Goa Streets - Issue 24

Thursday, April 18, 2013 | Vol. No. I | Issue 24 | Price Rs. 10 | Pages 28 | www.goastreets.com

Party on the Waterfront • pg 3

The business of begging • pg 7

Spice up your Phone The World’s Snazziest Apps

Vijai Sardessai speaks • pg 8

s Plu ete pl nt/ m o c eve e / d foo ghtlif ni ide gu

Retro photos 10 • Sex, Goa and Playboy 17 • Tattoos & snakes 26

2 Club IANOS

Club & Global Cuisine Calangute, Baga Road 0832 6528283

what’s hot this

week

LPK Waterfront

India’s first Super Night Club Nerul, Candolim River, Bardez-Goa +919822193410

Every Wednesday Midweek Magic

April 6 to April 19

With Smoking Chutney At Mekong Lounge, Miramar, Panjim @ 9 pm +918326455547

Food Festival

Flavors of the Orient With mouth watering lip smacking cuisine At The Pan Asian Bowl, Panjim +918326455547

Every Sunday April 19 Frisky Fridays

With DJ Rinton At SinQ beach club, Candolim @ 8 pm +919552100700

Sunday Family Brunches Get in Rhythm with Ashley Live At Latitude, Vivanta by Taj, Panaji @ 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm +918326633636

Fidalgo Hotel Park Hyatt Goa resort and spa At Arossim Beach, Cansaulim +918322721234

Fidalgo is conveniently located in the heart Of Panjim. Aunty MariaCoffee & Bites, O Goa-Truly Goan Cuisine, Mirch Masala- Indian Cuisine, Legacy of Bombay-Veg Cuisine Chilli n Spice-Carnival of Cuisine, BhojanTaste of Gujarat At 18th June Rd, Altinho, Panjim +918322226291

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Clubs/Bars/Lounges/ Live Music

Photographs by Arun Pavaratty

Revellers groove at the surreal LPK Waterfront

Marbela Beach

Luxury tents, Restaurent, Lounge, Spa specialising in Italian, Seafood, its a place for food, fun and fantacy At Gawdewada, Morjim-Aswvem Rd @ 7 am to Midniht +918326450599/+919158881185

Crystal Farrel

Butter Lounge

Indulge yourself &soothen your sences At Patto, Panjim +919822126262

Raissa’s Sheesh Mahal Lounge Delicious food and lovly music At Margao @ 10 am to 11.45 pm +918322712899

April 18

Tranquil Thursdays

With Subhan Shah At Casino Carnival, Holiday inn Resort, Cavelossim @ 7 pm +918322871303

Bollywood Madness

With DJ Aggie At The Radisson Blu, Cavelossim @ 9 pm +918326726666

Silent Disco

With DJs Mr.E & Flakey At Alpha Bar, Canacona @ 8 pm +919823593484

Thursday EDM Night

With DJ Lasker At Cape Town Cafe, Calangute @ 9 pm +919923325638

Thursday Retro Nights With Henry At Cafe Mojo Pub & Bistro @ 8 pm +918322426666

LPK Waterfront

A Party in Wonderland

By Goa Streets

T

o experience true madness on a Herculean scale, you’ve got to visit LPK Waterfront, down by the riverside in Nerul. Made entirely of mud and stone, the place is somebody’s

psychedelic dream come true – or gone riot, depending on how you look at it.

This is a party spot that seems to have literally come up from the salt pans, fish ponds and swamps of Nerul. Once you enter the gates of LPK after the Sofala and its Thursday Night Jazz, it’s a longish but highly eventful walk to the nightclub located at the far end of the sprawling

property. It’s like walking through some wonderland with various clay-moulded sculptures of damsels, cherubs, jolly demons and other surreal creatures looking down on you with benign, spaced out eyes. The entire 200-metre long pathway is lined with frangipanis, bougainvilleas and other flowering trees

turn to page 6

music & nightlife | 03 LPK Waterfront grooving

April 19

Country Rock Night

With DJ Spike At White House Restaurant & Bar, Dona Paula @ 8 pm +918322453839

Tuesday Night

Fabulous Friday

Ladies Night

With DJ Kiran At Club Margarita, Colva @ 8 pm +919823259008

news feature | 07

Ladies Night

Beggars in Goa

interview | 08 Vijai Sardessai on Parrikar, Mopa and more

Ladies Night

April 20

Wednesday Blast

With DJ Lasker At Cape town Cafe, Calangute @ 8 pm +919923325638

Silent Noise

Sexy Saturday

7 strange structures in Goa

cover story | 14

With The Versatile At banana republic, Calangute @ 8 pm +918322276090

Saturday Night

With DJs Ashton, Anish & Pawan At Cafe la Music, Baga @ 8 pm +919923447137

April 21

Dip n Dance pool Party

Best apps in the world

feature | 17 Playboy ruffles Goa

FEATURING DJs Clement D’souza, Navin, Jay, Ryan Nogar, Akshit S, 91 Degrees, Alli Marc, Deep.

At Villa Sol, Dona Paula @ 12 pm +917875888868/+918411983559

Retro Night

With DJ Mauris At Cape Town Cafe, Calangute @ 9 pm +919923325638

Sunday Night

With DJ Kiran At Club Margarita, Colva @ 9 pm +919823259008/+918322789728

feature | 18 Nightmare for students

Bollywood Night

With DJ Spike At White House Restaurant & Bar, Dona Paula @ 8 pm +918322453839

food | 19 Coros: Great range of choice

April 22

Not so Moody

Monday with Kutumb At Casino Carnival @ 7 pm +918322463333

Corporate & Cocktail

movies | 22

hot streets | 24

Oblivion: Redemption of mankind

Brainy girls turn me off

With Henry At Cafe Mojo Pub & Bistro @ 8 pm +918322426666

April 23

Karaoke Night

give back | 26 Tattoo man rescues snakes

Band Night

Friday Funk

With DJ Kiran At Club Margarita, Colva @ 8 pm +919823259008, +918322789728

explore | 12

April 24

With 4 A More At banana republic, Calangute @ 8 pm +918322276090

Saturday Night

Pictures with ancient tech

With DJ Kiran At Club Margarita @ 8 pm +919823259008

With DJ Ryan Nogar At Tease Bar & Pub, Vivanta by Taj, Panjim @ 8 pm +918326633636

With Ozgur Kurt, Barney Trouble and other artists At Neptune’s Point, Palolem @ 9 pm +919822584968

arts & entertainment | 10

With Henry At Cafe Mojo pub & Bistro @ 8 pm +918322426666

With Emmanuel At The Park on Holiday beach, Calangute @ 8 pm +919823827828

Smashing Tuesday

With Lehrein Live At Casino Carnival, Cavelossim @ 8 pm +918322871303

With DJ Joel At Cafe Mojo pub & Bistro @ 8 pm +918322426666 With DJ Kiran At Club Margarita, Colva @ 8 pm +919823259008

Wednesday Night With DJ Ashton At Branco’s, Taleigao @ 8 pm +918322423931

Until April 30 On Monday

Tamarin Restaurant

Rodden & Anselm play acoustic guitar and flute with a popular play list At Tamarin Restaurant, Calangute @ 7.30 pm

On Wednesday

Midweek Magic

With smoking chutney At Mekong Lounge, Miramar, Panjim @ 9 pm +918326455547

On Thursday

Tamarin Restaurant

Maxie - Bosa Nova and Latin sounds With guitar At Tamarin Restaurant, Calangute @ 7.30 pm

On Friday

Liquid Friday’ night

With DJ Usman at Mekong Lounge, Panjim +91832 6455547 / 8888662233

Until May 25

Saturday Sundown

At Martin’s Corner, Betalbatim @ 8 pm to 11.30 pm +918322880061/ +918322880413

Karaoke Night

Hosted by KDJ Pierre At Sweet Chilli, Sinquerim From 8 pm to 12 am +918322479446/ +918325625693

Until May 28

Retro and All Time Hits

With DJ Aggie At Radisson Blu Resort, Cavelossim @ 9 pm +918326726666/ +918326726677

Until 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

Music & Nightlife 5

Thursday, April 18, 2013

On-going

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

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

Fort Aguada Beach Resort At Sinquerim, Candolim @ 7.30 pm +918326645858 Mon: Haydn & Natasha Tue: Mac Dorado Wed: Haydn & Natasha Thur: Flying Colours Fri: Shine on Duo Band Sat: Anslem

Pickled Mango

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

Night By Night Every Monday Karaoke Night

Live Filipino Band performance At O’ Goa, Hotel Fidalgo, Panjim @ 7.30 pm. 2226291

Every Tuesday

Retro & all Time Hits

Retro hits played by DJ Aggie At Radisson Blu Resort, Cavelossim @ 9 pm onwards +918326726677 / +91 8888061199

Every Wednesday

Tuesday – Country Rock

At Café Mojo @ 10 am to 11.30 pm +91 9850980091/ +91 9860010061

Cosmopolitan Ladies Nite

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

At Butter, Panjim @ 8 pm +918308838888

Martin’s Corner

A musical adventure with Goa’s one & Only Zezhinio At Sweet Chilli, Sinquerim @ 7.30 pm +91 9820820254

Authentic seafood and Goan cuisine Along with entertainment with Live music every week.

At Betalbatim @ 8 pm. +918322880061 Mon: Savio Tue: Bryan Ivor-one man band Wed: Francis Paul Thur: Duo by Savio & In front Fri: Karaoke by Johnny Sat: Shane. Sun: Kenny

Shivers Garden

Restaurant & Sports Bar At Candolim @ 7.30 pm Wed: Bingo Nite Sat: Dance Nite & Live football broadcast Sun: Sunday Roast (2 pm)

Ladies Night

At Soul Souffle, Uddear, Verna @ 8 pm +918322782100/ +919404312100

Russian Ecstasy Nights

At Radisson blu resort, Cavelossim beach @ 9 pm +918326726666/+918888061199

Jam Session

Retro, Rock n Roll & Old School

With DJ Saby Fernandes spinning Retro, Rock n Roll At Resort Rio, Tambudki, Arpora From 8 pm to 10.30 pm +919552538203/ +919011015959

Wednesday Nights

Featuring DJs David and Ashley At Kamaki, Baga @ 7.30 pm +91 9923093408/ +918322276520

Retro, Rock n Roll & Old School At Resort Rio, Arpora @ 8 pm to 10.30 pm +918322267300/ +919552538203

DJ Roy Yod Live At Saturdays, Varca @ 9.30 pm to 1 am +918326695066/ +918326695025

Every Thursday

Thumping Thursday’s

DJ Tushar (in-house DJ) will be playing At Mekong Lounge, Panjim +91832 6455547/8888662233

Salsa Night

At L’orange Marquis vaddo, Candolim @ 8 pm to 11 pm +919970173606/+919823291413

Rock n Roll

Relive some of the best moments of Rock n Roll At Sweet Chilli, Sinquerim @ 7.30 pm +91 9820820254

Thursday Grill and Games Music, games & barbeque At Soul Souffle, Verna @ 7 pm to 10 pm 2782100, +91 9764694321

Every Friday Retro Party

At ‘Rewind’ Arpora, near Go-kart, @8 pm onwards. Great 70’s ambience, home styled food, live retro music Featuring, ‘The Music Company.’ +91 8007112200.

Every Saturday Silent Noise

With Barney Trouble and others At Neptune’s Point Colomb, Palolem beach @ 9 pm to to 4 am. +919822584968

Retro Party

At ‘Rewind’ Arpora, near Go-kart @ 8 pm onwards. Great 70’s ambience, home styled food, live retro music Featuring, Live Retro Band. +91 8007112200.

Sensational Saturday

DJ Tushar (in-house DJ) will be playing for the ladies with DJ Tushar at Mekong Lounge, Panjim. +91832 6455547 / 8888662233

Funky Saturday are Back At Butter, Panjim @ 8 pm onwards

6 The Lowdown The Lowdown

from page 3 and steps at various points leading down to the old fish ponds. And just before the main nightclub there’s a 50-feet long reclining figure of a damsel made out of clay with grass grown in place of a two-piece bikini.

Whoa, and you’re still to enter the nightclub itself. Before that you’d better know what LPK stands for: Love, Passion, Karma. LPK started off with a bang, hosting the after-parties of the India Resort Fashion Week in November. Then came the Sunburn after-parties in late December. It gets a decent crowd most days and is open 365 days of the year. Long before the recent arrival of the actual nightflub, the grounds were used as a fabulous event space, which took years to complete, with international clay artistes working alongside local ones.

LPK may be made of mud, but the dance floor inside is as swish as it gets and the crowd is modern and international.

Being located close to the tourist hub of CandolimCalangute, the majority of the crowd is foreign and domestic tourists who bring in their party demons and attitudes to match the huge ghostly figures which loom all over you as you party the night away.

LPK has taken a conscious decision to stay away from the trance and club music which is played at many other party spots. The emphasis here is on international chart-busters from all over the globe. While the European tourists often request Euro hits, the desi domestic crowd clamours for Bollywood hits and the DJs throw in hip-hop chart busters for extra measure. Our Goan crowd troops in to add to the mix on weekends. “Most clubs play club music, but the people who come here come from abroad and they want to listen to more funky music and the new hits,” say one DJ, pointing to the crowd. “Nobody leaves the floor.”

The DJs cabin resembles Alladin’s magic cave and you may be forgiven for thinking you’re in some magical fairyland. The music sounds better

than it does at other nightclubs not because you’ve been stoned by the décor, but because of the acoustics. Yes, because it’s all mud, the sound is better absorbed and does not bounce back as it does with concrete.

Entry is Rs 1,000 for couples with unlimited drinks of house brands. The whisky house brand is Vat 69. Single ladies get free entry and unlimited free drinks. There’s no stag entry, but you know how it is (like any club, where there’s a will and a wallet, there’s usually a way). The place opens up at around 9.30 pm and rocks till 4 am, enough time to satisfy most party animals.

Besides the drinks, there’s a snacks menu of things like tikkas, Goan chicken cafreal and choris pao, etc. Quite soon, we are told, there will also be a proper restaurant serving authentic Goan food.

As much as anything, LPK is about the space. Before the main nightclub, there’s a lounging area with what looks like a Byzantine canopy of mud sculptures with all sorts of nooks and crannies, perfect for some romantic bliss. You can also sit by the water. On one side of the nightclub, there’s a special celebrity lounge where you can ‘buy’ a table (price on request!) and hide away from the paparazzi. Celebrities who have been spotted here include Karisma, Kareena Kapoor, Shahid Kapur, Malaika Arora Khan and dozens of others.

LPK and its sprawling grounds are also a hot wedding venue and can host parties for up to 5,000 people at a time. They even have a carved-sculpted corner for the wedding dais.

At any given time, people can be seen posing for pictures all long the walkway leading to the club, using the various clay figures as backdrops or posing alongside the old fish ponds. The whole place looks like it is in some remote forest on moon-lit nights when the natural surroundings of LPK come alive. People who have been to the owner’s now-defunct Paradiso nightclub – once one of the most happening party spots in Goa on the Anjuna cliff-side - will know what to expect at LPK. 

What is a smart phone with apps?

The answer is not much. When it comes to the world of mobile devices, apps are everything. If you’re new to them – or even if you’ve been using them for years – we hope you will benefit from our recommendations on the best and most fun apps around, written by Anuj Khurana, an Internet guru who, by the way, is working to give the Goa Streets website (www. goastreets.com) an exciting new look (we asked him to take some time off from that effort to write our cover story, and he graciously agreed!).

When you’re not reading about Snapchat or Avocado or Feel Me, please do take a look at some of the other in depth stories and analyses that grace these pages. Read Ashley do Rosario’s thoughtful take on what the Playboy controversy means for Goa, or his piece giving you the inside story behind the beggars on Goan streets. In this issue, we explore the issue of sexual assault on campuses, we interview the legislator who’s fast emerging as the most vocal opposition to both of Goa’s major political parties and we take you inside the world of a tattoo artist and body painter who spends his free time rescuing snakes.

Don’t miss our fun-to-read articles on music and nightlife and food, in addition to Acaricia May’s column on relationships, Jose Lourenco’s sassy movie review, our quirky cartoons, and all our listings on everything you need to know to have a wonderful time in Goa. Happy summer Goa Streets readers!

The Goa Streets Team

News Feature 7

Thursday, April 18, 2013 Photographs by Arun Pavaratty

Goa and its beggars Are they all in syndicates?

Anecdotal evidence indicates beggar syndicates do in fact operate in Goa. On the other hand, spend a little time investigating the phenomenon and you will learn that begging in Goa runs the entire gamut – from the organized syndicate to the solo operator to the truly humble individual in need of help.

By Ashley Do Rosario

A

limbless girl sits propped up against a pillar near a shop in Margao. She appears there in the morning, is seen begging through the day, and is gone by dusk. An amputee with festering sores lies by the pavement, prominently displaying his stump for the attention of passersby.

A wretched looking woman sits by the lane of shoe shops, collecting coins from pedestrians and periodically dropping them into a bag by her side, presenting an empty plate for alms every fifteen minutes or so.

Adolf Fernandes, a resident of Panjim, describes a recent scene at the Three Kings feast (a Catholic religious feast celebrated across Goa) at the Reis Magos church along the Mandovi river.

“There were so many beggars there, and they were dropped at the venue by a vehicle,” Adolf tells me, hinting at a possible beggars’ syndicate at work.

Despite a number of stories of the kind narrated by Adolf and other scenes of women carrying infants to beg or young kids begging in packs, top police officials revealed the force has not launched any specific investigation to unravel the story behind Goa’s growing beggar numbers.

Everybody knows the horror stories, where brutal syndicates even maim their employees to make them more pitiable – an Indian reality made famous

worldwide by scenes like the one in Slum Dog Millionaire of a child having his eyes burned out by acid.

There’s little evidence such brutality takes place in Goa, though it’s entirely possible that some of the disfigured individuals who make their way to Goa from outside could have been maimed by syndicates in their home states.

Anecdotal evidence indicates beggar syndicates do in fact operate in Goa. On the other hand, spend a little time investigating the phenomenon and you will learn that begging in Goa runs the entire gamut – from the organized syndicate to the solo operator to the truly humble individual in need of help.

On Panjim’s busy 18th June Road, it would be a rare exception if you aren’t approached for alms by shabbily dressed young women with an infant in their arms.

I engaged one such woman, who held a very thin, lethargic baby and was begging, in conversation.

She was 24 years old, she revealed to me, adding that her husband was an alcoholic and would not provide for her or their child, forcing her to beg.

Can’t you find work? Are you using the child to gain sympathy for begging?

Are you deliberately withholding food or drugging the baby so its plight can help you get better alms? Are you employed by someone to beg? I didn’t want to appear callous, but I also wanted to know.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that her answer to each of my questions was “no.” Was that because she isn’t working for a syndicate or because she didn’t want me to think she is? Whatever the truth, I decided to run to a nearby shop and buy a packet of Marie biscuits for the infant.

The scene is no different in a number of other Goan cities and towns. Beggars, young or old, men or women, are a turn to page 23

Your fate line tells me you won’t be getting any rupees from me today

8 Interview

Parrikar autocratic, suffers from U-turn syndrome: Vijai Sardessai

Photographs by Arun Pavaratty

V

ijay Sardessai, an independent legislator from Fatorda, has emerged the most vocal of those opposing the current BJP-led government in Goa. Essentially a Congress rebel, he recently floated an organisation called Goemkar, seen as an attempt to give voice to all those unhappy with both the BJP and Congress, the main opposition party. In a free-wheeling interview with Streets’ Ashley Do Rosario, he makes a strong case for a regional political force for Goa, calls Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s government autocratic and a oneman show, and delves into the ‘U-turns’ of the government. He also picks holes in the performance of Congress.

AR: It’s over a year now since Goans voted for a change in the elections 2012, rejecting the Congress and putting Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in power. How’s the going thus far?

VS: This government came to power riding on a huge anti-establishment wave. We called it the parivartan (change, in Hindi) and hoped the change was for the better. Now, we have reached a point where the government is plagued by the U-turn syndrome.The government seems to have not discriminated in its volte-faces against any of the sections – the environmentalists, the gram sabha activists, those who were demanding a say in formulation of the Regional Plan and even those who had picked up cudgels against the Casino operators. On all these contentious issues raised during the elections, the people’s expectations have been belied.

We have an autocratic government where the writ of only one individual (Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar) runs. The opposition is decimated partly on account of their past and for fear of vendetta politics. In such a scenario, I am

the odd man out perhaps because I am the only independent (from among five) who is not with the government, and can espouse the cause of the marginalised.

AR: In the situation where Goa’s polity, as you say, is compromised, where the government and the opposition are on the same page, what are the issues affecting the state but go without deliberations?

VS: First and foremost the Mopa airport issue. The government is hell bent on displacing the state’s economy which is based on coastal tourism, in the garb of promoting tourism in North Goa. The government is only playing second fiddle to the tourism lobby in Sindudhurg.

The CM has gone out of the way to justify Mopa in spite of academic and technical data available to the contrary. The International Civil Aviation (ICAO) report says it’s impossible to sustain two airports in Goa. There is academic research indicating that if Dabolim airport is upgraded, it can reach the status of Gatwick, which services traffic that’s 10 times that of Dabolim’s volume.

The law and order situation has touched rock bottom. Although desecration of places

Interview 9

Thursday, April 18, 2013

of worship has dropped, rapes and dacoities have increased and go undetected. The Vasco rape case exposes the clueless state of the police even three months after the incident. The failure of the powers that be to even call on the victim and her family is indicative of the government’s apathy towards a Goan raped in broad daylight in school.

Tourism, which is the mainstay of Goa’s economy, has not improved. The government has lost its focus on the type and nature of tourist that it needs to attract to Goa. Government spends lakhs of rupees to promote a craft festival in Nepal as part of its tourist mobilisation efforts. Whom are they targeting? The Gorkhas?

Also, in these difficult times where the important economic activity of mining has come to a halt, the imperative austerity in the administration is completely lacking.

There is at least one minister flying abroad every month. Perhaps, the CM is happy to have his ministers abroad, as it allows him to function autocratically.

AR: What about the mining imbroglio?

VS: On mining, the government seems to be headed on a dangerous path.

I was reading this book given to me by mine owner Avdhut Timblo. I am also given to understand that the CM too has been given a copy of the same book.

According to it, co-operation results in a win-win situation. Confrontation throws up a win-lose situation but in combat it’s lose-lose.

On mining, the state government has chosen the third option of combat. The environmentalists are being painted as the villains. The mining dependents are being pitched against the mining affected. This is a dangerous situation that Goa is being led into.

The CM himself is not clear on what the government stand on mining is.

Recently the government collected crores of rupees as stamp duty for renewal of mining leases and now the CM says renewal of lease does not mean you can mine! Then what is the meaning of renewal?

The government is only compounding the confusion.

AR: Being an independent in a way lands you in a sort of no-man’s land. You recently launched an organisation called Goemkar. What is

the future?

VS: Goa happens to be the only state in South India that does not have a strong regional party. Most of these regional parties are born out of self pride. Are we Goans lacking in pride?

The obvious question is will Goans always have to choose the lesser evil and never ever get the choice for the better?

I believe that the solution for all Goa’s problems including special status lies in having a regional party which will espouse the sentiments of Goans first in Goa. At the moment, because of issues of sustainability and because there are no elections around, we may not have reached the bridge to cross the river.

Some day or the other, we will. I am sincere in going ahead, or not diluting the avowed intentions at Goemkar.

AR: Goans have time and again been betrayed in the past by these regional party experiments.You’ve been for almost two decades in the Congress party. Why should Goans trust you to set up a regional party?

VS: Only time will give an answer to this question. Past regional party experiments were pre-election timed and were gobbled up by the national parties. Goans need to be aware of the timing and the lack of vested interests in launching Goemkar. It was done because an indirect merger of Goa with Maharashtra is being attempted economically through the Mopa airport. There is collusion between the two mainstream parties in Goa on Mopa. Both the parties are anti-Goan by supporting Mopa. But it’s still early days. The contours of this regional political force are yet to be defined. But it has to be secular, pro-Goan and proKonkani. There is no space for Marathi. The CM now claims that 30 per-cent of the population says that Marathi is their mother tongue. It’s a minority. My challenge to him is speak in Marathi and get elected from Panjim.

AR: You’ve been General

I have never lobbied on behalf of any interests that are bad or against Goa. Perhaps because of the nature of my business (real estate and construction) people construed me to be part of the lobby advocating mega projects in Goa. But till date whatever I’ve built has only been to sustain me and the business. I’ve not built for mega riches.

Secretary of the Congress when it was in power for seven years before the 2012 elections. You were seen as a lobbyist and a behind-the-scenes power-broker. Won’t this image of your past affect your move to lead a regional party in Goa? VS: I was one of 16 general secretaries of the Congress. You know the worth of these general secretaries.

Right from my student days I’ve been a vocal and outspoken guy. It’s my nature.

I am not the type who one can ignore. So at the time of government formations, when cobbling up majorities I used to be there up-front.

As for lobbying, I have never lobbied on behalf of any interests that are bad or against Goa. Perhaps because of the nature of my business (real estate and construction) people construed me to be part of the lobby advocating mega projects in Goa. But till date whatever I’ve built has only been to sustain me and the business. I’ve not built for mega riches.

Whatever it is, because of my long association with the Congress some still look at me with suspicion. That is why I say time will say whether I can be a worthy leader and a vocal opposition to this government. Whether somebody likes me or not, they will not be able to ignore me. 

10

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

www.goastreets.com/arts&entertainment

Thursday, April December 18, 2013 13, 2012

April 18

April 14 to May 21

At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 10 am to 5 pm +919821420017

@ 4 pm

Western Musical Vocal course

Socorrchi Girestkai Festival

April 15 to April 21

April 19

Theatre Workshop

For Children above 8 yr.

At Nritya Sankul, Margao +919823936483/ +919011059845

Cupcake decorations Carpe Diem, At Gomes Waddo, Majorda @ 3 pm to 5 pm +918888862462

Jam Making

Carpe Diem, At Gomes Waddo, Majorda @ 10 am to 12 pm +918888862462

Concert of Sacred Music

At Se Cathedral, Old Goa +919850980374

April 20

Paint for Nature

The Times of India brings you The Together for Goa T-shirt Painting contest and Photography Exhibition At Bal Bhavan, Campal, Panjim From 4 pm to 6 pm

Konkani Musical Extravaganza

April 17 & April 18 Jewellery Exhibition

At Rampon, Hotel Mandovi, Panjim @ 11 am to 8 pm

April 20 & April 21

Jewellery Exhibition

At Hotel Sugarcane, Varkhandem, Ponda @ 11 am to 8 pm

April 19 to April 30

European Union Film Festival At Maquinez Palace, Panjim

Mar 22 to April 22

An Exhibition: The Pepper Cross At Kerkar Art Gallery, Calangute @ 6.30 pm +918322276017

At Taleigao church, Taleigao @ 7 pm

April 24 to April 28

April 22

@ 8.15 pm +919422056037

Classical Music Programme

April 24 to May 7

April 28

At Margao +919765056005

The One Dance Academy

Most accomplished artistes and Produced by Jazz Goa. Multicuisine restaurant+ Bar Presents Music from Goa At Martins Restaurant, Margao +919823595967

Upto April 30

April 12 to April 19

Everyday

At Gallery Gitanjali, Panjim @ 11 am to 7 pm +918322227169

Galleria de Belas Artes At Gauravaddo, Calangute @ 10 am to 1 pm & 4 pm 8 pm +918322277144

Retrospective Exhibition on Vamona

April 8 to April 20 Gurukul Academy At Gurukul Academy, Panjim @ 8 am to 10 am +919822417989

April 8 to April 20 Aqua Fiesta 2013 At Cidade de Goa, Dona Paula +918322454545

April 12 to April 20

Drawing and Painting Workshop For children above 5 yrs.

At Nritya Sankul, Margao +919823936483/ +919011059845

Goa one of few places on earth using centuries-old techniques

Moonlight Kayaking

At Sanskruti Bhavan, Panjim @ 5.15 pm

Audio CD featuring some of Goa’s

Retro Photography

Indian Classical Music At Art Escape, Benaulim @ 7.30 pm +917350400655

Art Chamber

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

Casa Popular

At Municipal Market, Panaji +918322262135

By Christabelle Coutinho

W

hile most of us go ga-ga over the latest digital cameras with their newly jazzed-up features, a group of photographers in Goa are turning to 19th century processes to create images that are no less than fine art. Call it retro photography – very, very retro.

This is a story of passion and patience. Of delayed gratification and unparalleled beauty.

Of an extraordinary operation right here in Goa that has been largely hidden from the public eye.

In certain pockets of the world, people are rediscovering and appreciating the charm of photographs processed by hand using labourintensive procedures that all but disappeared long ago. Large-format, bulky studio cameras or even pinhole cameras which can be made at home are suddenly catching the fancy of a

breed of people eager to explore the romance of centuries-old processes.

The Goa Centre for Alternative Photography (Goa CAP) in Calangute is one of the few centres in the world, and the only one in India, where you can experiment with this sort of alternative photography. Its mission is to provide state-ofthe-art research and artistic space for alternative photography to flourish, using various workshops, events and residency programmes.

Their passionate advocacy of this art form recently provided the impetus for NID (National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad) to include alternative photography in its future curriculum.

The Centre has also tied up with Goethe Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan to expand its reach across the country.

Yes, it’s the Centre is just one of a handful in the world. But much in the same way many of us have come full circle with our dietary habits,

Arts&Entertainment 11

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Xavier centre of historical research

With particular emphasis on contemporary cultural and social issues affecting the State of Goa. At B B Borkar Rd, Porvorim +918322417772

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 Panaji Inn, Fontainhas From 9 am to 9 pm. +919823572035

Carpe Diem

Carpe Diem, a newly opened art and learning centre in Majorda.

At Majorda From 10 am to 6 pm +918888862462

Yemanja Art Gallery Painting Art Gallery At Betim, Reis Magos +918322416930

Surya Art Gallery

Here contemporary works of canvas paintings on Goan subject and art crafts are displayed. At Bandawalwada, Pernem +919404149764

Menezes Braganza hall At Ferry wharf, Panaji +918322224143

Panaji Art Gallery

Promotes Goan Art Figurative and individual works of artists.

At Panaji Art Gallery From 9 am to 8 pm. +919822168703

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 +919822147148

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

selecting organic and artisanal food over processed, perhaps it is only a matter of time before a larger group succumbs to the charm of these old-fashioned techniques.

The Centre is currently planning to host an exhibition of images developed by four photographers during their recent two month-long ‘Alternative Photography’ residency programme.

The eclectic group of photographers includes two professional photographers, a painter and a puppeteer who were offered timely aesthetic inputs by Apurva Kulkarni and technical knowledge by the Centre.

Nupur Nanal, a photography student from Pune, works with cyanotype, a process that gives a cyan-blue print. This method was popular in engineering circles before the 20th century for large scale copies of drawings, called ‘blueprints’. Vivek Muthuramalingam, a surgeon turned photographer from Bangalore, has produced cyanotype and salt prints. Ajay Sharma, an artist from Jharkhand, has printed images of fishermen, using the Van Dyke Brown process, a technique named after the brown oil paint used by Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyck. Urmimala Chatterjee, a puppeteer and photographer from Bengal, uses Gum Bichromate prints, which could be called ‘photographically controlled watercolours’. Even though the image may resemble a colour photograph, it is only a fabrication of layers of pigment and hardened gum Arabic. It is in some ways closer to painting than photography and also shares kinship with the graphic arts – printmaking.

Acknowledging the glaring deficit of professional writing on this genre, the Centre has also invited a writer, Saee Haldule of Pune, to be part of the group.

The residency programme was funded by the India Foundation for Arts. The five participants were offered a monthly stipend along with absolute freedom to experiment. Participants were only asked to document their experiments and

Gum Bichromate print by Urmimala Chatterjee

maintain a journal of their findings for the benefit of future students.

There’s as much chemistry involved as there is art – adding 2% here or decreasing exposure there, fine tuning processing solutions to accommodate climatic conditions and in search of a certain effect.

But chemistry aside, the final images are deeply evocative and you can now view and admire the beauty of their efforts, up close, on the 26th and 27th of this month at the Centre itself.

Edson Dias, who assists participants with technical know-how at the Centre, acknowledges the processes are lengthy and the equipment bulky.

Alternative photography is certainly not suitable for commercial purposes or for photojournalists; it is more the domain of the fine artist intent on producing beautiful images that represent artistic concepts.

Goa CAP is a not-for-profit organization and students who pick up the tricks of the trade here are expected to share their knowledge generously with others. The Centre often conducts one-day workshops on photography and even assists young artists in setting up their own darkrooms.

In the near future, the Centre plans to set up a darkroom in Panjim to enable young photographers to experiment more frequently with historic photography.

Edson informs us that the Centre will be

happy to conduct day-long workshops as opposed to long-duration programmes, for a minimum group of five persons. All you have to do is ask. And then enter the ancient world of photographic alchemy.

The Goa Centre for Alternative Photography (Goa CAP) will hold an exhibition of photographs on the 26th and 27th April at House No. E2 / 268, Dongorpur, Near St. Alex Church, Calangute. Contact Edson Dias for further details on 9822087276. (www.goa-cap.com) 

Try your hand at Alternative Photography

This year, as alternative photography enthusiasts celebrate Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day on 28th April, you too can hop onto the retro bandwagon with your own homemade pinhole camera. Perhaps you’ve already made one of these contraptions before in school: but did it really work? Now, you can follow any of the several D.I.Y tutorials on the internet and create a workable pinhole camera with just a matchbox and photographic film. It’s cheap and easy, and who knows what the photographer in you may discover.

7 Strange Structures

in Goa

Photo : Pantaleao Fernandes

Façade of Our Lady of Health at Sancoale The first church of Sancoale, which lies in Mormugao taluka today, was founded in 1606 and dedicated to Our Lady of Health. It caught fire in 1834. Only its façade still stands on the banks of the Zuari river. The erstwhile Portuguese

Megalith at Bali, Quepem

Compro of Chorao

was thrashed by Hindu locals infuriated by a Tribunal order requiring the posthumous baptism of a child. Furious with this, the then Governor ordered the guilty to be punished, by demolishing their houses and rendering their fields infertile by salting. The villagers were deported as galley slaves. As a terrible reminder of this retribution, a stone pillar was erected on the site. Inscribed on this six-foot stone was a warning in Portuguese against the repetition of any such acts. Over time, the pillar broke into two pieces and still lies there. It has now turned into a quasi shrine, where candles and agarbattis are lit by both major communities.

A megalith composed of three vertical stones with a horizontal ‘capstone’ beam stands near a primary school in Bali, Quepem. A megalith is a structure dating back thousands of years, made of large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement. It may have had some other ceremonial purpose. The locals said it was for some ancient ‘devosponn’ (religious rituals).

Kator Pillar of Assagao

Morkachi Fator of Anjuna This stone, at the vaddo called Grande Chinvar, carries an inscribed edict of punishment that was carried out in this area. It was erected during the infamous Inquisition Tribunal that lasted from 1560 to 1774. In 1628, a local priest An odd masonry pillar called the Kator stands on a hill at Socolvaddo in Assagao.

It’s believed to be a temple lamp-post, a relic of Hindu heritage. The elders of the village are said to have created a legend around it― that there was something inscribed on the Kator in a strange language and that a pot of gold would be granted to he who deciphered it.

Photo by Edmundf

G

oa has hundreds of churches, chapels, temples, forts and other monuments dotting its landscape. Among these edifices lie some strange structures that carry some interesting history behind them. Streets takes you to 7 of these quirky structures:

government had declared it a national monument on 19.3.1937.

This is the Chapel of St Jerome (Jeronimo) on the island of Chorao. The circular plan chapel was attached to the 16th century Chorao Seminary, the ruins of which have almost completely vanished. It is nicknamed ‘Compro’ after the circular vessel made of a copper alloy and used to bake the popular ‘sannas’, rice cakes leavened with toddy. The early chronicler Cottineau de Klogen described the hermitage of St Jeronimo as a tholos “with an elegant dome and Greek pillars supporting the building, giving the whole the appearance from afar of a truly Greek setting”.

St Augustine’s Tower, Old Goa

Dovornnem These masonry platforms seen all over Goa are from a time when villagers would travel with their baskets of goods

Photo: Sanjeev Sardesai

By José Lourenço

on their heads for long stretches over forests and rough roads. A lone tired traveller could place his head load on the shoulder-high platform and then have his meals and rest for a while. He or she would then replace the basket on his head and resume the journey. With motorized travel, these old rest stations fell into disuse.

The ruins of this 46 meter high four storied laterite bell tower were part of the Church of Our Lady of Grace, attached to the Convent of St Augustine built in 1602 by the Augustinian friars. The ruins of eight chapels, four altars and the sprawling convent with various cells can still be seen.

13 Thursday, April 18, 2013

April 18

April 24 to May 20

April 8 to April 20

Every Thursday

Movie and book discussion on the all time favourite Horse story “Black Beauty” by Anna Sewell, a lesson in love, care and kindness.

At Gomes Waddo, Majorda @ 10 am to 4 pm +918888862462

At Western Ghats +919049081097

At The Naree Artisans Movement Centre, Panjim @ 3 pm to 5 pm +919423883396

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

Black Beauty

Open studio

with ceramic artist, Mayank Jain At Sunaparanta Goa Centre

Time Management Workshop At The International Centre Goa, Dona Paula @ 2 pm to 5 pm +918322452805-10

April 19

Scribbles of my Mind’ and ‘petals’ At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 4 pm

April 22

Free Summer Football At PDA Grounds, Panjim @ 4.30 pm to 6 pm

April 24

Workshop for Translators

At Conference Hall, Sanskruti Bhavan, Panjim @ 10 am to 5.30 pm

April 24 on wards

Hand Embroidery Classes At NAM Center, St. Inez, Panjim @ 3 pm to 5 pm +919423883396

April 25

Cold Ceramics Workshop At Carpe Diem, Majorda @ 3 pm to 5 pm +91888862462

India International Pr Conference At Royal Heritage Resort @ 5 pm

April 28

Beach Football

At Bogmalo Beach the 4th All Goa five-a-side James Alvares beach football Tournament organised by Youth of Bogmalo. +919637891072

April 15 to April 25

Free Consultation on Pet Animals At Paws N Whiskers pet Clinic and Pet Shop, Benaulim. +919527927321

April 18 to May 2 Summer Camp

Entry Fee rs 600/At Welfare Club, Marcel +919850166946

April 20 to April 23 Summer Festival

At St.Anthony Church, Siolim @ 6.30 pm to 10 pm

Farm off the Grid

April 18 to April 20 Career Camp

At Parvatibai Chowgule college, Margao @ 9 am to 1 pm. +919923805055

April 16 to April 30 Archery Camp

At SAG Ground, Campal, Panjim @ 8.30 am to 10.30 am

Needlework class

April 8 to April 27 Summer Camp

Tiny Feet At opp. Tasneem Fazal House, Behind International Center, Dona Paul @ 10 am to 1 pm +919730426563/+918322451224

Aspire Summer Camp

April 8 to April 20 & April 22 to May 4

April 18 to April 20

At Goa Yachting Association together with the Topper Association of India +919423885099/ +918888250019/ +918322490246

At Parvatibai Chowgule College, Margao @ 9 am to 1 pm. +918322759221

April 13 to April 19

April 18 to April 21

At Purple Valley, Assagao @ 6 am to 6 pm +918322268364

April 15 to April 25 At Centre for Human Resource Development, Mapusa. +919822802574

Career Camp

Goa Heritage Festival

On the occasion of World Heritage Day, presented by Dept. of Tourism and Goa Tourist Development Musical performance by Dr. Pravin Gaonkar & troupe.

Ranmale by Kirti Kala Krida Kendra, Goa Folk dance - Dhalo, Fugdi, Kannal Khel & Morulo At Saligao from 6 pm to 10 pm

April 23 to May 12 Swimming Classes

At Peddem Swimming Pool Complex, Mapusa @ 6.30 am to 10 am & 3 pm to 6 pm +918322257981

Sailing Course

Joey Miles- Ashtanga Yoga

April 14 to April 26 Tai Chi Session by Satya At The International centre Goa, Dona Paula @ 3 pm to 6 pm +919765404391

April 15 to April 18 & April 21 to April 25 Kathak Workshop

April 27 to April 28

By Nritya Sankul At near Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Accam Margao +919823936483

At The International Centre Goa, Dona Paula @ 3 pm to 6 pm. +918322452805

April 13 to April 21

April 1 to April 30

At Sag Grounds, Chincalim +917507331206

Warli Painting Workshop

4th Annual Windsurfing Camp

4th batch commences on 22nd April, 2013.

At Hawaii beach, Dona Paula, Panjim @ 9.30 am to 11.30 am & 11.30 am to 1.30 pm +918806150022/+919145462146

April 6 to April 27

Children Creative Workshops At Paper Boat Collective, Sangolda @ 9.30 am. +918326521248

April 6 to April 28

Discover your true self

At The International Centre Goa, Dona Paula @ 3 pm to 6 pm +919420820890

April 7 to May 26 Drawing Workshop At Sunaparanta, Panjim @ 10 am to 12 pm +918322421311

T20 Cricket Tourney

April 18 to April 20 Three day Career camp At Chowgule college +918322759221

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 Rodriguez.

At Grand Hyatt Goa, Bambolim From 6 pm to 7 pm +918323011603/ +918323011604

Aqua Zumba

Every Friday

Free Swimming Guidance Organised by Walter Macarena 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 Ms. 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

Want to be Fit & Healthy

Presented by Calburn Fitness Solutions in association with the ICG At The International Centre Goa, Dona Paula. +919811511595/ +919823578880

Tuk Tuk

From apparel to jewellery, bags to accessories, everything at Tuk Tuk is handpicked from across India.

At A104, Pereira Plaza, Opp.Hospicio, Margao @ 10.30 am 1 pm & 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm +919049017182

Monday & Friday

Taekwondo Sessions

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

Spice Farms

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: +918322340329 or Email: tropicalspice@rediffmail.com

Sahakari Spice Farm

Guests are entertained by folk dances, elephant rides, art of climbing 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: +918322312394 or Email: info@sahakarifarms.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: +918322340272/ +919423888899 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. +918326711999

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

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

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/+918326520190 or Email: johnsboattours@gmail.com

Goa Aquatics

Offers Scuba Diving Equipment retail at competitive international price.

At Little Italy, Opp Tarcar Ice Factory, Calangute. +91 9822685025

Splashdown

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,

Museums Goa Chitra

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

Big Foot Cross Museum

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

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

Killer Apps The best applications to sauce up your mobile device

By Anuj Khurana

A

man is known by the Apps he keeps!

Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said the same about books.

But that was in the 19th Century. Before we had smartphones. Today Apps are being used as pick up lines, conversation starters; they feature in heated debates and app creators have more of a following than even your bestselling author.

A mobile app is a software application designed to run on smartphones, tablets (the kind you browse on, not swallow with a glass of water or bring down from Mt. Sinai), and other mobile devices.

You can download these apps from Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store and BlackBerry App World.

Some apps are free, while others are not.

Mobile apps started out with general purposes like email, calendar, contacts, and stock market and weather information. In recent years, popular demand and hi-tech developer tools have created a huge jump in categories like mobile games, GPS and location-based services, banking, ticket purchases and social interaction tools. Once you get into apps, it’s pretty hard not to like them. That’s because there’s an app for everyone.

Still, with hundreds of thousands of apps, finding the ones that best suit you is easier said than done. Facebook, that King of Social Networking Apps, of course is everywhere, sitting tight on millions of devices. But for the newbies who want the new hot stuff, here is the Streets lowdown on the apps you don’t want to be caught without.

Apps for the ones in love (or longing to be) Couple (iPhone, Android) http://couple.me/ With a name like that, the app does not need much of a description.

It links your phones with your partner’s and you can send each other private messages, pictures and videos. You can also follow them every minute of the day, through the inbuilt GPS tracker! (Listen up suspicious spouses).

Apps for the young and the brave WhatsApp http://www.whatsapp.com/ Whatsapp Messenger is for instant messaging. In addition, users can send each other images, video, and audio messages. It’s available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia and all these can message each other! And it’s free.

Snapchat (iPhone, Android) http://www.snapchat.com/ Much like in Mission Impossible, this app allows you to send messages and pictures that auto destruct after the

person has seen it! This is not for critical world-saving messages. You’ll know which content belongs on Snapchat.

Perhaps the pictures from your party last night in Goa? Vine (iPhone only) http://vine.co/ Pictures are not always enough to capture the fun times. Making a long video with your unsteady hands doesn’t quite cut it. Enter Vine. From the makers of Twitter, this short video (6 seconds) sharing app allows you to create small looping videos for all to see.

Avocado (iPhone, Android) http://couple.me/ This is very useful for all the honeymoon couples reading this. Now that you need to share a life together, there will be todo’s and things to get and calendars to sync. Avocado allows you to do all of this and share that occasional e-hug or e-kiss with your partner.

Feel me (coming soon) www.cs.uic.edu/~mtriveri/Marco_ Triverio/Feel_me_app.html This is awesome or creepy depending on whom you ask. This app by Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design will be released shortly and you need to get in the queue if you want it

turn to page 16

Photograph by Arun Pavaratty

from page 14 first. It converts texting into touching.

When you both touch your phone screen at the same spot the phone vibrates giving you the feeling of a connection.

Apps for those who are still looking for love

OkCupid (iPhone, Android) http:// www.okcupid.com/ This is by far the most popular dating network and its mobile application is a treat to use. Broadcast your date suggestions (a sporting event, a bar), meet and chat with new people, rate other users and find potential matches using the site’s powerful matching algorithms.

Tinder (iPhone) http://www.gotinder.com/ This cool app has fast become the number one rated dating app in the Apple app store. Why? Because it helps eliminate any awkwardness usually associated with online dating. Tinder uses Facebook to find potential matches based on location, mutual friends and interests. “Like” a profile and if the person “likes” you back, you can use the app to chat and get to know each other.

Apps to get some work done

Any.do (iPhone, Android) http://www.any.do/ Any.DO gets the mix between simplicity and functionality exactly right. The beautifully designed interface lets you jot down a bunch of tasks without having to jump through hoops, and all the extras such as repeating tasks, time- and locationbased reminders and sharing are there if you need them.

It also supports voice recognition for hands-free managment of your tasks.

JuiceDefender Ultimate (Android) http://www.juicedefender. com/ With all these apps and more, your phone battery is always close to dying on you. Juice Defender helps you save on battery and keep your lifeline running all day long.

News & Reading app

Flipboard (iPhone, Android) www.flipboard.com/ This is one app that Steve Jobs loved and it just keeps getting better. It transforms blogs, updates from Facebook and Twitter, articles, pictures, videos into a magazine like interface that is both fun and engaging to read. It’s a great way to catch up on the day’s news and all the interesting articles your friends have been sharing.

Goan apps

NewsHunt (iPhone, Android) www.newshunt. com Who said the best of the apps are built outside India?

NewsHunt is an award winning app made in India and for India.

NewsHunt provides more than 80 leading Indian Newspapers in 11 different languages like Andhrajyothy, Andhraprabha, Dainik Bhaskar, Dinamalar, Midday, Dinamani, Prajavani, Eenadu, Indian Express, Jagran, Kannada Prabha, Loksatta, Mangalam, Manorama, Mathrubhumi, Deccan Herald, Dainik Navajyoti, Divya Bhaskar, New Indian Express, Punjab Keshari, Sakal, Sandesh and many more.

Shout Out App (Android) Following recent sexual attacks on women in many parts of India including Goa, several Indian tech firms introduced apps for women’s safety. Milind Prabhu and Glenn Colaco, two young IT professionals from Goa, have developed a “Shout Out” Mobile App, especially for girls, sending alert messages and GPS location of the sender to five persons as well as emergency services.

Goa Radio (Android) A free app to enjoy Goa radio stations on your mobile device.

Other awesome apps

TrueCaller (iPhone, Android) http://www.truecaller.com Get too many pesky calls? Want to block your ex from calling you? Want to know who is calling you even if the number is not stored in your phone book? TrueCaller is a godsend for those who get way too many calls from unknown numbers. It is a large phone directory that the app checks against whenever a new call comes. All in real time!

TideApp (iPhone, Android) http://www.tideapp.com/ How many times have you gone to the beach only to see water had receded due to low tide? Your favourite sea side restaurant looks best when the waves from the high tide make that crashing sound. This app will ensure you always know what the tide is like and is a great app for those who wish to fish, boat or just swim in the sea. _____

The era of smartphones has provided a great launching pad for brilliant ideas from app whizkids all over the world. There will be an app for nearly everything soon, to the extent that people faced with a task will be asking “Is there an app for that?”

Just as the Net has changed our lives, apps are here to stay. These ‘appy’ little helpers are just what the denizens of the Super Info Highway need to navigate that great app called Life. Oh yes, there’s even an app called LifeApp, to ‘help balance your life’! 

Feature 17

Thursday, April 18, 2013

In the U.S., Playboy has a reputation of being among the most mild of all the magazines showing nude women – tending more toward artistic nudity rather than pornography. Its articles are considered good, and the publication enjoys considerable respect in the journalistic community. Still, there’s no doubt that its primary purpose is the titillation of men, with its founder Hugh Hefner having been a principal architect of America’s Sexual Revolution.

By Ashley Do Rosario

I

ndia may be the land that gave the world that epic treatise on sex, the Kama Sutra, yet Goa has rejected the move by Playboy to set up its first venture on Indian soil, a Playboy Club at Candolim beach.

Well, almost.

Goa’s chief minister Manohar Parrikar announced in the legislature that his government will not grant a licence to the Playboy Club as a beach shack. Who knows if it will eventually come up as something else? And Goa being Goa, there’s every reason to believe it might.

Still, the question remains, do we want a Playboy Club in Goa? As with so many things in life, there are two sides to this debate. To some, such a club would signify everything we don’t want in Goa – moral degradation, disrespect and the denigration of women at the very time we’re finally making some headway in our struggle to persuade society to love and cherish girls and women. To others, banning Playboy is a hypocritical move that ignores the hyper sexuality of Bollywood and

other Indian spheres and ultimately deprives Goa of an opportunity to attract high-end tourists.

Before I continue, let’s talk about what Playboy is. In the U.S., Playboy has a reputation of being among the most mild of all the magazines showing nude women – tending more toward artistic nudity rather than pornography. Its articles are considered good, and the publication enjoys considerable respect in the journalistic community. Still, there’s no doubt that its primary purpose is the titillation of men, with its founder Hugh Hefner having been a principal architect of America’s Sexual Revolution.

All this may help explain the strong feelings the publication has evoked in its first attempted foray into India. Do we want a sexual revolution here? It seems the uproar over Playboy in Goa has been caused by what the brand connotes rather than anything that will actually happen on the beaches of Candolim.

“It’s more than hypocritical. The costumes designed for the bunnies in the Playboy Club cover more than even the

costume of the IPL cheerleaders or other show-biz events in India,” said former Calangute legislator Agnelo Fernandes, whose 22,000-square-foot property in Candolim had been the chosen site of the Goa Playboy Club.

“What vulgarity are they talking about? How can there be any vulgarity in an open shack? It’s not a closed club, it’s an open shack,” Fernandes added.

Bailancho Saad, a top Goan women’s collective, said in a statement that Playboy the world over is known to denigrate women. The collective’s

convenor, Sabina Martins said Playboy reduces women to an object of sex and promotes exploitation.

“Goa cannot legitimise it by giving it permission,” she said, adding that promotion of the casino industry here in the name of tourism had already resulted in scores of women being trafficked to Goa. Playboy has been making headlines ever since PB Lifestyle, its Indian franchise, made the plan for a Goa club

public some five months ago. A string of controversies erupted since the disclosure and the Goa government finally came out with a firm statement rejecting the move when it came up for discussion in the Goa legislative assembly.

Parrikar assured the legislature that the Playboy Club “will not be allowed as a shack” and went on to explain that under his government’s beach shack policy, licences are given to individuals and not to international franchises.

But, the CM’s statement stopped short of ruling out a Playboy Club elsewhere. The beach shack policy is only one of several regimes under which tourismrelated ventures can register.

A tentative nod of approval from Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar had triggered a huge controversy with the BJP’s Calangute MLA, Michael Lobo, who led the protests against the club, alleging it would promote sex tourism.

Lobo is the politician who defeated Agnelo Fernandes in the March 2012 elections, and Fernandes told Streets in a telephone conversation from Dubai that he believes the protests and criticism against the venture is fuelled by rivals and vested interests.

Goans are known to be conservative by and large, despite exposure to Western influences, first through centuries of Portuguese colonial rule and more recently by catering to lakhs of Western tourists.

Playboy may be a celebrated brand in the US. But Goa, it seems, isn’t quite ready to welcome its bunnies. 

18 Feature

Preying on the young Photograph by Arun Pavaratty

By Charlane Pereira

F

rom the assault on the 7-year old school girl in a school toilet in Vasco to the attack on a school-going girl on her way to tuitions at Betalbatim, sexual violence is taking centre stage not just in India as a whole, but also in our small state of sun, sea and surf. The spectre of sexual abuse and harassment is raising its head in schools and universities as well – and statistics reveal that most victims are still in childhood or early adulthood.

Several victims of sexual harassment (their names changed to protect their privacy) spoke to me about their trauma.

Susheela recounts her tale while pursuing her PhD studies. “My male guide made some sexual advances towards me, which I rejected outright.

This happened on several occasions. The inappropriate behaviour stopped but the outcome was reflected in my PhD course.

A full-time course that takes four years had to be extended to several more years, as the guide delayed and rejected my academic inputs for the thesis. Whereas some of my fellow mates were able to submit their thesis in a relatively shorter span of time, I had two choices ― either be a victim of sexual molestation or fail the doctoral exam.”

“I chose to keep mum about it till I had my degree in hand. I finally cleared my PhD exam four years back and I am happily employed in a company. It is important to stand up for one’s rights. I feel that I should have brought the issue to the notice of the concerned university, but it would have sent years of hard work down the drain. That certainly was a difficult phase in my life,” says Susheela.

In a bus and even at home, a young female is often under threat.

“This happened about six years back,” confides Brigit. “I was in the Xth standard.

I had to commute everyday by bus to go to school. Once in a crowded bus, I felt a man groping me from behind. It made me feel very uncomfortable and I was very scared. Twice, I hit out at the man with my elbow. He stopped for some time and then started at it again. I finally decided to get off the bus at the wrong bus-stop just to escape from him.”

“I should have shouted for help then,” she reflects, “drawing attention to the culprit and his misbehaviour. But I guess I was too scared that he would hunt me down and harm me later.”

And the following comes from a young woman I will call Reema. “We were one happy family until my elder sister got married. My brother-in-law would demand for sex in my sister’s absence.

I was afraid to open up to anyone. I was threatened of dire consequences if I told about the same to my sister or filed a police complaint.”

Her situation got so bad, that she

started slipping into depression. Her studies were affected. She couldn’t eat nor sleep till she was taken to a psychiatrist. Her sister and her husband are separated, now that the truth has surfaced.

These perpetrators often go scot free.

And this tempts them to indulge in the same offensive acts.

Statistics with the Goa police reveal that 68 per cent of rape cases registered in 2012 involved victims who were minor in age.

Protesting against such molesters can bring results. A Goa Dental College lecturer was recently dismissed after being found guilty of sexual harassment at the workplace. The Head of Political Science department at Goa University was dismissed from service in April 2010, when students in his department accused him of sexual harassing them.

Today, there are sexual harassment committees in most colleges. Dhempe College of Arts and Science has zero tolerance towards sexual harassment.

The committee formed to combat this includes members from the academic faculty, NGOs, counsellors and student representatives. However, more needs to be done in schools.

The last comprehensive study on sexual abuse in Goan schools was conducted by Vikram Patel in 2001, and the findings were astounding. Vikram’s team reported that 266 students studying in XIth standard in eight higher secondary schools in Goa had been sexually abused.

One-third of the students had experienced at least one type of sexual

abuse in the previous 12 months. Six per cent of adolescents reported that they had been forced to have sex. Of the 266 adolescents who reported abuse, nearly half (47%) had experienced abuse more than once, and those who reported sexual abuse were far more likely to have also experienced other kinds of physical and verbal violence in the previous 12 months.

Who were the perpetrators? The most common perpetrators - 53% - were older students or friends. Parents or relatives accounted for 8% and teachers for 4% of perpetrators. A large proportion, 27%, of the perpetrators fell into the category “miscellaneous”, which included strangers, neighbours and others.

How did these youngsters respond to such ‘intolerable behaviour’? The most common response to abuse was to do nothing (35%). Seventeen per cent responded to the abuse with verbal retaliation and 6% responded with physical retaliation. Seven per cent told a parent or friend. However, these findings mask the considerable gender disparity: none of the boys and only 15% of girls had told a parent or friend about the abuse.

With the growing media attention and civic activism, awareness of sexual harassment is fortunately on the rise.

“Girls should carry pepper spray with them, should avoid speaking to strangers, avoid going to lonely places where the risk of such heinous crimes is high, and immediately contact the police if they suspect something fishy,” opines Patsmenia D’Costa, a student at Carmel

College, Nuvem.

Sameena Faleiro talks to her young daughter about ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch.’ “By ‘good touch’ I mean a pat on the shoulder or head. By ‘bad touch,’ it is touching/stroking private areas, etc. I have told her that a bad touch can be also be given by someone whom we know like our relations, family members, etc.”

Psychologist Vasumathi Prabhu Pereira offers some insight into the consequences of sexual abuse. “Sexually abused students who do not receive family, social and therapeutic support are more prone to have mental health problems- anxiety disorders, depression, bed wetting, post traumatic stress, etc.”

What steps has the Goa government taken? The Goa Children’s Act of 2003 is the only state level child welfare act that ensures protection of children from abuse, exploitation and neglect. This Act was amended two years later in 2005.

Sabina Martins, President of Bailancho Saad, a women’s rights body, comments, “The intention of the government is there, but there is no implementation.

After an incident, there is a lot of talk, but after a while it all dies down and nothing is implemented. Even in the Vasco case, there is very little headway in investigations, so the impression is that the culprits have got away. There is no deterrent, and strong arm of the law is not acting…”

Despite progress in education and awareness, sexual predators still lurk in every corner of public life. Protecting the young students of Goa is still an uphill task. 

19 Thursday, April 18, 2013

April 18

THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE

announces the launch of The Sofala’s new restaurant Mia Cucina Join us in celebrating the opening of Goa’s hottest new Italian restaurant with Smoking Chutney and Jan Graveson featuring Jan Graveson (vocals), Chrystal Farrell (vocals), Benoy Rai (guitar), Sancho Menezes (keyboards), Colin D’Cruz (bass) & Bosco D’Souza (drums) At The Sofala, Bhattiwaddo, Nerul @ 8 pm to 11.30 pm +918326714141

April 13 to April 24 Songkran Festivities

Thai Newyear Celebrations Food Festival At Wan Hao, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa +918322463333

April 6 to April 19 Food Festival

Flavors of the Orient’ With mouth watering lip smacking cuisine At The Pan Asian Bowl, Panjim +918326455547

Stuffed crabs at Coros

April 1 to April 30

Lunch Buffet with German Cuisine At Lila Cafe, Calangute @ 12.30 pm to 4 pm +919822150533/+918322279843

Lunch & Dinner Buffet With Multi Cuisine At The Stone House, Candolim @ 12.30 pm to 11.30 pm +918322479909

Happy Hours At SFX, Sinquerim @ 4 pm to 8 pm +918326645858

Dinner Buffet with Continental & Indian Cuisine At Casino Carnival, Panjim @ 7.30 pm to 11.30 pm +918326456301

April 12 to April 30 Punjabi Food Festival

At Moti Mahal Restaurant, Panjim @ 12 pm +918322423125

Time 11am-12 midniht non stop food service, open everyday.

Home delivery: 0832-2411959 & 976415986 Caterin Service Contact: Mr. Roland Rodrigues @ 989042440

By Goa Streets

P

erhaps the most interesting thing about the menu of Panjim’s Coros restaurant is the extraordinary range of choice. We’re not talking about numbers here, but content. Happily the menu has a beginning and an end and not too many pages in between. It is finite. But for a moment imagine the moods, the cravings, it caters to.

Shark ambotik shares space on this menu with traditional Spanish paella and penne carbonara from Italy. If you don’t happen to be hankering for Coros Famous Babycorn with almonds and asparagus in mild mustard sauce, maybe instead you’d go for the chicken biryani or the paneer tikka masala.

OK, you might think, what is so unusual about a Goan restaurant offering Indian, Goan and Western dishes all at the same time? The answer is that unlike the majority of the ubiquitous multi-cuisine joints overpopulating the local culinary scene, Coros makes its choices with considerable care, as if every dish were somehow infused with a soul of its own. All this takes place in a restaurant with a minimalist but wholly inviting décor.

The Indian and Goan delicacies, such as the Chicken Sukhem or the Pork Vindaloo, most certainly hold their own, even it’s quite possible to find better places around

turn to page 21

20 Food Multi Cuisine lunch and dinner Buffet

The wine rack at Coros adds to the ambience

At Cidade de Goa, Dona Paula @ 11.30 am to 11 pm +919822130743

Happy Hours- Buy one and get one free On Domestic drinks At Hotel Grand Hyatt Goa, Bambolim @ 7 pm to 9 pm +918323011234

Hot Fries & Chilled Beers At Lobster Shack, Taj Exotica Hotel, Benaulim @ 11 am to 7 pm +918326683333

Buy any sandwich worth Rs.140/& get ice tea @ rs 25/- only At Subway, Colva @ 10.30 am to 9 pm +9183226484856

Friday Night

Summer Grilling

-Barbecue Nights on Friday All you can eat-Steak, Chicken, Pork, Fish, Corn All at rs 750/- AT Maracas Restaurant, Porvorim. @ 8 pm

Monday to Sunday Happy Hours

Beers (Pints)-50%, Cocktails-rs 100/- off Spirits-20% off At Maracas Restaurant, Porvorim @ 6 pm to 8 pm

Every Thursday

Seafood Night Market

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

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 Family Brunches Get in Rhythm with Ashley Live At Latitude, Vivanta by Taj, Panaji @ 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm +918326633636

Oriental Sunday Brunch

Goa Marriott Resort & Spa hosts an Oriental Sunday Brunch featuring Pan Asian delicacies, including Thai, Malaysian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine! 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

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

Bikini Brunch

Sunday BBQ Brunch @ Rs.950/With Unlimited Alcohol From 12.30 pm to 4.30 pm At The Park on Holiday Beach, Calangute +918322277600

Baga, Calangute & around Casa Portuguesa

Housed in an 18th Century colonial house, it offers Portuguese cuisine along with some dishes reflecting Goan influences, complete with the pleasant ambience of Fado Music At Baga Rd @ 7 pm to 11 pm +91 9822122960

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

After Seven

Offers French cuisine. The restaurant recommends dishes like camembert soufflé, warm squid in balsamic vinegar and rum, steaks and lemon infused prawns At Gauravaddo, Calangute @ 12 pm to 11.30 pm +918322279757

Le Poisson Rouge

Baba au Rhum

Is a Coffee Shop At Kudachwaddo, Arpora @ 8 am to 4 pm +919822078759

Blue Tao

Specialised in Italian, Seafood, Organic Food At Anjuna beach Rd, Anjuna From 9 am to 11 pm +918975061435

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

Specialised in Chinese, Goan, Italian, North Indian, seafood, At Ozran beach, Anjuna @ 8 am onwards +918322274491/+918322273349

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

Cape Town cafe

Chef Soumyens Kitchen

A fine dine continental restaurant by Chef Soumyen Chakraborty. Specialising in steaks, seafood and pastas; vegetarian options also available.

At Luis Gomes Rd, Calangute @ 12 pm to 12 am +91 9226481417/+918322276160 Anjuna & around

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

Artjuna

Stone House

Alcove Restaurant and Bar

Specialised in World cuisine At Souzawaddo, Baga, Calangute @ 7 pm to 2.30 am +919923325638

Ciao Bella

Specialised in Italian Food At Assagao, Badem Rd @ 7 pm to 11 pm +919767557673

Fiesta

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

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

Bomra’s

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

Flambé e

Specialised in Chinese, European, French, Goan, Indian At Souzawaddo, Candolim @ 9 am to 11 pm +919326114271

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

Chilihip

Beach House

Wok & Roll

Addah

Specialised in thai At Fort Aguada Road, Candolim @ Noon to 3 pm, 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm +918888610500

The restaurant started in 1989 by Christopher Dsouza 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

Specialised in Goan, Portuguese, Seafood At Vivanta Holiday Village, Sinquerim @ 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm +918326645858 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

Panaji & around Casabela

A cosy place to chill out with family, from 70s to till date Casabela rocks with great signature dish At Chowgam Rd, Porvorim @ 7 am to 11 pm. +918322415580

Alfama

Well known for fado evenings At Cidade de Goa, Vainguinim Beach @ 7.30 pm to 11 pm +918322454545

Food 21

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Chilli ‘n’ spice

a carnival fusion cuisine, a bar to enlighten your spirits, Specialised in multiCuisine At Hotel Fidalgo, Panjim @ 7 pm to 2 am +918322226291

Coros Velvet

A multi cuisine fine dining restaurant specialised in ravioli, steaks and pasta At Miramar, Panjim @ noon to 3 pm to 7 pm to 11 pm +918605020020

Courtyard

Specialised in world cuisine, fusion At Hotel Campal, Panjim @ 11 am to 3 pm, 7 pm to 11 pm +919822384084

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

Global Shore Restaurant

Chulha

Indian Street food and Tandoor At Grand Hyatt Goa, Bambolim @ 3 pm to 11 pm +918323011504

O’ Coqueiro

Goan Cuisine in Porvorim, made famous not just by its tasty food but also as the place where international criminal Charles Sobhraj was arrested.

At NH 17 Rd, Porvorim @ 12 pm to 11 pm +918322417806/ +918322417271/ +918322417344

Pan Asian Bowl

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

City Pride

Specialised in Seafood At Opp. Vivanta by Taj, Panjim From 11 am to 11 pm

Shandong

Asian-cuisine restaurant with fine dining ambiance At Radisson Blu Resort Goa, Cavelossim Beach @ 11 am to 11 pm 6726666

China Gate

Dedicated Chinese Cuisine At Fatima High School, Margao @ 12 pm to 11 pm +918322704655

Peppers

Known for steaks and other meat dishes At Pajifond, Margao @ 11.30 pm to 11 pm +91 9822133506

Gavin’s Restaurant & Pub

Specialised in Goan cuisine, Goan Curries, Cafreal At Verna, around a kilometre off NH-17 +919822177179

Upper Deck

Coffee shop offerings traditional coffee along with light snacks and drinks.

At Radisson Blu Resort Goa, Cavelossim Beach @ all day 6726666

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

Delhi Darbar

Mum’s Kitchen

Cakes, Coffee and other goodies. A newcomer to the Panjim cafe scene.

At Fontainhas, Panjim @ 11 am to 7 pm +918322223050

Goan dinner. Elegant outdoor restaurant in a well-appointed resort in the South.

At Alila Diwa, Majorda @ 7 pm to 10.30 pm +918322746800

Barista Lavazza Outlet

Fernandos Nostalgia

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

Bhojan

Offers pure veg thali for lunch & dinner.

At Hotel Fidalgo, Panjim @ 7.30 to 11 pm +918322226291

Caramel

It’s a Bakery & Confectionary At Vivanta by Taj, Panjim From 10 am to 10 pm +918326633636/+918326633646

Tamari

Serves Chinese, Thai & Japanese cuisine (Sushi) in fine style.

At Vivanta, St Inez @ 12.30 pm to 11.30 pm +918326633636

Known for Tandoori, kebabs, biryanis & naans At M.G Rd Panjim @ 11.30 am to 11 pm +918322222544

Tea Cafe

Barista Lavazza’s famous beverages like Flavoured Hot Coffee, Cold Coffee, Hot Tea, Ice Tea, Mojito, Smoothie, Ice Cream Shakes, Juices.

In bites section we offer Sandwiches, Calzones, Muffins and Cakes.

At Shop No. 15, 16, & 18, First Floor, Navelcar Trade Center, Opp. Azad Maidan, M G Road, Panjim +918322422130

Café Azul

All day dining restaurant offering buffet combo option. At Cidade de Goa, Vainguinim Beach @ 7 pm to 11 pm +918322454545

Upper House

Specialised in Goan and Portuguese food At Carina Desa, Betim From 7 pm to 11 pm +919823129239

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

Baba’s Wood Cafe

Cafe Mojo

A’tona Bar and Restaurant

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, Panaji +918323256213/ +919923414098

Viva Panjim

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

Ritz Classic

Known for Goan fish curry rice and seafood. Very popular for lunch, especially with the Panaji office crowd.

At 18th June Rd, Panaji @ 11 am to 11 pm +918326644796

Arguably Panjim’s best pub. Innovative, fun and lively.

At Salida Del Sol Hotel, Panjim All day. +91 9850980091

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

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, Panaji From 9 am to 9 pm +918322426270/+918322426273

Margao & around Fig & Olive

Flavours of the Mediterranean, Arabian & Italian. At Holiday Inn Resort, Cavelossim @ 9 am to 11 pm +918322871303

Spice Studio

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

Cafe Mardi Gras

24 hrs cafe serving seafood, Goan, North Indian, Coffee & snacks At Holiday Inn Resort, Cavelossim @ All day +918322871303

from page 19 the state for these particular offerings. But it’s the Western delicacies that we believe sets this place apart from the pack.

Anyone who’s travelled to the West and spent time in Asian restaurants there knows that they often serve a far blander variety of cuisine than what you get in Asia. That’s because Western food is blander than Asian food, and the owners of Asian restaurants in the West often feel the need to Westernize their food in order to appease the local palate. Interestingly, the reverse often happens in the East. Owners of restaurants with Western offerings often feel the need to Asian-ize the food, spicing it up to appease the local palate HERE. Now even within this context of spiced-up Western offerings, Coros takes things a step further. On a recent afternoon, we took one bite of the Steak Bordelaise, tenderloin medallions in red-wine sauce, and pretty much had to pinch ourselves to prove it was not a dream. This is about as good as food on this earth gets! And this, along with other dishes such as the Seafood Thermidor, the Stroganoff and the Coros Famous Stuffed Crab, helps explain why Coros has gained a reputation as something of a “foodie” haven in Panjim.

So come here for the steak and the lasagne and the whole fish. That’s the real draw. That’s not to say the Goan Smoked Chorizo and Pao and the Prawn Balchao won’t stir your soup as well.  Price: Reasonable for its category. Expect to pay around Rs 1,500 for a complete meal for two without alcohol.

The Big Draw: The Western offerings, especially the Steak Bordelaise Ambience: Simple and elegant Contact: 1,2,3,4 Models Marine Castle, Off Miramar-Dona Paula bypass Panjim, GA 403001 098 50 672911 The stylish interiors at Coros

22 Movie Review

Oblivion:

Rising from the Ashes of Memory

By José Lourenço

W

hat’s the new, big idea behind Oblivion? Every discerning sci-fi film buff looks for a concept in a new film. In the Leonardo Di Caprio-starrer Inception, it was dream architecture―that dreams could exist within dreams. In Peter Jackson’s District 9, it was the chilling metaphor of apartheid, retold in an alien-human society.

So what earth-shattering idea does this 2013 American sci-fi flick bring to us?

Oblivion tells us this― even if a shred of humanity lingers on in a re-engineered Man, it will eventually return to its full glory and redeem Mankind. Oblivion however, struggles to convey this, and if you ‘get’ this concept at the end of this film, consider yourself well and truly redeemed.

Jack Harper, played by Tom ‘War of the Worlds’ Cruise, is a drone mechanic on an Earth that has been ravaged by

an alien invasion 60 years earlier. He and his colleague Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) believe they are the last two humans on the planet, living in a tower standing thousands of feet above the scarred ground. Their brief is to clean up the remaining aliens helped by drones, deadly airborne machines that scan and destroy alien life forms. Hydro rigs hover over the oceans, ‘mining’ Earth’s water for energy.

Jack and Victoria receive instructions via video link to Sally, their commander.

The couple are due to shortly join the exiled human settlement on Saturn’s moon, Titan. They have both had their recent memories erased, for ‘security reasons’.

But Jack begins to get recurring dreams and flashbacks of an unfamiliar, yet smiling woman in New York before the invasion.

Harper is troubled by the dream flashes of his past. But Victoria wants to wrap up the job on Earth and go ‘home’ to Titan. She reminds him―“Our job is not to remember, remember?”

Harper checks on a spacecraft that has

crashed to Earth and rescues a woman hibernating in a sleep capsule. He is stunned to see that the drones kill all the other crew members of the wrecked craft.

Our hero is equally astonished to discover that the ‘aliens’ he has been battling are a band of humans hiding out in the ruins of the surface, led by an outlandish character played by Morgan Freeman. A visit with Julia (Olga Kurylenko), the mystery female astronaut to the top of the buried Empire State Building brings back hazy memories that confirm what the woman tells him – that she is his wife from before the alien meltdown.

The slick ultra modern interiors of the

tower pod where Harper lives, as well as the super realistic special effects are spectacular. A shattered moon orbits the earth, a colossal reminder of the apocalyptic war. Victoria is a perfect woman. A tad too perfect, one thinks. Is she for real?

As surprises tumble out through Oblivion, produced and directed by Joseph Kosinski, the viewer wonders whether anything in the film is really what it purports to be. If the aliens being ‘mopped up’ are human, is Commander Sally a human being? Are Harper and Victoria human beings?

If you are into ‘ruin porn’, the oohing and aahing over desolate, ravaged cities, Oblivion offers some excellent imagery.

You gasp as you recognize familiar buildings that have been folded over and embraced by rocky terrain, caused by the earthquakes after the Armageddon.

The plot slows down midway in the film, particularly as the all too familiar image of Morgan Freeman as rebel leader appears.

Oh no, not again, you groan, recalling Matrix, Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus et al. But the suspense kicks in again briefly towards the end.

A college kid walking out of the hall with his mates ribbed his girlfriend― “You didn’t understand it, I know, soglem tokle voilean gelem (it all went over your head)” That means this sci-fi flick really sank into oblivion for the baffled damsel. Let’s hope Mr Boyfriend fared better.

But if you do get the film’s meaning in the end―its noble idea for human redemption― you will have spent your time well, and will buck up your hope for mankind, whether Armageddon arrives or not! 

News Feature 23

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Goa and its beggars from page 7 common sight, especially in regions known to be tourist havens. Women with crying or frail infants in arms, begging for alms is also a common sight in Goa’s coastal belts frequented by tourists, especially foreigners.

“The idea is to attract attention with the plight of the baby and eke out generous contributions, especially the foreigners,” says Police Inspector, Nolasco Raposo.

Nolasco, who heads the sensitive Calangute police station and with jurisdiction over the entire CandolimCalangute- Baga stretch, rescued 18 child-beggars just this past December.

Nolasco himself led the team and had an NGO activist in tow when the kids were picked up from the area around the Calangute church and sent to Apna Ghar, the government-run protection home in Merces, a village on the outskirts of Panjim.

Nolasco says he acted on the request of Goa’s Child Rights Protection Commission.

When it’s adults who are caught begging, the police book them under the provisions of anti-begging laws, which are lenient and generally allow the beggars to be promptly freed.

The police inspector continued the drive early this year and netted three more kids.

According to Sameera Kazi, the chairperson of the Child Rights Protection Commission, the rescued children will be repatriated to their home states once family members are found who can take them in.

It’s clear that many of Goa’s beggars are from outside the state, attracted by the spending power of tourists. The cop in charge of Calangute says it’s the European tourists they mostly target.

“I know several of them who come to Goa only for two-three months in peak season only to beg,” Nolasco said. He declined to name them, however, or to say whether he initiated any action to repatriate them.

Giving alms to the poor is a Goan tradition, exemplified by the Dempo family, which regularly organises lunches for dozens of prisoners at least twice a week.

“It’s a tradition started by our ancestors and it’s our duty to continue it,” said a member of the Dempo family, who said he didn’t want his first name used so as to adhere to a tradition of anonymous giving. They are not alone and some other wealthy Goan families too follow this tradition of providing meals to beggars.

Another traditional custom here in Goa, and followed to this day, is to organise sumptuous meals for beggars on the eve of Catholic marriages.

Known in Konkani as ‘Bikareanchem Jevonn’ (beggars’ meal), about a dozen poor people are invited to the house and treated to a good Goan meal by the host,

the bride.

It has special significance among Goa’s Catholics and is intended to remember long dead ancestors of the family. Among Goa’s majority Hindu community, the tradition is followed but by a different name―devkarem.

In the past, older women from lesser privileged communities in Goan villages would go around in twos or threes begging for alms. It was a common sight to see them blessing the children of the house after receiving a little rice grain in a kotti, a dried coconut shell. No money was asked for. With greater prosperity across all strata of society, this practise has now faded away.

Many Goans see today’s breed of beggars as aggressive and unwanted.

They want the Goa police to do more than just sporadically pick up beggars and book them under lenient anti-begging laws - mostly because the state feels that their presence hurts tourism.

“The signs, women with crying infants in their arms to beg among others amply point to the possibility that they are organised into a begging syndicate,” says Jonathan D’Souza, whose NGO Helping Hands works closely with the cops to rescue the children made victims.

“They should launch a pan-Goa investigation and probe thoroughly to get to the bottom of a possible begging racket,” he adds.

Neither Jonathan D’Souza nor the other NGO representatives contacted for this story were able to definitively state whether beggar syndicates are at work in Goa – a surprising reality given their task of working closely with beggars. 

A traditional custom here in Goa, and followed to this day, is to organise sumptuous meals for beggars on the eve of Catholic marriages.

Known in Konkani as ‘Bikareanchem Jevonn’ (beggars’ meal), about a dozen poor people are invited to the house and treated to a good Goan meal by the host, the bride.

24 Hot Streets Dear Acaricia May

Brains turn me off

I am a 34 year old single male. My problem is the kind of women I am attracted to. I meet a lot of intelligent, sophisticated and attractive women in my line of corporate work.

But I don’t find any of them sexually attractive. I can hold conversations with them on deep and philosophical topics, and even go dancing and have a great time, but it’s all very intellectual pleasure.

I am really ashamed to admit that the women who really arouse me are not the intelligent types at all.

When I meet a raw, simple girl, who may even be a bit silly, I get turned on like hell. I even have a huge crush on my maid who is really sexy, but totally illiterate. I see silly young housewives who drop their kids to school and then go shopping around town in their figure hugging outfits, blowing up their husbands’ hard earned money, and I feel quite angry at them.

But I also find them very hot and desirable. I know I will probably be miserable if I marry such an airhead, or even an illiterate woman, but why do I

Volkswagen opens Corner showroom in North The

M

ohite Automotive marked its foray into the automotive segment with the opening of its Volkswagen showroom in North Goa at Porvorim on Wednesday, April 17.

With the formal inauguration of this dealership, Volkswagen, which is Europe’s leading car manufacturer, reached another milestone in its commitment to bring its world class cars closer to its brand enthusiasts in Goa. “We have a strong line-up of cars in the country and need to make these accessible to customers. Our opening of

this dealership with Mohite Automotive is a step in this direction,” said Arvind Saxena, managing director of the Volkswagen passenger cars, at the inauguration of the showroom.

The showroom boasts of state-of-theart facility in keeping with Volkswagen’s standards.

Director of the Mohite Group, Abhishek Mohite said: “Mohite group is happy to make its foray in the automotive sector with a company like Volkswagen and is committed to strengthen the association in the future.”

First anniversary celebrations of Goa Culinary Club at O Coqueiro, Porvorim. The club meets every month to discuss Goan cuisine and interact with cuisine buffs.

Actor Nana Patekar, Arvind Saxena, MD of Volkswagen passenger cars and Abhishek Mohite, Director of Mohite Automotive at the inauguration of the Volkswagen Goa North showroom.

feel this way? Why don’t I feel desire for the intelligent women around me? Am I suffering from some kind of complex?

Savio, Panjim Dear Savio, Sexual attraction is a deeply personal and intricate thing, depending on a great number of factors, including childhood exposures and genetic leanings. It’s also quite flexible, so that a quality that attracts you today may not attract you tomorrow. How would you feel if you saw one of those smart ladies acting silly in a figure hugging outfit?

And what if you actually sat down with one of the “airheads” and learned she could hold her own perfectly well on deep and philosophical topics?

Savio, don’t beat yourself up over your attractions. Go with the flow, but be open to its diversion into unexpected tributaries!

By the way, why are you calling women airheads and getting angry over their spending habits? Acaricia May promises not to judge you if you stop judging them!

Love, Acaricia May Send all your questions about sex, relationships, love and romance to Acaricia May at acariciamay@goastreets.com.

USEFUL STUFF www.goastreets.com

Thursday, April 18, 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 Vintage Ambulance +91 8322232533 /+91 9823059948 Ambulance Trust (Margao) 2731759/2714464 Mapusa Ambulance Service (Mapusa) 2262372 Helpline (Dona Paula) 2453303 Super markets Magsons Super Market Miramar, St Inez, Caculo Mall, Caranzalem, Vasco, Verna and Varca

25

2463700/2463701/2463702 Orchard Stores Anjuna. 2273231 Newton’s Arcade Candolim. 2489056 Delfinos Super Stores, Candolim, 2356895 / 5235685 Maple Leaf Supermarket Porvorim, 6454099 Parsekar Stores Mandrem, 0832 2247345/2247900

Pharmacies Jeevan Rekha Medical Store Panjim. 2435946 Holy Spirit Medical Services Margao. 2737433 Bardez Bazaar Mapusa. 2256620/2250618 Walson & Walson Calangute. 2276366 Nayana Medical Stores Porvorim. 2417818

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 Vasco Information Counter 2512673

Bus Services Kadamba Road Transport Corporation 133 Kadamba Transport Corporation 2438034/2438036 Manish Volvo 2444056 Paulo Travels 2438531 Neeta Volvo 2438088

Police stations Margao 2705095 Mapusa 2262231 Pernem 2201233 Anjuna 2273233 Calangute 2278284 Porvorim 2417704 Old Goa 2285301 Ponda 2313101 Colva 2788396 Vasco Harbour 2512234 Verna 2782325 Canacona 2633357

Railway Stations Canacona Code:CNO +918322643644 Madgaon Code:MAO +918322712790 Pernem Code:PERN +918322201283 Thivim Code:THVM +918322298682 Vasco de Gama Code:VSG +918322512398/+918322512131 Karmali Code:KRMI +918322285798

Medical and Hospitals Dial-A-Doctor (Toll Free) 1911 Blood Bank 2458724 Vrundavan Hospital, Mapusa +918322250022/+918326713535 Apollo Hospital Margao. 2728888/ 6728888 Manipal Hospital Panjim. 3048800 Vintage Hospital Panjim. 2426650

Post Offices Panjim GPO 2223706 Margao 2715791 Mapusa 2262235 Calangute 2276030

Safety Information Tourist Police Booths Miramar 2464260 Tourist Police Booths Calangute 2281238 Tourist Police Booths Vagator 2274031

DreamZ Spa and Salon At Campal, Panjim @ 10 am to 9 pm +918322223628 Sukho Thai -The Thai Foot Spa At Calangute @ 11 am to 11 pm +918326511265 Sohum Spa At Royal Orchid Beach Resort & Spa, Utorda @ 9.30 a to 10 pm +918322884400/ +918322884401

Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa

At Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa, Arossim beach, Cansaulim +918322721234/ +919923207075 edra.godinho@hyatt.com goa.park.hyatt.com

Aaron Fernandes This snake charmer has plans for your skin Photographs by Arun Pavaratty

By Jonathan Rodrigues

B

eyond the climb that takes you to St. Xaviers College, Mapusa is a slope that leads you to Siolim; turn right as the slope ends and watch for an old house on your left. The stones lie half-naked on a demolished wall, scantily clothed by creepers crawling to the roof.

The creepers, however, are not the only things that crawl in this property; besides the flora, there’s the ‘snaky’ fauna that slide through doors and windows. Here lives Aaron Fernandes – wildlif enthusiast, tattoo artist and body painter.

“It all began under a strict disciplinarian at St. Britto’s School, Fr. Joaquim D’Mello,” Aaron says of his fascination for snakes. “I was one of those mischievous boys who got locked up in his room as punishment, where vipers would be crawling around the floor. Interestingly, I never got scared and I guess the connection began there.”

“I believe the reason I have never been bitten by one is because I don’t charge to rescue a snake,” he declares, exhibiting an underlying belief in the power of karma. He explains that it is more out of love that he took up the mission to protect wildlife. Aaron co-founded ‘Chameleon Wildlife Organization’, an NGO devoted to rescuing and rehabiting wildlife, especially snakes.

Besides being saviours on the field, Chameleon also takes up the task of educating and encouraging locals, primarily in rural areas, on how to manage encounters with the reptiles. “We try to clear their doubts about how they are supposed to deal with a snake and this education can prevent them from killing the creatures. There is no point in freaking out.”

All his experiences have surely helped him study and understand their behavior and personality more closely. “Snakes are not to be treated as pets, they cannot hear nor understand like dogs,” he explains.

“It’s that wild instinct in them that cannot be domesticated.”

Being wild is very much connected to being free and that is how he prefers it in his other passion as a tattoo and body painting artist. You don’t have to spend a lot of time with Aaron to understand that there is no contradiction between his dual passions.

“An artist needs to be at peace and away from all distractions. That personal space and privacy is very essential to me,” he says about his humble tattoo parlour.

Now, Aaron is not one of those who entertain a client without a prior chat.

“I do not take walk-ins. I would like to sit down with the person and try and empathize as to why he or she desires that particular tattoo. I believe a tattoo should be very personal and unique and hence it

Aaron inks out a star image tattoo

cannot be done at the spur of the moment.”

Tribal tattoos like that of the Maori are significant to the culture and clan.

Formerly tattoos mostly lay in the domain of gangsters and hippies, but now it has turned more global. “Associating tattoos with the hippies is quite natural; it’s a lifestyle I guess, they are never rigid and always live free. They don’t follow the crowd.” However, he admits that he has customers from different sections of the society. “All sorts of people come here.

People with white collar jobs too, they normally get it done in less prominent places (on the body) due to their job limitations.”

Why do people want a tattoo? “It’s sometimes a style, or peer pressure and mostly as a memento. I sit down and try to understand their reasons for wanting a tattoo. Because a tattoo is forever, it’s not like your clothes that you can change every day. So they should be very sure of the design before they get it on.”

His popularity has crossed boundaries, with even Russians newspapers featuring him. “I would love a chance to improvise; I get many ideas as I go along doing the tattoo. Styles come out in black and grey.

My trademark is the funky trippy lines, intertwined like the roots of the tree.” A Rastafarian in philosophy and lifestyle,

he is quick to add, “You don’t need to necessarily do weed because you wear a tattoo on your body.”

When he is at work he is a sight to watch.

Absolutely focused and going through the routine preparatory phase like a world class surgeon. Wearing blue gloves and a focus light attached to his headgear, he begins inking you. His art will be etched on your skin for a lifetime. All the rave reviews

What can I do for you today?

I gathered from friends and newspapers are perfectly true; he is a class apart.

So, the next time you either have a Russell ’s viper hissing around your house, or need to ink a King Cobra onto your skin, either way, keep calm and call Aaron. Aaron Fernandes can be contacted at the ‘Chameleon Wildlife Org’ Facebook page, phone: +91 9850560560

I’d like a skull and bones on my backside, please.

Photographs by Arun Pavaratty

The many faces of Asha Asha Bhosle and Pt. Hridaynath Mangeshkar in concert at Kala Academy, Panjim

a o G

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