Goa Streets - Issue 10

Thursday, January 10, 2013 | Vol. No. I | Issue 10 | Price Rs. 10 | Pages 32 | www.goastreets.com

Foreign Victims of Unsolved Crimes • pg 14

Goan Soldiers?

No thank you • pg 22

Man vs. Snake: Guess who’s winning? • pg 29

a o G

Last king of Goa For the first time, a reluctant royal speaks out Sex column 28 • Beach Shacks and the Blues 3 • Poor man’s casinos 24

Jan 12

Saturday Showtime At Cafe Mambo, Baga 9 pm onwards

Jan 12

Jan 10

Thursday Night Jazz At Sol Villa, Nerul 8 pm onwards

Jan 13

Jan 11

Friday Nite Art Bazar At Art Chamber, Calangute @ 4 pm to 11 pm

Goa Contact Festival 2013 Dance, live music, yoga, mantra-singing and delicious food.

At Arambol beach 4 pm onwards

Jan 13

Jan 13 Jan 12-13

Bikini Brunch At the Park, Calangute @ 12.30pm to 4.30 pm

18th Goa Yuva Mahotsav One of Goa’s biggest intercollegiate youth festival.

At St. Joseph High School Ground, Pernem @ 9 am

Saturday Night Market At Arpora @ 6 pm

Dance programme Lively tribal dances from Bihar At Kala Academy, Panjim 6.30 pm onwards +918322420453

Up to Jan 16

Jan 15 and 17 Jan 12

Book Reading workshop for children by Jugneeta Sudan At Carpe Diem Art and Learning Centre, Majorda @ 4 pm to 7 pm +918888862462

Wine Tasting

By Agathe Testut Catinat Fees: Rs. 1,500/At Alliance Francaise, Panjim From 8 pm to 9.30 pm +918322420049

Jumbo Circus A leading Indian circus in Mapusa Ticket: 250/-, 150/-, 100/-, 50/Near Gandhi Chowk, Mapusa @ 1 pm, 4pm, 7pm +919028119895

satire | 26

movies | 27

hot streets | 28

Goa’s aliens

Table no. 21

Acaricia May: Sex advice

Thursday, January 10, 2013

8 News Wrap Jaundice scare in Panjim’s Latin quarter

The Lowdown Who knew that Goa had a king? Or that he drives a Hyundai, runs a clothing factory in Belgaum or doesn’t like hanging out in his palace because of the vegetarian food? Or that his grandfather was killed by his own brother?

O

ver 1,000 families residing in the capital’s Latin Quarter, MalaFontainhas, and the neighbouring Corte de Oitero area spent the festive season in fear of a possible jaundice (hepatitis) outbreak.

Water supply officials were on high alert since the Christmas-New Year week, struggling to plug seepage of sewage and de-contaminate water in pipelines supplying portable water to the Latin quarter.

Nearly half a dozen residents have already complained of vomiting, bringing back decadeold memories when similar sewage seepage resulted in a major jaundice outbreak claiming six lives.

Although Public Works Department officials earlier this week claimed that “there is no more contamination,” there was no clarity on whether the root cause of the contamination had been identified and corrected.

The department’s executive engineer, Dilip Dhavalikar, who oversees all public works in the capital, said that water connections to six homes in the affected areas had been disconnected.

He also said that spot testing of water in several areas had confirmed there was no contamination.

Dhavalikar, incidentally the younger brother of Public Works Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar, identified an ageing water supply pipeline as the cause for the contamination, but did not say at which exact point the sewage seeped into it.

If nothing else, the incident serves as a troubling reminder of the dangers of neglecting the state’s infrastructure – the root of many ills.

“White Skinned” tourist arrivals have dropped: Goa tourism minister

F

oreign tourist arrivals in Goa have dropped this season, according to the state tourism minister, Dilip Parulekar, much to the shock of his ministry.

Parulekar, who at the start of the season seemed gung-ho over the prospect of attracting record arrivals this season, acknowledged that the state has lost out to other competing Indian tourism destinations like Kerala and Gujarat.

“Foreign tourists, white skinned tourists… who we call foreigners, have come, but less. Even the Russians are less,” Parulekar said. He was, however, unable to quantify the shortfall because his ministry was still in the process of collating statistics.

At the start of the 2012-13 season in October, an optimistic Parulekar had predicted that Goa’s tourist arrivals, normally in the 2.5 million range, would this time top 3.5 million

by March 2013, when the season ends.

Goa did have a whopping 8 lakh odd tourists visiting in peak December season. But Parulekar says they were mostly from the neighbouring states of Maharashtra or Karnataka. He said Gujarat and Kerala for taking away foreign tourists from Goa. Nearly half a million foreign tourists visit Goa annually and nearly one-fifth of these are Russians.

Tourists from UK rank second on the list of arrivals flocking the state’s warm beaches.

That Goa Streets obtained the first-ever interview with the last king of Goa is not so much a testament to any great or noble feat as good old-fashioned journalistic doggedness. Week after week, reporter Anzil Fernandes simply showed up at the Shivtirth Palace in Ponda – where the royal family has lived since 1763 – and refused to take no for an answer. Anzil’s willingness to become a pain in the royal behind finally bore fruit when 35-year-old Madhulingnagesh Rajendra Wodeyar – the last in the line of the Soundekar dynasty which ruled parts of south and central Goa for four centuries – finally gave in, but only after his mother told him to. We may never know if Queen Umadevi Rajendra Wodeyar relented because she instinctively understood that Streets’ coverage would boost the cause of documenting Goa’s underreported royal heritage, or because she wanted Anzil to stop pestering! Either way, dear reader, in this issue we bring you fascinating coverage of Madhulingnagesh and his royal clan – something that’s never been done before.

Of course, we give you many other offerings as well. From our story on unsolved crimes against foreigners to the piece on multi-crore illegal street gambling to our article on the men and women who rescue venomous snakes, we aim to deliver out-of-the-box coverage that is always fun to read.

Amidst all the articles, don’t forget to check out our comprehensive events/ party/food/nightlife listings. Or shall we say, amid the listings don’t forget the articles!

Rock on, Goa!

Scarlett’s case made headlines when her tearful mother declared in court that the home minister at the time and his son were involved in the drug mafia that raped and murdered her daughter.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Madhulingnagesh’s father welcoming a Portuguese dignitary.

WOODLAND

CONVERSE ALL STAR

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Tank opposite Nagueshi temple which skirts the King’s property.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Artist Aadhi Vishal and his work.

2 Signals Training Corps Headquarters in Panjim.

The basic plot of his last major film ‘Avataar,’ a runaway hit, was inspired by the indiscriminate and rapacious mining industry in Goa. -James Cameron

You are hereby charged with having both Indian and Portuguese passports.

OK, I‛ll give up my Indian one.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Dear Acaricia May, I’m a 35-year-old woman who’s been married for eight years. We have a pretty good sex life. The problem is my husband has started asking me to watch sex movies with him before making love. I agreed to do it twice, and it was pretty nice. The stuff we did after the movie was a lot more adventurous than our regular routine. The problem is I felt bad about it afterwards. Should he really need a movie to get turned on? Aren’t I good enough? Is he thinking about all those other women while we’re doing it instead of me? I told him I don’t think we should do that anymore because it makes me mad but he says he likes it and wants to keep doing it. What do you think I should do?

Signed, Confused in Delhi

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Shots from Arpora’s colourful Saturday Night Markets

Visitors jostle for space in the alleys of the Mackies Saturday Night Market.

Visitors to the Saturday Night Market in Arpora try out feather head gear.

Young shoppers animatedly select trinkets.

An man with a beret sits amidst paintings.

A foreign tourist tries his hand at playing the Didgeridoo, an Australian aborigines’ musical instrument.

There so much to do at Arambol beach. Right from the sea, to a sweet water lake, to adventure sports, great food spreads and what not. The drive there, about an hour and half from Panjim, is worth the effort.

Wanna celebrate New Year again?

Now try it the Russian way. Silver Sand beach resort is hosting a Russian Old New year party at Morjim beach.

(Jan 14)

New year fun trail Trek up the evergreen Wagheri hills in Sattari, in the upper reaches of the Sahyadri mountains. Might take a whole day, but WHAT A DAY the exciting trek promises.

The only circus which has pitched tent in Goa in recent times.

Duck in through the flaps to watch elephants dance and trapezes swing.

Up to Jan 16. Near Gandhi Chowk, Mapusa. Call +919028119895 Love bowling? Try out Goa’s newest and only bowling alley at the Caculo mall.

Tempting seafood, glittering trinkets, funky clothes, pottery and lots more at the Seafood Night Market at the Grand Hyatt market, Bambolim. Call +918323011658/ +917709004914 Every Thursday.

Catch the haunting melodies of baul music, folk music from rural Bengal at the Art Escape, a retreat for good food and fine arts at Vaddi beach Benaulim. A fortyfive minute drive from Panjim. (Jan 10) +919881568756

Quit your car.

Grab a motorcycle and sign up for organised bike tours across Goa’s most scenic routes. The Vista adventures motorcycle tours are open from Jan 12 to Mar 2. Call +919833306770/ +919970801498 for more details.

Tease and get teased by butterflies at a conservatory dedicated to the nimble and beautiful wing flappers. Its 35 kms from Panjim and all it takes is a call (+919822895474) to book your tour at the butterfly conservatory in Ponda.