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The Hindu
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
The Purumenth menu at Goa's Petisco features six drinks, and comes with postcards
As a child, a core memory for Dev Narvekar was getting off at the bus stop in Panjim and making a beeline for a fresh lime soda. The drink was frothy, with bubbles that went up his nose and mouth and added to the experience. Decades later, now as head mixologist at gastro-bar Petisco, also in Panaji, Dev is bringing that childhood memory to spectacular life. It is in the form of a mango chilli air that sits daintily atop a drink called Saxtti. It pops, and bursts in the mouth too. Saxtti is one of six drinks on a special monsoon cocktail menu at Petisco. It is a menu that showcases Gaon ingredients and spirits, and a fast-disappearing practice. Once upon a time, Goans would spend the summer stocking up provisions for the torrential rains ahead — also a lean month for fresh produce and fish. This stocking up included pickling, drying, fermenting, salting, and other preservation methods applied to a variety of foods: fish, prawns, mango and jackfruit seeds, kokum, and tamarind. This practice was called purumenth (a Konkani corruption of the Portuguese word, provimento or provisions). The easy availability of produce today has reduced the importance of this practice, which is now restricted to little markets, some church fairs, and certain corners of Goa. Today, it is finding new space in our cocktail glasses. The Purumenth menu at Petisco is just six drinks, and comes with postcards, highlighting the ingredients in the drinks. It is not just a prop: write a letter and the team will post it for you. Each drink tells a different story — of produce, of childhood memories, and of purumenth ingredients. There is the GI-tagged short and fiery Harmal chilli, grown in Harmal village in the north, turned into a tincture; the local palm jaggery whipped into a silken sweet syrup. Coconut and tamarind are fizzed into a soda, and solam (kokum) is mixed with dry mango and spices to create bitters. The alcohol used here is tequila and the local spirit, feni — popular homegrown brand Cazulo, and new kids on the block, Goenchi. One is a popular spirit worldwide, the other, in Goa. The aforementioned Saxtti has tequila, a chilli tincture, and the brine of that beloved Goan pickle, chepni tor (raw mango pickle). 'Saxtti was a region in South Goa, which comprised of 66 settlements, hence the name (derived from the Konkani words for 66). It also refers to Salcete taluka, and the (dialect of the) language spoken there,' says Dev. 'We've used chillies from the region.' The sour-style drink is served tall, with a mountain of that mango chilli air. On the palate, it has a piquancy with underlying spicy notes. In-Feni-Tea is a play on words and a tribute to the Goan penchant of drinking futi cha (black tea) in the monsoons. The cocktail has Cazulo's café feni, black tea, jaggery rum, coconut jaggery syrup and is served with a turmeric leaf. The ingredients (coconut, jaggery, turmeric) remind me of that steamed sweet, patoli, but the drink is more warming. 'It's a take on the hot toddy. We are serving it in a mud cup to showcase Goan pottery, which was once common in our kitchens,' he says. This Goan pottery is also the star of Budkulo Martini. Budkulo (earthen pots) were once used to keep water cool. Here, he uses it to store vermouth, which is then used to create a very dirty martini. Interestingly, instead of olives, he uses pickled kadna (karvanda), a local berry. 'This is the Goan version of olives,' Dev says with a smile. The pickled kadna is a throwback to his childhood, and fighting with his siblings to get the kadna in a pickle. Drunken Sailor is like a highball, on the sweeter side, with a salted galmo (dried baby shrimp) rim and a galmo cracker shaped like a fish. 'I was inspired by the kismur (like a dried shrimp salad) using ingredients like coconut, green chillies, and tamarind,' says Dev. There is also a low-waste policy governing the drinks. Take the West Coast Feni, for instance. The refreshing drink stars Goenchi Feni's West Coast Kokum feni with a Harmal chilli tincture, and lemon, rimmed with rock salt. It is served with a fruit leather made with the ground chilli mixture and jackfruit; jackfruit leather is another popular purumenth treat. The most stunning of the drinks is the Ambot Tik. Named after a popular fish curry that is sour (ambot) and spicy (tik), it uses the Goan choris as a fat wash for Goenchi feni, chilli, and a sublime recheado syrup. It is a smokey, spicy, drink redolent with the aroma and flavour of sausages and the spice of the recheado. Dev is largely a self-taught mixologist, picking up much of his creative flair and experiments during stints at Marriott in Goa, working on the ship for six years. He has been with Petisco almost from the beginning, honing the drinks and creating new expressions that showcase Goan ingredients: there is even a dodol-inspired drink. Dev is a proud Goan and it reflects in his drinks — the ingredients are not used as a gimmick but are treated with thought and care. An inherent need to showcase different aspects of Goan life is what drives Dev's work as a mixologist. 'I've been doing Goa-forward drinks for a few years now,' he says. His Purumenth menu is Goa, distilled in a glass.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Ready to start new Konkani school if any MLA can get 20 students, says Goa CM Pramod Sawant
Porvorim: After Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on Monday said in the House that eight of 12 talukas today don't have a single Konkani school operational, chief minister Pramod Sawant said that if any MLA can bring 20 students from an area for a Konkani medium school, then state govt will start a new school there. 'Everyone wants to speak about Konkani, but they ultimately admit their children to English schools. If any existing school wants to start a Konkani medium school, then we will give them permission without disturbing the existing system. If any MLA can take the initiative and if he is able to get 20 students, then we will start a Konkani medium school without affecting the existing Marathi school,' said Sawant, who also holds the education portfolio. To another question from Sardesai, the CM said that land allotments to Margao schools to shift to the land earmarked for the school complex in Davorlim will be finalised within the next three months. 'Like Cujira, 1 lakh sqm land was acquired in Davorlim. Earlier, five schools were told of the land allotment. Within three months, we will finalise which schools will get land at the school complex,' said Sawant. While Sardesai asked why salaries in some pre-primary schools for teachers are as low as Rs 10,000 a month, Sawant said that the process of registration of pre-primary schools was in progress, and so far, 702 have registered with the state. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo 'Once inspection of their infrastructure is complete, we will fix salaries to be paid to teachers of pre-primary schools,' he said. The CM said that govt-aided schools across Goa have been asked to upgrade their infrastructure in line with the National Education Policy requirements, while work has begun to provide facilities for all extracurricular activities and skill training in govt schools. Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira asked why Goa govt has prescribed higher number of instructional hours than those recommended in the NEP. Sawant said that the hours are not only classroom hours, but also include the learning done by a child at home, including projects and assignments. 'Once the NEP is fully implemented in the state, we will do a comparative chart between the old and new system. Under NEP, there is no rote learning, but activity-driven and experiential learning. We have started hands-on activity and project learning and promoting joyful and experimental learning,' he said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
NEP task force did not recommend education in Romi Konkani: CM
Porvorim: Chief minister Pramod Sawant told the assembly on Monday that stating there is a provision in the National Education Policy (NEP) to introduce education in Konkani in Romi script is a misinterpretation of the NEP state task force's recommendations. Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira brought in a point of order in the House to state that the NEP task force for Goa specifically said that education in multiple languages should be encouraged right from the pre-primary stage and that this includes education in Devanagari and Roman scripts. Sawant, who also holds the education portfolio, said that the statement was not correct. 'When Carlos read about the Roman script, it speaks of the Roman script used for the English language, and it is not referring to Romi Konkani. It does not mean Konkani should be used to write in Romi.'
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
How community journals are soldering on against winds of change
MUMBAI: In a city where identities jostle as tightly as commuters on a local train, Mumbai's regional, community-based publications continue to thrive—quiet sentinels of memory, language and belonging. While 'Parsiana', the polished SoBo journal of Zoroastrian life, is perhaps the most well-known with its global readership, it is within the pages of the less celebrated but equally vibrant Marathi, Gujarati and Konkani periodicals that the city's diverse inner lives find an expression. While Urdu journal 'Shayar' folded up after a 93-year run in 2023, 'Kalnirnay' stands out as a rare success. Consider 'Marmik', the Marathi weekly founded in 1960 by Bal Thackeray. Initially conceived as a political cartoon magazine, it quickly transformed into a platform for Marathi pride and grievance—what the late Sena supremo described as 'anxieties of a community pushed to the margins of its own city'. It eventually galvanised a linguistic identity into a political force, showing the mettle of regional publications. But beyond political assertion lies a quieter world of Marathi magazines and journals. 'Society newsletters, temple magazines and monthly cultural journals continue to hum gently,' says Dr Vidyesh Kulkarni, a Pune-based scholar who chronicled these for his doctoral thesis in 1991. He points to titles such as 'Sahyadri', 'Antarpat' and 'Deepstambh', which offer poetry, short fiction, essays on saints and rituals, and commentary on theatre and literature. 'Produced by cultural mandals, these magazines circulate through homes, temples and libraries—carrying the scent of agarbatti and old paper. They are cultural bridges between generations.' However, Kulkarni notes a growing fragmentation. 'There's a tendency I call 'sociocultural meiosis and mitosis' — where every sub-group within a community demands its own platform. In the age of WhatsApp and social media, this proliferation is becoming unsustainable.' Among Marathi publications, 'Kalnirnay' stands out as a rare success. For 53 years, it has had a pan-Maharashtra presence. 'It began as a way to democratise the panchang, but quickly became more than an almanac,' says Shakti Salgaonkar, the current director. 'The back pages featured writers like Durgabai Bhagwat and P L Deshpande. We've included recipes, lifestyle columns, even train timetables.' So deeply woven is 'Kalnirnay' into the Maharashtrian ethos that its jingle is played on the shehnai at weddings and naming ceremonies. Mumbai's Gujarati-speaking communities offer a similarly layered ecosystem. 'Kutchi Patrika', a newsletter for the Kutchi Jain community, has run for over 60 years. 'It's our mainstay for news, obituaries and event updates,' says Kanji Savla Vamik, part of the team that produces and distributes it. 'It's particularly vital to the Kutchi Visa Oswal Jain community, whose ties stretch across the world.' Religious institutions also publish journals — 'Anand Yatra', 'Shree Yamuna Krupa', 'Vallabh Ashray'—distributing discourses, festival calendars, and moral reflections. 'We tried to keep the younger generation connected,' says Hemal Rawani, who edited 'Raghuvansham' till it shut in 2005. 'But it's a losing battle—they don't even want to learn the language.' His lament finds an echo in Hamid Siddiqui who recalls with anguish the folding up of the Urdu 'Shayar' after a 93-year inning. 'Despite being a top-notch literary publication, it was becoming increasingly unsustainable to produce and we had to stop in 2023,' he says, recounting how his family still 'has sack-loads of the mail' from the readers. 'I wonder why none of them came forward to keep 'Shayar' going…' Among Mumbai's Konkani-speaking communities—Catholics, Goud Saraswat Brahmins, and others—journals have long served as spiritual and cultural anchors. Weekly 'Raknno', printed in Roman-script Konkani since 1938 and distributed from Mangalore to Mumbai, blends religious reflection, fiction and news, often touching on migration, memory, and the sea. Closer home, 'Voice of GSB', a monthly GSB Konkani magazine, features articles on festivals, recipes, wedding traditions and proverbs. What binds these publications—across language, caste, and faith—is their intimacy. They are not driven by TRPs or algorithms. Their contributors are often retired teachers, community elders or enthusiastic youth. Their pages, modest in print and design, pulse with lived experience. 'They are guardians of language in a city where English and Hindi often drown out the subtler cadences of mother tongues,' says Dr Kulkarni. 'In their pages, Marathi, Gujarati and Konkani breathe—not as relics, but as living entities that argue, console and dream.' To read them is to walk the bylanes of Matunga, Dadar, Girgaon and Mahim, listening in on the inner life of communities that built this city long before it reached for the skies.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Cops intensify hunt for Margao jeweller attacker
Margao: Four days after a masked man attacked jeweller Sohan Raikar at Borda, police have intensified their search, now extending beyond Goa. The attack occurred on July 22 around 6.30pm at Borda, Margao, when the masked assailant approached Raikar under the pretext of remaking his mother's jewellery. The assailant then struck him with a hammer and fled, dropping a knife. Raikar escaped with minor injuries. Police said the accused has been identified from CCTV footage. 'We have circulated his images to all police stations in Goa and neighbouring states,' a police officer said. Police sources said the assailant spoke fluent Konkani, suggesting he is local, but they suspect he may have slipped out of the state. They also said the crime branch has joined the Fatorda police, forming two special teams to nab the assailant. They are tracking the suspect's phone and questioning local witnesses. Police said they are exploring all angles, but the motive—whether it was a botched robbery attempt or something else —remains unclear. The incident has rattled Margao's trader community. Several shop owners in the area said they are now more cautious about unknown customers, especially after evening hours. Police are tight-lipped about investigation details but confident. 'It's just a matter of time before the accused will be nabbed,' a police officer said.
