Panaji, Oct 12 (TOI): Journalist Cyril Almeida, who has been in the news these last few days after Pakistan barred him from leaving the country for his story on a rift between the country's civilian and military leaderships, has Goan roots.

The Almeidas moved to pre-partition Pakistan when Karachi was part of the Bombay presidency. After partition, 30 years later, the family decided to stay on as there was a thriving Goan community in Karachi. "That is how the origins of Goans in Pakistan began," he told TOI last year when he attended the Goa Arts and Literary Festival (GALF) for the third consecutive year. Although it was Almeida's third visit to Goa, the rest of his family were visiting this former Portuguese colony for the first time.

Almeida speaks impeccable English and Urdu and while he doesn't know Konkani, said he found familiarities in the local language.

"The accent, expressions and pronunciations of the Goan vernacular sound very familiar to my ear. Two generations ago, people would either speak Konkani or be familiar with it, but now we largely speak Pakistani English," he said in an interview to TOI in December 2015.

"People in Goa are very kind and have great interest to know what Pakistan is like," said Almeida, who was apparently influenced by Anthony Mascarenhas, a journalist of Goan origin, then based in Pakistan, who by some accounts broke the story of genocide in East Pakistan. Mascarenhas subsequently shifted to the UK where he wrote for major papers.

Asked what his preconceived notions of Goa were, he said, "I had heard of two Goas; one of the party and beach life, and the other of the traditional life that revolves around the community and Catholic Church. On first coming here, what struck me was that people lead thoroughly modern, sophisticated and international lives in Goa and there is an intellectual vibrancy out here." Almeida also said he experienced a "culture familiarity".

"Some of the cuisine is thoroughly recognizable to what my grandmother used to cook, like the fish and prawn curries, traditional dried seafood, etc. Familiarity with the traditional names of these dishes had slipped with the passage of time, but the taste continues to remain the same."
He added that he takes home the Goan rechado masala on each visit.