Lovely to Behold – Olaulim

Going unnoticed until of late, the ‘cute’ little village of Olaulim is slowly beginning to attract attention

By Alister Miranda

 

It’s existence is quiet and gentle. As gentle as the breeze that lulls into its soul the astounding prevalent tranquility. Naturally hidden beneath a verdant canopy, viewing it from the heights of the hills is nothing short of a panoramic thriller. A topographical marvel; the westerly hills, a gently rolling fertile valley and kissed by the Mapusa river is what really embodies the small and beautiful Olaulim.

A mere 147.25 hectares, especially in comparison with its massive eastern neighbour Aldona, it could, debatably, be tagged as being the tiniest village of Goa. Lying eleven km from Panjim, on the Panjim-Britona-Aldona route and a mere six km from Mapusa, if approached via Uccassaim, till of late one was bound to miss it. Thanks to a couple of eye-catching sign boards that announce its existence by pointing to the Church of St Anne, Olaulim now unwittingly attracts the attention of the unknowing traveller.

Facing the inhabited part of Olaulim like a beacon, to the north stands the Church of St Anne. Elevated to the stature of a Church on May 7 1985, Olaulim and its 350-year-old chapel of St Anne belonged to the Pomburpa parish. At the main entrance of the church yard, a cross marks the site of the original old chapel built in July 13, 1752, which was blessed in July 19, 1752 and dedicated to St Anne in 1753. The Confraria of St Anne was formed in 1784. The old chapel was replaced with a larger edifice built on the land donated by the Pintos. It is fondly recounted that during the foundation stone-laying ceremony in 1916, signatures of some important villagers, a cross and some coins were sealed in a bottle and laid at the bottom of the wall just behind the main altar. The construction was completed in 1918. While stones from the comunidade-owned quarry above the church were used for construction, the erection of the new edifice was the villagers’ labour of love, with generous financial support from the Comunidade de Olaulim. The Comunidade continued to fund the chapel from its jonos for a period of 14 years.

There was no resident chaplain until the late Fr Bernardo Rosa, from St Estevam. But although, since 1941, Fr Rosa lived in the chaplain’s residence, he held charge as chaplain of Nossa Senhora de Augustias chapel in Pomburpa. A priest arranged by the Gaunkares would attend to the Olaulikars on Sundays. Fr Rosa is, however, remembered for conducting primary education classes in Portuguese at his residence. Especially indebted to Fr Roza is Olaulim’s ageing Portuguese-speaking brigade.

A few chaplain the Olaulikar’s fondly remember are the late Fr Philomena Dias, who undertook major beautification of the chapel while serving for over 15 years, and the late Fr Joao Baptista Nazareth during whose tenure the chapel yard was created.

The privilege of being the first Parish Priest of Olaulim went to the untiring Fr Francis Faria from Sangolda, who also ‘graduated’ along with the Chapel. Out of love and fascination for the village, Fr Faria penned these beautiful lines in his poem titled Olaulim :

"This village with a beautiful scene,

It’s charm enhanced with trees evergreen,

Brings back memories of life that has been,

Which to us may seem, only a dream."

Presently holding charge is the affable musician-priest Fr Wolfango Maria Coutinho, who hails from Chinchinim. Barely 500 faithful, making up a mere 86 families, is the size of the flock he shepherds. Ever since he took over the reins in June 1999, the participatory levels of the Catholics have increased by a mile, and they have become ultra-responsive during services. And, in what could be termed as an apparent revival of the glorious, now defunct, Parochial music schools, Fr Coutinho has started nurturing the musical talents of the youngsters with music lessons. A concerned Fr Coutinho is also leaving no stone unturned to nurture vocations. Once known for its bounty of priests and nuns, the spring of vocations in recent years seems to have dried up. One of Olaulim’s high statured religious is the Auxiliary Bishop of Karachi Rev Evaristo Pinto, who was given a fond reverential welcome when he visited Olaulim in February this year.

Almost entirely Catholic till a little more than half a century ago, Olaulim today has quite a substantial Hindu population - the majority of which were planted on the hill slopes via the government’s 20-point programme. Among the early Hindu settlers are the Mhambreys. Before the Portuguese set foot in Goa, it was, however, filled with Hindu Brahmins. The early Goud Saraswat Brahmins, who crossed over from Chorao, must have found it congenial for habitation. Historians point out that once upon a time the shrines of Ramnath and Somnath were found in Olaulim. Of course, the en-masse conversions changed almost everything. But those who did not want to get converted abandoned the village and fled away with their deities to distant Sawantwadi, Mangalore, Belgaum and Kolhapur. They were mainly poojaris and relied on agriculture for substinence. Till today, agriculture remains the main occupation, although it has waned slightly.

The diminutive stature of Olaulim has it clubbed with the Pomburpa-Olualim Panchayat; represented by just one out of seven panchas. New settler Sarah Maria Braganza now represents it.

A consistent transport lifeline, is what Olaulim is presently demanding. No mentionable medical services either. Although not an Olaulim resident, the first doctor to start practice in Olaulim was Dr V R Naik, still fondly remembered by locals. Also missing is a Community hall. For schooling, Olaulikars heavily depend on Pomburpa and Aldona. For postal services, it relies on Aldona’s Carona post office. The main grouse, however, is that the village has been put under the jurisdiction of the far-off Porvorim police station and is highly inconveniencing. This, for one, is a glaring example of stupid governance for political convenience; since the Aldona police station stands just a stone’s throw away.

The oldest institution of the villagers underlining its illustrious profile is the Comunidade de Olaulim. Having four vangods- the Pintos and Pereiras, Borges, Rodrigues and Castellinos, it consists of only Brahmins. Castellinos, we are told, originally did not belong to Olaulim, but came from Adoshim near Old Goa. They were welcomed because of their agricultural skills and were given equal rights as the other three vangods. At the moment, there are no Pereiras living in Olaulim, since they left the village after they began declining in prosperity.

The Comunidade controlled the entire village once upon a time. The open space, known as Logrador Commo or Zig Zag ground, which till date is used for sports and other activities, also belongs to the Comunidade. Grand returns emitting out of the cashew laden hills, the fields, the pond, the quarry made it prosper. Once overflowing with Urrack and Feni, the distillation has now reduced to a trickle. The Comunidade has of late handed over the hills to the Forest Department for plantation.

Even the Chapel feast, which was (and is still is) celebrated in the month of May so that those from Bombay and elsewhere returning for mundanca could partake of the festivities, was essentially the privilege of the Gaunkares. And no one, including Morodores, could celebrate it. This trend was eventually broken by the late Jose Luis D’Souza, an Aldonkar who chose to build a house and settle in Olaulim.

Already blessed with five daughters, he had made a vow to St Anne, to celebrate her feast if he be blessed with a son. And a son indeed was born in 1946, who would in years to come enthrall audiences on the Tiatr stage under his stage name Joe Rose. But, the Gaunkars would, however, not allow him to celebrate the feast as he was considered a Morodores (a settler). But his self-inflicted precondition that he would construct the Chapel yard if given the privilege tilted the scales in his favour. Thus becoming the first non-gaunkar to celebrate the feast. The stringency does no longer exist as such distinctions have been dissolved. Jose Luis, who partnered a popular restaurant and catering business ‘Tosa’ in the 1950s and ‘60s, near Mumbai Metro cinema, which had the privilege of catering for the Queen of England during her Bombay visit, also donated Statue of Our Lady which is carried from house to house once every year.

At the entrance of the chapel compound existed a grand old tree under whose shade gaunkars held their meeting to discuss village affairs. The Comunidade office lies bang opposite the church. On Sundays, two barbers, one Hindu and the other Catholic, could be seen giving haircuts to gaunkars. The open space in front of the Communidade office was in later years the venue for the annual tiatrs put up under the tutelage of ace character actor Joe Rose. Before that, Rose, along with the histrionically talented Olaulikar staged dramas in front of his house.

Olaulim, which begins from the north with a white-washed cemetry, has six original wards: Pinto vaddo, Borges vaddo, Bokeachem Bhatt, Sankuachem Bhatt, Muddi Bhatt and Novo Vaddo. The wards are picturesque, with rolling terraced paddy plots at Muddi. A sluice gate adds to the spectacle. The point at which the sluice gate now lies in Muddi was once a trading point. Salt, tiles and other produces were ‘imported’, while home-grown produce was taken out in canoes to be sold in fairs in Panjim and other areas. Out of the pond at the sluice gate come Olaulim’s highly acclaimed tasty prawns. A variety of fish once swam around the pond, but have reportedly disappeared ever since pesticides were used in the fields the pond waters.

Tisalachem Bhat, which fringes east of the pond, was once a part of Olaulim, but is now a part of Aldona. So also is the chapel at the Lankdem point of Aldona. The death of many after a canoe capsized while once taking a dead body for burial to the Pomburpa cemetry, is stated as the reason behind Tisalachem Bhat’s transfer to the Aldona parish.

An area called Kolmachem Bhatt once existed near Muddi, but the inhabitants, mostly Hindus, abandoned the place following a plague. The same plague wiped out a big chunk of the Olaulim population, which was buried in Muddi, for want of space at the Pomburpa cemetry. Skeletons still occasionally surface in the area, as if to confirm the eventuality. All this occurred much before the Olaulikar turned to Burma for employment. Burma held out financial promise until the end of the last world war. Canada is the latest pasture.

Among the many prominent families are the Andekkar family – the Pintos. The late Agusto Mathias, Manuel Francis & Joaquim Vicente were the wellknown Pinto brothers. Pantaleao Pinto, the proprietor of Paradise Dispensing Chemists, Paradise Feeds and Fertilisers in Mapusa, is one of its decendants. Since Agusto Mathias was a reputed Civil Contractor in Bombay, the Pinto trio took it upon themselves to build up the famed Pombupa spring. They also unitedly ran the "Pinto’s Bakeries" in Bombay.

The legend of the Anddo, retrieved from the ground, still does its rounds in Olaulim, but with wide ranging distortions. The truth may never be known, but some have it that a urn full of gold was found by the Pinto ancestors where a deserted quarry now stands. Others say it was empty. The gold is supposed to belong to the temples, hidden by the fleeing Hindu Brahmins. The legend lives on.

New settlers include Alfonso Braganza (Bond) who owns Luizinha Bakers & confectioners in Mapusa. "I was fascinated by this place – although we had no connection", he says. Religious of Mary Immaculate also work from a house which was first gifted in memory of late Canutto & Anica Castellino to the Cannossian Sisters in1992. "It is a formation house for girls who want to join. We also employ girls in need of jobs", informs Sr Bertha Rebeiro. "We work with domestic houseworkers and actively participate in the Goa Houseworkers Movement. If there’s any girl in need, or if she has a problem and needs accommodation, we accommodate them free of charge", adds Sr Yutta Dias. Besides, the nuns visit families, take part in the Legion of Mary, Basic Christian Communities (BCC), Cathechism and overall play an active role in the parish. They also look after the church linen and cleanliness in general.

The 91-year-old Castellino granddaughter Beatrice, lives with the Sisters. The cheerful Beatrice worked as a nurse to the Maharaja of Gwalior for 40 years and claims that the dapper MP Madhavrao Scindia and his three sisters were "completely under my care". She clearly remembers Olaulim’s olden transportless days when she says "We had our own Machila. Four people used to carry my sister and myself to Panjim and back, where we were doing our Portuguese education. The bullock cart came later."

Beckoned in Konkani as Vauale the nomenclature of Olaulim mainly centres around Vaul – the valley it is. And atleast one proud Olaulikar is using his village name as his surname – that’s Fr Prashant Olaulikar, formerly christened Canuto Castellino.

Olaulim’s grandeur is best put down in the words of Fr Salvador Rodrigues, who was down from Mumbai, where he serves as Parish priest at the Sacred Heart Church in Santacruz, when we were researching the village. "Olaulim is a place of quite, rest, beauty, ideal for experiencing nature and God. It has a charm of its own. Till today there exists good neighbourliness", he smilingly told us.

So, next time you feel like unwinding and yearn for a breath of fresh air, simply drive around Olaulim. Doubtless, "Oh, Lovely", you will exclaim - an exclamation that tunefully rhymes with Olaulim. Yes, and one could only wish that Olaulim forever retains its loveliness so that the generation unborn can drink off its nectar.

 

ROLL OF HONOUR

· Rev Evaristo Pinto – Auxiliary Bishop of Karachi, Pakistan

· Late Dr Joe Castellino – Physician

· Late Alex Castellino (Sonny) – Musician

· Late Vincent Manuel Rodrigues - Musician

· Sanjit Rodrigues – Deputy Collector/SDO

· Dr Celine Machado – Physician

· Dr Sharmila Rodrigues - Dentist

· Dr Owen Pinto – Orthopaedic Surgeon

· DrBrian Pinto – Cardiologist

· Late P J Pinto – Freedom Fighter/Teacher

· Late Januario J Pereira – Freedom Fighter/Teacher

· Late Nacimento Rodrigues –Sarpanch

* Late Major Dr Angelo Rodrigues

· Ivo Pinto – Teacher/Inspector

· Pantaleao Pinto - Businessman

· Neville Pinto – Pharmacist

· Warren Pinto – Pharmacist

· Adrian Pinto – Social Activist

· Fr Canute Castelino (Fr Prashant Valaulekar) SJ

· Late Dr Fr Freddy Pinto – Secretary to the Bishop of Varanasi

. Late Agusto Mathias Pinto – Civil Contractor

· Late Fr Nicolau Mendes

· Late Fr Julio (Eugenio) Borges

· Late Fr Steven (Alexandre) Rodrigues

· Late Fr Tome Nazareth

· Sr Philomena Rodrigues

· Sr Aruna Castellino

·Sr Mary Pinto – Educationist

. Joseph Mathias D’Souza (Joe Rose) – Veteran Konkani Artiste

. Carmen Rose D’Souza e Lobo – Konkani actress

. Late Santan Misquita – Musician (Saxophonist)

. Late Martinho (Sonny) Salvador Pinto – Musician (Violin, Drums)

. Fr Salvador Rodrigues - Parish Priest, Sacred Heart Church, Santacruz, Mumbai

. Major Sean Rodrigues – Engineer in the Indian Army

. Beatrice Castellino – Nurse to the Maharaja of Gwalior

. Late Nascimento Rodrigues – Major British Army (II World War)

· Francisco Xavier Pinto – Journalist

· Late Jose Luis D’Souza – Businessman