Goa’s Honda drives an export industry

Many years before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s

‘Make in India’ project

was announced in 2014, the

Automobile Corporation of Goa Ltd

(ACGL), located in

Honda

,

Sattari

, was already manufacturing buses for many of its foreign clientele, including companies in Japan, Dubai and South Africa.

“Honda, through ACGL, has carved a place of eminence in Goa as it has made the state famous both nationally and internationally,” says village chronicler Sanjiv Atmaram Prabhu Khanolkar, a resident of Bicholim, who lived in Honda for around two decades.

Etymologically, the name Honda was derived from hon’no which means a small water body like a pond, says local historian Rajendra Kerkar. As the village is situated at the foot of the Western Ghats, rain water flowed downhill over the years and created hollow crevices in the land. “This hollow land was called hon’no which later was called Honda,” says Kerkar.

Noted Goan scholar Rui Gomes Pereira in his work ‘Gaunkari – The Old Village Associations’ writes that a Regulamento (regulation) of 1882 mentions Honda as among the comunidade villages of Sattari. The Code of Comunidades, 1961, however, does not reflect Honda as a comunidade village. The disappearance of an ancient gaunkari/comunidade during this period would require a further study.

After the panchayat system was introduced in 1963 by the Indian administration, the Honda village panchayat was formed and its jurisdiction also covered the villages of Saleli, Bhuipal, Sonshi and Soliem for administration purpose.

Honda village panchayat has 11 wards in which resides its population of 9,000 persons. The village’s traditional wards are Gaonkar, Bodan, Posto, Wadakade, Dhangar, Ponshemol, Chodankar, Rane, Varcha, Narayan Nagar, Azooba Nagar and Vadadev Nagar.

The Honda village panchayat operates a large farm area which has plantations of many fruit-bearing trees, including mango and chickoo. “The farm needs a facelift and needs to be developed like a modern plantation area. It will bring in more revenue to the panchayat,” said a villager, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Honda is located 34 km from Panaji and 43 km from Margao. It is bordered by the villages of Morlem and Pissurlem in Sattari taluka, Arvalem in Bicholim taluka and Kundaim in Ponda taluka. “It is the Parvash Dwar (entry door) to Sattari taluka from the talukas of Bicholim and Ponda,” states Khanolkar.

In 1982, orchard areas that were once used for the cultivation of paddy, ‘nachne’ (cereal) and vegetables, were developed by the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) for setting up of an industrial estate and the ACGL facility.

Though the fruits of industrial development are touching the area slowly and steadily, it has even benefited the marginal sections of society including the Dhangars (herding caste), classified as Scheduled Tribes. “The Dhangars have risen up in the social matrix by getting themselves educated and climbed the career graph by getting white collared jobs,” says Khanolkar.


RENOWNED RESIDENTS

Late Krishna Babli Mayenkar: Freedom fighter

Late Krishna Rao Rane: Freedom fighter and former sarpanch

Dr Vikas Solyekar: Orthopaedic surgeon, directorate of health services

Suresh Anant Bharve and Ramesh Anant Bharve: Temple priests

Ramnath Gaonkar: Bhajan singer

Govind Narayan Gaonkar: Social worker, bhajan singer and ex-sarpanch

Pandurang Shankar Gaonkar and Sunil Dattaram Hondkar: Social workers

Laxman Ramulo Gaonkar and Ulhas Fondu Gaonkar: Village raconteurs

Heritage Trail/Landmarks

Automobile Corporation of Goa Ltd - Promoted by Tata Motors and EDC (Economic Development Corporation), this engineering facility was set up in 1982. It manufactures bus coaches, components and sheet metal at two units at Bhuipal and Wadakade. The company has its shares listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).


Industrial Training Institute - Set up in 1986 at Vadedev Nagar, this centre imparts technical skills and knowledge for employment in industrial plants and factories.


Sateri Devasthan - This centuries-old temple, located near Kelbai temple, is situated at Gaonkarwada. It becomes a frequented spot for devotees from the village and outside during Dussehra.


Mahadev Devasthan - Another old temple at Honda dedicated to Lord Shiva is located at Saleli and lies near Saleli Tollem. Devotees throng the revered spot during Mahashivratri.


Saleli Tollem - Two months ago, this water body was divided with laterite stone walls into three compartments. It is an important source of water for domestic purposes including bathing, washing of clothes, etc.


Gaunkarwada Tollem - One of the oldest lakes in the village, it becomes a hotspot for villagers, especially from Gaunkarwada, during the time of immersion of Ganesh idols.


Bhagwan Mahaveer Public School - This English-medium educational institute at Postowada is 50 years old. It caters to over 300 students from Class I to Class X.


Primary School at Vadedev Nagar - This Marathi-medium school was opened sometime after 1963 and presently caters to the educational needs of 100 students.


Industrial Estate - There are 80 units set up in Saleli and Wadakade at the Honda industrial estate established by the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC).