A Peek Into Portugal In The Heart Of Goa

The hand of fate seems to have played a role in Bennita Ganesh stumbling across a 200-year-old Portuguese manor, now named as Arco Iris. Tired of the corporate rat race in Bengaluru, Bennita decided to return to South Goa where she grew up, and buy an old home. If you've visited this part of India's favourite holiday state, then you would have seen a number of mansions, most in various stages of decay. The families have either moved abroad or to other parts of India. A few are still inhabited by the descendants of the original owners. If you think buying a house that's been unlived in for ages might be an easy task - think again. It took Bennita a couple of years, a narrow escape from a double-crossing real estate agent and plenty of trips from Bengaluru to finally find what she was looking for in the village of Curtorim. Luckily, for her, the house had just one owner, an old lady, who was happy to sell the property to Bennita.