Thursday, February 28, 2013 | Vol. No. I | Issue 17 | Price Rs. 10 | Pages 32 | www.goastreets.com
Raunchy Cuban show • pg 3
Art Deco in Goa • pg 12
Goa’s tennis princess • pg 23
Sun, Sand and Scalpel
Medical tourism in Goa
Virgin St. Estevão 24 • Croc safari 26 • The Bio-fuel Priest 30
BRING THIS COUPON TO AVAIL FREE CHECK-UP
Vrundavan Hospital , Mapusa , Goa provides quality health-care services covering cardiac, orthopedic surgery, Trauma and Critical Care, Neuro-Surgery and Cosmetic Surgery amongst others. Also have a mobile ICU and 24-hour facilities like trauma unit, lab, radiology, and pharmacy.
Campal Clinic hospital in Panaji provides comprehensive diagnostic, medical, surgical and emergency care.
Manipal Hospital in Dona Paula, Panjim is a multi-speciality 50-bed hospital providing emergency, recovery and rehabilitative care and specialities in Medicine, Surgery, Cardiology, Orthopaedics, Gynaecology, Oncology, Urology, ENT, Dental, Paediatrics, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Physiotherapy and more.
Vintage Hospital, a super specialty, multidisciplinary hospital with Intensive cardiac units, Neo-natal intensive care units, Endoscopy, Radiology, Cardiology diagnostic workup, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Neurology, Gynecology & Obstetrics, Rheumatology, elevenbed ICU, eleven bed ICCU) and three operation theatres.
Salgaocar Medical Research Centre runs the VM Salgaocar Hospital at Chicalim, Goa, a multi-specialty tertiary care 120-bed hospital with 26 for critical care. An OPD, Day-Care Centre and an exclusive Centre for Health Check. Includes the VIVUS SMRC Heart Centre for complete cardiac care covering invasive, non-invasive, diagnostic and cardiac surgery.
Apollo Victor Hospital is a 150-bed tertiary-care, superspecialty, multi-specialty hospital in Margao, Goa providing comprehensive diagnostic, medical, surgical and emergency care covering Cardiology & Cardiothoracic surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics & Joint Replacements, Gastroenterology, Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery, Dentistry, Trauma & Emergency care, Urology and others.
Grace Intensive Cardiac Care Centre is a 65 bed hospital in Margao, Goa with a 12 bed ICU, 2 operation theaters providing care in Cardiology, Chronic Disease, Cosmetic Surgery, Endocrinology, Spine Surgery, Gastroenteritis, Heamodialysis, Joint/Knee Replacement and others.
NUSI Wockhardt hospital in Cuncolim, Goa, is a 180-bed Superspecialty hospital offering care in Cardiology, Cardiac surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and Joint Replacement surgery as well as Minimal Access surgery, Internal medicine, Nephrology, Urology, Critical care, Cosmetology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Medical and surgical Oncology.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Feb 28
Silent Disco with DJs Mr. E & Flakey Spining Commerical & Techno Music At Alpha bar, Palolem @ 9 pm +919890281505
Soft Harmony Live
At Fiplees Restaurant, Benaulim @ 8 pm +919822153545/+918322770123
Djuma Chumma
At Soma, Ashvem beach @ 4 pm +919822642624/+919822395522
Trance party At 9 Bar, Vagator @ 5 pm +919422057532
Classical live fusion At Guru, Anjuna @ 7 pm +918322273319
Percussion class
At White church, Anjuna @ 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm
The Cuban Brothers
Raunchy comes to Goa
Trance party At Curlies, Anjuna @ Sunset
Thursday Jazz Night with Smoking Chutney
At the Sol-restaurant& bar, Candolim @ 7.30 pm +918326714141
Thursdays with The Streetlight People Spining Funk, rock, blues and jazz At Mix bar & grill, Arpora @ 7 pm +919223415333
Silent Noise presents Love, Art, Music with DJs Ozgur Kurt, Small & Bazooka Spinning Hip-Hop & Funk At Catalist @ 8 pm +919822584968
Ladies night
At the Park on holiday beach,Calangute @ 7 pm to 11.30 pm +918322267600
Just Retro Tonight
At Cafe Mojo pub and Bistro, Panjim @ 9 pm to 3 pm +918322426666/+919850980091
Mar 1
Electro Night
At Micasa, Ashvem Sunset +919821351193/+919527926686/ +919821936699
Friday techno garden party At Hill Top, Vagator @ 4 pm +919822151690/+918322273665
Paul’s Friday
At Bubble Brunch, Vagator @ 9 pm +918411932015
Live music
At Guru, Anjuna @ 7 pm +918322273319
By Goa Streets
T
here’s a certain question that pops up from time to time in the minds of all those involved in Goa’s entertainment industry: How far can you push the envelope before things become too raunchy? We have Sofala, the hotel formerly known as the Sol, to thank for giving us the answer, which is, it turns out, very very far. This was proven on Thursday, Feb. 21, when Sofala hosted a riotous, politically incorrect, naughty act called The Cuban Brothers – three dudes who whipped a Goan and international crowd into a frenzy with a blend of music, comedy, dance and highly unique and overtly sexual showmanship. It’s a night out, everyone’s partying, there are no kids, so it didn’t seem terribly unusual when the fellows started singing and dancing and injecting quite a few “mother f***ers” and other profanities into the act. All in good fun, and the music, a blend of hip hop, reggae and other genres, rocked. “Somebody touch his c***! Just kidding. You are wanting. Come on! I am telling you! You are dying for it, come on friend touch his c***! That’s it you can touch it. Thank you very much!” exclaimed lead Cuban brother Miguel Mantovani at one point during the show, directing the audience to grope another Cuban Brother. Miguel’s partner Archerio (or is he his actual Cuban brother?) proved a lively sidekick, DJ-ing the melodies and performing what can only be described as expert dance moves. When Miguel spoke, you couldn’t tell the difference between his voice and that of Tony Montana, the Cuban gangster played by
turn to page 7
Cuban Brothers gelling with the audience
Friday vibes
music & nightlife | 03 Cuban Brothers’ raunchy act
At Cafe Mambo, Baga @ 9 pm +919823186694/+919822765002
Rock is alive
At Art Escape, Benaulim From 6 pm to 10 pm
Feb 2
Saturday Night Market
the low down | 08
At Arpora @ 6 pm
Saturday night market Party At Boutique house, Arpora @ 6 pm
Psy Trance party At UV Bar, Anjuna +919822153440
Ride with us
At Cafe Lilliput, Anjuna @ 5 pm +918322274648
Percussion Class
At Drum Walla shop, Anjuna From 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm
Mar 5
Fish BBQ
At Coffee Heaven, Anjuna Sunset
food review | 09
Machies market
Percussion class
Cana delights
Saturday Showtime
Trance Party
Mar 1
Karaoke Night
At Baga @ 6 pm
At Cafe Mambo, Baga @ 9 pm +919823186694/ +919822765002
feature | 12
Club Night
With DJ Rinton At SinQ beach club, Candolim @ 9 pm +919552100700
Goa’s retro architecture
Techno & Electro Night
satire | 14
With DJs KSK & Spick At White House restaurant & Bar @ 10 pm +917798983490/+918322453839
Village secedes
Mar 2
House, Hip-hop & Progressive Night
what’s on | 15 Everything there is to do
cover story | 16 Sun, fun and a tummy tuck
Sunaparanta: centre for the arts
Oh my god
Girls on Deck At Marbela beach, Morjim @ 4 pm +918326450599
Electronic Nights
At Sporting Heroes Rocks, Morjim @ 7 pm +9183222106135
Reggae Sunset
At Teso Waterfront, Siolim @ 4 pm. +918888554271
Natasha: Goa’s tennis prodigy
St. Estevão - Marrying their own
Dance, Party, Entertainment and Amusement At Hill Top, Vagator @ 4 pm +919822151690/+918322273665
Psy Trance Party At UV Bar, Anjuna +919822153440
feature | 26 Crocs in the backwaters
give back | 30
A priest’s tryst with bio-fuel
Trance party
At 9 Bar, Vagator @ 5 pm +919422057532
Flea Market
At Anjuna From 9 am to 6 pm
Live music
At German Bakery, Anjuna @ 7.30 pm +919096058775
At Curlies, Anjuna Sunset
With DJs Akshit & Spike At White House Restaurant & bar, Dona Paula @ 10 pm +919822169881/+918322453839
arts & entertainment | 20
feature | 24
Mar 6
Mix Hip-hop & House Night
At Soma, Ashvem beach Sunset +919822642624/ +919822395522
sports | 23
At The Park, Candolim @ 7 pm +918888848125
Techno Party
Party
Goans take lent seriously
At Shiva Vally, Anjuna @ 5 pm +918805930568
With DJs Navin & Rinton At SinQ beach club, Candolim @ 9 pm +919552100700
Mar 3
feature | 22
At White Church, Anjuna From 4.30pm to 6.30 pm
Mar 4
Marc”Baba” Robijn At Bubble Bubble, Chapora @ 10 pm. +918411932015
At UV Bar, Anjuna +919822153440
Trance Party
Up to Mar 31
Musical Evening
Turn your lazy boring Sunday into an enthralling one. At the Fisherman’s Wharf, Cavelossim From 8 pm to 11 pm +918322871317/+919011018866
Up to May 25
Silent Noise with Barney Trouble and Others
Break-free from your routine schedule and that too on a Saturday evening At Neptune’s Point, Palolim Beach, Canacona. From 9 pm to 4 am +919822584968
Karaoke Night
Hosted by KDJ Pierre At Sweet Chilli, Sinquerim From 8 pm to 12 am +918322479446/+918325625693/ +919890651163/+919890651163
Up to May 31
Beer, BBQ & Blues
Veeam & the Highway Stars to perform live. At Sweet Chilli, Sinquerim, Candolim. From 8 pm to 11 pm +918322479446/+918325625693/ +919890651163/+919860182932
On-going L’Orange
At Candolim @ 6 pm +919823291413/+919970173606 Fri: Live Music Sat: Family Nite
Music & Nightlife 5
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Farhan Akhtar performing at the Food festival.
Souza Lobo
Oldest restaurant on Calangute beach with live music in the evenings. At Calangute Beach @ 8 pm +918322281234 Mon: Nelson & Leo Tue: Just Leo Wed: Lui one man band Thur: Nelson and Leo Fri: Just Leo Sat: Victor & Sol Sun: Valentino
Cape Town café
At Baga Electronic music by Weekend Heroes. +919823269376
Café Mambos
Thur: Jay& Yuri Spinning Bollywood, HipHop & Commerical Music Wed: Yuri DJs-Hip Hop/House/Retro, Fri: DJs-Jay & Yuri Spinning Bollywood, HipHop &Commercial Music Sat: Ajit/Rinton DJs-/Hip Hop/House, Sun: Nix DJs- Hip Hop/House. +918322276154
Fernando’s Nostalgia
Goan soul in Goan food At Raia @ 7 pm +918322777054/ +918322777098/+919822103467 Tue: Brian Bones Thur: Evergreens by Cedric Live Fri: Jazz/swing/ Retro by Tania & Andre Sat: Oldies but Goldies by Friendly Brothers Sun: Nostalgic Moods by Saxy Aggie
Fort Aguada Beach Resort At Sinquerim, Candolim @ 7.30 pm. . +918326645858 Mon: Haydn & Natasha Tue: Mac Durado Wed: Haydn & Natasha Thur: Flying Colours Fri: Shine on Duo Band Sat: Anslem
Pickled Mango
Multi Cuisine serving culinary delights from around the world. @ Resort Rio, Arpora @ 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm Mon: Karaoke time with Bonny Tue: Music by Jus’ Leo n Zie Wed: Grill Nite with Music fever Thur: Rock n Retro by Country Joe Fri: Dance your blues away with Party Creation Sat: Rio Festival with Crossroads band Sun: Live entertainment with Hyden and Natasha +918322267300
Alfama Restaurant
The Chef’ speciality restaurant with a Goan Portuguese Cuisine At Cidade de Goa, Dona Paula @ 7.30 pm Tue: Cotta Family Wed: Emilliano Fri: Trio Orlando Sat: Trinity. Sun: Cotta Family
Club Margarita
At Colva Mon- Hangover’s with DJ Herry Perry. Tue-Hip Hop with DJ Herry Perry. Wed- Ladies Nite with DJ Herry Perry. Thr- Thursday blues with DJ Herry Perry. Fri- Guests DJs & DJ Herry Perry. Sat- DJ Cynthia (Lady DJ Goa top) DJ Herry Perry & Guests DJ. Sun-Smashing Sundays with DJ Herry Perry. +918322789728/+91982359008
Shivers Garden
Restaurant & Sports Bar At Candolim @ 7.30 pm 9860698281 Wed: Bingo Nite Sat: Dance Nite & Live football broadcast Sun: Sunday Roast (2 pm)
Club Titos
Baga Mon/Tue/Fri: Nix/Atul DJs-Bollywood/ Hip Hop/House, Retro. Wed: Ladies Nite DJs- Bollywood/ Hip Hop/ House, Retro. Thr: DJs Jay & Pritesh- All Kind Of Music Sat: Sulaiman/Atul DJs-Bollywood/ Hip Hop/House, Retro +919822765002
White House
Wed: Ladies night with dj spike free shots for ladies all night. Fri: DJ spike (In House) Sat: Guest DJ & DJ spike (In House). At Colva 0832-2781329/2781339
Zeebop
Specialized in Sea food At Utorda Beach @ 7.30 pm 0832-2755333 Mon: Frankston one-mand band Tue: jimmy Jazz Wed: Brian Bones Thur: Newton & Nezz Fri: David Boggie Sat: Disco Nite
Night By Night Every Monday
Monday - Corporates & Cocktails
At Café Mojo, Panaji @ 10 am to 11.30 pm +91 9850980091/+91 9860010061
Lavinia Live
Pop & slow rock At Down the Road, Old Patto Bridge, Panaji @ 10 pm onwards +91 8087649050
Every Tuesday
Tuesday – Country Rock
At Café Mojo @ 10 am to 11.30 pm +91 9850980091/ +91 9860010061
Karaoke Night
At Peace, the Park on the Holiday Beach,Calangute @ 7 pm +91 8805028194 2267600
Retro & all Time Hits Retro hits played by DJ Aggie At Radisson Blu Resort, Cavelossim @ 9 pm onwards 6726677, +91 8888061199
Tuesday Night
With the electrifying Miramar. Free entry At Down the Road, Old Patto Bridge, Panaji @ 10 pm onwards. +91 8087649050
6 Every Wednesday Karaoke Nite
With DJ Tony At down the Road, Old Patto Bridge, Panaji @ 10 pm onwards +91 8087649050
Graeme Hamilton Performing Live
At Jazz Inn, Cavelossim, Mobor @ 8 pm to 11.30 pm +91 9422437682
Wednesday Nights
Featuring DJs David and Ashley At Kamaki, Baga @ 7.30 pm +91 9923093408/2276520
DJ Roy Yod Live At Saturdays, Varca @ 9.30 pm to 1 am 6695066/6695025
Ladies Night
Shooter for all the ladies, music by DJ Joel At Cafe Mojo, Panaji @ All day +91 9850980091/ +91 9860010061
Ladies Night
At Soul Souffle, Uddear, Verna @ 8 pm 2782100/ 9404312100
Retro, Rock n Roll & Old School With DJ Saby Fernandes spinning Retro, Rock n Roll At Resort Rio, Tambudki, Arpora @ 8 pm to 10.30 pm +91 9552538203/+91 9011015959
Every Thursday
Ladies Night Thursday
@ The Park, Holiday Street, Calangute Every Thursday 2267600/+91 8805028194
Rock n Roll
Relive some of the best moments of Rock n Roll At Sweet Chilli, Sinquerim @ 7.30 pm +91 9820820254
Karaoke Night
Live Filipino Band performance At O’ Goa, Hotel Fidalgo, Panaji @ 7.30 pm. 2226291
Thursday Night Jazz
With Smoking Chutney featuring Chrystal Farrell (vocals), Benoy Rai (guitar), Sancho Menezes (keyboards), Colin D’Cruz (bass) & Bosco D’Souza (drums) At The Bhattiwaddo, Nerul @ 8 pm to 11.30 pm
Retro Revolution
Retro, country & slow rock with the Valentinos, Elvis on guitar & Edgar on keyboards At Down the Road, Old Patto Bridge, Panaji @ 9 pm onwards +91 8087649050
Progressive and Minimal Tech Tunes With DJs Brett, Jeff & Eldrin At Alpha Bar, Canacona @ 8 pm to 5.30 am +91 9823593484
Thursday – Go Retro At Café Mojo, Panaji @ 10 am to 11.30 pm +91 9850980091 +91 9860010061
Every Friday Trance Party
At 9-Bar Vagator @ 5 pm Beer, BBQ n Blues Friday Nights Featuring live entertainment by Veeam and the Highway stars. Unlimited beer coupled with set menus containing BBQ options starting @ INR 650/- per person for a package that includes, food, beverages and entertainment.
Friday – Old School At Café Mojo, Panaji @ 10 am to 11.30 pm +91 9850980091 +91 9860010061
Every Friday/Saturday DJ Nights
At Capiz Bar, Grand Hyatt @ 10.30 pm 3011125
DJ Sindhiya Performing Live At Club Margarita, Colva @ 8 pm to 11.30 pm +91 9823259008, 2789745
Every Saturday Saturday Shuffle
At Café Mojo, Panaji @ 10 am to 11.30 pm 9850980091/9860010061
Motels Night At Club Cabana @ 9.30 pm 9158257000
Three man band
Live music by Neil, Ignatius & Grayston At Joet’s Bogmalo, Vasco @ 8 pm. 9860765337/2538036
Saturday Karaoke
Karaoke session with KDJ Pierre At Sweet Chilli, Sinquerim @ 7.30 pm 9820820254
Sexy Saturdays
Offshore
Casino Pride
Captain of Ports Jetty, Panjim +918326710101/111/ +918326519641 www.casinopridegoa.com
Casino Royale
+918326659424/+918322433200 Dress: Smart casual www.casinoroyalegoa.com
Casino Caravela
Entry Fee: Rs 1500 per person, with Rs 1,000 in complimentary chips. @ Monday-Wednesday: 6 pm to 6 am, Thursday-Sunday: 24 hours, closing at 6 am. Dress: Smart casual. +918322433289, +917875500000
Casino Carnival
Entry Fee: 2000 rupees, unlimited buffet dinner, snacks and house brand alcohol. Dress: Smart casual. Types of Games: American Roulette, Poker, Blackjack, slot machines. +918888807256/+918322222092
Onshore
Chances Casino
At Vainguinim Valley Resorts Dress: Smart casual. +918322456683/4/5/6 Email: sales@chancescasinoresort.com
The Crown Lounge & Casino At Jose Falcao, Panjim +918322222822
Casino Royale
At Double Tree, Arpora +919923700804/+9199236022629
Casino Dice
At the Lalit Goa Resort, Rajbaga, Canacona +918322667777
Casino Dunes
At the Zuri White Sands, Varca +918326482868
Goldfinger Casino
At Vainguinim beach, Dona Paula +918322454545
Hacienda de Oro Casino
At Holiday Inn resort, Mobor beach, Cavelossim. +918322871714
Las Vegas Casino
At the Leela Kempinski Goa, Mobor, Cavelossim +918322871234
Casinos Treasures At Majorda beach resort, Majorda +918322881111
Casino Pearl
At Bogmallo beach Resort Bogmallo, Mormugao +918326710101/111/+917798986003
Casino Paradise At Neo Majestic, Porvorim +918326710000
Featuring DJ Joel, DJ Navin and DJ Pierre. Entry free Rs 500 per couple. At Hype, Tito lane, Baga @ 10 pm onwards. 9822379000
Graeme Hamilton
Performing Live At Jazz Inn, Cavelossim, Mobor @ 8 pm to 11.30 pm 9422437682 Saturday Night with DJ Gomzee
Contemporary music
At Kamaki Baga, Calangute @ 9 pm +919923093408/ +918322276520
Every Sunday
Smooth Sundays
With jazz and funk music played by Mac Dourado. At Soul Souffle, Verna @7 pm. +918322782100/+919764694321
Music & Nightlife 7
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Cuban Brothers performing at Sofala.
The Brothers really are from Cuba, “born of the loins of seventies Havana,” as their website proclaims. They made their name in the UK with acts and an attitude that “made nights out tasty again.”
from page 3 Al Pacino in Scarface. Here’s how he ordered another drink: “Senor! Savio at the bar, can I have a whiskey and coke. Viskey please. Viskey and coke, isn’t it, please. Thank you. There is no rush, I am still reeling from the mushrooms that guy gave me in the mushroom omelette.” “But I’m telling you, there is no problem, I’m feeling good. Yes I am feeling good. A little bit like a retard but that’s a nice feeling.” When he declared he’s “good friends” with the Dalai Lama because there’s gonna be some “speerichooality tonight”,
he followed up the declaration with a decidedly unspiritual “ees no f**kin problem for me!” The music was excellent, but the truth is you couldn’t really tell for sure whether Miguel was lip syncing or actually singing – the best evidence for the former being that the Scarface accent went out the window during the songs. At one point Archerio and a younger, highly acrobatic Cuban brother left the stage for a few minutes and returned in flamboyant tights. Perhaps it was the moment when the little brother did some flips and Miguel touched the younger one’s genitalia through a blue leotard that the raunchy factor ratcheted up a notch. So here we are in the village of Nerul,
several kilometres from the beach belt, safely ensconced in the Goan heartland, and suddenly Miguel, the leader of the Cuban Brothers, decides to accompany his comedy, song and dance with the removal of his pants – punctuated by hip thrusts and some self-touching. Yes, the yellow speedo stayed on, but the point was made: A strip show is possible in Goa. Now as you can see from the photos on this page (and from the video if you log on to www.goastreets.com), Miguel is not a particularly young man (mid 50s), and his body is not particularly hot. Therefore one might attribute the reaction of the women in the audience – something in between delirium and rapture – to some kind of Latino animal magnetism. To be sure, there were some dudes in the audience whose faces unmistakably declared, “Get this freak out of here.” But overall, the guys took it in stride and a good time was had by most, if not all. In the end, there was a method to the Cuban Brothers’ madness. Their moves were carefully choreographed, the acrobatics were impressive and the jokes and music were obviously the product of thought. The brothers really are from Cuba, “born of the loins of seventies Havana,” as their website proclaims. They made their name in the UK with
acts and an attitude that “made nights out tasty again.” Sofala, when they were still called Sol, hit a home run last year by coming up with the extremely well-received concept of holding jazz nights during the monsoon. Those Thursday nights are still packed now that we’re well into the season, in no small measure because of Goan jazz Guru Colin D’Cruz and his funky band and Sofala’s willingness to think outside the box when it comes to entertainment in Goa. It even works with your clothes on.
8 The Lowdown
I
f you’re British or Russian or German and on a Goan holiday, it may well make sense to spend a little extra time here to receive medical or dental treatment costing a fraction of what it would back in your home country. Take a look at our cover story this week and you will see that Goa is becoming a major hub for “medical tourism”. That may look like a contradiction in terms, but it turns out that sun, fun and surgery do go together in Goa. Gracing these pages is an in-depth story on one of Goa’s premier cultural/art centres, a piece on a pristine village whose people cling to a tradition of marrying among their own and an examination of Goans’ heartfelt observance of Lent. At the same time, we bring you a story on a cultural phenomenon of a far different kind – a night spot in Nerul that hosted one of the raunchiest acts ever to set foot in the state. (Don’t forget to log onto www.goastreets.com to see Miguel Mantovani remove his pants in front of a live Goan audience!) And then there’s our article on Natasha Palha, Goa’s ‘tennis princess’ who has emerged as one of the nation’s
top players. Or our piece on Goa’s crocodile tours where yes, you actually do get to spot crocodiles and no, they don’t eat you alive! Don’t miss our high-brow satire, savvy food review, edgy sex column or our in-depth look at a little-known fact about Goan architecture: that it’s home to quite a bit of Art Deco, the ornate, eclectic and distinctive style that first emerged in the 1920’s and subsequently swept the planet. We regret to report that like so much of the state’s cultural heritage, Art Deco in Goa is in danger – as many aren’t even aware of its value. Perhaps our story can help change that. As we head into the closing weeks of Goa’s tourist season, we hope all our readers – Goans and visitors alike – appreciate the high quality of journalism we’re working hard to bring you, in addition to our comprehensive events/party/nightlife/ food listings. Goa Streets. Way ahead. The Goa Streets Team
The News & Entertainment Weekly
Advertise with Goa Streets or subscribe and get great discounts
Call us on 8975879394 or contact: streets@goastreets.com
FOOD
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Feb 28
BBQ Delight
Cana’s special beef.
At Cafe Delish, Anjuna @ 6 pm +917387150858/+919860535723
Dining Under the Stars
At The Banyan tree, Sinquerim From 7 pm to 10 pm +919850703662, +918326645858
Seafood Barbecue Dinner At Morisco, Sinquerim @ 7 pm +918326645858
Mar 1
Theme Dinner
At Latitude, Sinquerim @ 7 pm +918326645858
Mar 3
Brunch Buffet
At Villa Blanche, Assagao From 10 am to 3 pm +919822155099/+918322268196
Sensational Sunday Brunch At Marbela beach, Morjim @ 11 am to 3 pm Brunch “A la Carte” At Ashvem beach @ 12 pm
Mar 4
Barbeque
At Cafe Delish, Anjuna @ 6 pm
Time 11am-12 midniht non stop food service, open everyday. Home delivery: 0832-2411959 & 976415986 Caterin Service Contact: Mr. Roland Rodrigues @ 989042440
Feb 15 to Feb 28 Steak and Wine At Miguel Arcanjo @ 7 pm +918326683333
Feb 23 to Feb 28 Dinner Buffet
With Continental & Indian Cuisine At Casino Carnival, Panjim From 7 pm to 11.30 pm +918888864347/+918322222094
Takes its food seriously By Goa Streets
N
ote to night-time motorists: You ever notice a venue on the CalanguteMapusa road that lights up magically at night – with glowing tree branches, twinkling stars and acre after acre of party space? If you haven’t, be on the lookout for Cana Banquet Lawns at Nagoa (on the left travelling from Calangute toward Mapusa). First, some ‘full disclosure’. Cana served as the venue for the Goa Streets launch party last November. The space was ample and gorgeous, but we had someone else make the food. At the time, the owners had mentioned something about starting a multi-cuisine restaurant there, but that was weeks away. They made good on their word last December, so recently we decided to sneak in unannounced and check it out (without telling the wait staff about our previous connection to Cana!). We started by ordering a dish called “Cana Special Beef”. The heart sank a bit when the dish arrived and the first bite went in, as it has to be said that the beef was special only in name. Not terrible. But not special. You know something’s just so-so when you find yourself reaching for a condiment after the initial morsel (in this case, raw onion). Perhaps this experience was not completely a bad thing, however, as it might have triggered the Law of Diminished Expectations, lowering the bar for the next course. Nonetheless, it’s
turn to page 11
9 www.goastreets.com/food
10 Food Every Thursday
Seafood Night Market
Tiled canopies offer privacy
Feel the pulse of a Grand Goan Carnival with special stalls with tempting fresh seafood, artefacts jewellery, clothes, pottery, and a lot more. Rs. 1800 + taxes per person Grand Hyatt, Bambolim @ 7 pm to 11.30 pm +918323011658/+917709004914
Every Sunday
Sunday Family Brunches Get in Rhythm with Ashley Live At Latitude, Vivanta by Taj, Panjim @ 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm +918326633636
Champagne Sunday Brunch
Enjoy brunch with French champagne with food from five interactive and live stations dishing out Asian, Italian, Middle Eastern, Indian Cuisine and desserts. Rs. 2200 + taxes (includes buffet, champagne, wines and select drinks) At Grand Hyatt, Bambolim @ 1 pm to 4 pm +918323011658/+917709004914
Sunday Live Brunch
Enjoy a Sunday Live brunch with live stations, a live band, best of live entertainment and an unlimited flow of wines! There’s live entertainment for kids too, including magicians, balloon sculpting and face painting, etc. From 12:30pm to 03:30pm At Waterfront Terrace & Bar, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa. +918322463333
Oriental Sunday Brunch
Goa Marriott Resort & Spa hosts an Oriental Sunday Brunch featuring Pan Asian delicacies, including Thai, Malaysian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Savour live counter specialties including veg and nonveg sushi, Peking duck, dim sums, soups, and Thai curry, and scrumptious main courses dishes including rice and noodle preparations. Plus Oriental desserts, continental pastries, fruits and ice-cream and a complimentary round of wine, beer or a mojito. From 12:30pm to 03:30pm At Wan Hao, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa +918322463333
Baga, Calangute & around Cantare
Old wood panelled lounge situated in the by lanes of Saligao away from the madding crowd, well above average food and classy atmosphere. Good place to escape the beach belt. At Saligao @ 6 pm to 12 pm +918322409461
Le Poisson Rouge
A French alfresco Restaurant by Gregory Bazire offer imported wines Chile, Argentina, South Africa and Italy. House Speciality includes king prawns, roasted black pomfret, Goan sausages crump and kingfish. At Baga, Calangute @ 7 pm to 11 pm +91 9823850276/ +918323245800
Bhatti Village
Specialised in Indian, Goan Food At Bhattiwaddo, Nerul @ 7.30 pm to 11 pm +919822184103
A Reverie
Serves continental cuisine. Popular dishes are seared fillet steak tournedos, smoked Australian duck breast, insalata caprese, basil oil, baby bocconcini, smoked tuna, chicken liver pate. At Holiday street, Calangute @ 7 pm to 12 am. +919823174927 /+919823505550
Copper Bowl
The copper theme is reflected in the restaurant’s furniture, lamps, bar details and even the crockery. It offers Multicuisine menu. At PousadaTauma Hotel, Porba Vaddo @ 12 pm to 10.30 pm +918322279061
Cavala
Specialises in Goan seafood and live music. The restaurant recommends dishes like Country Captain, Trincomalee prawns and chicken peri peri. At Saunta Waddo @ 7.30 am to 1 am +91 9552551422/ +918322277587
Fiesta
Lila Cafe
Based on contemporary European style of cooking. Signature dishes lobster au gratin, herb ricotta ravioli and death by chocolate At Saunta Waddo, Baga @ 11 am to 11.30 pm +918322279894/+918322281440
J&A’s
Anjuna & around
Near Baga bridge +918322279843/ +919822150533 Italian alfresco restaurant specialised in country style Italian cuisine & Pizzas. The restaurant recommends prawns and zucchini soup, Tuscan-style beef stew, Carpaccio and slivers of raw beef. At Baga @ 10 am to 11 pm +919823139488
Curlies
The restaurant serves you anything from charcoal-fired oven pizzas/bakes to the best of India, China and continental dishes. Also fresh seafood with wine and beer. At Anjuna beach +91 9822168628
Bean Me Up
It’s a small garden restaurant in Anjuna but it’s specialised in world cuisine veg At Deulvaddo, Anjuna @ 8 am to 11 pm +918322273479
Artjuna
Set up in an Old Portuguese house surrounded by a beautiful garden. The café serves up chilled café au lait, milkshakes, sandwiches, juices and baked goodies, homemade dips, iced lattes, blended coffees and more. At Monteiro Waddo, Anjuna @ 9 am to 6 pm +918322274794
Alcove Restaurant and Bar
Specialised in Chinese, Goan, Italian, North Indian, seafood, At Ozran beach, Anjuna @ 8 am onwards +918322274491/+918322273349
Basilico
It’s a best place in North Goa for Italian Food At D’mello Waddo, Anjuna @ 6.30 pm to 11 pm +918322273721/ +918323953744/ +919822599130
Villa Blanche Bistro
it is set in a tropical garden of a restored Portuguese house and one of the few restaurants serving breakfast all day. At Socolwaddo, Assagao @ 9 am to 5.30 pm +91 9822155099
Nilaya Hermitage
Specialises in Mediterranean cuisine using plenty of fresh sea-food and home grown organic vegetables. Also has a variety of Goan cuisine specialties and serves Indian curries upon request. At St. Joseph School Road, Arpora +91832 227 6792
Thalassa
Greek and Mediterranean food by the sea. At Vagator beach @ 4 pm to 12 am +91 9850033537
Baba au Rhum
Is a Coffee Shop At Kudachwaddo, Arpora @ 8 am to 4 pm +919822078759
Mamma Mia
Italian cuisine with a blend of Italian imported ingredients and local organic produce. At Resort Rio, Arpora @ 12.30 pm to 10.30 pm +918322267300
Candolim Addah
It’s a sea view deck on the beach. Specialised in Indian, Barbeque At O Hotel, Candolim From 7 pm to 10.30 pm +919890800073
Barbeque and Grill
Specialised in North Indian, seafood, Grills, Live entertainment Seafood Bazaar is on Monday and Wednesday At Fortune select Regina, Candolim @ 7.30 pm to 11 pm +918323988444
Angaara
Multi cuisine, tandoori, Goan, north Indian, seafood At murrodwaddo, Candolim beach From 9 am to 12.30 pm +918326647601/+918326647604
Susse Cafe
A fine-dining restaurant specialising in European and fusion cuisine. Restaurant offers seafood dishes prepared in fusion and Goan styles. At Candolim @ 12.30 pm +91 9011379804/ +91 9822089818
Wok & Roll
Specialised in Goan, Portuguese, Seafood At Vivanta Holiday Village, Sinquerim @ 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm +918326645858
A multi-cuisine restaurant which serves Japanese, Thai, Pan-Asian cuisine. The restaurant recommends: Honey glazed pot roast pork ribs, Thai garlic-peppered prawns, deep-fried prawns tossed in garlic, black pepper and colourful bell peppers. At Sinquerim, Candolim @ 12 pm. +91 9049022348
Banyan Tree
Stone House
Bomras
Panjim & around
Beach House
Specialised in Thai food, An open airy Restaurant surrounded by lush green lawns At Vivanta Holiday Village, Sinquerim @ 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm & 7.30 pm 10.30 pm +918326645858 The food has a distinct Burmese soul but draws on and fuses influences from nearby regional cuisines of China, India, Laos and Thailand. At Souzawaddo, Candolim @ 6.30 to 11.30 pm +91 9767591056
The restaurant started in 1989 by Christopher D’Souza serves multi cuisine. Christopher recommends: Seafood salad, tzaziki with papadam, Swedish lobster, and chicken stroganoff At Souzawaddo, Candolim @ 10 am to 12 pm. +91 9890392347
Waterfront Terrace
Sunday Brunch with an amazing ocean view At Goa Marriot Resort, Miramar @ 12pm to 3 pm +918322463333
Food Review 11
Thursday, February 28, 2013
A Pastelaria
Bakery & Confectionery Gateaux, Pastries and Cookies. Chocolate and strawberry flavoured the mousses are soft and melting, a treat for the kids. Its maska all the way At Hotel Mandovi, Panjim From 9 am to 9 pm +918322426270/+918322426273
A’tona Bar and Restaurant
Specialised in Goan and Portuguese food At Carina Desa, Betim From 7 pm to 11 pm +919823129239
Aunty Maria
24 hours coffee shop in the heart of Panjim. Also favourite meeting spot for journalists, politicians and businessmen. At Hotel Fidalgo, Panjim @ All day +918322226291
Baba’s Wood Cafe
An Italian wine bar and restaurant with pizza oven and homemade gelato. Wide choice of pure Italian dishes with beef fillet and fish always on the menu. @ 6 pm - Monday to Sunday. Closed on Tuesday At Mala, Fontainhas, Panjim +918323256213/ +919923414098
Little Chocolate Box
Specialties include cupcakes (red velvet YUM), cakes (themed and otherwise), chocolates (of course) and brownies. At Kranti Nagar, Alto Porvorim Email id: lcbee91@gmail.com +919822984224
Ritz Classic
Known for Goan fish curry rice and seafood. Very popular for lunch, especially with the Panjim office crowd. At 18th June Rd, Panjim @ 11 am to 11 pm +918326644796
Tea Cafe
Cakes, Coffee and other goodies. A newcomer to the Panjim cafe scene. At Fontainhas, Panjim @ 11 am to 7 pm +918322223050
Pan Asian Bowl
Fantasia
Fast food & snacks, plus lively bar in the heart of Panjim. Check out the live music. At Panjim @ 9 am to 11 pm +918322226684
Cafe Mojo
Arguably Panjim’s best pub. Innovative, fun and lively. At Salida Del Sol Hotel, Panjim All day. +91 9850980091
Down the Road
Pub and a Multi Cuisine restaurant, often with live entertainment. A favourite Panjim hotspot. At Old Patto Bridge, Panjim, @ 11 am to 11 pm. +91 9823173757
Barbeque
Beach Front Grill enables a guest to choose from a display of seafood, meats & vegetables and have them cooked to his/ her liking. At Cidade de Goa, Vainguinim Beach @ 7 am to 11 pm +918322454545
Mum’s Kitchen
Among the best upscale Goan cuisine in Panjim, drawing from Goa’s Christian and Hindu traditions. At Panjim-Miramar Rd @ 11 am to 11pm +91 9822175556
Chulha
Indian Street food and tandoor At Grand Hyatt Goa, Bambolim @ 3 pm to 11 pm. +918323011504
Goenchin
Specializes in Chinese and Thai cuisines. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items are available. At Mandovi Apts Panjim 12.30 pm to 11 pm +918322227614/ +918322464877
Tamari
Serves Chinese, Thai & Japanese cuisine (Sushi) in fine style. At Vivanta, St Inez @ 12.30 pm to 11.30 pm +918326633636
Chinese, Malaysian & Thai cuisine. Some of the finest Asian food in Goa. At Miramar, Panjim @ 12.30 pm to 11 pm +91 9923499429/ +918326455547/ +918326455548
Global Shore Restaurant
Viva Panjim
Margao & around
Goan cuisine& seafood. Linda and Michael’s place has long been a favourite for those in search of very tasty Goan food. At Fontainhas, Panjim @ 12 pm to 11 pm +918322422405/ +91 9850471363
Cantina Bodega
Pizzeria, bakery & cafe. Owner Vandana utilizes her expertise earned from her years as a top pastry chef in New York City. At Sunaparanta Centre for the Arts, Altinho, Panjim @ 10 am to 7 pm +91 9011662233
Antonio D’silva
Specialised in Goan food, strictly for the sausage lovers. At velha, Panjim From 6 am to 9 pm +919822184433
Upper House
Goan and continental cuisine. One of the tastier and more elegant restaurants of the capital. Good bar, too. At Panjim @ 12 pm to 11 pm +918322426475
Global Shore Restaurant is a multi-cuisine restaurant and we specialize in Goan Seafood/Chinese/Thai/Indian & Tandoor. At Hotel chandrageet, Porvorim +91832 2414125/+9193731113205
Zeebop
Seafood by the sea. Great ambience and food prepared with care. At Utorda beach @ 7.30 pm to 11 pm +918322755333
Gavin’s Restaurant & pub
Specialised in Goan cuisine, Goan Curries, Cafreal At Verna, around a kilometre off NH-17 +919822177179
Fish Grill
Serving seafood in European and Goan style. Meats and vegetarian food are also available At Holiday Inn Resort, Cavelossim @ 11 am to 11 pm +918322871303
Peppers
Known for steaks and other meat dishes At Pajifond, Margao @ 11.30 pm to 11 pm +91 9822133506
Shandong
Asian-cuisine restaurant with fine dining ambiance At Radisson Blu Resort Goa, Cavelossim Beach @ 11 am to 11 pm. 6726666
from page 9 safe to say that even had the Special Beef lived up to its name, what came next was very tasty, reviving our hope that some of the venue’s magic may actually have rubbed off on the food. We’re talking about garlic grilled calamari accompanied by French Fries. As far as we’re concerned, grilled calamari doesn’t get any better than this. And one thing is certain about French Fries. They’re either expertly prepared or they flop – and there’s almost never a middle ground. We’re pleased to say the former held sway: these fries are hot and salty and not too greasy, crunchy on the outside soft in the middle. Perhaps it shouldn’t surprise that Cana’s food was starting to excite the senses. After all, they’re a start-up restaurant which can’t afford to get things wrong. So when the Chicken Xacuti arrived and fully lived up to the standards of the calamari – spicy, succulent, deeply satisfying – we had already forgotten about the not-so-special beef! If you find yourself in the village of Nagoa for any reason, stop by and check out Cana for lunch or dinner. And we’d even venture to say it’s worth stopping by even you have to drive some distance to get to Nagoa. Aside from the food in their new restaurant, Cana is also a great place to get married, throw a bash or launch a news & entertainment review! • Cuisine: Surprisingly tasty for an upstart in Nagoa! • Ambience: Vast lawns and magical lighting at night • Price: Very reasonable. Most dishes under Rs 200 • Where: Dias Vaddo, Nagoa, Bardez (on the road between Calangute and Mapusa). • Phone: 8975266244
Upper Deck
Coffee shop offerings traditional coffee along with light snacks and drinks. At Radisson Blu Resort Goa, Cavelossim Beach @ All day 6726666
Martin’s Corner
Joint popular with celebrities and just about everyone else. Serves Goan cuisine. At Betalbatim @ 11 am to 11 pm +91 9822166996/ 2880061
Spice Studio
Goan dinner. Elegant outdoor restaurant in a well-appointed resort in the South. At Alila Diwa, Majorda @ 7 pm to 10.30 pm +918322746800
Casa Sarita
Offers a blend of Indian and Portuguese culture. Signature dishes include chouris pao, prawn curry & Goan fish curry. At Park Hyatt, Cansaulim @ 6.30 pm to 11 pm +918322721234
Fernandos Nostalgia
Goan Cuisine in a favourite landmark restaurant featuring very good food and a great collection of “nostalgic” antiques At Raia, Salcete, Margao @ 11 am to 11 pm +918322777098/ +918322777054/ +91 9822103467/ +91 9822151296
Lucio
Specialty restaurant serving GoanPortuguese cuisine. At Radisson Blu Resort Goa, Cavelossim Beach @ 11 am to 11 pm +918326726666
Cafe Mardi Gras
24 hrs cafe serving seafood, Goan, North Indian, Coffee & snacks At Holiday Inn Resort, Cavelossim @ All day +918322871303
The Fisherman’s Wharf
Serving European, Goan cuisine and specialised in seafood At Mobor, Cavelossim @ 12.30 am to 10.45 pm +918322871317
Morjim & Around Marbella
The restaurant is located beachside, with full service extending to the sun bed area. Complete with lounge music giving the place a relaxed, creative, beach vibe. At Morjim. +91 9158881185/ +918326450599
Sublime-Fusion Restaurant
Sublime is set in the charming beachside, offering innovative and eclectic cuisine. At Vithaldas WaddoMorjim. +91 9822484051/ +91 9923608674
Calamari at Cana.
Canacona Canacona
Multi-cuisine serving breakfast, Lunch & dinner At Latit, Canacona @ 7.30 am to 11 pm 2667777/2667711
Corta’s
Goan cuisine beach shack restaurant At Lalit, Canacona @ 12.30 pm to 11 pm. 2667777/2667711
VeriFeni
Bar offering a variety of cocktails, Exotic fenitails, wines, beers, spirits, liqueurs and cigars. At Lalit, Canacona @ 12.30 pm to 12 pm 2667777/2667711
Gazebo
The poolside sunken bar with A Polynesian theme. At Lalit, Canacona @ 12.30 pm to 12 pm. 2667777/2667711
Sirocco
Fine dining restaurant serving Mediterranean Cuisine At Lalit, Canacona @ 5.30 pm to 11 pm +918322667777/ +918322667711
12 News Feature
By José Lourenço
A
utomobile fenders...Lightning bolts...Military chevrons...Clouds across the sun! Not exactly what comes to mind when you think of Goan architecture. Whitewashed churches, brightly hued temples and hoary old forts pop up instead, along with sprawling IndoPortuguese houses, each trying to outdo the other with their ‘designer’ windows, balcaos and lofty roofs. Then there’s the other side of Goan architecture with its brash multi-storied buildings that dominate the cityscape today, signs of an increasingly affluent but kitschy modern Goa. But in between the times when these two kinds of architecture dominated Goa, there was a golden period of Art Deco styling in Goan houses and buildings that is still very visible all around the land – an eclectic mix of traditional craft motif and Machine Age imagery
Frozen Fountains of Modernity
with distinctive shapes and abundant ornamentation. Unfortunately, Art Deco in Goa is under serious threat. We often think of only the Portuguese period houses as being of heritage value. The Art Deco houses are built of concrete and steel, which deteriorate over time, more rapidly in Goa’s saline coastal environment. So after a lifetime of about 60-80 years, they come in for demolition. Neither the house owners nor the State are aware of their Art Deco value, so off they go, to be replaced by a new and faceless building. “Art Deco is a very distinctive style. It’s an important phase of Goan architecture and should be preserved. Several Art Deco buildings in Vasco, like the Zuari Hotel, have already been demolished. Bad renovation also destroys the character of these buildings. The Hotel Rio Imperial in Panjim was originally an Art Deco facade. But now it has been modified to look like an older Indo-Portuguese style,” said
Outstretched wings - Damodar Mangalji building in Panjim
News Feature 13 architect Rajiv D’Silva, who was part of the team that produced the architectural documentation “Walking in and around Panjim” (published by Corporation of the City of Panjim and Goa Heritage Action Group). Art Deco first arose in France in the 1920s. The influential visual style fanned out across Europe, Asia and the Americas during the 30s and 40s, eventually fading out after World War II. Art Deco’s peak was at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et
Industriels Modernes held in Paris in 1925. The exhibition was revived in 1966 and it was then that the term Art Deco was coined. The exposition stipulated that everything included had to be ‘modern’ and that objects displayed should obey the tenet ‘form follows function’. Art Deco also brought in the concept of ‘total design’. The entire environment, from the structure of a building to its furniture and ornaments, even to clothing and jewellery, was regarded as a work of art. This ‘total design’ was achieved only in a few buildings. The house of photographer Prasad Pankar’s house at Mapusa is a fine example. American Art Deco. The furniture, the window ironwork and the mosaic floor tiling consistently exude the American Art Deco style. Many Goan village houses have only incorporated an Art Deco fronton, while the rest of the house sports the traditional Indo-Portuguese windows, cornices and tiled roofs of the preceding era. It is quite common to see an old Indo-Portuguese house fitted with Art Deco design grilles for windows, a later fitting probably emerging from increased security worries. The Machine Age was celebrated with great gusto in Deco and this reflected in the architecture of that era in Goa, too. We see window sills with ‘automobile bumpers’ at the Pilar Seminary and bold geometric shapes like lightning zigzags on grillwork and chevrons on façades of houses in Panjim, Margao, Mapusa and even in villages around Goa. In an essay on Goan architecture,
architects Sarto Almeida and Jaimini Mehta explain how Art Deco came to Goa, with the construction of a hotel in the state capital. “The Mandovi Hotel at Panaji was built to cater to the influx of visitors expected to attend the Exposition of St. Francis Xavier in 1952. The hotel, Goa’s first multi-storied building, was designed by an architect from Bombay in the Art Deco style then prevalent in that city.” Thus began a trend to use Reinforced Cement Concrete, the wonder material of the 20th century. Three prominent schools in Margao - Fatima Convent, Presentation Convent and Loyola High School - are multi-storied RCC structures. The Fatima Convent façade shows the chevrons, grooved plaster edge, stepping and clean, stylized geometric forms characteristic
Cine Metropole sports a massive decorative concrete fin at the left corner of the building. Cinema houses were favourites for Art Deco design all over the world. Nature was depicted in Art Deco too. Window grilles depict clouds across the sun and a rising (or setting) sunburst. Even water showers down the facade of buildings! The ‘frozen fountain’ cascade motif composed of stepped masonry or concrete was hugely popular. The Mandovi hotel has ‘lightning flashes’ on the railing metalwork. The corner is rounded just like the Longuinhos Restaurant near the Margao Municipal Building. The Damodar Mangalji building in Panjim also stands at a corner, its wings spread out like an elegant bird.
of Art Deco. Presentation Convent’s imposing front has a stepped top, parallel ‘pulvinated’ (swelling out from the flat surface) lines and a play on stepped geometric patterns. The decorative element comes in with the coat-of-arms and the ‘Colegio de Apresentaçao de N. Senhora’ stucco banner. Such decoration in Art Deco belonged to the School of French Art Deco while others like the Swiss architect Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, who founded the Bauhaus movement, believed that modernism should shun unnecessary decoration. The Loyola High School building and Communidade building near the Margao Municipal Council garden show a clean minimalist composition of lines. The cinema theatres of Margao also bear influences of the Art Deco period. Though Deco favoured symmetry, Cine Vishant on the Aquem road has a flamboyant asymmetrical form where abstract curves and linear elements coexist quite happily. The now defunct
Most of the Deco edifices had nice curvy corners at road bends and intersections. That was quite considerate of the designers in terms of sight distance for traffic and is also very easy on the eye. Hindu families in Goa added their own motifs to Art Deco in Goa― the swastika, flower and spoke wheels and other decorative elements to stucco plastered surfaces. AVC in Salcete taluka, that is AssolnaVelim-Cuncolim, has a good number of such houses, built by wealthy Catholic villagers after their long stints on the shipping lines and in the Middle East. The chevrons and steps on the facade are easily recognisable, echoing the architectural influences of Europe at that time.
Panjim based architect Sunil Sardesai feels that Art Deco buildings in Goa should be preserved. “These bungalows and buildings record the architectural influence of that time. After 1961, Art Deco was followed by buildings with fins, like the Education and Health Department buildings. All structures in that period exhibited a similar style. So all these phases of design style must be conserved.” Were the Art Deco architects from Goa? “In the mid 1900s, much of the Art Deco in Vasco city was built by Gujarati and other businessmen who brought
in architects from Bombay to design their buildings. Many of the buildings on Francisco Luis Gomes Road are of that time,” says Rajiv. Art Deco was the last International design style to influence Goa. In the decades that followed, architectural styles in Goa have become wildly discordant and kitschy. We must preserve and respect the Art Deco legacy of Goa in homage to that era when Modernity and the Machine was first celebrated all over the world as a hope for humanity.
14 Satire
Curmona By José Lourenço
A
tense situation prevails in Goa as a faceoff between the Government forces and the sleepy village of Curmona in South Goa is imminent any time this week. The tiny village on the coast of South Goa shocked the land of sun, sand and sorpotel on Tuesday by declaring that it had broken away from the State of Goa. On Tuesday noon, a registered letter received from a Mr. Mephistopheles Margarida dos Miranda Mergulhao, claiming to be the President of the Independent Republic of Carmona, informed the Chief Minister that owing to the never ending mega projects and roadwidening imposed on them, the citizens of Curmona would now form their own country. The Chief Minister Mr Puroikar reacted with shock. “Independent Republic of Curmona! After all the schemes I have offered their housewives and old people!” Then he laughed hysterically for twenty minutes along with his Cabinet ministers. After wiping his eyes he drove down to Curmona with a posse of policemen. The entourage was however not allowed to enter the village as the village womenfolk chased them away with brooms after slapping a few brave cops who had infiltrated the barricade of tree branches and old abandoned Fiat cars placed across the road. A hastily summoned troupe of Home Guards who tried to attack the village at night also fled at the sight of cannons on the porch of the church and the sound of tremendous explosions. The next morning they discovered that the cannons were actually coconut tree trunks accompanied by khozne, the local gunpowder ‘bombs’ traditionally used for the church feast. Curmona now becomes the third village after Vaca de Boca and Keri to break away from the State of Goa, which is the smallest state of India, now having become even smaller. Vaca de Boca had seceded because the government had refused to allow bull fights, dhirio in local parlance. Kerigao, poised at the northernmost tip of Goa, had been receiving generous offers from neighbouring Maharashtra to join that state, but the village decided to go it alone, turning Tiracol Fort into its capital. Curmona has already established
breaks away
diplomatic relations with these two micro countries, with an eye on forming the Commonwealth of Cajufeni Countries. “We will be cutting off their water, electricity, phone and Internet connections,” raged a furious Puroikar at a news conference, his ear still red from being pinched by a fisherwoman from Curmona . The President of IRC, Mr Mergulhao, known as Meffy to the villagers, put up a defiant front. “We have enough wells in Curmona for good drinking water, not like the polluted wells in the CM’s constituency,” he snorted. “And our boys in the Gulf and on ships will be sending solar panels for electricity. Only Internet is a problem, so we will be training crows to carry our messages.” On being asked about the sovereignty of Curmona, Dr. Bandhkamar Kantak, an authority on international rogue
states said, “The Balkanization of Goa is inevitable. Our villages are so diverse. Our Konkani dialect differs from village to village, even vaddo to vaddo. With all the panchayats passing resolutions on Mopa airport, garbage, house tax, Regional Plan, global warming and meteor collisions, this was bound to happen.” Mr.Pundalik Sungtancar, the Prime Minister of Curmona, announced the naal (coconut) as the new unit of currency, taking the country back to the days of barter. “This is the return to the glorious days of gaunkary,” he said. “Enough of this federal nonsense.” “What do we need an army, navy and air force for?” he retorted to a query. “We have applied to the United Nations for protection. If tiny countries like Luxembourg and East Timor and the Vatican and even Japan can manage
Disclaimer: The article on this page is a satire and is not in anyway factual. It is only a humorous and satirical take on the events unfolding around us. We don not in anyway intend to offend any individual or institution through our satires and regret any offense caused inadvertently. without armies, so can we. ” According to the Secretary of State, Ms. Santa Maria Dolorosa Fernandes, Prime Minister Sungtancar personally phoned the United Nations asking for recognition, but was informed he had dialled a wrong number. He then dialed the correct number and spoke eloquently for 25 minutes about his new nation until he realized that the voice on the other end of the line was an answering machine. The ex-MLA of Curmona was last seen aimlessly wandering the corridors of the Secretariat, alongwith the ex-MLAs of Vaca de Boca and Kerigao.
15 Thursday, February 28, 2013
Feb 28
Blood Donation Camp
At Fr.Angnel College of Arts and Commerce, Pilar @ 9 am. +91 9860747653
Mar 1
Jan 12 to Mar 2
Water Park that boasts of 5 pools, a variety of slides, flumes and other interesting features. At Splashdown Waterpark, Calangute-Anjuna +91 9637424023/024, 2273008,
Monday & Friday
Museums
Martial Arts, Fitness, Health & Selfdefence Trainer: Vincent Rosario, Introductory Fee: Rs. 400 per month At The International Centre Goa, Dona Paula @ 5.15 pm to 6.15 pm +919823696138
Ethnographic museum that preserves its universality in its collections of artifacts representing the culture of ancient Goa. At Goa Chitra, Mondo-Waddo, Benaulim @ 9 am to 5 pm +91 9850466165/ 6570877, Email: goachitra@gmail.com
Mar 1, 2& 3
Spice Farms
Big Foot Cross Museum
Presented by Herald Biggest Automobile Expo in Goa At SGPDA Ground, Margao From 3 pm to 9 pm. +919822130034
Guests are entertained by folk dances, elephant rides, art of climb the tall betel nut palms and swinging from one stalk to the other. Lunch in earthen pots and banana leaves. At Ponda Belgaum highway, Curti. Call: 2312394 or Email: info@sahakarifarms.com
Vista Adventures motorcycle tours Discover the other side of Goa on motorbikes. At Benaulim @ 8 am to 11 pm +919833306770/+919970801498
Feb 1 to Feb 28
Friday Health Talk
Gifts free vouchers* on purchase of Rs 20,000 and above At Sujay Apt, Shop no 8, Panjim At Bemvinda apts, Shop no 5, Margao +918322423095/+918322735546
Insulin Resistance and its Importance in Type 2 Diabetes by Dr.Rita Korgaonkar At International centre goa, Dona Paula @ 6 pm to 7 pm +919765404391/+918322452805-10
Mar 2
Rocking soulful yoga immersion in Goa At Agonda beach @ 10 am
Of fountains and foothills
Heritage walk organised by bookworm At St.Sebastian chapel, Fontainhas Panjim @ 8 am to 10 am. +917709311929
Mar 3
SEQC Monthly Quiz
Organised by SEQC in association with the ICG At International centre goa, Dona Paula @ 5 pm to 8 pm +919765404391/+918322452805-10
Identity Workshop
An Art Therapy Approach By Ms. Shirley Burton At International centre goa, Dona Paula @ 10 am to 5 pm +919765404391/+918322452805-10
Spree Goa Marathon
Spree Goa Half Marathon Race 3 Half Marathon, 2.5 Km Corporate Run At Bits Campus, Panjim +919821157358
Mar 2 to 12 mar ‘Yoga in paradise’ At Ashvem beach
Mar 5 to mar 7
Battery expo and recyclingconference
At Goa Marriott resort and spa, Panaji @ 9.30 am to 6 pm +918322463333
Feb 27 & 5 mar
Rheumatology consultation At Menezes Polyclinic Altinho, Panjim @ 10 am to 2 pm +918322225918/+918322220237
Mar 1 & mar 2
5th International information security conference At Bogmallo beach resort, Bogmalo @ 9 am to 6 pm +918322538222/+919922900657
Feb 5 to Mar 4
French Classes-Crash Course Course Fees: Rs. 4,900/- (including course materials: 1 textbook + 1 workbook). At Alliance Francaise, Panjim @ 9.30 am to 12.30 pm +918322420049
Splashdown
Presented by Calburn Fitness Solutions in association with the ICG At The International Centre Goa, Dona Paula. +919811511595/ +919823578880
Peak records label party @ 5 pm
Want to be Fit & Healthy
Tara Jewellers
Auto Herald Goa 2013
Up to May 1 Yoga Classes
At Art Escape-Resort, Benaulim From 7.30 am to 8.30 am & 5 pm – 6 pm +919881568756/+919323590051
Every Tuesday Zumba Fitness
Learn a variety of rhythms including salsa, merengue, samba, flamenco, reggae and more from Zumba fitness instructor Cecille Rodrigues. At Grand Hyatt Goa, Bambolim From 6 pm to 7 pm +918323011603/ +918323011604
Every Thursday Aqua Zumba
Zumba in the water. A water-based workout for cardio-conditioning and bodytoning At Grand Hyatt Goa, Bambolim From 10 am to 11 am +918323011603/ +918323011604
Every Friday
Free Swimming Guidance
Organised by Walter Macarena’s At International Center Goa, Dona Paula From 5 pm to 7 pm +919822911161
Every Sunday
Tailoring Classes
Near Holy Family school, Porvorim From 3 pm to 6 pm 919765731003
Everyday
Yoga for the Body, Mind & Soul By MRS. Hoor Girglani Monday to Friday At International centre goa, Dona Paula @ 8 am to 9.30 am 5 pm to 6.30 pm +919765404391/+918322452805-10
Music & Dance Classes
At Maxie’s Music & Dance Academy, Panjim The first 10 students enrolling in the general category will be offered 20 per cent discount For further details contact Maxie’s Academy. +919011882880. Email: maxiebossa@gmail.com
Taekwondo Sessions
Sahakari Spice Farm
Tropical spice plantation
Elephant rides, authentic Goan cuisine, mini bird sanctuary and a boat to row or paddle. At Arla Bazar Keri, Ponda For reservation call: 2340329 or Email: tropicalspice@rediffmail.com
Savoi Plantation
Offers traditional Goan Saraswat cuisine served in mud pots and banana leaf plates along with seasonal fruits grown in the plantation. At Ponda For reservation call: 2340272/ 9423888899 or Email: savaiplantation@rediffmail.com
Water sports Scuba Diving
Attractive corals, coloured and beautiful, shells and fishes all invite exploration. At Scuba Diving India, Alfran Plaza, M.G. Rd, Panjim @ 9 am to 5 pm. 6711999
Dolphin Sighting Trip
Four to five hours trip includes Bbq, free beers and soft drinks. Also offers No See – No Pay policy as far as dolphin sighting is concerned. Sinquerim – Baga beach stretch +91 9822182814/6520190 or Email: johnsboattours@gmail.com
Barracuda Diving India
Pool parties and underwater celebrations among other water sports activities. At Sun Village Resort, Baga, Arpora & Chalston Beach Resort, Calangute 2269409/ +91 9822182402
Goa Aquatics
Offers Scuba Diving Equipment retail at competitive international price. At Little Italy, Opp Tarcar Ice Factory, Calangute. +91 9822685025
Dive Goa
A dive shop and training centre established by Ajey Patil - marine engineer, naturalist, raconteur and PADI certified dive instructor. At O’ Pescador Resort, Dona Paula, Panjim +91 9325030110
Goa Chitra
Houses 80 classifications of crosses of around the world. At Big Foot, Loutolim @ 10 am to 5 pm 2777034
Ancestral Goa
A center for Preservation & Promotion of Art, Culture & Environment started by Maendra J. A. Alvares. At Big Foot, Loutolim @ 9.30 am to 6 pm 2777034, info@ancestralgoa.com
Goa Science Centre & Planetarium
Exhibits and playthings which provide means to experience and explore science while playing with them. Entertaining shows on wonders and magic of night sky @ planetarium. At Goa Science Centre, Miramar, Panjim @ 10 am to 6 pm 2463426
Casa Araujo Alvares
Goa`s first automated sound and light museum. A 250 year old mansion showcasing traditional inheritance. At Loutolim @ 9.30 am to 5.30 pm 2777034
Courses LANGUAGES
Alliance Francaise
Learn French courses, Panjim 2420049/ +91 9922813950
St. Britto
Learn French, Mapusa 2293812/ +91 9049018214
Don Bosco Provincial House Odxel Beginners German language course
COOKING
Theresa’s Cookery Classes Margao +91 9970037242
Bertha Pereira Cooking Classes 2734589. Margao
Vandana’s Bakery Classes Caranzalem. 2462163
Meena’s Cooking Classes Caranzalem. 2462163
GESTO Culinary & Hospitality Academy Margao, 2730873
Branca’s Cooking Classes Panjim. 9822131835
Fatima Moniz
Cooking courses, Margao. 2776035/ +91 9370275702
Dance
David Furtado Dance & Aerobics
@ Panjim, Mapusa, Porvorim, Candolim, Aldona and Saligao. Learn Salsa, Jive Waltz for Adults & Bollywood,Hip Hop & Contemporary dance for kids. +91 9975914195
Dr. Martin & Dance Illusions Team
@ Panjim, Vasco, Margao Waltz, Jive, Cha ChaCha, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Salsa +91 9823014397
Cyrus Da Costa Dance Classes Monday to Saturday Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Cha Cha Cha, Jive, Margao 2715906/ 9921039537
Dance for Life Academy Mapusa 9823765523
Jason and Sylvia dance academy
Hip/Hop, Bollywood, Latin American, Jazz Ballet for Kids Panjim/Mapusa 9822161652/9822151614
Snaden Shawn dance and aerobics Learn dancing Mapusa 9890163433/7798609859
Nritya Sankul
Margao 9823936483/9689468712
Kalangan
Margao. 2735191
Asha Shivam
Porvorim. 2410357
Dance Illusions Panjim 9823014397
Cooking Classes for foreigners
Fatima’s Ballroom Dance Classes
Taengs Cookery Classes
Maxie’s Guitar And Dance Classes
Fatima Menezes E Moniz
Osler Furtado Dance Classes
Cynthia Dsouza Cooking Classes
Simply Ballroom,
Detroit Institute +91 9822131835.
Margao. +91 9822585944
Cooking classes, Raia. 2776035
Verna. 2783281
Margao. 2786191
Panjim. 2230178
Porvorim. 9822481695
The Western Dance Academy Vasco. 2528272
16 Cover Story
Sun, Fun and the Tummy Tuck
By Charlane Pereira
W
e all know that people come to Goa for sun, beach shacks, yoga, parties and casinos. But liposuction, knee replacement, spinal fusion and root canals? Turns out that yes, the lure of Goa extends well beyond fun and sun, and into medical procedures that are far cheaper than many other parts of the world. The result: Medical tourism in Goa is booming, with some 20,000 foreigners a year coming to Goa to, at least in part, avail themselves of cheap medical care. Most combine a beach holiday with some procedure that would be considered too expensive back home, such as a facelift that costs US
$20,000 in the US but only $3,100 here, or hip resurfacing that costs $48,000 in the UK but $7,000 in Goa. “We get over 200 foreign patients annually that seek medical procedures here. Joint replacement surgeries, spinal and urological surgeries, aesthetic procedures and gastrointestinal surgeries are the most sought after procedures, due to cost savings and availability of good medical care,” said Dr. Zubin de Loiola Pereira, the Manager of Medical Services at NUSI Wockhardt Hospital in the southern Goan village of Cuncolim. Yes, it may seem a bit strange – a little daytime beach and Kingfisher followed by an afternoon angioplasty? Or ride the waves in the morning and get a tummy tuck at night?
But when you look at the price differentials – combined with the decent level of Goan expertise for many of these procedures – it shouldn’t come as a surprise. The next time you find yourself in the Goan beach belt – Calangute, Candolim, Baga, Colva, among other places – take a look at the number of medical and dental clinics lining the roads. These are at the epicenter of the growing phenomenon of medical tourism in Goa. But beware. Some foreigners complain of unsanitary conditions, unscrupulous billing and less-than-professional service. So it’s very important to choose the right place.
Cover Story 17 Medical tourism in Goa is booming, with some 20,000 foreigners a year coming to Goa to, at least in part, avail themselves of cheap medical care. Most combine a beach holiday with some procedure that would be considered too expensive back home, such as a face-lift that costs US $20,000 in the US but only $3,100 here, or hip resurfacing that costs $48,000 in the UK but $7,000 in Goa. Goa, a small state with a local population of 1 ½ million people, certainly does not boast India’s best medical facilities. And those who come to Goa for medical care are only a fraction of the estimated 450,000 foreigners who, according to a recent study on medical tourism by two professors at Jammu University, visit India for low-priced healthcare each year. And yet if you’re already here for a beach holiday, and you know a given procedure is going to cost you an arm and a leg back home (no pun intended), then it’s often a good option to get it done in Goa. And even if you’re not already here, there are a certain number of procedures, especially cosmetic ones, where the state really excels. If you drop in at some of the prominent hospitals in Goa, don’t be surprised if you feel you are in some foreign land. Foreign tourists can routinely be seen moving in and out of the hospital. “Costs in Goa are 20% of costs in Europe or USA and 25-30% of costs in Africa. A surgery that would cost $5,000 in Goa would cost about $ 25,000 in Europe or USA and about $15000 to 18000 in Africa,” Dr Pereira said. Among those who have come to Goa for treatment are a 73-year-old Nigerian man who had a 20-year history of severe osteoarthritis in both knees and could not walk unaided for more than 15 years. His knees were both bent and severely deformed. He underwent a bilateral knee replacement with intense physiotherapy. By the time he left to return to Nigeria, he was walking straight, without the walking stick or walker. His height, said Dr Pereira, even increased by six inches because his legs had straightened. Then there’s the case of a 43-year-old American man who had chronic lower back pain for more than five years. He underwent endoscopic spinal surgery in
compared to England, some find it cheaper to fly further to Thailand, where the hospitals are better equipped and cleaner, packages are lucrative and more tourist friendly. However over the years, I have a set of patients flying down regularly each season asking for additional cosmetic procedures,” he says. Indeed, Thailand receives the most amount of medical tourists in Asia, with about a million such visitors a year. Still, medical tourism in India is growing by a whopping 30 percent a year, according to an analysis by the Renub Research Unit, a research and analysis company with centres in both India and the U.S. Foreign tourists visiting Goa are mostly from the UK and Russia, followed by visitors from Switzerland, CIS countries (formerly countries that made up the Soviet Union), Poland and Scandinavian countires,” said Ralph D’Souza, spokesman of Travel and Tourism Association of Goa. “In the following month, we expect Iranians, too,” he said. One woman who didn’t want her name used in this story - a Non Resident Indian based in Dubai - is getting herself checked in at one of the reputed hospitals of South Goa. “I always plan my trips to Goa. I see that I do all my routine medical tests and dental treatment over here as they are much cheaper than the dirhams that we pay for services in the UAE,” she explains. Dr Oscar Rebello, a physician and social activist, has a different take on all the foreigners coming here for “dental work, plastic surgery, non-emergency surgeries like hernias, goitres, joint replacements, cataracts, etc.” “What remains appalling in our country is that children die of malnutrition, infectious diseases and at childbirth for lack of obstetric facilities and we have the gall to tom tom about five-star medical tourism. But then if they don’t have bread, why not eat cake instead?” he says.
Turn to page 18
Goa and flew back to the US a week after surgery, free of pain. A 63-year-old lady from Zimbabwe came to Goa with a tumour in her brain that was untreatable back home. She underwent surgery within two days of getting admitted here, and the tumour was removed. She recovered very well and has no problem with her day-to-day activities now. Dr. Satish Arolkar is a plastic surgeon at the Asian Heart and Health Institute in Mumbai and a visiting Senior Plastic Surgeon at Manipal Hospital at Dona Paula, Goa. He says it’s common for British, Irish, German and Belgian visitors to come to the hospital for liposuction, breast implants or reduction, face-lifts, and other procedures. “Most of these tourists opt for Goa as they are familiar with it or have been recommended by previous visitors. Though surgical costs in Goa are cheaper
Extras include Arabian sea saline drip, beach surgery and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation...
18 Cover Story from page 17 “Medical tourism is perhaps an idea whose time has come,” Dr Rebello allows, “and Goa being a hot spot of tourism with a generous sprinkling of drugs, sex and violence may be a great case study.” Dr Arolkar, the visiting surgeon at Manipal, thinks it’s a problem to have one physician perform a procedure and another – the doctor back home – do the follow up. “The downside of this tourism is that the surgeon operating in Goa has to rely upon the local physicians to remove sutures, do dressings, and follow up on the wellbeing of the patient. We have these arrangements available at times, but not always,” he says. Another problem, he adds, is shoddy, fraudulent outfits that prey on foreign medical tourists. “The lucre of fees is real and some fly-by-night clinics have been promising more than they can deliver, hence the express need is for the Medical Council to step in now and ensure some control,” he says. For quite some time, the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (the Goan wing of the Indian National Congress) has been making noise to stop unqualified doctors
What remains appalling in our country is that children die of malnutrition, infectious diseases and at childbirth for lack of obstetric facilities and we have the gall to tom tom about five-star medical tourism. But then if they don’t have bread, why not eat cake instead? -Dr Oscar Rebello
Cost Comparison of Selected Surgeries: Procedure Heart bypass Heart valve replacement Angioplasty Hip replacement Hysterectomy Knee replacement Spinal fusion
United States ($) 130000 160000 57000 43000 20000 40000 62000
Thailand ($) 11000 10000 13000 12000 4500 10000 7000
Source: AMA, June 2007
Singapore ($) 18500 12500 13000 12000 6000 13000 9000
Cost Comparison between US, UK and India: Procedure Open Heart Surgery (CABG) Total Knee Replacement Hip Resurfacing LA Hysterectomy Lap Cholcystectomy Spinal Decompression Fusion Obesity Surgery (Gastric Bypass)
USA ($) 100000 48000 55000 22000 18000 60000 65000
Source: Wockhardt Hospitals
UK ($) 43000 52000 48000 24000 20000 65000 70000
Cosmetic Surgery (Costs in US$) Procedure Face-lift Breast Augmentation Breast Reduction Eyelid Surgery Liposuction Nose Surgery Tummy Tuck
United States ($) 20000 10000 10000 7000 10000 7300 8500
India ($) 10000 9000 11000 9000 3000 8500 5500
India ($) 7500 6300 7000 4000 3000 5500 9500 Source: healthbase.com
Thailand ($) 4800 3150 3900 1400 2100 3850 4050
Singapore ($) 6250 8000 8000 3750 5000 4400 6250
India ($) 3100 2200 3000 2200 2500 1800 3400
involved in medical tourism. One former British medical tourist warned his countrymen on an online forum to “remember to personally check all needle packs.” Another lamented how a Goan hospital failed to detect ovarian cancer in a visiting medical tourist. Another complained of a lack of toilet facilities in a ward, too many beds, faeces on the floor and no running water. “Dread to think what infections and bacteria there were in that place. I couldn’t wait to get out and get away. I vowed never ever to go there again and to tell people about this hell hole,” she wrote. Yet it seems that for every horror story, there are myriad successes and satisfied patients. Many of the complaints are by people who find themselves in random Goan hospitals following emergencies or sudden illnesses while on vacation. For the most part, medical tourists have done their research and end up at reputable establishments, like Apollo Victor, Manipal and NUSI Wockhardt. Among the biggest draws for foreign tourists are Goa’s dental clinics. As Streets wrote in a recent article, you can buy India’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano, for the cost of a dental implant in the UK, and still save some for the fuel. For both medical and dental procedures, often the savings can pay for your trip to Goa. To be sure, many other destinations in India attract medical tourists. But without the sun and daiquiris.
Printed and published by Marisha Dutt for and on behalf of Free Voice Media Pvt Ltd at Gomantak Pvt. Ltd. Plot no. 4/4A, Corlim IDC, Tiswadi Goa, 403 110. Editor: José Lourenço. Regd. Office: 711/32, Green Hill, Socorro, Porvorim 403 501. Editorial Office : H. No. 133, Mae De Deus Vaddo, Sangolda, Bardez, Goa 403 511. (R.N.I. registration no. applied for and under process).
Pharmacy college wins Calamus Goa College of Pharmacy took opponents by surprise to clinch the prestigious title at Calamus 2013, a day-long intercollegiate fest organized by the Department of Journalism of St Xavier’s College, Mapusa.The host College’s Department of Mass Communication and Videography were the runner-up. The fest included various competitions like Page Designing, Quiz, Mad Ad, Blog Writing, JAM, Treasure Hunt and many more. Mr. Steven Gutkin, Chief Advisor of Goa Streets, was the chief guest at the inaugural which was also attended by St Xavier’s Principal, Dr. Father Walter de Sa.Mr.Gutkin released the Calamus souvenir and also the magazines produced by the final year Journalism students as part of their project. Head of the department of Mass Communication and Videography Mrs Vailarose Fernandes and Mr Nitin Volvoikar, from the department of Journalism also graced the occasion. Mr.Gutkin shared his experiences as a journalist and encouraged students to take up Journalism in the right perspective. “Students should work hard towards promoting journalism in the right manner and strive to uphold the truth,” he said. Fr. Walter, was all praise for his college’s department of Journalism which he said was doing a great job promoting Journalism among Goan students. A total of 16 competitions were held, including three preevent submissions -- Radio Documentary, TV Advertisement and Blog Writing. In all, students from eight colleges put in all their efforts to win the coveted title but ultimately it was the team from Goa College of Pharmacy that held their nerves and came out trumps.
The
Corner
The Corner is a regular space where organizations, enterprenuers and all those with noteworthy projects can “strut their stuff.” Steven Gutkin (second from right) releases Genesis, the Calamus souvenir at St. Xavier college, Mapusa. Principal Dr. Fr. Walter De Sa, Mrs Vailarose Fernandes and Nitin Volvoikar were also present.
Team Genpact Quest conquer WIZBIZ 2013
A group photo of the Wizbiz team along with quiz master Avinash Mudaliar.
Panjim, February 2013, Goa Institute of Management (GIM) in association with Goa Tourism Department organised its annual corporate quiz WIZBIZ 2013 which brought together members of the corporate world from various sectors across the country. The event provided the 16 participants an ideal platform for fierce intellectual competition and also allowing them to harness their talents. L&T Finance Ltd., IBM, HDFC, TCS, Oracle, SBI, Metro Cash & Carry, Morpheus Human Consulting were some of the participating corporate institutions. Quizmaster Avinash Mudaliar returned to the GIM campus, with a bang, conducting the quiz for the 11th time. He has been the former Secretary of the Karnataka Quiz Association (KQA), South India’s foremost Quizzing organization, having conducted more than 700 quizzes, and won over 800 odd. Avinash was a great success with the audience as well; he had the audience rolling on the floor with his well-timed punch lines directed at the students and the faculty alike, making the evening even more entertaining. The winners, Rohan Khanna and Amit Pandya of Genpact Quest were superb. The runners Up were R Jayakantan and Sreekanth G of TCS. Wizbiz 2013 was held in association with Goa Tourism Department and co-sponsors State Bank of India, NRB Group, Bank of India, Cafe Coffee Day, Aguada Anchorage, Neel Beverages, UB Group, Four Seasons, Coco Cola, Dempo, CMM Logistics, Magsons and Dare2Compete.com. This landmark event has created a brand for itself. Quizmaster Mudaliar says “Content wise, WIZBIZ is undoubtedly the best quizzing event in India. Moreover, the hospitality towards every participant is fantastic and that is how they go back with very pleasant memories making WIZBIZ one of the most premium quizzing destinations of the country.” About Goa Institute of Management: Fr. Romuald D’Souza, the then Director of XIM, Bhubaneshwar, together with a team of professionals and industrialists established the Goa Institute of Management in 1993 with the aim of spreading the wealth of management knowledge.
20
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
www.goastreets.com/arts&entertainment
Thursday, February December28, 13,2013 2012
Feb 28
Colour of Light
An Exhibition by UK based artist Gillian Keightley At Carpe Diem, Majorda +918888862462
Beach
Paintings by Shireen Mody and her daughter Arpora From 10 am to 6 pm +919890009117
Mar 1
On the 30th Anniversary of
Art Ads Creative Advertising, Margao Governor of Goa has consented to unveil an installation ‘SHE’ by Adriel, Karishma, Maureen & Maendra Alvares and release the book’Ancestral Goa’ by Mrs. Rajani N.Gupte At Big Foot Art Gallery, Loutolim @ 6 pm +918322777034
Xavier’s Kala Utsav
St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa is organizing “Xavier’s Kala Utsav” At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 6 pm
Playing host to the arts - Sunaparanta
Mar 2
Tribal Painting exhibition Aadi-Chitra At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 5 pm +919845611592
Mar 3
Be book
Is organising a fete At literati Calangute +919922352428/+919822682566
Mar 4
Tree of Life
Gond Tribal Art At Gallery Gitanjali, Panjim +918322435628
Jan 13 to mar 3
Drowing workshop At Sunaparanta, Panjim @ 10 am to 12.30 pm +918322421311
Feb 16 to mar 7
Tiatr Academy of Goa
Organising its 4th popular tiatr festival At Pai Tiatrist Auditorium, Margao @ 3.30 pm +918322230738
Feb 23 to mar 2
Between the cup and the lip At Kerkar Art Complex, Arpora +918322276017
Feb 23 to mar 30
Charlie & the Music Factory Live At Art Escape, Benaulim @ 7 pm to 11 pm +919323590051
Feb 25 to mar 26
Indian classical night At Art Escape, Benaulim @ 7 pm +919323590051
Feb 25 to mar 15
The 6th Anniversary
At Ruchika’s Art Gallery, Miramar Artistree 2013-master strokes The exhibition will be inaugurated by eminent master artist Mr. Prabhakar Kolte @ 7 pm +918322465875/ +919850571283/ +919881836400
By the People and For the People
Feb 28 to mar 1 Prime Time
The events planned include Media Quiz, Stress Interview, Anchoring and Jungle Making, photography At Don Bosco College, Panjim
Everyday
Ruchika’s Art Gallery
Ruchika`s Art Gallery displays fine arts, performing arts and new forms of art. Opp. Goa Marriott Resort, Miramar. From 10.30 am to 6 pm +918322465875/ +919850571283/ +919881836400
Kerkar Art Gallery
Installations and sculptures and paintings by Dr.Subodh Kerkar. It also showcases works by contemporary artists from all over India. At Gauravaddo, Calangute. From 10 am to 7 pm +918322276017
By Liz Kemp
P
erched on the green and leafy Altinho Hill in Panjim, Sunaparanta-Goa Centre for the Arts is exactly what our name states – a hub for creativity, a place where both contemporary and traditional art is made accessible to the Goan public. It is now in its fifth year of operation, presenting high quality, thought-provoking art experiences in an
environment that is welcoming, informative and engaging. The Centre’s creative programme includes gallery exhibitions, education and activity classes, interactive workshops, book readings and other public events. We are currently developing an education and outreach service to help grow the audience for art in Goa and encourage greater understanding of the importance of art, artists, culture and creativity. Throughout the year the gallery presents a diverse and exciting range of works from Goa - based, national and international artists. We also develop and curate our own shows such as this year’s annual show, ‘Look At This Land,’ originating out of the Printmakers’ Camp held at the Centre in October 2012. We promote occasional one-off projects such as the inspiring Prison Art exhibition ‘Things We Lost in the Fire,’ in November 2012.
Arts&Entertainment 21
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Jupiter Arts
At Jamundas building, Sangolda +918322650784
The courtyard at Sunaparanta.
Menezes Braganza hall At Ferry wharf, Panjim +918322224143
Exhibition of paintings
The gallery displays paintings on canvas of original art & international print arts. It also showcases works by contemporary artists from India & abroad. At Arte Douro Art Gallery, Calangute from 9 am to 9 pm +9183222882266 / +919822147148
Panjim Art Gallery
Promotes Goan Art Figurative and individual works of artists. At Panjim Art Gallery From 9 am to 8 pm. +919822168703
Carpe Diem
Art Escape
Art Escape Goa is a knowledge sharing our of home experience through learn-bydoing workshops which include painting, Pottery, photography, theatre, dance, films, yoga, recycling & waste Management. At Art Escape, Benaulim +919892286666/+919881568756/ +919323590051
Gallery Gitanjali
At Opp Panjim Inn, Fontainhas From 9 am to 9 pm. +919823572035
Mario’s Art Gallery Painting Art Gallery At Chandor, Salcete +919850460095
Carpe Diem, a newly opened art and learning centre in Majorda. At Majorda From 10 am to 6 pm +918888862462
Big Foot Art Gallery
Display of works by various artists from India and abroad. At Big Foot Art Gallery, Loutolim From 9 am to 6 pm +918322777034
Moksa Art Gallery
Displays of Contemporary Art are displayed by Salvador Fernandez. At Naikavaddo, Calangute From 9.30 am to 8.30 pm +918322281121/+919326717386
Arte Douro Art Gallery
Painting Art Gallery At Betim, Reis Magos +918322416930
The Gallery displays paintings on canvas of original art & international print arts. At Porba Vaddo, Calangute From 9 am to 9 pm +919822147148
Devs Art Gallery
Picturesque
Yemanja Art Gallery
At Cobravaddo, Calangute +919890935896
Galleria Ralino
Painting Art Gallery At Souza towers, Panjim +918322228370
Casa Popular
At Municipal Market, Panjim +918322262135
Xavier centre of historical research
With particular emphasis on contemporary cultural and social issues affecting the State of Goa. At B BBorkar Rd, Porvorim +918322417772
Chaku Arts and Crafts Painting Art Gallery At Vaddy, Candolim +918322279039
Rosem villa Art Gallery At Porvorim +918322276329
Surya Art Gallery
Here contemporary works of canvas paintings on Goan subject and art crafts are displayed. At Bandawalwada, Pernem +919404149764/ +919422064754
Persian Arts and Crafts At Taj holiday village, Sinquerim +918322479016
The museum displays works of Original Art & International print arts. At near Domino’s Pizza, Panjim From 9 am to 1.30 pm & 3.30 pm to 7 pm +919822124245
Folk dance at the Lokotsav
A recent addition to our programme are the Art Salons, a series of informal conversations between author Siddharth Sanghvi and special guests, that offer a range of fascinating insights into the creative process of some of today’s outstanding artists, writers, filmmakers and actors. Beginning in November 2012, we met the sculptor, Sudarshan Shetty and Irish author, Anne Enright, followed by Sooni Taraporevala and Jaya Bachchan in January and February of this year. We hope to have more of these illuminating evenings with Mr Sanghvi in the future. Our first Mentoring Programme for emerging Goan artists is currently underway with three artists, Kedar Dhondu, Ramdas Gadekar and Vitesh Naik being sponsored by Sunaparanta to promote and develop their studio and gallery practice under the watchful eye of Mumbaibased curator, Kanchi Mehta. This is an exciting new opportunity for the visual art community of Goa and we will be watching their progress with great interest. A number of regular classes and programmes are conducted on an annual basis, such as the ‘Mango Tree Visual Art Classes for Children’, our ‘Film for Thought Wednesday’ film club, and ‘From the Page to the Stage Children’s’ Theatre Club’. Open sessions in our pottery and ceramic studio are available all year round. We conduct interactive adult arts and crafts workshops and Master Classes and for arts practitioners in all fields. A series of Professional Practice Seminars is planned for 2013. We are developing programmes in Creative Arts Skills Training for people from all occupational backgrounds to experience how the arts can enliven and enrich their lives. From the 15th to the 17th February we conducted Goa’s first Arts Skills Mela, attended by over 60 people, who took part in a series of interactive workshops to learn about using the arts for personal and professional growth. It has been an outstanding success and one that we have already been requested to repeat. The Centre buzzed with activity from the morning to the evening and everywhere were excited, happy people all taking about what they
had made, done, tried and achieved. The final “Human Sculpture” that existed in the courtyard cafe for five minutes was a final expression of the excitement many of the participants felt about their time in the Mela. So what does all this creative energy and activity mean to Goa and what do the arts have to offer people in an increasingly complex modern world? The answer is simple. Whether as a viewer or a maker, spending time with art enriches the experience of being human. A good experience with art offers a unique window into our own amazing imaginations and reminds us all of how life can be enhanced by the blend of play and experiment that is inherent in creative work. Sunaparanta seeks to bring more and more people to the realization that art is for everyone. Matching people with the right opportunity to create or experience art is of vital importance. We hope to develop more schools-based Guided Workshops for our core gallery exhibition programme, create community partnerships to deliver quality arts experiences in towns and villages in Goa, and promote professionalism in the practice of art. If the success of the Arts Skills Mela is an indicator of how ready the Goan public is to embrace the role of art in their community, we can safely say that both the future of art and that of Sunaparanta-Goa Centre for the Arts is assured. Liz Kemp is the Project Director at Sunaparanta-Goa Centre for the Arts
22 News Feature
How Goans Re-Enact the
Suffering of Christ By Goa Streets
A
solemn line of men, women and children winds its way up a hill, some carrying small wooden crosses. There is a mournful silence in the air, broken only by the intermittent sound of prayer. The passos is underway. Known for its deep attachment to Church rituals, it is no surprise that in Goa the practice of the Way of the Cross along with the lenten passos are enacted with religious rigour. Panjim and Margao have streets leading up a hill where paths are lined with 14 crosses. On Good Friday, each of
these 14 get transformed into special stations where scores of locals reenact the ‘Passion of Christ’ in a Way of the Cross procession―the journey Christians believe Jesus took with the wooden cross up the Calvary hill after he was condemned to death. The journey of Christ on his way to crucifixion is thus re-enacted on the road leading up to the Altinho hill in Panjim and the Monte hill in Margao. These are not the only towns where the Catholic faithful demonstrate their ritualistic fervour. There are scores of smaller towns and villages in almost all parishes where scenes depicting Jesus’ last torturous walk are enacted. Take the case of Anjuna, better known for its all-night raves, drugs and sex tales. Here, on the fifth Sunday of Lent, the hills and cliffs are frequented not by party weary young men and women, but by repentant Catholics who take the long, tiresome walk up steep slopes. The fourteen Stations of the Cross are carved on small pillars along the route and the procession pauses
What did you give up for lent I normally have my feni with Limca. I gave up the Limca
to reflect and pray at each of these. The entire Stations of the Cross ritual at Anjuna then culminates with a Eucharistic celebration (mass) held at the ‘Miraculous Cross’ up on the hill. The ritual is prevalent in many other villages of Goa, both along the coast and in the hinterland. But no description of how Lent is observed by the Catholic faithful in Goa can be complete without the mention of the Passos or Santos Passos, enactment of Christ’s passion, a custom unique to Goa which traces its origin back to the 16th century. Passos is a Portuguese name for certain pious Lenten exercises held in Goa and other Catholic communities in India. It was introduced by a Jesuit priest, Fr Gaspar Barzeo in the mid-16th century, to strengthen and sustain devotion amid the faithful. Father Barzeo instituted a procession of flagellants, who shed abundant tears and scourged themselves (self flagellation) as part of the ritual. However, after continuing for two centuries, these processions of flagellants were abolished by Archbishop Francisco d’Assumpçao e Brito, in 1775, who forbade the penitents from scourging themselves. These processions, however, continue to date but devoid of the self-scourging. Now, a larger-than-life image of Christ, clothed in purple vestments carrying a huge wooden cross on his shoulders, is taken around in a procession by specially chosen bearers. The procession generally wends its way through an earmarked route within the Parish’s jurisdiction, with halts called descansos, representing the three
times Christians believe Jesus fell while carrying the cross to Mount Calvary. On the way back the tableau carrying Our Lady, dressed up in a mantle of blue, joins the procession and together the images are taken to the church yard, where either a girl or a boy sings the ‘Veronica’, symbolic of the dramatic episode of Golgotha. The passos is a highly emotional and spiritual part of the Lenten cleansing for Catholics in Goa, eventually leading up to the Holy Week and Good Friday where collective grief for the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ reaches a climax. Procession of Saints On the fifth Monday of Lent every year the Church of St Andrew in Goa Velha, Goa plays host to the world’s only Lenten procession of saints. According to Rosario Rodrigues, author of the book ‘World’s Grand Procession of Saints’, the procession draws from a parade of pundits and priests, a practise of the village that pre-dates Christianity. He writes that villagers narrated stories of Hindu glories, and that “to satisfy this craving of the locals, the Franciscans tried to revive the traditional processions” of the village by gradually replacing the Hindu characters with Catholic Saints. “Therefore, towards the end of the 17th century the Franciscans instituted a penitential ‘procession of Saints’ in which 65 life size images of Saints were taken in procession from their Monastery at Pilar hillock through the neighbouring streets,” Rodrigues writes. Devotees are known to duck under the palanquins of the saints as a means of cleansing their sins, during the procession – another custom predating Christianity. This year’s procession of the saints will take place on March 18.
Sports 23
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Goa’s Tennis Prodigy At 19, She Does Us Proud By Ashley do Rosario
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atasha Palha received a tennis racket from an aunt on her 10th birthday – an event that triggered her dream run to tennis stardom. At 19, she’s set her sights on becoming India’s numero uno women’s tennis player and to break into the World Tennis Association’s (WTA’s) top 100 player league. “She’s working every muscle in her feet and hands to achieve these twin goals in the next three years,” says her dad, Brian Palha, currently accompanying Natasha for training and competition at Pune. That gift from her aunt, coupled with the love of tennis that runs in the Palha family, is what prompted Natasha and her sister Vanessa to take up regular playing in the spacious backyard of their home in the central Goan village of Agaçaim. It was at a tournament she won while on holiday in Mumbai that her family and tennis scouts saw in her little, 12-year-old frame the potential of a world beater! She won another tournament in Dubai in 2006. A year later she won the Asian Under-14 title and the Asia No. 1 ranking in Bahrain. Getting there involved a gruelling six-tournament circuit for the 13-year-old at venues across several cities, including Pune, Damascus, Amman and Chandigarh. From then on there was no looking back. Her exploits at Bahrain helped her gain her first major sponsorship with the Dempo group of companies, which named her ‘brand ambassador’. Today Natasha is ranked 800 in the International Tennis Federation world rankings for women, and her goal is to reach the top 100 within the next two years. Many believe she can do it. About a week ago, Natasha won the doubles title at the National Grass-court Tennis Championship held at the South Club, Kolkata. In the singles, she fell one short of becoming the national champion, losing out to the defending champion Ankita Saina 1-6, 2-6 in the final. The year 2013 couldn’t have started on a better note for the “intelligent, friendly and outgoing Natasha” as her dad Brian and mom Ophelia, both dental surgeons, describe theirs and Goa’s ‘Tennis Princess’. Before she could travel to Kolkata for the National Championship, Natasha had already pocketed two titles in India’s top-of-the-bracket tourneys in February. At Mumbai’s Juhu Vile Gymkhana Club on February 4, she won the women’s title for the Rs 12lakh Omkar All India Ranking Tennis Championship, defeating Sharmada Balu of Karnataka in gruelling three sets 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Because of Dempo’s initiatives, Goa’s youth have been able to sustain their talent in the international arena and can today claim to be world beaters in sports ranging from chess, squash, swimming and of course tennis! - Natasha A week later, she went on to claim both the singles and doubles titles at the Central Excise Open AITA Grass Court Tennis Championship in Kolkata. Top seeded in the singles at this tournament, Natasha displayed tough nerves to live up to her billing and face off stiff resistance from qualifier Bhuvana Kalva of Andhra Pradesh, defeating her 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2 in a 2-hour and 20-minute battle. With no Tennis Academy or trainer worth his or her name or any other support system available here in Goa, how did Natasha rise so high? Family and, of course, her sponsors, the Dempo group of companies, which together have taken care of her travelling, training and coaching expenses both in India and abroad. Finance is only one part of the story. The other is Natasha’s long spells of being away from family and friends. “But she is at ease with the many co‑players and personalities she meets in the course of her tennis engagements. She’s a crowd favourite
Natasha Palha serving at a match
at many tournaments,” says her dad, Brian. But Natasha herself feels “very indebted” to Mr. Srinivas Dempo and the House of Dempo for the encouragement and support she got. “Because of their (Dempo’s) initiatives, Goa’s youth has been able to sustain their talent in the international arena and can today claim to be world beaters in sports ranging from chess, squash, swimming and of course tennis!” Natasha wrote to Streets in an email from Pune. Of course the Dempo sponsorship is more the exception than the rule in Goa, where many prodigies complain of a lack of support to pursue their athletic dreams. That said, Natasha’s case proves that with a little talent, support and luck, Goa can find its rightful place on the national and international sports map.
24 Feature
Santo Estevão Lady fingers, Peace and Marrying Your Own One of Santo ’s most well-known customs is to look for soulmates in the village itself. For centuries it has been a way of life for the islanders to marry within the village. This tradition has been dented a bit in recent times, but generally, villagers prefer that their sons and daughters walk the aisle in the village itself.
By Ashley do Rosario
H
ere’s an idea for anyone in search of the “real Goa” – untouched by mining, concretisation or tourism, where people and life remain simple, where a vegetable, not a rave or a casino or a full moon, gives it fame. Welcome to the island village of Santo Estevão, one of the few unspoilt bastions of Goa. Ok, so maybe the farming life isn’t as strong as it used to be. And maybe lots of the younger folks are leaving for jobs overseas. And perhaps the residents’ propensity to marry amongst themselves does seem strange. Still, the lure of Santo Estevão is the lure of community. This is a place where you know everyone you meet, and where people still look out for one another.
“There is camaraderie among villagers here like nowhere else in Goa,” says local resident Sushant Tari Also known as Juvem (island in Konkani), Santo Estevão is most famous for its premium seven-ridged, light-green and long lady finger (bhenddo), or okra. That’s why many people refer to villagers as ‘bhendde’. Thirty kilometres to the east of the capital Panjim, the village is accessible by two routes: a ferry at Ribandar, 4 kilometres from Panjim, and by road over a 200-metre bridge that connects the village to the village of Marcela. It is encircled by the Mandovi river on all sides and was connected to the mainland by this bridge only in the mid-1980s. Also called the isle of vegetables, the island village has, however, seen the agrarian tradition
fading over the years. Today a majority from the Catholic-dominated village prefer jobs overseas and aboard ships to soiling their hands in the vegetable fields. In his mid-forties, Sushant Tari is an artist who has done well for himself in the event management field in Mumbai. Looking at his impressive achievements in metropolitan Mumbai, it is hard to believe he schooled in this village soaked in archaic traditions. “Wherever we may be, the hearts of all Zuvemkars will always be rooted in our village back home,” Sushant adds, providing a glimpse into why those who have stayed behind have so vehemently fought off land sharks and developers to retain the village’s ‘unspoilt’ character. Sushant credits St Tereza’s, the Convent School he attended in the village until his Secondary School Certificate Examination (Grade X), for the values he imbibed to stand on
Feature 25
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Photographs by Pantaleao Fernandes
A fisherman sets out for the day
his feet in life. One of Santo Estevão’s most well-known customs, still largely followed today, is to look for soul-mates in the village itself. For centuries it has been a way of life for the islanders to marry within the village. This tradition has been dented a bit in recent times, but generally, villagers prefer that their sons and daughters walk the aisle in the village itself. The tradition is more visible in the nearly 5000-strong Catholic community of the village, and some villagers attribute it to the fact that being an island, Santo Estevão was largely cut off from the outside world. But others like islander Sapphire Rodrigues have another take. The village’s compactness, he says, leads to boys and girls liking each other during their schooling years. They then tie the knot as they grow older. Santo Estevão also has a rich history and a unique natural beauty manifested by its hilly terrain, verdant green vegetable and paddy fields, and the thick mangroves that line its river banks . The village fell to the Marathas, when the Maratha Emperor Chatrapati Sambhaji conquered it from the Portuguese in 1683. But the island was re-captured by the Portuguese with help from the Mughals within a year. A fort from that era, originally built by Adil Shah and later strengthened by the Portuguese, has been recently restored by Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
The village is also known for its famous sons. Angelo da Fonseca, who was born there in 1902, for instance, went on to become one of India’s greatest artists. His works are displayed worldwide in major cities. A student of Abindranath Tagore, his depiction of Christian themes through an Indian aesthetic idiom did not go well with the local ecclesiastical authorities. He
was expelled by the Portuguese for his drawings and paintings including one of the Virgin Mary in a traditional Goan kunbi sari. Another illustrious son of Santo Estevão was Dr Olivinho Gomes, a scholar, poet and a professor of the Konkani language. Dr Gomes, who passed away in 2009, also officiated as the Vice Chancellor of the Goa University in the
1990s, and authored over 40 books. He was known and admired for his deep knowledge of the Konkani language. This Shakecho Juvo (isle of vegetables), as folks call it, has an unique charm. “I never miss the opportunity to go to my village even if it is for a few hours. It makes me feel good… to breathe the fresh air, meet and interact with co-villagers and childhood friends,” says Mapusa’s Deputy Superintendent of Police, Serafino Dias. Scores of others also do what Serafino does, go back to their village for no specific reason. Only to satisfy their nostalgic urges and recharge their spiritual and emotional batteries! This is our latest story in a regular space devoted to the villages of Goa, where Streets showcases the roads, traditions, festivals, troubles, dreams and all the other things that make each Goan village unique.
26 Feature Photographs by Pantaleao Fernandes
A lazy croc plays ‘statue’
By Joseph Zuzarte
T
‘Mangge Thapne’ - Crocodile worship
he only time most Goans hear about crocodiles is when they are ‘rescued’ after the slithery reptiles wander off into people’s gardens or even houses (in this case, the ‘they’ refers to either the crocodiles or the Goans - take your pick!). A few months ago, a huge fellow was found in a polluted water canal in the Mungul area of Margao, and a few weeks ago one was found inside an old house in Mayem. Crocodiles are one of the niche tourist attractions of Goa, and going on crocodile spotting trips in the Cumbharjua canal is one of the must-do activities of charter tourists. Believe it or not, your chances
of seeing one of these reptiles who first appeared on earth 55 million years ago are quite good. On the few trips I’ve been to in Cumbharjua, many of my fellow travelers, most of them from big cities like London or Manchester, sounded very skeptical of actually spotting a croc, assuming that it was just another Goan touristy con trip to squeeze out their pounds and Euros. Even when the boat finally entered the maze of swampy waterways through the Cumbharjua mangroves and we actually saw a crocodile basking on the mud banks, they thought it was a sculpted wooden crocodile, the type you get from Indonesia. This would have been kept there by the crocodile boat operators to fool tourists like them. You see, crocodiles
Feature 27
are very good at appearing like statues, when they’re not snapping or engaging in some other startling movement. And then the boat went closer to the crocodile and the alarmed reptile sprung forth and disappeared into the murky waters. “Wooo!” cried my fellow travellers, excited and frightened and exhilarated at the same time, relieved that they were not being conned and happy at actually spotting the real thing. The expectations of getting conned in part stem from the lurid banners which you see all over the Candolim-Calangute beach-belt advertising ‘Crocodile Dundee’ trips. But hope, as we all know, springs eternal, so many take the chance and pay up for a ‘Crocodile Dundee’ excursion. There are dozens of ‘boat/ adventure trip’ booking agents in the Candolim-Calangute belt, and also elsewhere in Goa where you can book a crocodile trip. Or you can head straight to the starting point at the Crocodile Station at Cortalim ferry jetty, under the Zuari bridge. From there you take a boat into the Cumbharjua canal where the crocodiles reside. It takes about an hour for you to reach the areas where the crocodiles hang out. There are not too many visible in the main Cumbharjua canal. The small cruise boats which take you on the trips usually go inside the many branches of the main canal, into swampy areas lined with mangroves where the chances of spotting the reptiles is greater. Try to go there at low tide because then it is easier to spot the slithery beasts as they rest on the mud banks. At high tides it becomes a bit difficult to spot them. Some of these muggers, as the crocodiles are known, are very large in length, and it’s quite a sight to see them swimming, looking like a huge log floating through the water. There are plenty of photo opportunities as the boats generally keep a good distance from them so they don’t get alarmed and flee. One of my fellow travellers, a young lady, was worried that the crocodiles would pounce on the boat we were in and eat us alive. But apparently the crocodiles never attack the boat (Note from Streets Editors: Thank you Joseph Zuzarte for the ‘apparent’ assurance!). They being wild crocodiles living in their natural environment, the law of the jungle applies here; which means they only attack creatures smaller than themselves. Granted, we humans are smaller, but what they see is our boat. When they see it coming close to them, they flee, assuming it’s a creature and seemingly unaware that inside the vessel are more than a dozen smallish human beings who would surely make for a delicious lunch. Crocodiles, despite being reptiles, are genetically close to birds and the extinct dinosaurs. They’re unabashed carnivores who eat birds, reptiles, crustaceans
and, of course, mammals (though homo sapien does not appear often on the croc dinner menu). The actual time spent spotting crocodiles on these cruise boats is around an hour, after which they bring you back to the starting point at Cortalim. Besides the crocodiles, the Cumbharjua canal is also a great place for watching a huge variety of wetland birds like Ibis bills, pied kingfishers, ospreys, plovers, sandpipers and others. The boats also usually take you up a small canal to a place where there’s a huge colony of ‘flying foxes’ or fulvous fruit bats. Hundreds of these flying foxes roost on huge trees during the day, hanging by their toes, upside down. For some, this is as satisfying a sight as a majestic croc. There are boat operators who disturb the foxes so that they start flying around in alarm, providing a photo opportunity to the tourists. When that happens, the entire area gets overcast with the dark shadow of hundreds of flying foxes blanketing the sky, much like it turns dark on rainy days. Yes, it is a sight to behold. But the price paid – disturbing the natural peace – is not worth it, and these operators, of course, should cease this practice immediately. Assuming you have gotten through the trip without becoming lunch yourself, there comes a time for you to have yours. Many of the crocodile Dundee trips have a lunch stop at a spice plantation in Marcaim where you can have some glorious Goan food, vegetarian or nonvegetarian, and watch the traditional way of roasting cashew nuts. The Annasaheb spice plantation also has a pet turkey and a small pond with a couple of crocodiles. Some of the crocodiles from the canals go astray when they are young and end up in the neighbouring fields, where they are then caught by villagers. Some keep them
as pets, although it is illegal to do so in Goa. (Note to these villagers: Get a poodle.) There are a number of age-old religious ceremonies performed by the villagers in the area, like one called “Mangge thapne’, mangge being crocodiles, in which they make clay sculptures of crocodiles and worship them with flowers and other offerings so that the real crocodiles don’t hamper their fishing and farming activities. It’s a form of sympathetic magic based on imitation, not unlike voodoo dolls. One legend has it that the crocodiles were introduced from Africa by the Portuguese in the Cumbharjua canal, which is near Old Goa, to protect the old Portuguese capital from Maratha invaders. Of course this isn’t true, since the crocodiles are an indigenous species. Be warned : a trip into the Cumbharjua canal to spot the crocodiles can be an unforgettable experience.
It’s fun, but it costs an arm and a leg. Sketch by Melba Steffi Pereira
Thursday, February 28, 2013
28 Hot Streets
I like to whip my hubbie! Dear Acaricia May, I am a quiet 38-year-old house wife who’s been happily married for 14 years. My husband and I have three children and we don’t really have much to complain about. He has a good job and we have a good family life. I have a secret that I’ve never told anyone about other than my husband, who I’ll call Savio (not his real name). When we make love, my favourite position has always been for me to be on top. It gives me more control and I like that I can adjust myself to get
maximum pleasure. About five years ago Savio came home from a business trip to London with some “toys” and accessories he picked up at an adult store. These included garter stockings, a corset, thigh-high boots with stiletto heels, a suspender belt, ‘fluffy’ handcuffs and a leather riding crop. Savio said he bought this stuff as a kind of joke, but one night when the kids were asleep he asked me if I’d like to put on my new outfit and use the handcuff and whip on him. Like I said, I’m a pretty quiet person but I
think Savio, who’s always gotten kind of a kick out of the fact that I like to be on top, thought he’d take it to the next level. At first the whole thing seemed really strange and I didn’t get too much into it. But by the third time we tried it, I started really to like it. Funnily enough, I think I like it more than he does. For him it’s pretty much remained a joke, and I think he does it because he knows it turns me on. We now do this every few weeks. Unfortunately, the last time we did it – about a week ago – our eight-year-old son woke up, got out of bed and found a way to open the door (I thought I had locked it) while I was standing over Savio, calling him a dog and a slave, and whipping him with my leather whip. Thank heavens we were both more or less dressed. “Mommy, what are you doing to Daddy?” said our little guy. We smoothed it over as best we could by saying we’re playing a game. But having him come in like that started to make me self-conscious about this little hobby of mine. And sometimes I think this makes me a very strange person. Do you think there’s anything wrong with me? And do you think we might have done anything that could hurt our son? Linda (not my real name)
Dear Linda, I do not think there’s anything wrong with you! You have a fetish. You like playing the role of a dominatrix, or mistress. Lots of women around the world do this professionally, often charging for it, usually to satisfy a male fantasy of being dominated by a strong and sexy woman. Some women, like yourself, play the role in their private lives as a form of recreation. Sadomasochism is a common sexual fantasy for both sexes. Sometimes quiet people are especially attracted to it, because it gives them the opportunity and the thrill of being able to act out a more aggressive persona. If you like it and Savio comes along as an enthusiastic participant (sounds like you got yourself a great guy, by the way!), then by all means keep it up and enjoy. As for the little guy, I think you did the right thing. Don’t make a big deal. Call it a game. Move on. You’ll be OK, and so will he. Love, Acaricia May Send all your questions about sex, relationships, love and romance to Acaricia May at acariciamay@ goastreets.com.
29
USEFUL STUFF www.goastreets.com
Thursday, February 28, 2013 Police 100 Ambulance 108 Coast Guard 1718 Women Helpline 1091 Goa State Aids Control Society 1097 Child Helpline 1098
Airline Offices Air Arabia Airlines 9225906416/15 Indian Airlines 18001801407 Air India 2431100/04 Jet Airways 1800225822 Spice Jet 18001803333 Kingfisher Airlines 18002093030 GoAir 1800222111 Singapore Airlines 2438813 Qatar Airlines 7930616000
Ambulance Services Goa Medical College 2458725 Apollo Ambulance (Margao) 2728888 Indian Red Cross Society (Panjim) 2224601 Panjim City Round Table (Panjim) 2227997 Vintage Ambulance 9823059948 Ambulance Trust (Margao) 2731759/2714464 Apollo NUSI Hospital on wheels (Margao) 2862953 Mapusa Ambulance Service (Mapusa) 2262372 Sanjeevini Hospital (Vasco) 2510024 Care Foundation (Miramar) 9822127272 Helpline (Dona Paula) 2453303
Super markets
Magsons Super Market Miramar, St Inez, Caculo Mall, Caranzalem, Vasco, Verna and Varca 2463700/2463701/2463702 Orchard Stores Anjuna. 2273231 Ajay Supermarket Mapusa. 6520196 Gulf Supermarket Panjim. 6647401/5615813 Luma Supermarket Calangute. 2279213/2275278 Oscar’s Junction Majorda. 2790673 Nik’s Supermarket Porvorim. 2417570 Oxford Arcade Anjuna. 2273436 Newton’s Arcade Candolim. 2489056 Delfinos Super Stores, Candolim, 2356895 / 5235685 Maple Leaf Supermarket Porvorim, 6454099 Tito’s Supermarket Baga, 9822765002
Bus Services Kadamba Road Transport Corporation 133 Kadamba Transport Corporation 2438034/2438036 Manish Volvo 2444056 Paulo Travels 2438531 Neeta Volvo 2438088 Maharashtra State Road Transport 2438253 Karnataka State Road Transport 2438256
Consular offices Chancellery of the Consulate General of Portugal 2421525 Thai Consulate 6512055 Italian Vice-Consulate 2441441 Austrian Consulate 2513811/2513816 United Kingdom Consular Office of British Deputy High Commission 2438734/2438897 Federal Republic of Germany 2420628/2235526 Foreigners Registration Office 2426545
Medical and Hospitals Dial-A-Doctor (Toll Free) 1911 Blood Bank 2458724 Vrundavan Hospital, Mapusa +918322250022/+918326713535 Vision Multi Speciality Clinic At Duler Mapusa +918322266788/+918322266188 Fonseca’s Pathology Lab Panjim. 2427735 Shri Sai Central Blood Bank & Lab, Porvorim. 2412083 GMC Hospital Blood Bank Bambolim. NUSI Hospital Cuncolim. 6684444 Apollo Hospital Margao. 2728888/ 6728888 Manipal Hospital Panjim. 3048800 Hospicio Margao. 2705664 Vintage Hospital Panjim. 2426650 Remanso Hospital Mapusa. 2262466 Mapusa Clinic Mapusa. 2263343 JMJ Hospital Porvorim. 2412130 Mandovi Clinic Porvorim. 2415808 Royal Hospital, Power House Road Aquem, Margao, 2737722
Yashodhan Hospital City Harmony Building Power House Aquem. 2724552
Vasco Harbour 2512234 Verna 2782325 Canacona 2633357
Pharmacies
Post Offices
Jeevan Rekha Medical Store Panjim. 2435946 Holy Spirit Medical Services Margao. 2737433 Bardez Bazaar Mapusa. 2256620/2250618 Walson & Walson Calangute. 2276366 Gapl Medi Centre Bambolim. 2458590 Apollo Pharmacy Margao. 2458599 Vithu Chemists Mapusa. 2262131 Urmila Medical Store Mardol. 2343775 St Britto’s Medical Stores Mapusa. 2251440 Ramchandra Pharmacy Assonora. 2215231 Anup Medical Stores Panjim. 2220392 Damodar Medical Stores Tonca. 2462757 Marvel Medical Stores Panjim. 2465536 Pharmax Medical Stores Panjim. 2436555 Saiesh Chemist & Druggist Panjim. 2420598 Nayana Medical Stores Porvorim. 2417818 Nilesh Medical Stores Porvorim. 2473052 Perpetual Chemists & Druggists Porvorim. 2412795 Akbar Medical Stores Candolim. 6647432 Ramakant Medicos Vasco. 2512750 Sanjeevani Medical Stores Cortalim. 25509092264837 Vaz Medical Stores Vasco. 2513762 Ajit Pharmacy Quepem. 2662223 Neha Chemists & Druggists Panjim. 2421313 Devki Krishna Medical Stores Mapusa. 2421313 Drogaria Popular Mapusa. 2256620
Police stations Margao 2705095 Mapusa 2262231 Pernem 2201233 Anjuna 2273233 Calangute 2278284 Porvorim 2417704 Old Goa 2285301 Ponda 2313101 Colva 2788396
Panjim GPO 2223706 Airport terminal 2540723 Margao 2715791 Mapusa 2262235 Calangute 2276030 Anjuna 2274728 Colva 2788505 Arambol 2242965
Department of Tourism
2438750/2438755 Goa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd 2226515/2226728 Govt. of India Tourism 2223412/2420529 Panjim Information Counter 2438520 Margao Information Counter 2715204
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30 Give Back
The priest and his crop Milking Plants for Diesel! By Ashley do Rosario
F
ather Inacio Almeida is a Catholic priest. He’s also a fuel guru – a man whose passion is finding ways to obtain and use fuel without destroying the earth. Many Goans know him as the man who proposed the Jatropha plant as an alternative fuel. Now Fr Inacio, SFX, has moved beyond Jatropha and has a new-found love― A plant from whose fruit you can extract oil that is 40 percent more efficient than the Jatropha bio-fuel. ‘Laxmi Taru’ also has medicinal properties and Fr Inacio, who for decades has overseen several successful endeavours at the farms run by his Society of Pilar at Colem and Pilar, is now promoting the plant across Goa and the Western region. He currently toils in the Society’s farm at Valpoi and has won several awards for his exploits as an agriculturist, including three from the State Government. Fr Inacio hit on Laxmi Taru after years of toil on Jatropha as a source for bio-fuel
as an alternative to diesel yielded him mediocre results.He learnt of the plant through an article in one of the national newspapers. Jatropha, according to Fr Inacio, is not suited for conditions in peninsular India although it thrives in North India. “‘Laxmi Taru’ is more economical. It grows well and has a higher yield,” he says. Laxmi Taru (Simarouba glauca), is a medium-sized tree species that grows in Central and South American forests. The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources introduced it in India in the 1960s. The University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore conducted research and development activities on the plant’s potential for commercial exploitation in the 1990s and what caught Fr Inacio’s eye was not its usefulness in producing bio-diesel or its medicinal value but its potential to transform lives of farmers in Goa. “Laxmi Taru can grow in hostile conditions, erratic rainfall and still offer returns,” says Fr Inacio.
A research book based on a study by scientists originally published by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore but now printed by the Pilar Fathers says that a farmer can get returns in just five years for any of Laxmi Taru’s myriad uses - up to Rs 65,000 per hectare per year. After the 10th year, an additional Rs 26,000 per hectare per year, regardless of rainfall pattern is assured, the book adds. Fr Inacio, who has been managing the Pilar Society’s farm at Bhirondemin Valpoi for several years now, has used barren patches of land at the farm’s 55acre spread to cultivate Laxmi Taru. He has taken care not to disturb other crops like papaya,cashew and pineapple there. All parts of the plant―the seed, shell, fruit pulp, leaf, leaf litter, stem, bark and root generate products useful in the production of food, fuel, manure, timber, medicine and other products. But its oil producing capacity is indeed most lucrative, says Fr Almeida. The seeds have 60-75% oil which can
be refined bleached, fractionated and deodorised and used for both edible as well as non-edible purposes. The oil can be used to manufacture bio-diesel, a 100% substitute for diesel. Additionally the oil cakes, unwanted wood and leaf litter can go into biogas manufacturing. The plant also has medicinal value and is useful in treating several tropical diseases, including malaria. “Besides being much cheaper than conventional fuels, it’s also environmentfriendly. There’s no carbon-monoxide emission,” says Fr Inacio, who is now considered an authority on Laxmi Taru in this region. _____ Father Inacio Almeida can be contacted on +919420820726 Zagoti Farm, Society of Pilar Bhironda, Sattari
Panoramic Goa Photographs by José Lourenço
Church of St Francis of Assisi and Se Cathedral at Old Goa
Ferry crossing at Old Goa, connecting to Divar Island.
Safa Shahouri Masjid at Ponda, built in 1560.
Parasailing at Colva beach
Margao Municipal Building, built in 1905