[Goanet] Meet the Kanhaiya Kumar of Goa who’s got the authorities all nervous (Nandita Haksar, Scroll.in)
Meet the Kanhaiya Kumar of Goa who’s got the authorities all nervous Ravindra Velip, a 27-year-old tribal activist who has been fighting against illegal mining, was assaulted in jail. Why has there been no FIR in the case? Apr 03, 2016 · 06:30 pm Nandita Haksar Lakhs of people come to Goa every year to holiday. They come to relax on the beaches, taste the fresh fish and enjoy a cold beer in the sun. And when the vacation is over, they return with photographs of Goa's salubrious landscapes, unmindful of the fact that the beauty would have long disappeared had it not been for the struggles of the Goan people. It is these people's courage and determination that has saved the land from destruction at the hands of corporations, especially those involved in mining. This is the story of one such Goan. Ravindra Velip is a 27-year-old tribal activist and panch of Caurem village who has been fighting doggedly against rapacious mining. He is a founding member of Rainbow Warriors, a registered society whose aims include protecting the "interests of the communities, individuals and associations involved in, or dependent on, agriculture and other natural/ecological economies within the State of Goa; and to ensure that the State provides them with economic and legal security, adequate assistance and their long denied recognition and respect". Velip's activism has earned him the combined ire of the State and corporations, which are even willing to subvert constitutional principles if required. He was brutally assaulted on March 23 while in judicial custody in Sada sub-jail, and yet no first information report has been filed in the case. This grave lapse should have been emphasised by the media in Goa, but it appears a section of the press, with links to the mining industry, is party to the conspiracy of silence. I saw this hostility of the media first-hand at a recent press conference. After the assault on Velip, a fact-finding team was set up consisting of me, Prof Amita Dhanda from NALSAR, a law university in Hyderabad, and John Fernandes from the London-based South Asia Solidarity Group. This week, Rainbow Warriors organised a press conference to release the fact-finding team's report entitled Murderous Assault on Tribal Resistance in Goa. Seven demands The fact-finding team presented its findings and concluded by making the following demands: 1. An independent enquiry should be ordered into why the police failed to register an FIR in violation of the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code. 2. A 12-point charter of demands of the United Tribal Association Alliance should be accepted. 3. Village panchayats must be given full powers to oversee the mining operations to ensure there are no illegalities in the process. 4. Justice demands that Ravindra Velip be given adequate compensation by the prison authorities for failure to protect him while he was in custody. 5. In consonance with the fundamental rights enshrined in the Indian Constitution, especially Article 14 read with Article 19(1)(c), which makes the right to form associations and co-operative society a fundamental right, the Caurem Co-operative society should not only be registered immediately but the government must offer all help to make it a success. 6. The State Commission for SC/ST could play a more pro-active role in ensuring the tribal peoples of Goa get social-economic and political justice. 7. Lastly, we would like to recommend to the mining companies that they follow the Ten Principles of United Nations Global Compact. The day after the attack on Velip in judicial custody, anti-mining activists condemned the assault and demanded an inquiry. The chief minister, in response, said he would consider the demand after seeing the report of the "independent" enquiry instituted by the Inspector General of Prisons. The report was submitted but not made public, and the chief minister announced another magisterial enquiry. Nobody, however, asked why an FIR had not been filed. The fact-finding team raised that question. Yet several journalists were quick to ask whether members of the team had visited the jail, met the Inspector General or gone to the Goa Medical College Hospital where Velip went after getting bail. We pointed out that we were not a substitute for the police. It was the job of the police to investigate a crime and they were bound to register an FIR under section 154 (1) of the Criminal procedure Code. It was mandatory and it had to be done even before any investigation started. Besides, the enquiry appointed by the Inspector General-Prisons did not talk either to Velip or the other four activists who had been locked in the same cell. But a section of the media
[Goanet] Go watch the play Loretta ... at Andrews, Mumbai today (Shamika Andrade)
Shamika Andrade shamikaandr...@gmail.com Last Sunday, Mum was still in Dubai, on her month long visit, to be with her grandkids, daughter and son in law. (Poor son in law!) Now Dad without Mum, becomes a sad Dad. He no longer reads the newspaper. No longer will he even change channels on TV as he usually does when he comes home from work. He just sits in his favourite chair and listens to old love songs. However, in the morning, Dad announced, "We will be going for a play in evening." Who, What, Where, I thought to myself. Dad has always been a man of few words. "Which play", I asked. "Loretta", Dad answered. Loretta! I had read about the play in the newspapers. It sounded so delighful. Loretta, directed by Sunil Shanbag, is set on a Goan river island in the 1970s, where Antonio Piedade Moraes, a staunchly proud widower and landlord, lives in style surrounded by a retinue of staff. When his son Rafael returns to Goa from Mumbai after completing his education, he brings along his Anglo-Indian girlfriend Loretta. Moraes doesn't immediately take to the girl, and as a precondition for her staying on the island abode, he demands that she learn Konkani. Dad and I enjoyed the play. We missed Mum. But we missed our dear Goa even more. I've written about my love for Goa over here before. Goa is who I am. It flows through every part of my veins. And like all of us, I too am proud to be Goan. The toddy tapper and his song, the poiyee man and his horn, the fisher lady and her charms are so well captured in the play. The essence of a language like Konkani lies not in the grammar books but all around us... especially in the food we eat! I will not tell you more of the play. But all I will say is... Go watch it. It's brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant! It's based just like a Tiatr. So it has many side comedy shows and songs. If you are a Bombay Goan, like how I am, it will play at Andrews today, April 9, 2016. One show was on Friday. Saturday (today) has two shows, 4pm and 7.30pm. The play will also head to Delhi later this month. I've already told all my friends about the play, just like I'm telling you. Congrats to the crew and actors of Loretta. When you create something spectacular, word does go around! Many more such success to all of you By the way, do you know who is the main actress in the play? Our very own Aunty Maggie. I'm sure you must have seen her videos on YouTube where aptly captures the essence of being Goan. Oh and did I tell you, I watched the play at NCPA (National Center for Performing Arts). The moment we arrived (and you must know, NCPA is really very very chic), they had a three piece band that played at the start, interval and end. There was this curly hair shy guy playing the keyboards and a sparkling eyed guy playing rhythm. Well he was actually sitting on a box and playing on it as well as on a bongo, now that's Goan talent. As for the singer, she was a pretty young girl who reminded me of Lorna possibly when she was young. She had a flower in her hair and a flowing flowery dress and what a voice! People really enjoyed it. And since NCPA is in south Bombay, and south Bombay has many Parsis, I saw many old dikras and dikris shaking a leg. They even sang along when the singer sang Ya Ya Ma Ya Ya! But do you know what people enjoyed even more? The free and unlimited choris pao and coconut water. Yes that's right. Free and Unlimited. Free in Bombay! Wow! There was a counter with waiters in Hawaiian shirts (the type of shirt I'm sure all Goan men own!) And there were long lines for the Choris Pao. I even heard someone ask, is this veg! Imagine her shock when she touched it and then was told that it's pork! All I saw was her run away! Maybe to take a dip in the Ganges! I was talking to the three piece band. And while we spoke a lot, I realised I didn't ask them their names. They were around my age and were Goans, born and brought up in Bombay, like me. "Do you speak Konkani", I asked. "No", they replied in unison. It's almost a week since I watched the play and do you know what I realised? That I can speak Konkani! I never knew I could! I can! I can! And I'm very good! I wish my grandparents were alive. They would correct me each time I made a mistake. But as the play explains, Konkani is all around us... Through the songs, our conversations with vendors (or in my case, my house help) and most definitely the food we eat! In fact, I'm going to converse only in Konkani with any and every Goan. And yes my friends, go watch the play Loretta. Let it make you feel even more proud of being a Goan! Dev boro dis dium, Goan Girl
[Goanet] Twenty songs make a musical... and how! (Roland Francis, Goanet)
By Roland Francis in Toronto for Goanet roland.fran...@gmail.com Not too many people in Toronto coming to see the first screening today of *Nachom-ia-Kumpasar* knew what it was about. They heard it was a good Konkani film, winning some awards and even making it to the Oscars, but beyond that, few knew it was based on the Chris Perry and Lorna Cordeiro relationship. Fewer still knew about the real-life drama of these two famous Goan artistes. They came because Goan culture means much to the Diaspora in Canada. The Goans here are an eclectic mix -- from Africa, Pakistan, the Gulf and finally from Goa and other parts of India and this yearning for a touch of that period culture was what director Bardroy Barretto [bardroy at gmail.com] was counting on. He would not be disappointed and nor were they. Twenty songs makes a movie essentially a musical and therefore music the main pillar on which it stands. Ronnie Monserrate, one of Chris Perry's original band, did a great job here. The original scores were re-arranged to live music and the dulcet voice of young Cielda Pereira (not shown on screen) doing most of the songs, outdid the living Lorna. The music loud though it was, was crowd-pleasing to the extreme. Palomi Ghosh the leading lady sang two of the songs (the rest she lip synched) and she was equally superb. That was the least of Palomi's fortes. Her filling of the Lorna role was outstanding. She was bubbly, frisky, energetic, angry, sad, melancholic and teary exactly whenever each of those emotions called for it. And all the while the Bengali lass was as pretty as an unsophisticated Bombay Dhobitalao Goan girl can be, even one with a stellar musical career behind her. No praises for the leading man though. He was wooden, spoke less than the minimum words required of the role and when he did, muttered Konkani under his breath while showing discomfort at it. He did little justice to the vibrant musical icon he was portraying. The real Chris' body language always told a story, even when it was an angry one. Maurya had no such language. Palomi got her role just 20 days ahead of production. Maurya's selection on the other hand was 10 years in the making with Bardroy's promise to him as a friend. No movie from Goa can be made without some comedy and a bald John D'Silva did a good job as the musician's manager with his typical Goan village mannerism, behaviour and specially the Salcette accent. Bardroy Barretto an ad-film maker, turned out to be a great first-time feature film director, though as co-script writer he or his partner-writer, or both, could have done a much better job. In one scene where the hero Chris Perry, who is really a villain due to his abuse of Lorna, finally gave in to her request for a maiden autograph entry, the script writer botched it. Name: Lawrence Vaz he says. Date of birth: 1930. What you like about me: is answered with an inane "I like you". Bardroy, was it one of your down days? The captioning was well-crafted and specially was the composition and delivery of the prologue and epilogue commentary. Could have been the voice of Naresh Fernandes of the *Taj Mahal Foxtrot* fame. The speeches by the event organizers were too many but the audience welcomed Bardroy's brother who came from France and an introduction by Sampson Santimano and Sera Barbosa, doing a Chris and Lorna act with saxophone and vocals before the movie. Thanks G.O.A. for bringing it to us and the announcement of an encore in September for those unable to be accommodated for this show. Word will spread and the house will be full again. ###
[Goanet] Goa: India's literary lilac (Roanna Gonsalves, abc.net.au)
IMAGE: A PORTUGUESE COLONY FOR MORE THAN 400 YEARS, GOA'S HISTORY HAS BEEN SHAPED BY THE INDIAN OCEAN. (CYCLING MAN, FLICKR.COM, CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0) Goa, often thought of as India's answer to Phuket or Bali, is also home to one of the country's most complex literary scenes. Roanna Gonsalves [roan...@gmail.com], herself of Goan heritage, dives in and finds a state coming to terms with its history and its future. Goa has done for India what November does to the jacaranda tree; added literary lilac, so to speak, to an otherwise green canopy. This tiny Indian state continues to blossom, time and again, with thoughts, words and deeds to feed the life of the mind. Goa is one of the few places in the world where Catholic nuns can study feminist theology, at the Mater Dei Academy, interrogating the central, Adam's apple tenets of the Roman Catholic Church. Goa is a land of many tongues, tongue roast recipes and tongue lashings in Konkani, Marathi, Portuguese and English. Goa is also my grand-motherland, where my grandma Philomena and her sister Umiliana grew up in a riverside house full of brothers and doctors. They probably heard the chuckle of the white-throated kingfisher, a distant cousin of the kookaburra, Goan in tooth and claw, hunting and breeding in local waterways. Their relatives studied at Goa Medical College, which some regard as the oldest medical college in Asia. The Nirmala Institute of Education has been training teachers for over 50 years, despite having to negotiate a precarious ongoing funding situation. Yet this intellectual history, this deep commitment to education, is erased when Goa is seen as nothing more than froth on a big cold beer, so un-Indian, its booze so cheap, its beaches full of white bikinis and surf-lifesavers in Australian red and yellow, its churches so colonial. Goan history is often considered a footnote to the history of Mughal kings and British colonisers. After all, some colonisers are more equal than others. The rain-in-Spain British, for example, are considered by some to be higher-up on the colonial ladder than, say, the naval-gazing Portuguese. Yet this former Portuguese colony was the first part of the empire to bite back with political teeth; Antonio Costa, the son of a Goan writer and freedom fighter, became the prime minister of Portugal on 25 November, 2015, the exact anniversary of the Portuguese conquest just over 500 years ago. For various reasons this should not be seen as a Goan takeover of Portugal, writes R Benedito Ferrão, but the symbolism is thrilling. IMAGE: TOURISM IS A HUGE BUSINESS IN GOA, BUT NOT ALL SHARE THE BENEFITS (IAN D. KEATING, FLICKR.COM, CC-BY-2.0) Of course, there is more to Goa than the stereotype of a hedonistic party town that's more European than Indian. Its architecture, for instance, presents stunning examples of syncretic church, mosque and temple traditions, which developed in relation to one another. Goa is a land of many tongues, tongue roast recipes and tongue lashings in Konkani, Marathi, Portuguese and English. The Konkani language itself is written in at least five different scripts -- Roman, Devanagari, Kannada, Malayalam and Perso-Arabic. It was in the ebb and flow of this tongue-tied landscape that Indian print culture had its somewhat-unexpected water birth. India's very first printing press landed in Goa in 1556, on its way to Abyssinia, and decided to stay on Goan soil. That first press was the placenta for the first book printed in India, Garcia Da Orta's *Conversations on the Simples, Drugs, and Medicinal Substances of India*, published in 1563. It may have been accidental, but that Goan legacy of print and publishing, although it unfolded as slowly as a new moon, has become a beacon in the literary world. The Goan poet Joseph Furtado, writing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is considered by many to be one of the finest Indian poets of his time: When I was young and went all day Bird-nesting, oft would neighbours say 'Those birds will be his ruin' 'Tis not with age my hair is grey And well might birds now turn and say 'Tis all his neighbours' doin'.' Goa is home to some of India's best public libraries like the Goa State Central Library in Panjim. It is home to the writing retreats of Booker prize winners like Kiran Desai, and writers who really should've won the Booker Prize like Amitav Ghosh; writers' festivals like the recently concluded Goa Arts and Literature Festival; writing groups like the Goa Writers' Group; and the major annual publishing event on the Indian calendar, the Publishing Next conference. The brainchild of the Goan couple Leonard and Queenie Fernandes, the conference is where the decision-makers of Indian and international publishing 'come and go, talking' not just of Michelang
[Goanet] The first Konkani jazz album. It's taken too damn long! (Stanley Pinto)
Stanley Pinto reviews the first ever Konkani Jazz CD. Pinto is a Jazz singer and pianist who has rubbed shoulders with global jazz legends, even while managing an international ad agency. I have known for fifty years that Jazz knows no boundaries. It started in the USA, at the hands of Blacks born of African slaves. Perhaps the only good thing that came of World War II was that American soldiers and US Army bands spread Jazz wherever they went. And then later, as part of a strategic front to win over the Soviet-influenced countries during the Cold War, the US started Jazz radio broadcasts to the world. So many of us cut our Jazz teeth on the late, great Willis Conover's programmes that worked on so many levels. It resulted in the formation of the Polish Jazz Society, with the largest membership in the world. The Romanians sent a band that transformed their country's folk songs into jazz forms to one of the international jazz festival I staged in Calcutta in the 1970s. I even have a recording of Russian Jazz from those years. Who'd have thunk it? So how could Goan musicians and singers not one day gravitate toward Jazz as a genre of music? All I can say is it's taken too damn long. Admittedly, we had many legendary Jazz musicians of Goan origin performing in Bombay and a few other Indian cities over the last century. But Goan Jazz performers, home grown from Goa's soil, and in full-time residence in Goa? As I say, it's taken too damn long. But that's apparently a foible from the past. Goa now has a growing jazz culture thanks to people like Armando Gonsalves who started to stage concerts on the balcony of his mother's home in Campal while we sat in the streets enjoying it over glasses of feni and more. And now we have the bassist Colin D'Cruz who has exploited the digital age to take a group he calls Jazz Goa around the world. Not a day goes by that I don't receive a Facebook message from Jazz Goa, almost always with a clip of Jazz from Goa. This morning I received the first jazz CD featuring singers and musicians from Goa. Finally, God and St Francis Xavier be praised, Goan Jazz! The CD is full of surprises. Imagine, Sonia Sirsat, the accomplished Fado singer who weeps her peerless fados regularly all over Europe and specially Portugal, attempting a Jazz-flavoured song. Imagine the resurrection of Lorna Cordeiro, famous for her discovery by the great Chris Perry and her tumultuous relationship with him. She's back at age 70-plus, still the same little girl with the big voice that startled us out of our seats when Chris first unveiled her at Firpo's Lido Room in Calcutta. There's Queenie Fernandes, all innocent charm, a Nora Jones audio doppelganger. Her style, like Nora Jones', is ... 'no style'. It worked for Nora Jones as it does for Queenie. Her second track on the CD is an old, much loved Goan song, the heartbreak of a lover's farewell. It had me in tears, remembering a love I not long ago lost. But of the individuals on this CD, listen specially to Mozart Rose, Seby Fernandes and Mesha Philipine. Their performances, unique in their styling and voices, took me to Cuban jazz. To Tito Puente, Chucho Valdes, Mongo Santamaria, Chano Pozo and more recently the delightful Buena Vista Club whom I heard at the Marciac Jazz Festival in the South of France, and whom I then followed to Havana. This emerging Goan Jazz is in the spirit of Cuban Jazz. Listen to Mozart and Seby and Mesha and tell me you don't hear echoes of Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo and Celia Cruz of the great Buena Vista Club. This is not to ignore the other singers on the CD. While not of the purist Jazz genre, Verphina Dias and Susan Rocha's reliving of our own Goan mandos is delightful, there's a lurking mischief in Veeam Braganza's voice as she swings on about Go-aaah, and the velvety crooner Andre Souza whose voice is something to cuddle up to when the witching hour finally comes. Providing fine support to the singers are the accompanying musicians, clearly hand-picked by Colin for their special skills. Gerard Machado is a lovely guitarist in the old style, from what is now my home town Bangalore. God bless Colin D'Cruz, for he is perhaps one of the last musicians playing the upright bass in India, something few of the nouveau bass players have the courage to attempt. Gerard and Colin's work throughout the CD is top class. Instrumental Jazz at its best. And finally there is a sprinkling of soloists who, with names like Олег Каспер, Bob Tinker, Helga Sedli and Mtafiti Imara are clearly expats, bringing more value to Goa than we have come to expect from too many others who have flocked to the easy life in Goa. Did I remember to say Jazz knows no boundaries? Well, now those boundaries have stretched
[Goanet] The Power of Babel (Devika Sequeira, ToI)
For the BJP, the MOI issue is about political survival; for the RSS it is about the power to influence young minds Devika Sequeira devikaseque...@gmail.com Four years after the BJP was formed at the centre in 1980, a young schoolteacher in Mandrem rooted in RSS ideology, set about cobbling together a core group to kick-start the party in Goa. Where else would he look but in the local shakhas of the RSS he had set up himself? Subhash Velingkar, the founder and head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Goa, is credited with handpicking Manohar Parrikar, Sripad Naik, Laxmikant Parsekar and Rajendra Arlekar to forge the BJP in Goa. What's of particular interest is that the four, from totally diverse castes (a reality that can't be ignored in analysing politics in this country) -- a Saraswat, a Bhandari, a Kshatriya and a Dalit -- had a crucially requisite commonality: an allegiance to RSS ideology. Which makes the current falling out between Velingkar and his one-time protégés in the BJP a lot more complex. Is it simply a clash of egos between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and the RSS educationist, or is it something far more fundamental? The war of words between the BJP and RSS here is unprecedented. Not even the Congress would have probably used the 'lost his mental balance' remark on Velingkar as did MP Narendra Sawaikar. But the BJP is clearly running out of patience and 'tolerance' for its ageing mentor and his cabal of elders in the BBSM. A ballistic RSS stoking the medium of instruction issue is hardly something the saffron party needs in an election year with anti-incumbency and widespread disaffection snapping at its heels. Leave us to govern; focus your energies in improving the quality of Marathi and Konkani education, Parrikar fumed at the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch. How was the government expected to cope with 29,000 (the figure is actually 30,653) students who'd be left high and dry if grants to English medium primaries dried up? The 30,653 and growing, is what is really at the crux of the politics of Goa's MOI. The fact of it is apparent in the 2015-16 statistics of the Directorate of Education. There are a total of 1190 primary schools in this state, 800 of these are run by the government; 390 are privately run, some of which depend on government funding while some don't. But no other language in Goa has such an extensive reach in primary education as does Marathi. A total of 817 schools (725 government-run and 92 private) use the Marathi medium. At the other end of the spectrum are 240 English medium primaries (aided and unaided), 40 Konkani and 6 that teach in Urdu among others. The enrolment numbers predictably favour English. Some 55,140 students studied in the English medium this year, 30,653 of them in schools aided by the government, the majority of which (127 of them) are run by the Church. Marathi medium primary schools -- all 817 of them -- had altogether 31,359 students. If one breaks these figures down even further, there were less than 10 students per class on an average in Marathi primaries. The surge in English education on the other hand has created a crush. More than 57 students per class went to these schools. Some far-flung rural government primaries continue to sputter on less than 3 students per class. The government is bound to ensure the education outreach touches the remotest corner of this state. But it would be better served with less politics and more out of the box measures to fix the problem. Aravind Bhatikar of the BBSM argues and quite validly that no one is stopping parents from choosing the medium of instruction for their children. :It is their fundamental right. But it is not their fundamental right to force the government to give grants to English medium schools." Perhaps. But it is also the fundamental right of parents to protest and agitate, as much as it is the BBSM's to fulminate. And currently, the political wind happens to blow in the parents' favour. The very fact Parrikar & Co were willing to publicly disparage Velingkar shows the BJP's resolve to cut the umbilical cord for political expediency. The former union minister Ramakant Khalap recalls Velingkar as the dedicated headmaster who changed the face of education in his New English High School, Mandrem in the early 1980s. Till his arrival, less than 20% students were making past the SSC post. They soon had 100% results. But Velingkar changed more than academics in rural Mandrem. He went about quietly setting up RSS shakhas and indoctrinating teachers as well as students who began to join in the droves. "It proved to be my political nemesis," Khalap says. He lost the 1994 election t
[Goanet] Remembering Goa's angel of the prisoners.... Sr Mary Jane Pinto, a tribute
Remembering Goa's angel of the prisoners Sr. Mary Jane Pinto -- a tribute Sr. Mary Jane Pinto SFN passed away on April 20, 2016 morning after a brief illness. Her contribution to help the social rehabilitation of prisoners, through counselling and vocational awareness, has been widely appreciated (including by the Goa chief minister, in a condolence note). She was noted for her work in the Prison Ministry, and was awarded in 2014. A close associate, educationist Gerard Delaney, pays tribute to the nun he worked with. Gerard Delaney delaney.ger...@gmail.com Hailing from the same village as me, Sr. Mary Jan was known to me for a long, long time, but only as a nun, not as a person. Four years back, when I retired from service, I joined the Prison Ministry when another fellow villager David Fernandes invited me to do so. That's when I began coming into close contact with her. Sr. Jane would set out of her convent in Sancoale at 6 a.m. and walk to the road a half kilometer away with a prayer on her lips, asking the Lord for a lift. She would accept whatever He provided her at that early hour when there was hardly any sign of traffic on the road. One lift after another, and maybe yet another, and she would reach her locked house in Saligao to tidy up a bit or to water her beloved plants. It was from there that I and sometimes another volunteer had the privilege to pick her up and take her to the Aguada Central Jail in the comfort of a car. But often, it would be a two wheeler on which she travelled, even in her advanced age. It must be noted to her great credit that years earlier, she would take lifts right up to Sinquerim and then walk all the way uphill to the jail in Aguada. An hour later, she would walk back there and take buses to go home to Sancoale. I was very fortunate to have served as an 'apprentice' under her, because I got to learn from her what the real spirit of a volunteer in this work must consist of. The moment we entered the jail premises, the convicts would be running up to her, and she would greet each one by name, making personal inquiries. She would ask one how he was faring with his bout of piles, another about his swollen leg, yet another about his diet, and so on. She would jokingly smack one on the head for being disobedient to her or pinch another on his arm for some other reason and it didn't take me long to discover that the former Mother Superior of her religious order (the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth) was a real mother to the 120 odd convicts over there! They loved her for what she did for them, and for what she meant to them. It was so impressive to see the way she would be so concerned about each one who came to meet her for one reason or the other. She genuinely took a deep interest in their welfare and would extend a helping hand in whatever way she could. I recall the time when the jail authorities brought to her notice the sad plight of a prisoner M. He was serving a life sentence and had already spent 10 years behind bars, but had never come out on parole because he had no one to stand surety for him. As per rule, unless a lifer comes out on parole and proves that he can successfully go back to society, he cannot be released prematurely after the mandatory lockup of 14 years. Time was running out for M and at this rate he would remain behind bars all his life. That's when Sr. Jane informed Fr. Maverick the Director of Caritas, who stood surety for him and took him to Old Goa to stay at their Centre there. This was the start of a parade of convicts who got the opportunity to come out on parole at regular intervals and to stay in Old Goa. Likewise, another lifer, K was taken to Old Goa after being locked for 10 years, even though he had his home in Mayem with his wife and three children. Inquiries revealed that his wife was estranged with him. Sr. Jane asked me to take her there and we found his house with some difficulty. Fortunately his younger daughter aged 12 years was at home because it was a holiday for her school. Sr. Jane asked her if she remembered her father, which of course, she did not. She then asked her if she'd like to meet him and the little girl jumped with joy! After exchanging phone numbers and giving her some advice, we left. Two days later there was a very emotional and tearful reunion at Old Goa of the father with his family, thanks to Sister. I remember the incident of another lifer who had his wife in Bicholim, who never came to visit him. Even when Fr. Maverick had brought this guy to Old Goa on parole, she would not come there. That's when Sr. Jane and I visited her and found her struggling to eke out a living in the market. Unfortunately, no amount of imploring or besee
[Goanet] Something funny is going on here... this time Goa's being taken via its land (Goa Foundation)
SPECIAL STATUS FOR MONEYBAGS HEADED TO GOA! Goa Foundation goafoundat...@gmail.com For the past ten years now, Goa has been almost in a permanent state of war. There have been regular invading armies and conquests, mostly originating out of Delhi, or Mumbai, or even Haryana and other places, each biting off slices of Goan villages, and the Goa government has in every conceivable case, gone all out to support them. The political leaders who run this government only come to the villagers when they want their votes. Look at these simple facts about the new brewery and distillery approved for erection at Amdai, on the banks of the Uguem river -- a depressing repeat of hundreds of similar invasions being fought at Cavelossim, Carmona, Tiracol, etc: a) The land at Amdai (64,439 sq mts) is purchased in 2013 by Vani Agro Farms, registered in Delhi, headed by Guptas and Jains, for the sum of Rs.2,39,71,308 (Rs.2.4 crores) from Anselm Furtado and Sheryl Furtado, living at Chouquivaddo, Carmona. The adjoining plot of 60,000 sq.mts is also bought up by the same group, so now the total land acquired is 1,24,439 sq.mts. Vani Agro applies to Canara Bank for a loan of 43 crores. b) The land is zoned as orchard in the regional plan, because it has magnificent spread of coconut and cashew trees. The new owners claim in a media interview that the Tree Act being amended to exclude coconut trees, they do not need permission to mass-kill the trees on the plots. c) According to the project report, there is 'plentiful water' to produce 5 lakh hecto litres of beer. There is simply no acknowledgement that the water belongs to -- and has been hitherto sustainably enjoyed by -- the people living in the area. The water, in fact, belongs to them since they have been using it for decades. d) The company applies for permission to extract 506 m3 daily from the Uguem river on 11.11.2013. This is granted by the Water Resources Department on 26.11.2013, in less than 15 working days. The Uguem river today is the only source of water for hundreds of ordinary Goan villagers for all the primary needs ranging from drinking to washing clothes. (Ironically, at this very moment, the Goa government is fighting the Karnataka government which wants to divert the waters of the Madei river to provide drinking water to Hubli and other Karnataka cities!) e) The company applies for a public health clearance on 29.7.2013. The PH certificate is promptly issued by Dr Vinod Naik, Goan Health Officer, on 31.7.2013. f) The company applies for an NOC from the Sanguem Municipal Council on 18.7.2013 and, lo and behold, a provisional NOC is issued by Goan Chief Officer, Pramod V. Desai, on 26.7.2013 (within one week). The CO does not consult the elected council. He issues the certificate on his own. g) The company applies for Town Planning permission. However, even before the TCP can consider the proposal, the new Goa Public Investment Board approves the proposal on 16/01/2015 and at two further meetings held on 17/6/2015 and 6/10/2015. The officers or people at the Public Investment Board who approved this file include Martin Ghosh, Nitin Kunkoliencar, Atul Pai Kane and some functionaries including the CM. When ordinary Goans approach the same bodies for similar permissions or approvals, they are made to run around coconut trees. Now even that may not be possible, because at Amdai, more than 1,000 coconut trees will be cut to produce liquor and beer for tourists and other elements, as if they haven't already drunk themselves senseless. No further comment, I believe, is necessary. Similar scenario was repeated earlier at Tiracol as well, where the entire village lost 12,12,000 sq mts out of 13,84,000 sq.mts for a golf course again by another Delhi party, the Jatias, through Leading Hotels. The CM has been openly backing that project as well. Got the message? Want more cases? Competent Automobiles (Maruti-Suzuki dealers from Delhi) have purchased prime beach area in Cavelossim even though the village and panchayat say they do not want another five-star hotel in their midst. At Baga, huge illegal constructions put up at La Calypso, had to be finally demolished because of court orders. The owner of La Calypso is from Delhi. Who allowed him to build and exploit the illegal structures for years? The answer is blowing in the wind. So it is time we scrapped the pretence of having become an independent State in 1987. We were ruled from New Delhi from 1961-1987. After 1987, our new landlords are also coming from Delhi while 12,000 Goans have acquired Portuguese passports. As Alfred E. Neuman from MAD magazine used to say in my kid days in the mid-1960s: "Something funny is going
[Goanet] Dying Is More Difficult Than It Seems (Paulo Varela Gomes, Granta Portugal)
Dying Is More Difficult Than It Seems https://catapult.co/stories/dying-is-more-difficult-than-it-seems -- An essay by the former Fundacao Oriente Delegate in Goa, Paulo Varela Gomes, who passed away at the age of 64 last week. -- "Nothing would make me enter the carnival of ambulance lights." -- I have Stage 4 cancer. Every time I open up the keyboard of my computer intending to write, there comes to me a phrase. It’s been repeated a thousand times: “When you read these lines, it is likely the author will no longer alive.” There are countless articles, books, documentaries and films about people who die of cancer. I’ve never watched any of them because I cannot bear the stress, but I’ve heard they are pretty effective and make the viewers cry. I’m not going to write that type of article here. It all began when I woke up one morning with a swelling the size of an almond on the left-hand side of my neck. Deluded by optimism, I thought it must be the result of a throat or tooth infection. I was disabused of this by a specialist whom I went to see a few days later: “You have a mass in your throat. Better have it looked at quickly.” He was very grave, very calm. I realized afterwards that it had never occurred to him that someone might not know what “mass” meant in terms of human physiology. This was the only medical appointment to which Patrícia, my wife and “caregiver,” didn’t accompany me. She was helping Rita prune the vines up at Vinha Comprida. When I phoned her to pass on the doctor’s terse message, she instantly understood everything and, she tells me, stood there staring into the distance towards the pine woods above the valley, tears running down her face. Forty-eight hours later, I had the CT neck scan. I undressed calmly, put on that ridiculous hospital gown that makes everyone look like they suffer from a nonstop bowel problem, and lay down on the machine. Deep down I was still expecting good news: soon enough they’d be informing me that it was some minor complaint or other. We sat for an hour and a half under the dark green crepuscular lights of the waiting room. At the precise instant that the radiologist came to speak to us, the life we had lived together for more than two decades ended. The radiologist had the frowning expression of someone offering condolences to a grieving family: cancer of the oropharynx with a tumor in the rear neck lymphatic chain and metastases in the lung. Not operable. Courses of very high dosage chemo and radiotherapy that would lead, within two to four months, to losing the ability to eat or breathe. We decided that I wouldn’t be submitting myself to the weapons of oncological medicine: the traditional (surgery), the chemical (drugs) or the nuclear (radiotherapy). These weapons destroy an organism’s own defenses and accelerate its disintegration. I had already seen enough cancer patients delivered into the hands of oncology to tremble with horror at the thought of the same thing happening to me Continue reading: https://catapult.co/stories/dying-is-more-difficult-than-it-seems
[Goanet] The traffic chaos at Porvorim... are ccitizens just collateral damage? (John Eric Gomes)
John Eric Gomes joe...@dataone.in The Directorate of Transport, Regional Transport Office (RTO), Traffic Police, Public Works Department (PWD), Town and Country Planning (TCP)...So many authorities to regulate and make our roads safe for vehicles and pedestrians to safely travel. All have failed! The roads are a mess with potholes, crazy unmarked speed breakers, badly designed roads and bus stops, towns and buildings with no forethought, lack of traffic lights and zebra crossings, smart cards issued to drivers in 2006 and to date the traffic police have no machine to read the card and access the information! Let me give you a concrete example of government apathy resulting in chaos, every minute matter of life and death for both traffic and pedestrians! Residents of Porvorim were aghast when the authorities blocked the entrance to the CHOGM Road at the O Coqueiro NH17 traffic junction. Consequently all considerable Porvorim traffic had to negotiate the resident Defence Colony roads to go to Mapusa or access the CHOGM Road via the narrow Holy Family Church lane! This junction, with no island, had around eight streams of impatient traffic crossing at this very point simultaneously when there was no police (untrained and absent after 7 PM and on Sundays and holidays). There were many accidents, many hit and run cases, many unreported. On Christmas Day 2015, a couple's car (they were to sing in the morning Mass choir) was hit by a speeding car at this junction. There was no traffic police present and both were severely injured. The wife was in a coma and passed away on Dec 27. The husband, who was driving, to date is blank about the accident. What is even more surprising is that there was nothing reported in any of the newspapers! The traffic police and the authorities do not care for our opinion or feedback or our lives. We even had a joint meeting chaired by the Collector North Goa attended by our local MLA, PWD and traffic authorities. It was decided to open up the CHOGM Road on a trial basis for 15 days before putting up the traffic lights at these junctions so proper timing and locations and problems would manifest itself practically. This decision was not implemented, and traffic lights have now been put for benefit of the highway traffic flow. Pedestrians have to fend for themselves! Incidentally, the government has no money for traffic lights and a private individual has borne the costs of operation and fitting! There is absolutely no sense of urgency in improving matters for us and it appears unless we come on the roads, agitate, block the highway, burn cars and create mayhem like the Jats and Patidars, our government will let us get killed and maimed on the highway! They probably have planned the third Mandovi bridge and have plans without our knowlege. In the meantime, we are collateral damage? -- The writer is a retired Navyman and commander from the Merchant Navy. A senior citizen, he is active in taking up public issues in Goa.
[Goanet] Goan religious music... remembered in Arizona, rendered in Curtorim
Frederick Noronha fredericknoro...@gmail.com In the 1960s, a group of young priests from the Rachol Seminary in Goa formed what they called the Society for the Preservation of Goan Sacred Music. One of them, Fr. Antonio Da Costa, from Curtorim ended up in Tempe-Arizona. That may seem a far-away place, from where it is tough to even keep in touch. But was that so? Antonio Costa recalls those times: "We recorded several hymns and a few motets for Radio Goa..." Sometimes, on a sunny day in Goa, you can still hear this music being broadcast over the radio in Goa. Even today. Cut to 2016. A talented musician tucked away in a musical part of rural Salcete is inspired by the memories of an earlier generation. Victor da Costa, also connected to this very musical family, offers his renderings of some of the age-old Konkani music, which many might not know even exist. More on this below. But, in the meanwhile, in the 1960s itself, Fr. Da Costa got transferred to Poona (now Pune), and he was part of three mando festivals there. He organised these with the help of Konkani-speaking seminarians from Bombay and Mangalore, he says. The Poona-based St. Vincent Church and Immaculate Conception Parish also then sang Konkani religious music for their Sunday Masses in Konkani. On returning to Goa, he continued collecting music the past. Thus, he could produce some new recordings of motets, hymns in Konkani as well as mandos, dulpods, deknnis. He went on to broadcast these unique forms of Konkani music over Radio Goa (later All India Radio), with the help of the church choir he founded. But that was not all. In the past decade, Fr. (also called Padre, or Pe., back home in his ancestral village, by the old style) Da Costa co-authored some significant books on local music. Though in his 70s now, being based abroad, he was able to learn softwares like Finale, which allows you to write musical notations on the computer. And freeze the music for generations not born, as it were. Pe. Da Costa coauthored books with the polymath late Dr Jose Pereira and maestro late Micael Martins, one each on the mandos and dulpods, called *Song of Goa* and *Undra Muja Mama: An Anthology of Dulpods* respectively. Recently, he spent four years in putting together a book on Goan religious music -- mostly in Konkani, but there is a sprinkling of Portuguese and Latin in it too. "Everyone needs to know that these beautiful melodies composed by Goan composers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries do exist," commented Pe Antonio in one of the mails we shared. Check it out. Listen to some of the recordings rendered by Victor Da Costa, and make up your mind. Hear this music here: https://archive.org/details/VictorDaCostaGoa 01.mp3 : Coracao Santo No.2 02.mp3 : Goddvaiechea Kallza 03.mp3 : Jesus Bendito 04.mp3 : Mogan Kalliz Lasuncheak 05.mp3 : Carmu Saibinnim 06.mp3 : Devache Mate 07.mp3 : Duloba Kallza Moriechea 08.mp3 : Immaculata Conceptio 09.mp3 : Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary No.24 10.mp3 : Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary No.25 11.mp3 : Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary No.26 12.mp3 : Piedady Saibinnim 13.mp3 : Bhagevonti Tereza 14.pm3 : Sam Francisku Xaviera 15.mp3 : Sancte Michael As mentioned above, you can tune in to (and even download) all these here: https://archive.org/details/VictorDaCostaGoa If possible, please take a free log-in to archive.com and leave your comment behind. Extremely talented musician Victor Da Costa [vicu...@rediffmail.com] did the musical arrangement and played organ and violin. His musician-wife Jane Mendes da Costa supports admirably on the violin. This recording was done just this month by Lenoy Gomendes (Lensaudio). Pe Antonio commented: "The way he (Victor) plays it is so expressive and touching. For some of the files, he alone played all the three instruments -- the organ, first and second violin." By coincidence, this happened to be the 50th anniversary of the attempt to preserve the 'adlim Kristi bhoktigitam' (old Konkani religious songs). As Pe Antonio writes: "Fr. Bernardo Cota together with António Calisto Vaz, Fr. Nascimento Mascarenhas, Fr. Avinash Rebelo, Fr. Eufemiano Miranda, Fr. Agnelo Mendes, José António Dias Mendes, Fr. Francisco de Melo, Fr. Procopio de Sousa, Fr. Joe Fernandes and Manuel Lobo were the members of the group, The Society for the Preservation of Goan Sacred Music. We recorded some of these motets, such as Inundaverunt, for our broadcast on Radio Goa in 1965. I hope and pray that efforts will continue to be made to search for more of these lost gems of our Goan musical treasure and that they will be published and thus preserved for posterity." Via his book 'Songs of Praise', he hopes "to preserve these beautiful melodies in print so they will remain for future generati
[Goanet] The soul of Goan religious music... of another era (Antonio Da Costa, Tempe)
António Da Costa Tempe, Arizona, USA The several years I spent putting the contents of the book *Songs of Praise* together provided me with exceptional insight into the roots of my faith, and offered me a nostalgic journey back to my formative years, from my childhood through young adulthood. It was then that I learned to sing these beautiful, soul-raising, prayer-inviting melodies and hymns to God, to Jesus and his mother Mary, and to our favorite saints. And what a journey it has been! -- To tune in to a touching rendition of some of these hymns, listen to Victor and Jane da Costa on the violin/keyboards at https://archive.org/details/VictorDaCostaGoa Free downloads available. -- As I began to write the notations and the words of these hymns, my mind kept returning to the places and the people who were instrumental in teaching them to me. This haunting music first took me back to my family and to the traditional devotions that were practiced at home on a daily basis: the family rosary and a hymn or two each night before supper; litanies in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, or His Blessed Mother, or His grandmother St. Ana; other special occasions when these hymns would be sung. Our family carried on the tradition of celebrating the feast of St. Ana on July 26. For nine consecutive days preceding this feast day, family members, neighbours and friends would gather in the evening to sing litanies. My next door neighbours had their tradition of having trezena i.e. litanies for thirteen consecutive days in honour of St. Anthony in the month of June; I remember the novena of litanies at the little chapel in our ward (vaddo) in honour of St. Sebastian. I remember with fondness the times I accompanied my father and my brother Rosarinho to neighbors' houses to sing litanies as they celebrated special occasions or the anniversary of the enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in their homes. My father was considered the master or leader of the litany and, as such, he was invited to practically every household in the neighboring wards of Xennoibag, Corjem, Gottnibatt, Ulando and Sonvonnxem. What an opportunity it was for me to learn and to sing so many different litanies and hymns on these occasions. During these years we also attended our local Chapel of Our Lady of Carmel, and it was there that I learned hymns at Mass. In May each year, the rosary was sung during the novena leading up to the feast of Our Lady of Carmel. It was the only time we sung the rosary in full and this was led by the late Joaquim Da Costa, vulgo Morgad Joku. I still remember singing with him in harmony all five decades of the rosary, Salve Rainha and the Litany. Its music notation, as I remember it, is included in this book. This journey through time then took me to our main church dedicated to St. Alex. The parish had excellent musicians, choir masters who also served as parish music school teachers: mestres da escola paroquial. The few names I remember include Mestre Rosario Moniz; Mestre Ambrósio Dias; Mestre Caetano Diniz; Mestre Francisco Salema. Although I did not attend the parish music school, these musicians and their music had a profound influence on me. I recall their hymns for Masses, for salves during novenas prior to the feasts of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Alex and St. Michael, their music for the solemn vespers before the feast days, and the Lenten music, especially the motets. The way they sang, the way they played the pipe organ of our church: it was awesome and inspiring. They were a very special breed of musicians. Finally, my nostalgic journey could not be complete without returning to those important places in my life where the foundation stone for my musical career was laid. In 1956, I joined the Saligão Seminary (Seminário de Nossa Senhora, Saligão-Pilerne). It was at this institution that I learned most of the Portuguese and Latin hymns, and some of those in Konkani, which are included in this book. It was here that I was also provided with the foundation for reading, writing and singing music. I raise my hat to my late professor, Fr. João Batista Viegas, who sacrificed so much to cultivate the musician in me. It was here at the age of 14 that I began to write down the melodies I had learned thus far: religious, secular, and folk songs including mandos, dulpods and deknnis. My four years at Rachol Seminary helped me to progress further in my musical training and it was there, under the professional guidance of our late Maestro Fr. Camilo Xavier, that I learned Gregorian music, which was then the main form of liturgical music. During these years I developed a deeper k
[Goanet] A Song For Goa (Marcos Gomes-Catao)
MARCOS GOMES-CATÃO cata...@yahoo.com alPatria Amada (Beloved Motherland) A SONG FOR GOA The following lines have been specially composed to be sung to the tune of Giuseppe VERDI's 'NABUCCO' Pátria Amada, Pérola de mi corazòn[1] The heart flutters when I think of thee Who gave us the acme of our good life Thru the enchanting Arcadia of childhood Spilling from the cup of Joy's plenitude. No hint then of rueful dawning pall in adulthood. Pátria Amada, tantos recuerdos de tu amor Imposible de jamás olvidar,[2] When the lilting maynah[3] woke us in the morning Ere the church bell began slowly, softly pealing And we exhaled the sweet fragrance of our land Now sadly lost to Alien hands Now we sorrowful lament the land you have become And recall the balmy land you once were With your calming 'Dolce far niente' air Of a pristine mythic bucolic lair Cumbered by a vacuous Philistine crassitude. Cry, my country, for the world now gone, That native home embodying serene Shangri-La, Whose death mournful moans loud proclaim Pátria Amada, el mundo de ayer se fué Para no más volver,[4] Carved in a heart forlorn. How weep thy fate the drooping leaves To the swaying palms' saddened strains!! With weary wings fancy takes flight 'midst the darkening shadows of that night Pátria Amada, eras singular melodia de amor Ahora con ojos llorosos, cerrados llenos de dolor[5] You were a soothing, transfixing song of love that haunted, How swiftly into funeral dirge transformed Ringing in the ears like echoes of bells Tolling in sorrow and despair At the shades of Hades descended on you Longing for freedom’s morning bright As we sorrowful lament the land you’ve become Recalling the balmy land you once were With your calming 'Dolce far niente' air Of a pristine mythic bucolic lair Devoid of any vacuous Philistine crassitude. Cry, my country, for the world now gone, That native home embodying serene Shangri-La, --- 1 Pearl of my Heart (in Spanish) 2 So many memories of your love, impossible to ever forget 3 Maynah = small black singing bird in Goa 4 Yesterday's world has gone, never more to return 5 You were a unique melody of love, now with tearful eyes, closed brimming with pain 'Dolce far niente' = literally, sweet do nothing, 'Sussegad' Taken from my book of poems, 'VOICES of PASSION'
[Goanet] I'm Goan... and I shower at night! (Jade, thatgoangirl.com)
By Jade http://www.thatgoangirl.com/who-is-that-goan-girl/ If you're a Goan who's shifted to Mumbai, Bangalore or Delhi to work or study, I can bet you've faced people who turn speechless when they find out that you shower at night. As for me, I can't help but feel disgusted to find out that they don't!! The first time my new roommate found out that I wasn't going to bathe that morning or the time I casually told a friend, "I can't wait to go home and take a cold shower," they looked at me with a smug look of morning squeaky cleanness! Hold up! There are these theories that support both bath-times, but here's why bathing at night makes you feel so much better If you ARE living in a city like Mumbai or Delhi, you probably shower in the morning to freshen up for work. But... it's a city. Everyone is literally covered in dust and grime 30 minutes after they step out the door. And most of them stay that way until the next morning. *puke* Those who shower at night can take their own, sweet time without having to rush to work or have someone hammering on the door. There’s nowhere you have to be. Might as well sing, brainstorm or formulate an action plan for when an intruder sneaks in, right? Bathing at night is totally therapeutic -- no rush, no worries about morning meetings and traffic jams. It’s simply a time to loosen up those muscles and wash the stress away! There's no better feeling than jumping into bed when you're all cool and fresh. You definitely don't feel gross when you slip between the sheets every night. You're clean... which keeps the sheets clean! Not really the case when you slip into bed with the whole days worth of grime on your body now, is it? Want to know another major perk of night-time showers? It takes two minutes to get ready in the morning. That translates to half an hour (at least) of more sleep WITH time for breakfast and finishing your homework. You won't find Goans complaining about that! AND another thing!!! Got roommates? You know what it’s like to battle for bathroom time in the morning. If you’re the last one to bathe, you'll have to jump in and jump out. How is having to rush and hurry in the morning a good way to start a day! Please explain, morning bathers Let's talk about hair! Sleeping with wet hair in the night means you've mastered the 'bed head' look in the morning. People pay beauty parlours A LOT to get the tousled look and we get it for free! Not to mention, spiders and creepy crawlies hate wet hair. So if you're sleeping with dirty, dry hair, it’s like putting out the welcome mat for them. Hah! I don't know about the rest of you, but my hair takes hours to air-dry and style. So the options are limited to waking up at the crack of dawn to have enough time to wash, dry and style or looking like a wet, bedraggled cat all day. I ain't got time for that! We’re not against morning baths -- hell, we may need to take them sometimes, too -- to get through the humid summers. But what we don't understand is everyone’s aversion to night showers. Why the 'eu,' bro? I for one, shower at night. If I get home at 1am, I'll darn well shower at 1am. Unless I know I'll be late, which is when I'll shower before I leave. Ever try calling a Goan between 7-8pm? You would have DEFINITELY experienced his/her mother pick up the phone and tell you that your friend is in the shower. Amirite? So -- which side of the divide do you fall on? Comment below and lemme know! Till next time! P.S. Please don’t take 2-3 showers a day if you don't need to! We’re in the midst of a drought, you know! Published originally on, and reproduced here courtesy of: http://www.thatgoangirl.com/im-goan-shower-night/
[Goanet] Lineages of mining in Goa (Hartman de Souza, book extract)
Raiot is excited at publishing first of the extracts from *Eat Dust: Mining and Greed in Goa* by Hartman de Souza. For a zine published from Meghalaya, the other frontier of Mining in India, it is fitting that we learn from Goa -- that raving beach infested greed fest. If there is one book which speaks of all mining blighted societies, then this is. The book breaks all the boundaries of genres and gets its politics and economics right on. At once travelogue, investigative journalism and family memoir, *Eat Dust* maps the culture, topography and cultural diversity of Goa. When the mining starts again, as it seems poised to, De Souza's chronicles will stay behind like the taste of strong coffee, taken with less sugar to give it bite. You can preorder the book here [http://amzn.to/1XcMZCv]. Eat Dust : Mining and Greed in Goa is in the tradition of that unsung classic, Felix Padel's *Out of This Earth: East India Adivasis and the Aluminium Cartel* Goa's first business families were traders who hawked everything from cloth to curds as well as being well-known ships' chandlers and agents, with at least one among them making a killing after World War II by selling blockaded German penicillin stock across the then Portuguese border to the British and the Americans, among others. Then they all diversified into mining. At the height of Salazar's fascist rule, in fact, Goa's mining families were not averse to wining and dining with the Portuguese dispensation, and at least one was bestowed an honorific title of the Portuguese equivalent of baronetcy. Many say that Goa's first chief minister, Dayanand Bandodkar, was hand-picked to lead Goa by mining companies because they recognized both his acumen and his sympathy for their own greater cause. Even though he was not of their caste, he was himself the owner of a profitable mine. He was also their conduit to the underprivileged Goan. What is far better known is that from the early 1960s, this wealthy mine owner emerged out of nowhere like the golden goose of Goan politics, in life as in the hereafter, ensuring that mining in Goa would be the exclusive domain of the few mining families who run Goa. When Bandodkar's only son Siddhartha was killed after he accidentally shot himself through the spleen with a revolver -- itself an incident coated with much intrigue and mystery at that time -- his daughter, Shashikala Kakodkar, took over the mining business. And there she stayed till 1977, ruling Goa and protecting its mining families at the same time. 1 It helps to keep in mind that the mining wealth in Goa, well before crony capitalism became the flavour of the day in the rest of the country, was controlled by just four thoroughbred families -- Dempo, Salgaocar, Timblo and Chowgule. The first three, not unsurprisingly, are Saraswat Brahmins while the last comprises upper-caste early migrants from neighbouring Maharashtra. Originally traders and shopkeepers, they now controlled 60 per cent of the mining leases. The remaining 30 per cent were controlled by Sesa Goa, which -- before it was sold first to Mitsui and then to British behemoth Vedanta -- was an Italian-German company that operated here well before Goa's liberation in 1961. There were also smaller non-Brahmin but wealthy players like the Bandodkar and Bandekar families, and early migrants to Goa from Gujarat and Rajasthan who gobbled up the remaining 10 per cent of the leases. This was not even a fraction of the leases that Goans later found while rummaging through their old cupboards and safes. Management consultant Rajendra Kakodkar, himself a vocal critic of mining, wrote in the press that every election in Goa since 1961 was fought with the help of mining money. It also played a great role in the coups, changes in leadership, and the many defections witnessed through its political history. Given that we all know now how much the mining families gave to politicians in the 2012 elections (the information was available to the public),2 he wrote that it was highly probable that they supported Bandodkar in quelling two inner party rebellions, one in 1967 and the other in 1972, both of which saw him come back stronger than ever before. The extent of how much the mining families pull Goa's strings can be adjudged by the fact that there were eleven chief ministers in Goa between 1987 and 1999.3 Kakodkar also noted that, in comparison to Goa, 70 per cent of the mining leases in Karnataka were owned by public sector units NMDC or MML, and the remaining 30 per cent by at least 100 families.4 In Goa, the declared profits of mining -- amounting to around Rs 12,000 crore -- was shared by a handful of people. If you take the fact that there are 2 lakh families in Goa, Kakodkar added, this could have meant a 6 lakh-rupee windfall for each family.5 Notes Joseph Zuzarte,‘Raising the dust on illegal mining in Goa’, inforchangeindia. org, September
[Goanet] InVerse: FOR GOA -- FREDERIKA MENEZES
O YOUNG GOA O, what have you Become, Precious "Pearl of the Orient?" Such sadness to my eyes When I behold Your no longer Breathtaking site... Who has undone you In this way, Who dared to destroy the God perfect image? Is it the young And lost Those who aimlessly roam Your streets, your roads? The childs of the past Brought you glory How heartbreaking to see And know Today's young Take delight in Gifting you misery... I weep, I shout, I speak kindly, I plead Young Goa, will you Not listen to me? Your nature now Must be turned around But you alone Do not realize the harm Of your ways So look around you, I pray... Young Goa, where does your Future lie... Is it among the ruins Of your vile acts Or amidst the memories of A past you care to not Know of? Wake up young people! What does it look like Today's Goa's destiny? Is it glorious To your sights Or like me Do you see Devastating misery?? O young Goa, Answer me! -- http://frederikamenezesmindtalkingonpaper.blogspot.in/ Frederika Menezes
[Goanet] Hartman de Souza talks about 'Eat and Dust: Mining and Greed in Goa'
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ _/ Hartman de Souza... author of *Eat Dust: Mining and Greed in _/ Goa* ... speaks in Panjim on Monday, June 13, 2016 at 5 pm at _/ Broadway Book Centre (First Floor, Ashirwad Building) on _/ * The Responsibility of the Writer*. Pls RSVP by SMS: _/ 9822122436 to ensure a seat _/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Hartman de Souza talks about 'Eat and Dust: Mining and Greed in Goa' Hartman de Souza (dna - Manit Balmiki) GARGI GUPTA | Sun, 28 Feb 2016-06:30am , Mumbai , dna The struggle against Goa's iron-ore mining is a personal one for Hartman de Souza. His book is not a factual account but an anguished song of lament. The former journalist and theatre person talks to Gargi Gupta Much of the conversation with Hartman de Souza is peppered with his low deep cackle, "He, he, he...", he laughs, revealing a mischievous sense of humour directed as much at himself as at the follies and foibles of the world, and especially his native Goanese. It's a laughter, one realises very soon, that masks a deep-seated anger and frustration. De Souza's recently released book *Eat and Dust: Mining and Greed in Goa* is the fruit of that anger. It is no 'factual' journalistic account of the devastation wrought by iron ore mining -- though de Souza was once a senior journalist, knows more about the subject than any other and writes the occasional newspaper article on the subject. No, *Eat and Dust...* reads like a dirge, a song of lament for what Goa once was, that reveals a deep personal anguish at the desecration of the once lush forests and springs, and the corruption of its cultural life and social fabric by the unfettered greed of the miners. The struggle against mining in Goa is a very personal one for de Souza; his own family, sister Cheryl who owned a farm near a mine owned by Joaquin Alemao, the brother of a then minister in the state government, and his 80-year-old mother Dora, had been at the forefront of the anti-mining protests. In fact, the two had even spent a night in jail when Dora, seated in her wheelchair, had chained herself to the entrance of the mines to prevent the trucks from entering. "My mum was crazy," says de Souza, who also works in theatre recalling an incident where she, him and his sister drew up a "price list" for the blessings that the church fathers. "She was angry when she got to know that the priest had demanded 50 paise -- this was 1967-68 and it was quite a large sum then -- to bless a bicycle that my father had gifted to a social worker," he says. De Souza is angry with the church for "sitting on the fence" on the mining issue. But the worst of his ire is reserved for his native Goans, whose own factiousness has prevented them from coming together to prevent the devastation of their habitat. "Goa is insular, small, communal, bigoted," he says, adding, "We Goans are very good at criticising, at saying that this must happen or that must happen, but we don't know how to work together and don't have a sense of commitment to the cause." For a while, says Hartman, it got too much to bear. "We'd go to a party and the conversation would be about football, but I would bring it back to mining -- my wife would laugh. It had become an obsession." And so he left, pursuing interests in theatre, jazz and education. Hartman set up the Space Theatre Ensemble in 2008 and now tours schools and colleges across the country with his four-member, all-girl troupe with its repertory of short plays on the environment, women's empowerment, etc. When he goes back to Goa now, de Souza says his favourite places are the small bars in villages all over the state. It's where he draws his lessons in what he calls "cultural studies." "I take all my friends to the bars. The guys there, many of them older than me, all know me. They tell me stories about what Goa was. We discuss mining, politics, NGOs. In the end, we all weep." In the final analysis, de Souza feels that the problem with Goa was precipitated by post-1990s economic liberalisation. "Everyone complains about the Licence Raj -- it was the Licence Raj that prevented all these crony capitalists from coming into being," he says, adding, "I think we were quite happy with just the Premier car and the Ambassador. We didn't have the problems we are having now." It's an idealistic position, more suited to college students, perhaps, than to someone whose hair is more grey than black. And it is the former, hopes Hartman, who will read his book. "My book is written for every
[Goanet] Move over, Bihar. There's a jungle raj in Goa that not too many talk about (Madhav Gadgil, Scroll.in)
Unmonitored mining activity in the state has wrecked the environment and livelihoods, but the government has not taken proactive measures. Jun 13, 2016 · 06:30 pm Madhav Gadgil There are endless debates about the jungle raj, or the apparent lawlessness, in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. But strikingly, no one discuss the jungle raj raging in India's mineral-rich states. Similarly, Naxal violence in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha often makes headlines, but the violence in Goa, with its greenery and silvery beaches, never makes it to news reports outside the state. I have been watching the situation in the state at first-hand ever since I joined the Goa Golden Jubilee Development Council in 2010. At its first meeting, government officials made a presentation about Goa's economy, stating that agriculture was declining with nobody wanting to pursue it. In fact, it seemed that mining-related environmental damage was of no concern -- indeed the farmers were happy to sit at home enjoying the compensation paid to them by the miners. But just as the work of our council was concluding, the Justice Shah Commission on illegal mining in Goa observed: "But no inspection has been carried out [of the mines, over decades, in accordance with the Mines and Minerals (DR) Act, 1957] resulting into fear-free environment which has caused loss to the ecology, environment, agriculture, ground water, natural streams, ponds, rivers, biodiversity, etc." I told the council that as a field ecologist, I would like to find out the ground truth. So, I contacted residents of several villages along the mining belt and managed to spend a full day and night in six of them, sleeping with the farmers on the floor in their houses, trying to understand the reality of the situation. On the ground I learnt that while a fair amount of Goa's agricultural land was indeed not being cultivated, large numbers of people still wished to continue farming -- in fact, for many of them, it's a satisfying occupation. It was clear that their livelihoods and community were adversely impacted by mining, that they were not receiving reasonable compensation and that they certainly did not wish to remain idle. Hanumant Parab, Bismark Dias and Ravindra Velip were three of the friends I stayed with, all of them highly respected and socially conscious members of their communities. Law of the jungle A good definition of the jungle raj is that it is a system in which the state victimises its citizens instead of protecting them. The fate of Parab, Dias and Velip in recent months vividly brought to mind the operation of just such a jungle raj in Goa. Parab, for instance, was attacked by smugglers who were trying to bring meat from unauthorised slaughter houses into Goa on the night of February 12, 2015. On November 6, 2015 Dias disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The next day, his partially decomposed body was discovered in the Mandovi river, with angry locals claiming he could have been killed because he was at loggerheads with certain sections of the society and the government over several issues such as the creation of a Special Economic Zone, the Regional Plan for Goa and the proposed Mopa airport. As for Velip, on the night of March 23, 2016, historian and writer Ramchandra Guha had the following to say in an article in Hindustan Times: Ravindra was arrested and taken into judicial custody. The next day, with the evident complicity of officials responsible for his safety, he was blindfolded, gagged, and savagely beaten. He might have been killed had his screams not brought fellow detainees to the scene, whereupon his attackers fled. Shockingly, the police even refused to file an FIR on this murderous assault. --Hindustan Times Resolution stalled The gram sabha of Velip's Cauvrem village has unanimously resolved to establish a multi-purpose cooperative society, the manifold objectives of which include handling mining activities. The villagers demand that if mining activities, suspended because of serious irregularities, are to be resumed, they should be handed over to a village-level cooperative society run by them that will ensure mining is conducted prudently and without damaging the environment while also ensuring that the benefits actually reach the weaker sections of the society. Taking note of the various irregularities pointed out by the Shah Commission report, the Supreme Court had imposed a blanket ban on mining in the state in 2012, but last year, mining activities have resumed in parts of Goa, shortly after the ban was lifted. Cooperative mining is evidently a most desirable alternative, one that is ve
[Goanet] Guess... what the Pope had for dinner (Suveen Sinha, HT)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bebinca-to-prawn-pulao-when-chef-vikas-khanna-made-dinner-for-the-pope/story-2sgrxAg6dkr6gJSAC0lwWL.html Bebinca to prawn pulao: When chef Vikas Khanna made dinner for the Pope Suveen Sinha, Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Updated: Jun 16, 2016 20:52 IST Pope Francis poses for a selfie with chef Vikas Khanna at the Vatican (HT Photo) In the olden days, the Christian nuns in Goa used egg whites to starch their clothes. They did not know what to do with the yolks, so they used them to make a sweet dish. Over time the instinctive cuisine evolved into a seven-layer dessert that came to be known as Bebinca, ostensibly named after a Portuguese desert. If only those nuns of yore could have known this: on Wednesday, Pope Francis, for his dinner at the Vatican, was served the Bebinca, along with 12 other dishes, all cooked by Indian chef Vikas Khanna. "I used a pizza oven to make the Bebinca. I could not make all seven layers, I made only four," Khanna told HT over the phone from the Vatican. "It has not sunk in yet that I served the Pope a dish created by the Christians in Goa." The other 12 dishes were also taken from the cuisines developed by Indian Christians in the catholic regions. Khanna’s favourite among them is the vegetable stew made at Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. It is made in mustard oil with paanch phoran, a mix of five spieces. Vikas personally dried, roasted, and powdered the five spices. Vikas Khanna presents his book to Pope Francis. (HT Photo) After handing over the 13 dishes to the office of the Pontiff, which alone serves food to the Pope, Khanna got to spend seven to eight minutes with Pope Francis and gave him his book, Utsav. It is a 1,200-page, 15-kg tome that brings together dishes of 26 festivals and 50 ceremonies from different parts of the country. The book is organised according to the calendar; Christmas, therefore, comes in the end. A photo from Vikas Khanna’s book Utsav shows a Muslim woman with her children dressed as Santa Claus. (HT Photo) The Pope rifled through the pages right down to the Christmas section, which also has a photo of a woman in a burkha carrying a child in her lap and holding another’s hand. Both the children are dressed as Santa Claus. The Pope, who often talks about the importance of pluralism in society, spent time looking at the photo. "He said it is really beautiful," said Khanna. The chef spent three days preparing the Pope’s dinner, with a crew that only spoke Italian. Khanna therefore downloaded a new Google app, which did the trick for him. Everything you speak into that app gets spoken back in Italian. "Meri to vaat lag gai (I got screwed)," said Khanna with a chuckle, "but it’s been the most awesome three days of my life." The dinner was a culmination of a discussion Khanna started years ago with the Vatican about the hunger initiative, which is close to the Pope's heart. His people were delighted that a chef was talking about hunger. At the end of their meeting, the Pope gave Khanna a rose ring. "I'm going to savour it the rest of life," says Khanna, who attended the mass before leaving the Vatican. Dinner highlights 1. Mother Teresa's Holy breakfast vegetable stew: Kolkata 2. Amitar Khar: spiced green papaya from Assam 3. Fish Paturi in banana leaf: West Bengal 4. Chicken Ishtew with appams: Kerala 6. Lamb Vindaloo with sannas: Goa 7. Green papaya chutney: West Bengal 8. Prawn Pulao: Goa 9. Dodol: Goa
[Goanet] Coinage, imports, exotic vegetables, caste... all going into making of Goa
FN Eightysix-year-old Fr Joseph Velinkar disappointed a fairly crowded gathering at the Xavier Centre of Historical Research on Thursday evening -- but due to no fault of his. The priest-historian suffered a bout of what appeared to be high blood pressure and was unable to deliver a speech many came tp hear. The octogenarian has also just authored a comprehensive book on the history of Goa, called *On The Spice Trail: Europe Discovers India in Goa* [http://bit.ly/1S7Sjiw] and has spent a lifetime taking an active interest in tracking Goa-related historical issues, despite being largely based in Mumbai and elsewhere. Bombay-born of Goan parentage (Baga-Velim and Ambelim), he studied at St Xavier's High School and College, University of Bombay, and joined the Jesuits seven decades ago. He has held posts such as Assistant Rector of St Pius Seminary and St Xavier’s College, Bombay; Director of Heras Institute, Bombay; Principal of St Gonsalo Garcia College, Vasai and the Rector of St Xavier’s College, Bombay. He has attended many conferences in India, Portugal, Hong Kong and other countries and has published over 70 articles and several books, the latest of which is *On the Spice Trail*. This wide-angle look at Goan history situates this region amidst its natural features and resources (land, importantly water, and air) and points to the 'joustling for power' among various sections of the people that settled in Goa. >From the entry for Goa's early people, to the tale of Goa's birth, and Asians and Africans in Goa, the book covers much ground in brief passages and talks about past dynasties that ruled Goa, both pre-Portuguese and post-1610. Besides the history of the rulers -- and the many entanglements (such as Jesuit missions to Emperor Akbar, Adilshahi-Portuguese wars), Velinkar's work also touches on Goan society (Euro-Asiatic miscegenation, prominent caste groups, and more). It gives glimpses into the Goan economy, natural resources, and trade and commerce. The arrival of Christianity, and the European press in Goa, is also focussed on, as are diverse issues like coinage, imports, exotic vegetables and caste. Goa's history has been a contentious area. While some prefer to dwell largely on the negative and unpleasant sides of the encounter between the West and this tiny region on the west coast, others have sought to situate the happenings in the wider context of global and Indo-European history. Speaking at the function, which was originally meant to focus on 'Goa in the 16th Century under the Portuguese', historian Dr Sushila Sawant-Mendes, stressed on Dr Velinkar's meticulous search for source material. Elsewhere, the Indian Christian Writing blog, [http://indianchristianwritings.blogspot.in/], one of the half-dozen-and-one blogs maintained by the Goan-origin prominent Salesian priest Ivo Coelho, also looks at the writing of Velinkar [http://bit.ly/1QcmlHT]. This 2009 blog post says that Velinkar had encouraged his students to collect material on Rudolph Aquivava and Thomas Stephens, early pioneering Jesuits in India. He had been interested in the history of the Jesuits in India when the order had been suppressed. Trichy (and later Shembaganur), Calcutta (Goethals Library) and Mumbai might be good places to local relevant documents, it quotes Velinkar saying. Velinkar has worked with and met prominent names from the world of Goan history, the likes of which we only read or hear about -- George Mark Moraes (author of the 'Kadamba Kula') and Fr Gomes Catao. He has guided research students for the University of Bombay, has headed the Heras Institute, and was at the helm of the 'Indica' magazine on Indian history. Meanwhile, German anthropologist Alexander Henn will be the next speaker at the XCHR's History Hour series in mid-July. ###
[Goanet] Footprints in the Sand -- Marcus Mergulhao's History of Salgaocar Football Club (Atanu Mitra, goal.com)
Book Review: Footprints in the Sand - History of Salgaocar Football Club The 176-page book is full of insights, anecdotes, old newspaper reports and hundreds of top-quality photographs. BY ATANU MITRA (@Atanu00 on Twitter) A quality book on Indian Football in English is as rare as it gets. 'Goalless -- The Story of a unique footballing nation' by Boria Majumder and Kaushik Banerjee and 'Stories from Indian football' by veteran journalist Jaydeep Basu are two standout performers in the category and there has been no publication since Mohammad Amin-Ul Islam's 'Beyond the Goal', which was an unsanctioned biography of former national team skipper Bhaichung Bhutia. The above mentioned books primarily concentrate on telling a pan-Indian story of the game. However, detailed histories of many popular I-League outfits, especially in English are a far cry. 'Footprints in the sand: History of Salgaocar Football Club (1956-2016)' by Marcus Mergulhao tries to fill the void. Published by the Goan club on the occasion of its 60th foundation day, the book chronicles one of Goa's and India's oldest footballing clubs. Mergulhao, a well known journalist in the Indian football circuit chose to predictably describe the club's rich history in a chronological manner, but the book about the torch-bearers of Goan football never falls short of giving the reader, interesting stories and anecdotes. Launched as Vimson in 1956 and later rechristened as Clube Desportivo Salgaocar before Goa's Liberation in 1961, the club had achieved a number of firsts among the local sides. Among its major accomplishments, the Greens had become the first Goan side to win the Federation Cup in 1988 and then the National Football League (NFL) in 1999. The riveting history of the side funded by the Salgaocar family has been lucidly laid out by the author, with even minute details from matches played 50 years ago gracing the book. The golden days of the club have been brilliantly documented, with assistance from Ajit Moye's, 'Memorable moments of Goan Soccer'. A number of former footballers have been interviewed for the book and their memories perfectly compliment the writer's own quips and observations. T. Shanmugham's reign at the helm of the club from 1979 -- the Greens' four consecutive appearances in Federation Cup finals in 1987-'90, the famous Federation Cup win in 1997, the National Football League victory in 1999 and the double winning season under the tutelage of Karim Bencherifa constitute the best written parts of the book. The success stories of the Bruno Countino-Roy Barreto pair also makes for a captivating read. The pages are peppered with a number of brilliant portraits, the best of the lot being the one of old defender Candido Abreu aka Candu. The kind of books which hover around the evolution of a particular institution often turn out to be mere factfiles. Also being published by the club, it is only obvious there will be little or no criticism about the owners' policies between the covers. This is where the book comes as a real surprise. The journalist in the author has taken frequent notes about the surrounding society and the effect the club had on the followers of the game, besides taking slight digs at the club's management policies at times. "One of the notable features of the Goan football scene was while the bulk of the players were Catholic, the big promoters and sponsors were predominantly Hindu," reads one of the sentences in the chapter that focuses on the early years of the outfiit. "Karim Bencherifa's sudden departure meant that short-term survival instincts would get precedence over the long-terms goals of building a team..", is the starting sentence of the sub-chapter that talks about the post-Karim era at the club. The book is remarkably low on factual errors. A couple of errors did stand out in my first reading. A blurb says Salgaocar are the 'only Goan team to figure in four Federation Cup finals', while Dempo has also achieved that feat. Also the unforgettable match between Salgaocar and Mohun Bagan where the Goan side came back from a 0-3 scoreline to record a seansational 4-3 win was played on 11th April, 2002 while the book specifies the date as 10th April. Keeping aside these mitigable fallacies, the real reason for grievance could be the short description of the club's disastrous performances in the last decade. Ideally the book should have embraced the years of hardship with equal vigour as its successful era, but it looked like a measured approach to not delve deeper into the period that saw the club getting relegated to the second division. In a nutshell, Mergulhao has come out with flying colours in his debut performance. With Dempo's 50th foundation day around the corner now, it w
[Goanet] Archbishop Henry D'Souza, Mother Teresa's friend, dies (MattersIndia.com)
Archbishop Henry D'Souza, Mother Teresa's friend, dies Kolkata: Archbishop Henry D'Souza, a friend of Mother Teresa for more than 35 years and a founding member of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), died of age-related illness on June 27 in Kolkata, eastern India. The death occurred at 1:30 pm at Vianni Home, in the premise of St. Thomas Parish, near Calcutta Jesuit Provincial house, where the 90-year-old prelate was spending his retirement. The funeral Mass will be held at St. Thomas Parish at 10 am on June 30. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) condoled the death and prayed for the repose of the prelate's soul. "Archbishop D'Souza's contributions to the Church in India are precious and manifold. In his capacity as the secretary general of the CBCI and president of the CCBI (Conference of Catholic Bishops of India -- Latin rite), he has rendered effective leadership, especially in crucial moments," CBCI deputy secretary general Monsignor Joseph Chinnayyan told Matters India. "Emeritus Archbishop of Kolkata Henry D'Souza just passed away. Much loved educationist and man of God. Friend of our family. RIP," Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien said in a tweet. Archbishop D'Souza, who headed the Archdiocese of Calcutta during 1986-2002, played a crucial role in fast-tracking Blessed Mother Teresa's canonization process. "It is sad that he missed Mother Teresa's canonization," said Jesuit Fr R Jothi, director of Udayani, a human rights center in Kolkata. Mother Teresa's canonization is scheduled for September 4 in Rome. According to Fr Jothi, the archbishop was "a creative spiritual stalwart and holy man well integrated in Theology. His homilies were very inspiring, challenging and hope giving." Archbishop D'Souza hit international headlines for the smooth handling of the funeral of Blessed Mother Teresa who died on September 5, 1987, in Kolkata. However, he was away in Rome when she died. As the sole Asian representative for the composition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he had gone to Rome to present its text to Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI. Archbishop D'Souza often hailed Mother Teresa as "the face of Christ in the world" for spending her life time helping people understand the nature of the divine. He was born January 20, 1926, in Kolkata (then Calcutta) and was ordained a priest on August 24, 1948. He was appointed the bishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in 1974. In 1985, he was transferred to the Calcutta a as the coadjutor Archbishop. He succeeded Cardinal Lawrence Picachy as the archbishop of Calcutta on April 5, 1986. He had also served as the first bishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. Known as an educationist, he had also played a major role in founding the Sacred Heart School in Kharagpur town. He started Life Assenting, a newsletter for senior citizen, and edited it until the end. SOURCE: http://mattersindia.com/2016/06/archbishop-henry-dsouza-mother-teresas-friend-dies/ The extract below is from the book *Land of the Sal Tree* (now out of print) by Fr Nascimento J Mascarenhas (some details differ --editor): MOST REV. ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS HENRY SEBASTIAN D'SOUZA (1926-2016) Henry Sebastian is the son of George D'Souza and of Aurolina D'Souza from Arrarim. He was born on January 20, 1926 in Igatpuri, a hill station in Nasik District in the State of Maharashtra. He was ordained priest on August 24, 1948 at the age of 22 years, and was ordained Bishop of Cuttuck-Bhubaneshwar at the age of 48 years on May 5, 1974. He served as Bishop of Cuttuck-Bhubaneshwar for 11 years before being appointed Coadjutor to the Archbishop of Calcutta. On April 5, 1996, he was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Calcutta, a position he held until April 2002. He also served as the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (C.B.C.I.) from 1998 to 2002. Archbishop Henry D'Souza retired as Archbishop of Calcutta on April 2, 2002 at the age of 76 years. He resides now at Archbishop's House, Calcutta. Among his other duties, Archbishop Henry served as President of Caritas (India) and, later, as member of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops held in Rome. He was also Secretary-General to the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) from 1984 to 1993. He also headed the process to declare Mother Teresa a saint within two years of her death. Archbishop Henry S. D'Souza donated his ancestral home located in Arrarim, Saligao, to the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul of Saligão for their charitable activities. ###
[Goanet] India’s big experiment with referendum: When Goa did not go with Bombay (Economic Times)
By ET Bureau | Jul 03, 2016, 08.00 AM IST With Goa voting against the merger, either the barber became too morose to be violent or the regular rhythm of village life returned. "When the final result was announced today they went to him with unshaven faces and overgrown hair," ToI wrote. "The bitter feelings of the past few days had been wiped out." On January 20, 1967, the Times of India (ToI) reported on how in the village of Loutolim in central Goa, most men had worn a rather fuzzy look for the past few days. In a referendum, which had concluded some days before, on whether Goa should merge with Maharashtra, most villagers were strongly against the merger, but the local barber was strongly for it. And when such a fundamental issue of identity was being decided, the villagers evidently felt it best to steer clear of a man with a razor With Goa voting against the merger, either the barber became too morose to be violent or the regular rhythm of village life returned. "When the final result was announced today they went to him with unshaven faces and overgrown hair," ToI wrote. "The bitter feelings of the past few days had been wiped out." Easy availability of safety razors means men in the United Kingdom (UK) probably didn't face this problem in the Brexit referendum. But they must be hoping for a similar quick return to normality. As Goa discovered in 1967, and the UK has now, a referendum can be a convulsing and divisive event, with results that spill beyond the actual vote. Goa's Opinion Poll, as the referendum was called, was not the only one held in India, but as journalist Shoaib Daniyal noted in a post-Brexit survey, it stands out as the only one without "what one could call managed outcomes". Since all other cases involved deciding on India's territorial integrity, the Indian government seems to have been careful to avoid surprises -- whether the results were to join (Junagadh in 1948, Pondicherry in 1954, Sikkim in 1975) or leave (Sylhet and North-West Frontier Province in 1947). The Question of '67 Goa in 1967 was more an internal matter, though it did stem from the takeover of the Portuguese colony in 1961. Perhaps conscious of the negative publicity this received in the West, in 1962, prime minister Nehru declared, "We want Goa to maintain its separate identity, separate individuality We have no intention of changing or suppressing that identity." The problem was that this identity was not as clearly defined as it might have been assumed. As ToI noted in January 14, 1967, Goa consisted of "old and new conquests", with the former areas, along the coast, having a 400-year history and a strong Portuguese colonial identity, and speaking Konkani. But the latter, more interior areas had a history of less than 200 years and were more Hindu and Marathi-speaking. Parag Porobo, a historian at Goa University, notes that since the 1950s, when it was becoming clear that Portugal could not keep Goa indefinitely, the question of merger with Maharashtra was being discussed: "People were afraid Goa might become independent, and merger was seen as the answer." The first election in Goa as part of India, in 1963, seemed to confirm this possibility. The Marathi speakers were both numerous and eager to grab power long denied to them by the old Goa elites. They voted the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) to office, headed by Dayanand Bandodkar,a wealthy mine-owner and champion of the backward classes, who would become the face of the movement for merger. PHOTO: Indira Backs the Poll Parobo, who has written a book on Bandodkar, cautions that this image might be faulty. "Bandodkar may not have been that keen on merger, and tried putting it off during his first term. But others in the MGP were much more insistent and forced the issue." Such sentiments were stoked by Maharashtra's politicians, eager to absorb both Goa and Belgaum from Mysore (now Karnataka) state. They supported the idea of a referendum, even though it came from a political opponent, Dr Jack Sequeira of the United Goans Party. Sequeira was a flamboyant character, lavishly bearded and with an exuberant personality. "Once I used to play tennis. Now I am playing politics... I like it better," he declared to a ToI interviewer (who writes that at one point he had to remind Sequeira that it was a one-on-one interview, not a public meeting). He once floated the idea of a Konkan state, from mid-Maharashtra to Mangalore, with Goa at its heart. Sequeira decided to challenge the merger movement by pushing for a direct face-off. He insisted this had to be a single-issue referendum since in a general election it would get lost among other issues. That this was a gamble can be seen in the horrified reaction of Dr Alvaro Loyola de
[Goanet] Decline of a great city (Gerson da Cunha, Seminar)
GERSON DA CUNHA dacunha.ger...@gmail.com IN the fifties, into the sixties, they all came back to Bombay, those who went abroad to study and train. Many voyaged across the seas to live here. They do not return any more, or come from other lands to stay. The young ones used to come home for the good living to be had here, but also for a commodity once as plentiful as the jobs: the hope. Where is either to be found these days, even in respectable fragments, never mind the abundance of yore? I remember my city 50 years ago for the daily washing of its streets with chlorinated water. I remember my home in Mazgaon, one of the original hills of Bombay. Each evening, you could hear the animals at feeding time in Victoria Gardens Zoo, two miles away as the lion roars. Not anymore. You hear only the bellow and snarl of traffic. We had our own gardens, as a matter of fact, with a great peepul, a raintree and an acacia among a dozen fruit-bearing trees. It was a welcoming, hopeful city in a newly free nation. Clean streets, lions at dinner and audible miles away, rambling gardens in fairly crowded localities make a point about the city. There was an amplitude about it, even in the wadis of Girgaum and neighbourhoods of Parel. They were busy and crowded certainly, but the people filled spaces that were planned for them, designed for those numbers: in BDD chawls, built by the venerable Bombay Development Department, and the 'quarters' for mill, city and railway employees. Citizens lived and worked to an orderly city plan, paying sensible prices for space, without land grab and vote bank politics, as at present. Did we but know it then, these were all marks of a great city. The economics of Bombay has a history and a strong hand in its distinctive make up. Halfway through the 19th century, a new era had dawned for this huddle of fishermen's rocks around a wonderful harbour. The Suez Canal spelled great days for Bombay as a port and allied businesses, as did the American Civil War for Indian cotton, which of course needed the port to go out to the world. After the Indian uprising of 1857 against Britain, the new imperial power chose to make an imperial statement here, as its main public buildings testify -- the High Court, University, Secretariat, Municipality, the Town Hall and later the Prince of Wales Museum, then the great railway buildings rivalling King's Cross and St. Pancras in London. By the turn of the last century, Bombay was a world city by the sea to which international trade and commerce came; witness the Sassoon and Kadourie families taking refuge from Baghdad among countless others who came as merchants and professionals. Wealth of a certain kind attracts the arts -- public statuary and private collections of painting and sculpture -- as well as the graces of secondary businesses which catch the spirit of the times, as in the proud department stores of Hornby Road and Mahatma Gandhi Road, Evans and Fraser, Whiteways Laidlaw (now the Khadi and Village Industries Emporium filled with crores worth of non-saleable goods and unsalesworthy employees), the Army and Navy Stores, even such frivolities as Fucile the hairdressers and the merry Italian cafes and confectioneries -- Cornaglia, Mongini, Comba, Bertorellis and, a bit later, Bombellis. People with the option to live and move elsewhere seemed to prefer Bombay just after the war. May be independence does something for a nation, like spring for a woman's skin and a young man's fancy. The world was looking hard at India -- and at Bombay, its best known international address. It was not at all a bad place to be. There was an adequacy of recreational space. Housing was good, and good at various price levels, bungalows and apartment blocks. Water, sanitation and electric power supply were uniformly good. Bombay's buses and trams got you about quickly and cheaply, often over considerable distances on an island shaped like a hand extended in greeting. Streets, roads and traffic were easily negotiable. There was Marine Drive. Then, as now, the main transport lifelines were the two suburban railways, called at the time the BB&CI and GIP Railways, both of whom had world-beating hockey teams, I remember (the rest of the world not being great at the game) and when the two met it was an epic city encounter. It is when the basics of life are routinely delivered, as they once were in Bombay, that a city's mind discovers itself. Hunger must be appeased daily before cuisine makes any sense. It happened here. The city attracted and held high quality people. Such talent can choose to go where it pleases. It chose Bombay substantially in the
[Goanet] This Heroic Goan Doctor Has Been Risking His Life Looking After Patients In War-Torn Syria & Yemen
by Rohit Bhattacharya A doctor's purpose, at the most basic level, is simple -- to help the suffering. It's a noble, fulfilling profession, and one that needs more than just skill or ability. Being a doctor requires a certain mental fortitude, and the capacity to do what is needed. Basically, you gotta be comfortable, calm and collected in the midst of a whole lot of blood and guts. Dr. Alan De Lima Pereira from Goa takes his job very seriously. He joined MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, in 2009, and has been helping out with emergency services in war-torn areas such as Syria, Yemen and South Sudan ever since. MSF stands for Médecins Sans Frontières, and it is an international humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization which conducts projects in developing countries and war torn areas to provide aid and control endemic disease. In fact, Dr. Pereira has been pretty much risking his life since the time he started working for them. According to Dr. Pereira, "It's harder to provide medical care in countries like Syria where healthcare centres are being targeted. Many of the facilities have been bombed." "The real casualties of war are always those who can't protect themselves. We have to provide help right from primary to secondary and tertiary care." The work of Dr. Alan, the MSF and the rest of the humanitarian organisations at large give us hope that there's still some compassion in the world. Watch the entire interview with Dr. Alan below. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zobq1FckaAw WEB: https://www.scoopwhoop.com/goan-doctor-helping-war-torn-countries/
[Goanet] Salgaocar FC may have quit the I-League, but its glory days remain in football history (Scroll.in)
Photos: Salgaocar FC may have quit the I-League, but its glory days remain in football history Founded in 1956, the Goan club soon rose to become one of the leading lights of Indian football. Image credit: Salgaocar FC By ikaar Choudhury A pall of sadness descended over Indian football on June 24 when Salgaocar FC, along with Sporting Clube de Goa, announced that they were pulling out of India’s primary football league, the I-League. In many ways, the decision was not entirely unexpected -- the All Indian Football Federation had been at loggerheads with its legacy clubs since their proposal to make the glamorous Indian Super League the nation's primary league went public. Back in beautiful Goa, it signalled the end of an era. Salgaocar FC, along with Dempo FC and Sporting Clube de Goa, were the region's pride. In a coffee table book titled *Footprints in the Sand*, eminent football journalist Marcus Mergulhao provided a fascinating glimpse into the club's journey. Select pictures from that book are reproduced in this piece with permission from the club. Humble beginnings It all began in 1956 when the club was founded by the late Vasudev Salgaocar. They were immediately off the blocks, remaining unbeaten in the second division and qualifying for the premier division in their debut season. They would also go on to win the Taca D'Or in 1960. The first Salgaocar squad in 1956 who went on to win the second division unbeaten and qualify for the premier division. The year 1961 was significant in more ways than one for Goa: India liberated the region from the Portuguese and Salgaocar became the first football club from Goa to be extended an invitation to play in the prestigious Durand Cup in New Delhi. Interestingly, the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru met with the team at a reception. Nehru's meeting with the Salgaocar team had political significance as well -- the British academics Paul Dimeo and James Mill opined in their book Soccer in South Asia: Empire, Nation, Diaspora -- "At a time when the Indian Union still had occupying troops in Goa and Goans were appealing to the United Nations for independence, this was an important image of incorporation and reconciliation designed for the newspapers". Salgaocar with PM Nehru in 1962 when they took part in the DCM Cup in Delhi. The next two decades saw a complete transformation in the way Salgaocar played their football, under the aegis of their legendary coach Thulukhanamm Shanmugam. But the hard work ultimately reaped plenty of fruit -- Salgaocar became the champions of India when they won the Federation Cup in 1988. 1988 Fed Cup win in Delhi. The first time Salgaocar were crowned champions of India. Coverage in a local newspaper. But it would be just the start. The next year, they repeated the feat again, as if to further embolden their credentials. And they made strides internationally as well, participating in the Asian Club Cup in 1990. Coverage of the 1989 Federation Cup triumph. Bruno Coutinho celebrates after scoring in the Asian Club Cup in 1990. Their greatest triumph After almost a decade arrived possibly the best moment in the club's football history. With a talented side comprising of players such as Bruno Coutinho, Juje Siddi, Franky Barreto and Robert Fernandes, they became the first Goan team to win the National Football League in 1999. This was a period of sustained success for the club: they won the Federation Cup in 1997, two Super Cups in 1997 and 1999 and the Durand Cup as well in 1999. That was truly the dream team of the men in green from Goa. Celebration victory in the National Football League in 1999 with Shivanand Salgaocar. Salgacoar produced a lot of players who represented the national team. Seen here is Franky Barreto, Savio Medeira, Robert Fernandes, Bruno Coutinho and Juje Siddi in 1998. Salgacoar produced a lot of players who represented the national team. Seen here is Franky Barreto, Savio Medeira, Robert Fernandes, Bruno Coutinho and Juje Siddi in 1998. Rising like a phoenix As has become a customary tale now, the next few years were low points in their chequered history. Despite winning the NFL title in 1999, they struggled for several years afterwards, even getting relegated to the second division in 2006. The name of the NFL was changed to the I-League in 2007, but Salgaocar's struggles continued. A year after gaining promotion in 2007, they yet again slipped back into the second division in 2008. But under Karim Bencherifa, Salgaocar rose like a phoenix again. They shot back in 2011, winning the I-League title for the first time, coming back from 0-2 down to snatch the title from under East Bengal's noses in their penultimate match. They went and completed a historic double as well that year -- defeating the sam
[Goanet] The Story of My Writing; The Story of My Books (Jerry Pinto)
The Story of My Writing; The Story of My Books Jerry Pinto I remember a friend once asking me on a lazy day in a chickoo orchard, “Do you ever worry that, with all the writing you do, you might write yourself away?" I did not know how to answer that because, at one level, it seemed to suggest that here was a mechanistic equation to the whole process of writing. The writer gives, the reader takes. But it does seem as if we talk about giving and taking. If the book 'takes it' out of you, what is ;it'? And where does it go? How does the self re-formulate itself? Even if this is not physical, even if it is not mechanistic, it's a source of worry. Where do the words come from? They well up, I suppose, generated by experience, pushed out by the desire to express something, oneself, another self, whatever. They keep coming or at least they have kept coming so far. If I don't write for a while, I can feel them rushing out when I start again. This is horrible to say, I feel an atavistic fear about saying it. It's as if I might magic the wellspring away. So okay, let's start again. Every book has a cost. Some of the cost is emotional, some is physical, some temporal. Every writer pays a cost and s/he must decide what to do with it. I wrote hundreds of thousands of words. Why? I wonder now. I don't know. I don't think when I am writing I know whether it's going to work or not. I know only that I am doing what I construe as my duty: I am putting the words down so that I will have something to work with. I am putting them down now, today, not tomorrow, not after I've had a cup of coffee and chatted to a friend, but now, because that's who I am and what I do. I work with words. And when they have been written, then comes the sifting, the sorting, the pruning, the culling. This much is true for all writers who take their métier seriously. We all do this. Some material is easy, some of it is adamantine. But once you've chosen your mountain, once you've said to yourself, there's a temple inside this mountain and I will chip away 'not-temple' to release it, you cannot go on complaining about the size of the mountain or the refusal of the rats to leave their homes. I wish I had a method. I don't. I write because I love writing. I write also because I have had some great good luck with publishers and editors. I don't know whether I would still be writing if I had not been published. The great saints of writing are those who write without being published, who keep at it although they have piles of rejection slips. We will never hear of them but that does not make their dedication to the word any less. There is a special place in the Borgesian version of heaven where there will be libraries devoted only to their books, articles, poems and exegesis thereof. So what am I doing here? I suppose the only way I could explain it is to take specific books and to say how they happened and how I made them happen or how they were made to happen. You will see that I am not fudging persons here, I hope. I began my writing career because a friend of mine, Rashmi Palkhivala nee Hegde, pushed me into it. She kept telling me I could write, typed my first attempts, edited some and threw away others, went and met editors so my fledgling ego would not meet with rejection: she got me published in the Times of India and in Mid-Day and I was launched. That was how I began. I had never been told that I should be a writer. I had never been encouraged to be one. Without Rashmi, I would have been a mathematics tutor still. Then an editor called Hutokshi Doctor wrote Rashmi a note saying: Would Jerry Pinto like to write other pieces for us? Soon I was writing food reviews and launched on a career in journalism. My first break as a writer of books came when Shobhaa De wrote a book called *Surviving Men* for Penguin. It did well enough for Penguin to think of someone to write a rejoinder. A young lady whose name I have forgotten wrote to me from Penguin and asked if I might be interested in writing *Surviving Women*. I thought this was a bit dangerous -- I have several powerful women as friends and this kind of book was sure to upset them -- but I thought I could weasel out of it with some skillful retelling of other men's stories. But then she left Penguin India and was replaced by Ravi Singh, who came to Bombay to meet me and other writers from the city. I saw him walking down the aisle of the barn-like fourth floor of The Times of India building and decided I had a friend. I was not wrong. A year later, I sent him *Surviving Women*, written as a series of accounts of the bad times some men had had with some women and got my first rejection. "This is fun," Ravi wrote "but it will be even more fun if you're in there, telling us what you think." And so I fumed and fretted and rewrote it and Nilanjana Roy wrote in the Business Standard that it was guaranteed
[Goanet] Curator rescues artist and his association with Mumbai from oblivion (Benita Fernando, Mid-Day)
Curator rescues artist and his association with Mumbai from oblivion By Benita Fernando Curator Ranjit Hoskote rescues artist Antonio Piedade da Cruz and his association with Mumbai from oblivion, for an ongoing show in Panjim's Sunaparanta The next time you are at Goregaon's Aarey Milk Colony, look for a little known fact about an artistic contribution to its verdant quarters made in the early Independence years. In the popular picnicking spot, Chhota Kashmir stands a sculpture fittingly titled, Dudhwala, as homage to Aarey's prime dairy enterprise. Looking at the robust but forlorn sculpture, it is hard to imagine that its maker paid artistic tributes to India's grandees, such as Lord Brabourne and the Maharajahs of Travancore, as much as the pastoral labourer. PHOTO: Antonio Piedade da Cruz at his studio at Churchgate's Stadium House in 1943 An artist cut in two, the story of Antonio Piedade da Cruz is one that has needed rescuing from oblivion and a dose of art resuscitation. Last week, the Goa-based industrialist family of the Salgaocars opened up their collection of da Cruz's works in an exhibition that has been three years in the making. Researched and curated by poet, curator and cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote, the exhibition sets out to fix a gap in the story of India's Moderns; while many of his contemporaries saw top-dollar at auctions and rigorous critique of their works, da Cruz has been denied his share. PHOTO: At the ongoing exhibition, the Christ sanctum interprets that da Cruz's Christ was not one of an orthodox institution but rather a redeemer of the oppressed The exhibition, titled The Quest for Cruzo: A Homage to the Art of Antonio Piedade da Cruz, opened last fortnight at Sunaparanta, the charming arts centre set up by industrialist Dattaraj Salgaocar in Panjim. It will be on show till July 20, 2016. In many ways, this is a homecoming for da Cruz. Born in Velim, Salcete, in Portuguese-ruled Goa in 1895, he studied in Mumbai's Sir JJ School of Art (like many of his artistically-inclined Goan peers) and Berlin, but decided not to return to his home-state. He knew he wouldn't be welcome in a Goa under the dictatorial regime of Antonio Salazar de Oliveira of Portugal. Instead, he functioned out of his studio in Mumbai. In his curatorial essay, Hoskote, who has sourced archival photographs for this exhibition, draws attention to this bit of da Cruz's history that was overtaken by Mumbai's glitzy growth. It was between the 1980s and early 2000s, when Hoskote would stop by for ice-cream at Churchgate's famous parlour, K Rustom's that was housed on the ground floor of Stadium House. "Looking above," he writes, "[I] would wonder about the artist who carried on his practice above, picturing him as a recluse or man of mystery." Eventually, the red lettering which advertised Cruzo Studio disappeared altogether. "Between the 1930s and the 1950s, the Cruzo Studio served...as a lively meeting ground for artists, writers and activists, a hub for cultural discussion and political debate...it offered refuge to members of the Goan resistance against the Salazar regime." PHOTO: Dudhwala, a scuplture commissioned from Cruz in the 1950s, in post-Independent India, stands in disrepair at Goregaon's Aarey Milk Colony. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi "Da Cruz's association with Mumbai was deep and strong, from his studio on Veer Nariman Road, to public commissions such as the Dudhwala public sculpture in the Aarey Milk Colony," says Hoskote. Da Cruz's influence among the glitterati of his times was such that The Cricket Club of India (CCI), in search of a new stadium, asked him to intercede on their behalf to Lord Brabourne, whose portrait da Cruz was painting at the time. PHOTO: Temple Entry (1965), in which da Cruz expressed his interest in the condition of India's poor Despite the circles that da Cruz kept, Hoskote maintains that the artist's deepest sympathies lay with the wretched of the earth. "There were two different streams within da Cruz's oeuvre. One part of his studio practice was portraiture in an academic realist style. The other part was his symbolic-allegorical narratives -- heightened, dramatic works that suggest psychological realities and national narratives. When we look at the photographs of his studio, we see that he never sold the works in which he addressed the anti-colonial struggle," says Hoskote. He points out Temple Entry: Touch the Untouchables (1965), in which a poor mother and child sit limply outside temple doors. In You Crucified Me Again (1969), the regalia of the church hierarchy is contrasted with the poor commoners. The curator cites da Cruz's two meetings with Gandhi and a cycle of 24 paintings that he dedicated to the Mahatma, from his return from South Africa to his assassination. Referring to the Christ sanctum in the exhibition, Hoskote says, "Da Cruz's Christ was not the Christ of the orthodoxy but rather, a red
[Goanet] The Story of a Book (Yvonne Vaz Ezdani)
The Story of a Book Yvonne Vaz Ezdani yvonne@gmail.com [This is an extract from the book *From Mind to Keyboard*, which has 30 writers from Goa and beyond narrate their encounter with the written world. The book, edited by Sheela Jaywant, is to be launched at a public function at the International Centre Goa, Dona Paula, later today on July 9, 2016, Saturday, at 10.30 am.] A little girl sat listening with horror to stories of war, planes flying over and dropping bombs, killing, maiming and destroying. Thousands had to flee the enemy. My father, who had lived through it all, narrated how many people, old and young, sick and strong, were forced to walk from Burma to India, through thick jungles, over steep mountains and cross dangerously swollen rivers. The hungry refugees followed monkeys to see what fruits and berries they could eat. There were even those who lay on their bellies, biting grass off the ground because they were too weak to pull it out with their hands. My mother told me, she was stalked by some Japanese soldiers who wanted to put her away in a camp where rape and torture was rampant. She resolved to consume a bottle of iodine to end her life rather than be taken by them. The day they came to 'arrest' her, a friend who was an English-Japanese interpreter happened to accompany them and his gift-of-the-gab as well as my grandmother's offer of fresh strawberries and cream to the soldiers helped change their minds; they left my mother alone after that. I would never have been born if the Japanese soldiers had arrested my mother that day. The Burmese are great story-tellers. I heard many accounts of the hardships people endured during 'Japanese days' from sources besides my parents. They told me how the aerial bombing by the Japanese in Rangoon and other parts of Burma caused much suffering to those who fled the country as well as those who stayed behind. The seed of the book Songs of the Survivors must have been sown then. Later, I became a student of English literature, passionate about books and music, with a secret desire to write a powerful dramatic novel of unquenchable love, another Wuthering Heights so to say. But the realities of being wife, mother, homemaker and provider took over. Plus, I went through a dark patch of seemingly unending work and worry. Struggling to keep my head above water, I could not think of sitting at a desk, pen in hand, filling pages with a flow of inspired phrases and sentences. Then one day, Thelma Menezes came into the picture. Strong, half-Burmese, bedridden and in constant pain, well-known as a freelance columnist for the Pune dailies, she was one of the survivors of the 1942 trek across the Indo-Burma border. Whenever I went on holiday to my brother's place in Pune, she was one person that I just had to visit. She was inspiring. When I remarked that the stories of Burma-Goans, especially survivors of World War II, needed to be recorded for posterity, she told me that I was the one to do it. I was flattered. I wanted to tell the untold stories. I wanted to write. But could I? Should I? Did I have it in me? Would I have the time to write a `book'? About two years passed before I dared think about it again. I mentioned it one day to Frederick Noronha, who was cycling down the lane in front of my house and had stopped by to chat. He enthusiastically encouraged me to start. "Who will read my book? Who will publish it? I know nothing of how books are printed and published or sold," I worried. "I will help with the publishing and printing." That was all I needed, a knowledgeable person willing to be involved! Frederick was a journalist, familiar with writing and publishing. I began collecting stories with no real blueprint for the book. Thelma got me four contacts who added their stories to the ten I had from relatives and friends. I thought, 'This is going to make a very slim book, so I will introduce people to the land I loved and grew up in.' During my six-month holiday in Australia, I read all the books I could on Burma, spent hours at my daughter's computer searching the Internet and compiled some historical, geographical and cultural facts into what I felt would give readers a glimpse into this beautiful and suffering land. It was a labour of love. As a result of an appeal sent to Goanet [http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/], I collected four more accounts. On my return to Goa, inexplicably and without much effort on my part, I got five more contributors willing to tell their stories. I now had 23 chapters and some photographs. I added as a postscript, my story of a Goan family living in
[Goanet] The World of Words (Sheela Jaywant)
The World of Words Sheela Jaywant Sheela Jaywant writes short-fiction and believes feedback from readers is the best lesson writers get. Her email: sheelajayw...@yahoo.co.in This is an extract from the book *From Mind to Keyboard: Writers from Goa and beyond share stories of how they made it* edited by Jaywant herself. Halwara, Bareilly, Tambaram had poor electricity and erratic water supply, negligible social activity and offered plenty of time to read. My husband's frequently-transferable job made me set up homes in other exotic places too: Avantipur, Wellington, Srinagar. Sweltering afternoons saw me sitting cross-legged on the floor, scribbling in self-invented 'short-hand' on pads made with used or recycled envelopes. Articles and stories were typed out on my father-in-law's 1952 Hermes Baby and dispatched to editors, accompanied by a letter declaring their originality and exclusivity, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. It took about three weeks to get a response: editors like B.G. Verghese (the *Indian Express*) and Vishwanath (*Women's Era*) replied explaining what changes would make the articles or stories acceptable to them. Often, seeing my work and byline in print when the issue was on the stands, was the only indication of acceptance. Cheques followed after months... if at all they came (nothing's changed). A story took several weeks, sometimes months, to evolve and ripen in the mind before it got plucked off A-4 sheets. A pocket thesaurus was my companion. The market for fiction, features and interviews was limited and accessible only through the Indian Postal System. When did I start writing? In the fourth standard. I won a consolation prize (a notebook) in a poetry competition. Our middle-class, ground floor flat's window opened directly to the pavement. The vendor flung through it newspapers and magazines: I'd run to pick them up, unravel the thread that bound them together, and browse through the pages. Parcels of groundnuts or groceries were unwrapped and the crumpled paper smoothened out so I could read whatever was written or printed on it. Many an anonymous examination answer-sheet has been fodder for subsequent stories. I read books at mealtimes and in the toilet. In class, amidst teachers' voices, formulae and graphs, I day-dreamed. Through my teens, my story-books were, and remained for many years, my haven, my heaven. Interactions with neighbours and the Sane Guruji Kathamala (where children were encouraged to tell stories extempore) exposed me to Marathi and a little Sanskrit. Compulsory higher Hindi at school helped me appreciate ethnic literature. I enjoyed the birth and growth of Bambaiyya and Hindlish, now robust dialects which describe emotions with a local flavour. Marriage took me away from hectic Bombay (now Mumbai) to a life of adventure, travel and writing. The moment husband/son left for office/school, neighbours began their dusting, mopping, tidying. Housework-challenged me got absorbed in a book until the deadline for lunch loomed. In Secunderabad, every afternoon, for three months, I went to a dilapidated typing-institute to learn a skill that has stood me in good stead for over 30 years. Just before Mrs Gandhi was killed, for a very brief period, I wrote humour pieces for (the now defunct) *Newstime* (owned by the *Eenadu* group). They didn't bring in money, glory or fame. But several readers wrote in to send their 'salaams' to me; those letters spur me on even today. I wrote technical articles like 'Water Resources in the Thar', 'Bird-Hits and Flight Safety', 'Life on Tea Plantations in the Nilgiris' and 'Fire-Hazards in the Home'. The era of specialization had dawned, but I remained a 'generalist'. I wrote a lot of fiction. My inspiration? A stray sentence in a conversation, a remark made out of context, personalities I came across or even an article I read in a newspaper. In the pre-Internet days, it was hard to do homework on a given topic. My work was initially published in *Indian Express*, *The Times of India*, *Newstime*, *Science Today*, *Caravan* (Alive), *Women's Era*, *Eves' Weekly* and *Savvy*. In 1987, I took up part-time job in *Network Pictorial*, the in-flight magazine of Vayudoot, a regional airline focussed on the North-East. Neither survived, but I got a peep into office-life, was introduced to commuting (from Ghaziabad to New Delhi) and saw, for the first time, a computer. It was kept in an isolated, air-conditioned room. To enter that room, we had to remove our footwear and wear masks. Samosas and chai were the staple diet of the staff. I consumed neither. How, my editor wondered, did or could I write? Nowadays, I munch gr
[Goanet] Hindutva Lands on Foreign Shores (Rebecca de Souza... kafila.org)
Hindutva Lands on Foreign Shores -- A View from the Gallery Rebecca de Souza Recently, I received the opportunity of a lifetime when I was invited to attend Indian Prime Minister (PM) Modi's address to the joint session of US Congress on June 8th, 2016. When I got the call from Congressman Nolan's office, I was surprised to say the least. I am not involved in politics, I did not know Rep. Nolan personally, and have not made any significant monetary contributions to politics in either country. My first reaction was to say no, because PM Modi and I could not be further apart on the political spectrum. But soon the significance of what had happened dawned on me. I, an Indian American, an academic, had just received an invitation from a US Congressman who knew about my work and had picked me to be his guest. As a minority in both countries, a Christian minority in India and an ethnic/racial minority in the US, I was invited to a place of power which typically would be inaccessible to a person like me. Ironically, as an Indian-American I had more access to a transnational political arena than as an Indian living in India. I arrived in DC with eager anticipation not knowing what would unfold. Attending PM Modi's address has provided me with unique insight into transnational politics and my own identity as an Indian-American and one who is 'not a Hindu'. As I was sitting in the gallery with other Indian Americans, I realized that in a post-liberalization world where political contributions flow easily across borders, Indian Americans play a huge role in the political economy of India and the message of Hindutva has become the single most powerful way to unite this group. The term Hindutva refers to a nearly hundred year socio-political project promoted by right wing Hindu nationalist groups, which redefines people living in India as 'Hindu' based on geographic, racial, and cultural identity. The Hindutva project is centered on the "invention of archaic Vedic Hinduism" and Vedic Aryanism and the belief that "...it was in India that Aryans had either originated or achieved the pinnacle of their culture and civilization which they had then bestowed on the world". While Hinduism has been known for being a diverse religion, Hindutva's project is to construct a homogeneous Hindu community through universalizing upper caste practices and values to all castes and classes. [1] The end goal of Hindutva is to reconstitute India as a "Hindu Rashtra" or Hindu nation by creating solidarity among Hindus across the globe. In Hindutva ideology, Muslims, Christians, and other Indian religious minorities are seen as foreigners because they do not pay homage to the religious and cultural values of Vedic Aryanism. This view is antithetical to the Indian Constitution that I grew up with, which emphatically defines India as a 'democratic, secular, socialist republic'. This view is also antithetical to what many Hindus living in India believe, even though they may inadvertently be involved in exclusionary practices. Speech and discourse are integral to political power both in the US and in India. In this essay, I show that PM Modi's speech while typical in terms of speeches made by foreign heads of state was strategically written and coded in ways to reach specific audiences, but none of them were me. The speech delivered to the US House of Congress had two audiences: US Congress Members and elite Hindu Indian-Americans. After a brief introduction to Narendra Modi, in what follows, this essay discusses three particular Indian-American audiences this speech was geared towards: the Seemingly Secular Hindu Capitalist (SSHC), the Hindu Nationalist Capitalist (HNC), and the Culturally Insecure Sidelined Hindu (CISH). I use my observations and conversations with other Indian-Americans at the event to elucidate latent meanings, and when necessary, draw on commentaries by other writers to hone the argument. The essay draws out contradictions between the content of the speech itself and facts on the ground, which is fundamentally a question of accountability. PM Modi's speech had four manifest themes: (a) India and America's shared ideals (b) India's strong economy (c) military and civil nuclear partnerships, and (d) India's role in global governance. However, if one looks more closely at the text, PM Modi's speech belongs to the genre of speeches that perpetrates symbolic violence against disenfranchised communities by not giving an account of what has happened to these communities under his watch. PM Modi perpetrates symbolic violence through erasure and misrepresentation of realities. In the United States, we have seen this happen time and time again with Native communities and African American communities, where stories of the past and present are whitewashed to tell particular nationalist versions of reality (Feagin 2013, Bonilla-Silva 2010). The views expressed here are mine and mine alone (unless attributed) and this piece shou
[Goanet] So You Want to Be a Journalist? (Ben Antao, From Mind To Keyboard)
Ben Antao ben.an...@rogers.com In the 1950s, when I was twenty and burning with desire to be a journalist, Bombay had no college of journalism, unlike today. So I spent hours at the USIS Library at Churchgate, boning up on such topics as news writing, reporting and editing in books about journalism I found on the shelves. Why did I want to be a journalist? Because I saw in this career an opportunity to travel as well to change the world. Is there a young idealist who doesn't dream of this? The travel part stemmed from reading books by D.F. Karaka, then editor of the *Current*. In one book I found this description of the qualifications for a journalist: one who knows something about everything and everything about something. How could I possibly know everything about something, I asked myself, and something about everything? No way, I thought. In 1959, while still working full-time at the Bombay Port Trust, I enlisted the help of Agnel D'Souza, sports writer for the *Indian Express*, and presented myself before sports editor C.S.A. Swami at the paper's offices at Sassoon Docks in Colaba. A kind-looking and retiring personality, Swami agreed to try me out as a freelance reporter. Two other senior sports editors on the desk, Parthasarathy and Pedro, rotated day and night shifts. I knew about field hockey, soccer, table tennis and athletics, but I'd only heard about tennis. I took a day off from the Port Trust and went to the university library at Rajabai Tower, where I'd spent many hours during my college years. A female librarian helped me find a book on tennis; I spent a good hour reading about this 'gentlemen's sport' and took down notes. As it happened, a major tournament was on and Rod Laver won in straight sets. My 50-word report appeared in the next day's paper. The payment was 12 annas per inch, and 12 annas is what I got. However, sports reporting can get cliché-ridden after awhile; I longed to be a general reporter. One afternoon Agnel and I dropped off a bus at the Museum stop when Lambert Mascarenhas, editor of the *Goan Tribune*, happened to cross the street. Agnel, who had been doing the Tribune's sports page since the fortnightly began publication in 1956, introduced me to him. Imagine my surprise when, in the fall of 1960, Lambert wrote asking if I'd like to take over the sports page. How did he know my home address? I then realized that a couple of months earlier he'd published a short piece by me, 'Fear God, Not Man'. I was delighted and went to see him at his Ballard Estate office. Lambert was businesslike and told me he wanted a general story about Goan sports in Mumbai and a sidebar of any human interest, if possible. He'd pay me Rs 30. "Just bring me the copy on the second Wednesday of each month," he said. "You don't have to come in on other days." My consuming interest in journalism prodded me to hang around his office. After a couple of months he said: "I'd like to talk to you but I'm very busy." "Is there something I can do? I have the time," I said. "Do you?" He looked around his desk, cluttered with press releases and other mail, and handed me a sheaf of papers. "Can you type these, please? You may have to rewrite some, but keep it short. Use the typewriter in the outer office." With my eye on becoming a general reporter, I grabbed this opportunity. Since I'd signed up for the MA degree, with lectures held morning and afternoon, I had persuaded the Port Trust to transfer me to the Docks Department, where the shift allowed me to work evenings from 5 to 11:30 pm. Seeing my passionate interest in newspaper work, Lambert began to let me cover public meetings about Goa's freedom issues, featuring well-known Goan intellectuals like Editor Frank Moraes, Prof. Armando Menezes, Prof. Francisco Correia-Afonso and Valerian Cardinal Gracias. He also allowed me to write profiles of prominent Goans; most of the time he suggested the names, but accepted my suggestion about doing a piece on Prof. Frank D'Souza, who was my English professor at Siddharth College. I wrote a glowing profile, which Lambert liked very much. Before long I was spending whatever free time I could muster at the *Tribune* offices, doing my sports page, the profiles, news briefs and transcribing Lambert's editorials, which he wrote in longhand. Occasionally, Lambert would also invite me to sit across his desk while he wrote his much-loved column, 'Musings, Mood and Memories'. I felt admired and my work appreciated. During this time I also got to meet many important people in the 'liberation movement', including Berta de Menezes Braganza, daughter of the renowned journalist Luis de Menezes Braganza
[Goanet] Writing and Me (Xavier Cota)
Writing and Me Xavier Cota xavierc...@gmail.com While I am mostly tagged as being a translator, and that too of Konkani literature into English, I am not too comfortable being slotted thus. I remember when I was in school, I felt challenged during English composition classes. Once we were asked to write a composition on 'What I Want To Be'. Frankly, I was clueless about what I wanted to be. I looked around the class and saw quite a few classmates sailing in my boat, who were also looking around unhappily. But, then again, several students were working like beavers, furiously putting pen to paper. My bench-mate was one such guy. Curious and perhaps looking for inspiration, I peered into his book. This is what I read—When I grow up I want to be a priest so that everybody will call me Father Austin. I will be able to hear Confession and give Holy Communion. That was a good ambition I thought, but a bit over the top. Anyway, the idea was his, and though the term and its creator probably weren't even born then, copyleft didn't feel quite right. I muddled through the period and handed in my uninspired submission. I wasn't unhappy though that it fetched me a six upon ten against the Father Austin stuff which garnered the writer a mere four. I've been a voracious reader since young. Probably, having parents who loved to read and a couple of well-stocked bookcases provided the initial infrastructure. My dad's library had an eclectic mix. Along with several Penguin paperbacks, some hardbound classics, philosophy and history books which were too heavy for me, many Portuguese books and even a sprinkling of Swahili ones, there were several dictionaries -- English, Portuguese, French and Latin and an encyclopaedia. There was also, I remember, a well-thumbed *Imitation of Christ* and a book called *Goa's Freedom Struggle* by a Dr. Julião Menezes, which I got quite engrossed in. Once when my mother's friend came to visit us, she picked up the book which was lying on the sofa and asked if I was reading it. When I nodded, she smiled. Puzzled, I asked if she had read it. She smiled even more and said, "Julião is my brother." Wow! My respect for her went up several notches. Imagine, my mother's good friend being the sister of a writer! Basically though, I grew up on a staple of Enid Blyton and comics. The latter was contraband. I still remember that the school calendar of my alma mater St. Joseph's, Dar-es-Salaam, mentioned that any student caught with comics would be fined and have the offending material confiscated. The trauma of leaving East Africa was compensated by the laissez-faire school which I was admitted into -- no homework and a very lax regimen. My mother could not believe that we had no homework. She would grab my calendar and look for the homework in each subject, only to find that I was not lying -- there was no homework. As expected, it did nothing for my studies. My spoken Konkani, though, took a quantum upward leap. You see, the student body of Popular High School, Margao, was predominantly Hindu, as were the teachers, and after the obligatory introduction of the subject in English, the rest -- explanation, interaction and pretty much everything—was in the Konkani that is presently branded by its opponents as Antruzi. This was far different from the little ganvti, Shashti (or Saxtti) Konkani that I knew. I was completely at sea. Mercifully, I was bailed out by some good Samaritans who hurriedly translated some things for me. Within a year, few would accept that I was an Afric'kar (Goan returnee from Africa), and treated me like a Niz Goenkar (blue blooded Goan). I could shuffle without much ado from Concani to Konkni as spoken by Konknne. Overall, the two years I spent in that school were fun years for me. Soon after my SSC exams in Goa, a friend's elder brother, who was a renowned caçador (hunter), took me for a hunt with his uncle. As we were going towards Sancordem in Sanguem taluka, the uncle who was driving an Opel as ancient as himself, began talking to me. I was quite fascinated to learn that he was a retired merchant ship officer, who had served during World War II. When I asked him if he had ever come under fire, he said, "Of course, several times!" He told me that the worst was in Libya. When I asked if it was Tobruk, the port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, he said yes. We went on for some time, with me flaunting my knowledge of the North African theatre, Dunkirk and other places. The old man who was generally prone to complaining most of the time, was enjoying himself, and beaming as he relived the most exciting days of his life. Suddenly he turned to me and said, "For a young boy, you seem to have done a lot of reading on
[Goanet] A Journey in Writing 'Afterlife' (Jessica Faleiro)
A Journey in Writing 'Afterlife' Jessica Faleiro I was visiting my grandmother with my parents. She lived in a rather large, isolated house in the village of Raia, Goa. >From the back garden, past the kitchen, one could see an expanse of land covered with fruit trees and bordered by a crumbling old wall. To the left of the garden, past a lower wall, was an abandoned old house, close to ruin and boarded up after the last inhabitant, a distant cousin of my father's, had passed away leaving the house unclaimed. It was a hot afternoon. We had just finished lunch and I was bored. I wandered to the back porch and looked at the garden. The air seemed to lie heavily over the earth; no bird sang. I glanced at the abandoned house and noticed a half-open window; in the room within, I saw a rocking chair start to move slowly, back and forth. I stood frozen to the spot, thinking I might feel a breeze; but not a leaf moved. Everything lay still and quiet, burdened by the afternoon heat. Then a lace curtain swayed as if caught in a stray wind and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I ran inside to drag my mother out from the dining-room to show her what I had just seen, but everything was still again. My mother was dismissive, but the incident stayed with me for years, long enough for me to become obsessed with the need to exorcise the story from my mind onto paper. That was the incident that inspired me to write my novel, Afterlife: Ghost Stories from Goa, more than two decades later. The story titled 'Jacinto' is based on this childhood experience. It kept returning to my mind for years until I finally wrote it down. Once I had written it, the others dropped easily onto the page. My rough target was to generate at least a thousand words a day, and after I had eight stories written down, I stopped and put them away. I couldn't shake this feeling that the stories were connected somehow; I just didn't have any idea how. Frame stories are a literary device that interlinks disparate narratives by having them nestle in an overarching narrative. To explore how frame stories worked, I read Chaucer's *Canterbury Tales*, the *1001 Arabian Nights*, the *Panchatantra*, and Boccaccio's *The Decameron*. I felt strongly that my stories were being told one evening by members of a Goan diasporan family, at a single intimate gathering during a power cut. After rereading the stories I had already written, I realised they were actually being told by various members of different generations who had all had preternatural experiences of some sort or the other. Once I had worked out the frame story for my novel, I was able to edit my collection, refining and rewriting stories to reflect different generations and time periods. Most of my historical research was done for my story, 'The Beginning', set during the closing years of the Goan Inquisition. It was while reading a travel book about Goa that I chanced upon a brief paragraph referencing Charles Dellon's graphic 17th century account of his experiences at the hands of the Inquisition in Goa. After reading Dellon's account, I tried to get my hands on as much information as possible about the Inquisition; I knew that one of my stories had to be set in this time period. Father Raoul, the main character in `The Beginning', got under my skin and quickly became one of my favourite characters because I had such difficulty describing the conflicts that he lived with. I tried to portray him accurately as the flawed person that he was, trying to redeem himself, not necessarily because of his conscience, but because of how deeply he'd been disappointed by life. A great ghost story involves the perfect knitting together of atmosphere, plot and emotion to create an effect in the reader's imagination that lasts beyond the reading of the last line. One of the best contemporary ghost stories I've read is Vikram Chandra's 'Dharma'. It in turn led me to read Freud's essay, 'The Uncanny', that first set the tone for an understanding of 'psychological hauntings' that are manifested by the mind and believed to be real. Henry James' The Turn of the Screw can easily be read as a study of psychological haunting, though some may not agree. I read several books to help me understand how best to integrate atmosphere, plot and emotion into story structure, but the true inspiration for my stories came from real life anecdotes and stories that were related to me by strangers, colleagues, friends and family members over two decades. Each of my stories is a combination of someone else's story of haunting, as well as mine. The first rule for writer is: write every day. For long, for me, this was about keeping a diary that I scribbled in every day. When I felt I needed to write more and s
[Goanet] An extortion sting implicates Goa's Herald (TheHoot.org, Devika Sequeira)
An extortion sting implicates Goa's Herald BY DEVIKA SEQUEIRA| IN MEDIA PRACTICE | 14/07/2016 devikaseque...@gmail.com The revelations, accompanied by the serialised release of a video recording, concern Goa’s boldest and most visible daily. DEVIKA SEQUEIRA profiles this unfolding story Over the last few weeks, those of us in the media and even those with an otherwise peripheral interest in the machinations of the news business beast -- have been consumed with the unfolding story of blackmail and extortion by a media group in Goa. On July 14 evening police began a raid of its premises. The revelations, rendered all the more intriguing by journalist Mayabhushan Nagvenkar's serialised release of a video recording, concerns Goa's boldest and most visible daily, the Herald. Resourceful, dogged and at times even tiresome in his persistence in turning the lens inward, Nagvenkar has this time stumbled upon scorching evidence. The newspaper's assistant general manager, sales, carrying a message from his bosses tells an offshore casino operator that unless he’s prepared to cough up a substantial amount -- Rs 25 lakh per casino per month is the figure heard discussed in the conversation caught on tape -- the negative publicity wouldn't go away. The sting—carried out obviously by the casino manager/representative sometime last year using a spy camera—has been subtitled and uploaded in seven takes on YouTube by Nagvenkar. The footage speaks for itself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2UxMKy7pTg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2mZr15ZSFo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNpASILzM50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD04nP_9Mdo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX1xW08V8Bo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVHGP9seEnY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_3SLrhs0tg There are five casinos running offshore in Goa currently. One assumes the nature of their business and the endless controversy surrounding them (more than justified, given the opacity of their operations and the deliberate lack of monitoring coupled with the flip flops on the part of the government), makes them easy game for operators of all kinds. But what's of relevance isn’t that the newspaper was negotiating for a huge spike in advertising revenue from a business obviously susceptible to arm twisting. Or that the casino operator found the figure "difficult to digest" (this is too heavy, we can't get into this kind of extortion, he is heard saying toward the end of the recorded conversation). To those who still believe newspapers are bound by higher ethical standards than most, the shock comes from the readiness to barter editorial independence for a price. Herald, which still uses its registered Portuguese title O Heraldo, reinvented itself as an English daily in 1983 when the print media in Goa was still in the clutches of a small coterie of privileged mine-owners. Its arrival signalled a major shift in the media business in Goa. Its owner ran a printing press and stationery shop and not an iron ore mine and barges like the rest. An independent voice -- perhaps by default -- had surfaced when practically none had existed during the Portuguese regime or post-Liberation. Run by a meagre number of media 'professionals', the paper became a recruiting and training ground for scores of young journalists -- graduates raw off the boat; students still struggling to clear exams; and at times stragglers even, picked off the garden bench outside the office to help tide over the 'crisis on the desk'. It was perhaps the anarchy in the functioning of the paper and the cluelessness of its owners that gave the newspaper its flavour and identity in the initial years. Young reporters had space to pursue stories of their own accord, triggering a spate of investigative reportage, something unheard of in Goa till then. Driven partly by the egomania of its first editor Rajan Narayan, the Herald used its heated pro-Konkani crusade in 1986 to endear itself to the Catholic community largely in South Goa. The paper to this day continues to be seen as a 'Christian' paper. While this sworn loyalty from its captive audience has benefited the daily abundantly -- its pages are awash with obituaries and ads of Konkani tiatr (theatre) -- it has done more harm than good to the Catholic community, which to some extent has come to see the paper as an extension of the often insular preaching from the pulpit. In 2012 under the editorship of the controversial journalist Sujay Gupta -- still editor there -- the newspaper ran a blistering campaign against the Congress Party, even exulting editorially later that it had helped steer the 'Catholic vote' toward Manohar Parrikar and the BJP in that election. (Gupta tried later to justify this with the argument that "reportage on Pa
[Goanet] As polls near, number of cases filed against Opposition leaders in Goa go up (Pamela D'Mello, Sroll.in)
Politicians say this is an old trick to corner parties ahead of elections. Jul 10, 2016 · 06:30 pm Pamela D’Mello dmello.pam...@gmail.com The run up to the 2017 Assembly elections in Goa has been heralded by a steady rise in one graph -- the number of cases slapped against Opposition parties. On June 22, the state's local newspapers reported that former Nationalist Congress Party minister Nilkanth Halarnkar, who is now with the Congress, and civil services officer Elvis Gomes, had been booked in an alleged land scam. A First Information Report was registered against the two by the Anti Corruption Branch of the Directorate of Vigilance based on an individual's complaint. Halarnkar is the former chairman of the Goa Housing Board, while Gomes was the managing director. In 2007, the Goa Housing Board decided to acquire land in the Margao region for a housing scheme. However, acquisition proceedings were dropped at the owner's request, according to the complaint, without due process. The property, which had been marked as a settlement zone, was allegedly changed to a commercial zone. Days after the story broke, Gomes, a respected bureaucrat with a reputation for delivering results, opted for voluntary retirement amid wide speculation that he was preparing to dive into politics with the Aam Aadmi Party, which announced in May that it would contest the Goa polls next year. The AAP, in fact, was the first to jump to Gomes’ defence after the FIR was filed, saying the government was harassing current as well as potential opponents, thereby undermining the processes of democracy. The party accused the government of playing dirty to stall Gomes' rumoured political ambitions. Even as Gomes protested that he was not attached to the Housing Board when the alleged incidents occurred, the FIR brought out a divide within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa. While Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar told the media that Gomes would have to face an inquiry and should not be granted retirement till that is completed, Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza batted for Gomes saying he was a good officer and hinted that he may have chosen to leave service due to political harassment. Goa’s Congress President Luizinho Faleiro, meanwhile, accused the BJP of political vendetta in targeting Harlankar. Other targets That same week, the Anti-Corruption Branch registered an FIR against Churchill Alemao, the former Public Works Department Minister, and several engineers of the department, for alleged irregularities in purchasing water tanks. Alemao and the engineers are accused of purchasing 6,511 water tanks for Rs 1.45 crore -- which was purportedly 25-35% higher than costs estimated by the department and in violation of rules, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Alemao, a former Congress leader, who also had a brief stint as chief minister of Goa, spent two months in prison in July 2015 in the controversial Louis Berger bribery scandal. The US firm was accused of bribing several Indian officials to bag major projects in Goa and Guwahati. Alemao and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat of the Congress were chargesheeted for allegedly accepting kickbacks to favour the firm's consultancy bid for a Rs1,031-crore water and sewerage project, funded by the Japan International Co-operation Agency. Earlier this month, Kamat was called in for questioning and quizzed by the Enforcement Directorate for eight hours in connection with this case. Tried and tested? This is an old trick, say leaders. "I have publicly said that filing cases against the Opposition is a time-tested tactic of the government to hide corruption by its own leaders," Vijai Sardesai, an independent MLA who is backing Goa Forward, a regional party launched early this year, told Scroll.in. "We can expect them to go after more and more leaders, either by filing fresh cases or resurrecting old ones, especially with elections approaching. "All Opposition leaders in Goa should file anticipatory bail applications," he added. "We don’t know who they will target next." A curtain raiser to this was seen in the run-up to the crucial civic polls in Goa last year. In 2012, shortly after the BJP wrested control of the state from the Congress, the government-run Goa Industrial Development Corporation filed a case alleging fraudulent allotment of land for a Special Economic Zone. Congress leader Chandrakant Kavlekar, the former chairman of the industrial development body, was named in the case. After that, the probe was put on the back-burner, but in 2015, former Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane of the Congress and Faleiro, the former industries minister were summoned for questioning just ahead of the municipal bo
[Goanet] Bangalore archdiocese makes African nationals feel at home (Adolf Washington, MattersIndia.com)
Adolf Washington Bengaluru: A Catholic archdiocese in southern India is trying to reach out to migrants from various African nations in the backdrop of increasing attacks on people from the world's second-largest continent. "You are precious before God and are dear to all of us. We welcome you without any reservation," Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore told more than 100 African nationals on July 17. He was addressing aspecial program organized by the archdiocese for African nationals at St. Joseph's Boys School in the capital city of Karnataka state. The prelate said the Church feels "blessed to have peoples from different cultures as they enrich us to grow in our understanding of global cultures and expand our spiritual horizons." The archbishop had created the Bangalore Archdiocesan Commission for Migrants in October 2015 to make people hailing from different countries and other Indian states "feel accepted and at home" in Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India. The archdiocesan initiative comes in the backdrop of a few incidents of attacks on African nationals in some Indian cities such as New Delhi. Local people in these cities tend to look at these immigrants with suspicion after a few incidents of crime involving them. With increasing job prospects, Bengaluru is witnessing a steady influx of people from various countries and Indian states. A five-day India-Africa Summit held in New Delhi in October 2015 has helped improved relationship between India and countries in Africa. Subsequently, New Delhi announced a doubling of India’s assistance to African states, through a US$10 billion loan concession and US$600 million in terms of grant assistance. Viewed as the cementing of long standing friendships between the two continents, an attempt to take this forward crystallized in the form of the May 2016 Africa Day Celebrations in New Delhi with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. However, 42 countries threatened to boycott the event in the wake of attacks against African nationals in the country and the murder of Masonga Kitanda Olivier, a 23-year-old Congolese French teacher. In March 2015, men from Ivory Coast were targeted in northeast Bengaluru where locals reportedly found the African community to be a 'nuisance'. A mob of over 20 people threw stones and beer bottles at African students on passing vehicles. There were also the assault of a man on a motorbike as well as of four students in a car, which passed the location of the previous attack soon after. "Given the pervading climate of fear and insecurity in Delhi, the African heads of mission are left with little option than to consider recommending to their governments not to send new students to India, unless and until their safety can be guaranteed," said Alem Tsehage Woldemariam, ambassador of Eritrea, when asked about the death. A strong letter demanding improved safety measures was sent to the Indian Government by envoys. The Association of African Students of India and scores of individual African students had intended to hold an anti-racism rally to condemn the act and bring to light the issue of discrimination that they faced, though the rally was put on hold subsequently. Several participants of the archdiocesan program applauded the initiative. The archdiocesan commission regularly organizes spiritual and cultural programs in various parts of the city to make the migrants feel accepted and cared for by the Church. The Sunday program was exclusively organized for Africans working and studying in and around Bengaluru. Odo Amos Ikechukwu, a youth from Nigeria, told the gathering: "It feels so good that we have a home away from home. Ever since I realized that Bangalore Archdiocese has a commission for the likes of us, I never felt lost or lonely. We feel it is a spiritual treat for us." William Kengne Gatchuessi Guillaume from Cameroon applauded the archbishop "for initiating a commission that helps people feel a sense of belonging to the Catholic Church and the love and watchful care of God while we build our careers here." Fr. Shaju Kalappurakkal, executive secretary for the Commission, told Matters India that it was the first time the commission organized something special for the African community in the archdiocese. "It is very uplifting to see their zeal, vibrant participation and thirst for spiritual services. We are gradually expanding the scope of activities and trying to bring many more migrants together. With Bengaluru being so vast a city, it is indeed a herculean task. But we are thankful for the co-operation we are receiving," he added. Jesuit Father Martin Puthussery, general secretary for the commission, steered the gathering into discussions on pertinent subjects related to the life of m
[Goanet] Book writing made easy (Luis S R Vas)
Book writing made easy One of India's best known editors, the late Vinod Mehta, acknowledges the role played by Luis Vas in Mehta's getting deeper into writing. In this essay, the 70-year-young, Mumbai- based reticent Vas, shares the stories behind his 28 published books. A Goanet Reader exclusive. By Luis S. R. Vas luissr...@gmail.com While still in school everyone thought l'd be an engineer, since my father was one. Since I knew all the cars' names that passed on the road, that clinched it. In college, I wrote a couple of articles for *A Vida's* English section. Then I read a long article-cum-interview on J. Krishnamurti in the *Illustrated Weekly of India* by its editor A.S. Raman. I got interested but could find nothing on or by Krishnamurti in Goan bookshops. So I ordered from Pune a couple of books by him and got *The First and Last Freedom* with a Foreword by Aldous Huxley, and a verbatim report of some of his talks in India. I read them and decided I could write an article on him. I wrote in long hand on a lined foolscap, titled it Psychology of Freedom and mailed it to *Sunday Standard* (now *Sunday Express*). It was published under the title Quest for Inner Peace but was otherwise unchanged. By now, my low marks made it clear I wouldn't be an engineer. So I opted for journalism and enrolled at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Institute of Mass Comunication and Media in Mumbai. Its main subjects were: Reporting, Editing and Writing. At the end of the year I passed with a Silver Medal in Writing. My Principal, Joseph John, gave me a letter of introduction to V.K. Narasimhan, Editor of the *Indian Express*. I met Narasimhan who questioned me closely on Krishnamurti after reading the article: This is the best job I’ve seen on Krishnamurti.(Thank you) Did Krishnamurti write his books or were they based on his talks? (Some he wrote like *Commentaries on Living*; some were based on talks). Had I read Camus? I had read his Myth of Sisiphus. How close was he to Krishnamurti? On different wavelengths, I thought... and so on. Then he said I could join the *Sunday Standard*. I should go and meet its editor Kapadia. I did but Kapadia had other ideas. It can't be done in a jiffy, he said. I'd first have to go to Madras. I'd be a fish out of water there. I didn't want to leave Bombay. So I walked out of there. In any case, I was more interested in books than in journalism. So I applied to Jaico, was called, interviewed by its founder Jaman Shah and got the job of editorial assistant. I had to read and assess manuscripts, go through issues of *Publishers' Weekly* and *Bookseller* and ask for review copies of books for possible reprint in India. I asked him why he didn't reprint Krishnamurti's books? He couldn't get reprint rights. Did fiction sell? Only short stories, not novels. So I set out to compile a book on Krishnamurti and one of Goan Short Stories. I discovered a small magazine *Chetana* that specialised in articles on Krishnamurti, bought a few issues and set out to work. I selected some, sorted them out into sections, added some more material from elsewhere, including my article which led the rest. After obtaining permission from the editor of *Chetana* and others concerned, I was ready. Then I started on my collection of Goan short stories. I sent letters to the editor of *Navhind Times* and *Herald* and collected stories published in these and other Goan newspapers and was ready, after obtaining the required permissions. Finally both were out. 5,000 copies of *The Mind of J. Krishnamurti* were printed and 3,000 of *Modern Goan Short Stories*. Krishnamurti sold out immediately. It has been reprinted 22 times and still sells 45 years later. The Goan short stories had two bad reviews. One Neela d`Souza thrashed it in *The Times of India* and Dr. Carmo de Azavedo panned it in *Goa Today* though all the well known authors had been included. It didn`t sell more than 1,200 copies during the nine years I was in Jaico. Around this time Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation (TM) had been in the news on three occasions. First when the Beatles joined him in Rishikesh; next when they abandoned him and lastly when he dubbed the technique as the Science of Creative Intelligence and invited scientists to investigate it. Physiologists Robert Wallace and Herbert Benson had conducted various tests on it and published work about its beneficial results. Wallace went on to become the head of Maharishi International University. Benson went on to develop his own technique which he termed the Relaxation Response. TM consists in repeating for 20 minutes, twi
[Goanet] Goa's Civil Code Shows That Uniformity Does Not Always Mean Equality (Albertina Almeida, thewire.in)
Goa's Civil Code Shows That Uniformity Does Not Always Mean Equality By ALBERTINA ALMEIDA albertina.alme...@gmail.com http://thewire.in/57211/goas-uniform-civil-code-is-not-the-greatest-model-to-follow/ Goa's UCC has allowed dominant castes and communities to assert their privilege and nationalism. For probably the umpteenth time, there are whispers in the air that a uniform civil code (UCC) is in the offing. Occasionally, Goa's UCC is brought up during these discussions. But even as the UCC is being touted as the panacea for the violations of women's rights, nobody asks what really is the UCC in Goa. What is meant when the civil code is said to be 'uniform'? Why was it retained in Goa? And how is it working for different sections of women? An examination of Goa's tryst with the UCC reveals much. It shows, for example that 'uniformity' can take different shapes. It provides a stark reminder that uniformity is not per se a rights-loaded word. It can also mean uniformity in discrimination in that you can have discriminatory provisions applicable across all religions -- uniformly. It calls attention to the fact that imposition of uniformity amongst unequals can create inequality, and that the existence of plural systems, both formal and non-formal, is actually ideal for the diverse constituents who need to strategise with the limited knowledge and within the limited power they have. Above all, it reveals nationalist agendas can shape the trajectory of UCC to the detriment of human rights. Alert: Different shades of uniformity - Thus, it would be useful to see here how the so-called UCC pans out differently for different communities in Goa. We must not forget the procedures for registration of marriage are different for Catholics as compared to the procedures applicable to non-Catholics. Even if civil registration of marriage has been compulsory for Goans, what is actually considered marriage, customarily and socially across all religious communities, is the religious ceremony and reception. The paper registration before government authorities is seen as a formality to be complied with, for legal purposes. For this to effectively happen, people, and particularly women, are not even familiar that two signatures with a minimum gap of fifteen days are generally entailed, one for declaration of intent which is applicable for everybody and the other for confirmation, which is signable before the Church for Catholics and the civil registrar for non-Catholics. The second signature can end up being not appended because of lack of knowledge about it. However, with the Catholics, the law allows the tie up of the state with the Church. This means that after the first signature is appended before the Registrar of Marriages, the very solemnisation of marriage in the Church and signing of the Church Marriage Registration Book there and sending of the extract of the Church register to the civil registrar, has come to be considered the second signature required for the confirmation of marriage. So the socially acceptable religious practice is accounted for in the law, when it comes to Catholics. That is the up side of the law recognising the popular relevance and significance of religious marriage. In a situation where universality of marriage is seen as a norm and women are not cultured into acquainting themselves with the procedures of registration of marriage, and may be led into the same, they can be deceived into believing they are married, when they actually are not because they have not appended the second signature, and a marriage is not ordinarily recognised if there is no civil registration of marriage. But on the other hand, the legal acknowledgement of socially accepted religious forms of marriage, if not qualified, has consequences by way of differing procedures and grounds for annulment of marriage, or for divorce. A marriage solemnised in the church has had the option of being annulled in the Church, for specific reasons, such as non-consummation of marriage. Once a marriage is annulled by the Tribunal of the Church, the said annulment is then confirmed by the high court mechanically, only at best ensuring that there was no bias in the decision making in respect of any of the parties to the case. On the other hand, if the matrimonial petition were to be filed in the civil court, non-consummation of marriage is not a ground for either annulment or separation or divorce, for any community. The way the word 'uniform civil code' is bandied around, it presents a chimera of uniformity being equated with equality. Laws can be uniformly applicable to all in respecting women's rights, and they can also be uniformly applicable to all communities in disregarding women's rights. In other words, they can also be uniform in discr
[Goanet] Tiatr's Bombay Days (Dr. Kyoko Matsukawa, Sahapedia.org)
Tiatr's Bombay Days Dr. Kyoko Matsukawa Dr. Kyoko Matsukawa is Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology at the Department of Sociology, Konan University, Kobe, Japan. http://www.sahapedia.org/tiatrs-bombay-days My association with Goa started in 1997. I finished my MA in Cultural Anthropology in Japan (my thesis was on the status of Christianity in India in the past and present). I had to decide on another topic for further fieldwork and research -- a kind of rite of passage in the discipline. I had already made up my mind to go to India as I wanted to see how Christianity was being practiced there today. A professor from Kyoto University suggested that Goa might be an interesting place for me. So I visited Goa briefly and fell in love with the place and its people. Eventually, I ended up spending 18 months in Goa between April 2000 and September 2001. My fieldwork was mainly on the multilingual situation of Goan society. In my Ph.D. thesis I examined the connection between the social and cultural structure of Goa and the use of languages among people: Konkani, Marathi, Portuguese and English. I focused on the late 1980s during which the Konkani movement had intensified. In the course of my research, I realized that I was in fact examining the transformation of Goan society from a Portuguese colony to a part of independent India. The plight of Konkani today reflects the socio-cultural issues of Goan society.1 In recent years, my research interest shifted towards how Konkani ties people together inside and outside Goa. It appeared to me that I could get further insight into this by looking at the past and present of Konkani theatre, tiatr. My First Encounter with Tiatr - It was a few days before the feast of Our Lady of Merces Church in November 2000. I had moved into an apartment of a Christian couple as a paying guest in July. We were relaxing in the living room in the evening when someone knocked at the door and the vicar of the church came in. He requested uncle and aunty (as I would refer to the Christian couple) to purchase some tickets for a 'drama'. They bought three tickets. On the evening of the feast we went to the church compound where a makeshift stage was set up. My ticket had 'NON-STOP-TIATR' written on it. The title of the drama was Nixannim. Although I could not follow the comic parts too well, I understood the main storyline. A young woman was pregnant but her lover left her and married another woman. She felt desperate and after giving birth to a baby boy, left for the Gulf leaving her child in the care of her neighbour. The boy was sold to a family and grew up into a fine young man without knowing his true mother. The story revolved around the son's encounter with his mother when she returned from the Gulf. The performance was well received by the audience. They clapped and whistled at the comedians who satirized Goan politicians (in that evening's performance, the then-recently resigned Chief Minister of Goa, Francisco Sardinha was bitterly criticized). This encounter with tiatr left a deep impression on me. I realised that I could learn a lot about Goa from tiatrs! After that I started to watch tiatr performances in earnest. I imagine it must have been strange for people to see a Japanese woman attending theatre halls like Kala Academy in Panaji and Gomant Vidya Niketan in Margao alone and laughing at comedies in Konkani! >From Goa to Bombay While gaining more knowledge about tiatr my desire to go to Bombay grew. It is well-known that the first tiatr, Italian Bhurgo, was staged by Lucasinho Ribeiro on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1892, in the city. What intrigued me was the socio-historical background of the birth of this unique drama form. The nineteenth-century witnessed the growth of business in the city. The first cotton-textile mills were established in the 1850s. The start of the American Civil War in 1861 was a boon for Bombay. America's supply of cotton to Europe was halted and the Lancashire textile industry became dependent on Indian cotton, which was exported through Bombay. The prosperity of the city attracted a workforce from the Konkan region and other parts of Maharashtra as well as traders from Gujarat (Prakash 2010). Bombay became a vibrant place open to new styles and technologies, not just economically but culturally as well. Parsi theatre was one of the products of this era. It found patronage in prominent merchants such as Jagannath Shankarset and Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy. The former donated a building site for the Grant Road Theatre, which soon became the centre of Indian theatrical performances. The Parsi theatre introduced a proscenium arch, massive painted curtains and gaslights. As Kathryn Hansen says, "Theatricality had suddenly reached a new level" (2002: 40-41). At the same time Bombay became the destinatio
[Goanet] Still--and Always--a Fledgling (Cheryl Rao, *From Mind to Keyboard*)
Still--and Always--a Fledgling Cheryl Rao cherb...@gmail.com I didn't set out to be a children's writer. I had other things on my mind in my teens and twenties. I had to grow up, go out, compete in the academic or business world, embark on a career, climb the organizational ladder, etc. And I did--working first as a lecturer and then in a bank. But then something happened that changed my life completely and turned everything I believed in, career-wise, upside down. It's been happening to women from the beginning of Time but somehow, for me, it was the greatest miracle possible: I became a mother. And everything else now came second. (In later years I read a lot about post-partum depression and how protracted it can be00and there I was with an prolonged attack of extreme post-partum euphoria, and I must admit that over two-and-a-half decades down the line, it still persists.) So, I resigned from the bank and set off on this great adventure of bringing up a child. I was told I was being ridiculous. I could take a year off and then get back to work, like most others did. I was warned that I'd soon get tired of 'sitting at home' and would seek the workplace again. But somehow that didn't happen. Because, late at night when the baby was asleep, I started writing: slice-of-life articles and short stories for adults. I wrote in longhand, in pencil, so that I could erase and re-word and polish my prose until it was time to pull out that old Royal portable typewriter and hammer at the keys. In those days, everything went by post. We lived in military cantonments with Army Post Office (APO) addresses, so replies, acceptances, or rejections took a long time to reach me--as did the cheques that came my way for these articles and stories. Everything was addressed care of my husband and went to his office--and it annoyed me no end that he got to know the fate of my work before I did! Meanwhile, my son passed infancy and became a delightful toddler. We spent his waking hours haunting the small parks nearby with our stately German shepherd--and we talked. It was a never-failing source of delight to find that my son actually hung on to my words and clamoured for my stories... and soon became insatiable for them. Naturally, we soon exhausted the stocks in the Army library, the books in my collection, and the fund of tales that my mother had told me of her childhood in Hubli with a large family and a close knit community. So what choice did I have but to start creating stories for him? My son was not a hard taskmaster. I used settings he was familiar with and characters he could identify with. If he didn't like something in the story we would change it around, if he disapproved of the ending we would work it out to suit his tastes. "If he likes my stories," I thought, "why not try a larger audience?" So, I took the next logical step and wrote a few stories and sent them to *Children's World* (the monthly magazine of the Children's Book Trust) for consideration--and that's when the going got tough. The stories were not snapped up. I was not told that I was an indigenous Enid Blyton or a Roald Dahl in the making. (This was the early 1990s, before J.K. Rowling conquered the world...) But, instead of a simple rejection, one of those that say 'No' very politely, I got a long letter from the editor at that time, Ms Vaijayanti Tonpe. She went over all the aspects of the stories I had submitted: subject, characters, events, language, etc., gave me detailed feedback on what could work and what wouldn't and asked me to try again. That letter was the best thing that happened to me in terms of my first steps in children's writing. I went back to those first two stories but realized that they were pretty much beyond retrieval, so they were tossed out and I wrote another short story, this time going for a topic that was close to my heart--our German shepherd--and imagining the rest. It worked. The story was accepted. (It took a long time, however--not because of the publisher, but because we had shifted from one end of the country to somewhere midway-- where the long and sure arm of the APO eventually found us.) "This is so much fun!" I thought. "Mother and son and dog out together; we have our little encounters; a patch of green becomes the prairies, a mound grows into a mountain, a puddle could surely be the ocean--there's no limit to where we can take our imaginations...!" Thus, I started writing regularly for children--and gradually reduced my writing for adults (though I never gave that up). After a couple of years of fairly regular short story contributions to *Children's World*, Ms Tonpe wrote to me again. "Why don't you try your hand at a long serial story?" she asked. That was all I needed. I
[Goanet] Get Thee Backstage, Playwright! (Isabel de Santa Rita Vas)
Get Thee Backstage, Playwright! Isabel de Santa Rita Vas isabelsr...@gmail.com Story-teller, yes. Always. Playwright? Not in my wildest dreams. How on earth did I get to write for the stage? The truth is, I stumbled upon this playwriting stuff, having knocked about theatre as a teacher of young adults and a student of literature. The plays we began to stage were fascinating pieces by famous playwrights. Works by Miller, Chekhov, O'Neill, Dattani, were followed by adaptations from novels, films, poems. All these grounded us firmly on a love of great literature and offered us a taste of various genres, including some basic modes of viewing life, i.e. comedy and tragedy, and many offshoots, revolts and experimental forms. A day came when the life around and within our own little world demanded to be performed. And since no ready scripts were at hand all wrapped up in fame, literary or theatrical, our theatre group found itself at a crossroads: Either we keep staging stories situated in other places or times, or... Or what? That was when I began to scratch out my own plots, create characters, ponder over themes, and factor in the audience response. It was not too painful a task, actually, since the journeyman adapting for the stage now offered vital insights and a measure of confidence. Now, I had a new brief: to give voice to our own stories. And so I wrote A Leaf in the Wind, my first play. Since it was written to be performed by The Mustard Seed Art Company to which I belong, this very first play I scribbled did find life on stage; as did most of the 35 plays that I have written over the years. Writing for the stage has nudged me, implacably, to listen to life as it unfolds in my immediate universe, demanding of myself that I discern the significant from the trivial, and that I hone in on stories and images and themes and tunes and people that might offer a horizon for contemplation and questioning. A crowded marketplace! Sandals on the Doorstep grew out of a newspaper report on a pair of young boys in a Goan village who murdered their old grandmother to steal and sell her jewelry to bet on an IPL match. A frenetic road-rage seemed to fit into this weft and warp of mindless violence taking monstrous shape within our homes and streets. The story had to be told. A picture that imprints itself in the mind's eye, a fragment of a story vaguely remembered, a character that has taken form within the half-light of one's consciousness, all these can pursue the playwright until the page and the stage make room for them. Rarely is a play born full-blown in my mind. The germ of an idea is exciting but tiny. The gestation period is long, often frustrating, and absorbing of many hours of the day and night. That's when I scribble on pages that get lost, hunt for books, Google all manner of related matters, and glance at my companions in the bus or on the street and see them peopling my plays. There's reading and research to be immersed into, headfirst. My first encounter with a historical personage as my dramatis persona was within the play Fiddlesticks!, the dramatized life and times of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Knowing only that his music resonated deeply and brightly within my soul, all the rest had to be meticulously studied, the attempt made to discover a viewing angle, the plunge taken to select, create, modify, invent, shape, dramatize. Other characters from history have worked their way into my writing, people who had always intrigued me: Tagore (in Rabindrababu at the Post Office), Abbé Faria (in Kator Re Bhaji), Mahatma Gandhi (Spectacles of Peace), Mother Teresa (It's a Hot Day, Thank God), yes, everyday names that never grew pallid with familiarity; as also the many writers, artistes and other restless ghosts who people an ancient library (Ghosts at Large). Events of historical import often hold you in their grip for years, until they write themselves into your page, as in the case of the story of the Liberation of Goa in Playing with the Eye of the Dragon and the influential Opinion Poll in Goa in Voices After Me. These worlds reveal to the playwright new insights as the voices of the powerful, less powerful or powerful in diverse ways weave into a pregnant ballad. Small people from one's childhood surface, such as the nearly invisible bhangi (toilet cleaner) who used the silent service stairs to carry away 'night-soil', or the poskem (adopted daughter) bent over pots and pans while weaving tales of adventure, the wiry old man wearing a red kashtti (small loin cloth) and a tight pigtail on his otherwise shaven head who arrived down the river punting a canoe filled with coconuts; these historical characters announce their names and conflicts.
[Goanet] Guadalupe: The experience of one pilgrim caught unawares (Nazar da Silva, Goanet Reader)
Guadalupe: The experience of one pilgrim caught unawares Nazar da Silva As a complacent near-nonagenarian, I have learnt to take long-distance travel in my stride: I read the scenery rather than sign boards. I get taken to places unknown; but I have my wits around me for sure. For instance, my son and I were due to travel from Vancouver to New York; so I expected to travel from the West coast to the East. Never having travelled this route before, I looked out eagerly for landmarks. There were none. We seemed to be hugging the West coast; that could only mean we were travelling South! My son reassured me: "On this route we have to make a transfer in San Francisco," he said. Thoroughly confused, I resigned myself to fate! That's when he had pity on me. Flash-back: Many years, may be a dozen years ago, I was enthralled by an EWTN programme on TV. I only got a little bit of the programme but I was fascinated by the sheer devotion of the throngs of people who sang their hearts out in praise of God and in thanksgiving for the gift of His Virgin Mother -- Our Lady of Guadalupe. I spoke to whoever would listen about my experience. It made no impression on anyone. My own sister who is a nun and has a two-year advantage over me in seniority, had been posted much earlier to Mexico City; but she does not have any recollection of this devotion. I spoke to family members who live in this part of North America: they love to go to the beaches on vacation; I said to them: "Go to Guadalupe!" But then I came to discover: the village of Guadalupe which is many miles northeast of Mexico City has nothing to do with this devotion. Here I am now, on a plane supposedly bound for New York but proceeding in the exact opposite direction! And now I am informed that we will be landing in Mexico City at supper time; the next morning we would celebrate the Eucharist in 'the' Basilica! And, post noon we would be on our way to New York! I was desperate to know more about the ground realities in order to plan a programme to fit into such a tight schedule but language was a problem. At the dining reception, the person we met was a young lady. Her name was, believe it or not: Guadalupe! I was over the moon! But not for long. Language was the barrier. I had to wait until the next morning. Guess who I met next morning in the vast breakfast hall? At 7 o'clock on a Sunday morning, the hall was practically empty. That is why I noticed the two gentlemen that appeared. By the time they filled their plates and picked a table to sit at, I discovered that one of them spoke English! It did not take me long to go across and barge in on their conversation. I got a load of information: In the new Basillica, every hour, on the hour, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, the Eucharist would be celebrated. There is seated accommodation for 5,000 people in this basilica. It is packed for every celebration. Masses are also celebrated in the old Basilica and five other chapels in the immediate vicinity. The 'must see' sites are the two basilicas and the chapel built on top of the hill where the Virgin Mother appeared to the peasant pronounced Saint Joao Diago by Pope John Paul II. All the holy sites are within one square mile of real estate. The ride by cab from the airport to the Basilica takes under twenty minutes if you are lucky to get a parking slot. We were lucky -- not only with the parking, but also with the seating in the pews! Apart from the high altar, what drew our attention was the relic of the cloak protected by a photo frame fixed to one side on the wall behind. On a Sunday, there is no way to get close to the relic; however, at a lower level, behind the main altar, one can step upon a moving platform that takes you past, but well below the relic. The spoken language is Spanish, and all the services and homilies are conducted in this language. Fortunately, plenty of room is reserved for the language of Love. Everyone you are likely to meet is conversant with this language. But hey! Wait a minute: am I trying to sell the pilgrimage by describing it in every detail? I hope not! Physically, for me, the most difficult chapter of this venture was not the three hundred odd steep steps leading to the summit of the hillock where the loving encounter between the Virgin Mother and her faithful disciple took place; it was not the climb, but the descent to terra firma! If it were not for my son's arm to which I latched on for dear life, I could not have made it to ground reality! With hindsight, I can say that there should be at least two criteria that establish the success of any pilgrimage: The first of course is to approach the venture with utmost humility, and the second is to establish a firm sense of purpose. If one is lacking in either of these criteria, the outcome, at best, may be lukewarm. Put another way: it is quite common to approach a pilgrimage with an attitude o
[Goanet] A 'dying' community? (Frederick Noronha)
By Frederick Noronha Nobody would like to be told they're dying; not even an elderly patient on a deathbed. So, one reads with rather mixed feelings the BBC.com story titled 'In pictures: India's dying Christian communities'. This feature was actually about a forthcoming book by the London-based photographer Karan Kapoor, the son of actors Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer (Kendal) Kapoor. Initially, the article focuses on the Anglo-Indian community, but latter on throws in the line that "Kapoor also took portraits of Goa's Catholic community". Karan Kapoor's parents were part of an early generation which owned a holiday home in Goa. This was at Baga, if one is not wrong. The Kapoors came in to Goa some time before it became the fashionable thing to do, for anyone and their uncle from Urban India. Given how the mainstream-periphery divide works here, one that Independent India has inherited from British India, this is not the first, nor the last depiction of Quaint Goa. Many many decades later perhaps, visiting photographers will continue to locate the 21st century equivalent of what Kapoor found here in the 1990s. Tiny boys striking a pose behind a violin at Loutolim. A blind musician being led to the church feast. Suit-clad teenagers consciously posing while seated on a parked scooter. A boys dressed as an angel for church service in Loutolim. A scene at the centuries-old seminary at Rachol. But despite the somewhat cliched depiction, Karan Kapoor's work pushes us to think of wider issues concerning Goa. Once again, in the 2010s, the Catholic in Goa feels a sense of uncertainity and disenchantment as he (often she, this is in some ways a women-empowered society, thanks to migration and education) looks to the future. For Goa's Catholics, history has been like a roller coaster ride. It's important not to get unduly pessimistic over it, but the facts have to be faced up to. Good and challenging trends have come its way, not just in the past five or six decades of tumultous political change. But this has been the case through centuries of migration, changing fortunes, shrinking and expanding opportunity, new El Dorados and unexpected threats. * * * In the 1960s, as ours was one of the families heading back to Goa, the local Catholic elite was largely caught up amidst fears, doom and gloom. Those brought up amidst a Portuguese worldview saw little hope. But, for the English-speaking Catholic, opportunity was just opening up back home. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the traumatic developments in former British East Africa, specially Uganda, ended up ironically in bringing in so much talent back here. I have argued elsewhere that this was a time when many emigration-oriented (read: Catholic) coastal villages flowered like never before. But, barely a decade or so later, by the 1980s, many of the children of those who had returned were finishing their education, and readying to once again migrate themselves. Today, many are settled in Australia, Canada, UK, the US and other parts of the Anglo-Saxon English-speaking world. Meanwhile, in the 1990s, quite a few Bombay Goans opted to resettle here, for reasons of real estate costs, and safety issues in the big city, among others. * * * Three challenges face the community now, that in some ways justify the 'dying' tag of Karan Kapoor. The first stems from a crisis of its own ambitions. The second is its struggle to legitimise its aspirations. Third, but not necessarily in that order, is the role it builds for itself in its home State and the wider world. Goans worldwide are, in some ways, victims of their own ambitious. The growing trend towards seeking foreign passports -- not just Portuguese -- has been widely commented upon. We all have our own stories of our own friends and colleagues, who, despite enjoying a perfectly comfortable lifestyle in Goa, one fine day just pack their bags and leave. If asked, they will justify it saying they are doing this "for the children's sake". Unlike other Indian migratory communities, the Goan Catholic is seldom known to return home once (s)he migrates. The Goan ability to merge into almost any setting is a doubled-edged sword. It makes migration easy, but lowers the desire to return. In contrast, highly education expats from the rest of India are ready to return back and contribute to that place called home, sometimes while they are in their 30s itself. Goa has a few exceptions of this kind, like the festival-organising Marius Fernandes. But most stay away, only to find their children too deeply entrenced in their new home
[Goanet] Espi Mai gets a new tongue... now makes it in Portuguese
For the first time perhaps, children studying Portugese as a third language in schools in Goa will be able to read stories set in their own villages and towns. Not just that, stories for children from Goa are soon set to reach out to young readers in other parts of the Portuguese-speaking world as well. 'Espi Mai is Stuck Again... and other Goan Tales', a popular book of Goan stories, is to come out this week in another version, this time in Portuguese. It was translated by volunteers across cyberspace, often one story at a time, and then brought into print in an entirely new language. 'Espi Mai', written by the ex-Bombay based Anita Pinto, is a series of stories set across Goa. Its heroes and local children, both boys and girls. Animals are also part of the stories. They all learn by encountering Goan life, and coping with the many challenges that living here entails. Seven-year-old Fareeda is a girl from Velim who's good at fixing things. Masu is a fish on the Goan coast, who wants to live on land. Antonio (9) finds his dog Kutro barking, to realise that a leopard has come home for dinner. Espi Mai, after whom the book is named, is an elderly aunt from Mumbai, who's so overweight that she gets stuck in the autoricksha. But the moral of the story is empathy, and not laughing at misfortune. This book has other characters like Ginger the Dog and Devika the Duck who lived at seven-year-old Kris Souza's farm at Valpoi and Norma the lace-maker in Raia. Little Joanna is a girl born after three boys and has to battle the belief that she's born unlucky, going by the age-old Goan superstition. Children reading the book here have often loved it. Apart from being well narrated, its settings are local and probably something they can easily identify with. It is aimed at the 5-11 years age group. Because it has come out in multiple languages, the book has, unexpectedly, been also used as a language-learning tool. For instance, one European professor of anthropology mentioned he used the two books to deepen his knowledge of Konkani, since the stories are of a simple structure too. This book was first published in 2011 in English. On Children's Day in 2012, it was published in a Roman-script Konkani edition (titled 'Espi May Porot Xirkoli... Ani Goycheo her kannio) together with a reprint of its English-language edition. This year, it comes out in Portuguese too. Some of the short stories are available, in audio format, online at http://bit.ly/espi-mai This has been heard by some 650 people worldwide. This is perhaps the only Goan book with prices in Rupees, Euro, Real, Metical, Kwanza. As of now, it's aim is also to reach out readers across the Portuguese-speaking world if possible -- in Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique and Angola. One prominent local school also adopted the book for supplementary reading in among nine-year-olds. To translate the Portuguese version of this book publishers Goa,1556 initially lacked the funding or resources needed. So it went online and asked for volunteers to translated at least one story each. Ten persons, most of whom didn't even know each other or the publishers, responded to the appeal and volunteered to do the translation, online itself. This publication has been co-published by Fundacao Oriente. The launch of the Portuguese edition will be held at the Fundacao's premises at Fontainhas in Panjim (in association with the Lions Club of Mapusa) on Friday, October 7, 2016 at 5 pm. The event is open to all, specially children. There will be a special offer for the book on its launch day. Author Anita Pinto can be contacted at via email on anitapinto@gmail.com or by phone at 7757043227 or 0832-2250594 All editions of the book can be mail-ordered via goa1...@gmail.com ###
[Goanet] Defence mechanism: The unassuming Manohar Parrikar has a way with the people of Goa
http://www.theweek.in/theweek/specials/manohar-parrikar.html DAWN TO DUSK Defence mechanism By Ajit Kumar Dubey | October 02, 2016 God’s own child: Parrikar attending Ganesh puja at a supporter’s home in Panaji | Arvind Jain The unassuming Manohar Parrikar has a way with the people of Goa Driving from Vasco da Gama to Panaji, we found it difficult to trace the most important Goan in Delhi. Ganesh Chaturthi was being celebrated across the state, and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, 60, was constantly moving from one locality to the other. We called Parrikar on the phone and asked him his location. He told us to hand over the phone to our local guide, Hasan, who was also our driver. Hasan took directions from Parrikar and told him that, if required, he would call Parrikar again. We asked Hasan if he knew who he was talking to. When Hasan realised that it was none other than the defence minister of India, his face had an astonished expression, which was quickly followed with loud laughter. As we reached our rendezvous point at the Altem locality, Parrikar had already been 10 hours into his routine, since 7am, greeting people in Panaji. Said Parrikar, “Ganesh Chaturthi is quite big in Goa. It is as big as Diwali in north India. I try to meet as many people as I can on this occasion.” Silent conqueror: At the induction ceremony of Coast Guard vessel ICGS Sarathi in Vasco | Arvind Jain Parrikar took us to a nearby hillock. As he moved up and down the steps, men, women and children came out and invited him to their homes. We asked a supporter if this was an exercise for the forthcoming assembly elections, and pat came the reply from Parrikar himself, “I have known families here for over three decades. I have been in touch with them. This is Ganesh Chaturthi time and not the time for politics. I do this every year.” At a supporter’s home, Parrikar sat down to have prasad, while the family members jostled for selfies. The atmosphere was light, with people seeking Parrikar’s comments on their Ganesh idols. Said Parrikar, “People know that I am always there for them and they have supported me. I have never lost an election in Panaji.” Inside another home, Parrikar was having modaks and ladoos, despite his sugar trouble. We asked him about the recent survey done by the Aam Aadmi Party in Goa, which showed positive results for the party in the state. Said Parrikar, with a dismissive smile, “The AAP is no threat. People in Goa are aware of the kind of activities these people have been involved in, like money laundering. Goans are intellectuals and would not be misguided.” Parrikar spent two or three minutes at every home he visited. Said Parrikar, “Depending upon their vows, people [in Goa] keep Ganesh idols at home, for one and a half days to eleven days. My mother had vowed to keep the Ganesh idol in the 1950s when my brother was ill. However, we could do that only when I became the chief minister,” he said. Parrikar likes keeping Ganesh idols for the shortest period. “Because it is difficult to stay away from non-vegetarian food for a long time,” he said, jokingly. Moving out of the hillock, we hitched a ride in Parrikar’s official car to another locality. On the way, he recalled how he had, in his first tenure as MLA, worked towards ending a long-running battle between warring gangs of the Boca de Vaca locality, in his constituency, and Santa Cruz. “After one of the fights, despite stiff opposition, I got bail for the boys from Santa Cruz and helped them get jobs. They had earlier got a house vacated by throwing down the luggage from the third floor. After this, the same boys put the luggage back,” said Parrikar. As we passed through a lane, Parrikar pointed out a wall on a hillock and recalled that people were angry with him when this wall collapsed during heavy rains and damaged some of the houses nearby. “I had got the construction work done by a contractor, and I was criticised for the fault of the contractor. People were after my life. But I got it reconstructed again and, this time, it was permanent. The houses were also repaired,” said Parrikar. By 9pm, we had lost count of the homes Parrikar had visited with us. At every house, as we bent down to take off our shoes, Parrikar took off his sandals with ease. “Sandals are comfortable footwear here,” he told us. Plain bush-shirts, trousers and sandals are Parrikar’s favourite attire and he refused to change it even after criticism on social media by a few ex-servicemen. Parrikar had a relatively small security team. He said he felt safe in his own place and there was no need for excessive security deployment in Goa, where his car doesn’t even have a beacon. “When I agreed to go to Delhi as defence minister, my family members laid down the condition of taking security and I had to accept it.” Parrikar’s wife died of cancer in 2001. He has two sons, Utpal and Abhijat, who live in Goa. Cuppa joy: Tea break at a supporter’s house in Panaj
[Goanet] 4 reasons why Rafale could ruin Modi and Parrikar’s party
By Northlines September 26, 2016 Ajai Shukla On a warm Delhi evening on April 3, 2015, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had left his South Block office and was driving to catch his flight to Goa, when his mobile phone received an incoming call from the Prime Minister’s Office. Could he come in urgently, an official asked, the PM would like to talk briefly. When Parrikar reached the PMO, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sprang a bombshell. Parrikar was told that, on Modi's forthcoming trip to Paris, he and French President Francois Hollande would announce an agreement for India to buy 36 Rafale fighters. During Modi's nine-day tour of France, Germany and Canada, Parrikar would have to manage the media and field the inevitable questions. Taken aback, Parrikar still caught his flight to Goa. Over the next week, he batted loyally on behalf of his PM, publicly defending a decision he neither understood nor agreed with, that was taken over his head, and that senior ministry of defence officials warned him would be difficult to defend. Today, 17 months later, most pledges that Parrikar issued in defence of Modi's Rafale agreement have proven incorrect. He told the Press Trust of India in Goa that all 36 Rafale fighters would join the IAF within two years; in fact more than six years will elapse before the final delivery is made. He repeated the Modi-Hollande undertaking that the price would be 'on terms that would be better than' Dassault's bid in the now cancelled tender for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft. It now turns out that India will pay a vastly higher price. But Parrikar, through 17 months of defending a deal that was not his, has become the face of the Rafale. And after Friday, when he and his visiting French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian sign an inter-governmental agreement for 36 Rafales, Parrikar -- and not Modi -- will answer for the purchase. There is disquiet within the MoD about the acquisition, with officials concerned about subsequent scrutiny by Constitutional authorities like the Comptroller and Auditor General. Their key worries are as follows. Exorbitant cost A key element in price negotiations is 'benchmarking', or comparing Dassault's price with other contracts involving the same fighter. With India, Dassault had already established a benchmark in the MMRCA acquisition, where it had quoted a price for 18 fully built Rafales, just like the 36 fighters that India is now buying. Speaking to Doordarshan on April 13, 2015, Parrikar had revealed Rafale's bid for 126 fighters, stating: 'When you talk of 126 (Rafale) aircraft, it becomes a purchase of about Rs 90,000 crore' -- Rs 715 crore per fighter after adding all costs. Now Parrikar would be buying 36 Rafale fighters for Euro 7.8 billion (over Rs 58,000 crore), which is over Rs 1,600 crore per aircraft -- more than double the earlier price. True, the current contract includes elements that were not there in the 126 fighter MMRCA tender -- including a superior weapons package with Meteor missiles; and performance-based logistics, which bind Dassault to ensure that a stipulated percentage of the Rafale fleet remains combat-ready at all times. The percentage is guessed to be about 75 to 80 per cent, an unchallenging target for Western fighter types. Even deducting Euro 2.8 billion for the weapons and PBL from the anticipated Euro 7.8 billion contract amount, a Euro 5 billion (over Rs 37,000 crore) price tag for 36 Rafales puts the ticker price of each at over Rs 1,000 crore. For that the IAF can buy two-and-a-half Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters -- a heavy fighter as capable as the Rafale. Variation in fighter types IAF logisticians, who already struggle to maintain, repair and support six different types of fighters -- the Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG-29, MiG-27, MiG-21 and the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft -- are hardly welcoming the prospect of a seventh fighter type, which would require expensive, tailor-made base infrastructure, repair depots and spare parts chains. Air power experts say more Sukhoi-30MKIs would eliminate this need, besides being cheaper. Alternatively, fast-tracking the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft, which Russia and India intend to co-develop, would eliminate the need for Rafales. Even if the IAF exercises an option clause for 18 more Rafales, there would be just three operational squadrons, like with the Mirage 2000. Besides the options clause, nine more Rafales would be needed, since an IAF squadron has 21 fighters. Sovereign guarantees While New Delhi is negotiating the Rafale purchase directly with the private vendor, Dassault, the MoD wants sovereign guarantees from the French government, of the kind that come with American equipment bought through the Foreign Military Sales route. In a FMS procurement
[Goanet] The man who is growing his family tree (Bharati Pawaskar, on John Nazareth in The Goan)
[Ex-Entebbe John Nazareth will speak at the Goa Book Club at Broadway Book Centre, Ashirwad Building, near Pharmacy College, 18th June Road, Panjim, on Wed, Oct 12, 2016, at 5 pm. The talk is open, but please SMS 9822122436 if interested to join. While in Goa, John Nazareth can be contacted on +91-7057182779 or via email jhr_nazareth at hotmail.com ] Story: BHARATI PAWASKAR 02nd October 2016, 12:00 Hrs As one gets older, the urge to search one's origins and to reach out to one's roots becomes intense and irresistible. That's what happened with John Nazareth, a South Asian born in Uganda who has ancestral lineage in the little village of Moira His is a story of tedious, mathematical calculations in the form or names, numbers, people and places in history. Making a beginning in 1990 to trace the lost links to his family tree, he is confident of bonding the past to the present for future generation of Nazareths. A Uganda-born man of Goan origin, John Nazareth, who hails from the beautiful Moira, is all set to compile a family tree of Nazareths of Moira. "Life's little surprises amaze me all the time," he quips quoting some coincidences in his life. "Though ours was [not] an arranged marriage and we married at Mapusa, it was strange that none of us knew that actually our ancestors were neighbours and our houses stood next to each other on the borders of our villages Nachinola and Moira. My wife Cynthia Fernandes happened to be originally from Nachinola and her ancestral house there was just next to my ancestral house in Moira -- wall to wall. We lived on the borders of our villages in Goa. Imagine both of us didn't know this for years while we lived in Canada. It was only after I began my search for my family tree, that the fact was revealed to us. Is this irony of life or destiny?" he asks. John's own father, who hailed from Moira, was already living in Uganda for 14 years before his marriage. He came down to Goa to get married. It was an arranged marriage at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa. Born at Kuala Lumpur, John's mother Anna was the daughter of musician Johnny Gomes who had an illustrious orchestra in Malaysia and who taught music to former leaders and even the prime minister of Singapore. Though a Goan from Malar-Divar, he had settled in Malaysia. "My mother recalls witnessing Pandit Ravi Shankar jamming with her first cousin in Mumbai in the 1950s," says John. The interest to search their genealogy and family tree was triggered in 1990 when he was 43. "As one gets older, one begins valuing those little things -- family photographs, old letters, artefacts etc. I too began collecting them and putting on the internet. Slowly it became my passion. My quest began. At first my tree was small -- less than 50 people. Over the years it's grown to around 5000 people. My earliest record goes back to 1740. I am mapping Nazareths from Moira belonging to clan 1 which is my clan. There are five clans according to archives records which say we are ‘de Nazareth'. Some have added 'th' in the end while some have kept 'e', but the records in 1804 spell [Nazareth]. I have traced the Baptism records of my great great great grandfather, who is estimated to be born in 1750. I looked at the immediate branch too. Out of the five clans (Vangod) Nazareths are from clan 1 and clan [3]. The church archives say that I am from clan 1,” says John who is thankful to Leroy Veloso from Moira, who has helped him match the records. Leroy has done extensive research and already traced surnames of the five clans in Moira. Websites like geni.com have Goans ancestry. At the Archbishop's office John found records from 1915 onwards till 1980 -- all digitised and photographed. But sadly there is no digitisation done after 1980. Aided by likeminded friends [Cledwyn] D'Silva and [Karen] Pereira (both from Canada), John has undertaken the colossal task of collecting the data of missing links. Born to parents Sebastian Nazareth and Anna Gomes, both of Goan origin, are siblings Peter, Ruth, John and David. John recalls the country where he was born, "Uganda is beautiful. It's a very fertile land. You just pick up a handful of seeds and throw them anywhere they will soon grow into lush green tress." Deep down within does he miss something he thought was once his very own once, be it Goa or Africa? Probably he does. Set out to find out his roots, Jo
[Goanet] 1996 Discourse on Goanet
Published in Goan Digest Issue 4.4 October 1996 by Eddie D’Sa [Thanks to John D'Souza, Canada for sharing. jds1...@hotmail.com ] The Goa-net, a mailing list on the Internet run by US student Herman Carneiro, entered its third year last month. Though there are some 650 subscribers, the regular contributors are probably under 20, several of them from North America. The low participation rate is a serious shortcoming. A mailing list is really an extended e-mailing facility and those with access to it (the 'netters') are able to make immediate contact with other netters and e-mailers. Some users may even believe they belong to some palpable entity called the internet community. The net is a quick source of news from Goa, thanks largely to the postings of Fred Noronha and wife Pamela DeMello. It also serves as a talking shop for netters who would like to share an opinion, inquire about the whereabouts of an old friend, make some appeal or proposal. Lonely overseas students probably find the net a much needed link to distant Goa. To one netter, airing views on the net was like reviving the old Balcao Ghozali (balcony talks). But can the net have a more serious role? One that comes to mind is the discussion of current issues, with added insights from the perspective of Goans living in the West. Input from Goa is very sparse, with just two or three active netters. (The medium is too expensive there at the moment.) So dialogue with Goa is rather limited. Discussion on the net tends to be of uneven quality. Since anybody can join in and views are unmoderated, a netter may be tempted to offer an unresearched opinion and believe that it must carry the same weight as another statement supported by evidence or authority. Being undirected, the flow of the discussion can be erratic and netters may tire of the topic before a consensus is reached. The topic may well be resurrected at a later date and one is treated to much the same arguments again. The answer of course lies in moderation and there have been calls for it from time to time. The moderator will need to have sound judgment and wide knowledge. His/her task will be to set the terms of the debate, excise inconsistencies, lapses in logic, non sequiturs and keep a constant update. A daunting task with a mailing list. Yet without some form of moderation, discussions might lack the quality and rigour expected and add little to what is already known. Eddie D'Sa. * * * A Swipe at Goa-Net By Marlene D'Souza, Manchester Published in Goan Digest Issue 4.4 October 1996. Editor Eddie D'Sa I am surprised that there is no section on the Goa-net in the Digest. Not that the net is some repository of wisdom to be taken seriously; rather it seems the perfect foil for the phlegmatic Goan ego. One just sits back before the monitor and keys off fanciful thoughts on whatever topic. Netters profess undying loyalty to Goa and believe it their solemn duty to defend, save or improve the place. It is no matter that the nobody in Goa has asked for help or advice. The netters will offer it regardless and in copious quantities. They consider themselves zealous guardians, astute observers, cognoscenti -- with solutions at the ready for all manner of problems. You can picture them sitting in deep thought, with furrowed brow (and at a safe distance) in Europe or North America working out strategies for their beloved Goa. They will air views and dispense advice generously but not, mind you, part with their money! Not all their schemes are well conceived. Early this year, the child sex issue in Goa made the headlines and became a rallying cause for most netters. A petition (a form of protest familiar to most Goans) was proposed and one well meaning Tim from Toronto decided to take charge. In a burst of patriotic fervour, he set a target of a million signatures, yes, a million. How was this figure decided upon? Was there a consultation with other netters or was the advice of seasoned campaigners sought? The bulk of those targeted was surely going to be Catholic Goans and there are less than half a million of them worldwide, I think. By the deadline (end of August), we are told that 21,000 signatures had been collected -- a remarkable achievement but far short of the target. What's the lesson to be drawn? Set targets realistically and after due consultation. Another netter has decided to donate a computer or two to Goa. When he divulged this scheme to me, I asked him a number of questions: • are computers a priority for Goa schools or is it improved science labs, sports facilities and libraries? • did he have the backing of the Education Dept for his project, had he seen the computer curricula? And so on. I hope his scheme succeeds but shouldn't netters be organising projects to fit in with Goa's priorities? Mar
[Goanet] 'White Pope', 'Black Pope': both Latinos, both Jesuits! (Jonathan Rodrigues, TNN)
Jonathan Rodrigues | Oct 15, 2016, 03:17 IST jonahdream...@gmail.com PANAJI: The 'murmuratio' at the Jesuit Curia in Rome ended with thunderous applause and loud Hispanic cheer as the 36th General Congregation (GC) of the Society of Jesus, on Friday, elected Fr Arturo Sosa Abascal, of the Venezuelan Province, as the 31st superior general of the 476-year-old religious order. Two hundred and fifteen delegates from 79 Jesuit provinces across 112 countries were witness to this historical event that saw the Society of Jesus elect its first non-European leader. "The mood is ecstatic and joyful. The first thing the new general did was embrace the outgoing general Fr Adolfo Nicolas. All electors then individually greeted him to pay allegiance to his leadership. This is done to build solidarity and celebrate as one group no matter who you voted for," said the sub-secretary of the Society of Jesus, Fr Agnelo Mascarenhas, a Jesuit from Sarzora, South Goa, who was earlier elected as the first assistant secretary to the 36th GC. Speaking to TOI over the phone from Rome, Mascarenhas said, "Being from a country which is going through a struggle, he is very much aware of the plight of migrants and the poor. He has not been to India and Africa, but he is very open to different cultures. I asked him about his plans to visit India and he said, 'No plans yet, but I will take the first opportunity to do so. One of my first trips will be to India.'" At the elections, besides being an elector, Mascarenhas’ role was to engage in the all-important job of counting votes -- which were, this year, cast digitally on a tablet. The Jesuit genreal is often nicknamed the 'Black Pope' because of his black vestments, as contrasted to the white vestments worn by the pontiff of the Catholic Church. Interestingly, both the Pope and the 'Black Pope' are Latin Americans and have known each other for many years as Jesuits provincials, having attended two general congregations together in the past. "His good relations with the Vatican City and Pope Francis will mean we can respond to challenges of the world ever more swiftly," said Fr Rosario Rocha, the provincial of the Goa province, who was the second Goan constituting the 44-member South Asian delegation. "It is a big step forward for the Society of Jesus to have a general from a third world developing country, but this is where Christianity is most vibrant today," said Fr Savio Abreu, director of Xavier Centre for Historical Research, Porvorim. "Having the first general from Latin America is truly special. It is indeed a paradigm shift. The number of Jesuits in Europe is also dwindling and the Church is looking towards other continents. Sosa is man with a vision and deeply religious, and these are exciting times ahead," said Fr Melwin Pinto, a Mangalorean Jesuit, who heads the Indian section of Vatican Radio. Sosa was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on November 12, 1948. Until Friday, he was counsellor to the former general and the delegate of the general for the international houses and works of the Society of Jesus, in Rome. The South American has a PhD in political sciences from the Universidad Central de Venezuela and speaks Spanish, Italian and English. With a long career dedicated to teaching and research, he was been an influential figure as a former professor and member of the Foundation Council of the Catholic University Andrés Bello, Venezuela, and as the rector of the Catholic University in Táchira, Venezuela. ###
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: From Camotim to Kamat (Augusto Pinto, Goa Today)
From Camotim to Kamat A Review of: Short Takes, Long Memories Prabhakar Kamat and Sharmila Kamat Rupa Publications, New Delhi, 2011. Reviewed by Augusto Pinto 'Short Takes, Long Memories' is written like a comedy film. It is narrated with a smile and many winks by former Portuguese administrador turned I.A.S. officer and diplomat Prabhakar Kamat (formerly Prabacar Camotim). He is assisted by his astrophysicist daughter Sharmila, who incidentally also writes humour columns. The narrator's background as a Goan upper class, upper caste, cosmopolitan official allows us a peek into several different worlds. The prose is "mango mood" in style: soft and sweet on the outside but there is a tough seed underneath: sharp insights lurk between the lines. His lens-eye covers a panorama that ranges from his childhood in the Goa of the Second World War years up to the present. We get glimpses of eras now forgotten. For example in the 40s: "Keeping the front door of your home closed and bolted during the day was a no-no, bordering on impropriety." Nowadays this would border on insanity. The narrator shows that although relations between different communities were cordial, there were clear boundaries. At one point Hindus and Christians and Muslims would not dine together. This posed a problem for the early Hindu eateries which opened up to all communities. The chapter 'Ek Ardha Single Phooti Safed' shows how the problem was ingeniously solved by Panjim restaurants in the early 50s: food was served in separate vessels to the multi-religious mix. A faith based code was used to tag customers and a clever waiter would identify Hindus as 'safed' ; Christians as 'fancy'; and Muslims as 'fulawar'. (Presumably no untouchable entered the restaurants.) In some ways therefore, things Goan have improved. When Camotim went to Portugal for higher studies after he completed his Liceu he had to make many adjustments - like having a bath once a week, not daily as in Goa; and avoiding eating beef in countries where it is a staple. There was some racial confusion, not all one way, as the following conversation with a serving woman that occurred at the dining table where he lodged demonstrates: "'Menino (boy) are there hens in Goa?' I would nod my head in reply, 'Do they lay eggs as well?' I assured her that the activities of Goan hens did not depart significantly from those of their cousins in the West. 'The eggs', she would continue with her quiz, 'What colour are they?' I was confused. What colour did she expect them to be? 'Are they white like my skin', she would want to know, 'or brown like yours?'" He also came across some Goan freedom fighters who, it is sad to note, were shunned by emigrant Goans out of fear of the P.I.D.E., the Portuguese secret service. The narrator however was not so afraid and befriended some prominent freedom fighters like Purushottam Kakodkar and T.B. Cunha, and even took the latter out to a concert. Apparently they could move around quite freely. The penal system in Portugal was surprisingly lax so much so that Cunha gave his captors the slip and escaped to India to continue his revolutionary activities in Bombay. Whan Camotim came back to Goa after his studies in Portugal and Switzerland he was absorbed into the Goa administração where he had direct access to the Portuguese Governor. Because of the then Indian economic blockade, shiploads of foreign goods were imported to Goa which were then smuggled into import-permit-raj India helping many an adventurer to make a fortune. However there were some disasters as when a cow which was a 'carrier' of wrist watches died en route and the customs officials came to know. As Liberation neared he also tells us of the inefficiency of the Portuguese administration which for instance sent a consignment of sausages to fight the massed Indian troops instead of hand grenades! Prabhakar Kamat (as he spells his name now) outlines in remarkably few words how the rot of corruption which we face today had systematically set in soon after Liberation. He must have seen more later in Delhi working in PM Indira Gandhi’s office. Later he became a diplomat and here his connections with old student friends in Portugal coming from African colonies, who were now leaders, came in handy. Gentle and temperate in tone, the book is one of the most readable autobiographies to come out of Goa. It avoids dwelling on family trivia but is a book that lightheartedly trips through Goa’s passage from colonial rule to integration with India. Hopefully a sequel will follow covering the many gaps in time of the narration. Book cover http://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/5934312959/in/photostream Book cover
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: The Early Diaspora "Story" that Goa Mostly Forgot... (FN)
Frederick Noronha f...@goa-india.org Alan Machado (Prabhu)'s work intrigued me since many years back when I hurriedly glanced through the pages of his book 'Sarasvati's Children' [http://amzn.to/rtBMpi] at the Thomas Stevens Konknni Kendra library in Alto Porvorim. This book gets described on Amazon.com as "a history of Mangalore's Christians". The mutual rivalry between Goans and Mangaloreans is sometimes more than obvious. But as a boy attending high school camps outside Goa, the closeness of the two communities was striking to me. Of course the language, though called Konkani in both areas, was mutually somewhat unintelligible -- having "strange" words on both sides. Maybe that could be explained away due to the gaps in geography and history. Yet, some young Mangaloreans students had me quite puzzled me with their confident comments suggesting that they had nothing to do with Goa. Bangalore-based Alan Machado [alan.macha...@gmail.com] graduated in electrical engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He worked in India and abroad, including in the UK and Sydney, Australia. But as he recently put it: "My three children are all abroad and I now have enough time for myself and writing." We -- Alan and me -- kept in touch over the years, aided perhaps with my dogged persistence over some issues which sometimes even surprises me. And our contacts and links peaked when Alan came out with his new book, a novel set amidst, you guessed it right, the Mangalore Christians. Making the most of this opportunity, I asked him how his writing was relevant to Goa, and in understanding our own past. Excerpts from an interview. While the interview starts discussing his novel, the historian in Alan quickly emerges -- so don't be led into believing that much of what follows is from the realm of fiction! * * * FN: What is this book about? How would you describe your earlier non-fiction book 'Sarasvati's Children' briefly to someone who has not read it? --- AM: 'Shades within Shadows' is first of all about real people, of Goan descent, who migrated to the Mangalore region due to deteriorating living conditions and other pressures in Goa in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1784 they were all arrested and deported to Srirangapatna [19 km from Mysore city and the de facto capital of Mysore under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan] by Tipu Sultan. Younger males were converted to Islam and forced into Tipu's military slave battalion, the Ahmedy Corps, and women and children taken into government service. Perhaps 40% survived what is known as the Captivity. In the Second Anglo Mysore war, the English had taken much of Kanara immediately after Hyder's death. Tipu's counter-attack was halted before Mangalore fort, when the news of the peace between England and France in Europe reached Mangalore. Tipu's French forces left him and, as an ally of France, Tipu was forced to sign an armistice. He then starved the fort into surrender and signed a peace treaty with the English on 11 March 1784. The arrest of the Christians occurred shortly after in a secret operation. [Background information: The Second Anglo-Mysore War (1779–1784) was a conflict in Mughal India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the British East India Company. At the time, Mysore was a key French ally in India, and the Franco-British conflict raging on account of the American Revolutionary War helped spark Anglo-Mysorean hostilities in India.] Tipu spent almost 10 months in Mangalore and this time frame is used [in the novel] as a canvas on which to paint details of the life of the community, their culture, their work, their festivals and interaction with Kanara's traditions. Most of all it is a very human story which weaves around individuals: little Paulu and Chiku, the home-grown pig, his restless brother Foka, aging Natalami and drunken Bastiao, floundering Konngi, Padre Miranda of Talaulim, Goa, who founded the seminary of Monte Mariano near Mangalore. It handles birth and love, relationships and death, and attempts to weave little stories around humourous incidents and latent fears, of ghosts and spirits and other things. And then the axe falls with their arrest on Ash Wednesday, and then the deaths multiply on the road to exile and in Srirangapatna and in Tipu's wars. Only Joao survives and returns. Shades with Shadows is a story of life and death and survival, of the destruction of the unique culture of a community, how one man's actions, whatever his motivation, nearly destroyed a community and left the traumatic events of the Captivity forever imprinted on its psyche. On the other hand, 'Sarasvati's Children' is a history of the Mangalorean Cathol
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Goa Uses Anniversary to Reimagine Itself (Naresh Fernandes, NYT Blogs)
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/goa-uses-anniversary-to-reimagine-itself/ Goa Uses Anniversary to Reimagine Itself By NARESH FERNANDES An old stone fort in Goa built by the Portuguese, in this 1927 file photo. Five decades ago on Sunday, India's armed forces marched into Goa to dislodge the Portuguese from the tiny, palm-fringed colony the European power had continued to hold on to 14 years after much of the rest of the subcontinent had been freed from British rule. Starting this week, India's smallest state will mark 50 years of democracy with a series of public concerts, a photo exhibition about its independence struggle, the laying of a foundation stone for a memorial to the 22 Indian soldiers who died in the 36-hour operation and the inauguration of a restored 16th-century fort. -- Associated Press Portuguese prisoners of war, captured during the invasion of Goa by Indian military forces, at the military barracks in Panjim, in this Dec. 28, 1961 file photo. -- The celebrations come at a time when Goa is in another period of transition. "I think that there is a new Goa that's emerging," said Peter Ronald deSouza, the director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, who is among the organizers of a conference examining Goa. "For 40 years, the idea of Goa was based on its history, its ecology and its diaspora. Now, it's being redefined as a holiday destination for travelers." DeSouza's seminar, which is organized by the Indian Institute for Advanced Study, Goa University and Portugal's Coimbra University, will take a long view of the effects of liberation -- or the "Indian invasion," as the event was termed in much of the Western press, including The New York Times. The celebrations will also be given a more serious edge by the Goa Arts and Literary Festival, which will feature several writers of Goan origin from around the world. (Full disclosure: I'm participating in the festival, too.) The program also includes the release of several books relating to Goa's past and future. These rather introspective events are somewhat at odds with the place Goa occupies in the imagination of much of India. During the past decade, fueled by Bollywood films shot in the state, many Indians have come to view Goa as a beach resort sloshing with cheap liquor, where the locals, who always dress sharp because of the legacy of their Portuguese-tinged history, do little more than loll around in the sun all day, looking cool. It's an image that irritates Goans -- and which they are keen to dispel. Many Indians "see Goa as a state that's always having fun all the time, but there's much more to it" than the postcard impressions, said Nandini Sahai, the director of the International Center Goa, which is hosting the arts and literary festival. "People here love to read -- in English, Hindi, Konkani, Marathi and Portuguese. Every second person I meet seems to be a writer, poet or artist. With the 50th year of liberation, we thought it was the perfect time to showcase this aspect of Goa." The state's 451 years of colonial rule -- among the longest anywhere in the world -- have long fascinated social scientists. "Goa interests me because its political and cultural history is so radically different from that of British India," said the historian Ramachandra Guha, whose book, "India After Gandhi," contains a detailed section about the Goa freedom struggle. "The Goan experience of nationalism and colonialism was largely unknown outside Goa, and hence, I thought, worth writing about at some length." That's among the subjects that will be discussed at the conference Mr. deSouza is helping organize, entitled, "Goa: 1961 and Beyond." Goa offers social scientists the opportunity to study "what happens when the stay of a colonial power is of a huge duration and in such a small geography," Mr. deSouza said. The Portuguese influence was, as can be imagined, incredibly complex. Many scholars have written about the conversions to Catholicism the European nation brought in, and of the horrors of the Inquisition that followed. But the interaction between Portugal and India also produced vibrant cultural hybrids in architecture, music and food. Among the state's most famous dishes is the spicy vindaloo, a curry whose name is thought to be a contraction of the Portuguese phrase "vinho de alho," or garlic wine. Besides, as Mr. deSouza pointed out, Goa was where the influence of the Enlightenment and the Renaissance in Europe was felt much before it reached other parts of India. As a result, the practice of sati -- or widows immolating themselves on their husbands' funeral pyres -- was abolished in Goa 200 years before the Briti
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Goa Uses Anniversary to Reimagine Itself (Naresh Fernandes, in NYT)
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/goa-uses-anniversary-to-reimagine-itself/ Goa Uses Anniversary to Reimagine Itself By NARESH FERNANDES An old stone fort in Goa built by the Portuguese, in this 1927 file photo. Five decades ago on Sunday, India's armed forces marched into Goa to dislodge the Portuguese from the tiny, palm-fringed colony the European power had continued to hold on to 14 years after much of the rest of the subcontinent had been freed from British rule. Starting this week, India's smallest state will mark 50 years of democracy with a series of public concerts, a photo exhibition about its independence struggle, the laying of a foundation stone for a memorial to the 22 Indian soldiers who died in the 36-hour operation and the inauguration of a restored 16th-century fort. -- Associated Press Portuguese prisoners of war, captured during the invasion of Goa by Indian military forces, at the military barracks in Panjim, in this Dec. 28, 1961 file photo. -- The celebrations come at a time when Goa is in another period of transition. "I think that there is a new Goa that's emerging," said Peter Ronald deSouza, the director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, who is among the organizers of a conference examining Goa. "For 40 years, the idea of Goa was based on its history, its ecology and its diaspora. Now, it's being redefined as a holiday destination for travelers." DeSouza's seminar, which is organized by the Indian Institute for Advanced Study, Goa University and Portugal's Coimbra University, will take a long view of the effects of liberation -- or the "Indian invasion," as the event was termed in much of the Western press, including The New York Times. The celebrations will also be given a more serious edge by the Goa Arts and Literary Festival, which will feature several writers of Goan origin from around the world. (Full disclosure: I'm participating in the festival, too.) The program also includes the release of several books relating to Goa's past and future. These rather introspective events are somewhat at odds with the place Goa occupies in the imagination of much of India. During the past decade, fueled by Bollywood films shot in the state, many Indians have come to view Goa as a beach resort sloshing with cheap liquor, where the locals, who always dress sharp because of the legacy of their Portuguese-tinged history, do little more than loll around in the sun all day, looking cool. It's an image that irritates Goans -- and which they are keen to dispel. Many Indians "see Goa as a state that's always having fun all the time, but there's much more to it" than the postcard impressions, said Nandini Sahai, the director of the International Center Goa, which is hosting the arts and literary festival. "People here love to read -- in English, Hindi, Konkani, Marathi and Portuguese. Every second person I meet seems to be a writer, poet or artist. With the 50th year of liberation, we thought it was the perfect time to showcase this aspect of Goa." The state's 451 years of colonial rule -- among the longest anywhere in the world -- have long fascinated social scientists. "Goa interests me because its political and cultural history is so radically different from that of British India," said the historian Ramachandra Guha, whose book, "India After Gandhi," contains a detailed section about the Goa freedom struggle. "The Goan experience of nationalism and colonialism was largely unknown outside Goa, and hence, I thought, worth writing about at some length." That's among the subjects that will be discussed at the conference Mr. deSouza is helping organize, entitled, "Goa: 1961 and Beyond." Goa offers social scientists the opportunity to study "what happens when the stay of a colonial power is of a huge duration and in such a small geography," Mr. deSouza said. The Portuguese influence was, as can be imagined, incredibly complex. Many scholars have written about the conversions to Catholicism the European nation brought in, and of the horrors of the Inquisition that followed. But the interaction between Portugal and India also produced vibrant cultural hybrids in architecture, music and food. Among the state's most famous dishes is the spicy vindaloo, a curry whose name is thought to be a contraction of the Portuguese phrase "vinho de alho," or garlic wine. Besides, as Mr. deSouza pointed out, Goa was where the influence of the Enlightenment and the Renaissance in Europe was felt much before it reached other parts of India. As a result, the practice of sati -- or widows immolating themselves on their husbands' funeral pyres -- was abolished in Goa 200 years before the Briti
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: 16100 books... academic papers... a botanical garden... (TSKK report, 2011)
--- Annual Goanetters Meet --- The annual Goanetters Meet is scheduled for the first week in January 2012. Details to follow. If you plan to attend, send an email to eve...@goanet.org with contact details so we could reach you once the details are finalized. --- 1. Academic Exercises: Fr. Apolinario Cardozo, Executive Director, wrote a series of articles for the Dor Mhoineachi Rotti a Konknni monthly on the life of Jesuit Saints. The September issue published an article entitled Bhagevont Alberto Hurtado, Chile-cho Apostol. The subsequent issues contained articles on Bhagevont Pedru Claver- Gulamancho Askari (1580-1654) Bhagevont Stanislaus Kostka (1550-1568) and Bhagevont John Berchmans (1591-1621). Fr. Efraim Gracias, Administrator, has also been contributing articles regularly to the Dor Mhoineachi Rotti. He published a series on the life of St. Ignatius each month till date, under the title Loyolacho Bhagevont Inas, Hachi Kotha-1. The series contained Inasache ‘Atmik Veayam' (Spiritual Exercises), Povitr-Sobhek Dennem, Inasachea Bhavartachem Khoddop: Jezu, Inas Bondkhonnint and Jezuitanche Sonvsthechi Sthapna. Dr. Chandralekha D'Souza, Director of Academic and Research, published an article Xikxonna Vixim Xikxonn Divpi Vichar in Jaag, a Konknni monthly of August- September issue. Dr. Pratap Naik, joint Director of Academic and Research prepared Hansun Khellun Xikum-ia a Konknni Primer for KG level in Roman Script. Broadway Publishing House, Panaji has published this book. The book was released by Fr. Conceição D'Silva, the Parish priest of Taleigão Church, on July 01 2011. Pratap Naik has written articles entitled Medium of Instruction: a boon or bane, Mother tongue, Medium of Instruction: Myths and facts, Child is the Centre of education, Medium of Instruction at a glance, Primary Education scenario in Goa for local dailies. His articles Marathicized Konknni versus Konknni and Konkani's Past, Present and Future were published in Goa Today monthly of September and November issues respectively. Kavita Magazine published Pratap Naik's article 450 years of Printing in India (6.8.1556 – 6.8.2006). After TSKK Report 2010 was printed, Pratap Naik's Konknni articles Kola, Kolakar, Puroskar and Tal Naslolem Notal were published in Christmas issues of Dirvem Konknni weekly and Sangati Mithr Konknni monthly in their Christmas issues. Pratap's academic assistance and guidance was sought by number of researchers from India and abroad. He has guided a few researchers through e-mail. TSKK Research Bulletin: Sôd 15 was released on 15 September. Fr. Pratap Naik has edited this issue. It contains articles: Amchi Nodor by the Editor; Fr. Thomas Stephens: the Shakespeare of the Konkan Coast (1549-1619) by Fr. Francis Correa; The Logic of Ol Chiki by Mr. T. Vijayendra; The folk Plays of Salcete: Jack Santan Menezes (1898-1939) by Dr. José Pereira, "Sod vavr ani tachem mohotv" by Pratap Naik; Sindhi Language ready to take off in Roman Script by Mr. Wilmix Wilson Mazarello; Contribution of Missionaries to Konknni Linguistics by Pratap Naik; Albee and the theatre of the absurd by Dr. Sandhya Bhandare; and Dakhni by Mr. T. Vijayendra. 2. Projects: TSKK is developing an archive of its flora and fauna in photography form. The Photo gallery of its botanical garden flowers was opened during the Konknni Story Telling Competition on November 26. 3. Courses, Seminars, Lectures & Workshops: TSKK Staff, Fr. Pratap Naik, Ms. Minakshi Khandolkar and Ms. Sampada Chodankar conducted one month crash courses in Konknni for the beginners from all walks of life. The following benefited from these: Dr. Leif Höckerstedt, a retired sociolinguistics professor from Finland, (March 5-31); Fr. Conrad Mascarenhas, S.J. of Bombay Province (March 14-31); Mr. Chinmay, a Ph.D. student of linguistics studying in IIT, Mumbai; an NRI, a student from England and another from Calcutta (June 1-30 ), Ms. Anupa Akre in Devanagiri (June 1-30) Brig. Christopher Fernandes, his Wife and Daughter (7 June to July 7), Sr. Amala Kulandai Samy (July 7 to August 6), a retired teacher of St. Xavier's High Secondary School, Mapusa (August 8 to September 9), Sr. Orpha Tirkey, an ICM sister (August to September 22). From October Fr. Pratap Naik is conducting a crash Konknni Linguistic Course for teaching purposes. It is being attended by Dr. Chandralekha D' Souza,
[Goanet] REVIEW: A Kind of Absence... Life in the shadow of history (Robert S Newman, Amazon.com)
--- Annual Goanetters Meet --- Annual Goanetters Meet - January 3, 2012 - 12:30 - 2pm Tourist Hostel, near the Old Secretariat, Panaji (Panjim) Planning to attend? Send an email to eve...@goanet.org with contact details --- A Kind of Absence Life in the shadow of history [Paperback] Joao da Veiga Coutinho (Author) 3.0 out of 5 stars An Exile from Paradise Lost, February 12, 2009 By Robert S. Newman "Bob Newman" (Marblehead, Massachusetts USA) This review is from: A kind of absence: Life in the shadow of history Goa, now a bustling, overcrowded, tourist haven on the Arabian Sea coast of India south of Mumbai, used to be a sleepy backwater lost to the world in a Portuguese colonial empire that had forgotten to look at the clock. A Portuguese-speaking elite dominated the place for many years, Catholic by religion, Indian by blood, and belonging almost exclusively to the Brahmin caste [which they had never discarded on conversion]. In 1961, when the Indian army arrived to expel the long-lingering Portuguese, this elite abruptly lost its privileges. Unlike say, the Soviet occupation of various places, nobody was shot, nobody jailed. All you had to do was join the new rulers, sit back and fume silently, or, if you desired, exile yourself to Portugal, North America, or anywhere you could find a secure spot. But now, absorbed into the new India, a nation teeming with linguistic, religious, ethnic, and caste minorities, Goans began to wonder "who am I and how do I fit into such an enormous society?" The present volume is a very intelligent, thoughtful, long essay on that topic. The author, a Catholic Brahmin ex-priest from an elite family living at the very center of the Indo-Portuguese world in Goa, ponders what it means to be Goan. Couched in clear, almost lyrical language, it is an attempt to establish a Goan identity, a series of inquiries conducted at times as a dialogue with persons unknown, or maybe with himself. The modern world, as the author notes, has created untold millions of people without much identity... the alienated masses, if you like. I admired this attempt and consider it a valuable book for Goans in particular and for anyone wishing to understand more about that small, coconut-palm shaded corner of the world. My criticism is that the book does not go far enough; the author cannot burst the bonds of his own past. Nobody can do that a hundred percent, fair enough. But if you are going to write on anthropological themes, you must, to some extent, get beyond your own perspectives and the biases you absorbed in childhood. Da Veiga Coutinho sees India as "the other", not as "us". It is alien and scary, dirty, crumbling, chaotic. He rejects any possibility that it could be "home". There are two kinds of Catholic Goans: the christianized and the lusitanized. The former are Catholic, but Indian in most sensibilities. They make up the vast majority of Catholic Goans... even if they disparage what they see as Bad Habits from Beyond the Ghats, they remain--to an outsider's eye, irrevocably Indian. The lusitanized Goans saw themselves as Portuguese, spoke Portuguese, and were actually able to fit into Portuguese society. These were a minority, many of whom now live in Portugal, Europe or North America. There is also a large class of English-educated Goan emigrants to [mainly] the Anglo-Saxon world. In their struggle to succeed and fit in, they have lost their identity to a large extent. Their travails are another matter, however, separate from the content of this book. The truth is that Goa has never ceased to be Indian over the centuries, no matter what the Church or the Salazar regime claimed. To recognize this is the necessary first step in forging a Goan identity. I feel that da Veiga Coutinho was still in denial. He felt more Portuguese than Indian. His personal story is interesting and poetic; his take on the whole matter is divorced from his Indian roots. http://amzn.to/vYf9H4 --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: GOA -- enlightening experience, bamboozling future (Menin Rodrigues, Karachi)
GOA -- enlightening experience, bamboozling future By Menin Rodrigues Karachi, Pakistan menin...@gmail.com JANUARY 8, 2012 - I returned to Goa after 24 months to attend a family wedding in Colva. It was a wonderful, enlightening experience and we shared great moments of joy and camaraderie -- there being a bond that continues to lure me back to my roots. I hail from Karachi, Pakistan where we are about 15,000 Goans, a fact that came as a surprise to people I met here! The reason I like to share my experiences of Goa is because as a visitor I see Goa from a different perspective to what Goans in Goa would do in addressing some challenges that this beautiful state faces now and would have to deal with it in the future. Firstly, I view Goa from three different angles, the quiet village life in all its enchanting ways, the bustling commercial and developmental activity that is transforming Goa and the third angle being quite perplexing, who's Goa it is today? Though I see Goa's identity to be well in place but its continuing infrastructural warp is bamboozling! So who's Goa it is today? There being too many stakeholders to Goa’s wealth -- its land, lifestyle and values -- its colors keep changing, some exciting, some strange and some garish. This mystical state which has so much to offer in terms of its heavenly environment, unique persona and unwavering freedom, now seems a little out of control. The priest at the Colva church in his new year's night Homily said, "Last year Goa had 400,000 tourists/visitors and this year an estimated 800,000 people have converged on Goa, why?" There was concern in his voice and I found it relevant. When Mass was over at 12.30 am, I walked back to our home against the tide, revelers, a multitude of people, just too many! Goa looked garish to me for the first time. Coming to the bustling commercial and developmental activity in Goa towns, I found it to be realistic but also astonishing. The economies of scale are enticing and will continue to give Goa the shocks of a perceived facelift, a new architectural profile. But is Goa losing its character? Goa has a history that is as rich as its alluvial soil, it must be preserved, not just its culture but infrastructure too. Therefore, its current and future growth calls for a balanced economic and social intervention. I am sure Goans would not like to see their beloved region turn into a gaudy township that has no meaning! Likewise, I would like to come back to Goa time and again to a home my parents loved so much! Nevertheless, in this entire melee, there remains a part of Goa that still is Goa! The life in the not-too-distant villages, interspersed with narrow winding 'good' roads and adjoining fields. The sun peeps through the towering coconut trees and a variety of fruit-trees, while a tender breeze whizzes past the plains and into the airy verandahs and homes. It was Christmas time again, the families and children were at home, the day time fun evolved around youth frolicking with the 'Old Man' collecting mite and awaiting to ring in the new year! Nights through the villages were magical for a city-buff like me; I simply enjoyed the site of stars, stars and more stars, as well as the number of neighborhood cribs! I went to visit a cousin in Benaulim and insisted that I sit in the verandah and enjoy their hospitality amidst the backdrop of nature in its pristine beauty. This kind of feeling for a visitor, if it disappears because of uncontrolled development, will be a great loss that Goa will never be able to explain to its children in the future. Goa continues to lure people and I am one of them! # # # # Readers are welcome to write to me at menin...@gmail.com Visit: http://www.goansofpakistan.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Mel and me... (Ron Young, in the Downhomer magazine, Canada)
Mel and me... by Ron Young Longtime readers know that when this magazine began life in 1988 as the Downhomer, I was working as a police officer in downtown Toronto. Editing the magazine consumed almost every minute of my spare time. Our readers back then were mainly Newfoundlanders living away from the province, and the magazine's purpose, as the slogan proclaimed, was "Serving Newfoundlanders Wherever They May Be." But in August 1989, an "outlander" dropped by my home office in Brampton, Ontario, and offered his services as an illustrator. He and his wife had just returned from their first trip to Newfoundland, and he was so captivated by the island's scenic beauty and the friendliness of the people that he wanted to get more involved with "Newfoundland things." That individual was Mel D'Souza. Before Mel took over as our graphic artist, the illustrations in the Downhomer were products of my limited artistic imagination. With Mel on board we launched the popular puzzle, "Different Strokes," for which he created the characters Ern and Coal Bin and incorporated scenes from Newfoundland and Labrador. Also, his annual trips to various parts of the province enabled Mel to accumulate a vast library of photographs that have been featured in the magazine over the years. Meanwhile the Downhomer was becoming known by other mainlanders, and we regularly received letters from them requesting more information about Newfoundland. One Saturday afternoon in August 1994, I called Mel and suggested that we should devote a page in the Downhomer to letters received from non-Newfoundlanders. Mel agreed, but also suggested a column written by a non-Newfoundlander about experiences of Newfoundland should anchor the page. I thought it was a good idea and, naturally, asked Mel to write it. Mel confessed he was not a writer and had never written a column, but agreed to give it a try. Then he suggested forming a fraternity of people who love Newfoundland and who would promote the province in their respective provinces, states or countries. We formed the CFA (Come-From-Away) Club on the spot, with Mel as the coordinator. Within a few years, the number of card-carrying CFA Club members had grown to more than 300 people in Canada and the United States, and a few in the UK, Germany and Australia. Not long after, I changed the Downhomer slogan to "A Little Part of Newfoundland for People Everywhere." In 1995, my son Grant suggested we publish a Newfoundland cookbook. Having never tackled such a project before, we didn't know what to expect. But once I got started, the book took on a life of its own and turned into much more than a cookbook. The Downhomer Almanac and Cookbook I compiled a slew of excellent recipes submitted by our readers, plus a section of home remedies and a fair sprinkling of poems, words of wisdom, helpful hints, tidbits and trivia. When the almanac was ready to go to press, I showed the manuscript to Mel. He looked it over and pointed out that without illustrations, the pages looked somewhat bare. So I asked him to come up with a few illustrations. Mel put pen to paper and in six months he designed 500 cartoons and thumbnail sketches. The book became a national bestseller in less than a year, and almost 100,000 copies later it is still selling well. Since then, Mel has illustrated nearly every book put out by Downhome Publishing and his drawings have graced books by other Newfoundland authors. A popular title is 12 Years, 12 Differences - a compilation of "Different Strokes" puzzles from the first 12 years of Downhome magazine. Mel has also written a new book, Feasts, Feni and Firecrackers, about his school days in a village in Goa, India, between 1947 and 1952 - when Goa was Portuguese territory. "Feni" is the Goan equivalent of Screech rum, and the illustrated short stories paint a rural scene that explains Mel's infatuation with Newfoundland, which he calls "my little Goa." The CFA Club was disbanded in September 2003 and Mel's columns turned to promoting the southwest coast of Newfoundland - then known as the "Forgotten Coast." He bought a summer home in Francois and began working with the community to promote local tourism. Francois has made great strides in attracting more visitors, and Mel credits its success to the drive and foresight of its mayor, Kim Courtney, and the involvement of the community in general. Nineteen years after he first walked into my office back in Brampton, Mel, now 70, is still actively involved with Downhome. He takes his one-week winter break to visit Lila and me in St. John's every January, when he meets with all his friends on the Avalon Peninsula and enjoys the best of Newfoundland's winter. And every summer he heads for the friendly shores of Francois, to absorb its ambience and write about its isolated beauty. http://www.downhomelife.com/article.php?id=483 --- Protect Goa's
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Bwana Karani -- a story well told, from the heart of Africa (Roland Francis)
a simple but real story, in a documentary rather than critical style, uncomplicated by the social inequities of the day -- the racial bias of the Brits, the caste system of the Goans and the generally poor treatment meted out to the African population by the aliens living there -- whether Goan, Asian, Brits or South African. Bwana Karani (Mr. Clerk of the Realm, Sir) has received favorable reviews from the author's former bosses. There were many, since Mervyn was frequently transferred from one frontier district to another. All of them endorse Mervyn's telling of the tale. Even for them, his book was a rebirth of memories they would take to their graves. For all their sins of supporting a system that did their county proud but inflicted insult on their subordinates, they were a bunch of outstanding men. Britain recognized them in many ways, not least in giving them important positions elsewhere when their time in Africa came to an end. The book should be a part of Goan Diaspora folklore. The decision to leave a beautiful and serene Goa to brave the unknown in parts of the world that in an age of primitive communications, very few people knew about. To take a part of your custom and tradition with you wherever you went. To keep your community's inherent gift of hospitality and spread it to others when it was sorely needed. To have a wife and family that supported you through thick and thin. To remember the family and the villagers you left behind at every given opportunity. That is the essence of Bwana Karani as it was in Just Matata. There is no overlap of the two books. One is of life lived, the other of faithful service rendered. Both stories are well told, in simplicity but in faultless language. If you read both, you will experience East Africa as you have not done before. More than just stories, these are part of the Goan identity, the Diaspora, the complete divorce from Sussegado. Now that the world has become a village, there are no more Africas to live in. The Persian Gulf has become a modern entity. No more struggles to endure, no wild west situations to encounter. North America and Australia remain but those are oases of high civilization. You come, you fit it and you forget where you came from. Unfortunately, Bwana Karani is not easily available. On Amazon it sells for a high price, but if you communicate with the author (mervynels.watusha...@gmail.com) who sometimes writes on Goanet, he will part with a copy, autographed if requested, for 10 British pounds plus whatever postage is incurred. The author has donated most of the proceeds received, to the Catholic Mission in Marsabit (one of the districts in Kenya where he served) and will continue to do so for all his future sales. COVER http://bit.ly/zKmzeC -- Goanet Reader welcomes articles of relevance to the wider task of understanding Goa and her people. Submissions via f...@goa-india.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Getting going -- how to get started in a traditional Goan game (Maria de Lourdes Bravo da Costa Rodrigues)
GETTING GOING: HOW TO GET STARTED IN A TRADITIONAL GOAN GAME BOOK EXTRACT: By Maria de Lourdes Bravo da Costa Rodrigues This is an extract from the just-released book 'Games That We Played: Traditional Goan Sports'.The 90-page book covers indoor games (pretending games, board games like snakes and ladders, tiktem, tabblam, waganni, carrom, money-money, gulianim and draughts), card games (including burro or donkey, bluff), outdoor games (chasing games, catching, hiding games like non ke par, and racing games), games of exertion (including tug of war, cock-fight or kombea zuz) and games of skill from marbles or godde, to cruzada or attya-pattya, logorio or seven tiles, fotash or the popgun, khoindo bhal, and biyanni or cashew nut based games). Note that the terms used below are merely a reflection of the games as these existed, though some might be seen as politically incorrect going by current standards of usage. A game may start spontaneously without any ritual to select who should be the 'chaser'or 'den' by following the norms applied traditionally by the players. However, children feel a game is not a proper one if such matters as to who is to be allowed to play, what the boundaries are to be, and whether dropping-out is to be permitted have not first been settled. Most often one player has to take a part that is different from the rest; and all children have, or affect to have an insurmountable objection to being the first one to take this part, and they try their level best to avoid being the 'chaser'or the 'den'. How to select a 'den' Different methods are used to select a den: 1. Odd man out: For selecting the person by this method, the players stand in a circle facing inwards,with their hands behind their backs, and chant in unison 'Ram, Ram, ray, sai, sutleo?' They whip their hands from behind their backs, clapping in rhythm with a palm facing upwards or downwards. On the word 'sutleo', the exercise reaches a climax, and the players stop clapping. They then look around to see if any player is 'odd', that is to say, holding his hands in a different position from the others. The majority moves out and the remaining continue. However, if only two players are left, a third one joins in to facilitate and decide who the 'odd'one is from among the last two. 2. The normal way the young decide who is to have the unpopular part in a game is to form the players in a line or circle, and count along the line the number of counts prescribed by the words of some little rhyme. Players form a circle and one of them starts reciting a rhyme and for every word he or she points at a player. The player with the last word is out. This continues till only one player is left. This player will be the den or chaser and the game begins. Or, alternatively, he is counted 'out' and stands aside while the rhyme is repeated and a second player eliminated, and so on, until only one player remains - on whom the count has never fallen - and that player is the unlucky one. This procedure is also known as 'dip'. There are countless numbers of dips and they can be of almost any length, cast in almost any mould, be either sense or nonsense, and need not even be a rhyme. On occassions the players may merely count to twenty-one and whoever the number twenty-one falls on becomes the chaser or den. Alternatively they may recite the alphabet to the twentyfirst letter, A,B,C,D,E,F, ... S,T, 'You!', or just repeat the vowels A,E,I,O, You, or ask the player what colour he has chosen. If its 'ORANGE!' he is asked to spell out and at every letter point out to a player. For example, O.R.A.N.G.E., You! Another option can be to count the numbers, like, one, two, three, Out! More often the process of 'dipping' is more anxiety prone and time-consuming as the 'dip' has to be repeated as many times, less one, as there are players, since the player the 'dip' ends on is not selected but eliminated. The person pointed at stands aside, and the rest face the ordeal of being counted again. The Rhymes or Chants: i. Aptti, dhoptti Khauchem pan; Gal go, Bebi Mogem pan Aa, po, Ginga, po Cari miri, cara po! ii. Aptti, dhoptti, Khaunchem pan; Caddi go, bebi, Muzo can; A, po, ginga, po, Cara, meli, po'. The above rhyme has variations like 'aptti, dhoptti, cazuchem pan' ... the rest remains the same. iii Avanari, Tavanari, Ticri tem, Aussene, Zaussene English man; Ing, Ping, Slesting! iv. Addam, Taddam Tattar baja Udca, tittca Decha, majha Alim, jalim Fulim v. Attli Battli Choneachi battli Tup Korun futtli Van Tutli vi. Atlo patlo Fulamcho patlo Tuzo Mazo Soput sutlo. vii Adao, pedao Saco de Melao, Dao, Ding Pass, Puss Cuj cu Caiu fuss viii Inky, pinky, ponky My daddy bought a donkey The donkey died, Daddy cried, Inky, pinky, ponky ix. Eeny, meeny, miney, mo Catch a nigger by
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Before a single vote is caste ... (FN)
Before a single vote is caste ... Frederick Noronha The voter in Goa is fast losing control over the electoral machine. At every election, a notional sense of power is handed over to the citizen. But democracy surely means more than punching a single electronic button once every five years. Not only is the voter totally dis-empowered in between elections, but his or her role even in deciding at poll time is also reduced to the absolute minimum. It would not be an exaggeration to say that many election results are decided on before even a single vote is cast. Political parties completely lack inner-party democracy. Their mode of selecting candidates is wholly untransparent. Party leadership at the helm decide everything, often sitting 2000 kilometres away. At poll time, the leadership comes up with catchwords such as "win-ability", as if this is enough to justify their controversial nominees. As it exists, the system also disallows new parties from growing without access to big money. As if this is not enough, party tickets sometimes get simply auctioned. Cases of this have come up in the run-up to this year's elections too. But it's not just money-power that decides. Elsewhere in the electoral field, factors like caste decide who contents where. This is as bad as any form of inner-party dictatorship. Then, there is the issue of match-fixing. Ironically, such games have been repeatedly played, without anyone even noticing them. "Third" candidates are propped up in the race. Given the narrow margins in many seats in Goa, it is not surprising that the "alternative" candidate often plays no role other than that of a spoiler in the race. These "candidates" put on a mock fight for the sake of pushing the result in a certain direction. For their 'job', they obviously do not lose. Now, such games are becoming more open. Even before nominations can be filed, politicians are themselves raising the issue. Surendra Furtado has also spoken about "match fixing" in the context of Panjim. The smaller parties have proved to be little of an option in Goa, with both their leaders and entire parties swinging opportunistically while claiming to work to fulfil their "people's decision". There are other forms of manipulation of the electorate. Groups of voters -- often on the basis of religion or caste -- are manipulated, and pushed into block voting for one or the other candidate. It is easy to manipulate the minority sentiment. So far, the over-simplistic argument was that minorities needed to vote against "communalism". That meant backing the Congress, or one of its splinter groups. This of course helped the politicians concerned, but such painted-into-a-corner groups could be easily taken for granted for five long years and more. Term after term. Today, the boot is on the other foot. After realising how this game can be played, other parties (particularly the BJP and its supporters) are targetting the Congress by highlighting the single point agenda of "corruption". There is more than an element of truth in the link between the ruling party and corruption. The Congress is worse than the other parties because it is so disorganised and decentralised in the manner in which it allows corruption to grow under its roof. But none of the other parties are lily white. Once the bogeyman of corruption is made a single-point electoral issue, the voter can similarly be assured of being again taken for granted. Money-power, media-manipulation of public sentiments, and the mischevious deletion of names from electoral rolls are among the other serious concerns that the voter needs to grapple with. The alternative to the problematic reality we have in place is not pessimism or cynicism. Each voter needs to realise that democracy is not merely paying darshan before an EVM once in half-a-decade. It is a daily battle, to ensure our rights are protected, to make sure that Goa goes into its tomorrow with a vision and direction, and above all to firmly disallow one's sentiments being manipulated for the greater greed and ambitions of any individual or party. ### Contact the writer at f...@goa-india.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Honeymoon in the Wilds (Elsie Maciel)
HONEYMOON IN THE WILDS Elsie Maciel mervynels.watuwasha...@gmail.com 1952: I'd always dreamed about getting married on the roadside of the Great Rift Valley escarpment in the beautiful little chapel the Italian prisoners-of-war had built, to mark the end of their work on the building of the Nairobi-Nakuru highway. But my parents wanted the wedding to be in their newly-built home in Kitale (in the White Highlands). And so, we had a wonderful wedding day on August 16 (1952) at my family's Kitale home. At dawn, one of the former Italian prisoners-of-war came, carrying in his hand, a shallow basket of real orange blossoms. What bride could not hold her breath at such a sight? Trust an Italian to bring that romantic touch. After the wedding reception, I left with my newly-wed husband Mervyn, on the evening of our wedding day, leaving our many guests still celebrating. Our honeymoon in the wilds began as we left Kitale by that sleek weekend train, joining the romantic Uganda-Mombasa Mail at Eldoret, and then on to Nairobi for a stay. The dinner on the train was a perfect wedding celebration. The next day, we boarded the Nanyuki-bound train from Nairobi. Quite to our surprise, two friends had driven all the way from Isiolo to pick us up at Nyeri (facing Mt. Kenya). From here, we drove on to Isiolo via Nanyuki. At Isiolo, our friends had organised a right Royal reception at which we were able to meet many of the Goans from that area. At sunset the following day, we boarded a heavily-loaded truck at Isiolo for the onward journey to Marsabit. We drove through part of the dark night, before pitching camp at Laisamis, amidst roaring camp fires. I sat on a log, absorbing the atmosphere and looking out for a roaring lion! As we settled down, I saw, through the haze, a hysterical Rendille woman holding a child and making a dash for Mervyn. In what appeared to be a begging posture, she pleaded for a lift to Marsabit to take her sick child to hospital. She turned to me and said, "watoto wengi", wishing me many children in Swahili. I watched Mervyn as the Chief and important tribesmen arrived to greet him and shake his hand warmly as though he'd been away for a long time. He handled to whole situation with authority and good grace. I looked towards the sick child, about 11 years old, and as I shook his hand I felt his fevered skin. I offered his Mum half an aspirin tablet which she promptly gave to her child. I thought no more of it. The sky filled up with more and more stars; I'd never really noticed stars as I'd never camped out in the open before. The breathtaking scene made me feel I could touch the sky! Ever since, the night sky, rare shooting stars and stardust, remain my grace before bedtime. Two camp beds were soon set up for us, and with my hand in the hand of my hero, I fell asleep, safe and secure. We entered Marsabit early the next morning, in an unusual, almost magical cold and dense mist. A group of very happy women had waited around a U-bend to surprise us with presents of sheep and lambs, the best of their flock. I was lost for words and did not know how to cope with such kindness and generosity. By the time we arrived at the Government boma, we had six animals, with more people waiting along the route to surprise and greet us. We had breakfast with our neighbours, yet another celebration spread! Our host and hostess, who had also been recently married, knew the feeling. After breakfast, came the most spectacular moment. Mervyn walked me down the garden path, his eyes beaming with pride and laughter, to the door of our new home. We made a fairy-tale entrance. From the moment I set eyes on the lovely stone cottage, with its tin roof, I couldn't stop making plans for it. By the afternoon, the township Chief and Elders held a tea party for us. The women had turned out in brightly-coloured clothes of silk and satin, while the men folk wore their traditional attire. They welcomed us warmly to the festive occasion. Beautifully-dyed, hand-woven circular and square straw mats, almost in geometric design, decked the walls of the reception room. Ours hosts sang, danced and ululated, after which we drank very sweet, strong and hot spicy tea while others sipped soft drinks. The Chief's wife presented me with twelve large walnut-sized amber beads. One afternoon, soon after we'd arrived in Marsabit, there was a knock at the door. I opened it only to find the most magnificent DUBAS (Frontier Tribal Policeman), in his special snow-white uniform gleaming in the bright sunlight, with his post-office-red turban, the ammunition in his highly polished bandolier, his rifle strapped to his left shoulder. In his right arm was a great big bunch of Fireball lilies which seemed to match his t
[Goanet] CONTROVERSY: The MOCA replies...
CONTROVERSY: THE MOCA REPLIES Fr. Avinash Rebelo, President Museum of Christian Art Santa Monica Convent -- Old Goa museumofchristian...@gmail.com The Museum of Christian Art (MOCA) has been very much in the news over the last week and unfortunately there has been an extent of misinformation/incorrect statements appearing in the media. The objective of this note is to set the records right. Three years prior to the inauguration of the Museum in 1994, Prof. Teotonio R. De Sousa, then Director, Xavier Center of Historical Research had been entrusted to prepare an inventory of the art objects in the churches and main chapels of Goa, which he did so painstakingly with field assistance of Mr Fausto Colaco and Mr Felix Ferrao. Based on this inventory, Ms. Maria Helena Mendes Pinto (Curator of Arte Antiga, Lisbon) and Ms. M.da Conceicao Borges (also of the same Museum) after a round through the churches and chapels made a final selection of the art objects to be displayed in the Museum. It is unfortunate that a few volumes of this inventory have disappeared from the Museum when at Rachol. Mr. Victor Hugo Gomes a Graduate in Fine Arts, not Museology, was appointed as Junior Curator. His main task was to collect the selected objects from the churches and the chapels. He left the services of the Museum around 4 months after the inauguration of the Museum. We can justifiably say that the Museum has one of the finest catalogues of items on display, in India. The inputs to the catalogue have been culled from the inventory painstakingly produced by qualified Museologists from Gulbenkian and the MOCA and with the support of professional photographers. To say that the Museum has no inventory is displaying total ignorance of fact or deliberate attempt to malign. Providing security cover for a Museum involves providing security guards and electronic surveillance and the extent of coverage by both depends on the budget available. MOCA had been sanctioned an initial budget of Rs 3 lakhs (or Rs. 25000 p.m.) by the State Government for meeting the costs of security guards, subsequently increased to Rs 4.5 lakhs in recent years. Within this limited budget only four guards (from a reputable Mumbai security contractor who has several industrial and commercial clients in Goa) could be paid for doing duty at the Museum on a 24-hour basis. It is unfortunate that there was only one guard at the time around the change of shift on the evening of 25th January, a lapse on the part of the security contractor for which explanation has been sought, as our contract with them stipulates that at any given time there would be 2 guards at the Museum. For the other systems that were put in place the MOCA had to find its own funds. It was able to do so but only to the extent of a CCTV system and a burglar alarm system. The CCTV system was used mainly for surveillance of visitors and it did not have a recording system. Frequent power outages and severe voltage surges often caused damage to the Museum equipment and frequently resulted in erratic functioning and false alarms from the alarm system. Because of this and the risk of a short circuit resulting in fire, a set of keys were kept with the security in charge. Security at the MOCA was provided to prevent theft and burglary. What took place at the MOCA on 25th January was dacoity i.e. armed forceful entry. The cost of provision of armed guards would have been outside our budget. With regard to insurance cover, it may be noted that when MOCA tried to insure the Museum and its objects, we were informed that there were no schemes in India to insure Museums because of the high and indeterminable antiquity value of the objects and even if it were possible the premium involved would have been extremely high. We were also informed that Government owned and sponsored Museums are not insured but usually function under a sovereign guarantee. MOCA had no role to play in either receiving or disbursing of funds for setting up the Museum. The Gulbenkian Foundation and INTACH who funded the project handled this between them and on completion handed the Museum to the Museum of Christian Art Society. No funds were provided by either The Gulbenkian Foundation or INTACH to the Museum for its operation. This was solely the responsibility of the Museum of Christian Art Society. A fund collecting arm of the Museum, 'Amigos de Rachol' under the chairmanship of Bal Mundkur set out to collect funds through donations for the Museum and advertisements for a souvenir brochure. The ambitious target of collection was not met and we were told by 'Amigos de Rachol' that this was because expense
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: A harrowing tale of Goan migrants in Mangalore (Shades within Shadows, reviewed by Ben Antao)
A harrowing tale of Goan migrants in Mangalore A review by Ben Antao alan.macha...@gmail.com Shades within Shadows by Alan Machado (Prabhu), 61, is a moving story of Goans who migrated from Goa in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries to Kanara in the wake of the Inquisition and extreme economic hardships in Goa, and their subsequent harrowing experiences in Mangalore at the hands of Tipu Sultan (1782-1799) who forced them to embrace Islam. This reverse conversion took place during the 15-year Captivity of 1784 in Srirangapatna when the Christian population of 40,000 was decimated and reduced to 10,000 by 1800. Only one member of the Christian family of Joao Prabhu, originally from Aldona, Goa, survived this holocaust. And it falls to the lot of Alan Machado (Prabhu), a descendant of Joao Prabhu, to narrate this historical tragedy. Machado's writing style is literary. His forte is description as he revels in the personification of Nature and animals. The Christian life and rituals of the early migrants are deeply rendered as well as the Hindu myths of gods and goddesses, the local lore of removing the evil eye, and the warding off the spirits of the dead. Rice and fruit cultivations are portrayed with engagement as only one close to the soil could write. Here's a sample of his writing: “Summer’s unrelenting heat had dried Jaki’s fields, caked and cracked them. The cakes crumbled and powdered. Juvenile spirits with no name came to play on the dusty fields. They crossed and recrossed the dry earth in sudden playful spurts, whirled the dust into little sulligallis,and rode the whirligigs of directionless energy, until tiring, they dropped the dust and dried leaves in a puff and disappeared into the earth.” The author does a lot of 'telling' and not enough 'showing' the story, a common weakness of untutored story tellers. Showing the story through action and dialogue immediately grabs the reader's interest and absorbs him in the story. I liked the author's technique of narrating the story of the Captivity by means of historical documentary judiciously interspersed through the chapters detailing the living conditions of the Prabhu family, a life lived within the fearsome shadow of the tiger Tipu Sultan. Thus the author begins with a note from the Viceroy of Goa to the King of Portugal, 18 June 1750. It states in part, "In several villages, on account of the debts and burdens arising from the last war, a great many Christians, ashamed of misery, have abandoned their fatherland to go and settle in the lands of the infidels, imperiling their souls." The novel opens with the compulsions leading to the migration to Kanara, among them the ceremony adopted by the Inquisition for delinquents. "As the first streaks of daylight sneaked through the high windows, he (Santan) heard the tolling of the great bell calling all to witness the terrible ceremony of the auto de fé. Cowled monks led the procession through the open square, between the grand churches. Each prisoner was guarded by appointed familiars, and ogled at by spectators straining perhaps to find one they might have known." In Kanara, the migrants got caught up in Tipu's war with British East India Company forces who had occupied Mangalore fort in 1783. Tipu Sultan's siege of the fort continued until January 1784. In his History of Mysore, Mark Wilks quotes from the Sultan-u-Towareek, Tipu Sultan's version of the first years of his reign, thus: "The rains of that country, which continue for six months, set in. At the end of two months, I had carried my approaches notwithstanding the violence of the rains to the ditch of the fort... such was the slaughter on both sides that the trenches exhibited nothing but a mixture of mud and clay with blood and the flesh of men. The toes of many were completely rotted" The Captivity followed the signing of the peace treaty. Tipu gives his reasons: "The Portuguese Nazarenes... obtained, about three hundred years ago, an establishment... at a place situated midway in the course of a large river and estuary... They then proceeded to prohibit the Mohammedan worship within these limits and to expel its votaries: to the Brahmins and other Hindoos, they proclaimed a period of three days, within which time they were at liberty to depart, and in failure to be enrolled in the new religion... they prevailed on the senseless rajas of Nuggur, Courial, (Mangalore), and Soonda... and began to gradually erect shrines and chapels, and in each of these idol temples, established one or two padres, that is to say monks, who, deluding the weak and pliant populace...made a multitude of Christians... When His Majesty, the shadow of God, was informed of these circumstances, the rage of Islam began to boil in his breast..." The juxtaposition of th
[Goanet] Hindutva Lab 2.0 ... (Tehelka on Karnataka)
Hindutva Lab 2.0 BJP-ruled Karnataka is on a dangerous path of radicalisation. Rana Ayyub traces the scary distortion of an entire society PHOTO: Long march RSS members take part in the Hindu Shakti Sangama in Hubli Photo: Karnataka News Images problems IS KARNATAKA the new Gujarat, the second "laboratory of Hindutva" for the BJP and the broader Sangh Parivar? As the BJP government in the state enters the final year of its first term in power -- it had earlier ruled in alliance with the JD(S) -- that disturbing question comes up again and again. Behind the morality and hypocrisy, the humbug and corruption that the BJP establishment in Bengaluru has been charged with is a harder, harsher truth: the scary distortion of an entire society. Two weeks ago, the so-called 'porngate' controversy rattled the country, when three BJP ministers were caught in the Assembly watching a pornographic clip -- later explained as the recording of a woman being raped -- while the House was in session and discussing poverty. While that controversy claimed the headlines, it also forced the RSS and its affiliates in the state to hurriedly cancel plans of the extended session of the Hindu Shakti Sangama. A Hindu show of strength, as the name implies, the Sangama was supposed to be held across the state after the opening convention in Hubli. Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda turned up in Hubli, wearing the RSS trademark khaki shorts -- perhaps the first time a chief minister has been seen thus clad at a public event. If pictures tell a story, this one spoke volumes of the saffronisation of Karnataka. The Sangama may have been interrupted by the Sangh Parivar, embarrassed and still recovering from the shame of porngate. Nevertheless, as TEHELKA travelled through Karnataka, spending a week journeying from urbane Bengaluru to northern and coastal Karnataka, what became apparent was that right-wing Hindu attacks on Muslims and Christians were now a regular feature. This reporter came back with accounts, incidents and testimonies that were so brazen, it was shocking. Take a small example. On 22 January, there was uproar in Uppanangadi, a hamlet near Mangalore. Kalladka Prabhakar Bhatt, a senior RSS leader known for his proximity to Sadananda Gowda and his predecessor BS Yeddyurappa, was addressing a crowd and resorted to extreme and undignified imagery. "Lift the veils of Muslim women," Bhatt told the throng, "and glimpse what they have to offer." His listeners cheered; policemen listened too, but strolled casually, as if nothing were happening. Soon after, the local minorities -- a mix of Muslim and Catholic organisations -- approached the police, which reluctantly filed an FIR against Bhatt. Yet it refused to arrest him, arguing there was no basis for taking him into custody. Rather, as if to compensate, the local police then filed an FIR against the president of the Muslim Central Committee, Mohammad Masood, under Section 153(a) of the Indian Penal Code -- "Promoting communal enmity between classes" -- as well as Section 505(2) -- "Making statements that create or promote communal enmity". Two senior police officers have asked to be moved to Central government postings because they cannot take what is happening in the state What was Masood's fault? He had called a press conference to condemn Bhatt's despicable one-liner. When contacted, Mangalore SP Abhishek Goyal suggested that there were "grey areas" and the police would certainly "study" the case. While the police was still studying the footage of Bhatt's public meeting, the man himself inaugurated the new building of the Mangalore Police Commissionerate! Sitting with him in the VIP row was none other than the chief minister. It was the sort of moment and photo-op the media just waits for. Yet the presence of Bhatt so soon after the unseemly incident found no mention in the media coverage of the inauguration of the new building. It was almost as if there was a conspiracy of silence. Only one plucky local newspaper broke the Omerta: Karavali Ale. At one time, Karavali Ale was Karnataka's most popular newspaper. Part of the reason it is not any longer may have to do with the stance of its editor, BV Sitaram, who has been one of the few voices in the state warning against the rising tide of religious bigotry. For two decades, he has documented each and every communal incident, big and small, in the state -- and has suffered for it. In 2009, Sitaram was arrested when a case was filed against him for defamation. Twenty-five policemen turned up and surrounded him. "It seemed like they had come to arrest a terrorist," he exclaims. His fault was he had written about the exploits of a local Bajrang Dal leader. Sitaram points to the newspapers stacked in his office. Picking up some of them at random, from the previous month's pile, almost every day one finds mention of an attack on Muslims and Christians, on churches and mosques. Sitaram is distraught: "They go aroun
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Conversions, inciting sectarian hatred, and marginalisation (Eduardo Faleiro)
two schools and a boarding where children of age 5 to 15 years, boys as well as girls, cohabited and were freely educated and fed by the missionary and that the latter was in the process of forming an unauthorized religious congregation with young girls including two Muslim girls. The parish priest said that the missionary had created an impression that the Church was using money power to win converts. As a result, the parish priest wrote "the priests and nuns are looked with suspicion and our institutions are looked upon as factories of conversion and also labeled to be so. If we do not learn from history then it will repeat itself. Our churches were burnt twice". The bishop then issued instructions to the missionary to keep his activities limited to spiritual matters. Evangelization work should be confined to the old converts and his conversion work should stop he directed the missionary. Soon thereafter, the bishop received a letter from the Superior General of the concerned Missionary Society. This Society funds several projects of the church in Kashmir. In his letter, the Superior General requested the bishop to withdraw his directives to the missionary and added "We strongly believe in the special charism of evangelism of our Society which the aforesaid missionary puts in practice in Srinagar inspite of lack of appreciation and cooperation from the local clergy". The letter speaks glowingly of the "sterling evangelizing work of the missionary" and requests that he be promoted in recognition of his activities. Whilst concluding, the following are some suggestions: Organized drives for conversion and reconversion should stop. They violate the Constitution of India. Government should in the first instance, promote with determination an agreement among the religious heads of all the major faiths in the country to stop proselytism. Formulate a national policy and an action plan to combat religious intolerance, including proselytism, and create an independent national institution for this purpose or strengthen any such existing institutions. Ensure that adequate training and awareness programmes about religion and religious harmony are formulated for young leaders at all levels and government officials, judges, teachers and social workers. Assure all victims of religious intolerance adequate support and speedy administrative and judicial remedies. Combat all forms of expression which incite sectarian hatred and take action against dissemination of such material in the media including the Internet. Counter social exclusion and marginalization in particular by providing adequate access to all citizens in education, health and employment. Address specifically the need for development of vulnerable groups such as tribals and other weaker sections and those who suffer discrimination on different grounds. [The writer is a former Union Minister and Commissioner for NRI Affairs, Government of Goa.] Goanet Reader is compiled by Frederick Noronha. Send in submissions for consideration via f...@goa-india.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Electoral politics as road to salvation? (Chhotebhai)
Tejpal. There are courageous RTI activists who have exposed corruption, and have often laid down their lives for the cause. They were all catalysts and animators of change. CONCLUSION: The conclusion that one arrives at is that electoral politics is certainly not the only option available to Rev (not Father) Bismarque Dias, if indeed he wants to fight corruption and cleanse Goan society. If he still feels so strongly about it, then he should have the courage and humility to renounce the priesthood, and join the ranks of the laity. We will welcome him with open arms. But he would be in for a rude shock outside the security and sanctity of the Catholic ministerial priesthood. If Dias insists on setting the cat among the pigeons, nobody, other than the electorate, can stop him. I for one don't like treacherously purring cats. I prefer barking watchdogs that are also faithful to their masters. I also don't fancy pigeons that keep "dropping" things. I would rather be a dove, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, Sacred Scripture, the Church's official teachings and the lessons of history. I would prefer to learn from Pope John XXIII, and keep it simple. * The writer is a former National President of the All India * Catholic Union and Director of the International Council of * Catholic Men. FEBRUARY 2012 Goanet Reader is compiled and edited by Frederick Noronha. Comments, brickbats and bouquets in response to any article welcome at goa...@goanet.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: In election mode -- capability, family raj and honesty (Radharao Gracias)
In election mode: capability, family raj and honesty Adv.Radharao F.Gracias graciasradha...@gmail.com No rallies; elections have for once ceased to be a carnival in Goa. No parades; carnival too has for once ceased in Goa, albeit for tragic reasons. Football is the most popular game in Goa. There are twenty two players, one referee and two assistant referees on the field, and thirty thousand spectators in the stadium. The players are selected from among only those able to play the game. The quality of the game you watch, is determined by the quality of teams at play. The spectators are in the stadium, because they cannot play the game. They are there to cheer or jeer the sides they respectively support or oppose. The spectators scream or shout at every miss or mistake on the field, not realizing that they are in the stadium because they can do no better. Elections are so much like football. There are only a few contestants, selected from among those able to contest. The vast majority are the voters on the periphery supporting or opposing rival candidates. They are not contesting because they are not fit to do so. The type of government you get is determined by the quality of candidates who contest. If you do not get a good government, it is because there are no candidates better than those who are contesting. Hence, the shouts and screams before or after elections serve no purpose. We seem to have progressed (or regressed) from a multi-party to a multi-family democracy, which is now the cause of much heated discussion. The question is: should family members of politicians contest elections? The law rightly does not debar family members from contesting, since you do not become an MLA merely because you contest elections. You become an MLA only because the voters have voted for you. And the law gives the voter the right not to vote for you. It is natural for children to follow in the footsteps of their parents. Nearly every doctor strives to make his son a doctor. If the son is not good enough to get admission on merit, he is admitted to private medical college at huge expense. On the other hand lawyers are in a much better position. You do not require much merit to secure admission to a law college. Practically, every senior lawyer has his son or daughter in the profession and in most cases the child does not measure up to the parent. However, there is an advantage for the lawyer's child. He need not know the law. It is enough that his father/mother knows the judge! And so is the case with politics. The precedent set by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru has become the trend. He, after a brief interregnum, was succeeded by his daughter Indira Gandhi, who had two sons. The younger Sanjay was being groomed to succeed her, when he tried to be a pilot, and crash-landed. The elder son Rajiv, who was a pilot, succeeded his mother, and the country has crash-landed! Today, we are in a very strange situation, where both the Congress and the BJP are propagating the legacy of Nehru and Indira. Rajiv's widow Sonia and son Rahul both run the country (or do they not?) and are Congress MPs. Sanjay's widow Maneka and son Varun are both MPs of the BJP. Whoever said the BJP is not for family raj? The Congress having tasted blood with the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has now extended the experiment to Goa. It has fielded candidates in twelve constituencies who are members of five families. Effectively, the Congress has thrown a challenge to the voters. Will the voters accept the challenge? Remember, there is no compulsion for the voters, who are free to vote any which way. I am mighty glad that the NGOs which have been active these past few years have finally taken the plunge and joined politics, by fielding honest handpicked candidates. Considering that our electorate is as honest as the NGOs, (it is only the politician who is dishonest!) their victory, should be a foregone conclusion. Now that the NGOs have joined politics, will someone tell me who will lead the next apolitical agitation? I have been an activist for the last three decades and more. I have watched the political scenario in Goa unfold. And I have drawn several conclusions, two of which are: Conclusion No.1: The MLA reflects the personality of the voter. Nothing more. Nothing less. Conclusion No.2 : No people get a government better than what they vote for. These are the honest truths, whether you like it or not. -- Radharao Gracias is an advocate, and former member of the Goa Legislative Assembly. Goanet Reader is compiled and edited by Frederick Noronha. Send submissions for consideration to f..
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Who or what is Quinta? (Augusto Pinto reviews Savia Viegas' latest book)
the answer -- though it seems easy to guess. [790 words] [This article appeared in the February 2012 issue of Goa Today under the title Going Down Memory Lane.] -- Goanet Reader is compiled and edited by Frederick Noronha. Engagingly-written and well-argued articles focussed on Goan themes will be considered for circulation, and may be submitted to f...@goa-india.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Hidden behind the wheel? Questions about the Calvim tragedy ...
a two year rap for "criminal negligence" after 25 years of "legal process" and a petty thief is sometimes jailed as an under-trial for ten years and then pronounced innocent. I have the highest respect for the judiciary, it is the set of laws and the legal system that does not work. We have seen people build illegal structures with police protection using the loopholes in the law and very intelligent and highly qualified lawyers, in one case where all the authorities and even the builder has no documents to prove the legality of the structures under construction, constructed or even occupied by business. (ENDS) Goanet Reader is compiled and edited by Frederick Noronha. Send submissions to f...@goa-india.org --- And a report from the Times of India: Was 17-yr-old driving Calvim bus? TNN Feb 24, 2012, 04.34AM IST PANAJI: Was a 17-year-old boy behind the wheel of the ill-fated bus that plunged into the Calvim river on February 18 killing six persons? More glaring contradictions have come to the fore after police admitted that another person, Samarth Shirodkar, was present in the bus at the time of the accident. Shirodkar, a student at St Thomas higher secondary school, Aldona, has denied he was driving the bus. He also said on TOI's Thursday edition that he had boarded the bus for a fun ride as there were no classes last Saturday. The school authorities, when contacted, refuted his statement and said classes were held as usual. "The school was open on Saturday. The boy is a student of Class XI vocational stream, which had classes. The boy had bunked class and was absent for the day. His attendance after the first term (after Diwali vacation) is also very poor," school authorities said. Another point to note is the statement made by the witness on the scene. "I saw the driver and conductor pop out of the bus after it went into the river," the witness said. This contradicts the statement by police at the media briefing on the day of the incident. "According to witnesses and the bus driver, there were seven persons in the bus. Four students, two women and one man," police had said. Besides the four deceased students, the man was the deceased Dayanand Hoble and the woman, the deceased Josefina Dias. The other woman, who the driver thought was present, was Rachel Mendonca, who said she was not on the ill-fated bus. The driver Rajesh Naik allegedly did not tell the police about the presence of the boy in the bus. Questions arise as to why he hid the presence of the boy. Aldona residents told TOI that a practice among bus drivers on the Mapusa-Aldona-Calvim route and the Mapusa-Aldona-Quitula route is to alight from the buses at the Aldona 'tinto' (market bus stop) and hand over charge to their cleaners to continue the short trip to the Carona-Calvim ferry and back. The bus drivers also do the same for the short trip to Quitula and back, locals said. "This is usually in the afternoon, when the drivers alight at the 'tinto' for food and a little drink. They hand the bus over to the cleaners or young boys learning to drive, to complete the trip. The lives of passengers are put in the hands of cleaners unqualified for bus driving," said a resident. If the police claim witnesses say Naik was driving the bus till the second-last stop, was Shirodkar given the wheel to take the bus to the ferry ramp and reverse? Transport director Arun Naik told TOI that the brakes and gear system of the bus are in "perfect working condition" and has ruled out any mechanical error as the cause of the accident. People in Aldona say that bus drivers are known to cut off the engine on the over 100-metre long slope towards the Calvim ferry to cut down on fuel costs. "Drivers actually take the bus right onto the ferry ramp with the engine off before putting the vehicle in second gear to re-start the engine. This technique must have failed on that day," a local said. The transport department also says that the bus' fitness certificate was issued in July, 2011, the pollution under control certificate was valid till July 2012 and the bus insurance was valid till February 27, 2012. tnn http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-24/goa/31094941_1_bus-drivers-calvim-ferry-conductor --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: From stage, to print (FN)
>From stage, to print
THE PRINTED WORD | Frederick Noronha
After years of attempting to fit into the Konkani
"mainstream", the still officially-unacknowledged Romi-script
network in Goa seems to be working hard to build its own
presence here. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the number of
Romi Konkani books published reduced to a trickle; but now
quite a few are being produced, as if to make up for lost time.
The other day, the Tiatr Academy of Goa published
three books in one go. These were slim titles, so
you could call them booklets. They're reasonably
priced, so little cause to complain. At the same
time, the books deal with three interesting aspects
of Goa's popular, vibrant and economically
sustainable tiatr -- a local drama form.
The title that catches your attention first is Daniel F. de
Souza's 'Oxem Ghoddlem'. On the cover of this book --
designed by artist-musician-singer Willy Goes -- there are
the mugshots of some 31 men and women. A closer look would
give hint that these are artistes from the local Konkani
tiatr stage.
This book takes a closer look at incidents from the lives of
Konkani stage artistes. Both author Souza and TAG's
Tomazinho Cardozo have explained (in the foreword, and at the
book release function respectively) how the book came about.
On the occasion of Tiatr Day, in April 2010, the
participants had some spare time in between
sessions. They decided to let their hair down, and
began narrating stories and experiences from their
past. While doing so, they realised that they
indeed had much to reminisce about. Of late, the
Goa government has been offering some support for
this long neglected sector (local lore has it that
the tiatr was sought to be kept out of the Kala
Academy at one stage). Consequently, the tiatrists
who have kept alive language and culture at the
grassroots, have the possibility indulging in
'luxuries' like publishing their scripts, or
recalling the past.
In this slim book, Daniel de Souza digs out the 'story behind
the stage' from the lives of a number of tiatrists.
Tiatr-goers would immediately recognise names like John
Claro, Sharon Mazarello, Tomazinho Cardozo (the former
Speaker who, mercifully, switched back from a term in
politics to far more productive work in theatre and song),
Rose Ferns, Premanand Lotlikar, Ophelia, Menino de Bandar,
Mario Menezes, 'Comedy Supremo' Humbert, Fr Nevel
("Vell'lekar") Gracias , Cyriaco Dias, Ben Evengelisto, ang
Anil Kumar, among others.
Short takes from the lives of these popular dramatists give
an insight into the persons and the stage. This century-old
stage form has long been popular in Goa, and more so among
the diaspora communities specially in Bombay where it first
came up. It is important to have it written about, before it
gets forgotten or memories get rusty.
In one mini-episode, comedian Humbert ("Prince"
Jacob's brother) narrates how they both were
scheduled to perform on the night their mother
suddenly died. Imagine a comedian having to show
up on stage amidst the grief! Humbert says the
tiatr was one of those rare shows at a Ganesh
Chaturthi festival programme. In most cases, the
tiatr has depended on a Catholic audience. Both
brothers decided not to let down their audience or
risk any misunderstanding. They actually staged
the show while at home their mother's body awaited
burial.
Anil Kumar narrates another episode when the Tempo a group of
tiatrists were travelling in met with a mishap en route to a
show at Honnavar, Karnataka. The story is one thing; the way
Anil Kumar narrates it is quite another. Maybe the written
word is inadequate when it comes to recording the lives of
the lovable characters from the tiatr stage. One could not
help rushing to watch a video recording of Anil Kumar talking
about this very same incident. Check it out at
http://bit.ly/AnilKumar
The second book makes accessible the script of Albert Leo de
Souza's tiatr 'Mummy Mhaka Tuje Vegent Dhor'. How does the
tiatr discourse of the 1980s sound today? Is it relevant or
have times changed quite drastically? How have themes
evolved? One will need to decide for oneself, after reading
the play written by the now retired teacher of SFX High
School in Siolim, Bardez.
The third book brought our way by the TAG is titled 'Lokam
Khell' by Vitorino Pereira. It contains the scripts of four
short Konkani plays with titles such as 'Kumparponn' and
'Amje Cheddea Bail'. This focuses on a peculiar Salcete form
of Carnival-time entertainment, the raw folk-plays staged "on
the floor" as it were.
Outside of Salcete, one
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Looking back, taking stock ... (Eduardo Faleiro)
LOOKING BACK, TAKING STOCK (MARCH 14, 2012) Eduardo Faleiro lokseva...@gmail.com I shall demit office as Commissioner for NRI Affairs tomorrow. After I returned from the Rajya Sabha in 2005 I was offered some important assignments by the Hon. Prime Minister but I could not accept them since for personal reasons I had to be in Goa. I did not at any stage seek the present appointment nor any other office in Goa. However, the then Chief Minister, Pratapsingh Rane requested me to take up the present job. I accepted considering that since I was in Goa I might as well help in some way my fellow Goans. I am honoured by the fact that the Prime Minister and the Union Finance Minister among others have praised this office verbally and in writing, for its efficiency and the vast range of subjects of interest to NRIs that it deals with. According to them I was the most qualified among all the heads of NRI Departments in the country, being a former Union Minister of State for External Affairs as well as Finance, subjects which are relevant to the Department of NRI Affairs. Personally, I give all the credit for our achievement to two outstanding individuals: Vice Admiral (Retd) John D’Silva, Chairman of our Overseas Employment Agency and U.D. Kamat, Director, NRI Affairs. They are quite competent to run this Office on their own. During my tenure, whilst the main focus was the welfare of Goans residing abroad, I also attempted to establish links with Goans elsewhere in India. Seminars and meetings for this purpose were held with their representatives from New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Last month I visited several villages and towns in the Kolhapur District and met a large number of families of Goan origin settled there long ago. In the 16th and 17th centuries a number of Goans, both Christians and Hindus, left Goa to avoid religious and cultural persecution and settled in the neighbouring areas of North Karnataka and South Maharashtra. They are part of the local population. They are Maharashtrians and Kanadigas but speak Konkani and visit regularly their temples and churches in Goa. This Office released in 2008 a comprehensive and scientific Goa Migration Study. This study, however, concerns exclusively Goa migration abroad and not within India. The history of the Goan migration to the neighbouring areas, centuries ago, needs to be written. [1] http://www.scribd.com/doc/85304160/ [2] http://www.scribd.com/doc/85305278/ [3] http://www.scribd.com/doc/85305811/ Many of those persons are Christians and every year a large number of them come walking for three to four days to attend the Feast of St. Francis Xavier but when they arrive at Old Goa, they do not have a reasonable place to rest. Whilst the primary duty to provide basic facilities to these pilgrims rests with the Church authorities, the Government ought to make available to them the required infrastructure as is made available to similar religious festivals. I had decided to formulate a programme for the youth of Goan origin in Maharashtra and Karnataka to discover their roots in Goa, broadly on the lines of the Know Goa Programme which we hold every year for the Diaspora youth. The programme for the youth of Goan origin from the neighbouring States would be aimed at youth in the age group of 18 to 30 years who have distinguished themselves in some field of activity. It would be a one week orientation programme to promote awareness of different facets of life in Goa. About 5-10 youths might be selected every year. During their stay in Goa, they would visit our educational, cultural and industrial institutions and interact with the local youth as well as our elected representatives at different levels of Government. These youth would act as bridges of friendship and understanding between their State of origin which is Goa and their State of adoption which may be Maharashtra or Karnataka. I shall do whatever I can in this matter but the Office of the Commissioner for NRI Affairs and other authorities are fully equipped to fulfill the above three tasks. (i) history of Goan Migration to the neighbouring areas in the 16th and 17th centuries; (ii) arrangements for the padyatris who come to Old Goa for the feast of St. Francis Xavier and (iii) orientation programme for the youth of Goan origin as outlined above. [ENDS] Goanet Reader is edited and compiled by Frederick Noronha. --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: One humid morning in Byculla -- tiatr tales of another time (Roland Francis)
or the plays. They barely had any rehearsals. They hardly learned any lines. Under a mushroom cloud of Aunty's vapors, they scanned the sheets comprising the play and only then did they determine the nuances of their performances. Much would depend on where the tiatr would be staged, in which hall and opposite whom and with whom they would be performing. They knew each other so well that on stage, it was easy to anticipate what the other was going to say, how and before he said it. Veteran crowds knew that too, and instead of spoiling their joy, this knowing, only enhanced it. If these tiatrists were in more professional settings, they would easily have given Hollywood Oscar performers a run for their money. If you ever saw Anthony Mendes, Souza Ferrao, J P Souzalin and the other masters doing their thing, you would know what I mean. The bands comprised of musicians who took their art seriously, but as young boys, we laughed at their dress and their mannerisms. To us, they were distinctly uncool. But these were men who were honed. They plied their trade with international bands passing through Bombay, in the pits of orchestras of musical events for the city elite, in the music interludes of the silent films of the era and in the grand cinemas when playing the British and then the Indian national anthems before any Hollywood movie could start. Many of them had retired from playing in Maharaja's dance bands at balls for visiting dignitaries and for British regimental ceremonies. They could play the Bridge on the River Kwai with equal facility as Beguine the Begin or Mac The Knife or any Louis Armstrong favorite. The Bombay tiatrs were lucky to get them. They were often booed and jeered as the crowds wanted them to end so that the play act could begin but to anyone who could understand or appreciate music, they were maestros. And the funny thing is that they could be found lounging outside Alfred Restaurant in Dhobitalao, looking for odd work, sometimes for pennies on the dollar. It was evening now and Robin Vaz along with a few of the performers were seated inside Monteiro's Moonshine place just outside the venue downing their last drinks. A few cars were being parked, it was 10 minutes past starting time and they were wound tight as drums and well up the proverbial tree. In other words, they were ready for the big screen and eager and willing to give their best. Robin was going to be Agente Monteiro himself, the big, bad Paclo in whose unkind hands would rest the fate of any Indian political trouble makers within Goa and at the end of whose revolver barrel would lie the lives of many satyagrahis entering Goa with the implicit permission of the Nehru coterie and the express prohibition of the Portuguese government. He was meant to be a villain to the pro-Indians in the crowd and a hero to the pro-Portuguese. He had to fill in both roles and needless to say he discharged them both well. So did the rest of the performers, every last man and woman of them. At the end the crowd clapped, stomped, yelled and whistled. The auditorium shook and old Fr Bonifacio Dias, the kindly Goan Jesuit tiatr-loving priest under whose dispensation the hall was given out for the purpose, muttered under his breath about talking to the tiatrists not to drink as much the next time. He knew that kindness and mercy, forgiveness and excellence, all came out for a Goan, from the bottom of a bottle. -- Canada-based Roland Francis can be contacted on 416-453-3371 or via email roland.fran...@gmail.com Feeback, comments welcome. Goanet Reader is edited and compiled by Frederick Noronha f...@goa-india.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] To, The Director of Transport, Directorate of Transport, Govt of Goa (an open letter)...
To, The Director of Transport, Directorate of Transport, Govt of Goa: GOA CITIZENS CALL TO ACTION: CLEAN THE RTO February 18, 2012, has gone down in history as shameful, black mark on our fair state. A bus plunged into a river near the ferry wharf in Calvim, Aldona. Six bodies were recovered from this horrific scene; four of them belonged to Goa's children. The wails of this tragedy had not died down when a few days later, on March 5, a mining truck rammed into a school bus at Usgao, killing one child on the spot along with the driver and cleaner of the bus and injuring several other children. We wish to remind you of the unfortunate incidents on Saturday, February 18 in Aldona and on Monday, March 5 in Usgao are UNACCEPTABLE. It cannot happen again. We demand accountability. Below are the demands of a Voice of the people, united against the inefficiency, corruption, apathy and sheer negligence that have pervaded the working of our state. 1. Vehicle Age: A clear and binding indication on the age of transport vehicles allowed to ply on Goan roads, after which they should not be permitted. 2. Vehicle Inspections: Each and every vehicle inspected and having passed the necessary checks needs to have the name of the inspector/authority that inspected the vehicle clearly mentioned. The authority has to be made accountable. 3. Licenses: A strict chain of accountability for each and every licence that is granted to a driver in the state, which must leave a clear trail to which inspector/authority authorized it, which will assure responsibility to be taken by the authority in case the person’s fitness to drive is called into question. 4. Realistic and Prohibitive Fines: Fines for driving without licence, driving rashly or driving after consuming alcohol should be so high, it should not be worth even trying to break the rules. We want a larger presence of authorities with ability to detect such offenders and impose fines strictly. 5. Record History of Offenses: We demand a clause for incarceration of repeat offenders and suspension of driving licences for 3 to 6 months. Technology must be used to record a person's history of offenses to determine the quantum of fines and to determine the offender's ability to ply a vehicle. The microchip installed in the licence can be used, along with a backup record with authorities. We strongly suggest that a meet with the public should be organized by April 15, 2012, along with persons-of-authority. At this meet, we would greatly appreciate if each of our demands are addressed, point-by-point, and with clear roadmap on how we will proceed from here. We also request such regular meets to be held once every quarter for interaction between officials and members of public to address issues. We the undersigned, the People of Goa. http://www.change.org/petitions/to-the-director-of-transport-directorate-of-transport-govt-of-goa-goa-citizens-call-to-action-clean-the-rto?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=friends_wall OR http://chn.ge/AnsD5g --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Mangalore Lore (book review, Augusto Pinto)
e addition to our understanding of the Goan diaspora. -- [A version of this article was published in the March 2012 issue of GOA TODAY.] http://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/6473569795/sizes/o/in/photostream/ Goanet Reader is compiled and edited by Frederick Noronha f...@goa-india.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: It's time to get serious about anthropology in Goa: Bob Newman (FN, in NT)
It's time to get serious about anthropology in Goa: Bob Newman -- Of Jewish origin, Dr Robert "Bob" Newman knows Hindustani fluently and is a son-in-law of North India. From the 1970s he studied Goa as an anthropologist. Some of his writings, in the early 1980s, give a fascinating insight into this small State. Based in Marblehead, MA, this independent scholar formerly with La Trobe University in Australia can be contacted via kachh...@hotmail.com. An interview with Frederick Noronha FN: What do you see as Goa’s three biggest strengths? The strengths of every place are like natural resources. They might be renewable or they might be exhaustible. So, within India, Goa’s education system and the dedication to education are strong. But other states are coming up. Goa needs to keep up, move with the times, and constantly improve its education system. Goa's tradition of tolerance; the relative lack of communal tensions and violence has always been a big plus and it can continue, provided people do not use communalism to further narrow interests. A third strength is that Goa is unique in India with its Portuguese heritage and blend of cultures. This can serve it well or can be wasted and lost through over-commercialisation and lack of attention to it in education. So many films have been shot in Goa, but how many of them (OK, "Trikaal" and "Bhumika" are exceptions) really showed something Goan or focussed on Goan things? If Goa doesn't define its own culture, its own uniqueness and get it into school curricula or pass it on in some way, others will define Goa in their own way. The new growth in Goan literature is thus a positive feature. FN: Three biggest weaknesses? Failure of government to enforce its own laws. Corruption. Subsequent deterioration of environment. Talk about killing the goose that lays the golden eggs! FN: What prompted you to study Goa so fairly intensively? Well, I arrived in Goa in 1965 on my vacation from Peace Corps work around Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. I liked it a lot. I wanted to do anthropology in India. I realised that Goa had not been studied from an anthropological point of view and thought I would take the plunge. The more work I did, the more fascinated I became. FN: Whom do you see as the three bright young stars in your field, based on their research work on Goa? I claim to be the oldest but not the smartest, so to me, the others are all "young and bright"! In the generation just below me, of course the three names are Alito Siqueira, Rosa Maria Perez, and Alexander Henn. In the next generation, who are just now emerging, Claudia Pereira is the star who has just published a book. Other bright young people who will hopefully emerge, in terms of teaching and publication, are Jason Fernandes, Anjali D'Souza and Manuel Magalhães. One of the brightest stars is Bernadette Gomes. I’m always hoping that she'll publish what she's already done, not to mention doing some more. There may be some others, but I don't know much about their work. FN: In academic terms, do you think Goa is doing enough to study itself? Frankly, no. Alito and a couple of colleagues cannot carry the whole burden themselves. Goa has done well with the XCHR, the Archives and the Central Library, but these focus on history almost exclusively. I think it's time to get serious about anthropology in Goa. And why do foreigners like me have to do the work? Goans could definitely do it. FN: What more could it be doing? Well, for one thing, expand the anthropology department at the University if possible. Start such departments, okay, on a small scale, at the various colleges. Encourage people to think about Goan culture in schools -- try to build interest in now-vanishing traditions and ways of life. Encourage film makers to create films about Goan life, past and present. Try to design textbooks that would explore such Goan traditions as syncretism and tolerance, while not ignoring the past conflicts. If you have no such textbook, students get the message that "well, how important could Goan things be? There isn't even a textbook about them!" The increase in Goan literature, as I said before, is a very positive development. And emphasis on field work in any courses that come up... students need to relate theories and other people’s work to real life. FN: How do you see the trajectory of social change in Goa since you started studying the region intensely? More and more rapid. Goa was changing when I began in 1978. Now, instead of being a land of villages, agriculture and fishing, it is a land of real estate dealers, industrial estates, tourist 'projects', and urban sprawl. The
[Goanet] BEHIND THE NEWS: Verdict for change... (Pamela D'Mello, Frontline)
COVER STORY Verdict for change PAMELA D'MELLO dmello.pam...@gmail.com in Panaji The Congress suffers a crushing defeat, its worst performance since 1980. PHOTO: CHIEF MINISTER MANOHAR Parrikar (left) with Governor K. Sankaranarayanan after the swearing-in in Panaji on March 9. AS Goa's new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government settles down in office, it is easy to forget that a month ago the Congress seemed confident of returning to power in the State. The party is shell-shocked at its crushing defeat, its worst performance since 1980. The Congress won a mere nine seats, and, worse, eight of its Ministers lost the election. The party lost 11 seats, eight of them to the alliance between the BJP and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), two to independents and one to the newly revived Goa Vikas Party (GVP), floated by Francisco Pacheco, former Tourism Minister of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The NCP, Congress's alliance partner, lost all of its three seats, two to the BJP and one to an independent. Independents, meanwhile, increased their seats from two in the previous Assembly to five. The BJP increased its tally from 14 in 2007 to a simple majority of 21 on its own and 24 in combination with its partner. Its alliance with the MGP is one of the many factors that scripted huge wins for the party. Ever since it rode piggyback on the MGP in 1994, the BJP has grown in the State at the cost of the MGP's soft Hindutva credentials. In the past few Assembly elections, the MGP, which is now reduced to being the hegemonic entity of two brothers, Sudhin and Deepak Dhavlikar, in Goa's interior Ponda taluk, contested on its own and entered into post-electoral alliances with the Congress for government formation. A regular split in the traditional vote bases of the BJP and the MGP gave the Congress an advantage in the past. This time, the MGP and the BJP found themselves on a common platform in opposing government grants to mainly Christian primary schools which wanted to shift from Konkani medium to English medium. This emotive plank helped the alliance consolidate traditional Hindu votes in some regions, to the detriment of the Congress. Sangh Parivar organisations such as the Hindu Janajagruti and their women's wings helped with a hushed campaign to vote for the lotus and even for the Christian candidates in their fold. The BJP contested 28 seats, left seven to the MGP and strategically supported five independents and other regional outfits such as the GVP in the Christian-dominated Salcete taluk. In a crucial departure from its earlier stance, the BJP sidestepped its own loyalists and picked "winnable" candidates who were new to the party but had the financial wherewithal to run a campaign. The strategy worked. Anti-incumbency and an anti-Congress wave decimated the Congress in this taluk, which in the past had given the Congress all its eight Assembly seats. This time, Salcete swung its votes in favour of three independents, two GVP candidates and one BJP candidate. The Congress won two seats. Swing in Catholic votes In another careful strategy, the BJP replicated a successful experiment in fielding Christian candidates. Over several terms, its Mapusa MLA Francis D'Souza had returned unerringly and with huge margins to the House, benefiting from both the BJP-MGP vote base and his own status in the community. This time the BJP gave at least six Christian nominees the ticket in constituencies with sizable Christian population. It kept away all hard-line Hindutva elements and agendas from the campaign and instead concentrated on corruption and development issues. All six of the alliance's Christian nominees won. "There can be little doubt that the Church played a big role in the move away from the Congress," said hotelier Ralph de Souza. In its pre-election statements, the Council for Social Justice and Peace, the wing of the Church that comments on social matters, had "advised" people to vote wisely, for honest, non-corrupt candidates. And this time, it overtly downplayed its traditional anathema to "communal" politics. Voters here have long been uncomfortable with their back-against-the-wall plight of having to choose between Congress regimes that sank into corruption and real estate speculation (a bugbear with Christian voters) and the BJP-MGP's brand of communal politics. "Voters seem to have been simply fed up with the arrogance and hubris of the Congress and the BJP. It was an anti-Congress wave, not a pro-BJP wave, and certainly not an endorsement of the Hindutva ideology," said Dr Oscar Rebello, a physician and an activist. According to the Citizen's Initiative for Communal Harmony, "the anger generated by the Congress and its abysmal levels of corruption clouded the people's minds so much that they failed to see or overlooked the communal ideology of the BJ
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: The third British Empire (Dan Hind, Al Jazeera)
The third British Empire Dan Hind London is considered the "capital of capitalism" allowing foreign billionaires to stash tax free income offshore. London, United Kingdom - Historians tell us that there were two quite distinct British empires - the first an Atlantic empire built on North American colonies and Caribbean possessions and the second an Asian empire, built on control of India and coercive trade with China. These two empires were deeply criminal projects, in the specific sense that they relied heavily on profits from slavery and the sale of narcotics. Empire on the British model was a moneymaking venture, where moral considerations took second place to the lure of super profits. "Having given up the appearance of empire, the British have sought to reclaim its substance." The first British Empire came to an end when the Americans fought a revolutionary war for independence in the 1770s. The second British Empire began to fall apart with Indian independence in 1947. Arab and African nationalism progressively undermined British influence in the years that followed. At some point, perhaps with defeat in Suez in 1956, or when Britain withdrew from its last significant overseas possession, Hong Kong, in 1997, the game was finally up. Nowadays, if you believe what you're told by respectable historians and broadcasters, Britain has turned its back on its imperial past and is trying as best it can to make its way as an ordinary nation. The reality is somewhat more complicated. One day, perhaps history will describe a third British Empire, organised around the country's offshore financial infrastructure and its substantial diplomatic, intelligence and communications resources. Having given up the appearance of empire, the British have sought to reclaim its substance. Banking on billionaries Two news stories from last week help us sketch the outlines of this third, offshore empire. On Tuesday, March 20, a Russian banker was shot and seriously wounded outside his flat in Canary Wharf. On Sunday, March 25, the co-treasurer of the Conservative Party resigned after the Sunday Times claimed that he had been soliciting donations to his party from what he thought was a wealth fund based in Liechtenstein. These two apparently unrelated events together tell us quite a lot about contemporary Britain. The United Kingdom allows foreign residents to hold their funds offshore and only taxes them on money they bring into the country. This approach, a relic from the days of openly declared empire, makes the country a popular place of residence for billionaires from all over the world, from Africa, mainland Europe and India. Once in London, a sophisticated legal and financial apparatus arranges for foreign funds to be deposited in a network of offshore jurisdictions. In his groundbreaking book, Treasure Islands, Nicholas Shaxson describes London as the centre of a spider web that links to the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the Caribbean. With impressive frugality, the British have reinvented the scattered remnants of formal empire as instruments for serving the needs of global capital. When the Soviet Union broke up, those who secured control of the privatised Russian economy flocked to London. They had little in the way of a social base in their own country and their position was chronically insecure. They needed a way to channel profits overseas, and London offered them access to a world-class financial centre and favourable tax rates. The city also gave some of them a public profile outside Russia. In buying Chelsea Football Club and the Evening Standard, Roman Abramovich and Alexander Lebedev respectively have made themselves international figures. Moves against them by opponents back home are thereby made that much more difficult. The British state does more than provide a hospitable, low-tax jurisdiction and the means to acquire a higher profile abroad. It puts its diplomatic resources at the disposal of favoured foreign residents. For example, in July 2001, Tony Blair wrote a letter to Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase to support Lakshmi Mittal's efforts to buy up the state-owned steel company, Sidex. Though Mittal had offices in London, the company making the bid was registered offshore, in the Dutch Antilles. But while Mittal did not employ many people in Britain, or pay much tax there, he did make a significant contribution to the Labour Party. In May 2001, two months before Blair wrote his letter, the Indian magnate had given them UKP 125,000 ($199,750). It is hardly surprising that Peter Cruddas was happy to talk with financiers from Liechtenstein about donations to the Conservative Party.
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Goans Make No Matata (Book Review, Augusto Pinto)
Goans Make No Matata Augusto Pinto pinto...@gmail.com Goans often accuse each other of having crab mentalities. But Braz Menezes's novel Just Matata suggests that, outside Goa at least, Goans did well for themselves because they were *not* like the crabs in a *budkulo* who drag the ones escaping their fate, back into the pot. Set among the Goan Catholic community living in Kenya, and in the Goa of the 1950s, the story of young Orlando Menezes (Lando) his family and community is a charming smile generator. The Swahili word in the title -- Matata -- means 'trouble' but the Goan community that is really its subject, are a docile people, as they are grateful for having escaped from the bucolic, stagnant early 20th century Goa to become the clerical buffer between British master and the African subjects. The Matata saga begins in the 1920s when Chico Menezes and his brother and other cash strapped Goans were lured by a fake job recruiter into sailing to Mozambique on the promise of being given lucrative jobs there. En route, after discovering they were conned, Chico manages to wangle a job with a British businessman when on shore at Mombasa while the ship he was travelling on was refitting. That's how he lands in Kenya. There he is welcomed with open arms. He remarks later: "Despite coming to this country alone, we were lucky in those days there was already an established Goan community to receive us and help us settle into our new homes. Their kindness made such a difference to us." After establishing himself he returns to Goa to be led into love with Anja 'over a game of poker', marries her and goes back to settle down in Kenya and raise a family of which Lando is the second child and through whose eyes one sees the action. Lando's viewpoint, memories and imagination take us through a variety of capers ranging from the guilt of committing 'adultery'; to having his dog killed by robbers; to being shot at by racists when on Safari; to the sea journeys between Goa and Kenya; to being tempted into the priesthood in Goa... Let me not spoil the fun by telling it all beforehand. Although it is a novel, each chapter is a self-contained story. So it reads very much like a collection of short stories. This structure allows Menezes to give us snapshots of Goan life in Kenya with little glimpses of other Indian communities, Africans and Europeans. Just Matata is very readable and will be liked by youngsters, but it is not only for or about children. Reading between the lines one gets an intimate feel of what life was like for the Goans in conditions of racial segregation. Take for instance Lando's little epiphany in Church, as he is looking at the paintings on the walls, while he is waiting for confession: "Biblical scenes adorn the large stained glass windows, with the figures of God, the saints and assorted angels all glowing pink. Inspiration strikes! I have cracked the riddle of our faith! I finally understand why the front pews are reserved for Europeans, why white people always live in nice houses with big gardens and have luxurious clubs, why their children have fancy schools with big swimming pools, why brown people sometimes do not have regular running water, and black people have even less. God is white!" Menezes does not see everything in black and white terms however, but through characters like Lando's friends Jeep, Ahmed and Hardev; and Saboti the African girl who Lando has a crush for; and Jimmy his English friend, we get different shades of brown. When barely a teen, Lando is sent back to Goa for an education, but his stay is not entirely pleasant as this was a period of food shortages. To make matters worse missionaries zero in on him as a likely candidate for the priesthood as he has the right intelligence and caste. The description of how he escaped being drafted is interesting. Quietly interwoven in the narrative are anecdotes of Kenyan club life; and Goan village life; of Goan legends like Dr Ribeiro; and tragedies like the Japanese torpedoing of the S.S. Tilawa that killed many Goans during W.W. II. After Peter Nazareth's caustic impressions of the Goans in Africa in the 70s in 'The General is Up' and 'In a Brown Mantle', we now get a more sympathetic view of the Goan diaspora. In the process Menezes sweeps under the carpet some of the more unsavoury aspects of Goan life, like the way that the many clubs they formed in Kenya may have been fronts for their castes; or that they consciously or unconsciously colluded with the British in the subjugation of the Africans. But maybe these aspects of life will be given greater attention in the subsequent volumes of the Mat
[Goanet] OPINION: I'd rather not be Anna (Arundhati Roy, in The Hindu)
I'd rather not be Anna ARUNDHATI ROY While his means maybe Gandhian, his demands are certainly not. If what we're watching on TV is indeed a revolution, then it has to be one of the more embarrassing and unintelligible ones of recent times. For now, whatever questions you may have about the Jan Lokpal Bill, here are the answers you're likely to get: tick the box -- (a) Vande Mataram (b) Bharat Mata ki Jai (c) India is Anna, Anna is India (d) Jai Hind. For completely different reasons, and in completely different ways, you could say that the Maoists and the Jan Lokpal Bill have one thing in common -- they both seek the overthrow of the Indian State. One working from the bottom up, by means of an armed struggle, waged by a largely adivasi army, made up of the poorest of the poor. The other, from the top down, by means of a bloodless Gandhian coup, led by a freshly minted saint, and an army of largely urban, and certainly better off people. (In this one, the Government collaborates by doing everything it possibly can to overthrow itself.) In April 2011, a few days into Anna Hazare's first "fast unto death," searching for some way of distracting attention from the massive corruption scams which had battered its credibility, the Government invited Team Anna, the brand name chosen by this “civil society” group, to be part of a joint drafting committee for a new anti-corruption law. A few months down the line it abandoned that effort and tabled its own bill in Parliament, a bill so flawed that it was impossible to take seriously. Then, on August 16th, the morning of his second "fast unto death," before he had begun his fast or committed any legal offence, Anna Hazare was arrested and jailed. The struggle for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill now coalesced into a struggle for the right to protest, the struggle for democracy itself. Within hours of this 'Second Freedom Struggle,' Anna was released. Cannily, he refused to leave prison, but remained in Tihar jail as an honoured guest, where he began a fast, demanding the right to fast in a public place. For three days, while crowds and television vans gathered outside, members of Team Anna whizzed in and out of the high security prison, carrying out his video messages, to be broadcast on national TV on all channels. (Which other person would be granted this luxury?) Meanwhile 250 employees of the Municipal Commission of Delhi, 15 trucks, and six earth movers worked around the clock to ready the slushy Ramlila grounds for the grand weekend spectacle. Now, waited upon hand and foot, watched over by chanting crowds and crane-mounted cameras, attended to by India's most expensive doctors, the third phase of Anna's fast to the death has begun. "From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, India is One," the TV anchors tell us. While his means may be Gandhian, Anna Hazare's demands are certainly not. Contrary to Gandhiji's ideas about the decentralisation of power, the Jan Lokpal Bill is a draconian, anti-corruption law, in which a panel of carefully chosen people will administer a giant bureaucracy, with thousands of employees, with the power to police everybody from the Prime Minister, the judiciary, members of Parliament, and all of the bureaucracy, down to the lowest government official. The Lokpal will have the powers of investigation, surveillance, and prosecution. Except for the fact that it won't have its own prisons, it will function as an independent administration, meant to counter the bloated, unaccountable, corrupt one that we already have. Two oligarchies, instead of just one. Whether it works or not depends on how we view corruption. Is corruption just a matter of legality, of financial irregularity and bribery, or is it the currency of a social transaction in an egregiously unequal society, in which power continues to be concentrated in the hands of a smaller and smaller minority? Imagine, for example, a city of shopping malls, on whose streets hawking has been banned. A hawker pays the local beat cop and the man from the municipality a small bribe to break the law and sell her wares to those who cannot afford the prices in the malls. Is that such a terrible thing? In future will she have to pay the Lokpal representative too? Does the solution to the problems faced by ordinary people lie in addressing the structural inequality, or in creating yet another power structure that people will have to defer to? Meanwhile the props and the choreography, the aggressive nationalism and flag waving of Anna's Revolution are all borrowed, from the anti-reservation protests, the world-cup victory parade, and the celebration of the nuclear tests. They signal to us that if we do not support The Fast, we are not ‘true Indians.' The 24-hour channels have decided that there is no other news in the country worth repor
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Who's Goan where? [Frederick Noronha | Devil's Advocate, in Herald]
Who's Goan where? [Frederick Noronha | Devil's Advocate] So, how many Goan expats are there in different parts of the globe? As things stand, we probably don't have a clue, but only very rough estimates and exaggerations. Recently, a statistician John Nazareth (his roots are in Moira, and he has lived in Uganda and Canada) undertook the hazardous task of calculating Goan migration levels worldwide. According to his count, there could be 4.5 lakh Goans settled across the rest of India (including 4 lakh in Mumbai, ten thousand in Delhi, and twenty thousand each in Mangalore and the rest of India). He believes there could be 50,000 Goans in the UK (including 32,000 in London and 8,000 in Swindon alone), and 43,000 in the Gulf countries (13,000 in Kuwait, 10,000 in the UAE, 8,000 in Qatar, 5,000 in Oman and 7,000 in Bahrain). Some of these figures are calculated guesses. Nazareth predicts some with a "high level of confidence", and others based on guesswork. In Canada, his estimate is 34,700 Goans -- including 28,000 in the Greater Toronto Area itself, with other pockets in Montreal (2,000), Vancouver (1,500), Hamilton (800), Calgary and Edmonton (700 each). Karachi has 6000 Goans, though the number could have been as high as 25,000 in around 1956. Goans based in Karachi, like the businessman-social networker Menin Rodrigues calculate the figure to be higher though. Their story is a strange one. It involves pre-Partition economic migration, and the reality of getting caught in a communal divide they had no part in creating. Returning home today, the Pakistani Goans have a tough time with visas and police reporting. If based overseas too, their place of birth makes them suspect in the eyes of Indian consular officials. There are Goans scattered in other parts of the globe too. Some 5,800 in Australia (over half in Sydney alone). Another 5,500 in Kenya (four-fifths in Nairobi, most others in Mombasa), and just 130 surviving post-Idi Amin's Uganda. At its peak, between 1955 and 1965, there were nearly 8,000 in Uganda -- some also in Entebbe, Mbale, Jinja and elsewhere. Tanzania has some 2050 Goans, according to Nazareth (not just in Dar, but also in Tanga and Iringa), Portugal has 5000, Germany 300 and there are even 200 in Zambia, 100 in Malawi, 200 in Malaysia and 50 in Singapore. What do these figures tell us? This is a resource we've been ignoring for too long. Unfortunately, the Goa-expat equation is still based on mutual selfishness; Goa looks to its expats only for their remittances, and to make a fast buck on their affluence. At the same time, the expats have traditionally thought of Goa only as a place for the occasional holiday, and to flee back to in case of a crisis. For example, Kuwait in the early 1990s and Uganda in the 1970s. Expats are politically-uninfluential (though that could change with voting rights) and ignored by politicians. Given the chance, today's political class would happily gobble up their properties; the way mundkar laws were worked out in a emigration-prone State is a case in point. In a way, we're all expats. We have lived somewhere else, wish to go there, or have relatives overseas. This is particularly true of the Goan Catholic community, whose numbers dwindled here due to out-migration, in part. But now, every second politician is in a big hurry to get their children migrating overseas, despite all the "development" they have bestowed on Goa. Tiny Goa whose strength has long been its ability to plug-in to the outside world, would ignore this potent resource at its own peril. More so in times when knowledge is increasingly the lever of power in our planet. First published in Herald, Goa. ENDS
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: How Goa's illegal ore miners are in league with CM Kamat (Raman Kirpal, FirstPost.com)
How Goa's illegal ore miners are in league with CM Kamat Raman Kirpal Sep 5, 2011 Huge mining pit of Vedanta's Sesa in South Goa. Photo: Raman Kirpal/Firstpost A Goa minister buys two lakh square metres of land in a village and starts threatening neighbours to part with theirs. He wants to mine ore. An MLA starts digging his own agricultural land for ore. Before he is slapped a fine for illegal mining, he has already dispatched over Rs 4 crore worth of ore -- and he is fined Rs 1.72 crore. Several mining leases have expired, but digging continues unabated even as Chief Minister Digambar Kamat sits on the files. How is Kamat complicit in the various illegal mining scams in his state? Are these sins of omission or commission? And what is the scale of these scams? A conservative estimate made by Firstpost on the basis of official production and export data and environmental clearances put the figure at Rs 800 crore. Former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar alleges that 20 percent of the mining in the state is illegal and the money involved is no less than Rs 4,000 crore. But the man at the centre of it all is Digambar Kamat, who has been mines minister for 12 years running. According to insiders, he has been actively aiding companies that are in contravention of the law through various means. Kamat has done this by two means: by reviving mining leases that failed to apply for renewals in time after a new law came into being in 1987. And two, by creating a new class of mining "contractors" who are not the actual mine operators (and hence not amenable to action under the Act). The law Kamat has helped undermine is the Goa, Daman and Diu Mining Concessions (Abolition and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987, which ended the previous Title Concessions (TCs) given to miners when Goa was a Portuguese colony. Under the 1987 Act, all the title Concessionaires (Sesa, Dempo, Salgaocar, Chowgule, Timblo, et al) were expected to apply for leases within a year, failing which their leases would lapse and be time-barred. Says Goa's Director, Mines, Arvind D Loliyakar: "The deadline for the application (for renewing leases) was 1987-88 and it was time-barred. Anybody can file the application after the deadline, but we are not entertaining them. Applications filed in 1996 were not condoned. It was time-barred. Who would like to go behind bars?" However, Firstpost has learnt that Kamat personally entertained applications for renewals of leases filed as late as 1996 and 2000. Ten applications for renewal were filed in 1996 and two applications in 2000. Kamat condoned delays in two cases and has kept the remaining eight applications "under process." This means his administration is considering condoning the remaining cases, too. Dumps of Iron ore ready to be shipped at Mormugao port. Photo: Raman Kirpal/Firstpost In one 'condoned' case, Kamat handed over three mines of the late Zoiram Neogui to a Congress man, Dinar P Kamat Tarcar. Tarcar runs these mines through his company Minescape Earth Movers Pvt Ltd. In the second condoned case, operator Magnum Minerals is extracting iron ore from Maina mines, whose application for the renewal of lease was filed in 2000 on behalf of the late owner Voicunta Canecar (Kadnekar). Interestingly, Zoiram Neogui's application was filed in 1996, but Dinar Tarcar appeared as attorney for all the legal heirs of Zoiram and argued that the delay be condoned in 2005, when the China market was hot. Kamat condoned the delay on two grounds. First, the delay was because of a family crisis due to the death of Zoiram. And second, the government of Goa was taking a liberal approach to condoning delays. Dinar Tarcar, who had lost the last Assembly election on a Congress ticket, does not designate himself as a mine operator. He is the "contractor" for four mines. Kamat has originated a tribe of "contractors", many of whom are not registered and have no locus standi under the law. In this new class of "contractor" miners, Kamat's Urban Development Minister Joaquim Alemao tops the list. He is a self-styled contractor and calls himself Managing Director of Raisa Mining Services (named after his daughter). And his office address is 1/B, First Floor, Commerce House, Luis de Miranda Road, Margao, Goa, 403601. He has several mines on contract in South Goa. With his eyes on mining, Joaquim Alemao bought two lakh sq metres of land in village Maina in South Goa. His land borders a farmhouse owned by a villager, Cheryl D'Souza, 43. Cheryl says Alemao is forcing her to sell her land for Rs 40 crore! Cheryl with her daughter Aki, who are fighting Digambar Kamat's Minister Joaquim Alemao. The latter wa
[Goanet] RESPONSE: The Office of the Commissioner for N.R.I. Affairs replies...
Office of the Commissioner for N.R.I. Affairs (Cabinet Minister Rank) GOVERNMENT OF GOA September 6, 2011 Sir, We have seen recently in your esteemed website a statement by Mr. Aires Rodrigues under the caption "London Convention cost Goa tax payer over 12 lakhs". He claims that authorities have been unable to explain the cost of airfare of Hon. Commissioner for NRI Affairs. Mr. Rodrigues did not seek any clarification from any authority or from anyone else. Had he done so, he would have been told that the Hon. Commissioner travelled business class to the London Convention as per his entitlement which is the entitlement of all ministers, holders of ministerial rank and officials of the Government of Goa as well as of all States and Union Territories with grade pay of Rs.10,000/- and above per month. The hotel accommodation was arranged by the High Commission of India in London as per established procedure. The 14 member Cultural Group from Goa was sponsored by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). It was for the first time that ICCR sponsored a cultural group for a Goan gathering. The expenses incurred by the Goa Government on the last as well as previous Global Goans Conventions were, inspite of cost escalation and foreign exchange differential, far less than the expenditure on the Global Goans Convention held in Goa in 2007. The expenditure incurred by the Government of Goa on the Convention held in 2007 was about Rs. 40 lakhs (Rs.39,31,470). One of the reasons for holding the annual Global Goans Convention abroad thereafter was to reduce expenditure of the Government since part of the cost abroad is borne by the local organizing committee. The other reason was to obtain larger participation by holding the Convention in countries where expatriate Goans reside in significant numbers. As informed by the organizers, the total expenditure incurred with the Global Goans Convention held in London last July was about thirty five thousand pounds (GBP 34,941.11) whilst the total expenditure incurred by Government of Goa amounts to about seventeen thousand pounds. Mr. Rodrigues attended the Convention of 2007. At one stage, he insisted on raising an issue totally unconnected with the Convention and its agenda. He was repeatedly told that foreign diplomats representing countries with large Goan populations, the Chief Passport Officer as well as senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs had been specifically invited to address the grievances of our NRIs at the Convention and that they would be unable to do so if interventions on unscheduled matters were permitted. Since Rodrigues did not pay heed to repeated requests, he was told to withdraw from the venue. Some months earlier, Rodrigues had sought accommodation at the flat of Mr. Eduardo Faleiro in New Delhi and had availed of Mr. Faleiro’s hospitality. Sd/- (Datta Pednekar) Office Secretary
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Portugal is race blind, but not for the right reasons (Joana Gorjão Henriques, The Guardian)
Portugal is race blind, but not for the right reasons Some would like to think race is not an issue in Portugal, but by failing to collect data we are burying our heads in the sand Joana Gorjão Henriques guardian.co.uk, Monday 12 September 2011 11.30 BST A number of English-language news outlets have recently highlighted the "reversal of traditional migration patterns" between Portugal and its former colonies such as Angola and Mozambique. What they miss is that migration to Portuguese-speaking Africa is hardly a new trend. Over the past few years, these countries have witnessed a significant surge in Portuguese arrivals, with the inflow of remittances from Africa rising sharply. According to the economist and now minister of economy Álvaro Santos Pereira, it increased 254-fold between 1996 and 2009. Angola is now one of the favourite destinations for Portuguese migrants: about 100,000 Portuguese live there, whereas in Mozambique the estimates point to 20,000. In both cases the trend is the same: officially, there are now more Portuguese living in those countries than Angolans and Mozambicans living in Portugal (about 26,000 and 3,000 respectively). The trend can also be explained by the increase of Portuguese investment in these countries. Angola, for one, is the main importer of Portuguese products outside Europe. In Portugal, the mainstream media has reported the new migration wave as a kind of new El Dorado. In glossy magazines, successful migrants are pictured wandering around big villas, bossing around teams of servants. But, particularly in the Angola case, there's another part of the picture that you'll only get if you chat with some of the Portuguese who flee there to live in a non-democratic country which now dictates economic rules to its former colonisers. The reversal of power relations between the former colonised and former colonisers may finally force Portugal to confront the issue of race. This represent a considerable cultural shift. For years, modern Portugal has been struggling to find a way of talking about national identity and race. Even though Portugal has racial profiling, race crime and the daily subordination of black people by whites, most Portuguese would deny that their country has significant "racial problems" -- that's what they have in America, France or the UK. Such attitudes are a hangover from the dictatorship years and the "luso-tropicalism" ideology created by the Brazilian Gilberto Freyre in the 1950s, which spread the idea that the Portuguese were better colonisers -- and that ongoing British or French soul-searching over race was a result of "bad colonising". Unlike America, Portugal has never got its head around hyphenated identities. There are luso-africanos, but you'd be pushed to hear anyone use that compound on the street, and it's even controversial in an institutional context. The term "black-Portuguese" is unheard of; the word "race" itself so rarely mentioned that it sounds strange and foreign. The terms you do hear people use are "second-generation immigrants", "immigrants' offspring" or, with cosmopolitan pretension, "new Portuguese". It sends out a clear message to non-white Portuguese: however hard you try, you'll always be newbies in this country (conveniently ignoring the fact that a black presence in Portugal dates back to the 15th century). There are ideological reasons behind this attitude too. Some argue that identifying people by their race is discriminatory. There seems to be a similar logic behind the fact that Portuguese authorities keep no data on ethnicity or race. Take the recently released census data, which confidently predicts the population is now heading for more than 10 million, but remains completely race blind. Unofficial figures are contradictory and unreliable. (There could be 300,000 black Portuguese, I was told a year ago by one researcher. Another said there were 500,000. Another thought the number was much higher.) You might argue that none of this should matter, of course. And yet, without appropriate data, can you honestly argue that the lack of social mobility in poorer communities has more to do with class than race, as some argue? Ignoring race completely means burying your head in the sand, and accepting Portugal as a country that is uniformly white. We are race blind, but not for the right reasons. The recently appointed prime minister, the conservative Pedro Passos Coelho, is married to a black woman. In contemporary Portuguese politics, this is still a novelty. Will that make him more sensitive to questions around race? Will it make us talk more openly about race? Until now, nothing on his agenda makes us think so. http
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Jazzing it up... (Pamela D'Mello, SoundBox)
Jazzing it up ... By Pamela D'Mello dmello.pam...@gmail.com Tucked away on the first floor of a nondescript apartment block, surrounded by lush green paddy fields is the unlikely venue for Jazz Goa's recording studio. Nothing much to look at, until musician/producer Colin D'Cruz plays recordings of some of the new talent he has discovered and your mood gets thoughtful. Coming out of the speakers are songs and voices and instrumentation that could match any of the new talent emerging out of the unknown worldwide. There's twenties something Neil Gomes, a multi-instrument player, who plays saxophone and guitar with equal ease, and a good voice to go with it. "Neil's song Perhaps, uploaded onto Soundclick, one of the internet sites for new talent, climbed to number one on the site among hundreds of songs uploaded there", says D'Cruz. Now based in Mumbai, the young musician is active in the live and recorded music industry of that city. Nor is Gomes the only young artiste to find his place in Jazz Goa's talent search. Twenty seven other singers and musicians have recorded original jazz tracts on the Jazz Goa CD. There's professional singer Danielle Rebello, whose voice uploaded on the internet got her an offer to record in Spain. Colin sees promise in many of his young protegees. For nine months in 2010 Colin put his love for jazz and building talent by producing and running the Jazz Goa, slot on FM Rainbow in Goa. "I showcased purely local talent on the show which ran from 10-10.30 pm every Monday, just to prove to station managers that local talent can produce good music if encouraged". Most station managers blindly plug for Bollywood and international artistes, is his complaint. Colin's song Smoking Chutney was nominated for the 2010 IMA awards in the world fusion category, with the song picked out for the guitar solo performance by guitarist Elvis Lobo. While new talent is slowly finding its space via the internet, it is Goa's small but vibrant live jazz music scene that has been creating a buzz for several years now. The Saturday Nite Market in Arpora, North Goa, has emerged as one of the prime venues for jazz and experimental music. While the bazaar -- originally designed by a German settler Ingo Grill -- runs as a well organised sprawling market of stalls, offering wares from shell earrings to leather boots, to Indian handicrafts, the heart of the market is its live stage, just off a buzzing food court. Here, in high season, when the open air market attracts an eclectic crowd of foreign and discerning Indian tourists, Western settlers and leftover hippies, the ground level stage becomes the setting for a series of live acts each Saturday. So while fire eaters and African dancers do their spot acts under starry night skies, there's a real cooler vibe when the musicians get on stage. "I've heard some of the best music play at the Saturday nite market. Musicians from all over the world, passing through, will just land up, contact the organisers, and offer to play just for the joy of playing to an appreciative chilled out global audience and that strangely produces some of the most inspired music, out of the mainstream, and totally mind blowing", says hotelier Francis de Braganca. Local jazz musicians love playing at the market, because the audience that gathers around the stage is genuinely appreciative and the ambiance is every musicians' dream. "It's a scene that I doubt happens anywhere else in the world" adds Braganca. Two kilometres away, Mackey's nite market, also on Saturdays in the tourist season, runs similar gigs that offers a stage for jazz and other musicians. Another favourite jazz concert venue that's heating up the scene is Goa Chitra's small amphitheatre in coastal Benaulim in south Goa. Every week from October to March, the organic farm cum ethnographic museum, hosts a jazz/ fusion/ experimental group for a small audience of around 200. "We keep it small, but musicians especially love the intimacy of the place" says Victor Hugo Gomes, proprietor and curator. Last year, Goa Chitra had John Law's Art of Sound Trio play in Goa, just after their return from the North Sea Jazz Festival, in Rotterdam. In November this year, Blues diva Danna Gillespie is signed on for a fund-raiser concert. This year on, artistes will be encouraged to give small workshops as well. There's a limited following for jazz, and the workshops are meant to raise the bar on appreciation and allow young musicians to benefit from the exposure. As an event organiser, Gomes has always been more keen on the serious experimental side of jazz and disdains turning jazz music into family and tourist entertainment. Gomes still rues the fact that the Jazz Yatra wound down completely. "Jazz is serious creative music, its a group of musicians communicatin
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Kamat and Mulgaonkar -- close friends, colleagues and brothers-in-law (Jayant P. Mulgaonkar)
KAMAT AND MULGAONKAR: CLOSE FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES AND BROTHERS-IN-LAW By Jayant P. Mulgaonkar jayantmulgaon...@gmail.com Gopal Apa Kamat and Pandurang Mulgaonkar were brothers in law. (Kamat was married to Mulgaonkar's younger sister.) They were also lifelong friends, professional colleagues and fellow freedom fighters. They were of the same age, being born in 1917, within four months of each other; they met for the first time in 1930 at Panjim's Lyceum where they studied together for seven years. After completing their lyceum, they taught for three years at an institute in Panjim, simultaneously studying law. In 1940, both commenced legal practice at Bicholim. Within a short time, getting known as lawyers of competence and integrity, each built a large practice. But this did not bring in corresponding financial returns. Most clients were poor, perennially hard up villagers from around Bicholim and Sattari. But no client was turned away because he could not afford fees. The Second World War ended with the defeat of the Nazis and the Fascists on the continent of Europe. But in Portugal, on the fringe of the continent, Salazar remained firmly in the saddle with his own variant of Fascism, suppressing all political activity. Even as India stood on the verge of independence and the British imperialism was on the retreat on the subcontinent, Goa was lying in a state of political quiescence, but with simmering discontent against the oppressive colonial rule. It was ignited by Ram Manohar Lohia. On June 18, 1946, he showed the way for the aspiring fighters for freedom to follow. Hundreds of inspired Goans, crossing the religious and gender divides, came out in the open against the Portuguese. In a brutal response to the nascent non-violent nationalist resistance its prominent leaders were given harsh sentences and were banished either to Portugal or its African colonies. Those who escaped this fate found exile in Bombay and other places in the newly independent India. After the initial outburst, there was a lull. In 1953, Peter Alvares became the President of the National Congress (Goa) (NCG). He was originally from Parra in Bardez. He belonged to the Praja Socialist Party (PSP). Attired in khadi, donning a Gandhi cap, he spoke fluent Marathi and English. Alvares contacted Pundalik Gaitonde, a noted Lisbon-educated surgeon, Gopal Kamat, Pandurang Mulgaonkar and many others. A committee was formed with Pundalik Gaitonde as the President and Gopal Kamat as the Vice President. Pandurang Mulgaonkar was one of the key members. The committee had the task of organising a movement by mobilising freedom fighters across Goa. On February 17, 1954, Pundalik Gaitonde was attending a private dinner, a strictly non-political gathering. But one of the speakers could not let go the opportunity of showing his loyalty to his Portuguese masters and in the course of his speech burst out saying "Aque e Portugal" (This too is Portugal). Gaitonde's patriotic pride was hurt to the quick. He spontaneously rose to register his instantaneous protest by uttering two brief words which were to become famous among the freedom-loving Goans. "Eu protesto." (I protest.), thundered Dr.Gaitonde. This declaration of protest was reason enough for the Government to pounce on Pundalik Gaitonde and banish him to Portugal. In Gaitonde's absence, Kamat headed the committee. But in a pre-emptory strike, the Portuguese Government arrested all the key leaders. Kamat and Mulgaonkar were arrested on June 30, 1954. They remained incarcerated in Panjim for some time and then at Aguada jail for five long years. The declaration of a political amnesty meant that they did not have to serve their full sentences. Mulgaonkar and many others were released on May 17, 1959; Kamat, about four months later, on August 15, 1959. A long prison term meant sacrificing promising professional careers, separation from families and the utter disruption of the lives of the family members, young and old. It was a period of great pain and suffering and the constant worries about the loved ones . But it was also a period of education and learning , companionship and consolidation of the camaraderie with fellow prisoners, many of whom they had not even met before. The movement did not die down after the arrest of its principal leaders as the Portuguese had been hoping. On the contrary, the years 1954 and 1955 saw the non violent movement in Goa reach an unprecedented peak. The armed groups of freedom fighters were also becoming active. Hundreds of Satyagrahis , mostly young men, just out of school or those who had interrupted their college studies, filled the prisons of Aguada and Reis Mago
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Bookworm completes six years this September.... (Elaine and Sujata)
Bookworm completes six years this September Bookworm is a fascinating experiment, a library for children in Goa. Here, Sujata and Elaine talk about their experiences in running the venture, their trails and their rewards. Our lending library has taught us that... Access to books must continue – with declining membership numbers from 300 odd in 2005 to 30 odd in 2011, we continue to believe that access to books is important. We report growing numbers of books. At the last count, we had a database of over 17000 children’s books from all over the world. We have shopped since then and promise to keep at it. When we are at our lowest point of survival, looking at books without children to read them at the community library space in St. Inez, a parent stops to pick up books for her child and tells us how she has chosen to stay back in Goa rather than move with her husband because Bookworm and a nurturing preschool have helped her son and her develop a love for reading. We have had to be creative, with the slow painful death of our extension activities due to declining participation from children, we came up with the Family Book Treasury – a scheme that encourages borrowing of larger numbers of books for longer periods of time. This scheme has a huge potential, but for now, the faithful WOM (word of mouth) marketing has helped. Our worm inches along. Reading begins at home and grows there – children who read and who love to read come from families that have fostered this love. At Bookworm, we can support, encourage, strengthen and motivate, but reading begins at home. When a parent discourages borrowing a book at the princely sum of Rs. 2 a day because "there will be no time to read" the die is cast. The bitter us can see that there is always time for the Rs. 10 packet of chemically laden crisps and worse, but for books, the price is high. We are always sad but there is also a wisdom on focusing energy on what can be done and we turn to find a family walk in the door, babe in arms, toddler at leg but here to choose books for the wet weekend. We know this for sure, we wait for you. The School Book Treasury has proven to be a program that has been growing and validates our existence in a different way. If reading begins at home, what must happen to the thousands of first generation school goers who come from homes that did not have books and still do not. Even more pertinent, what happens to teacher education that has not caught up with the expectations of policy like the Rte and UEE, which mandates reading and library in the classroom? Herein, lies a mission of a different kind. We have a growing demand for books in the classroom from both private and aided schools and know that we need to be systematic. This demand comes in waves, often from silence and indifference to an awakening. We know that we must be patient, ride these waves, crest some of them and know that others will drop. We must develop systems that allow the books to be used in the best way possible within the classroom, while helping children grow in reading and learning. We have a powerhouse in the newly set up www.thebooktreasury.org website by a friend in Toronto, Canada. We continue to be nurtured by www.helpingelsewhere.org team in the UK and with friends and well wishers all over the globe, we will ensure that our bookmobile beeps along. Bookworm Publishing: Our dream is taking shape, slowly, haltingly but we will get there. Books from Goa for children that reflect as much of our world as possible from diverse perspectives is the goal. We crawl towards the goal with our project manager Noreen Carneiro gliding with us. From a lean team of 2 we are now strengthened by the addition of a third in Noreen and look forward to the year ahead and publishing. Workshops and On going Projects: Resource persons, too many to name have constantly leapt at ideas to work out of Bookworm. Every workshop brings a new energy of a positive kind to the library space and reminds us that we are alive and making our way, somewhere. When the space seems limited we Cholta Cholta with Pritha Sardessai, our ambassador on the heritage walks for children. We will soon release a Cholta Cholta notebook that will allow any visitor to Panjim to walk and learn and know where they are walking thanks to Pritha’s illustrations of the city she loves. Friends of Bookworm is an army of strong supportive individuals who talk with us, laugh with us and love what we do in unconditional ways. They bring us resource in powerful ways and connect with us to make the vision of a better reading tomorrow brighter and possible. As we move into childhood, leaving infancy behind, Bookworm thanks you, deeply. Elaine & Sujata September 2011 MORE ABOUT BOOKWORM * Visit our new blog: http://goabookworm.wordpress.com * Ph +91-9823222665 or +91-832-2420146. * Bluebelle B 2nd Fl, Sant Ines * Find us: I
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: The World of the Dulpod (Jose Pereira, Micael Martins+ and Antonio da Costa)
The World of the Dulpod
[From the book 'Undra Muja Mama',
co-authored by Dr Jose Pereira, late
maestro Micael Martins and Pe. Antonio
da Costa, and being released in Goa on
Sunday, Oct 9, 2011 at 5 pm at the
Ravindra Bhavan, Margao.]
Folk Songs of Goa: Dulpods
OFFERED IN THIS BOOK is a collection of dulpods, dance songs
depicting vignettes of life in traditional Goa. It is a
collection more complete than the first one ever made of them
(from 1866 to 1870) by the pioneer collector of Konkani folk
songs, Miguel Vicente de Abreu (1827-1884).
Abreu (who identified himself as “um curioso”) compiled his
collection while dulpods were still being composed; the
present collection was completed when their period of
composition had long ended. They portray an idyllic world
which in our own lifetime has vanished past recall, and which
some of us were privileged to witness while it still enjoyed
some of its vitality.
Inhabiting this world were characters like the
advogad (lawyer), alfiad (alfaiate, tailor),
beatinny (devout spinster), bikari (beggar), firngi
(paklo, white man, Portuguese), forvoti (sawyer),
harvi (fisherman), iscrivaum (scrivener), inglez
(Englishman), kolvont (temple dancer), marinheir
(seaman), maskany (fishwife), mistis (mestiço),
padri (pad vigar, pad cur, patiu; priest, vicar,
curate), poskany (female merchant), render (toddy
tapper), rendenny (toddy tapper's wife), roper
(clothier), sonar (goldsmith), tanddel (ferryman),
and tovoi mest (carpenter).
Not many researchers have studied the Dulpod. Among the few
who have are Lúcio Rodrigues (1915-1973) and António
Mascarenhas (1916-1993), particularly the former, who not
ineptly termed it the "song of joy," for its mostly anonymous
Konkani authors describe joyous characters living in a stable
world, with its tranquility disturbed by armed conflicts,
ever increasing emigration, and the introduction of
technology. But to some authors who wrote in Portuguese --
like "Gip" (Francisco João da Costa, 1864-1901) and José da
Silva Coelho (1889-1944) -- it was a world of hypocrisy and
pretense, features that it undoubtedly possessed. The
Dulpod, though not ignorant of the darker side of Goan life,
concerns itself mainly with the joyous existence which that
life had to offer.
The Dulpod is a dance song that originated in the
aristocratic mansions in Goa after the introduction of
ballroom dancing in the early 19th century.
Goans became addicts to ballroom dancing, and
continue to be so in this 21st century. They
mastered the dances current in Europe, like the
Waltz (in vogue from 1816), the Polka (originated
around 1830), Lancers (from around 1860) and the
Pas-de-Quatre (1892). But they needed to have
dance songs of their own; they invented four: the
Mando, the Mando-Dulpod, the Dulpod, and the
Deknni.
The Mando is a slow verse-and-refrain song, in six-four time,
dealing with love, tragedy and contemporary events, both
social and political. The Mando-Dulpod is a slower variety
of the Dulpod (or a quicker sort of Mando), also in six-four
time, facilitating the transition from the Mando's slow
rhythm to the quicker one of the Dulpod. The Dulpod itself,
in six-eight time, is typically descriptive of Goan life,
particularly that of the Christians. The Deknni ("Song of
the Deccan") is a song imitating Hindu music in the musical
idiom current among the Christians, in two-for or six-eight
time, descriptive mostly of Hindu life, with special
attention given to temple dancers. We have already published
three volumes on the Mando, and one on the Folk Songs of Goa:
Mando-Dulpods and Deknnis. The present volume is devoted to
the Dulpod alone.
Helpful in dating the dulpods are the political
events to which they sometimes allude, like the
rebellion of Kuxttoba (1869), the Abkary Act
(1878), the building of the railway (1881-1886),
and the revolt of the Rannos (or foresters, 1895).
References to currency too are helpful in dating
the songs.
Like most folk songs every where, the dulpods are usually
anonymous. However, we have managed to trace the names of
composers, as for example Azavedo Diniz (1860-1907), Arnaldo
de Menezes (1863-1917), Carmo Abreu (fl. 1887-1894),
Francisco de Menezes (fl. 1906-1910), Gizelino Rebelo
(1875-1931), Mest Filip (fl. early 20th cent.) and Paulo
Milagres Silva (1855-1931). Not all the verses of the songs
attributed to them are necessarily theirs, however,
especially those that appear at the end of a number; the
Dulpod is a folk song, and as such was subject to variation,
accretion and improvisation.
The songs printed here were collected with great care and
from several sources, but these sources are not indicated in
the present work. Among the
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: The Rainmaker (Francisco D'Souza, in Business Today)
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php --- The Rainmaker Cognizant has turned the outsourcing model under Francisco D'Souza Sunny Sen Cognizant Technology Solutions' moment of epiphany came one summery day in July 1998 on Wall Street, New York. Spun off two years earlier from ratings data giant Dun & Bradstreet, or D&B, the company was presenting its plan for a share sale on NASDAQ. At that time, most of its revenues came from its former parent and this had a banker saying: "If Cognizant can be listed, I can take the MIS department of any large US corporation public." MIS was short for management information systems, as information technology systems were commonly called in the 1980s and 1990s. MUST READ: Q&A with Cognizant's CEO Francisco D'Souza The sarcasm stung. But the lesson was clear: Cognizant had to stand out in the information technology, or IT, fraternity. It could take the road of high innovation of Microsoft - those were pre-Google days - or the path of operational excellence of, say, International Business Machines, or IBM. Or, it could evolve around a customer-focused model. Cliched as customer-centricity sounds today, Kumar Mahadeva, the then CEO, and his key lieutenants - including current honcho Francisco D'Souza, who was then head of the US operations - chose to go the extra mile in servicing clients. The New Jersey-headquartered company, with most operations run from Chennai, decided it would not undercut competition on pricing but spend more on client servicing and invest in domain expertise to deliver extra value. The philosophy matured into the core of Cognizant's business model, helping it to eventually catch up with bigger rivals, who had a head start of at least a couple of decades and were perfecting offshore delivery from India. As a captive of D&B, "we had only one customer and our focus was only technology and how to deliver quality", says Lakshmi Narayanan, Cognizant's Vice Chairman. "But we decided that we will be known for our customer centricity." At that time, large corporations in the US and Europe needed little pampering to outsource to India, which promised 40 to 60 per cent savings. Such cosseting, potential investors were told, would predicate Cognizant's business model on operating margins in the 18 to 20 per cent range. For context, Infosys reported 26 per cent earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, or EBITDA, in 1998/99; two years later, it rose to a peak of 39 per cent as business fixing the Y2K bug poured in. A dozen years on, Cognizant has overtaken Bangalore's Wipro to the Number three rank by revenues among IT service firms operating from India. Infosys, ranked second, is next in its sights. For now, there is a considerable gap. Market guidance estimates released by Infosys put its revenues for 2011/12 at up to $7.25 billion; Cognizant has forecast it will close revenues at $6.06 billion in the year to December 2011. But this could change dramatically. By the end of the first quarter of 2015, Cognizant is likely to overtake Infosys, on a quarterly basis, according to various estimates. "With +8.3 per cent quarter-on-quarter dollar revenue growth in Q2 2011, Cognizant delivered a strong outperformance over its guidance (+5.7 per cent q/q) and continued its outperformance over Indian IT peers," Bhavin Shah and Jaykumar Doshi, analysts with Equirus Securities, wrote in a report in August. This could change if Infosys makes a big acquisition but the distance Cognizant has travelled is evident: until 2008, Infosys led it by nearly half a billion dollars in quarterly revenues. 'The New Normal' The Cognizant saga goes beyond overtaking Wipro or Infosys, or perhaps even market leader Tata Consultancy Services, or TCS. The story is how a company less than 18 years old is disrupting a $60-billion business of delivering IT services from India. It signed up 283 new client engagements in the four quarters to June 2011, compared with 128 for TCS, Infosys's 127, Wipro's 182, and 222 for HCL Technologies. In the same period, Cognizant's revenues grew 34.4 per cent versus Infosys's 23 per cent and Wipro's 17 per cent. At the centre of the disruption Cognizant is causing lies its selling, general and administration, or SG&A, expenses, which relate to sales, customer service and marketing. In each of the last three years, the company has spent between 21 and 23 per cent of its revenue on the SG&A count, a percentage share that is double that of some rivals'. President and CEO D'Souza traces this to Cognizant's 'two-in-a-box
[Goanet] Short stories from Goa for children... The Rose Garden (by Anita Pinto)
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php --- OUR LOCAL ENID BLYTON With her latest book for children, Anita Pinto is back in action Pantaleao Fernandes "CHILDREN ARE MY PASSION. Writing nis my passion. So, I write for children," says Anita Pinto who's soon slated to release her book, *Espi Mai is Stuck Again*. Anita Pinto from Mapusa is also the author of *Tales from Golden Goa*. Speaking about her current book, she says, "They are just stories that can be read to children or that children can read themselves again and again... I hope," she quips. The book bundles a collection of nineteen pieces including four poems. They are all set in different villages of Goa and illustrated by lively cartoons. Keeping one's eyes and ears open is a good method of fishing for story ideas, feels Anita. "My inspiration comes from the colour, the sights, the smells and the flavour of Goa. I always pick up my ears when someone says, 'in Goa, in the olden days' I find a story at the dentist's waiting room, at bus stops, the school corridors, on my walks in the evening, everywhere." As a child, Anita was surrounded by stories. "My father was a professor at the Bombay University. He read us fairy tales of distant lands from a very young age. My mother, who was a JJ School of Art graduate, made up stories for us. Once, she made up a story of a girl called Peggy, who refused to drink her milk. She got so weak that she could not blow the candle off on her birthday cake. All the children did it for her. We all learnt the importance of eating well and drinking milk. But... mainly her stories taught us to think 'out of the box'...," Anita reminisces. And then it was her turn to spin tales, "Like my mother, I made up stories. When we were young children, the entire neighbourhood collected at our house to play every evening. At vacation time, I would make up skits or little poems and we would enact them. I was very little then and cannot remember exactly what they were. I remember one was of a Mr Grumbler whose shoes got tighter every time he grumbled." The shift from making up stories to writing began when she became a mother. "I really began to *write* for my own children. I had created a character, a boy called Panduram. Through Panduram, I taught my sons many values. If they stoned a cat or dog, Panduram would do the same but the dog would talk to Panduram and tell him how he felt. If they fought with each other, there would be a story of Panduram, how he fought with his siblings and one day, one of them was lost in a market and how they all cried till the child was found. When I was having another baby, the first one was told about how Panduram helped his mother look after the baby, because the baby belonged to the whole family. Oh, Panduram was a great boon to me and I really felt that my children learnt more from him than from me." After her children, story telling spilled on to her nieces, then on to the neighbours' children. "If any child in the neighbourhood cannot study at home for whatever reason, my door is always open. Whatever their age, I have a drink, a snack and a story to goad them on." Anita prefers her stories to be visual more than descriptive. "I want to transport a child to the situation. I do that with sounds and dialogue. My joy in telling stories to children begins seeing seeing the expression on their faces. I change my voice, shout, make funny sounds, whisper or shoot from a gun and children jump or come close to me and cuddle up." [The Goa Times, The Times of India, Oct 20, 2011, Page 1] http://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/6263117310/in/photostream * * * * * * * * * * The Rose Garden By Anita Pinto FRANCISCO was seven years old. He loved playing football with the big boys in the field next to his house at Fatorda. Fatorda had a large football stadium but next to it was a field where everyone played. Francisco went there every day. His sisters played Catch-Me-If-You-Can and cricket with their friends. One evening Francisco came back very tired and hot. He ran to the gurgulet for a glass of cool water. Then he washed his face. He looked at himself in the mirror ab
[Goanet] The Passing of Another Goan Music Legend -- Joe Gomes (JazzGoa)
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php --- The Passing of Another Goan Music Legend -- Joe Gomes JazzGoa jazz...@yahoo.com The passing away of the great legends of the era has become an all too familiar phenomena these days. Another legend of the music industry -- Joe Gomes passed away peacefully on 21 October 2011. Born on 15 January 1926, from the island of Divar, Ilhas, Goa, Jose Antonio Gomes fondly known to all as Joe Gomes, finished his Portuguese schooling and left the shores of Goa to find his fame and fortune outside Goa. Joe learned the ropes from his brother the late Johnny Gomes who helped popularize contemporary Western music in Bollywood. Both Joe and Johnny doubled up on the alto saxophone and the clarinet as well as played the violin. It must be mentioned that both brothers made their mark in more than one field of music at the same time, be it the jazz/dance band scene, Western classical, Hindi films and even Konkani music. Joe's first break in the music industry came with a multinational quartet consisting of two Goans, a Frenchman and a Belgian in the mid-1940s. He started his career in Ranchi, then moved over to Kashmir, Mussorie, Dehra Dun and landed in Delhi in 1953, where he joined the band of Rex Alvares in 1953. From then on he played in Delhi's restaurants and hotels led by British band leaders of those times. The jazz sound of the thirties and forties was 'swing' and the vehicle for expression of such music was the big band, at the vanguard of which were the bands of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Glen Miller. The swing era endured right into the fifties and was kept alive by the likes of Chic Chocolate, Johnny Baptist, Cyril Sequeira, Ken Mac, Hal Greene, Goody Servai ad Joe Gomes. Joe was fondly nick named the Benny Goodman of India by his peers. In the mid to late 1950s, Joe moved to Bombay and joined the Chic Chocolate's band. When trombonist Maurice Concessio broke away from Chic to form his own band, Joe joined Maurice as his lead alto sax player. At the same time he moved into films, mainly as a player with his brother Johnny who was the music arranger for then famous music directors such as C. Ramchandra and Chitragupta. In 1962 during the Sino-Indian war, the brothers went to NEFA front along with C. Ramchandra to entertain the troops. There Joe almost lost his life due to the pranks played on the group by the famous Indian film actor and comedian Bhagwan. In the late 1960s Joe joined 'The Sundowners' led by Richie Marquis at the Sun N Sands Hotel at Juhu, Mumbai where he played for 12 consecutive years. In 1980, Joe led his own band the famous 'Eclipse 80s' where his daughter Lydia crooned and son Manuel Gomes played the tenor sax and who continues his legacy in music. Joe had three records by HMV to his credit -- a rare distinction. All were collections of popular film tunes labeled as Journey '77, Golden Sax and Joe Gomes featuring arrangements by Enoch Daniels. Also an instrumental from the hit film Bobby bears his stamp. He featured on the lead alto sax in the Foottappers Big Band at the Jazz Yatra in 1984. Joe played actively both in the Western and Indian music industries till the late 1990s. The legacy of many of the musicians of Goa who have passed away lives on to date. Joe leaves behind his loving wife Lourdine, two daughters Elizabeth, Lydia and a son Manuel along with their spouses and grandchildren. The family can be contacted in Goa on phone +91-832-2904113
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Raising the dust on illegal mining in Goa (Joseph Zuzarte, in InfochangeIndia)
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php --- Raising the dust on illegal mining in Goa By Joseph Zuzarte Only nine of the 90 active mining leases in Goa appear to be valid, preliminary investigations by the Justice MB Shah Commission reveal. The rest have been exploiting a legal loophole to extract upto 54 million metric tonnes of iron ore per year. Joseph Zuzarte reports on the dust that is, finally, being raised in the state about illegal mining illegal mining in Goa The arrival of the Justice MB Shah Commission, set up to inquire into illegal mining in the country, in Goa in September has opened up the proverbial can of worms. Interacting informally with the media on the sidelines of his meetings with Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, and Chief Secretary Sanjiv Srivastava, members of the commission have revealed that preliminary investigations prima facie indicate that only nine mining leases out of a total of 336 in Goa, have valid licenses to operate. Considering that there are around 90 active mining leases in the state, this implies that around 90% of the mining leases in Goa are being operated illegally. What's more, of even these nine valid mining leases, some are said to be operating without the mandatory clearance from the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) required for carrying out mining within 10 km of a protected area. Though this is preliminary information, the unearthing of the ambiguities under which most of the mines in Goa operate following the visit of Justice Shah and other members of his Commission to some of the largest mining areas in Goa last week -- the visits are still going on -- has the potential to deal a deathblow to mining operations in Goa. The findings of this same Shah Commission, which had also inquired into the illegal mining at Bellary in Karnataka, led to Karnataka Lok Ayukta's damning report against the Yedyurappa government and the arrest of mining magnate and Tourism Minister Janardhana Reddy and his associates only recently. According to information provided by the Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association (GMOEA), 54.45 million metric tonnes of mineral ore were exported from Goa in 2010-11, the highest by any state in the country. In FY 2009-2010, 45.68 million metric tonnes were exported. Most of this is iron ore, with a small percentage of manganese and bauxite (less than 20%). Of the 54.45 million metric tonnes, 48.93 million metric tonnes were sent to China, followed by 3.4 million metric tonnes to Japan. The ore was also exported to South Korea, UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Thailand, Netherlands, Romania and Italy. Though most of this ore is of Goan origin, a small percentage comes from neighbouring Karnataka. In comparison, in 1995-96, 15.12 million metric tonnes were exported. The nearly four-fold growth in exports has been largely caused by the insatiable demand for ore from China. Catering to this demand has led to an unprecedented boom in mining in Goa and consequently all legalities have been thrown to the winds in the rush to excavate the iron ore and export it. It's been a win-win situation for many -- the mining lease owners, owners of lands next to the mining leases, transporters of the ore and, most of all, the politicians and bureaucrats who have facilitated the large-scale mining by bending the rules and turning a blind eye to the flouting of all laws. The history of the mining leases To really understand what has happened, you need to go back in time a little, to the pre-1961 period when Goa -- then known as Estado de India -- was ruled by the Portuguese. At the invitation of the then colonial government, mineral prospectors from Japan surveyed the state and discovered huge reserves of iron ore, manganese and bauxite, mostly in the interior hilly areas of the tiny territory (Goa admeasures 3,720 sq km) in the foothills of the Western Ghats. The then colonial government consequently granted mining concessions in specified areas to explore and extract the mineral ore. In all, 336 mining leases were granted. Only a few were excavated over the years and many remained idle for want of demand because the iron ore was low-grade. Though the Indian army invaded Goa in December 1961 and 'liberated' the territory from Portuguese rule, the status quo was maintained on these mining concessions and they w
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Goans Threaten Jet Airways Boycott (Naresh Fernandes in NYT Blog)
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php --- October 28, 2011, 3:52 AM Goans Threaten Jet Airways Boycott By NARESH FERNANDES Goa's ever-active Internet discussion groups have been buzzing in recent days with complaints about a new Jet Airways policy banning passengers from carrying meat, fish and poultry products on both domestic and international flights even in their checked-in luggage. The policy was quietly introduced at the end of June, with little explanation. "With immediate effect carriage of fish, crab, sea food, meat and poultry products will be prohibited as check-in baggage," according to a statement from the airline. Passengers from Goa say vacuum-packed sausage and canned tuna fish are among the items confiscated, and are threatening to boycott the airline. "With this policy of Jet Airways, it is surely going to lose a big chunk of Goan business not just from Goans but other passengers too who love taking Goan sausages to enjoy a bite," predicted one Goan news site. It isn't surprising that the restrictions should have elicited so much irritation in Goa, whose residents have a hearty appetite for spicy chorizos, vindaloo and other carnivorous delights. But it may not be long before residents of other states begin to grumble, too. Despite the conventional wisdom that most Indians are vegetarian, the country's Anthropological Survey estimates that approximately 80 percent of the population eats the varieties of food prohibited by the airline. It's a statistic that is quoted approvingly on the Web site of India's Ministry of Food Processing, as a way of emphasizing the vast business potential for the country's meat-processing industry. "There is a huge scope for expanding exports, especially in buffalo and poultry meat, eggs and dairy products," it says. Since 1995, the production of meat and meat products has been growing 4 percent a year, while the poultry industry has been expanding at 9 percent a year. India is the world's fifth-largest egg producer and has one-ninth of its poultry. Even though so many Indians get their nutrition from cheap meat products, vegetarianism is often held up as a virtue, especially by some upper-caste Hindus. In extreme cases, this virtue has been enforced in strong-handed fashion. For instance, when a restaurant serving meat dishes opened in 2006 in Mumbai's neighborhood of Walkeshwar, where many vegetarian Gujaratis and Jains live, customers were reportedly pelted with pebbles and spat on. Pizza chains in the neighborhood were forced to take meat options off their menus. Maybe it's not surprising, then, that some critics say the Jet Airways restriction is yet another attempt by vegetarian fundamentalists to foist their ethical codes on carnivores. Said a posting in one Facebook discussion, "These vegetarian fascists have been at work for a while now!!" Chain e-mail messages, calling for Goans to boycott the airline and to demand that airline officials give them written statements explaining why their meat products are being confiscated, have started circulating. Jet Airways insists the policy isn't an underhanded way of enforcing vegetarianism. A spokeswoman, who didn't want to be identified by name, said that the policy was enacted after some travelers complained that their baggage had been soiled by seepage from adjoining suitcases containing meat products. "It's based on customer feedback," she said. She refused to speculate on the probability of vegetarian pickles causing similar damage. http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/28/goans-threaten-jet-airways-boycott/?partner=rss&emc=rss
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours (Hartman de Souza, Hindustan Times)
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php --- You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours Hartman de Souza, Hindustan Times October 27, 2011 First Published: 22:58 IST(27/10/2011) Pro-environment activists and believers in Goa have had their bit of learning after the arrival of the Justice MB Shah Commission on illegal mining, an initiative by the Union government to assess, curtail and hopefully compensate Goa for being looted by its own ministers and their cronies. First and foremost, echoing the call of many small-town Indians is a growing dislike for TV news channels, who descend on Panjim like a certain species of bird. Take the case of a woman battling both ministers and miners, who's called at 5.30 pm to appear on a panel on illegal mining at 6.30 pm. Or take the case of another channel that blocked the time of a person neck-deep in pursuing the mining industry in the courts, then cancelled the programme without informing him. It's not that environment activists in Goa haven't received such treatment before. More than a year ago, a news channel in Delhi was contacted and asked to cover the obvious crimes related to mining. "Oh, we just did a story on mining in Goa three months ago," they replied. One of the ‘better' incidents, of course, is the one in which a French film crew was recently taken to Cawrem, an area in Goa where villagers have successfully closed down a patently illegal mine. It is the first time that such a thing has happened in Goa. Excited about shooting a village spring which the mine may have dried up, along with one of the villagers, the videographer was stopped by his producer, a woman, who said, "How can you shoot with him dressed like this (he was wearing a shirt, trousers and shoes)? He's not dressed like a farmer." Though the print and online media have been exemplary, and people trust them, they also fumble reality at times. The story that broke the skullduggery in Goa first appeared on Firstpost. Later, it was methodically pursued by reporters from Hindustan Times' Mumbai bureau. But what many people don't know is that the Firstpost story was first commissioned when the reporter concerned was working for another magazine, which takes pride in being politically neutral. The story remained in limbo for two weeks. It saw the light of day only when the reporter left the organisation, took the story with him, made one more trip to Goa and uncovered some more irregularities. Environmentalists in Goa were, however, not puzzled by the said magazine's reluctance to go after the Goa government and its home-grown mining barons, given that it had sent a reporter earlier and had blocked that story then too. The magazine's proprietor had bought an old house in a Goan village. Even as I write this, he is bending rules to get the house refurbished into a new age spa. Just across the house was an old jackfruit tree, which was cut even when the inside of its thick turmeric-coloured centre was still gleaming with moisture. It's anybody's guess how many more old trees would have been cut inside the vast perimeter of the property to make way for lawns, garden and ponds. It doesn't end there. The said magazine will soon hold an ‘ideas' jamboree in Panjim at a hotel which is owned by a mining company. It's a clear case of you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. Perhaps a better word to describe it is ‘complicity', which environmentalists say will ensure a systematic destruction of Goa. From government officials, who may have invested in mining trucks, to media barons-in-the-making, who look the other way when the loot is distributed, everyone is involved in the dirty business of illegal mining in Goa. Hartman de Souza is a theatre veteran based in Pune The views expressed by the author are personal http://www.hindustantimes.com/You-scratch-my-back-I-ll-scratch-yours/H1-Article1-761928.aspx
[Goanet] A little bit of Goa in Karachi (PakTeaHouse.net)
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php --- A little bit of Goa in Karachi October 21st, 2011 | 12 Comments Pride of Goans. Pride of Karachi. A Vestige of Great Goan Legacy. Walking past Karachi Goan Association entrance is like entering a wormhole, jumping into a universe which is oblivious to cacophony of competing voices out on Saddar road. Goan Association Hall is a landmark which still plays an active role in Karachi's social scene. The entrance opposite Karachi Grammar School is a humble one and trees, as old as the Gymkhana, shadow the front facade, or is it the back. Never-mind both are equally impressive. In 1886, Goans started the Goan Portugese Association which was later renamed as Karachi Goan Association. The task of designing was entrusted to a relatively unknown architect known as 'Moses Somake'. The same man went on to make his mark on Karachi the way no one else did. The hall immediately became a center of social life of Goans in Karachi. It hosted all kind of events for the community. In the beginning it did not have a boundary wall and it graced the sorrounding area. At its peak it held ten days of celebrations where the top Goan bands performed. During World War II the KGA was turned into Senior Officers Club for US Army. On a regular day you will find few janitors moping the floor, which has characteristic prepartition tiles. The furniture too has been preserved well. The main hall does not have much of seating area but special arrangements are made for Tambola nights and other social events. There is a statue of Mr Cincinattus in the hall. He had been the President of the KGA for a decade and has a residential neighbourhood, Cincinattus Town, Now Garden, to his name. To the right a small part of the hall is used for hosting table tennis tournaments. there is a small library in the left section which also showcases trophies from different eras. To the left is the billiard room. The adjacent room is used for playing cards. Move out and take the staircase which leads to a big dance floor which has been used for a variety of purposes. The hall is used for holding Christmas, New year and Easter gatherings and has been rented members for ceremonies and commercial shooting. The congregation of the hall has dwindled over the years but it remains a social hub for the community. A seperate post is needed for what Goans have done for Karachi. The thriving community of 1850s has been migrating for pastures green abroad. There are only about 15,000 goans still living in Karachi. KGA celebrated 125 years of existence this year. Mr. Menin of Goans of Pakistan wondered how would it look like when they celebrate 150 years of its existence in 2036. The Karachi walla sincerely yearns for a better promise for KGA and Goans. They make a vital part of pluralistic Karachi social fabric. The enterprising community has contributed more than its share and we can't afford to lose them. A lot of Goans may have left but they have taken a small piece of Karachi with them. Brian Gonsalves, a Goan from Karachi who now lives on the Island of Margarita, Venezuela, wrote to Goans of Pakistan, "My House in Venezuela is called 'Pakistan' – how is that for patriotism!!" COMMENT: KGA still has more than 500 members plus their dependents. The only difference between the fate of KGA and other buildings is the sheer activism of the remaining Goan community. Please check http://www.goansofpakistan.org/ SEE PHOTOS AT http://pakteahouse.net/2011/10/21/contribution-for-pak-tea-by-karachi-wala/
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: They dared to challenge Goa's mining mafia (Ashwin Aghor, in Down To Earth)
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php --- They dared to challenge Goa's mining mafia Ashwin Aghor Issue: Oct 28, 2011 The youth of Caurem, a tribal village, fight on despite threats PHOTO: Nilesh Gaonkar (his hand is in plaster) and his friends have formed a front to fight for the rights of the 2,000 residents of Caurem (Photos: Ashwin Aghor) While the authorities are busy calculating the losses caused by Goa's mining mafia to the state exchequer, little attention has been paid to the few people who dared to challenge the state's mining mafia. Residents of the tribal village Caurem, situated eight-odd kilometres from Quepem town, once had everything in abundance in the village. They rarely had to visit Quepem for any needs. But the situation has now changed since their paddy fields, coconut and jackfruit plantations are getting destroyed. The reason: heavy contamination of ground water due to five mines operating within a one km radius of the village. Five mines are operating within a one km radius of Caurem Chief Minister Digambar Kamat once visited Caurem to inspect the extent of damage due to mining After visiting the area, he assured that all the mines in the vicinity of the village would be closed immediately. But nothing concrete has happened The mines are operated by powerful politicians and businessmen of the state. The mines which are being operated in blatant violation of environmental and mining laws have destroyed groundwater aquifers in the village to the extent that all the perennial water streams have become dry. Assaulted with iron rod Disturbed by the extent of damage to environment and threat to their very livelihood, Nilesh Gaonkar, a 24-year-old youth from Caurem, decided to take on the might of powerful mining mafia. He is supported by Tuslidas Velip, Samir Gaonkar and several other friends. The youths in the village came together and formed the Caurem Adivasi Bachao Samiti (CABS) to save the livelihood of the 2,000-odd residents of the village. Recipient of news channel CNNIBN's bravery award this year, Nilesh Gaonkar holds a diploma in mechanical engineering. He works for a private company in Verna Industrial Estate, 10 km away near Panjim. He was brutally assaulted by two unidentified motorcycle-borne youths in mind-May this year and threatened with dire consequences if he did not give up his fight against illegal mining. PHOTO: Dumpers lined up near the mine operated by Sheikh Mukhtar "I was on my way to work when a person assaulted me with iron rod from behind. The first blow was on shoulder and before I could react, came the second blow on my left hand. After hitting me twice, the youths fled the scene," says Nilesh, who is now more determined to fight illegal mining. Though police detained two youths in connection with the assault, they were let off within a couple of days and the case remains unsolved till date. The police at Quepem declined to comment, saying the Centre is probing illegal mining in the area. The youths of Caurem village today want only one thing. Complete closure of all the mines operating in the vicinity and ecological restoration of the area. "We do not want the ore at the cost of our lives. Mine operators are earning huge profits by destroying us and we are left to the mercy of God," says Tulsidas Velip. Mining has destroyed farming and blocked the water sources of the village, including a tributary of the Kushawati River that flows through the village. The road connecting Quepem and Caurem, which is less than 10 metres wide, has become death trap with round the clock movement of trucks carrying ores from mines to jetties and loading spots. "The uncontrolled movement of overloaded ore trucks has made it difficult for children and senior citizens to use the road. Especially, the school going children, who find it difficult to reach their school right across the road," says Nilesh. Nilesh, Tulsidas and others mobilised the villagers and built a front against the mine operated by one Sheikh Mukhtar. After several representations to the mining ministry, state and central governments the villagers have only got assurances. "Chief Minister Digambar Kamat once visited Caurem to inspect the extent of damage due to the mines. After visiting the area, he assured that all the mines in the vicinity of the village would be closed immediately. But nothing concrete has happened," Nilesh says. Tags: Web Specials, Caurem, Caur
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Albert Pinto ko gussa kyon aata hai (Tarun J Tejpal, replies to Hartman de Souza, in HT)
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php --- Albert Pinto ko gussa kyon aata hai Tarun J Tejpal, Hindustan Times October 30, 2011 Hartman de Souza, I am sure, is an honourable man, but he's clearly one with a hearty distaste for facts. Also, clearly, he has a febrile imagination -- well he is a "theatre veteran" -- that leaps swiftly from allusion to innuendo and from that shaky branch to the firm ones of accusation and conspiracy. And on that high perch he sits back satisfied that Goa has been saved from rapacious mining and worse capitalists. Alas, when I call him, having read his bizarre, baseless piece (You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, October 28), he is full of rage at the world, but no facts. When I tell him how we have not violated or bent a single rule in acquiring or renovating our old house, he rages about how the rest of India is destroying Goa. When I tell him my heart bleeds for the same jackfruit tree that his bleeds for, and that it is across the road and not on our property, and that we too complained when someone cut it down, he rages about how rich Goans are destroying Goa. When I tell him we are impassioned tree lovers and that we have gone to exemplary lengths to save every single firm and infirm tree while renovating, he rages about how consumerism is destroying the world. When I tell him the house we bought was an old ruin in an inner village, half hour from the closest beach, and not some fancy villa by the sea, he rages about how he is sick of other Indians descending on and destroying Goa. When I tell him the house cost us less than a one-bedroom apartment would in Delhi, he rages that he can't himself afford to buy a house in Goa. (I tell him nor can I in Delhi.) When I tell him the reporter he has cited was asked to leave the magazine on account of poor performance, he rages that the world will soon run out of water and power and food (and love). When I tell him we don't do mining, our investors don't do mining, I have no friends who are mining barons, and that we actively refused sponsorship from all the Goan mining companies for our Think conclave, he rages that all mining is bad, everywhere. When I tell him he would do better to look for the genuine bigdogs and their landed excesses, he rages that he is sick of the state of the world and will hunt them all down. He tells me he's very pissed off my book launch took place in a cultural place owned by the Salgaoncars. I ask him whether he dismisses Arundhati Roy's wonderful critiques because they are published by Rupert Murdoch's HarperCollins. He tells me that's semantics. I tell him that's complexity, in an intricately intertwined world. He tells me he hates the words 'pragmatism' and 'negotiation'. I tell him that's a frightening position. If you wish to persuade, you should be willing to be persuaded. He tells me he's past caring. I don't tell him that our journalists have in the last few years done more work than anyone else against land and mining violations in Orissa, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Haryana and other states. I suspect for him if it isn't in Goa it doesn't count. I don't tell him that Tehelka's public interest journalism ends up in crucial PILs, Supreme Court mandated special institutional tribunals (SITs), and impacts policy on a myriad human rights issues on a regular basis. I suspect, for him if it isn't in Goa it doesn't count. I don't tell him I go to the courts several times every month to defend ourselves against those whose wrongdoings we've exposed. I suspect, for him if it isn't Goa it doesn't count. I don't tell him that if the top 100 media editors and owners declare their assets I would be delighted, if included, to declare mine. Such revelations might explode his rage to potentially fatal levels. I don't tell him that my house or what I do with my legitimately earned money is no one's business but my own and I resent this absurd, gratuitous intrusion into my personal life. I could, like him, take a leap of surmise and conclude he's been set-up to attack us by one of the dozens of crooks we've exposed (as happens to us all the time by rabid right-wing fundamentalists, whose poison and bile one does not even bother to respond to). But I don't make that acidic surmise and I offer him a correction because I know his heart bleeds for the just and the right, and he has put much of his life behind the good fight. But the good fight, as we have all painstakingly learnt, cannot be all rage, blind and blinding. It cannot be rage to burn the world down. It cannot be r
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Message from Mario Soares, ex-President of Portugal...
--- http://www.GOANET.org --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php --- MESSAGE TO THE FIRST PURUSHOTTAM KADODKAR MEMORIAL LECTURE Mario Soares Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares, GColTE, GCC, GColL, KE; born 7 December 1924), Portuguese politician, served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the 17th President of Portugal from 1986 to 1996. The dictator Salazar never understood the colonial phenomenon and the reasons why, since the sixties, the UN began to proclaim the right of peoples to self-determination, following the Bandung conference. Moreover, in forty-two years of dictatorship, he had never condescended to travel to any Portuguese colony, whether in Africa or in the far East. That was the reason why, when it began the issue of the independence of Goa, Daman and Diu -- "the Portuguese State in India" as the dictatorship called it -- Salazar refused any contact with the Indian government, chaired by Prime Minister Nehru, and appealed to violence, as he always did, in relation to his opponents. I had met, at that time, Tristão Bragança da Cunha, Purushottam Kakodkar, Rama Hegde, and, later on, Dr. Froilano de Mello, who has become a representative of Goa at the National Assembly, which has never been a true Parliament since there was only one party, appointed by Salazar. Although I had been arrested at the same time the above mentioned friends did, we were never together in the same prison. It was only after we were released by the PIDE (Salazar’s political police) that we came to know each other well and socialized, becoming friends. Salazar's intransigence regarding the cause of India and in relation to Portugal's African colonies was responsible for thousands of deaths and severe injuries, from both sides, in thirteen years of colonial wars in Africa. Salazar ordered the resistance to the so-called invasion of Goa: the only thing he wanted was, to use his expression, "that we should win or die". He was wrong. The Portuguese military in Goa had the good sense of not complying with the orders from Lisbon and surrendered. Thus the Portuguese presence ended, the worst way, when it could have been negotiated peacefully in excellent conditions. I was, as it is well known, one of the leaders of decolonization. And I feel honoured to have begun the decolonisation, without which Portugal could never become a democracy or a member of the European Union. I also feel honoured to have restored, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, the diplomatic relations with India (which are excellent nowadays), then led by Mrs. Indira Gandhi. During a historic journey, I had the honour to pay homage to my friends Purushottam Kakodkar, Tristão Bragança da Cunha and Froilano de Mello, from whom I learned so much, and they, being Goans and therefore Indians, as my friend Eduardo Faleiro, never failed to express their friendship for Portugal.
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Just Matata takes on Kenya Goans (Ben Antao)
--- Goanet Classifieds --- Enescil, a Brazilian engineering firm requires Engineers, Architects and Draftsmen, proficient in AutoCAD, for their new office in Goa Those interested can email enescil@gmail.com by 15 November 2011 Selected candidates will be sent to Brazil for 2 months training --- Just Matata takes on Kenya Goans A review by Ben Antao ben.an...@rogers.com [Received via the Goa Book Club http://groups.google.com/group/goa-book-club ] Just Matata by Braz Menezes of Toronto is an autobiographical novel that blends an impressive mix of memoir, travel and social history of what life was like in British colonial Kenya. Since this is not a novel in the traditional sense and form of fiction, my review will depart from commenting on its fictional structure, plot or conflict. Instead, I will pick and choose, as though I were at a buffet table, what has excited my curiosity and whetted my appetite. At the outset the author has supplied a map of colonial East Africa and an introduction as follows: Early in the 20th century, the rulers of British East Africa are desperate for administrators and accountants; bartenders and bakers; cooks and clerks; musicians and mechanics; engineers and tailors, doctors and doormats. The people of Goa (Portuguese India) fit the bill perfectly and they create no matata (trouble in Swahili). They speak English, wear western attire and drink Scotch whisky. They play card games and cricket. Although they gyrate to the mando and dulpod, they also dance the lancers, the waltz and the foxtrot. They are Catholics and considered reliable to handle purse strings. They stay with their faith and never stray into politics. They do what they are told and are always loyal and docile. Above all, when compared to the cost of British labour, they can be had cheap—very cheap indeed. They flock to East Africa by the hundreds. What Braz (a noble name this!) has in mind of course are those Kenya Goans who, in spite of being subjected to racial segregation and low wages, lived a life of ease and pleasure, sheltered and coddled by the colonial masters, who worked in the civil service and for all practical purposes implemented the colonial regulations, including being couriers who unloaded the metaphorical white man's burden onto the backs of the black African; Goans who played and drank and danced in their exclusive gymkhanas, institutes and clubs, and being Catholics also helped raise funds to build and then prayed in the churches whose pews were segregated for the whites, Goans and Africans, as per the rules of segregation enacted by the white-skinned masters and dispensed by their brown-skinned, willing enablers. For Kenya Goans it was a life devoutly to be wished for. Oh, how I envy their lot, not having been privy to such good life! The author's characterization of Kenya Goans gave me pause to reflect. Having been born and raised in Portuguese colonial Goa, I can say that the Goans of my generation witnessed no coddling, no sheltered status, and no favoured treatment from the Portuguese rulers. A few who managed to master the lingua Portuguesa perhaps benefited under the colonial regime. Still, unlike their Kenya cousins, we Goans could not be labelled as "loyal and docile." We suffered the Portuguese dictatorship with equanimity in the sense that what cannot be cured must be endured. As we say in Konkani, Noxibantlem chukona. And although we prayed inside and outside the many churches, chapels and roadside crosses that embrace the villages of Goa, our status in life was defined by elitism and casteism, nevertheless a form of segregation inherited from our Hindu brethren but refined and polished by the Portuguese influence and Catholicism, as Braz points out in the book. The novel seductively subtitled Sin, Saints and Settlers is the first in a trilogy. It is narrated by Lando, the ten-year-old son of Chico who jumps ship in Mombasa in 1928 on a journey from Goa to Mozambique, another Portuguese colony in south-east Africa. Because Lando tells the story from the first person point of view (POV), he's hampered from crawling inside the minds of his family members—father, mother, sister—as well as his relatives and friends. This denies the narrator the freedom to show certain scenes three-dimensionally, as he might have through a multiple POV, scenes such as going on a safari from Nairobi through Kabete, Limuru and Nakuru, and fishing with his white friend Jimmy in Kericho. However, when Lando is shipped to Goa for his
[Goanet] Goanet Reader: Cine Times -- a small, very useful link in a big city
age. The language was there long before any government and will always be. His only grief being that the Roman script has not yet been given the importance it is due. However, of late, the government has recognised the importance of the Roman script and has started to undo the injustice by giving grants to Dalgado Konkani Akademi and establishing the Tiatr Akademi. One look at the dark misty eyes of Enclidas says it all. The disappointment, the cumulative fatigue and the concern about having to eventually shut down the Cine Times at its prime; having taken its toll. He remembers the days when his gnarled fingers moved automatically to the different slots that housed the small lead ingots. Placed on the top, the alphabets engraved and a niche at one side told them the direction the alphabets were to be placed to make words that created the sentences of the paper. Now all he has are fond memoirs. Memories of his mother and his two brothers who made it possible to take the news paper to thousands of readers all over the world each week. Yet left behind in the ruins of the crumbled press, that collapsed like a pack of cards, were priceless manuscripts, a life time of work and a whirlpool of memories. It was the end of a golden era for the readers of the Konkani paper. A weekly, in the Roman script by the De Elly brothers. A paper that will be etched in memories and will for a long time, remain in each reader's heart. A weekly newspaper called the Cine Times. SOURCE: http://norbertrebello.com/ FEEDBACK TO: norbertrebe...@gmail.com Goanet Reader, part of the 17-year-old volunteer-driven Goanet experiment. We circulate longer articles and analysis that helps Goans understand themselves and their history. If you have an article you feel might be suitable, please submit it to f...@goa-india.org and mark your mail with GOANET READER as the subject-line. --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
