Contentment in just "being"

Recharging the soul through Susegad

Apr 05, 2025

During one of my trips to Goa in western India, I came across the term susegad. When I asked some local friends what it meant, they told me that that the word originates from a Portuguese term sossegado which means a state of quiet, peace, and contentment.

Susegad is about having a relaxed attitude towards life. It is a way of disconnecting from routine for some time during the day. It reminds us that there is beauty in simplicity and slowness that allows us time to reflect or just be. Goans believe in the susegad way of life and their approach to most things is shaped by this concept.

I forgot about the term but remembered it again when I went to Cochin, a city in Kerala, some months back for a short break. One morning I took a boat ride on the backwaters, passing by many villages, and it was then that I thought, “this feels like a susegad moment!” I found myself present in the moment, finding joy in the simplicity of the things around me.

During the ride, I saw Chinese fishing nets, old buildings, the dockyard, men fishing and a long city bridge. I remember thinking to myself, while modern life may push us towards speed and efficiency, susegad reminds us to slow down, observe, and cherish beauty in everyday moments. It brings our attention to the fact that it is important to take a break and find stillness to recharge ourselves.

Amidst these thoughts, I started to take photographs in what felt like the susegadan way! I think the best photographs are not the ones we take in haste but the ones we create with love, presence, and contentment. A single frame of a fisherman pulling his net in, is more interesting than dozens of hurried snapshots of tourist spots.

Embracing a susegad approach can transform the way we see the world. With patience, simplicity, and authenticity, photography becomes more than just taking pictures, it becomes a way of experiencing life in its most beautiful, unfiltered form.

Concepts or terms like susegad have a lot of meaning for people like me who are just caught up everyday in the hustle bustle of city life. Urban life is dictated by an invisible clock that controls us in many ways. It takes a lot to change this mindset and pursue a path of creativity. Every time the invisible clock takes over my life, I remind myself about the susegad way of thinking: embrace fulfilment in the “being” rather than the “having”.