Providing a ringside view of an eventful period in Goa's history – its transition from being a Portuguese colony to a state in the Indian republic – this is the tale of a land caught between the irresistible pull of India and the immovable object that was the inflexible colonial regime, based on the reminiscences of I.A.S. officer and diplomat Prabhakar Kamat. In the 1940s, Prabhakar Kamat left Goa to travel by sea to Europe to continue his education. In Lisbon, his adventures navigating the minefield of culture shocks were tempered by encounters with revolutionaries from the Portuguese empire. He returned to a Goa that was still under colonial rule, but Indian patience was now growing thing. A lightening manoeuvre by the Indian army in 1961 absorbed Goa into the hectic, colourful Indian democracy. With sharp insight and witty anecdotes, Short Takes, Long Memories showcases life as it was in one of India's most beautiful, unspoilt states.