Village Voice
Images of Cunchelim
It is now a part of Mapusa town but, says Marc de Souza of his native village, the essential Cunchelim remains a village in the hearts of its inhabitants (Goa Today)
Cunchelim is a land-locked village, surrounded by Duler in the South, Siolim (Marna)
in the west, Camurlim (Maina) and Colvale in the north and Tivim in the east.
You come upon it suddenly. You feel you are in high country, but find yourself
in a flat valley covered with nice-smelling trees, swaying palm-spiked groves
and flooded with cashew plants on the surrounding rolling hillocks. Like Batim
and Betim, the media often mixes up Cunchelim and Cuncolim!
Cunchelim is just a deep breath from Mapusa in Bardez; some two-and-a-half
kilometres. If you take the carreira - usually crammed with commuters - plying
between Mapusa and Siolim via Marna, you get down at the first intersection on
entering the village, and walk some 300 metres. If you travel by the Mapusa/Siolim
bus via Sodiem or the Mapusa/Camurlim one, you alight at the main junction,
near the church, where most of the village dwellings are clustered. If need
be, you could also take the Colvale/Mapusa bus and alight at Gotnicho Vau.
There is a rivulet, Lover, which originates at the feet of the hillock up the
Gotniche Vau and rushes down to the Kuntla Spring, where you get a panoramic
view of the waterfalls during the rushing rain waters, and cuts through the
middle of the paddy fields. There are two bridges across the Lover. The
smaller one Porno Sanvok, like the Panaji Patto bridge, built during the
Portuguese era of simple but tough stones, continues to give service
unhindered. This Lover is vital to the fields along the banks. Seasonal
fishing is done. The water is blocked and stored soon after the rains, so that
most parts of the stream hardly get dry. It is ideal for cattle to bathe,
especially for buffaloes to romp about in the muddy waters to keep themselves
cool during the month of May.
The chapel of Nossa Senhora da Fuga, around which life revolves, was elevated
to the status of a Church on 30 October 1977. There is a special plaque put up
for 'Benefactors from Iran', since the bulk of donations came from Persian
Muslims. May sees heightened activity with the yearly feast, 10 days of
interest-enriched activities that provide the community with a focus for
living. At this time of the year, there are a number of weddings and
celebrations. The Church bell at Angelus keeps the folks toiling bent over in
the fields with their bottoms up, aware of the time. Where Our lady is, there
is devotion from all, irrespective of creed or caste. There is a Boy's Cross,
with a tiny enclosure, along the road. It has a history. A few hundred metres
away is St Jeron (??? Please check with original) chapel. There are chapels of
Holy Cross at Zor Vaddo and another at Madian.
On the hillock to the west, the goldsmiths' temple Datta Deul, which is being
extended, is prominent, and there is a lot of activity. Near the playground
there is also a tiny Sai Baba temple and right in the heart of the village
stands Rastoli Zatra. The Hindu community celebrates the festival of Ganesha
with a spirit of openess and goodwill, reflecting the essential goodness of
the Hindu way of life. In every Hindu household the sense of Ganesha prevails,
a sense that sustains many a wretched life, a sense that rekindles hope in a
better life, a sense that keeps the bond with the past alive. In every
household there is a flicker of light, a beam of hope, a hint of peace. It's a
happy holy day and holiday. The Ganesh images are subsequently immersed in the
Lover.
The Kuntla fountain is famous for its healing waters. The Tourism Department
has partially fenced the place, planted bougainvilleas, converted a green
patch and children's park as well as constructed changing rooms. With the
first real strong rains, trout-like fish, Darde, climb and jump at the
waterfalls, to get to still waters to lay their roe. Folks with nets rush to
catch them as they jump. Oh, ho! That's sport.
The problem nowadays is that shabby hutments have sprung up on the hillock and
the famous spring waters are perpetually polluted. Gone are the days when the
spring waters beckoned, when one could really enjoy a refreshing bath. Now
soggy laundry is washed too close to the main spring. It gets waterlogged.
It's a crying shame!
There is a Duonnom to keep a bamboo basket, rest a little, refresh yourself
with the spring water, lift your basket, without anybody's help, and move on
to your onward trip. This was a great help in olden days for a long distance
traveller carrying a heavy weight on the head.
The village has several vadde. Kodpa, San Jose, Madian, Martha and the
less-known Gavan. The population is roughly 2,000. A lot of Cuncholcars have
spread to all parts of the world - Africa, the Middle East, UK, Australia,
Canada… You name it, and you'll proably find a Cucholcar there!
The spiritual fertile soil has produced a number of priests, like Fr Salvador
de Silva, Fr Albert D'Souza, Fr William Rodrigues, Fr Golbert D'Souza, and the
latest one ordained in November 1997 is Fr Roy Pereira SJ.
There are a few doctors who have come out of this village, like Dr Luis Xavier
de Silva, Dr Tony Martins, Dr Melvin De Lima, Dr Kevin Pereira, Dr Cyrus
D'Souza, Dr (Ms) Marianella Afonso, Dr (Mrs) Freda de Souza, and the popular
one, Dr Pedro Monteiro at 'Apurbai', St Inez. I vividly remember 'Shetcar'.
May his soul rest in peace. He was a simple humble person in his cluttered
quarters amidst cattle and cow dung. He had a healing power and he would
prescribe remedies - roots, bark of trees, leaves - and would treat any
ailment with sure success. He felt there was nobody in his family worthy to
continue the tradition. So that when he died, his secret formulas, too, died a
natural death.
Salvador de Silva was a distinguished freedom fighter and advocate of the High
Court. Simon Paes held several important government posts like excise officer,
deputy director of civil supplies, administrator of Bardez comunidades,
additional deputy collector at the Collector's Office, Panaji. He has since
retired, is a shining star of Cunchelim, and is held in high esteem.
On the head of the hillock sits a (pebbly) playground. It is centrally located
and a meeting and relaxing place in the evening. There are tables and sitting
arrangements made out of boulders, and many a noisy truque game was played in
the bygone years, whilst the youngsters did justice to the playfield.
Once a slaughter house was located on the hillock above the spring and it was
only meant to stable cattle. Slowly, slaughtering of animals was undertaken.
People came to know of it, waited for the month of May, when outstation
villagers came for their holiday and are greeted with open arms. Armed with
sticks and what not, the place was surrounded. They climbed the high walls and
caught butchered animals. They complained and the offenders were immediately
sent packing away. Otherwise, the waters of the fountain would have been
polluted One menace has gone and another has migrated in!
Well water is still used, but piped water is aplenty. The village now comes
under Ward One of the Mapusa Municipal Council, and roads are electrified.
Most houses have electricity, but power cuts are frequent and for extended
periods.
Monkeys descend on the hamlet in hordes, anything between 50 and above,
cradling their young ones on their chest. Tragedy stalks. They eat anything in
sight, bamboo shoots, the tenderest greens, fruits and what not. They leave a
trail of merciless disaster behind. People have to wrestle with reality; every
year spending huge sums on woodwork repairs, replacing roof tiles and ridges.
Not many years ago, laterite stones were extracted from the high mounds. No
wonder you see quarries which are now getting filled up, and some cashew
plants have sprung by themselves, thus nature is helping itself.
Coming to Cunchelim from Maina from the Camurlim side, is a spot where Raoji
Rane was killed. In rememberance, passers-by used to carry with them stones,
big or small, rough or smooth, and deposit them on the spot. So much so that
over the years, a natural monument has sprung up for posterity to applaud - a
huge heap of stones. Tivim Industrial Estate is opposite the Gotniche Vau, and
Cunchelim folks prefer to seek employment there, as it is close to their
homes.
Our Lady of Flight watches all the activities with equanimity and smiles
benignly. No wonder the villagers are a happy lot, clearly placing a higher
value on the rudiments of civilised life than on accumulation of raw wealth.
They are amiable and live at peace with nature, sharing the bounty of their
harvest, and are generally on good terms with one another.