A raggedy ferry ride into forgotten, dark history
Attending a conference in Dakar, Senegal's boisterous and decidedly sweaty capital, my friend Paul and I found ourselves contemplating what to do on our day off. Originally from the Dutch province of Zeeland - after which New Zealand was named - this is also where the 'discoverer' of Easter Island, Jacob Roggeveen once came from.
Roggeveen's landing at Easter Island in 1722 is now some three centuries ago. A hundred years prior to this, Dutch West India Company (WIC) was established in 1621 with the specific task to involve itself in the nauseating, but decidedly lucrative, trade in enslaved Africans. One of the slave trading posts the Dutch operated to facilitate this was located on the Island of Goree off the coast of Senegal. It seemed fitting to visit it. A couple of times a day, a crowded ferry plies the route from the messy port of Dakar to Goree. A half-an-hour journey, the island reveals itself meticulously built up with a round fort that once offered it protection from other seafaring parties. Seated on wooden benches, the smell of fermented fish mingles with thick fumes of diesel. From somewhere, the intoxicating rhythm of Senegal's iconic mbalax (pronounced: uhm-bal-aks) music can be heard, its lyrics in Wolof that compete with the sonorous rumbling of the boat engine. Paul is contemplating the name 'Goree' (pronounced: go-rey), rolling it around in his mouth as if exploring it with his tongue and trying out different possibilities. In its current spelling it suggests a French origin. But it actually takes its name after the Dutch delta island of Goeree-Overflakkee (Ghhu-rey-Over-flakkey). A contraction of 'goede reede', or 'good roadstead; in Dutch, it's unclear how the Dutch came to take over Goree from the Portuguese who had established themselves here as early as 1444. Seeking access to the region's richness in gold soon got them entangled in the slave trade as well. Vasco da Gama visited the island on 1502, only a few years after having established a route to India. In doing, so he had followed his fellow countryman Bartolomeu Dias, who had been the first European to successfully go round the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. Other islands that became part of the Portuguese network such as Sao Tome and the Cape Verde during this period soon became home to sugarcane plantations demanding an ever-increasing number of slave labourers. From the 1530s, Brazil would follow, the final destination of an estimated 5 mn enslaved Africans.
Goree is particularly known for its House of Slaves and its Door of No Return, once visited by the likes of Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, and Michael Jackson. Constructed around 1776, the 'building hails from Senegal's 'French' period. But historians differ in opinion on what role it actually played in the slave trade. Those who were transported from the island probably never walked through the door itself, but did so from the beach near the fort. While Goree has come to be equated with atrocities of the slave trade, it was Easter Island that was probably more directly impacted by it. Around the time when slavery had already been abolished by most European colonial powers, Peruvian slave raids were busy capturing Polynesians for guano mining. Over half of the population was abducted. The few who made it back carried smallpox with them, decimating the remaining population even further. Half-an-hour on a raggedy ferry can't do justice to this history. But it's remarkable how easily it let its door pried open for a glimpse in. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.) Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. How Vedanta's Anil Agarwal bettered Warren Buffett in returns
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The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Second homes, an investment trend
While a large section of India's population is still struggling to have a roof over their heads, and crores of citizens are buying their first homes in their 30s — entering into loans lasting years and paying EMIs until retirement — in contrast, another segment of wealthy individuals is buying second or holiday homes. These are in picturesque locations across the country: some to upgrade their lifestyle, some for peace of mind, and others to work in tranquility. According to analysts, this trend is accelerating in the post-pandemic era. Topping the list of second home destinations is Goa, followed by the Himalayas, the Sahyadri Hills, and Coorg in the South, with specific hotspots including Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Shimla, Kasauli, Mashobra, Alibaug, Lonavala, and the Nilgiris. Better road connectivity from the nearest main cities to these destinations seems to be one of the main reasons behind people investing in second homes to spend the weekend or the holidays. In the case of Goa, it is excellent air connectivity that is drawing people from all over. New workstations There are people who have turned their second homes into primary residences or workplaces due to the convenience and peace of mind such locations provide. 'The second home buyer in Goa has evolved, and they are not traditional high-net-worth individuals (HNIs),' says Fabiola Mendes E. Rodrigues, Director & HR Partner, Bennet & Bernard, a real estate company that has specialised in this segment. 'We are seeing a distinct segment emerge: urban professionals in their 30s to 50s, founders, tech entrepreneurs, design-led business owners, and NRIs returning with a global mindset,' she adds. Many are first-time second home buyers. 'Pricing ranges between ₹2 crore and ₹7 crore. They are not buying out of impulse or status — they are buying for intention. They are shifting from high-stress metros and choosing a home that supports wellness, stillness, and emotional clarity,' she continues. This new-age buyer is not asking about chandeliers or clubhouses but prefers natural light, question if the noise is buffered, and if there is a verandah to sit in silence. 'They want Vaastu-compliant layouts not just for tradition but to feel balanced. For them, Goa is a place to slow down and reconnect with nature, family, and themselves. Our homes are designed around that rhythm — drawing from Goa's Indo-Portuguese restraint, with courtyards that breathe and architecture that does not overwhelm,' Rodrigues says. Instead of buying square footage, they are buying 'space that listens'. 'And in today's market, that is the quietest and truest definition of luxury,' she emphasises. Meaningful getaways According to developers, the second-home market segment is witnessing a clear upward trend, especially among affluent urban professionals seeking meaningful getaways that go beyond just occasional vacations. 'We have seen strong interest from doctors, lawyers, consultants, business owners and senior corporate executives: people who already own one or more primary residences in the city and are now looking to invest in a leisure home that offers both emotional and lifestyle value,' says Vijay Dwivedi, Senior VP & Head, Leisure Homes, Ambuja Neotia, which is into second home projects in eastern India. These buyers are typically pressed for time and prefer destinations that are easily accessible — ideally within a one or two-hour drive from a city or close to an airport or railway station. But more than location, what they are truly seeking is a sense of well-being. 'Privacy, security, and modern comforts are a given, but what makes a difference is access to curated experiences such as wellness amenities, nature trails, social spaces, and engaging activities for all age groups,' Dwivedi says. Second homes that are integrated with hospitality offerings seem to be preferred by investors. By anchoring these destinations around boutique hospitality, developers are able to offer residents access to multiple F&B options, entertainment, and wellness services — all within the ecosystem. 'This creates a vibrant and enriching environment that feels like a retreat yet functions like a thoughtfully curated community. We have seen this demand thrive in locations like the riverfront near Kolkata and the hills and forests of north Bengal,' he continues. For a segment of people, the second home is no longer just a luxury; it is a smart, future-ready investment. Financial returns 'With strong capital appreciation, growing rental yields, and the priceless return of wellness and work-life balance, second homes offer both emotional fulfilment and financial sense,' explains Parag Munot, Managing Director, Kalpataru Ltd., which has second home projects in Karjat, Nagpur, and Lonavala in Maharashtra. According to him, from millennials to NRIs, India's second home market is where aspiration meets opportunity. Echoing the same sentiment, Ashwin Chadha, CEO, India Sotheby's International Realty, says that for many buyers, these homes are not just property investments but investments in well-being, work-life balance, and long-term lifestyle freedom. Second homes are also promising when it comes to rental yield and capital appreciation. Goa, Alibaug, and Kasauli have witnessed capital appreciation of 9% to 12% annually, with some areas in north Goa recording even up to 20% returns, he adds. Additionally, short-term rentals are generating annual yields of 4% to 6%, often outperforming metro-based luxury apartments. Remote work trends and digital nomads have further pushed year-round demand in these destinations, he says. However, a second home also comes with its own challenges. Ownership can make sense if one uses it regularly or if it generates good financial returns. 'Liquidity, maintenance, and regulatory considerations, especially for NRIs, must be carefully evaluated. Legal clarity, succession planning, and local community dynamics also play a role in long-term satisfaction,' Chadha says. 'HNIs are advised to treat second homes as a strategic addition to their overall real estate portfolio, ideally limiting them to 25% of their total real estate investment. With the right mix of location, legal due diligence, and long-term planning, second homes can offer not just a lifestyle upgrade but also a meaningful financial return,' he says. Thus, second homes are no longer just retreats but serious lifestyle assets serving both personal and investment goals, if chosen wisely.
Scroll.in
a day ago
- Scroll.in
Crime fiction: The line between culinary artistry and sinister manipulation blurs at this restaurant
The amazing aroma completely enveloped him! The moment he opened the door of the taxi and set his foot on the ground, he became aware of the fragrance pervading the air. It was unfamiliar, something he had never come across in his life. He immediately felt its enchanting allure. He was ravenous anyway after having travelled for four or five hours without any halts, but with this tempting aroma, his hunger reached explosive proportions. Spotting a roadside restaurant just twenty yards away, he removed his sunglasses and took a proper look. He could clearly see its strange and uncommon name on the signboard. He took a deep drag on the cigarette pressed between his lips and cast a sideways glance at the taxi before moving ahead. The driver was waiting with his head outside the window. As soon as their eyes met, the man nodded in assent, and at once the taxi departed with a loud whoosh. The restaurant in front of him proudly proclaimed: Tagore Never Ate Here! Absolutely bloody true, he thought. I would never eat here either, except … Sniffing appreciatively, he continued walking. The restaurant, a handsome single-storeyed bungalow beside the highway, had a long veranda with a tin awning painted green in front. A single glance at the large French windows and the massive carved wooden door was enough to imprint the place in one's mind. There were very few attractive restaurants like this located beside the highway. Most of them functioned as halts for buses carrying passengers. The big bus service companies themselves owned some of the restaurants. Each had a large vacant area in front that served as parking space for the buses and coaches; but it was not like that in this unique restaurant. The empty space in front of it could at best accommodate ten or twelve passenger cars. No long-distance bus or coach was parked there. Where were they parked then? He found the answer to the left of the restaurant. There was a petrol pump about a hundred or a hundred and fifty yards from Tagore. Several buses, coaches and lorries were parked there. Looking all around, he cast his eyes once again at the restaurant. Only a white-coloured vehicle and a black-coloured microbus stood in the clearing in front. The afternoon was crawling along. Everything seemed to be dozing here. The highway too seemed to stretch languidly. One or two buses or lorries plied along it every once in a long while. In the vicinity of the restaurant were paddy fields, pools of water and canals. Behind it, far away, lay a rural settlement. Farmers' homesteads dotted the vast paddy land. A narrow muddy path ran towards those homesteads, with large tracts of farmland on either side. Here and there lay small and large ponds, pools and drainage channels. If you gazed into the distance, you glimpsed the eternal scene of the green plain becoming one with the sky. Approaching the restaurant, he paused to take a final, satisfying puff before flicking away the cigarette. The massive carved door was just beside the 'No Smoking' sign, and as soon as he pushed it and entered, he was taken aback for a few moments. Rabindrasangeet, playing softly, wafted from within. He wasn't surprised. It was to be expected, especially in a restaurant with such a name. He studied the room now. The decor and milieu were completely different, as was the arrangement of the furniture, with three or four chairs around each circular table. Five or six such tables were set up in the room. At best, this arrangement could seat only twenty or twenty-five customers, which was half the number of people that the large space could accommodate. It was as if its owner was conveying a message to everyone: I am not in the restaurant business simply to earn money. What I'm engaged in is a kind of art! In this wintry late afternoon, there were some five or six customers at two tables who were eating with great gusto. Looking at them, it seemed they had taken a break in their long journey in order to eat. Perhaps they had heard good things about this restaurant from someone and come down to try it out. Seeing him enter, some of the diners turned to look at him, but not for very long; they went back to focusing their attention on the delicious food laid out in front of them. Glancing around, he couldn't spot any waiters, so he sat down at a table in front. The seat was most comfortable. Restaurants did not normally have such comfortable seating. One could sit here with one's arms and legs spread out. He proceeded to do just that. His whole body felt sluggish after the long journey. For a restaurant, the place was amazing. There were no menus on the tables. That was curious too. Nor were there any waiters or any other staff. It was a completely unconventional scenario. There was a small door to the northern side, perhaps one could go through that to another room beyond. Just beside the door was a small window. It had an opaque, blackish glass pane through which nothing was visible. He looked westwards. There were two more doors. From the signs he figured out they were washrooms for men and women. A sudden knock startled him. Behind him, a bit to his right, a youth was standing. He was a waiter. If he hadn't had the menu in his hand, he might have been mistaken for a customer. 'Here's the menu,' the youth said. 'Take a look. If you want to order, I'll come by.' He left without saying anything more. How will this waiter know when I want to order? He thought about that. Strange! He quickly scanned the menu. Unlike other restaurants, the number of items here wasn't excessive, and he noticed that most of the names of the dishes were unfamiliar. They had probably given new names to commonly known dishes. And some items in the menu had been displayed separately as 'Mushkan's Specials'. Mushkan's Curry. Mushkan's Secrecy! Mushkan's Soup of Life! Mushkan's Hybrid Cramchop! Mushkan's Golden Pond Drink! Mushkan's Just Tea! What exactly was 'Mushkan's'? Was it the name of an Arabian or Persian dish? Like the Lebanese shawarma? He realised that this restaurant was cleverly creating a mystery, and was utterly open about it. Mystery! That is what I have come here to unravel, he thought to himself. He took his eyes off the menu and looked around. There was no sign of the waiter. Such a large restaurant and just one waiter! And he too vanishes like a ghost, refusing to stay in sight. He saw the door on the north side opening and the same waiter emerging. Coming to stand beside him, the young man said, 'Yes, sir … Tell me.' 'I've been on a long journey … What do you suggest I order so that I can have a hearty meal? I can't figure out anything from your menu.' There was no smile on the waiter's face, rather he appeared somewhat unhappy hearing the customer. 'You can have rice with meat or fish curry. Would you like something special along with that?' 'By special do you mean something like Mushkan's?' The taunt in his words annoyed the waiter. 'Yes, something like that,' he retorted. 'What exactly is this Mushkan? Is it Arabian cuisine or something Persian?' The waiter stared at him for a few moments. 'It seems you have come here for the first time.' 'Yes.' The youth smiled courteously. 'It's a name, sir.' 'Name of what?' 'The name of the owner of this restaurant. She's the one who has prepared our entire menu.' 'Prepared your menu meaning?' 'She's a chef … you could say an extraordinary chef!' 'Oh.' The customer nodded and pondered for a few moments. A woman running a restaurant in a border region like this? And a chef to boot? An extraordinary chef even! 'All right, so what can I have with rice?' He stopped thinking about anything else and trained his attention to the matter of food. His hunger was becoming unbearable. 'You could try Mushkan's Curry. It's a beef curry.' 'Then give me that.' 'Okay, sir.' He was surprised to see the waiter depart without saying anything more. 'Listen!' he called out to the youth. The waiter turned around. 'Yes?' 'It would be nice to get some dal or vegetable curry with that … Is there something like that on your menu –' 'There's dal and several kinds of bhortas, sir,' the waiter interrupted him. 'It's complimentary with the rice.' 'Oh,' the man said, raising his eyebrows. 'All right.' 'Just tell me if there's anything you'd like to have, there's no problem,' the waiter said before hurrying away in the direction of the shut door. The man looked at the three customers sitting far away. They were certainly all going somewhere for a holiday. The people were eating with such delight that watching them, it seemed they were savouring the most delicious food in the world. They ate silently, glancing at one another every now and then to exchange admiring looks. It was indeed a sight to behold. It was as if each one were engaged in a pantomime. From their clothes and appearance they gave the impression of being well educated and wealthy, definitely not the kind to lick their fingers, but that was what they were doing right now. Despite being so far away, the delicious aroma of the food on that table wafted to his nose—incredible and enchanting. Excerpted with permission from Tagore Never Ate Here, Mohammad Nazim Uddin, translated from the Bengali by V Ramaswamy, HarperCollins India.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business Standard
Schengen visa in 4 days? Indian couple gets 5-year multi-entry via cascade
Have you visited Europe before on a Schengen visa? If yes—and if you have a clean travel record—you could now be eligible for a longer-term, multi-entry Schengen visa under the EU's new 'cascade' regime. Recently, a couple on Reddit shared their experience of successfully securing a 5-year Schengen visa from France. According to them, their application was processed in just four working days at the French consulate in Bengaluru. 'Sharing my experience for those curious about the cascade regime—it seems to be finally working well, at least in France's case!' they wrote. The Indian passport holder explained that they had travelled to 32 countries in total, including three previous trips to the Schengen area with visas issued by Germany and Spain. Their most recent visa from Spain was only valid for 45 days. This time, they submitted a detailed application including: • A cover letter requesting a longer-validity visa • Copies of all pages from both their old and new passports • A 10-day France travel itinerary • Two years' income tax returns • Three months of payslips and bank statements • All standard documents typically required for a Schengen tourist visa They also mentioned their prior Schengen travel history in the cover letter. 'For the cascade regime, you need at least two visas in the past three years to be eligible for a 2-year visa, but granting a longer duration visa is completely at the discretion of the visa officer,' the user added. What is the Schengen 'cascade' system? The cascade system is part of a revised Schengen Visa Code introduced by the EU in 2020 and applied more widely since April 18, 2024. It offers longer-validity, multiple-entry visas to nationals of India, Turkey, and Indonesia who meet certain travel history criteria. Here's how the tiers work: • A 1-year visa may be granted if the applicant has used three visas in the previous two years • A 2-year visa is possible after holding a 1-year multiple-entry visa • A 5-year visa may follow if the applicant has held a 2-year visa in the past three years All long-term visas still follow the 90/180 rule, meaning you can stay a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. Only certain visas count Not every visa contributes to cascade eligibility. Airport transit visas and visas limited to a single Schengen country are excluded. Applications must be made from your home country. So Indian applicants must apply while residing in India. The scheme supports the EU's broader policy of facilitating access for 'trusted travellers' from countries that cooperate on migration, including readmission of nationals. According to the regulation, business travellers, seafarers, artists and athletes are among those who may be considered favourably. 'More favourable approaches in issuing multiple-entry visas with a long period of validity should take into account, in particular, the existence of trade agreements covering the mobility of business persons,' the rules say. Which countries are covered by multiple-entry Schengen Visa? The Multiple-Entry Schengen Visa grants access to the entire Schengen area, which consists of 29 European countries. They are Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. How to strengthen your Schengen application Hari Ganapathy, co-founder of Indian travel firm Pickyourtrail, shared a few suggestions to help applicants avoid common mistakes and improve their chances under the cascade regime: Choose the correct visa type: Most Indian tourists apply for a Type C short-stay visa. If visiting multiple countries, apply through the embassy of the country you'll stay in the longest. Submit complete, consistent paperwork: Passport, photos, travel insurance, flight bookings, income proof, and accommodation details must all align. Apply early: Processing usually takes 15 days but can stretch during peak periods. Apply at least three to four weeks in advance—or earlier during summer or winter holiday seasons. Prepare for interviews and biometrics: Interviews aren't always required, but when they are, embassies look for clarity and consistency in your responses. Prove financial capacity and secure insurance: Your documents should show you can support yourself. Travel insurance must cover medical emergencies with a minimum of €30,000 coverage. While the cascade regime opens the door to longer visits, it's not automatic. Visa officers still assess each case individually. Overstaying or working without authorisation during previous visits can hurt your chances—even if you meet the travel history criteria.
