I have been looking for a house in Goa. I must have seen 50 properties but haven’t really found it,” said keen golfer, Arjun Sharma; big boss of Le Passage to India (LPTI) India’s second largest destination management company and the brain behind Select Citywalk, Delhi’s first-of-its-kind, uber-luxury mall.

Had I had five dollars for each time that I heard this line in the last few years, I would have been able to shop at Select Citywalk myself, without risking bankruptcy.
“What kind of house?” we had asked wearily.
“Could be something small, but with a great view of the water, preferably by a river. Maybe a few palm trees. I would love one day to have a small boat. It should not be too far from the action of North Goa, but far enough away to be secluded....” Arjun’s voice went dreamy.

We sipped our cocktail and wondered whether Arjun would join the ranks of the innumerable people who want a house in Goa but somehow never get around to doing it. However, back in Goa from Delhi, just a couple of days later, the phone rings. It is serendipity calling, in the shape of a friend, Amol: “If you are free this afternoon, I would like to show you something.”
We find ourselves in Saipem, the pretty backwater of Candolim. The house has a curious shape, with a Titanic-ish bow front and interiors which show potential. It hugs the Nerul River gurgling along the front as the tide comes in. Thick mangroves nudge the river banks and around the house, half a dozen coconut trees sway with the breeze. We look at each other and think, Arjun! Simple, those rare times when things fall into place when the gods seem to be in an exceptionally benevolent mood.

Using a talented designer, Arjun has made the house into a thing of beauty. A hardwood deck surrounds it and provides long riverside views. Large plate glass windows dazzle with superb vistas throughout the living room. At the bar, old Coca-Cola coolers stand cheek to cheek with minimalist brushed steel shelves. The dining table is a study in perfect symmetry with angular benches. Art from Goa’s famous Sonja (of SoTo Décor) brightens the walls. Upstairs, both the bedrooms open out onto a large terrace from where you can admire the sinuous curves of the river around the mangroves. It is a beautiful home, meant as a private retreat.

The house indeed isn’t large, not by comparision to some of the opulent scaled ones favoured by the many new settlers in Goa. Arjun doesn’t need to make a statement – to him, Goa is about simplifying life, paring it down, in terms of space and without any clutter of unnecessary luxuries. The second part of Arjun’s Goa dream came true when the sleek, M V Tara arrived from the States. With flamboyant fast lines which could be at home in a James Bond movie, Tara is a splendid motor yacht. Soft white seats on the tall fly-bridge cushion your ride as she zips through the water. Under the fly-bridge, there is a cosy lounge cum dining room and the sweetest, most romantic bedroom in the bows. Moored at a serene spot in the nearby village of Britona, Tara has a crew of two and is ready to cast off at short notice.

By the time Tara arrived in Goan waters, Arjun met and married Jyotsna, a former model. It turns out that Arjun and Jyotsna had met eight years ago and were destined to meet again. “I guess the time wasn’t right then,” says Jyotsna with a gentle laugh.
In her, Arjun has discovered someone who shares all his passions with gusto. Comfortable in her track pants, Jyotsna carries off her designer gowns and Cartier jewellery with an élan that matches her graceful dive from the Tara into the ocean.

Jyotsna has clear ideas about what she likes. “I find Sabya–sachi’s designs really exciting and there are several of them in my wardrobe.” Like Arjun, Jyotsna loves to travel. “The Danish label, ECCO, makes incredibly comfortable shoes for travelling,” she notes, as an aside. Jyotsna has a vast and eclectic collection of jewellery – from bijou accessories picked up from some tiny tucked-away-in-small-streets boutiques across the world to the serious stuff. “I love the creations from Jaipur’s Gem Palace. Their classic or antique jewellery in Indian designs are my absolute favourite.”

Considering her glamour quotient, Jyotsna’s dream comes as a total surprise. She is very involved in caring for stray or mistreated animals, and is hoping to open a spacious permanent shelter for animals, especially dogs. The shelter would be complete with a fully equipped veterinary surgery and caring attendants. “My work with dogs and my family are the two constants in my life. The rest can change, but these, to me are as vital as oxygen. I cannot do without them!”
So now that they have this wonderful home in Goa, what does this couple with vast ranging interests and passions look forward to, when they are here? “To be honest, after the stress of constant travelling and business meetings, I come to Goa and simply put my feet up. Like last night, after initially discussing where we should have dinner, I looked up at the full moon and thought I am not going anywhere!” So, the Sharmas simply had a hearty meal of fish curry, fried prawns and mussels with red organic rice, all prepared at home by their Goan chef. They then opened a bottle of wine and spent hours on the deck gazing at the moon painting a myriad patterns on the river.

“We have this soft strip lighting under the deck which attracts fish after dark. This brings out a pair of owls who pick up their wriggling prey and retire to the branches to eat them.” Arjun feels strongly about the fragile mangroves around the river. Often, mangroves are cut for firewood, or some die due to over-silting of the river. Spurred on to take an active role in preserving them, he has spent several Sundays in a little boat planting mangrove saplings in the bare patches.
Jyotsna takes a keen interest in the garden, spelling out what plants she would like and where. The garden also shimmers with large hand-painted butterflies Jyotsna picked up on a recent trip to Bali. Two pie dogs follow her, a black with tan spectacles and a red one with a jaunty collar. “They are the original inhabitants of the house,” she laughs. “We are lucky that they share the space with us.”
You can almost see the city-induced stress ebb away as the Sharmas come home to Goa. Rather than entertaining on a large scale, they prefer to relax and cherish what Goa has to offer best of all – nature, peace, privacy and the space to enjoy each other’s company.