Name dropping for beginners In accepting this non-award I would like to mention…
By Cecil Pinto This week marks three years of writing this column. Of course I did take a three month break earlier this year, but then who's really bothered. There was no drop in circulation, nor letters to the editor insisting I come back. Bah! As I pass this milestone with no award, or raise, in sight I might as well use this opportunity to introduce you, dear dedicated readers, to my team. "Team?", you ask. "What team? I thought you wrote this column alone." Fat chance! Google, Wikipaedia and Answers.com can give you only that amount of information. When you need specialized knowledge and insightful opinions on call, specially when you don't have access to the Net, you need to cultivate a team. That's exactly what I've done. Here they are in no particular order. Frankie Alvares, Aldona - "Remember in school we ate ice-cruts? What did we call the white milky ones which were more expensive?" Isabel Vas, Dona Paula - "Who said, 'I may not agree with you but will defend your right to speak…' or something like that?" Apurva Kulkarni, Vasco - "You know this illustration of an old woman's face which can also be seen as a young woman looking away – who drew it?" Eric D'Souza, Aldona, "How much was a Maruti 800 priced at when it was first launched in the 1980s?" Jose Lourenco, Margao, "Give me two more names of Goans of the caliber of DD Kossambi and Charles Correa." Alisha Colaco, Dona Paula, "Is it considered bad form to drop a 'friend' you have never met from Facebook because she keeps inviting you to join weird groups?" Vinayak Naik, Taleigao - "How many women MLAs has Goa had?" Alito Sequeira, Dona Paula - "Would it be incorrect to say that what is happening at Gram Sabhas is a sign of civil society breaking up?" Edwin D'Souza, Aldona - "Other than Solan No.1 were there any IMFL single malt whiskeys in the 1980s?" Fatima Gracias, Altinho - "What was there before in the place where the Mermaid Garden now is?" Joel D'Souza, Assagao - "What would be the Konkani equivalent of village-idiot?" Alex Braganza, Panjim - "Did Symphony and Sky ever jam up for a show?" Wendell Rodricks, Colvale - "If colour from a new garment runs into another garment in the washing machine, how come it doesn't run away from that other garment too?" Alister Miranda, Siolim - "When was the Boat Festival re-introduced in Siolim, and by who?" Prajal Sankhwalkar, Caranzalem - "Were there Portuguese torture houses in Sanquelim?" Gordon Lobo, Aldona - "What was Inspector Bahadur's dogs name in the Indrajal Comics?" Agnelo De Sa, Panjim - "Are there USB hubs available with their own power supply inbuilt?" Augusto Pinto, Moira - "Into how many languages have Manoharrai Sardessai's poems been translated?" Miguel Braganza, "Which tree most closely resembles the banyan tree, and what is its exact botanical name?" Edson Dias, Panjim - "Do you know anyone personally who makes a living from Google AdWords only?" Frederick Noronha, Saligao - "Is there a reason why there are so many non-Goan editors for local English dailies?" Sachin Chatte, Porvorim - "Is Gabbar Singh's father's name mentioned in Sholay?" Tony DeSa, Moira - "Are there any compulsory hours of teaching that a school principal has to put in?" Victor Rangel Ribeiro, "Does Goa really have a Symphonic Orchestra, and how does it differ from a normal orchestra?" Frankie D'Cruz, Borda, "What's the best place in Margao for a mutton biryani?" Gene Lobo, Aldona - "Any disadvantages in using cloning software to transfer an operating system?" Vivek Menezes, Miramar - "Is it true that the Cricket Club of India was co-founded by a Goan?" John Raj, Aldona - "Does the wind at night blow from sea to land or vice versa?" Willy Goes, Taleigao, "What is the thumb rule for depth of field in relation to aperture and focal length?" Tony Fernandes, Aldona - "What is the life expectancy of an RCC structure?" Helene Menezes, Saligao - "What specific advantages does a co-ed schooling system have?" Shelton Afonso, Caranzalem - "Other than Assis who does lighting for major stage shows?" Skitter Fia, Vasco - "Who are the major sponsors of the Sunburn Music Festival this year?" Heston Sequeira, Aldona - "How much would it cost, and does it make sense, to put in an auto-start system for a 1984 Enfield Bullet? Rahul Srivastava, Ribandar - "Give me a male North Indian first name with no caste connotations." Monica Mendes, Aldona - "What sort of bank employees benefit the most from VRS offers?" Patricia Alvares, Panjim - "How many kilometers from Amboli to Kholapur?" Sucheta Potnis, Calangute - "Is it really cheaper to fly from Goa to Singapore than to Delhi?" Noel D'Cruz, Margao - "Can a Person of Indian Origin by marriage be the 'local' partner in a company owned by foreigners?" Saba Sayed, Vasco - "During which years did Subodh Kerkar draw cartoons regularly?" Sandesh Prabhudesai, Panjim - "What is the percentage increase in Goa's migrant labour population since 1988?" Savio Figueiredo, Aldona - "Do the Indian equivalents of Viagra have the same chemical composition or are they based on ayurvedic medicine?" Sylvester D'Souza, Dona Paula - "Can an urban area marked of as 'green' in the ODP be privately owned by an individual – and walled off?" Tomazinho Cardozo, Candolim - "Was there ever an audience restricted adult Konkani tiatr?" Nandita de Souza, Porvorim, "Is Aspergers a subset of Autism or a completely different disability?" What you mean I'm running out of space. It's my 3rd Anniversary for heaven's sake. Surely I can go beyond 1000 words? I've not finished with my on-call team, after which I've got to start on my e-mail consultants and my friends at Goa Writers and then… Hello? No? Not even an extra 300 words? What a bloody spoilsport! Ok! Ok! As they say in cheap speeches 'last but not least' I have to mention my family. Fortunato Pinto, Aldona - "Daddy, what was the church seating arrangement like for the Latin mass?" Lira Pinto, Aldona - "Mummy, since which year have we been subscribing to Reader's Digest?" What? Already crossed 1000 words? Ok! Hold on! Beatrice Pinto, Miramar - "Bitu darling, could you read this through and see who I can eliminate?" -------- The column above appeared in Gomantak Times dated 6th November 2008 ====