NERUL VILLAGE

To the North of Bardez, sprawls the village of Nerul caressed by the warm waters of the Mandovi river on one side and bottle-green hillocks on the other. Nerul belongs to Goa's age-old resort belt, where Portuguese fidalgos holidayed in sweet seclusion amidst the rustling of the tall coconut trees and the splashing surf, long before modern tourism took shape.

The vast belt, where the affluent would retire for summer mudança then, extended right from Pomburpa to Verem-Reis Magos and Nerul. Close to Nerul's waterfront stood holiday homes like the palatial residence of  the Bishop of Halicarnasso, D. Antonio José de Noronha,  who  was born  in  June 1763, in Goa Velha, of  Portuguese  settlers.  The Mosmikar  House at Darnarim and Joe D'Souza's mansion at Fortavaddo also reflected old glory.

In course of time, locals too came under the spell of sea-side picnics and salt-water baths in summer. At the lovely Quegdevelim beach, which runs all the way from Sinquerim to Reis Mragos, we met sprightly Felix Morreira. Felix says, "Hundreds of people used to flock here once, particularly in summer. At that time, there were no roads to reach here and people used to come walking with bags loaded with drinks and eats. But the place is transforming with all these hotels coming to spoil the serene surroundings abounding in these palm groves. Most of these large properties here belong to the Panvelkars of Ribandar."

Until the riverine road came up, all that we heard about the village was Nil'lichem nistem and  Nil'licheo xinnaneo at the Mapusa bazaar.  People fall for the fish and  mussels  when they hear Nil'lichem nistem, rarely aware where exactly the special village called Nil'la i.e. Nerul lies. Few have visited enthralling, beach-blessed Nerul proper. There's probably no more ideal setting than this village, lazing comfortably at the confluence where Mandovi river and the sea merge, giving a velvety perspective to a picnic beneath tall palms, whose fronds open up to the sky like giant, swaying umbrellas. You just can't depart from here at sunset.

There's no dearth of tasty seafood at the restaurants and shacks lining the seductive riverside of panoramic Nerul, popularly called Nil'la or Nirla . The river is laced with the fishing community. Hindus live at the far west at Firgueam bhatt, where the tiny docking place has nearly 50 boats, many with outboard motors. Travelling West, at the famed Coco beach and into Quegdevelim, the settlement is more Christian.