[From Frederick Noronha] LIKE MANY A Goan based overseas, Mel D'Souza is often struck by nostalgia for his homeland. Memories of the home left behind are expressed in an unusual way in his case -- through art.

Besides his volunteer work and drawing for local magazines near where he lives, Mel has put together a series of drawings depicting the fast-changing Goa that most would be familiar with.

Canada-based Mel was born in what was then Tanganyika (Dar es Salaam) in 1937. He studied at St Joseph's Convent there, and later matriculated from Saligao's Mater Dei, which was a popular English-medium school among expat Goans then.

He did a year of college at St. Xavier's in Mumbai "where I just went through the motions and never pursued my studies". But his passion was art... and travel, as he discovered later in life.

Back in Tanganyika in 1953, he joined Caltex as a mail-clerk. He left it as Operations Manager in 1971, and emigrated to Canada. During this time, he was also cartoonist for the 'Tanganyika Standard'.

In Canada, the pressures of life saw him take up jobs as a compounder, packaging supervisor, warehouse and shipping manager, and purchasing manager. At 55, he quit in 1993 on "deciding to devote time to art and travel".

Mel's drawings of the Saligao Feast depicts a pack of foxes in the national costumes of their adopted lands. In the background is the local Church of Mae de Deus and the imaginary global village of Saligao. As the artist says, this work "portrays the Goan flair for assimilation and their love for the best of both worlds".

Canada-based Goan writer Ben Antao wrote likened Mel to a "Saligao 'fox' using the crow's wings to promote Goa".

In addition, his other art-works document what Mel calls "the way of life that makes Goa so unique". His illustrations are, he says, a "crow's eye view". They show village scenes from "above", as would be seen just how the crow flies.

'Feast of Names' is a projection of villagers from Saligao dressed up in costumes that portray their family nicknames. So many homes in the village carry their own nicknames, says Mel.

Mel points to the Goa that was, and says villages here have a familiar layout: several wards, each having its own chapel or temple, adjoin paddy fields while the imposing village church or temple overlooks its rural realm. Life in the village involves the daily visit to the market, work in the field, a "neighbourly visit" or just relaxing in the bolcao' (balcony) and watching the world go by.

An expat's view of life in Goa... (ENDS)

*SALIGAO: SOME NICK-NAMES FROM THE VILLAGE Residents of this small village of Bardez have a number of traditional house-names, as do other villages. Mel has done a listing of these, as below:*

Godgodo Distican Sacro Kochreagher
Bokdi Sorak Bebo Mankegher
Chapenkarn Kawlo Botmodi Gorokullo
Bodveagher Devchar Menkar Dukormaro
Kombeagher Tallo Poko Kankatro
Tallo Rano Kulo Saibin
Fujao Bhendeagher Porque Kolleagher
Fogo Wagh-Waghmaro Delegad Pinglekarn
American Ghirgiro Ale-kar Dandeagher
Arsekarn Philip-100 Munkuto Aboli