Authors: Alcina Rackman Fonseca, Sushil Verma
Abstract: Portugal established itself in Western India in the early 16th century and that lasted over four centuries in places like Goa, Daman, Diu and some parts of the northern Konkan like Vasai and Mumbai with the result being long-lasting cultural changes that remains apparent in the regional identities. This paper will discuss the complex Portuguese impact on the culture of Western India in terms of an interdisciplinary approach with scholarships on architecture, language, religion, food habits, music, and social identity. The historical evidence, linguistics and related studies, archeology, and ethnographical as well as cultural history all contribute to the synthesis of the available literature in presenting the ways in which Portuguese colonialism operated as neither political domination nor simply as process of cultural exchange and creolization. Their results indicate that the Indo-Portuguese culture was not formed through force, but through the negotiated interactions, leading to the creation of the hybrid forms, including: the Indo-Portuguese domestic architecture, the Konkani language with Portuguese influence of lexical elements, the catholic rituals based on a local setting, the unique cuisine, and the creole musical styles such as the mando. The paper recommends that Portuguese cultural influence in Western India can be interpreted as a living, multifaceted heritage enshrined in ordinary life as opposed to being a colonial legacy. The study also adds to the wider discussions of cultural exchange in regions, hybridity and postcolonial identity formation in South Asia through coalescing regional case studies within Goa, Mumbai-Vasai and Daman-Diu.
