Re: [Goanet] Condolences: Reena Martins, Mumbai
Adv. Lazarus Martins, Reena's father, was our friend, colleague and a relative. We condole over his demise. Bennet Paes fly. --- On Thu, 9/9/10, JoeGoaUk joego...@yahoo.co.uk wrote: From: JoeGoaUk joego...@yahoo.co.uk Subject: [Goanet] Condolences: Reena Martins, Mumbai To: goa...@goanet.org Date: Thursday, 9 September, 2010, 10:29 AM Thanks FN, I think, Reena also lost her mother about 6-7 months ago Our heartfelt sympathies to Reena and family Quote: [Goanet] Condolences: Reena Martins, Mumbai Condolences to Reena Martins, journalist from Velim/Mumbai who writes for The Telegraph (Kolkata), whose dad passed away this morning. Reena has shared some of her articles with Goanet, and here's a condolence on behalf of other Goanetters who know her. Her message via Facebook: Dad just passed away this morning. Please pray for his soul. Contact for personal messages: reena martins reenamartins at hotmail.com, joego...@yahoo.co.uk for Goa NRI related info... http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/GOAN-NRI/ For Goan Video Clips http://youtube.com/joeukgoa In Goa, Dial 1 0 8 For Hospital, Police, Fire etc
Re: [Goanet] The pao and the glory - Meaning of NRI Who is a Goan.
A Goan is someone born in Goa or is of Goan parentage. He/she may be living in and holding a passport of another country, but still that person is Goan, of Goan nationality. Note: 1) If born in Goa, or if parents were born in Goa under the Portuguese rule, their Nationality is Portuguese, even if they later, by freak of history, obtained an Indian passport which is only a travel document given on the basis of Citizenship. (That is the reason why Portugal still issues an ID, besides a passport, if someone can prove he was born under their rule in Goa, or if his/her parents did). 2) If a Goan lives in and holds another country's passport, it is only because he/she is a Citizen of that country - not a National. However, if a Goan is born in Goa under Indian rule, he/she has the option to be called an Indian national, or a Portuguese national if his/her parents were born in Poruguese Goa. That's what I mean by 'freak of history'. Open for correction if found wrong. Thank you. Bennet Paes Asolna, Goa --- On Mon, 6/9/10, Oscar Lobo oscarlo...@optusnet.com.au wrote: From: Oscar Lobo oscarlo...@optusnet.com.au Subject: [Goanet] The pao and the glory - Meaning of NRI Who is a Goan. To: goa...@goanet.org, 'GOA NRI-GROUP' goan-...@yahoogroups.co.in Cc: bo...@goanet.org Date: Monday, 6 September, 2010, 3:03 AM Dear Good People - Goans, Many people term overseas Goans as NRI and sometimes NGO. I am unsure if there is another nomenclature for Goans. 1. To me, the definition of Non Resident Indians are those that live and work overseas on an Indian passport and are intending to come back to Goa or detour elsewhere depending on the meaning of greener pastures, whatever that means to each individual's understanding. 2. What terminology is used for Goans living and working overseas with foreign passports and an OCI or PIO and those without these documents. We need to remember here that no: 1 2 have the best of both worlds to give back to Goa. 3. Finally, it takes me to another question that pops up now and then - recently someone again asked on this forum Who is a Goan - is it one who has a ration card, ancestral property and if not what else is required to fit the definition. I have addressed this to a broad spectrum of people who read Goanet. My definition some years ago was truncated by a learned person and a business man in Panjim Goa where I had attended an annual Goan meet. Thank you for your time. Regards Oscar C. Lobo Melbourne.
[Goanet] Lucky to be Goan
LUCKY TO BE A GOAN By: Bennet Paes I had a visitor the other day at my office. He was a businessman from Delhi. He said to me: “Man, you’re lucky to be a Goan”. I saluted him for the compliment, but was rather inquisitive to know whether he was a fortune-teller in the guise of a businessman. I asked him why he said what he said. Then he went on to say even more: “ Goa is something different. Goans are more disciplined, god-fearing and soft-spoken which, by the way, also makes Goa a soft- target ……so on and so forth”. I heard many such accolades before, both from ‘local’ foreigners and ‘foreign’ foreigners, but was not quite sure if politicians were also included in those showers. Not surprisingly, my Delhi guest set the record straight in a series of swipes, as we dragged on to the burning topic of all times – corruption. He charged head-on: “ As I said, Goa is a soft-target for thieves, terrorists, thugs and all the t’s you can think of. Add to them the rapists and the extortionists. They lay their hands on Goa’s soft maidens, with as much ease as on its maiden lands. They call it collateral damage, and the politicians do not disagree”. “However, all this is only peanuts compared to Delhi. Here in Goa a Minister may buy all the tickets for a cricket match and sell them in the black market. In Delhi they buy the whole stadium and sell it to Real Estate developers.” I asked him why the scale is so huge in Delhi, and he explained in simple math: “ Goa is only a small State in India, while Delhi is the capital of all the 28 States and 7 union territories, therefore corruption is 28 + 7 times bigger, relatively speaking”. “The only consolation is that there is one person among the political gangs in the entire country whose dictionary is printed without the word ‘corruption’. This person is our Prime Minister. But unfortunately, he too is made a soft-target like Goans. The opposition politicians argue how he could be the leader of a country when he is not even an elected representative of the Loc Sabha. The P.M in his typical demeanour reminds them that he is an economist, not a politician, and that he is to corruption, what a saint is to Satan. “And listen to this before I dash off to catch an IA flight to Delhi which, in all probability will be delayed until tomorrow”. With sarcasm at its best, he pushed it yet further: “Discipline in India ended in 1947, the year the British took it away with them. On the other hand, Goans were lucky to live with it for 14 years longer, until Mr. Nehru got jealous of you and spread the curse to the entire nation. Perhaps now you will know what I have been saying all along, won’t you?” -
[Goanet] Life's Like That
LIFE’S LIKE THAT By: Bennet Paes “Never judge a book by its cover” say wise men out of experience. However, that piece of advice may be right for a bookshop browser, but my concept was a kind of departure from that wisdom. “Pride and Prejudice”, acclaimed the world over as a fictional masterpiece by one of the most celebrated British novelists, Jane Austen, was a literary prescription for freshmen in most Indian Universities in the 1950’s. So I was left with no choice but to lump it, whether I liked it or not. First of all, the book’s cover did not impress me, and what followed was even worse. The story revolved around a mind-boggling web of inter-relationships among the18th century English gentry, which seemed so distant both in colour and custom from an age I grew up in. Moreover, Ms Austen’s romantic comedy, heavily punctuated by ‘indirect speech’ did not exactly jell with my own notion of humour, or the manner to be expressed it in. The only saving grace though, was the plot’s central player, Elizabeth Bennet whose last name the author chose to spell the same way as my first. Strange enough for an English family to have that name ending with a single ‘t’. However, despite this silver lining, so as to speak, an eerie feeling said I was indeed heading for a ‘Waterloo’. So a change became necessary, just as it was for Jane Austen herself. She had earlier suggested to title her work as “My First Impressions” . She changed it, and it worked. It got her the world’s applause, except mine. It took me six years and three Universities to reach to the last page of that novel, and finally I never even got there. In fact, this ‘Bennet’ deserved to be on the pages of another book – The Guinness Book of World Records. Later on, having wandered about aimlessly in the company of the so-called (Goan) freedom fighters in Bombay, someone else happened to come into my life. Freedom, to this middle-aged Goan meant relief from the Bombay grind that fetched him little in return. But luckily, a visa was in hand which was to lift him soon to a greener pasture out of India. He was kind by nature and promised he would love to have me for company after he got there. I was in raptures, not even knowing where he would take me. But deep inside, I felt that even Timbuktu would do, so long as I got out of sight of a fuming father. My father had dug deep into his pockets, only to find his son squander it all away, college- hopping. Eventually I found myself on board s.s.Dara. The ship was set to sail from Bombay to the Iraqi port of Basra, calling at six others en route. It was in mid-December, 1958. The visa stamped on my Portuguese passport was for Kuwait – then, a small desert sheikdom under British protection, and with an equally small native population of Bedouins and their ruling families. But in contrast, it had huge deposits of crude oil, literally oozing out of their ‘ghutrahs’ . In Arabic these stand for a headgear that is more prominently worn by Gulf Arabs to protect their tops from the blistering desert conditions. The black gold, however, had not yet trickled down to make Kuwait a sea-worthy port. Like some others in the Gulf, it did not have a harbour. So ships offloaded cargo and passengers in mid-stream, and were transported to shore precariously huddled in dhows built in Malabar. I spent nine memorable days on the ‘Dara’. The chief steward of the ship was a friend from a neighbouring village. He was in his fifties, but quite fit to face the fury of the seas. He said he had been on the job for the better half of his adult life. He was also gracious enough to upgrade me from deck-class accommodation, and host me right in his cabin all the way to Kuwait. A quick drink each day before early dinners and a cursory glance at his pretty daughter’s photograph, were added for my comfort. The barber came in to shave the chief early mornings, and insisted that he run the razor on me as well. I obliged out of courtesy, although the few strands of hair on my chin hardly justified the barber’s attention. Some of the deck hands below were also well known to me. The barman, in particular, happened to be from my own village, so naturally I was in for a swig on the side, secretly though, so as to be out of his boss’ reach. Apart from this slight digression, discipline was seen to be an exemplary feature among the entire crew. The British officers in command saw that it was observed to the hilt. Their ‘raj’ might have closed shop on the mainland, but their shipping line, “B.I” in short, hadn’t yet snapped its umbilical cord to the sub-continent. It’s ships plied all round India’s waterways, leading up to all of the four compass points on earth. Finally, the time came for my journey’s end, and to say goodbye to all those who had so kindly entertained me while on board. A dhow was seen tossing about, down below on the port side of the
[Goanet] Goose Chase
GOOSE CHASE By: Bennet Paes It’s no wild-goose-chase when a gander hisses in hot pursuit of a goose, and gets it. No, it’s not even an accidental one-night stand, as is so infectious with world’s football celebrities. In animal kingdom there are no celebrities nor ceremonies. They just do what comes naturally. They are games that the geese and ganders play, which we sum up as mating, but which Ethologists so subtly say sexual pairing. No matter what – they are all considered free and fair, in a world where man-made laws do not consider them otherwise. May I pet-name them as “gg games”? Now, let’s juxtapose this scenario in a kingdom where a ‘Rathore’ and ‘Ratol’ vie for a place in games that humans play, more notably in India. A Police Chief goes wild and chases a ‘goose’. Only this goose happens to be a young tennis player of the same gender. And unlike the “gg games”, this one is as foul as it is foolish. How come, a police chief mistakes a racket for a racketeer? Then comes a Government Legislator. He bends the law to bend over a ‘goose’, and then prevents it from laying the golden egg. Strangely enough the blame is shifted on to a killer paste, commercially labeled as ‘Ratol’ - and the case rests there. Just incredible! The airwaves are flush with breaking news at the break of each day: “The Principal of an international boarding school gives marks based on bedroom performance”. And to beat them all: “a hockey coach plays with geese-legs in preference to hockey-sticks, and lands himself on the wrong end of the sticks”. By the time this piece goes on the net, God knows who else is getting set for another chase. Stunning spectacles that regretfully reverse our nation’s proud strides in technological breakthroughs and economic achievements. Country-wide corruption granted, these men who have let lust loose on unsuspecting eves, rub salt further down into an already wounded pride. Makes one wonder how a nation brimming with criminals on land, can still manage to launch seven satellites in the air in one single mission. -- * * * IS YOURS one of the stories of Goans on board the S.S. Dwarka, or at the Strait of Hormuz, Basra or Bahrain, Dubai, Swindon, Mombasa, Poona or Rangoon? Selma Carvalho's new book *Into the Diaspora Wilderness* docks at many other ports. Get your copy from Broadways, Panjim [9822488564] Rs 295. Pp extra. http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/
[Goanet] Quest for Kashmir
Sorry, my earlier mail on this subject was sent out inadvertently. This this the right one. QUEST FOR KASHMIR By: Bennet Paes Kashmir is unlike a candle. It lights up when it does not burn. And that’s exactly when tourism brochures hail it as paradise on earth. At other times it ceases to emit light, and that’s when the burning begins. This is because it happens to be a part of geography that conjoins the twin nations of India and Pakistan, although non-identical either in size or character. It suffers from birth pangs that have now developed into a major disease. Doctors recommended surgery, for which the scalpel was readied over six decades ago and is now gathering rust. The operation is mired in complications, thus making it all the more difficult to trace the path of dissection. Even the Himalayas shrug off at the awesomeness of the task. As much as is the gravity of the situation, the twins do nurture a concern over the menacing legacy they find themselves in. However, India insists that the incision into the diseased organ must start from the Pakistani side of Maharajah Hari Singh’s former State of JK. Pakistan accepts it, but on condition that a majority of the ‘cells’ that make up the entire conjoining State are free to decide by a referendum, whether a) to accept India’s insistence or, b) have two incisions on either side of the Maharajah’s former empire or, c) to counter India’s insistence and join with Pakistan. The solution still lies in limbo. The reason is that India refuses to budge from it’s stubborn stand, on the grounds that, a) a show-of-cells (plebiscite) is impractical so long as a Pakistani medical team is treating one-third of the conjoining body-part and, b) a large chunk of ‘Hindu cells’ have over the years migrated to mainland India due to religious persecution, thus making the so-called ‘show’ lopsided and irrational. Pakistan too behaves no differently, and insists that India’s surgeons must also vacate simultaneously for the said ‘show’ to take effect. Now, exiting the medical parlance, it seems that India is diverting attention from the real bone of contention, and indulging in what may simply be called an exercise in futility. Pakistan tries to steer back from India’s game-changer, but reluctantly accepts to ride on it’s un-mapped road to a final solution. Then they settle down to some strangely coded terminology like a composite dialog – talks – trust deficit and what have you. This heavily embroidered diplomacy that borders on lunacy, is all that the tax-payers on both sides of the border are fed on, year after year. Hai, hai Ram! Why does not India come out of the groove it is stuck in, and let the brains do the talking? It is time to introspect and find out the root cause that led to three wars, Kargil, attacks on Parliament and Mumbai, and God knows what else to follow. Bus-rides to Lahore and hand-shakes stage-managed for public viewing are certainly not the answer. Statesmanship and moral consciousness dictate that the people caught in the web of this historical botch-up, be set free to seek their own destiny. And the responsibility lies with the two warring nations that have left this human rights related problem unresolved, despite repeated appeals from the UN Security Council’s commission for India Pakistan (UNCIP), for a free and impartial plebiscite. Therefore, now is the time to get the act together and to be bold enough to face, as well as irrevocably accept the outcome of that historic poll. Inshe Allah – the world’s largest democracy may end up growing even larger. --
Re: [Goanet] Replies to The Burka
Ref: The Burka FN (1) Very interesting to see men define what is suitable for women to wear! It is as if they were our property! BP (1) If it were a man in a Burka, most parts of what I said would apply, as well. Only happens that it was a woman I was talking about this time. --- FN (2) Would it be okay if women were to lay down their diktat on what the menfolk of their community and other communities had to wear? BP (2) Human Rights, which I said I respect, takes care of this question. -- FN (3) To me it just appears to be an exercise in laying down rules for someone else. Why not let everyone decide what they are comfortable in? It is also interesting to see us define what is acceptable by presuming that our own standards are the norm and normal! FN BP (3) It was an exercise in laying down facts in today’s terror stricken world (and not my standards), that it is lot more convenient/comfortable for a person (whether male or female) to let his/her face be left open, if not on hygienic grounds, at least for easy identification at every step of his/her way, i.e. at banks, air-ports, hotels, shopping malls, public/corporate offices, and what have you – one’s own home excluded. On the other hand, if a person would come up to above places with the whole body covered, except for bare hands two openings for the eyes, it would throw a huge veil of suspicion at points of entrance and thereafter – first of all, not knowing at first glance whether the burka-clad person is a man or a woman and secondly, whether the person has even the remotest links to terror. NOTE: Perhaps we may soon see a ‘designer-burka’ with a silk laced opening for the face, in which case my whole exercise would be have been rendered futile. -- NOTE: Another one responded with a sermon on human anatomy which I thought as much confusing as irrelevant to what I said about the burka. The above answers will perhaps help put her mind at rest. Bennet Paes --- --- On Fri, 16/7/10, Frederick Noronha fredericknoro...@gmail.com wrote: From: Frederick Noronha fredericknoro...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Goanet] The Burka To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! goanet@lists.goanet.org Date: Friday, 16 July, 2010, 11:16 PM Very interesting to see men define what is suitable for women to wear! It is as if they were our property! Would it be okay if women were to lay down their diktat on what the menfolk of their community and other communities had to wear? To me it just appears to be an exercise in laying down rules for someone else. Why not let everyone decide what they are comfortable in? It is also interesting to see us define what is acceptable by presuming that our own standards are the norm and normal! FN Frederick Noronha +91-9822122436 +91-832-2409490 On 16 July 2010 18:47, Nascy Caldeira nascy...@yahoo.com.au wrote: It is not only the Face that should be shown. Most parts of the Human body are beautiful, more so a woman's legs, so there should be no restrictions on 'dressing up or not' like wise... --- On Fri, 16/7/10, From PAES bennetp...@yahoo.com wrote: THE BURKA By: Bennet Paes The world over, the part of a human body that is most visible to other humans is the face. Unlike those parts that remain covered in privacy, it’s only the face that faces the task of determining one’s identity. In fact, any ...
[Goanet] The Burka
THE BURKA By: Bennet Paes The world over, the part of a human body that is most visible to other humans is the face. Unlike those parts that remain covered in privacy, it’s only the face that faces the task of determining one’s identity. In fact, any object on earth, animate or inanimate, is distinguished by what humans call, its face. Even the forthcoming Unique Identification Card (UID), an ambitious project embarked upon by the Govt. of India is meant for that very purpose. On the face of it, this may seem rather baffling, but it’s true. Let’s see if it is. I was greeted by a lady in the Gulf who recognized me after an absence of about a quarter-century. Obviously she guessed it right, even without the help of ‘Paul’ the octopus. I mean, simply by recalling my face. On the other hand, I wondered inside of me, who this sweet sounding lady could be. Reason – she was covered from head to toe. Apparently, twenty-five years ago she didn’t wear that menacing mask, so we had met, exchanged looks and pleasantries and remained acquainted thereafter. At that time crude oil hadn’t spilt so profusely into the oceans of fundamentalism as it does now. Nor did America’s wild attempts at imposing democracies in the unlikeliest of places, generate so much misplaced awareness, of what is now brazenly trumpeted as ‘human rights’. So, apparently emboldened by these factors and by her own religious beliefs, which again, scholars insist as misplaced, my friend may have been right in exercising her right. But unfortunately she was unfair to me in doing so. While she peeped at me through those two vantage openings in her burka, she denied me an honest look at her face and a return of her gesture, in a manner it deserved to be conducted in a civilized society. I was baffled. Recently, French legislators declared a ban on the burka in public places i.e. in France, not in India. But ironically, debaters on Indian TV channels sprang into a slugfest over the French decision. One lady, whose presence on the panel was particularly noticeable by a glaring exposure of her dolled up face, argued that a lady wearing a burka in democratic France has every right to dress as she pleases, being a citizen of that country. What she did not mention is, whether that lady or her elders had peeped through holes at the time they were interviewed for their French citizenship, and yet got it. And I wonder what made them migrate, in the first place, to a country where a burka-clad lady could easily pass for a ghost planted right up the Eiffel tower. And I also wonder why these Indian debaters agitate over that ban in France, while back at home the honour of ‘honour-killings’ remains as shrouded as that French lady in a burka. Honestly, and with due respect to human rights, suffocating un-hygienically inside a burka, even though in the midst of tightly-turbaned citizenry, to me is so unbecoming of a lady that needs to look free and fresh, and be admired for all the gracefulness of her femininity. Rather than outright banning, the burka could be made to look absolutely redundant in a terror stricken world that faces a ‘show of face’ every step of the way. -
[Goanet] So it's Spain
SO, IT'S SPAIN If 'Paul' had predicted 7 out of 8 correctly, it was a foregone conclusion that Spain would take the World Cup home. Oh, how it missed going a little to the west to Portugal! Let's hope it will, the next time out of Brazil. Bennet Paes
[Goanet] Freedom Fighter
FREEDOM FIGHTER By: Bennet Paes Having passed through the portals of three Universities, and yet failing to get past the freshman’s mark, I stumbled into a selective band of Goans on the Indian side of the border. They prided themselves being called Freedom Fighters, (FF’s). That was way back in Bombay, in the 50’s. By and large the FF’s looked a dejected lot, just as I was, myself. And that may be just one reason for having to call ourselves ‘hail-fellows-well-met’. However, in a short while I discovered that the most compelling reason why they were on the wrong side of the border, was their hatred for a foreign rule in our motherland or rather, the fear of the Portuguese masters themselves. Mine too was fear, but it was of an angry father who felt the pinch of converting Escudos for six long years, without seeing a single academic title on either side of his son’s name. From the days of Mahatma Gandhi’s tryst with freedom, one prerequisite to be a ‘Freedom Fighter’ came to be accepted as a short adventure in an Indian jail. Critics then called it a picnic in prison. And may be rightly so. In today’s India, too, people get into a jail one day, bailed out the next and everything goes hunky-dory thereafter. On the other hand, Portuguese jails were far removed from the romance of a Presley’s ‘Jailhouse Rock’. They were exactly what lawbreakers deserved to be in. Discipline was what they exacted out of an erring ‘rocker’, and the stick did the trick. However, their aversion to the so-called freedom-fighters roused them to raise that stick even higher. It’s because they branded them as terrorists – the very label that India now puts on Pakistanis marauding across the Kashmiri border, but which label Pakistan itself brushes off as ‘freedom fighters’. Amazing how pots and kettles can change colours with changing situations. Incidentally, some of the freedom loving buddies in Bombay were already known to me while in Goa. They were also known for tampering with the strict law and order of the Portuguese regime. However, in most cases they found themselves behind bars for offences unrelated to freedom or sometimes mistaken for it. For example, one of them, sloshed with local ‘feni’ one evening, passed by the Margao ‘quartel’ (police quarters) shouting out: “Jakin, Jakin”. In a drunken state he was only calling out to his wife to show him the way home. Instead, the officer guarding the post showed him the way to a cell right behind. Reason - he thought the man was shouting “Jaihind, Jaihind”, a slogan popular with the freedom-fighters of those days. Later the man was drained off the hooch, and beaten up to an extent that propelled him right on the other side of the border. Nevertheless, having been influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s struggle for freedom, a path hugely accentuated by his courtship with prison-cells, the local machos also developed an appetite for freedom of sorts. But what was under suspicion was their determination to fight for it. They tried to emulate the great Mahatma in so far as his sit-in’s were concerned. But his fasts- unto-death dreaded them as death itself. Particularly, the group that I came to be associated with, was hardly of the type that would deny itself a morsel for any cause on earth, freedom included. Gandhi’s struggle for freeing a colonized nation did have a bearing on the 300-year old British struggle to coalesce that very nation. But ‘satyagraha’ was a different kettle of fish for the Portuguese. Such non-violent ploys to dislodge them from a 450-year hold on their “Estado da India Portuguesa” were in sharp contrast to those deployed by them to retain their supremacy on. They had used the sword – not a sit-in, to ward off persistent rebellions by domestic dynasties in the past. The same tactics continued, even while dealing with non-violent dissenters. Although much credit goes to those Goans who put their lives on the block in their pursuit of freedom, the others merely rode on the back of Nehru’s “Operation Vijay” that eventually earned for them a place on the roll-of-honour, supposedly dedicated only to Goa’s men of mettle. I was, neither this side, nor that side of the border when the 80,000-strong Indian onslaught reversed the history of Goa for good. But, from far away Kuwait I said to myself: oh, how I missed watching the grand spectacle from the sidelines, and then declaring myself a Freedom Fighter! --
[Goanet] Portugal, again
PORTUGAL, AGAIN For Portugal, Shakira’s: “Vaka,Vaka“ might have ended, but the melody will linger on. A nation of 10 million “herois do mar” that sailed the seas and spread the fever of football among nations bigger in size than its own, and produced the world’s most expensive exponent of the game, cannot just be wished away from living memories. Cristiano Ronaldo may have failed to shine, as does the sun under cloudy skies, but take heart my fellow Goans. The next FIFA showdown is only four more years away, and let’s hope by then the clouds, too, will give way. Bennet Paes Assolna Goa 1st July 2010
[Goanet] MONSOON MAGIC
THE MONSOON MAGIC By: Bennet Paes Traditionally, we Goans have a-saint-a-season, and for a reason. St. Anthony is for the coming of rains and San Joao to get us drenched in it. But nothing of that sort happened, and only a few days ago we were soaking in sweat under a sweltering sun. The only consolation came, not surprisingly though, from the inimitable Indian meteorologists whose college curriculum now seems to include a subject called: ‘guessing games’. At first they said the southwesterly winds had already completed their damage over the Andamans and were now threatening Kerala, which meant only two more days for us to sweat under. That, however, made great news. Not two days – four more went in waiting. The sun still beat our rooftops and the earth parched drier. The famous weathermen then spun us into another glimmer of hope. They lectured us saying that ‘slight inaccuracies’ are always factored into weather predictions, which are further compounded by this phenomenon-come-lately known as global warming. We heard that sermon, as we usually do when men on earth talk about heavenly matters, and went as far as pushing the pill further down. But at last relief came our way. The sun went into hiding and let the clouds release a drizzle accompanied by a thunderous applause. Soon after, a downpour followed. It danced with the towering trees that had been longing for a partner all through the summer. The sweat on our shirts turned into little pools of water in our fields, the frogs ended their hibernation and croaked a symphony of sounds so reminiscent of our childhood days. It was green, green, green everywhere. By Jove! That was magic.
[Goanet] Portugal and Football
PORTUGAL and FOOTBALL It is strange that one billion plus Indians cannot produce 11 Indians that can find a place in the World Cup football tournament. But, if that ever happened and both, Portugal and India played each other, it would be tough for me to choose which side I would blow the ‘vuvuzela’ for. The Portuguese flags fluttered on world screens yesterday, and they reminded me of the days when, as a school boy, they were the ones I first saw flying on Goan masts. Old memories die hard!!! Bennet Paes
[Goanet] The Bhopal Botch-up
THE BHOPAL BOTCH-UP By: Bennet Paes Mired in a legacy of lethargy, India is now trying to bring back the horse that had bolted away from its stable 26 years ago. That horse is one Mr. Warren Anderson, now 90, and living on borrowed oxygen. It’s almost like flogging a dying horse, but the Indians see wisdom in shutting, no matter how late, the very gate they had once left wide open for Anderson to flee. Let us for a moment imagine that they succeed, and Anderson is down here on a stretcher, hardly able to speak, and his lawyer doing the talking. Putting it bluntly, India tells him that he is accountable and charged for the Bhopal disaster. The lawyer rejects the charge saying, after 26 years it sounds like a ‘broken record’ and prepares to file a counter suit. If it had taken 26 years for India to reach thus far, God alone knows how many more years it would take for a 90-year old Anderson to be finally convicted or acquitted. The ensuing judgment could at best only serve as an epitaph on his tombstone.
Re: [Goanet] Open Questions to Churchill Alemao
Richard Betsy Nunes: You might have irked the other 'True Goans' whose homes are palatial and also got their children educated. The only difference is that they chose to remain behind to serve their 'masters' and got hugely rewarded in return. Bennet Paes Assolna, Goa --- On Sun, 30/5/10, Richard Betsy Nunes sourcing.nu...@gmail.com wrote: From: Richard Betsy Nunes sourcing.nu...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Goanet] Open Questions to Churchill Alemao To: goa...@goanet.org Date: Sunday, 30 May, 2010, 8:37 AM Kuddos to you, Eddie Verdes, You are absolutely right when you state that: As far as I know, Goan Tarvottis are the only True Goans who have worked hard on the ships, got their children educated and developed / built their own houses in Goa. We live in the Carmona / Cavelossim area and have discovered, to our delight, that the best big homes are in this area. During the Festive season, it is such a delight to drive around the inner pathways and see the massive Cribs that have been erected with love and such thoughtfulness. What's more these homes are well maintained and painted inside out on a very regular basis. Villagers in this area love their homes and we love living amongst them. They have made us so welcome and we thoroughly enjoyed the Festive Seasons here, Carol-singing in various homes, parties, relationships and friendships. The Chapel in Benaulim, Patrocino Church, offers such beautiful Church Services on a Saturday evening, their singing is great and inspiring too. We are retirees here in Goa from June, 2008 and have thus far enjoyed living in this area. Betsy and Richard Nunes
Re: [Goanet] Mega project by Mumbai based builder
Alda, If the days under Portuguese rule were dark, the nights would have been even darker. Yet we slept with our windows open! Bennet Paes Assolna, Goa --- On Thu, 27/5/10, Alda Figueiredo alda_juli...@yahoo.co.uk wrote: From: Alda Figueiredo alda_juli...@yahoo.co.uk Subject: Re: [Goanet] Mega project by Mumbai based builder To: goanet@lists.goanet.org Date: Thursday, 27 May, 2010, 4:34 PM Dear Readers What prompted me to write this time is the issue raised in recent emails on the above mega project in the village of Carmona has been resurrected against the will of the local people. During one of my visits to Goa I witnessed the scene of fierce fighting by locals to stop a similar project. I was under the impression that the ghost was laid to rest forever. It appears that the same ghost has come to haunt the village once again. I love Goa and even though I do not live permanently in Goa I am very passionate about the welfare of Goa. The Authority concerned should consider the needs of the locals by improving the already depleted facilities like water and electricity supply and garbage disposal. All these factors cause immense hardship for locals living in small villages. Good luck to all those who are fighting for their rights to live peacefully and in comfort. Maintain your cause - do not give up! Otherwise, human disasters will ravage the state. Goa has progressed well economically, socially and culturally after 48 years of liberation of Goa, despite some of the problems Goa is facing right now due to corruption. It will be a pity to go back to the dark days of Portuguese rule. A J Figueiredo
[Goanet] Kasab verdict
KASAB VERDICT India showed the world that even hardened criminals are human, by giving Kasab a fair trial lasting over a year. Now, it may as well raise this greatness to greater heights, by giving a fallen criminal the treatment that a human being does not deserve to be paid in revenge. As one may recall, 10 Pakistanis were involved in the battles in Bombay, nine of whom were killed in the fight. That’s fine, but Kasab was captured live and the killings were over. Now, why kill a man who has no weapons to fight back with? That would amount to cowardice on an unlevel playing field, isn’t so? More than a year has already gone by with Kasab in detention, let more years be given him to tell the world who sent him to Bombay to kill. That would be coming right from the horse’s mouth, and that would stop all mouths in Pakistan from pronouncing denials. Remember, even in trigger-happy America, Sirhan Sirhan is mercifully spared the gallows despite demolishing one of that country’s best known figures, Robert F. Kennedy. Bennet Paes Assolna, Goa
[Goanet] A quiz!
A QUIZ! If contraception is unnatural, immoral - can forced celibacy escape those adjectives? Or, is my opinion on ‘contraception’ bigoted in the first place? I am a Catholic. Bennet Paes
[Goanet] Old English Records
Have a load of LP's (long-playing) English 'oldies' 33rpm and 45rpm too. Anyone interested? Bennet Paes Your Mail works best with the New Yahoo Optimized IE8. Get it NOW! http://downloads.yahoo.com/in/internetexplorer/
[Goanet] MF Hussain
M F HUSAIN This guy professes that India is the country of his birth, that he loves it and that he can return to it any time he chooses to. If that is not a lie, he could have lived and worked in any country of the world, still keeping his Indian passport under his 'brush'. ZUBIN MEHTA, one of the world's greatest conductors of Philharmonic Orchestras lives and travels around the globe, but still keeps his Indian chilli and passport under his baton. That’s who you call a true Indian, who Husain could take a lesson from. Bennet Paes Assolna, Goa The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
[Goanet] Shashi Tharoor
SHASHI THAROOR By: Bennet Paes It seems a slight departure, and a genuine one at that, from Nehru’s policies on world stage, create a hue and cry in Indian media.. Shashi Tharoor may be in Congress party and a Minister in its government, but talking on an international forum, or rather commenting on another speaker’s views honestly, is far from being disrespectful to the party. Vallabhai Patel too disagreed with Nehru on several issues, but they did stick together in the same party until the end. The PM and the Gandhi’s should better remember. And what surprises me most is that the media, in their blind adulation of a Nehru, or of a Tendulkar, get irked whenever a word falls out of line of their perception. Instead, they should take a tip from Shashi Tharoor who, having been second in rank at the U.N. and having missed the top spot by a hair’s breath, only mirrored an aspect of India’s foreign policy then, as seen through the eyes of the world at large. A case in point is the so-called liberation of Goa. He was bold enough to say that, and we need politicians like him in our government – not henchmen. The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
[Goanet] MISPLACED CONCERNS
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Happy New Year Twenty-Ten --- MISPLACED CONCERNS By: Bennet Paes Ads by Goa Traffic Police on front pages of HERALD say: “ Your safety is our concern” (who will believe this anyway!) They also say: “If you’re drunk, don’t drive”. This makes sense when one is not drunk, yet. It also deserves to be taken seriously. But when they say: “If you have to drive, don’t drink”, and literally exhibit what looks like a glass of whisky in their ads, is rather questionable in my opinion. For example, in the days of old, Goans went to a wedding reception on foot. Usually the functions used to be in the neighbourhood or within some walking distances. Because marriages then were usually “arranged”, the process went so far as delving into three generations of parental history, and that took long enough to prepare the wedding couple to finally say: “I do”. Consequently fewer functions took place in a year, outside of the period of lent. Today, there is an explosion of marriage vows, come rain or shine, resulting in a swell of celebrations that stretch over the length and breath of Goa. Therefore, reaching out to meet those commitments , however selectively, is possible only on wheels which the Goa Police seem to be so obsessive about. Now, let me ask this. When people attend social functions, traditionally alcoholic drinks are served to enhance the spirit of the occasion. So people imbibe and celebrate, and soon it’s time to hit the road back home. Some privileged ones, including politicians of course, afford the luxury of a driver, but what about those that don’t? Should they leave their vehicles behind and walk all the way home from ‘Blueberryhill’ with their partners in tow? -- The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death
Hello Augusto: I said, Indian law might have been non-existent or not in force. Apparently, it was existent, but not in force. According to me courage lies in fighting - much less in fasting. Thank you for your comments, nevertheless. Bennet --- On Tue, 15/12/09, augusto pinto pinto...@gmail.com wrote: From: augusto pinto pinto...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death To: goanet goanet@lists.goanet.org Date: Tuesday, 15 December, 2009, 5:28 PM Bennet Paes wrote: Augusto: In my opinion, fasting unto death is the beginning of an act of suicide in slow motion. And in my opinion, suicide, or attempted suicide, or for that matter fast-unto-death, is cowardly,immoral and illegal. It is also so under the present Indian law. But it so happens that, at the time Gandhi went into those 'fasts unto death India was still under the British rule, and Indian laws were either non-existent or could not have been in force.. Dear Bennet When Gandhi went on his fasts unto death, the law of the land was more or less the same as exists today. The Indian Penal Code of 1860 which is still in force is an exceptionally well written law. [Check Section 309. Attempt to commit suicide.] So whatever the action that could be taken today could have been taken then by the British. And yet the British government were not ready to act in an overly high handed manner against his fasts. Why? Well, the reason could be that what is legal is not always what is moral; and therefore using the law to act against someone who is behaving in an illegal but morally exemplary manner may cause moral outrage among the common people, the consequences of which could be highly inexpedient to deal with politically. As far as your contention that a fast-unto-death is cowardly I think you are talking off the top of your head. The vast majority of people (like ... ahem ... me ) would find it a bellyache to remain hungry for even a day, even if it is good for their own health, forget about remaining hungry till one dies. Incidentally I believe it takes a great deal of courage to commit any kind of suicide. And when someone chooses to starve to death for a social cause, not just for personal reasons, then it is an expression of supreme courage. It is a kind of courage that far surpasses the courage needed to end one's life because one does not want to live for whatsoever private reason howsoever pressing, although even this takes some doing, whether by flinging oneself in front of a train; or jumping into a well when one does not know to swim; or hanging from a rope; or consuming poison or whatever other manner. In all such cases one knows one's life is ended painlessly in a few seconds. Incidentally I think that those who do suicide bombings for some cause may be despicable, but they are certainly not devoid of courage, although the process might be equally 'easy'. Serious fasts unto death where not only has one to bear physical agony but also one has to resist the pressure of many who will be appealing to you to give it all up, cannot possibly be as 'easy'. Having said that, I would agree that the fast-unto-death method of social protest has been given a bad name by politicians who are not genuinely fasting-unto-death. They do it as a publicity stunt, and if they haven't been cheating in the first place, they abandon the fast at the first available opportunity. Rather than curb fast-unto-death actions by legal means - which will always result in moral victories for the hunger strikers - I feel that the Government should be ready to call the bluff of political jokers in cases where the fast-unto-death is done for what can be seen to be unjust or unsound reasons, by allowing the hunger strikers to die. They should publicly state the reasons why succumbing to the threat of the hunger striker is unacceptable in the most reasonable manner and then face the consequences if the hunger striker is adamant about dying. BTW the most celebrated case of a fast-unto-death in Goa was the one where Prashanti Talpankar now Mrs Sandesh Prabhudesai and (I think) a gentleman named Padiyar had gone on a hunger strike in 1989. This was in protest against Dayanand Narvekar who was alleged to have molested one Sunita Haldankar in the premises of the Goa Assembly when he was the Speaker. My hurried googles were not so informative about this cause celebre. I wonder if someone can recall the incident better. Cheers Augusto The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death
Mervyn, 1) When the Goan drunkard drank 10 beers, his intention may or may not have been to kill himself, but if he had declared the former and if that had become known to the authorities, he ought to have been arrested before he got into his car. However, if his intention was not to kill himself (as is with Goans who polish even a bottle of had liquor, like I myself used to in the good ol' days)but got killed in the process of drunken driving, we all can only say: May his soul rest in peace, because there is no use flogging a dead horse, is there? Bennet Paes --- On Mon, 14/12/09, Mervyn Lobo mervynal...@yahoo.ca wrote: From: Mervyn Lobo mervynal...@yahoo.ca Subject: Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! goanet@lists.goanet.org Date: Monday, 14 December, 2009, 8:41 AM Bennet Paes wrote: My contention is that any act that intentionally leads to one’s death, or for that matter to anyone else’s death, is criminal and should be punishable under the law. Bennet Paes, I guess I am not following you here. Lets take the case of the Goan drunkard who has 10 beers and then crashes his car/motor-bike into the nearest coconut tree, killing himself. My question is: How are you going to punish this guy? Mervyn1121Lobo __ Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail. Click on Options in Mail and switch to New Mail today or register for free at http://mail.yahoo.ca The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
[Goanet] IF TRUTH BE TOLD
By: Bennet Paes Many, many years ago when God sent an angel and took my little sister away from us, it was heart-breaking to see my mother sob bitterly for days together. My father weathered the agony with less visible emotions, but hastened to commemorate the loss by placing an angel at the head of my sister’s marble tombstone. That was like asking the Lord: “Let the angel keep a watch”. But what was really thought- provoking was an old woman by my mother’s side consoling her diligently with these words: “Zaun, Devachich khoxi zali”. Over the years, those seemingly wise words, uttered in sheer submission to the will of God, helped me tide over many more family losses. But never did they strike me so eerily until another day of reckoning came to pass. This time it was an angel that swooped down on a taxi-cab that had just rammed into a lamp-post, instantly killing the driver and another occupant. Mysteriously enough, two others who survived were the very ones that had persuaded this occupant to join them on a journey that was destined to be fatal. Later, they recounted the harrowing loss of their loved classmate at the medical school, and unwittingly shattered the lives of three more. My son of 23 years was that classmate and gone forever, leaving behind his distressed mother and a sister to share in my sorrow. Does God send angels to kill? That was the most baffling question that drove me searching for answers and deep into despair. The words that had once eased my mother’s grief and aroused my imagination, tried hard to weed me out of a grudging rationale. The seven-year grooming that I had proudly received in a Jesuit boarding school came down hard to make inroads into a confused state of mind. All that failed, because it bit me where it hurt most. So I went on my way to proclaim to the world the bitterness, the likes of which transforms innocent men into irrational beings. Consequently, what spewed out of my pen was vicious venom: “ This thing called ‘God’ is only an illusion. Man has taught man to perceive it as lord almighty, all-loving and all-merciful. However, events unfold one after another to portray it differently. To my mind, ‘God’ is only a happening. It is neither animate nor inanimate, and it is devoid of conscience. It has no power to discern good from evil. It delivers reward or punishment with no relevance to goodness or badness. It rides roughshod on the very life it caused to create. Period.” Call it Marxism, Maoism, or whatever ‘ism’ that characterizes a radical departure from conventional beliefs. That was the strain of my thoughts spinning in a groove of utter hopelessness. It took a while and it took its toll, before events began to take a full circle. Another angel, another mission? Yes, but this time to teach, not to tear. To restore sanity and show me the way. To reconcile, not to rebel. To revere, not to revile. To acknowledge that rewards and reverses are but two sides of the same coin. To grasp the sanctity of the words uttered by that old woman, and to discover that they were born out of an unfailing dedication to the ‘Lord’s Prayer’– a prayer by which men of all faiths concede to their maker: “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”. - -- __._,_.___ Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Start a New Topic MARKETPLACE Going Green: Your Yahoo! Groups resource for green living Going Green: Your Yahoo! Groups resource for green living Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___ The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death
Augusto: In my opinion, fasting unto death is the beginning of an act of suicide in slow motion. And in my opinion, suicide, or attempted suicide, or for that matter fast-unto-death, is cowardly,immoral and illegal. It is also so under the present Indian law. But it so happens that, at the time Gandhi went into those 'fasts unto death India was still under the British rule, and Indian laws were either non-existent or could not have been in force. According to the former Attorney General of India, Soli Sorabjee, fasting unto death is a criminal act, and Gandhi, Vinobha Bave and other political leaders were guilty of that crime. Now you may form your own judgment about what I think. Bennet --- On Mon, 14/12/09, augusto pinto pinto...@gmail.com wrote: From: augusto pinto pinto...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death To: goanet goanet@lists.goanet.org Date: Monday, 14 December, 2009, 9:13 PM Bennet Paes wrote: My contention is that any act that intentionally leads to one's death, or for that matter to anyone else's death, is criminal and should be punishable under the law. I wonder what Mr. Paes thinks about a bloke named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Just wondering Augusto -- Augusto Pinto 40, Novo Portugal, Moira, Bardez, Goa, India E pinto...@gmail.com or ypinto...@yahoo.co.in P 0832-2470336 M 9881126350 The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death
In my opinion, hardly any. Bennet --- On Mon, 14/12/09, J. Colaco jc cola...@gmail.com wrote: From: J. Colaco jc cola...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! goanet@lists.goanet.org Date: Monday, 14 December, 2009, 7:44 PM 2009/12/13 Mervyn Lobo mervynal...@yahoo.ca: Lets take the case of the Goan drunkard who has 10 beers and then crashes his car/motor-bike into the nearest coconut tree, killing himself. My QUESTION is: How are you going to punish this guy? ANSWER: I'd remind him of the modified Nunes principle: Thou shalt not have that much of an interest in de beers and apply the law as per Bennet: if the authorities come to know about it, that person should be immediately arrested and taken into custody BTW: What, may I ask, is distinction between arrest and take into custody? Hint: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/arrest good wishes as always jc The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death
If someone goes on a fast, it’s fine. In fact it’s good for health. But, if that someone, no matter who, and no matter what the motive is, declares that the fast is unto death, i.e. he will fast until he dies, it amounts to an act of suicide (although in slow motion). My contention is that any act that intentionally leads to one’s death, or for that matter to anyone else’s death, is criminal and should be punishable under the law. Does anyone have the right to end one’s life, even under any religion? Bennet Paes --- On Sat, 12/12/09, Venantius J Pinto venantius.pi...@gmail.com wrote: From: Venantius J Pinto venantius.pi...@gmail.com Subject: [Goanet] Fast unto death To: goanet@lists.goanet.org Date: Saturday, 12 December, 2009, 11:52 AM Among the whoever else: Could we apply these criteria to Irom Chanu Sharmila from Manipur. no, No, NO. I will not go further. Anyone please only respond after learning more about this woman. Or just let it go. But re valuate your thoughts. She does no need our Goanet pre-Christmas waltzes. venantius j pinto Message: 8 Date: Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:55:39 -0800 (PST) From: From PAES bennetp...@yahoo.com To: Goa Net goa...@goanet.org Subject: [Goanet] Fast unto death Message-ID: 990829.93499...@web38908.mail.mud.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 FAST UNTO DEATH Refusing to take food or drink is intentionally causing an act leading to death. It is suicide. And suicide is criminal. 1) Therefore, fasting unto death is suicidal, and criminal. 2) Therefore, it is a legal and moral obligation of the concerned authorities to prevent death by fasting, whenever it comes to their knowledge. 3) Therefore, politicians or whoever else resorting to what they fashionably call ?hunger strike? must be put in a jail, rather than be fussed about in a hospital. What?s your take? Bennet Paes Assolna, Goa The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death
In my opinion, if the person publically declares he/she is going into fast unto death, or if the authorities come to know about it, that person should be immediately arrested and taken into custody. While in custody he/she, inspite of persuation, advice, etc., dies of hunger, starvation, etc., so be it. But the fact remains that the authorities will have done their job in preventing that person from taking his/her own life, which is criminal under the law. Fasting unto death is suicide in slow motion. How does law handle sucides? Bennet Paes --- On Sun, 13/12/09, J. Colaco jc cola...@gmail.com wrote: From: J. Colaco jc cola...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Goanet] Fast unto death To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! goanet@lists.goanet.org Date: Sunday, 13 December, 2009, 3:11 AM Bennet PAES bennetp...@yahoo.com: If someone goes on a fast, it’s fine. In fact it’s good for health. But, if that someone, no matter who, and no matter what the motive is, declares that the fast is unto death, i.e. he will fast until he dies, it amounts to an act of suicide (although in slow motion). My contention is that any act that intentionally leads to one’s death, or for that matter to anyone else’s death, is criminal and should be punishable under the law. Does anyone have the right to end one’s life, even under any religion? === Response I am just wondering: Does Bennet suggest that such a person (IF an adult) be: (a) Force-fed BEFORE death can occur or (b) Sentenced to imprisonment / death IF death occurs jc The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
[Goanet] Fast unto death
FAST UNTO DEATH Refusing to take food or drink is intentionally causing an act leading to death. It is suicide. And suicide is criminal. 1) Therefore, fasting unto death is suicidal, and criminal. 2) Therefore, it is a legal and moral obligation of the concerned authorities to prevent death by fasting, whenever it comes to their knowledge. 3) Therefore, politicians or whoever else resorting to what they fashionably call “hunger strike” must be put in a jail, rather than be fussed about in a hospital. What’s your take? Bennet Paes Assolna, Goa The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
