Panaji City Street Art trails.
With the Mandovi sea for company the city of Panaji is steeped in cultural history, architectural designs and Street Art. The Serendipity Arts festival through collaboration with St+art Indian Foundation (2017) and its project Mundo Goa (2019) has gifted the city another feather to its cap. Alongside, British graffiti street artist Soloman Souza pays homage to his roots with his works.
Many corners of the city spring delightful surprises and if it brings you a shot of joy, then that’s true art. The trail is made up of 3 parts covering street art within walking distance of a particular area. Trail 1 is around 2.5 kms, Trails 2 and 3 are around 2 kms.
Start at the Divja circle, just under the bridges to Panjim city, where painted icons of the film rolls stand in a circular formation. Walk under the Mandovi bridges to come to the multi- level car park, which is around a 220 mtrs away.
On the walls of the multi-level car park, is the painting of a local potter’s hands belonging to Teresa Wallace, the muse to Australian street artist Guido van Helten. Beginning pottery at the age of 20, Teresa was 80 when this mural was painted. Helten pays tribute to the unsung artists of the state such as Teresa in this work.
From here proceed straight to the new Patto bridge, around 100 mts away.
Standing on the bridge look across to the Hotel Park Prime. One can view a mural by Australian street artist Fintan Magee atop the hotel. It depicts four local workers (one hidden, spot the extra pair of legs) holding the base of a Roman Column. Magee envisioned the Column as a symbol of wealth, opulence and imperial power. The workers hold the foundation of the structure. The mural tries to raise issues on aspects of human culture, power structures and worker’s rights.
Gaze down from the same spot to see a mural that brings together the connection or conflict between the animal and human, done by artists Jai Rai, Atish Goundadkar and Alex Fernandes.
Take a U turn at the end of the bridge, go pass the petrol pump and enter the first bylane to spot a pair of eyes staring right at you, courtesy St+art Foundation (around 750 mtrs).
ust further, 15 mtrs along is Soloman’s mural of Vishnu Surya Wagh (1964-2019), who was a multi-faceted man being a writer-dramatist-poet-journalist and lastly a politician. He was a multi-lingual writer whose work Sudhir Sukta stoked controversy in 2017 for taking on the casteism in the state. Walk across the old Patto bridge for 150 mtrs.
Just across the road, near the old Patto bridge, the face of Sonia Shirsat, graces a hidden wall by the roadside. Her voice is the most recognisable for fados not only in Goa but probably the only well known one in the country. If you have a chance, do not miss this fadista, who lives in Goa, in live Concert. Mural by Solomon.
By the Ourem Creek, in about 230 mtrs, spot a colourful foot bridge and take the road opposite to it, take the first left and keep walking into the Fontainhas area. It is 200 mtrs to the next mural.
In a few blocks you will see a black and white mural by Soloman, that is of Percival Noronha (1923-2019), a human encyclopedia on all things Goan and Indo- Portuguese. A storehouse of knowledge ranging from History to Astronomy, one would approach him for any missing pieces of history that no library could provide and his recollection of detailed information even well into his 90s was astonishing.
Walk ahead around 200 mtrs and if you spot a wall of titled art on the café Bombay Coffee Roasters you are on the right track to catch a peacock painted on steps, around another 100 mtrs away, close to the turn of Bookworm library.
Take the road opposite to these steps and keep walking around 230 mtrs towards the Ourem creek. At the Archives department building, take your left again and look left too for a Lady tea plucker. Sadly I was not able to trace any more information on this piece of art.
End of trail 1.
Start midway near the junction of the Consulate General of Portugal on the Altinho slope towards the Panaji Church.
On the way down (in about 200 mtrs), Soloman portrays Maestro Antonio Figueiredo (1903-1981), who was the first Indian to train as a conductor in western classic music and the founder of the Goa Symphony Orchestra. His mural on the wall of his ancestral house, is a lovely connection of past to the present.
Walk down the lane and go towards the street just in front of the Panjim Church. In 700 mtrs you will come to the end of the street.
Around this corner is the Shutter project street art series by St+art Foundation. Artists Miles Toland, Amitabh Kumar, Daku and Anpu Varkey, used shops laying in ruins to highlight the tussle between nature and urbanisation. There are five such artworks in this area on shutters. Walk around, pass the Adil Shah Palace and enter the bylane of Club National, to see two more street art to complete the series (250 mtrs to this from the Abe Faria Statue).
From here walk towards the Garcia de Orta Garden and get to the building of the City Corporation of Panaji (around 350 mtrs) to spot two men, one a tourist and the other a local facing each other, courtesy St+art project.
Proceed towards Junta house on the 18th June road (300 mtrs).
Meet Aunty Rosy, in her red dress and bag in hand with a tender coconut in the other, on one wall of Junta house. This mural is the representation of Goan culture that the artists duo had in mind as inspiration for their mural. Indian Artists Do (Nikunj Prajapati) and Khatra (Siddharth Gohil) have used their signature style of painting to bring alive the loveable character of the local people.
From here walk towards MG road (just 150 mtrs). At the first right, look up to see mosaic faces of two women facing each other of either side of the street. Spanish Street artist Okuda San Miguel is known for his geometric patterns that break into multicoloured and vibrant hued mosaics. Described as a true Urban artist, the unmissable stamp of his craft can be seen.
End of trail 2.
Opposite the Military barrack in the market area, near Walkover, the toy store, also by Soloman is the mural of Sita Maria Dias Valles (1951-1977), a doctor was an Angolan communist of Goan origin who fought Portuguese colonialism in Angola. She was often referred to as Passionaria de Angola (Passion Flower of Angola). Having borne a child just six months before she was executed brutally in 1977, just before her 26th birthday, she remained a fearless revolutionary till death.
Walk towards the General Bernardo Guedes Road.
Just across, on the General Bernardo Guedes road about 150 mtrs walk, with Goa painted on her jersey is Mary Dsouza Sequeira, born in 1931, the first Indian female Olympian. She was also the first to represent the country at the Olympics in two different sports of hockey and track and field. She held the Asian records for 100- and 200-meter sprints, winning gold, silver, bronze at the Asian Games in 1950s. She presently lives between Bandra and America. The mural is by Soloman.
On the Caetano de Albuquerque Road, another 100 mtrs away, a mural of man in a topi represents artist Angelo da Fonseca (1902-1967) who worked with many mediums including wood, glass, baked clay amongst others. From Grant Medical College to J. J. School of Art, he subsequently joined Shanti-Niketan and trained under Rabindranath Tagore. Word has it that he was expelled from Goa by the then Portuguese Government for having painted Mother Mary wearing a Goan Kumbi sari. Soloman has immortalized him, in his homeland with this mural.
Walk towards Alfran Plaza, about 250 mtrs away.
Opposite Alfran Plaza lies U. S artist Miles Toland’s mural of an elderly Goan woman with kind eyes portrays wisdom through wrinkles. The face of the woman reveals itself through the circular cosmic Mandala around it, which is the typical style of this street artist. The object of the muse is supposedly a ‘kaki’ from the local Panjim market, who is about to break into a smile. Our very own Mona Lisa, you would think!
Walk around 300 mtrs towards Goa College of Pharmacy.
Near the Goa College of Pharmacy, a mural of the first Goan cricketer, Dilip Sardesai (1940-2007) adorns the wall. He was a batsman in the Indian national team and was considered one of the finest batsmen against the spin, of his time. The cricketing icon was painted by Soloman.
From here get to Don Bosco school which is around 300 mtrs away.
Opposite the Don Bosco shrine, is the mural of a man with a cheetah is Saraphino Antao (1937-2011), a sprinter of Goan origin from Mombasa, was the first Kenyan athlete to win internationally. He was tipped to win a medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Influenza and a hamstring injury just prior to the flag raising ceremony in Tokyo, shattered his dreams and he quit the running track. The mural by Soloman sees him being accompanied by the cheetah, as he was also known by, for being one of the world’s fastest men for a few years.
From here proceed towards the Luis Gomes garden in Campal (700 mtrs).
In the quiet bylanes of Campal is the mural of Reita Faria (born in 1943) was the first Asian to win the Miss World title in 1966. A medical student from Grant Medical College she continued her studies at King’s College Hospital, London. Becoming the first Miss World winner to qualify as a doctor, she moved to Dublin in 1973, to set up her practice and currently lives with her family there. Her mural is by Soloman.
From here, you walk towards the Campal park which is just 300 mtrs away, you will come to a copy structure of lighthouse painted right by the main street. This was actually an old kerosene lamp structure which would be in the bygone years, manually lit up for the surrounding grounds. It is now preserved with what appears to be the garden of Eden on its façade. You are now on the main road of the city to proceed in whichever direction you need to go further.
