The soldier on the roof
Bandra's last remaining sentinels
While talking to the D’Souza family, they mentioned a soldier that once stood on the roof of their house, El Dorado.
You can read more about El Dorado here: Finding Sunshine On Convent Road
And that got me reading up on these soldiers frozen in mid salute, which I’ve seen in Goa and Bandra.
There are many theories about these Soldados (Portuguese for soldier). Some say it points to the fact that someone from the family was in military service. Others say it represents a guard that protects a house. There’s also speculation that it’s there to proclaim the social status of the home owner.
And then there’s the more practical theory which says that these terracota soldiers cleverly hide the gap where three or four corners of the roof meet.
In my two decades of living in Bandra, I can only remember seeing the soldier in two bungalows in Bandra. Saudades and Maudestan (Extension)
If you go to Mapusa market in Goa, you’ll find a whole section that sells traditional terracota pottery. So I’m wondering -
a) If these sentinels have a Goa connection. I know El Dorado does, since Alexander John D’Souza, who built the house in 1932, originally came from Goa. I’m not sure about Maudestan and Saudades. b) If anyone remembers seeing any other sentinels on top of houses, in Bandra. I posted a picture of Saudades on my instagram handle Houses Of Bandra, and someone wrote back, saying there were two sentinels. And they flanked the gate of the house.
Also, the sentinels are different. The Maudestan one with his hard hat, looks like a military solider. And the Saudades one with white uniform and peak cap, looks like a Naval soldier.
What else do you see when you look up in Bandra? I’m going to leave that for another day. Till then, here’s a picture of Saudades, taken about a year back.
