What was the initial idea / the motivation behind your project?

For the past several years, I have been living and working in India and Switzerland. Because of the constant commute between these two countries, I am especially drawn to stories that lie at the intersection of two worlds. These portraits of Goan homes is a thematic exploration of the worlds of India and Portugal; and that of the present and the past. Built when the Portuguese ruled Goa for over four centuries (from 1510 to 1961), the 300+ year old Goan homes are not mere remnants of history. They are the current homes of their occupants and continue to function as the stage in which the rituals of daily life play out. Having stayed in the same family for generations, these ancestral homes are like majestic memory keepers, tangible evidence of times lived through.

Could you explain the previous title of your project - ‘Beyond The Balcão’?

The previous title of this story is inspired by the ubiquitous architectural feature of every Indo- Portuguese home - the Balcão - a balcony connected to the front door overlooking the street. It is also a significant symbol of liberation and modernity. In the pre-colonial era, life was lived inwardly in accordance with tradition. The open spaces of each elite Hindu home centred around an inner courtyard. All living quarters opened into this central courtyard where the family would gather in privacy. With the arrival of the Portuguese and the adoption of Neo-Christianity, life began to be lived more openly and outwardly. This remarkable shift in perspective translated into a new architectural language. The inner courtyard feature in homes soon gave way to Balcãos overlooking the street. A space that is private yet public, alfresco yet sheltered, it soon became the place where the families would sit out to chat and exchange gossip with passers-by. The title Beyond the Balcão was a homage to this emblematic shift between the inner and outer worlds and to the transition between the present and the past.

Some of the homes really look like museums! How did it feel like to go on this photographic time travel?

Every feature in each home led me to a deeper understanding of time. From the mosaic tiles of the flooring to the chandeliers on the ceiling, from the faded and peeling paint on the walls to mismatched furniture and artefacts from foreign shores. Every piece of personal item from university degrees from 1900s to family photo albums from bygone days, from framed portraits of ancestors hanging on all four walls to elaborate altars that occupy the pride of place in every home. All these tangible evidence of time bears witness not only to the larger historical, cultural and political moments that shaped Goa, but also stand as fragments of memories of the past generations of these families.

What did the project teach you in the end?

I realised through this project the value of cultural heritage and how it shapes one’s identity and sense of belonging. I also realised that while tangible evidence such as these homes of the past may be altered in the future... photographs remain a powerful witness to the story of time. It is said that history can be written and re-written, but photo history of a person or a place cannot - an image remains etched in the frame of time forever.