JUA (SANTO ESTEVAM) - A PARADISE ON EARTH

by Jackson Dias

This island is a God-gifted piece of paradise and a product of the hard work and intellect of 21 vangodds (clans) who call this place home.

In the mid-40s, almost the entire population of around 4,000 living on this island were involved in agriculture and more than 10,000 square meters of land was under cultivation. Since Jua has many low-lying areas, during monsoon, paddy would be cultivated and as soon as this crop was harvested, vegetables would be planted in the fields.

The ladyfinger vegetable from Jua is famed; they not only possess a unique taste relished all over Goa, but they grow pretty long and are used in preparations of different types of dishes including the stuffed ladyfingers.

The other distinctive feature of ladyfingers from Sto. Estevam is that they have seven ridges thus giving them more girth. In fact, the Sto. Estevam ladyfingers are locally known as Sat Xirancho Bhenddo (of seven ridges).

It is believed that the unique soil of the area, especially since it is khazan land, contributes to the specia1 taste of these ladyfingers and other vegetables grown in the island village. From the mid-40s and till the early 60s, locals used to grow vegetables and sell them at various markets. Prior to 1961, the vegetables were taken in canoes to the different markets while post-liberation, modern means of transport like buses were used.

In those days, almost the entire requirement for vegetables of Panjim City was met by supplies from Sto. Estevam, which were ferried to the Panjim market in canoes and other vessels. Besides the quaint villas and row houses, there were also little tavernas in which the farmers and gaddekar used to gulp down a sweet peg of urrak or feni after a hard day’s work. Every Monday, vegetables were taken to Sanquelim market; to the Bicholim market on Wednesdays and the Banastarim market on Friday. Old timers will remember that people used to walk from Sto. Estevam to Banastarim carrying the vegetables in baskets perched on their heads.

The increased demand for seafarers in the 1960s proved the first blow to this traditional occupation of agriculture as many youngsters from the island went on board the ships.

Though cultivation of vegetables suffered, the activity carried on and this island continued supplying them to various places in Goa.

The boom in the oil-fuelled economies in the Gulf dealt the final blow with the youngsters leaving their homeland to earn petrodollars.

Thus began the decline of vegetable cultivation in Sto. Estevam as the elders who were left in the village could not take up manual work and with the money coming in from abroad, they were also not inclined to continue with their traditional occupation.

Now in the 21st century, 90% of our population is well educated. There are doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers, bank officers, armymen, artistes, priests, nuns, police officers and of course, the Tarvottis or seafarers including captains, marine engineers, stewards, supervisors on board the ships travelling across the globe. From the over-50 number of pits used to cultivate vegetables, only a dozen exist now. Most of the pits have either collapsed or are covered with silt.

All that remains of that glorious period, when Sto. Estevam (Jua) used to provide vegetables to practically the whole of Ilhas and surrounding villages, is the nickname earned by its inhabitants - Bhenddekar.