ThePrint Opinion: Can an outsider ever truly belong in Goa? New book grapples with this question
Apr 11, 2026
A new anthology probes what happens to Goa when desire and consumption shape belonging. Writers examine local resentment toward newcomers and satire skewers wealthy owners who buy identity with property. Essays explore layered judgments among migrants and private hungers like love and loneliness. The collection pushes readers to rethink belonging beyond extraction.
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Appetite Means Desire For Goa Not Food
- Appetite is about hunger for Goa itself, not food or cuisine.
- The anthology frames appetite as desire for land, belonging, reinvention and status among residents and newcomers.
Seema Mustafa Probes Outsider Resentment
- Seema Mustafa recounts moving from Delhi and probing local resentment to understand outsider status.
- She uses journalist instincts to talk with shopkeepers and taxi drivers and finds Goa living two lives: local and visitor-built consumption economy.
Satire Of Wealthy Newcomers Buying Status
- Michelle Bambawale's satirical story depicts wealthy women obsessing over property prices and restaurants.
- Characters show obliviousness to local problems like sewage and water while flaunting houses and pools as status symbols.
