In an era where luxury and commercialism often overshadow community and heritage, Canada-based Alison DMello, along with her brother Alan DMello, have made a significant gesture to preserve and enhance the essence of their ancestral village of Assagao by converting their 150-year-old heritage ancestral house into a community centre
The façade of the 150-year old ancestral house of the late Victor DMello which has now been converted into a community centre for the villagers of Assagao.
PANAJI
Canada-based Alison DMello, along with her brother Alan DMello have transformed their 150-year-old ancestral home in Assagao to The Victor DMello Community Centre (VDCC), as a heartfelt tribute to their late father, Victor Cajetan DMello, a distinguished freedom fighter and community leader.
This initiative aims to rejuvenate the community spirit in Assagao, a village now known for its luxury villas and high-end restaurants but lacking a hub for communal activities.
Alan DMello credits their father and his generation as the inspiration for this initiative.
He shares, “My father and his generation set the foundation for this country. Putting country and community before self was the norm then, not the exception it is now. They knew they had to be socially responsible and help those less fortunate.”
The VDCC is a reflection of these values, aiming to rebuild the community's sense of togetherness that has diminished over the years due to political and economic changes.
He continues, “Assagao was a cohesive community till at least a decade ago. Politics has a large part to play, so does economics in our current social decline. We have a surplus of villas, pools and restaurants, but no centre for the community. The VDCC is a small step in the path back to reclaiming our community as well as moving forward. We will include rather than exclude our new neighbours.”
The primary focus of the VDCC is education, providing and enabling it for the local community. It is a reflection of their father's lifelong work for the community. It will house a permanent library of contemporary reading, serve as an education centre for underprivileged village children, as a centre of scholarship and a venue for art, music and activities that enhance the local cultural milieu.
Two key programmes to be launched at the Centre are the ‘Assagao Advanced Education Programme’ which will nurture and fund Assagao youth towards high skill professional careers such as medicine, law, engineering etc., and the ‘Assa Re Gao’ programme will focus on nurturing traditions and hosting community events of global calibre.
Victor Cajetan DMello, born on November 11, 1930, was a prominent figure in Goa's freedom struggle against both British and Portuguese rule. A science graduate with a high-profile corporate career, he was known for his wisdom, oratory skills, and dedication to education. As a board member of the Assagao Association, he emphasised the importance of quality education for all, even converting his home into a village school during the early years, never turning down a request for help.
(L-R) Alison DMello and Alan DMello, the children of late freedom fighter Victor DMello, have opened their ancestral house at Assagao’s Bouta waddo to the local community as the Victor DMello Community Centre.
Reflecting on their youth in Assagao, Alison reminisced, “Our home felt like a universe. The big hall was for football, the dining room for cricket. Foxes on the hills, bullock carts, the local baker, candlelit nights, and the smell of mango and jackfruit — these were the essence of home and happy summers. Months felt like nanoseconds.”
“We didn’t realise we were missing anything. Even with limited infrastructure, we spent our school summers in Assagao. Its red soil is part of our soul,” said Alison.
The formal announcement of the community centre by former union minister Ramakant Khalap on July 17, marks a new chapter in Assagao’s contemporary history, one that honours the past while looking forward to a brighter, more inclusive future.
