal. The priest looks up at the high-vaulted ceiling of the Saint Francis of the Wounds Church in the remote Goan village of Colvale. The blue ceiling of the apse is covered in gilted stars that reside in the church by day and escape to sparkle in the sky by night. The walls of the church are pimpled like a youth in acne bloom, interspersed with peeling paint, some pieces hanging mid-air on invisible cobwebs. Too much salt in the water when they plastered the church has caused this sprouting and peeling. The salty water has risen brick by laterite brick, seeping through the laterite holes. Defying gravity, the saline liquid has risen towards the vault leaving behind a uniform curtain of peeling and spluttering. If you listen closely, you can hear the walls move and the paint splutter like bubbles rising to the surface.Quite like the sound of water that bubbles in the large copper cauldron over the log fire in blackened, soot covered Goan kitchens.
The statue of Saint Francis on his knees below the crucified Christ is perched high on the altar platform. The face of Christ, resplendent with a pure silver halo, is bent towards the kneeling saint whose outstretched arms glow with pomegranate drops of stigmata. A second gong! At this peal, the eyes of the sparse congregation turn from the altar and its dim interiors to the glowing light in the east where the sun is beginning its ascent over the hills of Tivim. Through the pale morning light outside the main entrance of the church, a startled white owl flutters past into the dark recesses of the high roof. Then a low mournful gong again! Aunt Emilia whispers, ‘Someone has passed away. It sounds like it is someone near your house.’ She makes the sign of the cross and murmurs a prayer for the departed soul. On the fourth gong, the owl flies out of the church and swallows the sun.
Denne historien er fra August 2016-utgaven av Travel+Leisure India.
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Denne historien er fra August 2016-utgaven av Travel+Leisure India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Lunching In Leh
Turtuk, the last town of India in Ladakh, is having a culinary and hospitality renaissance, discovers Harsh Surti
The Medieval Charm of Elsinore
Elsinore, in eastern Denmark, is a charming city full of surprises, such as its interesting link to Shakespeare, discovers Ami Bhat
Natural Selection
In other parts of the world, natural wine production can be raw, wild, and a little messy. But a road trip through southeastern Austria reveals that, in a land where order and understatement reign, even the low-intervention bottles are elegant and refined.
Where the Wild Things Are
Uncovering Rwanda's natural treasures-and the gift of multigenerational travel
FROM THE VOICE WITHIN
A hit new season of a cult show, a brand new production venture, and a baby girl-it seems Ali Fazal is on top of the world right now. Amid a new parenting journey, the actor talks to SAMREEN TUNGEKAR about his travel persona, his instincts, and what feeds the artiste within him
MONSOON IN THE WILD
For nature lovers craving the lush serenity of monsoon forests, off-season safaris in national park buffer zones offer rare rewards and vital support to local economies, discovers Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay.
Ray of Sunshine
Getting diagnosed with life-threatening ailments can spell doom, but for actor Lisa Ray, it became a testament to her resilience. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2009, the former model maintained a positive outlook, blossomed into a vocal advocate for cancer awareness and support, and turned author with a book chronicling her story. In a chat with Bayar Jain, she gets candid about her journey of hope and healing
Championing Change with Conversations That Matter
Aditi Mayer is a responsible storyteller who likes to look at fashion through a lens of social and environmental justice. She tells Samreen Tungekar about how she manages her own mental health and wellness despite work that promotes positive change and requires mental bandwidth
Travelling Through Conscious Well-Being
In the ever-evolving landscape of wellness, where data meets intuition and science aligns with ancient practices, Deepak Chopra stands as a unique bridge between these worlds. Chopra talks to Dipali Patwa about how travel, when intertwined with wellness, becomes a powerful catalyst for personal transformation.
Transcending The 'Trend'
For Rimzim Dadu, the creation of a collection is about lending the pieces a timeless quality. Samreen Tungekar talks to the designer about her creative process, and how her travels intersperse with her approach to design
