This Goan Village Emerges From the Water Just Once a Year!

This Goan Village Emerges From the Water Just Once a Year! A Visit Like No Other The end of summer heralds all kinds of travel plans to the 'party capital' of India—Goa. While tourists wait for the right time to visit all the right places in North Goa, more offbeat travellers curate their itinerary for the off-season, undeterred by the heat or the rain, preferring the isolation and quiet of South Goa. Well, at the start of this holiday season, we have a suggestion for you—why not visit a place in Goa, where is there is no partying, but a unique sight, filled with the kind of nostalgia, sacrifice and memories that page-turners are made of? [Read on!]( At the border of North and South Goa lies the small village of Kurdi. It was once home to 3,000 residents, a thriving town of simple joys, and fertile land where paddy was grown. Placed between two hills in the Western Ghats and the Salaulim river, a tributary of the Zuari river, Kurdi was a ''natural resource''—a fact that was its boon and bane. In 1961, when Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule, it became a part of the Indian union. Dayanand Bandodkar became the state's first Chief Minister and decided to use Kurdi's strategic position for a project that he hoped would benefit the entire state. The Salaulim Irrigation Project would build a dam and a reservoir, providing nearly 400 million litres of water for drinking, irrigation, and industry. When approved in 1971, the project was estimated to cost Rs 9.61 crore. But the price? Kurdi would have to be submerged. And each of its 3,000 reluctant residents would have to move lock, stock, and barrel to the compensatory land 15 kilometres away in Vaddem and Valkinim. Although the 600-odd families of Kurdi were persuaded to make this supreme sacrifice for 'the greater good', they have not reaped any benefits. They do not receive drinking water from the dam and must turn to government tankers in the peak of summer. Returning to their homeland remains out of the question. At 75, Gajanan Kurdikar recalls how his parents put everything in a pick-up truck, packing it with their belongings, him, his brother, and his grandmother. He was ten years old and probably did not understand that everything he knew until then was going to change. Long displaced from their motherland, Kurdi's residents get one month to look back into the past. Each May, the water recedes to reveal a cracked surface with the remains of tree stumps and ruins of houses and religious structures. Short and nostalgic, Gajanan and his people must make the most of these homecoming visits. Because with the onset of the south-west monsoon, Kurdi will be submerged again, until the following May. And so life goes on, for them, and especially for all others, blissfully ignorant to this heart-rending tale of Goa’s past. So when you're planning your next trip to Goa, consider a detour to Kurdi, a place that will give you a sense of the sacrifices ordinary people must make for water. It will remind you to be a little more grateful, and a little more careful, with what we have. [Read more here.]( - Shruti Singhal [Read More]( Letters To The Editor I was moved by the article about civil servants who sacrificed their lives for our country. Thank you for bringing this. It's unfortunate to see that we Indians don't give them the space they deserve in our mind & heart. The sacrifice of these real Indian heroes should reach every Indian. - Gupteswar Mahapatro Native, natural, locally sourced, safe! That's the promise a chemical-free cleaner makes to you. Free of the harsh synthetic ingredients in commercial cleaners, [this thick, citrus enzyme-based cleaner]( effective against odour and flies. [This natural disinfectant]( can be safely used around babies and pets. It keeps your water safe and pure so it can be reused in the garden. Use it today to replace all the chemical cleaners in your home! [Read More]( [Owning No Land Couldn’]( Stop This Couple From Starting an Organic Revolution!]( [Lychee, Malnutrition or Heat Wave: What, Why & How of Deadly Encephalitis Epidemics]( The name has an interesting source, and involves a touchy Portuguese general with a unique demand. Here's the story! [#MustWatch]( [#India]( [#ThingsToKnow]( Copyright © 2019 The Better India, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted for it at our website. Our mailing address is: The Better India The Better India Office MalleswaramBangalore 560079 India [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](