Welcome to GSB Katte — do you know what the word katte means in konkani. It is a raised platform that defines a space. If you were raised in a traditional konkani speaking GSB family, you might have heard of Madde Katte (moat surrounding a coconut tree), Tulsi Katte (structure around a Tulsi plant). In a time which now seems long lost, these katte around the big trees in a central village space were a space of gathering, of rest for travellers and naturally a place for conversations, for sharing ideas, news and even gossips! In fact there is a phrase ‘katteri baisun phardi panchadik korche’ which literally means making conversatios and gossips sitting on a katte.
Just as communities have historically gathered under a katte to share stories, wisdom, and guidance, GSB Katte brings that experience online, sharing stories around our customs and traditions. We hope to provide an archive for this generation and next.
We GSBs are a unique community. Constant migrations have shaped us, requiring adaptations to new places — yet at our heart, we’ve preserved our distinct identity. Explaining who we are can be tricky:
- We are from Goa, but not necessarily Goans.
- We are mostly fish-eating Brahmins.
- Our mother tongue is Konkani, but many of us also know other languages with scripts.
- We are experts in dosas and idlis, but we are not just South Indians.
- We are Vaishnavs, yet many of us also have Shiv/Shakti family deities.
We are no longer a generation that does things “just because that’s how it’s done.” We want explanations. And when we don’t find them we look at random unvalidated sources. Majority of us don’t live in traditional community circles, where elders would naturally pass on stories and cultural context. That’s why documenting and sharing this knowledge is so important.
Your curiosity about yourself, your identity, and your culture has likely brought you here. Welcome to this journey! Even if you don’t find all the answers to your questions, we hope you leave this site learning something new about our GSB heritage.
On this website we want to help the visitors:
- Learn more about your Kuldevatas, Ishtadevatas and their temple
- Get insights on our unique traditions, music and literature
- Refer a directory on all the GSB places
- Access verified tools and resources to stay connected
Please be mindful, this is a journey we are taking with you, our information may not be perfect, but our intentions are in a good place. So if you want to us to correct any content, do not hesitate to contact us.
We welcome community participation! If you have any stories or legends about your Kuldevata, our history and GSB cultural traditions please write to us at [email protected].