Much has been said about the quaint beauty of the Latin Quarters of Fontainhas, the calmness its exudes and it’s cheerful colours. But what also makes Fontainhas the unique place that it is, is the people and their interesting tales. And it is that captivated young Daniel D’Souza and inspired him to document this on camera. “Whenever I went to Fontainhas I was always amazed by the many hidden stories all around. Although you may pass by everyday, one tends not to notice these until you go and talk to the people there. There’s so much to know about everything,” says D’Souza.
Thus as part of his project at his college One School Goa, D’Souza decided to do a video around this place.
Set to a Portuguese tune, the little over two minute video ‘ Gems of Fontainhas’ focuses on three main individuals- Erasmo Countinho a typewriter mechanic, Gletta Mascarenhas, a bakery owner and Gundu, a bar owner. Apart from this, a lawyer, boutique owner, restaurant manager, barber, fruit vendor etc all make an appearance.
“Erasmo uncle has always been a good friend and I always stop over for a chat with him while passing that side. As for Joseph Bar, I have always heard a lot about it and the good vibes there,” says D’Souza. “The bakery too had such a great historic past that I definitely had to cover it.”
While, getting these three on camera wasn’t an issue, D’Souza admits that a few others were reluctant at first. “One lady especially wasn’t too fond of me moving around with the camera. However, after she saw the video she was amazed and even apologised,” he says chuckling. And while the video was intended as part of a college project, D’Souza states that at the same time he also wanted to show a different image of Goa than the one people generally associate with the state. “Whenever people think about Goa, they usually think about beaches and clubbing. People don’t usually think of Goa as a cultural hub. But there is this other side of Goa which I love showing,” he says, adding that he was quite surprised by how well received the video was. “I personally didn’t share the video on social media myself at first. I only shared with the subjects of the video but I was very happy that people liked it,” he says, adding that he will continue to do more Goan stories.
In fact, D’Souza has recently also shot a photo series titled ‘A Legacy of Music’ where he has documented young Goan musicians. “The whole thing began as just one story focusing on Jarryd Rodrigues and his grandfather the noted jazz saxaphonist Braz Gonsalves, but one person led to another,” he says. Currently he is working on a photo story of the cross. “Although one may not always realise but there are crosses almost everywhere in Goa and it forms an important part of that area. So far I have shot in places like Pomburpa, Ucassaim and Mapusa,” he says.
