THURSDAY, JULY 04, 2024
Sushila Sawant Mendes
What a week it is for sports lovers all over the world! India was scheduled to meet South Africa last night in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final in Barbados and football fans have a double bonanza of the Euro 2024 Football in session alongside the Copa America, with both finals scheduled for a Sunday July 14.The rush of adrenalin is palpable when one’s own country plays but one village in Goa, Gandaulim in Cumbarjua always roots for Croatia because of their shared history.
Gandaulim is a small village set amidst the lap of nature just 4/5 kms from Old Goa. Croatia’s remarkable performances in the last two World Cups, reaching the final in Russia in 2018 and the semis in Qatar in 2022, plus a Nations League final where they lost on penalties to Spain, Croatia is respected as one of European football’s best teams of the last decade.
Croatia however had to exit the Euro Cup last Monday when Italy substitute Mattia Zaccagni swept a dazzling shot inside the far post in the eighth minute of added time. Zaccagni’s 98th-minute last gasp goal had barely entered the net when the final whistle blew – it was the very last kick of the game! Earlier when the Croatian hero, Luka Modric’s scored a goal in the 55th minute there were showers of beer towards the sky from the cups of the over-joyed Croatian fans. The manager, Zlatko Dalic, was so sure of victory that he withdrew his captain Luka in the 80th minute to rest his star player for the next scheduled match against Switzerland (which Italy played yesterday) making Modric a spectator when Zaccagni did the unbelievable. It was less ecstasy and more pain in Luka’s eyes when he held ‘Man of the Match trophy’ for photographers. Even in the 2018 World Cup final, when Croatia lost to France, he had got the ‘Golden Ball for the tournament’.
Croatia is a small country with a population of about 3.10 million and an area of just 21,851 square miles. What is Croatia’s Goa connection? On a lighter side ‘hello’ as an informal greeting in Croatian is bok, but sounds like our Konkani, bohk.
Those who live in the parishes of Cumbarjua are aware of the fact that the Church dedicated to St Blaise or São Brás, in Gandaulim is a replica of the original St Blaise (Sveti Vlaho) Church, the patron saint of Dubrovnik in Croatia. Originally this Church was a small chapel built in June 1541 by the Croatian sailors and traders. It was elevated to the status of a Church in 1563 by Archbishop D Frei Alexio de Menezes (1595-1607).
Many centuries ago Dubrovnik was an important trading centre and these traders in search of textiles and spices made their way to Goa sometime in 1530-1535. Here they founded their own colony São Brás. The people of Dubrovnik have always been skilled shipbuilders and may have been brought to Goa by the Portuguese. F X Gomes Catão in his book on the village of Cumbarjua has made reference to this church. He writes that during the days of its glory, São Brás was a very prosperous colony with a population of approximately 12, 000.
The Gaudelupchar Fort hardly exists. It is a tragedy that the aesthetic entrance to this fort styled like the arch on Dubrovnik harbour, was demolished about 24 years ago to widen the approach road to the Gandaulim-Cumbarjua ferry. This was the riverside entrance to the Church. In 1570’s trade between Croatia and India declined as Portugal had lost her monopoly over the spice trade to the British and Dutch. As trade was not very profitable, the settlers moved to greener pastures elsewhere. Another plausible reason for the decline was that the plague that destroyed Old Goa affected nearby Gandaulim.
In 1667, there was a great earthquake that destroyed the town of Dubrovnik and the prosperity associated with it. After this it no longer had the financial or military power to trade with India or establish any presence here. St Blaise Church in Dubrovnik was rebuilt but the Church in Goa, which included a bell brought from Dubrovnik, still remained a replica of the original Dubrovnik Church.
In 1999 the Croatian indologist Prof Zdravka Matisic, a native of Debrovnik discovered some historical records in her country which spoke of Croatians, settling in Goa. As a scholar studying Sanskrit in India, she decided to travel to Gandaulim and when she stood in front of this Church, she saw a replica of the one in Dubrovnik dedicated also to the same patron saint. Matistic studied the documents available in the Historical Archives of Goa and found an artistic sketch of the entrance to the Gaudelupchar Fort. From the Archives of the Bishops Palace in Altinho she also learnt of the exact location of this Church.
This research motivated a 15 member parliamentary delegation of the Republic of Croatia accompanied by Ambassador Zoran Andric to visit Gandaulim on April 1, 1999. He stated that, “This Church in Goa is a replica of the thrice larger Church in Dubrovnik and even the altar is similar”. The present Parish comprises the villages of Gandaulim and Daujim, a part of which is in Tiswadi and a part in the island of Cumbarjua.
Silvija Luks-Kaloggera, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia said, “More important is the place down there, was also said to be built by the Croatians more than 400 years ago.” The design on the left side of the wall of the Church proves that such architecture did not exist in Goa. The people of Gandaulim and Cumbarjua celebrate the feast of St Blaise on the 3rd of February like the people of Dubrovnik.
Every time, a Croatian ship visits Marmagao harbour there is always a Croatian delegation of sailors visiting this Church. A Croatian paediatrician, Dr Marja Radonic, who visited this Church more than a decade ago went back and collected donations to restore this Church. She till date has preserved the photographs of this Church before and after restoration. Tea Batnic, an art gallery owner in Dubrovnik donated his paintings to the Church the proceeds of which were used to repair the Church. A few years back a three member team of the HRT Croatian Radio-television, at the invitation of the Department of Tourism came to Goa to film a documentary on the erstwhile relationship between this European nation and Goa.
The Croatian experience is a good example of how an over 400 year history has succeeded in binding the hearts of the people in two different continents, in Europe and Asia– Dubrovnik in Croatia and Gandaulim in Goa. It is a similar spirit when Goans cheer Ronaldo and the Portuguese football team as their heart beats for good football. The skill, dexterity and expertize of two feet tackling the football enthuses us irrespective of their affiliations. The exciting game of football like events in history can be used as good spaces to bring people together. We live in different times as the world is now almost a global village. Let’s get over our colonial hangover and move forward!
(Dr Sushila Sawant Mendes is Professor & Author in History & Goa Govt Best College Teacher Awardee)
