FULL HOUSE, FULL HEARTS: VDCC IS NOW OPEN Outstanding response from Assagao community for three-day weekend launch of the Centre
Assagao, NOVEMBER, 2025 : The launch of the Victor D’Mello Community Centre in Assagao, Goa this weekend was an enormous success. The D’Mello family expected approximately 200 participants over a stacked three-day schedule of activities even though the Centre’s Hall and Library rooms could each accommodate no more than 25 at a time. The 11 events registered 500+ participants, including the launch evening on 21 November to which 150 people itself showed up.
“This is wonderful! To have our home resonate with laughter and joy of so many people, especially that of children, is absolutely wonderful. After all the tragedy and pain we endured since 2019, this conversion from home to community centre is worth it. We consider this the journey’s start,” said Alan D’Mello, son of late Victor Cajetan D’Mello, in whose honour, the Centre is named.
“My grandfather and his generation did a lot of good work for this community and that must continue with us in this generation. I look forward to everyone in this wonderful village calling our family home, now a Community Centre, their home too,” said Victor’s granddaughter Anouk D’Mello, in her speech at the inauguration, delivered in Konkani.
21 November 2025 would have been Victor D’Mello’s 95th birthday. Over the weekend, 10 events were hosted that honoured his life’s work as well as the new Centre’s focus. The signature activity was a special showing of watercolour paintings by the renowned Mapusa-based artist Vinay Prabhu Mhambre. He presented 40 works from his vast repertoire that so beautifully represented aspects of Goa and her people that are today overlooked in our misplaced haste of ‘modern’ life. The exhibition will continue for public viewing till 30 November, 2025. Entry is free.
Tradition was honoured by being the theme of the first every session hosted at the Centre. Early on Saturday morning, with the morning’s sun streaming in through the roof tiles, the ladies of Assagao gathered in their traditional sarees and jewellery to sing local village songs of the past.
Other events of the three-day celebration were a live demonstration of watercolour paintings by Mhambre who also hosted a painting competition for age groups 04-16 years . The absolutely fabulous poetess Mamata Verlekar presented her work and that of Munshi Premchand to a raptured audience, Elijah De Souza hosted a kitchen garden workshop, Tino de Sa read from his new mystery novel for young adults while he and Michelle Mendonca Bambawale hosted an impromptu session of the ’Assagao Readers and Writers’. The essay writing competition was hosted by Sharmila Kamble.
Finally, on Sunday night, to close out the launch celebrations, a game of Housie was organised. 100+ children and adults of the immediate locality crammed in the main Hall, meant for 50, for a very loud game. “I’m certain that in the 150+ years of this house, such a large gathering generating so much laughter and noise, has never happened. Now, we hope to repeat this fairly often. We have put the village and world on notice; the Victor D’Mello Community Centre has arrived,” said a happy Alan after the final event was done.
