date:20051013

  I hope authorities ... take remedial action; instead of burdening
srudents and the general population with multiple languages, bogus
learning and ancient non useful culture.Nasci C


**bogus learning and ancient non useful culture**

Do you mean the *Bible*, Nasci?


Lawrence

--
PS: If you wish to have a *Gmail* e-mail address, do write to me. 
Will send you an invitation to open a *Gmail* e-mail account. :-)

Re: [Goanet] Re: Monorail vs Skybus

Gabriel,

Know not what filters you use to read Averthan D'Souza's posts.  I
too, believe, the tone and content, are, to put it very mildly, *
really unfortunate*.

Yes, Averthan may be entitled to his opinion.  But, should members of
Goanet be subjected to having to read the rantings of those who seem
allergic to anyone whose name is not of Portuguese origin?


Lawrence

--
PS: If you wish to have a *Gmail* e-mail address, do write to me. 
Will send you an invitation to open a *Gmail* e-mail account. :-)

[Goanet] A CALL FOR A CRUSADE




We Goans are aware that Goa has become a heaven for conmen. The reason 
being that Goans are not only sucegad by nature, they have come paranoid about 
making a fast buck, for they see everyone is on the take and rolling in 
money. Therefore it is but natural that conmen have found Goa a very 
lucrative destination. In the bargain, have Goans lost their life savings? You 
can say that again. More than paranoia, Goans by nature are trusting  
and therefore thus goes this live story that happened today.I happened 
to be visiting my colleague (in the Party), Mr. Mathias Vaz, more better 
known as 'Maureen Printers', Panjim. He took me aside saying that he had 
something confidential to discuss with me. So we sat in my car and he got 
talking. He told me that his son wanted to expand the business and wanted 
to purchase a new digital printing machine costing about 25 lacs. That he found 
this ad on the newspapers offering loans at 4% p.a. On his own the younster 
called up the company and was visited by the company's representative, Mr. Rocky 
Fernandes (not a Goan) from Mumbai. The financing plan was that the client 
shells out Rs. 2000/- up front as processing fees. Once the application is 
verified and accepted by the company (with xerox of financial details of the 
borrower), the financing company either sanctions the loan or does not. In that 
case, the client forfeits Rs. 2000/- if the loan is sanctioned (being processing 
fees) or gets back only Rs. 1500/- if the loan application is rejected. So far 
so good. But then there was, as is to be understood, a hidden cost to this 
transaction. The client pays 7% as brokerage fees to the representative on the 
loan amount sanctioned. Therefore the brokerage on Rs. 25 lacs is Rs 1.75 
lacs. But this brokerage was to be paid upfront before the loan was 
sanctioned. By this time the father of the younster was involved and he told the 
company representative that the very fact that loan was sought was because there 
was no money. He told the rep he could go fly a kite. But the rep was very moved 
with the story of there being no money and reduced the 7% to 2% saying 
that he understood a genuine case when he saw one. The figure came down to Rs. 
50,000/- from 1.75 lacs. Still my colleage cribbed that 50 grands was too much 
for him to get his hands on. The rep was moved further and reduced the amount to 
1%, the figure now coming to Rs. 25 grands. Here, my colleague told me that he 
hasstalled the rep saying that he will need time to collect the 25 grands 
and has asked him to come by today at 11 a.m., just the time of the day as we 
were talking.Mathias, I said. This is a conman. He will fly when you 
give him the 25 grands. Lets go, I said. He asked me where to. To Bosco 
George, I said, the Superintendent of Police, the ACB 
(Anti-Corruption-Bureau). So we headed for Altinho. Bosco George contacted 
SP Bosuet D'Silva (Crime Branch) at the Dona Paula PS and requested him to 
take up the matter. We went there, had a brief interaction with him, fixed an 
encounter for the rep aka Rocky Fernandesat Mathias's shop at 4 
p.m.The stage was set up.The rep walked in at 4 p.m. The 
cops were waiting outside. The leader cop in civies was introduced to the rep as 
a friend by Mathias, who also needed a loan on his flat. The rep 
readily agreed. He was nabbed and searched there and then. The Cop found many a 
rubber stamps of various denominations such as Director, Manager, General 
Manager in his bag which he could not explain. This guy was all in one with 
different names on different visiting cards. He was also found with about 
12 or so other applications where he has transacted business already. In short 
this conman would have flown in a day's time after collecting on all his 
transactions. 
At the moment the rep is cooling his heels at the 
cop station with all the other gullible loan seekers being systematically 
contacted (Panjim, Mapusa, Margao etc). According to them the rep was supposed 
to see most of them during the course of the day to collect the money which was 
waiting for him. He will be produced in the court for remand 
tomorrow.Voila! This is the first of its kind, " THE 
GOASURAJ PARTY'S STING OPERATION". Public is hereby warned to be 
more alert. Goa has become a free for all for these 
conmen. Maybe these charlies are paying hafta to the politicians who 
count. Otherwise, the politicians would have cautioned the police a long 
time ago. And those politicians who are out of power now cannot be excused 
either.If it was Goa Su-Raj in the driving seat, each and every 
newspaper would be scanned for these hoax advertisements. The police party would 
be the first incognito client to approach the conmen. That would be the 
'FINITO DE LA MUSICA" for the con game in Goa and Goans would be 
saved from the trauma of losing their life's 
savings.goasuraj
ACTION ACTION ACTION

The Goa Su-Raj Party has decided to embark on a 'SUSTAINED 
AGGRESSIVE

[Goanet] U.S. Congress Highlights Human Rights Issues For Christian Dalits

2005-10-13 Thread Eddie Fernandes

Headline: U.S. Congress Highlights Human Rights Issues For Christian Dalits

Source: The Christian Post. (San Francisco, CA). 13 Oct 2005

Court to Determine Granting of Equal Rights to Dalit Christians in India
Dalit Christians will attend a court hearing next month to determine whether
they will receive basic human rights that Dalits of other religions in the
country now receive.

Excerpts:

A special conference held at the U.S. Congress last Thursday addressed the
human rights issues surrounding India's caste system, expressing concern
over the serious exploitation of some 200 million Dalits, particularly those
following the Christian faith.

The conference, titled India's Unfinished Agenda: Equality and Justice for
Victims of Caste System, was the first time Congress has held a hearing on
the plight of the Dalits,

Beneath India's four main castes is a fifth group, the Dalits, more widely
known as the untouchables. Dalits are discriminated against, denied
access to land, and forced to work in degrading conditions ...

The Indian government condones, ignores and in some instances, has even
promoted massive catalogues of human rights violations ...

Concerning religious freedom, India has been condemned by the United States
for discriminating religious minorities such as Christians and Muslims ...
Among the 25 million Christians in India, an estimated 18-20 million are
Dalits.

... a pending case for extension of full civil rights to Christian Dalits
has been brought before India's highest court ... the hearing originally
scheduled on Aug. 25 was postponed after state Attorney-General asked for
more time ... Christians presented a petition to the government, asking for
urgent insertion of a discussion about their situation. ... As of now, the
Supreme Court of India is due to review the case on Oct. 18. The recent
conference held by the U.S. Congress was held days prior to that important
hearing.

Full text, 879 words, at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/missions/1809/14|24/us.congress.highlights.human.rights.issues.for.christian.dalits/2.htm

[Goanet] Goa Newspaper kiosks.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/life/2005/10/14/stories/2005101400080400.htm

Newspaper kiosks set up by a former schoolteacher in rural Goa are
grabbing headlines. They have not only triggered a reading habit, but
are also slowly leading a literary movement. When Father Eusic wanted
the youth in the villages of Assolna, Velim and Ambelim, about 45 km
from Goa's capital Panaji, to read the Bible, he was in for a shock.
He discovered that reading was not a habit with most and not many were
literate in these villages — a fact that barely gels with Goa's image
of an international tourist destination dominated by English-speaking
tourists.

Although Goa's literacy rate, according to the 2003 Economic Survey of
India, is 82.3 per cent, children in the remote villages are still
illiterate.

A frustrated Father Eusic turned to Mumbai-born and bred Anthony
D'Silva, a former schoolteacher, who had returned to his native
village Assolna in 2002.

In Mumbai, D'Silva taught mathematics at the Sacred Heart School and
took tuitions at home for students of Class 8, 9 and 10.

You are so involved in education. Why don't you do something so our
children can read, Father Eusic asked D'Silva.

This was just the trigger D'Silva needed to initiate a mass knowledge
movement in the villages through newspapers. Today, there are 14
newspaper kiosks across Assolna, Velim and Ambelim, at vantage points
such as shops, bus stands, and even a chapel — places where people
hang out.

Says D'Silva, The school dropout rate in this region is as high as 40
per cent and most of the youngsters (12-14 age group) end up in
non-skilled or semi-skilled jobs when they grow up. I wanted to lure
them back to knowledge. The newspaper seemed a good way to begin
with.

D'Silva spent Rs 25,000 from his personal savings to rig up his quaint
stands, and initially he even provided the newspapers. His idea
grabbed people's attention and he soon got a contribution of Rs 12,000
from the villagers. He used this money to pay for annual newspaper
subscriptions.

Some of the kiosks have a Konkani newspaper in addition to an English
daily and in areas where Marathi is read there's a newspaper in
Marathi.

How did he hit upon the idea of using newspapers to spread literacy?
I noticed this concept was successful in the Shiv Sena shakhas
(training groups) in Mumbai and I thought, why not give it a try in my
own village, says D'Silva.

He says just one kiosk serves about 700 readers every day! I want to
provide a kiosk for every kilometre in the three villages, which have
a combined population of about 1.5 lakh.

D'Silva also co-opted village elders such as Benjamin D'Silva, the
local sarpanch, into his literacy `movement'. However, initially there
was resistance to the idea. Many thought D'Silva was crazy, some even
said so to his face.

One old woman marched up to D'Silva and ordered him to pull down a
kiosk. Today, her husband is among those who agreed to sponsor an
annual subscription to keep it going.

When D'Silva chose a chapel gate to place his kiosk, many looked at
with disapproval. Is this right, asked a devout churchgoer. But the
teacher got the local priest to inaugurate the kiosk and the battle
was won.

In another instance, it turned out that the adults who hung around
bars wanted to read a paper, but did not want to be seen at the kiosk.
Often I'd find the paper discarded in a bar. I would just go in and
say — if you have finished it, I will take it back and return it to
the kiosk, says D'Silva.

The non-confrontationist approach worked. The newspapers are now
rarely found in the bars. In fact, the residents of two waddos — small
colonies of inhabitants — argued over where to place the kiosk, each
side wanting to claim it as its own. Eventually, the dispute was
settled and this particular kiosk is today in a very picturesque
location overlooking the River Sal.

The most enthusiastic about the project are the youth here.
Eighteen-year-old Joena Pereira of Ambelim saunters by the kiosk after
college at Cuncolim. I grab a Coke and read the paper. Earlier, I
used to check only the sports pages to read up on football; now I read
the whole paper, he says.

Branlio Romeo Pereira, an operator in a photo studio, is happy to go
to the neighbouring shop to read the newspaper rather than the library
further away.

D'Silva hopes the kiosks will not only encourage the illiterate to
start reading, but will also inculcate a regular reading habit among
the literate. The youth can be more connected to the outside world
through newspapers, he says, adding he will keep this project going
for another year and hope that by then enough people will start buying
their own newspapers. I intend keeping a small cash box, wherein
people can donate 50 paise for the facility, he says. This way they
will feel it belongs to them.

Women's Feature Service
--
Cheers,

Gabe Menezes.
London, England

[Goanet] Mr. Black Mr. White shooting in Goa.

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=56507

Arshad comes to the rescue damsel-in-distress

IndiaFM News Bureau
Posted online: Thursday, October 13, 2005 at 1439 hours IST


Mumbai, October 13: Arshad Warsi recently played the role of a
real-life hero and came to the rescue of damsel-in-distress, Rashmi
Nigam.

It so happened that Sunil Shetty, Arshad Warsi and Rashmi Nigam along
with the other actors of Deepak Shivdasani's Mr. Black Mr. White were
shooting for the film in Goa. The entire unit was having dinner, when
a drunken man came and touched Rashmi. He was asked to leave the girl
alone but he paid no heed. This infuriated Arshad and he punched the
man in his stomach. And ultimately the hindrance was thrown out. It
sure was a good lesson for the drunken man. We're sure he'll think
twice before bothering any woman, again.

IndiaFM
--
Cheers,

Gabe Menezes.
London, England

[Goanet] Dussehra celebrated in Goa

http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=newsStory_ID=101324

Dussehra celebrated in Goa

NT Staff Reporter

Panaji Oct 12: Religious ceremonies in temple towns, worshiping of
vehicles, machines and farming tools, and launch of new establishments
marked the Dussehra celebrations in Goa today.

A colourful immersion processions of idols of the deities � Kalimata,
Mahishasura Mardini, Mahalaxmi � were taken out in major towns amidst
beating of traditional drums, thus ending the nine-day Navratra
celebrations. Though there were rains in Panaji, the festive spirit of
the devotees was not dampened as the immersion procession of goddess
Kalimata went unhampered from the main streets of Panaji, accompanied
with band.

Many schools performed Saraswati pujan in their schools and other
cultural institutions, where children presented colourful cultural
programmes.

PTI adds: Huge idols of goddess Durga were immersed in rivers and
large effigies of demon kings Ravana, his son, and brother went up in
flames marking the victory of good over evil as Dussehra, one of the
most popular festivals, was celebrated all over the country.

In eastern India, the day began with the dashami puja worship of
Durga, with devotees offering flowers and smearing the idol with
vermilion, before taking the goddess in a procession for immersion.

The police in Kolkata had made elaborate arrangements for immersion of
hundreds of idols as a sea of humanity converged on the banks of the
Hoogly to bid farewell to Durga, marking the grand finale of the
five-day Puja festival.

Reports of immersion also came in from the capital and other cities
with large Bengali population even as some people have decided to
observe the festival tomorrow in view of difference in opinion over
the last day of the Puja.

In the north, a surcharged atmosphere of festivity pervaded all over
as people attired in their best came out in large numbers to see the
demon kings going up in flames to the chants of Jai Shree Ram at
sunset.

In southern India, where the day is celebrated as vidyarambham or
initiation into the world of letters, thousands of children between
three and five years of age were taken to temples and cultural centres
where prominent people like former sprint queen, P T Usha led the
ceremonies.

After invoking the goddess of learning Saraswati, the kids were helped
to write Hari... Sree... in rice-filled platters with the index
finger.

In some places in Kerala, churches also organised the vidyarambham
ceremony as the ritual has over the years assumed a secular dimension.
--
Cheers,

Gabe Menezes.
London, England

[Goanet] To be or not to be...Konkan Railway awaits verdict

See http://dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=5614

Shweta Karnik
DNA [Daily News  Analysis]
Friday, October 14, 2005  00:19 IST

The future of the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) hangs in
the balance.

The KRCL, considered one of the best railway networks by the World
Bank two years ago, is trying to figure out its very survival -
whether it will continue as an autonomous entity or merge with the IR.

Designed with the aim of connecting the four coastal states of
Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala, making them a party to the
agreement with the Indian Railways, the corporation now ceases to
exist. The KRCL, founded in 1990, will be completing its intended
tenure of 15 years this month. Now, the Railway Ministry will decide
its fate.

If the KRCL is merged with it, the the Indian Railways will have to
not only take up the assets and intellectual properties owned by the
corporation but also its accumulated losses - Rs 5,000 crore - and its
debts with other liabilities.

Sources in the KRCL told DNA: The loss incurred due to the financing
costs was made good by the ministry by extending non-interest bearing
loans. But in 2003 the ministry started charging interest on these
loans at seven per cent. If this is waived off, the corporation can
reduce the extra costs.

The ministry has instituted a review committee to study the aspects
associated with the merger and also to design a revival package, which
will be tabled before the Cabinet. Pending this, the KRCL has been
granted one year's extension.

National Railway Mazdoor Union assistant secretary Milind Tulaskar,
who also is associated with the KRCL, said, The KRCL has a low
operating ratio in view of its low staff cost and multi-skilling
practices. Therefore, it cannot generate enough surpluses to take care
of the loan burden and build infrastructure in the future.

At stake are the jobs of nearly 3,500 employees who are with KRCL
since its inception.

The corporation has in its 15-year tenure developed and earned a lot
for itself. Despite being criticised for the accidents, we have also
been appreciated for the technologies invented and the international
patents earned, said an official of the KRCL on condition of
anonymity.

So the big question is: will the merger of the KRCL with the Indian
Railways affect its efficiency?

Passengers who travel to their hometown by the Konkan Railway route
think such a move would render it inefficient.

--
PS: If you wish to have a *Gmail* e-mail address, do write to me. 
Will send you an invitation to open a *Gmail* e-mail account. :-)

[Goanet] Now that You Know Meat Milk products are banned to import into UK (EU), what would you do?? (Ans)

2005-10-13 Thread LetsGotoGoa


Well, I will not give the answer this time.
You please read this and find the answer yourself.

Banning import of Meat products is not the new thing here infact, if you
read my past mails/postings you will find that the ban was in place for
about 10 years now. About 8 years ago, when i arrived at LGW, I was a
victim too they confiscated about 2000 sausages and I was let of by giving
few leaflets regarding ban on meat products imports. Since then I never
carried sausages with me but see what happened during my this visit from
Goa.  Because I was never ever searched after that incidence, this time I
got tempted to bring some sausages with me just about 300 only. I packed
it in my handbag (used all pages of sunday navhind times + 3 separate
plastic Tesco type bags packed tight to avoid any strong smell but can you
really stop the smell? )
I boarded Virgin Atlantic Flight at Mumbai around 2.30pm and left the bag
in my overhead locker.

Few minutes later (airbone), there come a general annoucement both in
English  Hindi saying  meat or milk products are not permited to bring
into UK if you do carry with you then please pass thru the RED CHANNEL and
declare . They will simply take it away and destroy. No fines or
penalties. And if you pass thru the GREEN channel and if meat products
found then you will be fined or even sent to prison or both.

On arrival, my heart was beating.. but I was lucky this time. 

I know they dont search all passengers but can we really afford to take
the risk ?

Read further..

If you do bring food items into the UK and are unsure whether they are
allowed, go to the HM Customs and Excise Something to Declare or Red
Channel exit for advice and to avoid any penalties. If you have items
that are not allowed, they will be taken away and destroyed, and no
further action will be taken.
There are strict Customs controls in place. If you break the rules and
Customs Officers find undeclared items you could face delays, be fined 
or even sent to prison.

2. What is an illegal import?
The rules mean that if you travel to any country outside the European
Union including USA, Australia New Zealand, it is illegal to bring meat
and milk-based products for your personal use back into the UK. 
There are also limits on bringing back other food items, including fish,
shellfish, honey, eggs and certain types of fruit and vegetables. It is
illegal to bring back more than the permitted levels.

10. What are the penalties for personally importing plant or animal
products?
If you fail to declare at the Customs red point any personal meat, other
animal products or plants and plant products, you may be liable to an
unlimited fine and/or up to seven years imprisonment

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/illegali/allow/allowances_faq.htm

==
LetsGotoGoa] Now that You Know Meat  Milk products are banned to import
into UK (EU), what would you do?? 

When we visit GOA, 90% of us bring back meat products like Goan sausages
etc to UK and other countries.

Now that you know meat  milk products are banned to import into UK, what
would you do?

A. Continue bringing sausages  for us, friends and family as usual as this
is allowed and not classified as 'Import'.

B. Will only carry somebody else's sausages. If questioned, I wil say 'its
not mine'.

C. Will only carry some in my handbag or suitcase as i am sure this much
quantity is permitted for 'personal consumption' only.

D. I will bring no meat or milk products with me.

Just answer A, B, C or D.






for Goa  Goa Flights info.. 
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/LetsGotoGoa 

GOAN NRI related..
http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/GOAN-NRI/






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Re: [Goanet] GOASURAJ STING OPERATION NO.1

  If it was Goa Su-Raj in the driving seat, each and every newspapers would be
scanned for these hoax advertisements.   goasuraj


Must caution you, here, that *reading newspapers while driving* is dangerous :-)

But, tell me:  Why do you have to be in the *driving seat* to scan
newspapers for hoaxes and initiate action against scams?



Lawrence

--
PS: If you wish to have a *Gmail* e-mail address, do write to me. 
Will send you an invitation to open a *Gmail* e-mail account. :-)

[Goanet] The CLEAN GOA Initiative

2005-10-13 Thread Muriel Mario

Dear Cybergaonkars,

This is the copy of Press Note announcing the programme for 
Monday, 17 October:

PRESS RELEASE
``
The Clean Goa Initiative—began with a petition written by two 
Goans seeking to draw attention at the Central Government level 
to the waste management crisis in Goa and requesting 
intervention, beginning with a rational and responsible waste 
management strategy for IFFI in Panjim this year. 

The initiative, which also calls for the State government to 
appoint an independent committee of qualified individuals to 
identify key problem areas and recommend cost-effective 
solutions for the State at large, has become a growing proactive 
people's movement, endorsed by numerous Goa-based NGOs and 
activists, hundreds of Goans and non-Goan residents of Goa, as 
well as by a number of film professionals and opinion makers 
from all over the country who consider Goa a national treasure 
and want to help. 

In culmination of the endorsement campaign, there will be a 
public demonstration of support for the Clean Goa Initiative in 
Panjim on October 17, 2005. The demonstration will begin with a 
solidarity march at 5:30 pm from the Panjim Church square to the 
Mermaid Garden. 

This campaign event is co-ordinated by Wendell Rodricks, Margaret 
Mascarenhas, and Ethel Da Costa, along with Goa-based activists 
and NGOs, in the public interest. It is managed by Think Geek 
Media and Productions. The theme is Goa Waste Management Issues 
and Solutions. Speakers at the Mermaid Garden will include 
Patricia Pinto, Sandesh Prabhudesai, Sanjit Rodrigues, Roland 
Martins, Wendell Rodricks, Sandeep Jarkis, and others. Chief 
Minister, Pratapsingh Rane, has been invited to address the 
public on the issue. A brief Q and A with the press will follow.

Citizens and villagers from all over Goa who are concerned and 
want to be better informed about this issue are encouraged to 
participate. Those who attend are requested to bring their own 
food and beverages to the event and to take their garbage away 
when they leave.

(ends)

Please be there!

MM.
-- 
PS: Kindly note our new e-ddress: 
Muriel  Mario [EMAIL PROTECTED]  
and make the change in your e-ddress book. - MM.
.
there *is* anOTHERgoa - the garbage dump 
perched on a hill overlooking Saligao, for instance!
'''
muriel  mario,
4/4 tabravaddo, 
opp. st. anne's chapel, saligao.  
bardez.  goa.  403511.
tel: 0832-2278276 / 240
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
'''

[Goanet] 200-odd Languages Of Northeast India Find Beacon Of Hope For Survival

2005-10-13 Thread Goanet Reader

200-odd Languages Of Northeast India Find Beacon Of Hope For Survival

By SAR NEWS

GUWAHATI, Assam (SAR News) -- The more than 240 languages of Northeast
India could get a new lease of life and fight the looming threat of
extinction, if the communities join hands with three organisations that
are striving to preserve and promote their endangered languages.

The organisations are the Salesian-run Don Bosco Communications (DBC),
Guwahati, a centre for promotion of communication, local languages and
literature, the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) International, a
UN-affiliated NGO which works in about 40 countries, and the State
Resource Centre (SRC), Assam, engaged in literacy and language
promotion.

Together with the participation of the communities, these organisations
have launched a series of programmes in order to provide training,
language promotion activities, gathering of data and setting up of local
literature committees and financial assistance to support publications.

DBC, SIL and SRC have sponsored four workshops during the last two years
to promote mother tongue education, orthography and production of
literature. These workshops were guided by literacy and language
consultants from the SIL, with the assistance of the Department of
Linguistics, Gauhati University, and other partners. Each of these
workshops has enabled the participants to prepare primers, storybooks,
spelling guides, number books, wordbooks and rhyme books in their
respective languages. The books are illustrated by artists from the
communities.

The latest in the series of workshops was a two-week sessions for 29
participants from six languages of Northeast which concluded in
Guwahati, October 8. Eunice Tan from Malaysia, the chief consultant at
the workshop, said each language group had made three or four books in
their respective languages, and they would take back copies to their
communities for testing before they are approved for printing.

The workshop, she said, was able to achieve much since the participants
were highly motivated, creative and hard working.

SIL’s team of resource persons included Nori Mastsura from Japan,
Virginia Phillips, David Phillips, Karl and Sharon Koapish from the USA
and Liza Guts from Russia. They were assisted by Salesian Father George
Plathottam, DBC, Zeenath Tabassum from Gauhati University, Hyacinth
Minj, Deepanjali Das, an artist, and Wilie Mathew, a printing and
publishing expert.

“Languages are people’s powerful property,” Father Plathottam,
founder-director of Don Bosco Communications. “Language death,” he said,
“is a serious threat as it leads to loss of culture and ethnic identity.
Without our mother tongue we cannot sing our songs or tell our stories
effectively. When languages die, our culture, too, will face
extinction,” he added.

Don Bosco Communications has organised several workshops and programmes
for promoting indigenous languages, and published books in these
languages. The centre is currently collaborating with the Bible Society
for the publication of an ecumenical edition of the Assamese Bible.

SIL representative for Northeast India, Dr. Erik Andvik, said the aim of
the workshops were identifying and training writers and overseeing the
development of appropriate norms and guidelines for writing hitherto
unwritten languages. “We aim at meeting the needs and aspirations of the
communities, and help the community in the process of bringing the
manuscripts to a publishable form.”

Dr. Borkatoky, director of SRC, said that the workshops had been able to
deepen the knowledge and skills for promoting education in mother tongue
and promoting literacy.

The skills and attitudes of the writers, artists and the members of
these communities have been enhanced through these workshops and fifteen
language groups have participated in them. These include Aka, But Monpa,
Thangsa, Galo, Nockte from Arunachal Pradesh, Lamkang, Thangkul, Maram
from Manipur, Rabha, Hajong from Meghalaya, Deuri, Sadri, Tiwa, Karbi,
Amri Karbi from Assam. More language groups are showing keen interest in
joining hands with the three organisations in order to promote their
languages.

Northeast India has an estimated 240 languages and dialects spread
across the seven states of the region. Most of these languages are
spoken only by a few thousand speakers, and have no written form.

T.K. Goswami from the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Assam,
speaking at the valedictory function of a recent workshop, said CIIL
would be happy to join hands with the efforts of the three organisations
in promotion of Northeast India’s languages.

He lauded the efforts of SIL, DBC, SRC and the various language
communities for their work to promote indigenous languages. Father Joe
Almeida, Salesian Vice-Provincial of Guwahati, gave certificates to the
participants of the workshop.

[Goanet] The Right to Information Act, 2005 comes into force

2005-10-13 Thread Goa Desc


-
Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
--- 


---
The Right to Information Act, 2005
comes into force from today

BE INFORMED
BE EMPOWERED

RIGHT TO INFORMATION
YOUR RIGHT, YOUR MIGHT

Citizens now have the right to obtain
any information (except those specifically exempted),
from Public Authorities, which include Central/State Govts.
Local Bodies  NGO's, substantially financed by the
Government.

Public Information Officers have been appointed
in all Public Authorities to furnish the information
requested within specified time limits.

No fee payable by those Below Poverty Line.
Only nominal fees for others.

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances  Pensions,
Government of India
For more information log on to
www.persmin.nic.in

Advert. in HERALD 12/10/05 page 9


===
GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
Documentation + Education + Solidarity
11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
  website: www.goadesc.org
--
Working On Issues Of Development  Democracy
===


--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.11.14/131 - Release Date: 10/12/2005

[Goanet] Review of Arun Sinha's book on Post-Colonial Goa

2005-10-13 Thread Cecil Pinto


Carving a Goan identity in the postcolonial period
Ervell E. Menezes

GOA INDICA : A CRITICAL PORTRAIT OF POSTCOLONIAL GOA
by Arun Sinha. Bibliophile South Asia in association with

Promilla  Co. Rs 495

BOOKS on Goa are being churned out at regular intervals these days with 
varying degrees of success, depending on their approach. Some just scratch 
the surface of the subject while others dwell on the writer's fetishes. 
Still others try to cover all aspects. Arun Sinha's Goa Indica : A Critical 
Portrait of Postcolonial Goa, belongs to the last category and for that 
reason it is likely to invite censure but being a non-Goan he is more 
objective. His extensive research shows in his findings and though his 
comments are at times categorical he also leaves something to the readers' 
imagination and perception. It is an honest search for the truth though 
some may aver that there are indeed different versions of it.


Goa itself is not an easy subject to handle, for the Goan himself is 
complex creature, an amalgam of multiple forces and strains. The Portuguese 
conquest and rule for over 400 years cannot be wished away. Pandit 
Jawaharlal Nehru may have said, There can be unity in diversity and Goans 
will be as much Indian as Marathas and Bengalis, despite the impact of the 
Portuguese on their culture. What Nehru did not specify was the time frame 
needed for Goans to turn truly Indian. Sinha goes into the genesis of the 
great Christian - Hindu divide that has been the single most significant 
factor in retarding Goa's progress.


The impact of Christianity is there for all to see. For almost four 
hundred years since he conquered Goa the Portuguese king acted like 
half-emperor, half-Pope. Not just the privilege of clerical appointments, 
the king even appropriated to himself the right to examine all the Papal 
Bulls, allowing their enforcement in his conquered lands only if he found 
nothing detrimental to Portugual's interest in them, says Sinha quite 
forcefully. And it merits such vehemence.


Speaking about Goan identity he brings out the dichotomy. Christians clung 
to their Indo-Portuguese identity. Hindus talked of pan-Indian identity. 
There was no group or organisation championing the native ethnic Goan 
identity, he points out. If the Portuguese Inquisition targeted the Hindus 
in no uncertain and near-inhuman terms, the Bandodkar Government's backlash 
in land reforms demolishing the existing feudal structure was 
understandable but not the utter neglect of Communidade lands which 
adversely affected agriculture. Bandodkar ought to have brought in his 
government to fill the institutional vacuum caused by the removal of 
Communidades and landowners for the responsibility of maintaining 
irrigation works. Or provided them with sufficient finance to carry out the 
traditional responsibility, says Sinha and quite rightly so.


He also traces the events that took place between the two communities, 
Hindu and Christian, be it the opinion poll, the Konkani language stir or 
the Konkan railway route realignment agitation and he doesn't mince words 
in hitting out at the Church which has invariably politicised issues. He 
also brings out the irony of the Konkani agitation which had to eventually 
surrender to the practicality of English. Or was their bluff called? Then 
there was the Church's role in the Carnival floats. But what Sinha could 
have done was update the role of religion and balance it with Hindutva and 
the BJP agenda of setting up little temples everywhere like the Portuguese 
set up crosses. After all, aren't all religions the same - possessive and 
even expansionist?


Sinha goes in detail into the common Civil Code and highlights its 
uniqueness and also compares it with the Hindu and Muslim codes but it 
doesn't provide very readable material though one must admit it is 
academically sound. The ethnic fencing is candidly brought out, as is the 
Goan hostility to the outsider or baile. It is like the Germans not wanting 
to do menial work in Germany and still objecting to increasing Turkish 
presence. He has a hilarious anecdote to relate about this attitude to the 
outsider: How at a BJP meeting, at which Manohar Parrikar, now the chief 
minister, was present, and UP businessman D. P. Tiwari was snubbed by a BJP 
man saying: You came here to do business, now you want to rule us?


The decline in agriculture coincided with the advent of world tourism 
(thanks to the hippies), which completely transformed the face of Goa. But 
it also had its negative aspects. The dropout rate in schools was as high 
as 70 per cent. This is a factor that must be immediately addressed. The 
Goans are very choosy about accepting jobs. Corruption also figures in his 
book.


All this is candidly tackled as are a plethora of issues that graphically 
bring out the plight of Goans and also provoke thought. Why has Goa not 
really progressed after its liberation? Is the Goan psyche to blame? Why is

[Goanet] GOASURAJ STING OPERATION NO.1

We Goans are aware that Goa has become a heaven for conmen. The reason being
that Goans are not only sucegad by nature, they have become paranoid about
making a fast buck, for  they see everyone is on the take and rolling in
money. Therefore it is but natural that  conmen have found Goa a very
lucrative destination. In the bargain, have Goans lost their life savings?
You can say that again.  More than paranoia, Goans by nature are trusting
 and therefore thus goes this live story that happened today.

I happened to be visiting my colleague (in the Party),  Mr. Mathias Vaz,
more better known as 'Maureen Printers', Panjim. He took me aside saying
that he had something confidential to discuss with me. So we sat in my car
and he got talking. He told me  that his son wanted to expand the business
and wanted to purchase a new digital printing machine costing about 25 lacs.
That he found this ad on the newspapers offering loans at 4% p.a. On his own
the younster called up the company and was visited by the company's
representative, Mr. Rocky Fernandes (not a Goan) from Mumbai. The financing
plan was that  the client shells out Rs. 2000/- up front as processing fees.
Once the application is verified and accepted by the company (with xerox of
financial details of the borrower), the financing company either sanctions
the loan or does not. In that case, the client forfeits Rs. 2000/- if the
loan is sanctioned (being processing fees) or gets back only Rs. 1500/- if
the loan application is rejected. So far so good. But then there was, as is
to be understood,  a hidden cost to this transaction. The client pays 7% as
brokerage fees to the representative on the loan amount sanctioned.
Therefore the brokerage on Rs. 25 lacs is Rs 1.75 lacs.  But this brokerage
was to be paid upfront before the loan was sanctioned. By this time the
father of the younster was involved and he told the company representative
that the very fact that loan was sought was because there was no money. Told
the rep he could go fly a kite. But the rep was very moved at with the story
of there being no money and reduced the 7% to 2% saying that he understood a
genuine case when he saw one. The figure came down to Rs. 50,000/- from 1.75
lacs. Still my colleage cribbed that 50 grands was too much for him to get
his hands on. The rep was moved further and reduced the amount to 1%, the
figure now arriving at Rs. 25 grands. Here, my colleague told me that he has
stalled the rep saying that he will need time to collect the 25 grands and
has asked him to come by today at 11 a.m., just the time that  he was
expected.

Mathias, I said. This is a conman. He will fly when you give him the 25
grands. Lets go, I said. He asked me where to. To Bosco George,  I said, the
Superintendent of Police at the ACB (Anti-Corruption-Bureau). So we headed
for  Altinho. Bosco George contacted SP Bosuet D'Silva at the Dona Paula PS
and requested him to  take up the matter. We went there, had a brief
interaction, fixed an encounter with the rep at Mathias's shop at 4 p.m.

As staged, the rep walked in at 4 p.m.  The cops were waiting outside. The
leader cop in civies was introduced to the rep as a friend by Mathias, who
also needed a  loan on his  flat. The rep agreed. He was nabbed and searched
there and then. The Cop found many a rubber stamps of various denominations
such as Director, Manager, General Manager in his bag which he could not
explain. He was also found with about 12 or so other applications where he
has transacted business.

At the moment the rep is cooling his heels at  the cop station with all the
other gullible loan seekers being systematically contacted (Panjim, Mapusa,
Margao etc). He will be produced in the court for remand tomorrow.

Voila! This is the first of its kind,   THE  GOASURAJ STING OPERATION.
Public is hereby warned to be more  alert.  Goa has become  a free for all
these conmen.  Maybe these charlies are paying hafta to the politicians who
count. Otherwise, the  politicians would have cautioned the police a long
time ago.

If it was Goa Su-Raj in the driving seat, each and every newspapers would be
scanned for these hoax advertisements. The police party would be the first
incognito client to approach the conmen. That would be 'FINITO DE LA MUSICA
for te con game in Goa  and Goans would be saved from the trauma of losing
their life's savings.

Cheers
goasuraj

[Goanet] Join the Clean Goa Initiative

2005-10-13 Thread Cecil Pinto

The Clean Goa Initiative-began with a petition written by two Goans seeking 
to draw attention at the Central Government level to the waste management 
crisis in Goa and requesting intervention, beginning with a rational and 
responsible waste management strategy for IFFI in Panjim this year.


The initiative, which also calls for the State government to appoint an 
independent committee of qualified individuals to identify key problem 
areas and recommend cost-effective solutions for the State at large, has 
become a growing proactive people's movement, endorsed by numerous 
Goa-based NGOs and activists, hundreds of Goans and non-Goan residents of 
Goa, as well as by a number of film professionals and opinion makers from 
all over the country who consider Goa a national treasure and want to help.


In culmination of the endorsement campaign, there will be a public 
demonstration of support for the Clean Goa Initiative in Panjim on October 
17, 2005. The demonstration will begin with a solidarity march at 5:30 pm 
from the Panjim Church square to the Mermaid Garden.


This campaign event is co-ordinated by Wendell Rodricks, Margaret 
Mascarenhas, and Ethel Da Costa, along with Goa-based activists and NGOs, 
in the public interest. It is managed by Think Geek Media and Productions. 
The theme is Goa Waste Management Issues and Solutions. Speakers at the 
Mermaid Garden will include Patricia Pinto, Sandesh Prabhudesai, Sanjit 
Rodrigues, Roland Martins, Wendell Rodricks, Sandeep Jacques, and others. 
Chief Minister, Pratapsingh Rane, has been invited to address the public on 
the issue. A brief Q and A with the press will follow.


Citizens and villagers from all over Goa who are concerned and want to be 
better informed about this issue are encouraged to participate. Those who 
attend are requested to bring their own food and beverages to the event and 
to take their garbage away when they leave.


-

Re: [Goanet] India hung up on Flawed Education!

2005-10-13 Thread cornel


Nasci,
Having read the material on Flawed Education, I began to wonder if this was 
the reason why Churchill Alemao sent his daughter to university in England. 
Do we know what course or university? Just curiosity really.


It was my assumption that the colleges in Goa and the University provided 
sound education. I had arrived at this view on meeting some excellent 
products from there. Have I been mistaken unwittingly?

Cornel

- Original Message - 
From: Nasci Caldeira [EMAIL PROTECTED]

To: goanet@goanet.org
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 5:06 AM
Subject: [Goanet] India hung up on Flawed Education!



Hello Goanetters!

Please read this news item; I hope authorities concerned will take 
remedial

action; instead of burdening srudents and the general population with
multiple languages, bogus learning and ancient non useful culture.
Nasci Caldeira.

http://theage.com.au/news/business/india-hung-up-on-flawed-
education/2005/10/11/1128796525530.html

India hung up on Flawed Education!

India's poor education system is threatening the boom in outsourcing, 
writes

Amrit Dhillon. IF INDIA is suffering from a massive shortage of skilled
labour, one reason is that, according to industry estimates, only a 
quarter of

all graduates are employable. Some in the IT industry say only one in 10
graduates is worth taking on.

Just look at their communication skills, fumed a frustrated Mumbai-based
call
centre manager as he waved around some letters written by employees. One
read:
As I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week's leave. Another went:
I am
in well here and hope you are also in the same well.

With half of its 1.2 billion population aged under 25, how can India
possibly be
short of workers? The problem is not quantity but quality. Virtually every
industry from IT, outsourcing, retail, hospitality, manufacturing and
biotechnology is struggling to find skilled workers and managers.

The IT industry currently employs around 348,000 people. The IT body 
Nasscom
(National Association of Software and Service Companies) says it needs 
9000

more
workers right now. It has failed to find them. Given its rapid growth, the
industry will be short of 82,000 workers by 2007. By 2009, the shortfall
will be
206,000.

The shortages are reflected in the pay rises Indian industry is
giving to retain staff. A survey by global human resources firm Hewitt
Associates said that Indians in white collar jobs took home pay increases 
of

an
average of 13.7 per cent last year, the highest in the Asia-Pacific 
region.
Indian companies lose nearly 15 per cent of their manpower annually to 
other

companies, according to the same survey. The attrition rates for the
outsourcing
industry are far worse: from 20 to 40 per cent.

A McKinsey report earlier this year said that only 25 per cent of Indian
engineering graduates were equipped to work in multinationals.
Graduates are really poor quality - it's only the cream of the cream who 
go

to
the excellent institutes of management and technology who have great
potential.
The rest are unemployable, said Nasscom president Kiran Karnik.
Nasscom has warned that the shortage could stall India's call centre boom.
If
the industry fails to recruit workers at reasonable wages, it will lose 
its

competitive edge to countries such as the Philippines and China.

The prospect of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry - the
showpiece
and pride of the Indian economy - losing its competitiveness arouses 
gloom.
The industry needs more skilled staff not just to do the current back 
office

work of taking calls, credit card processing and air ticketing but to move
up
into the new, high-value work it is seeking.

This step up the value chain is not BPO but KPO - knowledge process
outsourcing
- where Western companies outsource legal work, medical and biotechnology
research, financial analysis and market research.
BPO work is entirely rules-based while KPO is purely judgement-based where
human
discretion plays a dominant role so top quality people are a must, said
Nandan
Nilekani, chief executive of Infosys Technologies, India's second-biggest
software exporter.

The smaller non-IT Indian companies are even worse off. Since the IT
industry
attracts the best graduates, it leaves the less glamorous companies stuck
with
mediocre manpower. This in turn pushes up their training costs.
The root cause of the shortage of quality manpower is poor Indian 
education,
from primary schools to higher education. Apart from pockets of 
excellence,

most
schools are sub-standard. Most of the 330 universities and 17,000 colleges
are
marked by mediocre teachers teaching outdated content.
Last year, more than 100 private universities opened for business in small
towns, each one worse than the previous one. The word university has lost
its
sanctity, said New Delhi academic Dr Ashok Chauhan. The Government 
recently

shut down many of them after complaints.

If India has 4 million-plus unemployed graduates

[Goanet] RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT

2005-10-13 Thread Aloysius D'Souza

Goans Everywhere,

This is now an all-India ACT  --  asper this act the Government Dept / Officer 
has to reply to your query --  afterpayent of
specified fees  --  within THIRTY days  --  if he fails you can refer the 
matter to the Appellate Information Officer and he can
obtainthe information from the relevant Dept / Official and penalise the 
Dept/Officer for not having replied in the specified thirty
days

How efective this will be   --  we can only wait  --  but unless people raise 
queries this Act cannot be tested

Under the old State Acts there was good response and many officers and the 
Municipality of Bombay was taken to task  --  Information
made available was the basis for the filing of PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION 
cases.  And the relevant Depts / Officials have been
hauled up and in many cases hve individually had to pay penalties

So ASK  QUESTIONS  AND DEMAND ANSWERS

Cheers

Aloysius DSouza
- Original Message - 
From: Mary goanet@goanet.org
To: goanet@goanet.org
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 9:55 AM
Subject: [Goanet] Re: RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT


| Dear Sirs,
|
| Can you please tell me how effective the RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT is going
| to be.  Do you think that citizens will now be able to get the information
| from government departments such as police, municipalities  etc.
|
| Please let me know something more about it.
|
| thanks
|
| Mary
|

[Goanet] Dubai - All Goa inter-village soccer : Zuari scored a fluent win

2005-10-13 Thread borg costa



Zuari scored a fluent 5-1 win over Calangute in the
All Goa inter-village football tournament at the
Iranian Club Sports Stadium and organized by All Star
Entertainment in association with United Goans.

The second match between Chinchinim UAE Exchange and
SFX Old Goa ended in a 1:1 draw. 

Borgee





__ 
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 
http://mail.yahoo.com

[Goanet] COMPETITION FOR DABOLIM IN CHARTER MARKET?

2005-10-13 Thread Philip Thomas


http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?hpFlag=Ychklogin=Nau
tono=202811leftnm=lmnu4lselect=0leftindx=4

Agra on world aviation map

Vishal Sharma / Agra October 13, 2005



International flights have started from Agra. On Tuesday, Voyages Jules
Verne, a UK-based tour operator struck a tie-up with SITA travels, a
division of the Kuoni Travel group, India, for the operation of
international chartered flights directly from the UK to this city.

The first flight in this series of 32 weekly flights landed at Agra airport
on Tuesday, carrying 189 tourists from the UK in an Astraeus Boeing 757
aircraft, which flew back to the UK the same evening, carrying 12 passengers
on the return trip.

The tourists arriving in Agra were welcomed at the Hotel Taj Khema of the UP
tourism department yesterday by folk artists to the loud beat of traditional
drums and other musical instruments, with the UP tourism hosting a breakfast
in their honour.

The beginning of international chartered flights in Agra after six years is
being seen as a major breakthrough made by the tourism industry of Agra,
which had been striving for international flights in Agra for quite some
time now.

Talking to Business Standard, Chetan Juneja, general manager, SITA Indian
Trails, said this charter comprised two international tour packages, but the
prime feature was the £395 A Day in Agra tour, in which the tourists got
the opportunity of spending a full day at the Taj Mahal, returning to the UK
the same evening.

Besides these day-tourists, whose numbers are few, most of the tourists
arriving in Agra will stay in the town for a week, visiting Fatehpur Sikri,
Jaipur, Bharatpur, Gwalior, and Delhi.

He said this was the first international flight to Agra from the UK after
six years and such flights will be on till May next year, ferrying almost
6,000 tourists during the period. He said the most unique feature of the
flight would be the tourists would be staying in the various hotels of Agra,
giving them a chance to regain the business they had lost in the past few
years.

According to local travel industry sources, the Agra tourism industry is
expected to earn Rs 60-70 crore from the operations of these flights and
efforts were being made to bring in more chartered flights from other
countries like France, South Africa and Germany, in this tourist season.

FANTACY FLIGHT

Chartered flights will be on till May next year, ferrying almost 6,000
tourists during the period
Agra tourism industry is expected to earn Rs 60-70 crore from the operations
of these flights
Efforts were being made to bring in more chartered flights from countries
like France, South Africa and Germany



Is the military lurking anywhere in this serene picture? Must be!

[Goanet] Court orders attachment of old Secretariat in Goa

http://dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=5465

Court orders attachment of old Secretariat in Goa

Pushpa Iyengar
Wednesday, October 12, 2005  23:04 IST


PANAJI: It's not unusual for the court to attach assets in cases
involving property. But in what could be  the first time in India, an
attachment notice has been pinned on the gate of the old Secretariat
seeking to do just that in a land acquisition case filed by Jose Velho
seeking a compensation of Rs 94,17,754.47 for five lakh square metres
of land in Chorao island.

The notice pinned on Wednesday at the behest of the fast track court,
which has Goa's ministers and secretaries buzzing around, directed the
government to show cause why the old Secretariat should not be sold to
compensate Velho.

The show cause also prohibited the government until further orders
from transferring or charging the Secretariat by gift, sale or
otherwise and simultaneously restrained anyone from purchasing it or
receiving it. The government is expected to file its reply to the
notice on Thursday. (October 13).

The imposing building overlooking the Mandovi River was originally
Adil Shah's Palace and went on to become the Viceroy's official
residence. The first assembly was convened in this building in 1964.

However, with Goa becoming a state and the strength of  the assembly
increased to 40, a new complex was constructed in Porvorim across the
river. The new complex was inaugurated in March 2000. However, the old
Secretariat continues to house the offices of the Chief Minister and
the cabinet.

During the first tenure of Pratapsingh Rane as the chief minister
between 1980-85, the Goa government had acquired land belonging to
Velho and his brothers which had been virtually taken over by
squatters in Chorao island.

The government acquired the land for prawn farming under the land
acquisition act. A notification was published in the official gazette
of April 26,1979 while the award was passed in 1982 at the rate of 50
paise per square metre for land measuring 5,35,429.30 square metre.

Not satisfied with the rate, Velho made a claim for Rs 10 per square
metre before the district court which fixed the rate of compensation
at Rs four per square metre. The case which has been going on for over
20 years has been going through the lower courts and high courts as
Velho pursued his award claim.

Meanwhile, conservationists objected to prawn farming in the area
saying mangroves would be destroyed. The then Lt Governor bowed to the
opinion of conservationists.

--
Cheers,

Gabe Menezes.
London, England

[Goanet] Re: TAIP

- Original Message -
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2005 8:40 AM
Subject: Contact email to webmaster

Regarding the presentation on Transportes Aereos da India Portuguesa
(TAIP), based on my visit to Dabolim Airport in July 1956 to see off my
cousins who were leaving for Karachi en route to Aden, I am able to state
from a then observation that TAIP was the first airline to have
air-hostesses wearing the sari even while air-hostesses of Air India and
Indian Airlines were still using the blouse and skirt.

Dabolim Airport in those days was much more free and relaxed than it is
today. The previous evening I was even taken to the hangar by my cousin who
was working for TAIP and I was able to walk round and touch an aircraft
without hindrance or observation as the system in Goa then worked on trust.

John Menezes

[Goanet] Lyrics of Konkani song DOULOT GOENKARANCHI by M. Boyer!

2005-10-13 Thread domnic fernandes

Many of our Goan musicians lived in Bombay where they worked wonders, 
especially for the Hindi Film Industry.  October 12, 2005 was the 64th 
birthday of the Indian living legend, Amitabh Bachchan.  One of his most 
successful films in the 1970s was AMAR, AKBAR, ANTHONY (AAA).  In this 
film, there is a song titled MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES and the name in 
the song belongs to none other than the 78-year old Goan maestro and living 
legend, Anthony Gonsalves from Majorda, Goa.  It so happened that Pyarelal 
(of Laxmikant-Pyarelal fame), who had learnt violin from the Goan, was in 
the process of composing music for the film AAA, and grateful as he was to 
Anthony, he contacted and asked him if he could use his name for a song to 
be featured on Amitabh Bachchan.  Since many Hindi movies have portrayed 
Goans as drunkards, Anthony agreed with the condition that his name should 
not be abused; Pyarelal agreed.  He just clad the tall man in a suit and a 
top hat and made him leap out of a giant Easter egg and sing the song.  The 
song became a sensation overnight and went on to become one of the best hits 
of the decade.  Surprisingly, the real Anthony Gonsalves has never met the 
reel Anthony, as by 1965, Anthony quit the film industry and shifted to 
America.  Kudos to Pyarelal for immortalizing his teacher in the song!  I 
also salute him for following the ethics.


As I said last week, M. Boyer always kept pace with the happenings in Goa 
and composed songs on varied subjects.  Here are the lyrics of one of his 
songs Doulot Goenkaranchi which reveals the real identity of Goans working 
in the background of the Hindi Film Industry:


DOULOT GOENKARANCHI

I
Amchem Goa xar bhorlam famad uxear muzganim
Ami music xiktanv Goeam igorjen iskolanim
Aiz Indiechea mapar musican poile ami
Bombaim film industry gazoilea Goenkaranim

Chorus
Ugddas astolo sabar vorsam pattim, Bombaim Albela mhunn ek picture laglelem
Tantun acting famad Baghwanan kelelem, punn music Goenkaranim gazoilelem
Tem svadik music Goenkaran boroilelem, dekun Albela picture nanv zoddunk 
pavlelem
Amchea Chic-Chocletan music tem ghatlelem, punn lokan nanv C. Ramchandrak 
dilelem


II
Vhodd-vhodd musician Goenkarank ditat vhodd man
Mhunttat music assam mhunn Goenkaranchea rogtan
Aiz Laxmikant-Pyarelal asat Director zavn
Ekleak xikoila amchea Anthony Gonsalvesan

Chorus
Oi music ek doulot Goenkaranchi, thoddeank khobor nam eka uxear muzgachi
Tannem soglleank vollok dovorlea apnnanchi, zoddun xebaski Nirmonn, Amchea 
Noxibachi

To dis-rat filmank music boroupi, tannem xeva keli kitleanch directoranchi
Ghevn mozot amchea Frank Fernandachi, aiz famad zalem Kalyanji-Anandji

III
Aslet dog music director tantlo eklo melo
Shanker-Jaikishan mhuttlear konnui voukotalo
Tanchem music borem mhunn lok kantaram mhunttalo
Punn tancho sogllo vavr Goenkar Sebastian kortalo

Chorus
Ami Goenkar sodanch ugttea monanche, ami kuskeaponn soddun konnaichem 
soboita
Ami amche Goenche Mandde-Dekhnneo ghalun, aiz kitlimxim Hindi pikcheram 
gazoita
Punn filmanche director hem sogllem visron, Goenkar bebde mhunnon filmanim 
dakoita
Ami uxear mhunn filmanim vazoupak apoita, punn ami uxear mhunn poddddeacher 
dakounk lipoita



From Doms antique shelf!


P.S.  It was the title of this song that inspired my ganv-bhav, the 
renowned Konkani novel writer, Bonaventure DPietro, to write his 12th novel 
titled SONGIT  Doulot Goenkaranchi!


Moi-mogan,
Domnic Fernandes
Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA

_
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[Goanet] Goa folk utsav this month end at Kala Academy

2005-10-13 Thread Miguel Braganza

Dears,

You can enjoy Goan heritage at kala Academy this month end.

Viva Goa.
Miguel
- Original Message -
From: hetapandit
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ;
[EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ;
[EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; ; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 8:19 AM
Subject: goa folk utsav this month

  Friends,

I understand that the attachement did not reach some of you. Here's the full
text of the programme for the Goa Folk Utsav. Its a unique festival in that
there will be a ten minute talk on the dance form before the actual
performance. Besides, we also have some unusual dances and music unearthed
from the kitchens of Goa.

Please do come and do pass on this invitation to everyone in your mailbox.

Best,

Heta

This is the invite:

Goa Heritage Action Group   Kala Academy Goa

cordially invite you to

Goa Folk Utsav 2005

A unique dance-drama-lecture programme

on 29th-30th October 2005

from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

at the Open Air Auditorium, Kala Academy, Panaji, Goa

Programme Overleaf

PROGRAMME

29th October 2005

 6 p.m. to 8.10 p.m.

6.00 p.m. Presentation on Goa Heritage Action Group
6.10 p.m. Lighting of the Lamp
6.20 p.m. Ms. Maria de Lourdes Brav da Costa Rodrigues on Mando
6.30 p.m. Mando by Kepechim Kirnnam from Kepem
6.40 p.m. Dr. Pandurang Phaldesai on Talgadi
6.50 p.m. Talgadi by Mahendra Phaldesai Group
7.00 p.m. Break
7.10 p.m. Dr. Pandurang Phaldesai on Zagor
7.20 p.m. Zagor by Kanta Gawde Group
7.30 p.m. Dr. Pandurang Phaldesai on Goff
7.40 p.m. Goff by Mahendra Phaldesai Group
7.50 p.m. Dr. Pandurang Phaldesai on Ghode Moddni
8.00 p.m. Ghode Moddni by Kanta Gawde Group

30th October 2005
 6 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.

6.00 p.m. Presentation on Goa Heritage Action Group
6.10 p.m. Lighting of the Lamp
6.20 p.m. Mr. Prajal Sakhardande on Kunbi Nach
6.30 p.m. Kunbi Nach by Avedem Quepem Group led by Amelbai
6.40 p.m. Mr. Rajendra Kerkar on Dhalo
6.50 p.m. Dhalo by Keri Sattari Group led by Purnima Kerkar
7.00 p.m. Break
7.10 p.m. Mr. Rajendra Kerkar on Chapay
7.20 p.m. Chapay by Sattari Group
7.30 p.m. Mr. Prabhakar Majik on Davli Mandi
7.40 p.m. Davli Mandi by Smt. Bhagirathibai Ganesh Majik
7.50 p.m. Mr. Prabhakar Majik on Ranmale
8.00 p.m. Ranmale by Nakul Veluskar Group from Sattari

Programme anchors Mr. Prajal and Ms. Anju Sakhardande

UTSAV PARTNER : TOURISM DEPARTMENT GOVERNMENT OF GOA

Text for booklet and for the display panels

Zagor

Zagor literally means staying awake in Goa's lingua franca Konkani. Zagors
are usually vigils of song and dance kept up all through the night and are
intended to keep both people and village spirits alert and awake. A typical
Zagor brings in performances that include flower sellers, village headmen,
temple dancers (kolvonts), the village idiot or drunk and village guardian
spirits called savangs.

Ghode Moddni

Goa's Ghode Moddni is a martial dance showcasing the fighting spirit of the
Kshatriyas. Rooted in the history of the Ranes, the Rajputs and the Marathas
this dance simulates a battle scene with dancers mounted on make-believe
horses. Garlands of abolims adorn their necks as swords clash amidst
whooping cries of victory in battle. Performed during the Shigmo festival,
the dance is popular in the taluks of Bicholim, Sattari and Pernem, once
under the hold of the Bhonsales of Sawantwadi and the Ranes of Sattari.
Shigmo
is the full-moon pre-Vedic festival that brings the cold months of winter to
a close and heralds days of spring. It is a festival that requires mass
participation, with participants bombing one another with balls filled with
colour and water balloons and the Ghode

Moddni fits in with this mood of sport and joy. Of all the Ghode Moddnis,
the most reverberating is the one performed in the region of
Sarvan-Bicholim and Tahne-Sattari.

Goff

Performed during the Shigmo festival, the Goff is remarkably akin to the
English May Pole Dance. Shigmo is the full-moon pre-Vedic festival that
brings the cold months of winter to a close and heralds days of spring. It
is a festival that requires mass participation, with participants bombing
one another with balls filled with colour and water balloons and the Goff
fits in with the spirit of the Shigmo. Symbolic of the fraternal bonding
between members of the gaunkari, Goa's traditional system of co-operative
farming, this bonding is resplendent with colour, vigour and beautiful
weaves of fabric around a pole. This pole is often a bamboo staff, the roof
of a courtyard or the branch of a tree. The Goan Goff is a celebration of
unity and a celebration of life itself.

Talgadi

Talgadi is an all-male dance that is performed at the time of the Shigmo
festival. Shigmo
is the full-moon pre-Vedic festival that brings the cold months of winter to
a close and heralds days of spring. It is a festival that requires mass
participation, with participants bombing one another with balls filled with

[Goanet] Say NO to the Bus Fare Hike

2005-10-13 Thread Goa Desc


-
Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
-
---
Say NO to the Bus Fare Hike

The authorities are set to raise bus fares consequent on the
marginal increase in diesel prices. According to press reports,
a committee has been set up. What is the make-up of this
committee? Does it include members of consumer organisations
and the ruling coalition? Because consumers and the fortunes
of the ruling parties will take a direct hit if an upward revision is
agreed to.

Consumers in Goa have been reeling under ever-escalating prices
and the image of the ruling combine is bruised by public squabbling
and a poor performance on all fronts. Allowing a price increase will
set in motion a dangerous spiral in inflation levels and will confirm
the public perception of the government as pandering to all sorts of
lobbies at the cost of the common man. Is there a mechanism in
place to determine the price of tickets? Or like most things in Goa
is it arbitrary, purely depending on the Transport Lobby's ability to
satisfy the powers that be?

Is our public transport functioning according to the Motor Vehicles
Act? This Act alongwith the Motor Vehicle Rules mandates among
other things that:

1.A fare table and route should be displayed.
2.A destination Board should be displayed
3.An Emergency Exit be provided.
4.Tickets should be issued to all passengers.
5.Fire extinguisher and First Aid Box be provided
6.The Driver  Conductor should be licensed, in clean livery,
and wearing badges.

In Goa, most of the buses do not display the fare table and route.
Many buses including KTC do not display Destination Boards
The Emergency exit is meaningless as it can never be opened.
In an emergency, passengers are extricated by breaking the
windows or remain trapped till cranes are brought. If they die in
the meanwhile that's too bad.

Are tickets issued to bus passengers? I've almost never got one
except on KTC! Earlier buses did carry Fire Extinguishers and
First Aid boxes, now we hardly see them. I they are there, the
contents are beyond the expiry date and therefore useless.

Many drivers are not licensed for driving public vehicles.
Conductors most often are unlicensed, dirty-smelling,
foul-mouthed street urchins who miss no opportunity to brush
against lady passengers. They only hurriedly shrug into filthy,
crumpled, khaki shirts when accosted by MV inspectors and
don't display badges simply because an astonishingly 90%
of them are not licensed! They prefer to pay the token fine.

Besides this, most buses are vastly overloaded, have frequent
breakdowns, do not adhere to timings and are not averse to
running private marriage and other trips leaving route passengers
stranded. Often after lunch drivers and conductors stink of
alcohol. The vastly over-priced KTC shuttles are probably the
worst maintained as on any given day at least three breakdown
on the Margao-Panaji route putting passengers to grave
inconvenience.

It is because of this resultant bad public transport system that
Goans  even  those who can ill afford it, are forced to use
personal transport adding to traffic congestion, pollution and
impoverishment of the middle class.

The Congress-NCP alliance has come to power on promises
of caring for the Aam Admi. Allowing an upward revision when
the per passenger km increase in fuel works out to not even
One paise, would be profiteering and exploitation of the worst
kind of the common man and totally unjustified. When you
consider that fares are fixed on the basis of bus capacity, and
when we see grossly over-loaded buses which are making
super-normal profits for their operators, this less than one-paise
per passenger km increase can easily be absorbed. In any case
no increase should be allowed until the operators abide by the
provisions of the MV Act.

Yours truly,
Xavier Cota
Betalbatim, Goa 403713
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

---
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
---
promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa
---
GOACAN Post Box  187 Margao,  Goa 403 601
GOACAN Post Box  78   Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.goacan.org
---




--
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[Goanet] Breaking News




Information available from top Crime 
branch and ACB/Vigilance sources in Panjim as well as in Dona Paula 
indicate that Mr. Arun Sinha, the editor of Navhind Times, a Dempo 
Publication, is being questioned on two counts. One- Promotion of 
child labour and Two- Molestation case. It is 
believed that the child involved is a 11 year old female domestic engaged 
by Mr. Sinha, a Mishra from Bihar, who is also being interogated. Official 
news, whether it is a frame-up orauthentic is awaited.

goasuraj

[Goanet] Ray of hope for 34 Goans in overseas job racket

http://oheraldo.in/node/5307
Ray of hope for 34 Goans in overseas job racket

MUMBAI, OCT 12 (UNI) –- There is some ray of hope for 34 Goans, among
437 others, who have been duped by a Mumbai-based recruitment 'firm'
on a promise of overseas job.
Mumbai city police have arrested two persons for cheating people, at
Dadar, Mumbai.
Addressing the media, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Dhananjay
Kamlakar said accused - Yusuf Sabir Sayyed (41) and Toufiq Ahmed
Shaikh (54) - had opened an office at Hind Industrial Estate at Dadar
for providing placements abroad.
The duo had issued an advertisement in the newspapers in Goa, Gujarat,
and Tamil Nadu for providing jobs in United Kingdom, the Netherlands
and other countries.
In response to their advertisement, 471 candidates including 145 from
Andhra Pradesh, 172 from Gujarat, 50 from Maharashtra, 34 from Goa, 36
from Tamil Nadu, five each from Rajasthan, Kolkata and Karnataka and
three from Delhi approached them for jobs.
Mr Kamlakar said the accused took Rs 60,000 from each person and
collected their passports. However, they failed to send a single
candidate abroad.
Later, one of the persons registered a complaint against them for
cheating following which, the police nabbed them yesterday from their
office at Dadar.
Both were produced in the metropolitan court, where they were remanded
to police custody till October 21, the DCP added.

--
Cheers,

Gabe Menezes.
London, England

[Goanet] Govt, pvt institutions should join hands in RD