Kurdi reappears, natives plan get-together to relive memories

Margao: With the waters having receded, the submerged Kurdi village in Sanguem has once again resurfaced, drawing hordes of visitors eager to explore the ruins of a village that went under water over three decades ago.

Kurdi reappears every year for a couple of months preceding the monsoon, and the natives of the lost village have now planned two events to mark the annual reunion.

The annual Shree Someshwar Utsav at Kurdi will be held on May 24, with a pooja at 10am, followed by bhajan and mahaprasad in the afternoon. The annual feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel at Kurdi will be held on May 31.

The Kurdi village went under water after it came under the reservoir submergence of the Selaulim irrigation project — a village once known for its rich produce of cashew, jackfruit, mangoes, bananas and coconuts. The receding waters uncover the relics of a centuries-old Someshwar temple, remnants of a Ganesh temple, ruins of a high school, besides vestiges of the entire submerged village. An RCC building that once housed a police outpost, a grocery shop and a teashop is another landmark that bears telltale marks of the village’s past.

Hindustani classical singer Mogubai Kurdikar, mother of the legendary Kishori Amonkar, hailed from Kurdi, and the ruins of her house close to the Someshwar temple can still be seen.

After a brief reappearance, Kurdi goes under water once again when the monsoon sets in.