Goemkarponn desk
Panaji: Breaking away from the current trend of luxury villas and real estate speculation in Assagao, the establishment of the Victor DMello Community Centre (VDCC) is garnering attention. This unique community initiative, spearheaded by Assagao’s DMello family, offers a refreshing change in the ongoing speculative narrative about the village.
The initiative has had local villagers on the upbeat, with Assagaonkars stating that the step taken by the DMello family was essential to focus on the social and cultural roots of the village’s native residents.
“This initiative was indeed the need of the hour considering the transition taking place in Assagao in the last few years. We need to preserve and pass on the rich heritage the village has to the next generation. I’m sure the VDCC will help the villagers to understand our great legacy and our heritage,” according to Surendra Gad, Convenor of Assagao Badem Citizen Action Committee.
Alison and Alan DMello announced that the Victor DMello Community Centre will be housed in their 150-year-old family home in Assagao’s Bauto Vaddo. The Centre will offer advanced education, cultural activities and social cohesion amidst North Goa’s changing demographics and rising real estate speculation.
“Assagao was a cohesive community until about a decade ago,” Alan said at the dedication ceremony of the Centre. “We have a surplus of villas, pools, and restaurants, but no centre for the community. The VDCC is a small step towards reclaiming our community and moving forward. We will include rather than exclude our new neighbours,” he said, referring to the surge in the influx of new residents to the village.
The VDCC in Assagao honours the legacy of Victor Cajetan DMello, a freedom fighter who fought against British and Portuguese rule. A science graduate and community leader, he championed education and development. The VDCC, set in the DMello family home, continues its mission, of preserving Assagao’s rich cultural heritage.
“The primary focus of the VDCC will be education, providing and enabling it for our local community. It is a reflection of our father’s lifelong work for the community. The Centre will house a permanent library of contemporary reading, serve as an education centre for underprivileged village children, as a centre of scholarship and a venue for art, music and activities that enhance the local cultural milieu,” said Alan.
The Centre’s ‘Assagao Advanced Education Programme’ will nurture local youth in professional careers, while ‘Assa Re Gao’ fosters traditions and global community events.
“My father and his generation laid the foundation for this country. Putting community before self was the norm then, not the exception as it is now. Establishing the VDCC is a natural path to follow, inspired by those role models,” said Alan.
Recalling their memories of their youth in Assagao, Alison said: “As children, our home felt as massive as a universe and stadium. The big hall was for football, the dining room was for cricket because it was longer than a pitch. Foxes on the hills, bullock carts passing by the front porch, the baker three houses down, candlelit nights, the smell of mango and jackfruit will always be the smell of home and happy summers. Months and years passed by as fast as nanoseconds.”
However, Assagao’s transformation from a close-knit village to a hotspot for luxury homes has brought about challenges for its residents. Alan believes that while the early newcomers contributed positively by reviving neglected homes, the recent wave of speculators has significantly altered the village’s identity.
“Having new neighbours is a good thing, especially if they are highly accomplished,” he noted. “But the recent wave of speculators is attracting people who view Goa merely as a backdrop for Instagram, at the cost of the local community.”
Former Union Minister of State for Law and ex Deputy Chief Minister, Goa, Ramakant Khalap who inaugurated the Centre said that it is important for people to return to their roots and contribute to the welfare of their respective native regions.
“The beautiful architecture here must be preserved so future generations can appreciate it. This house, a piece of our heritage, should be maintained for posterity,” he said.
“There are few people like Alan in Assagao. He is working for the betterment of Assagao. The village needs more people like Alan, who has taken a landmark decision to donate their ancestral house to start a community centre,” said Hanumant Naik, Sarpanch, Assagao village panchayat, who was also present at the inaugural ceremony.
“The Assagao village is experiencing rapid real estate development that lacks focus on the needs of the local community. To address this imbalance, establishing a community centre would greatly benefit all residents,” said Amit Pokhre, an Assagao native and presently a laboratory assistant in a nearby high school.
