Seeking the Sun in Goa
Toronto Star
Retiring to one's roots
Feb. 13, 2006. PRITHI YELAJA STAFF REPORTER

CANDOLIM, GOA-Like many other retired Torontonians, Rita and Vishnu Mathur went seeking the sun this winter, but instead of trekking off to a condo in Florida, they've found their version of an oceanside paradise here on India's southwest coast. They're among a growing number of foreign citizens - Europeans, Indian expats from Britain, and a few intrepid Canadians, even some with no roots in India - drawn to Goa by a fine climate, low cost of living, and cosmopolitan culture, advantages that for many outweigh the potential drawbacks of retiring in India.

Each day for the Mathurs ends with a beach walk timed to catch the sun setting in a cloudless sky over the Arabian Sea. "We feel if we don't see it every day, we've really missed something magical," says Rita, 60, an editor. The Mathurs decided to buy a place in this former Portuguese colony, one of India's top beach destinations, three years ago.

Candolim is 12 kilometres from Panaji, Goa's capital. "It's not that we're running away from snow so much - the added advantage here is returning to our roots," says Vishnu, 71, who left New Delhi for Canada in 1976 and was a producer/director for CBC's The Nature of Things for 15 years. Adds Rita: "It's like we have one foot here and one foot in Canada. Every time we come back here, we feel renewed."

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