Tequila from Mexico, Scotch from Scotland.
Cashew Feni is considered one of the chief products of Goa by locals and tourists alike. The intoxicating drink is consumed both as a social drink as well as a medicine for various illnesses including sore throats etc.
In spite of the popularity of the drink, not much is known about the process involved. The traditional feni distillers are found in places like Pernem and Colvale in the north and Quepem, Canacona in the south. These people sweat it out from March to May. It is a labourous job. Yet it is not these people who really make the money. While they sell their product for about Rs 25 per bottle (less than a dollar), the middle men in shops hike the price to even over Rs 100 per bottle (over two dollars).
This photo documentary is dedicated to the hard workers who strive to put the famous Goan Elixir into bars and homes all across the state.
Today efforts are on to acquire a global patent for the drink, much like tequila in mexico.

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The potters of Goa have been known for their creativity and indeed their patience for the art. From collecting clay from the various fields to baking the finished works of art, these men and their families toil daily at an art form that is slowly dying.

While in the old days, there was a lot of business for earthenware in the house, today aluminum and plastic have taken over. As a result, in villages like Succor in Porvorim where earlier there used to be exclusively potters, today few remain. Some have elevated themselves to “designer artists” and seek to survive through up market clients others “perform” at five-star hotels for foreign tourists – giving them a glimpse of the way the wheel turned, in the process, making Poetry in Clay.

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Nestling between the cool blue waters of the Arabian sea and the dusty heights of the Sayadhri mountain range, Goa is one of the more popular tourist destinations in India.

Beggars or street children were traditionally a rarity. A high per capita income, above average literacy levels and a peace loving people, marks this western-Indian state apart.

But an influx of migrant labourers from neighbouring states, with their large families has changed all that. They arrive in the hope of escaping the abject poverty in their home states only to find themselves on the outer margins of society, unable to sustain themselves on the meager wages.

The children are the main victims in this sorry tale. They scour the streets in search of jobs to feed themselves, never having seen a school. Illiterate and alone they are easy targets for exploitation and abuse in hotels and shacks.
When you are at the bottom of the ladder, you are pushed further down. Luckily for many, the future is not as bleak. Homes run by El Shaddai Street Child Rescue like the House of Kathleen, Victory House, Rainbow House, Shekinah House and other centres such as Asha Deep or Stepping Stones Night Shelter and Day Care Units hold out hope to these children.

Within their walls, more than food, clothing and shelter, these children have been offered life’s second chance.

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