century ago, Dr Antonio Caitano Souza thought about the fatigued villagers and vendors passing by his house on foot. With no space to place their baskets and without the help of another to lift the basket and place it back on their head, they had to continue walking. He generously built a Dovornem, a structure of red bricks, wide enough for the baskets and at a height that can be easily shift the weight back on their head. With the advancement in technology, vehicles came and as time passed this Dovornem was long forgotten.
Fast forward to 2023, the same Dovornem in the family property of the Souza Monteiro at Porta Vaddo, Siolim, has been restored to its former glory. World Heritage Day will be celebrated in Siolim by inaugurating the restored Dovornem built by the great great grandfather of the Souza Monteiro family, Dr Antonio Caitano Souza, in their own property. On the occasion, ‘My Siolim: The Environment and Heritage Club has organised a programme with artistes from the village which will be held at 5.30 pm on April 26, at Porta Vaddo, Siolim.
The evening will begin with the cutting of the ribbon by Sanjeev Sardessai, CEO of ‘Hands on Historian’ as the chief guest along with other dignitaries including special invitees, Sarpanch Sharmila Vernekar of Village Panchayat Siolim, Marna, and unfolding of the plaque at the Dovornem. The assistant parish priest of St Anthony's Church, Siolim, Rev Fr Francisco X Barreto will then bless the Dovornem. The children of Tarchi Bhat have been well trained to perform the Kunbi dance and are enthusiastic to showcase their talent.
One special song that was composed by Braz Fernandes, 13 years back is waiting to be performed live. The song was penned on the Dovornem and is apt for the occasion. Convenor of My Siolim: The Environment and Heritage Club, Gregory D’Souza says, “We have been planning this restoration of the Dovornem since 2010 but since it was in a private property, we required the necessary permission from the Souza Monteiro family. We even approached the Department of Archives but they didn’t sponsor it. Finally, Shiral restored the Dovornem without any sponsors. I requested Braz to pen a song on the Dovornem in 2010 but since the work was not complete, he couldn’t perform it until now. The song was originally written along with Condroy Pereira on the guitar and was recorded before Condroy left for the UK. Today, Braz and the musicians can proudly sing the song,” says Gregory.
He further adds, “Youngsters today don’t know about the importance of the Dovornem and many parents also don’t know exactly about it. These structure are very old and it is important to restore them as part of the heritage of Goa. There is one more Dovornem in Fernandes Ward but since that too is a private property, it is still not restored. This programme has been creating a buzz and especially since it was built by the great great grandfather Dr Antonio Caitano Souza, it shows its relevance to understanding our heritage.”
A group form Porta Ward will present Dheknni followed by a presentation of a caricature by Alexyz, a noted resident of Siolim and one of Goa’s finest cartoonist. Alexyz has created not one but two beautiful caricatures, one on the Dovornem and one on Sanjeev Sardessai, the chief guest of the day.
One of Goa’s senior-most public prosecutors, Shiral Souza Monteiro was living in Miramar and returned to his roots in Siolim, during the Covid pandemic. “Once home, we realised that the Dovronem was falling apart. ‘The Dovornem in our property had overgrown vegetation with shrubs and leaves and it would have fallen apart if it was not restored. For some years, Gregory and Alexyz had been informing me about the Dovornem, finally it is restored. The Dovornem must have been built almost 100 years back. It is on the internal road leading to the village and I have no recollection of seeing anyone using it. It was earlier used to alight the burden on top of the structure, while the vendors and villagers took a short break. It was easier to place the basket or goods on their head as they didn’t need a helper. Some neighbours even kept Pez at the Dovornem to freshen up the weary travellers. There were no vehicles to carry this weight and it had to be taken on foot,” says Shiral, who will also speak about the restoration at the function.
As a heritage activist, Alexyz is happy to see this project come to fruition after years. “There is a lot to celebrate. Braz Fernandes will be performing with his choral group and Shiral will also perform with his family. There will be a special performance by Allen Fernandes, Olympio Almeida and Nathan Miranda. A skit will be presented on the occasion on how the Dovornem was used. We plan to restore more Dovornem in Siolim and we have identified at least 4-5 in different wards. After the function, we will conclude the evening with a Litany at the Cross near the Dovornem,” says Alexyz.
Epifanio Anthony D’Souza, a proud Siolcar, has been living in New York for 30 years, yet his heart still beats for the old world charm of Goa. “I still remember people coming in canoes from Morjim and Assagao. They would begin their journey from Tarchi Bhat, which had one Dovornem. The other Dovornem are based in Fernandes Ward, Porta Ward and two in Gaunsavaddo.
It was a meeting place for vendors and many would wait for the others to reach the Dovornem. They would say, ‘Dovornem-kodde me-io.’ As the roads were lonely then, they preferred travelling together. Many of these Dovornem had crosses in the vicinity. Villagers used to gather at the Cross for Good Friday and offer Litanies on other occasions. It is a great initiative to restore the Dovornem and though there is no practical use of it, it is a heritage monument and a very important aspect of Goa’s village life,” concludes Epifanio