Isidore Domnick MendisBlessed with stunning flora and fauna, Bhati village, in Sanguem taluka, is located 73km from the state capital of Panaji.It shares its frontiers with three villages in Karnataka, namely Bondeli, Keloli and Digi, while the villages of Curdi-Vaddem and Uguem are its neighbouring villages in Goa.The seven-ward village also has 'vadde' (vaddo: singular, meaning traditional village ward) such as Bhati Tisk, Bhatikar, Madiyanomos Gaunkar, Zorivaddo Gaunkar, Bamon, Valshe, Dongor, Maida, Villian, Kumari, Tudav, Valkini Colony No. 2, Valkini Colony No. 3, etc.The origin of the village name, Bhati, is believed to have its genesis from the term bhatkar (landlord). Some of the noted bhatkars from the village are Arvind Bhatikar, Vasudev Bhatikar, Jayakrishna Bhatikar and Nilkant Bhatikar. Nerul and Shiroda, which are villages elsewhere in Goa, also have wards named Bhati.In the village demography, over 95% of its 5,500 population are xhetkars (farmers). Its scheduled tribe (ST) population numbers 3,500 persons. Purso Naru Gaonkar, activist and ex-PTA chairperson of government primary and middle school, feels that ST persons from Bhati do not matter to the state government as far as governance of the village is concerned. "Only one seat is reserved in the entire village for our community. Ironically, till date, ward No. 7 remains unrepresented by a scheduled tribe person although 80% of the residents are STs," he says.Residents' SpeakThe verdant village is a perfect abode for a healthy living. Efforts should be made by the state and local bodies to create jobs for Bhati villagers. At the same time, village infrastructure must be improved. The village needs better facilities for education, power, water, road access and a bridge.Purso Naru Gaonkar | resident of Madiyanomos Gaunkar VaddoBhati is home to the famed Siddha mountain and has many temples. Its economy got severely affected due to the closure of mining activities in 2012. I run a small restaurant in the village, but the shutting down of mining activities drastically decreased the footfall of customers.Rudresh Morajkar | resident of Bamon VaddoSarpanch's takeIt is ironical that despite lying in the proximity of Selaulim dam, Bhati, along with surrounding villages, does not get round-the-clock supply of drinking water. It is also high time that the state government accelerates the land acquisition process in order to develop and renovate the dilapidated government primary and middle school, and the run-down village panchayat office.Uday P NaikRENOWNED RESIDENTSJanaki Naro Gaonkar: Aged 101 years, the local classical singer is popular with the melodies he performs at weddings, fugudi, dhalo (Goan folk songs) etcChandrakant Siddhu Bhatikar: Chairman of Shree Malikarjun Dudh Society, he is a well-known tabla player in the village and former deputy sarpanchChandaram Velip: Head of Siddhanath Temple and Siddhanath Dudh SocietyKrishna K Gaonkar: 'Natak kalakar' (drama artiste) from Kamari vaddoArvind Bhatikar: Erstwhile chairman of MPT (Mormugao Port Trust)Vasudev Gaonkar: Ex two- term BJP MLA from Sanguem constituencyNavanath Naik: South Goa zilla panchayat chairmanLate Jayakrishna Bhatikar: Bhajan singer who rendered his voice for All India Radio programmesHeritage TrailSri Kaneri Siddha Temple: The most celebrated place of worship of the village is situated at Siddha Parvat (enlightened hill) which houses the small, but stylish Lord Shiva temple that is popular for its zatra, which commences on the third day of Maha Shivratri (festival of Lord Shiva). There is a tradition that all newly-married couples of the village spend one night at this old, sacred site. The venerated place is a delight for trekkers, too, as it involves traversing a distance of around 5km through a steep narrow trail from the base gate in Bhekre near Bhati Tisk.Pepla Mol: The 15-year-old overpass, made of mhadat tree (forest tree), is used by 10 families residing at Dongor Vaddo. The families comprise around 70 persons who cross the rivulet in order to reach the other part of the village, including Valshe Vaddo, where the closest government primary school exists. A similar situation is faced by residents of Kamari Vaddo who also do not have a bridge over this water courseShree Malikarjun Temple: Situated at Bhatikar Vaddo, the century-old temple is an important place of worship, which is frequented mostly by devotees during Durga Asthami. Kumari Vaddo also houses another Shree Malikarjun Temple of the village.Siddhanath Temple: This over-four-century-old revered place at Villian Vaddo was renovated six years ago. Its festival of Maha Shivaratri is its important festival.Government Primary and Middle School (GPMS): The educational institute comprises two worn-out buildings. The primary school was built in 1963, while the middle school was inaugurated in 1986. As the GPMS has not received a no-objection certificate from the landlord, it has not been maintained. It caters to only 38 students, as parents are afraid to enroll their wards as the premises have become unsafe.Siddeshwar Sporting Club: Situated close to the panchayat and GPMS, this registered club was the main body to organise sporting events, including volleyball, kabaddi, etc. But, for the past two decades, its functioning has come to a standstill and its decrepit look depicts its sorry state of affairs.Chowgule Plant: Situated at Tudav Vaddo, the ore-washing plant provided employment to a large number of villagers before it was shut down 15 years ago.Shree Malikarjun Dudh Society: Established in 1980, it is a source of livelihood for villagers. Among the top dairies of Goa in terms of milk production, it supplies 1,400 litres of milk to Goa Dairy daily. Siddhanath Cooperative Dudh Society at Villian is another centre for villagers to sell cow milk.

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