Before casinos came, Panaji was peaceful and serene. No crowd. No tourists. No IFFI, No sponsored floats in carnival. We, the Panjimites knew one another, the shop keepers knew us, the riksha drivers knew our homes and dropped us to our homes.
Bus conductors knew us and did not charge us anything when we got down the next stop.
Not many cars. We had mostly bicycles or scooters. The streets were empty and Panaji was a serene place. Nights were quiet and dark.
We have lived in that Panaji and matched our slow rhythm of life with friendly neighbourhood.
During monsoons, Panaji became an eerie place. We spent nights hearing peter patter of raindrops on our roofs, croaking of frogs and a cloud of glow worms brightening nearby trees.
Today, Panaji has changed beyond recognition. I cannot connect today’s Panaji with my memories.
Padmanabh Sathe