GLOBAL GOENKARS SPEAK
Marius Fernandes along with Brunette Pereira in Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen.
ABERDEEN
In the shade of Aberdeen’s Union Terrace Gardens, the lilting rhythms of Goa found a new home.
Having hosted 101 vibrant festivals without a single sponsor or chief guest in Goa, I decided to take my signature ‘Bolcaoacho Gozalli’ (“chatting on the Goan balcony”) to Scotland for the first time.
What unfolded was more than a conversation; it was a meeting of worlds, woven with stories, the scent of summer blooms, and the shared joy of community.
I arrived in Aberdeen for a three-day visit, carrying the warmth, colours, and easy laughter of Goa. My mission: to host the very first ‘Bolcaoacho Gozalli’ in Scotland, inspired by a cherished Goan tradition where neighbours exchange tales over railings draped in bougainvillea.
The gathering unfolded under the gentle shade of Union Terrace Gardens. The air carried the scent of freshly cut grass and the sweetness of late-summer flowers. A soft breeze tangled with the murmur of passers-by, blending with the distant notes of a street guitarist.
Here, amidst the city’s granite grandeur, I met Brunette Pereira, a long-time Aberdeen resident whose heart still beats to the rhythm of her Goan roots. She hails from Bastora in Goa.
It was Brunette who had invited me, along with my sister, Maria, and my daughter, Gemma, to the Granite City. Our conversation meandered like a familiar melody from her carefree childhood in Goa, to the golden deserts of the Sultanate of Oman where she once worked with the Ministry of Tourism as a Marketing Specialist, and finally to her present life in Scotland as a Regional Support Administrator for London North Eastern Railway.
Beyond her professional role, Brunette serves as the Executive Member for Scotland in the Global Goan Association, championing community causes across the UK.
[From L to R]: Brunette Pereira, Maria Fernandes, Gemma Fernandes, and Marius Fernandes.
Over the next two days, Aberdeen revealed its charms to us in layers. We strolled among the vibrant blossoms of the botanical gardens, wandered through hushed historic cemeteries where only the wind spoke, traced the city’s past in museum corridors, climbed the steps of age-old churches, and admired the stately grace of university buildings.
The journey also took us to Aberdeen’s local Roman Catholic treasures – St Peter’s Church near Castlegate, St Mary’s Cathedral in the city centre, St Joseph’s Church in Woodside, and Holy Family Church in Mastrick each with its quiet beauty and sense of sanctuary.
Football spirit added a different kind of energy as we stopped by the famous Pittodrie Stadium, home of Aberdeen FC. The adventure continued further south to the dramatic clifftop ruins of Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven, where the North Sea crashed against the rocks below in a timeless rhythm.
Brunette had attended my festivals in Goa before vivid, inclusive gatherings where music, culture, and camaraderie were freely shared. This is my form of Individual Social Responsibility, rooted in the belief that culture belongs to everyone, not only to those with influence or wealth.
And in Aberdeen, beneath the leafy canopy of Union Terrace Gardens and the Aberdeen City council Marshall College, that same spirit came alive again welcoming, open-hearted, and brimming with stories worth telling.
[The writer is popularly known as Goa's Festakar, having curated over 100 cultural festivals all across Goa]
