NERUL VILLAGE

To the NorthBefore the Portuguese renamed it Nerul, the idyllic village was known as Nellur. The late Ricardo Micael Teles defines the etymology as nell (rice) and ur (village) in his booklet Freguesia de Nerul (1925). Nuzzling at the mouth of the Mandovi river, Nerul shares borders with the historic village of Verem-Reis Magos in the East.  The Sinquerim river separates Nerul from Candolim and  adds riverine charm as it curves gently inland to halt at the Verem manos (dyke).

Modern Nerul accommodates a population of over 6000, living along   the banks, fringing the Mandovi bay. The  villagers grow rice,  groundnuts and  vegetables but the village is famous for Nirlacheo xevtalleo,  tisreo , groundnuts and water-melons. Moved by its charming environs, Konkani novelist Reginald Fernandes set one of his several novels on this dated village, which possesses some timeworn mansions and  the Church of Our Lady of Remedies, which is as old as Goa's Christianity. Founded in 1569, the church with an antique architectural style figures among the last works in Bardez by the Franciscan Order before their expulsion by the Portuguese. It treasures some old paintings on wooden panels and on walls.

It must have been quite a multi-cultural society during that time. Around 1688, Nerul had Africans, who served the  local Portuguese  aristocracy. The first inhabitant of  Nerul, however, is said to be a person called Mor (peacock). A Mor family still lives here. "Among the Hindus, there are Dharwadkars in Nerul but they do not hail from Dharwar in Karnataka. They were originally Dharvontkars -- people at the darvontto (gate)," says Upendra P. Dharwadkar.

Nerul, being tucked in a corner of Bardez, had remained obscure until the bridge connecting it to Candolim across the  Sinquerim river, arrived about four years ago. The bridge has curtailed the travelling distance between Paynim and Candolim, and Nerul is now a tourist highway to North Goa.

Nerul is connected by a good road network. Aventine Nellur begins at the crowded Verem Bazar passes through Tinttovaddo with its small tea-shops and tavernas . The road winds its way to Candolim across the scenic bridge, from where one can see the Candolim church across the water-logged mangroves to the North. A slight, but worthwhile,  detour is along the beautiful beach front on the Nerul-Reis Magos road.  

The feast of the patroness Our Lady of Remedies is celebrated in November with great pomp. Young girls and boys busy themselves at the  fancy fete in the extensive church compound and a tiatr is a must in the evening. In a quaint tradition for the feast of the  cross at Bhattier among green fields and salt pans, in May, they hold a ladainha after which they serve mango, jackfruit and tisreo xakuti to the gathering.

Depending upon which community they belong to and where they live, the villagers call themselves Nerulkars, Nirlikars,  Nerulnenses  or Nerulites. They cherish their folklore and one music-minded man has even composed a mando on his beloved village.  Enterprising Stanley D'Silva,  who is in and out of several community-related  activities in  the  village, sings mandos soulfully along with wife Julie.

Realizing the immense tourism potential of the bewitching sands fringed by lush palm groves, and the glorious window-view  it offers of  Panjim's Campal on the opposite bank, builders and hoteliers have already begun laying the lines for a concrete jungle.

The tide is flowing in Nerul, as it wakes up to a new horizon or turning towards the waters. The Indian Navy has set up a sailor training establishment by acquiring 92 hectares of Communidade land for Rs.70.5 lakh and the naval presence has lent an all-India colour to the local demography. Moreover, the  government plans to privatize the neighboring Reis Margos  Fort to cash in on the tourism boom. The historic fortress could be a star-resort with a panoramic view of  Panjim. There are plans for a Rs.10 crore-ropeway.  This development augurs well for the picnic ambience of  the  hitherto ignored village, whose latest attraction is the Coco Beach. Of course, with foreigners stalking the beach it may be rather difficult to say "coco as in coconut because it quite possible it may end up into the "coco" as in cocaine.

At the Firgueam bhatt, there are nearly 50 fishing boats readying for take off as soon as the monsoon drives away. Amidst the fishing environment, of small houses crowding together with virtually every house having a cattle-shed, there is a swanky residence of a Parsi from Delhi. Many outsiders are seeking land for residences in the idyllic surroundings. "You see even these hills are now cut to build houses and rich villas without a care for nature or surroundings. Even these palm-groves will be devoured by constructions very soon, I am sure," said an elderly woman pointing at the hill with pain and displeasure reflecting in her aging eyes.
Goan villages are losing their original identity fast. Nerul too is likely to shed the natural charm it has been endowed with by providence. The simple agricultural or fishing folk still has the calf and the piggling darting across the narrow roads, children playing in the sand innocently and men mending fishing nets and women busy at household chores. But the ideal setting and the riverine quiet, soothed by the sound of the breakers, is now getting disturbed by the incoming tide of urbanisation, which may usher in prosperity but at a price.