Elsa’s Joint and Some Goan Characters

Set in the quintessentially Portuguese ambience of Panjim, Goa, Elsa’s Joint is a delightful novel about the petty troubles and travails that mark the lives of its residents—of course, for them, they are neither petty nor small, but major earth-shattering events. It all begins when Mr. Fernandes loses his German-made umbrella in a church, where he goes to give a lecture on Panjim’s history. Elsa’s joint, the tavern where all and sundry get together, bears witness to all. Written in a witty, humorous vein, Elsa’s Joint weaves a lovely tapestry of life in a small town. Author of the much acclaimed On a Goan Beach, Remigio Botelho started his career in journalism while he was still a student in Bombay. He then used to write a weekly column called ‘Resurgent India’ for the Goan Tribune, while Goa was still under Portuguese rule. Remigio was a regular writer for many Goan publications till he passed away at the Goa Medical College on 25 September 2001