Goa Streets - Issue 26

Thursday, May 2, 2013 | Vol. No. I | Issue 26 | Price Rs. 10 | Pages 28 | www.goastreets.com

Jazz at the park • pg 3 Entry tax fallout • pg 7 Psychedelia unmasked • pg 8

Goan Crazy again Remo unplugged

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

10 ways to cool off 12 • Curdi resurrected 17 • Tiger spotting 18

2

what’s hot this

week Up to May 8 Australian Barbecue food festival

May 4 White Out

With Dj Rinton-DJ Su.Edits-DJ Benz Dj Russel- Dj Lester - DJ Jericho At Jackson’s beach cafe, Candolim @ 3 pm

Feast on delightfully juicy cuts of meats and ocean-fresh seafood at Simply Grills, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa For reservations call 0832-2463333.

May 2, 3, 4, 5 Goa Beach Grind 2013

May 5

Goa’s biggest grooviest, swankiest EDM Fest.

Featuring the world’s coolest and hottest DJs At Betalbatim beach @ 4.30 pm +919922929644

Mad over Sunset

Featuring Ajit Pal, Lasker, Ryan n Navin, Jay, Usman Peppy, Alli Marc, David, Kiran, MIc At Wind mill Cafe, Candolim @ 4 pm +918326511005

May 2 to May 3 Painting Exhibition

At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 10 am to 7.30 pm +918322420453

May 5 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

May 4 to May 5 Education Expo Goa 2013 At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 10 am to 9 pm +918322420453

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Clubs/Bars/Lounges/ Live Music Marbela Beach

Luxury tents, Restaurant, Lounge, Spa Specialising in Italian, Seafood, it’s a place for food, fun and fantasy At Gawdewada, Morjim-Ashvem Rd @ 7 am to Midnight +918326450599/+919158881185

Concert in the Park

International Jazz Day in Goa

Crystal Farrel

Butter Lounge

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

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

Club IANOS

Club & Global Cuisine Calangute, Baga Road 0832 6528283

May 2

Thursday Night Live

@ The Sofala Smashing Jan Graveson and the mesmerizing Moon Arra Duo jamming live With Smoking Chutney featuring Jan Graveson (vocals) Moon Arra Duo (vocals, guitar), 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

May 3

Friday Night Tribal Gathering With Graeme At Laguna Anjuna, Anjuna @ 8 pm +919011071941

By Goa Streets

T

he mood is festive at the Garcia da Orta garden, named after a legendary Jewish botanist of the colonial era. Elderly women in floral dresses mingle with teenagers running around a stage set beneath a white pergola.

A attractive woman in an orange sphagetti top chats animatedly to a ‘hippie’ in multicoloured polka dotted pants. Birds throng the evening air, a prelude to the music to come. A mango drops into the lap of a gent seated under a tree, but no major harm is done. Laughter all around.

Last year UNESCO declared the 30th of April as International Jazz Day and Jazz Goa, a group promoting jazz and live music, celebrated it with a concert in the park.

This year too, Jazz Goa at the Jardim Garcia de Orta in Panjim grooved to the music of artists from Goa, across India and other countries. This year, the main concert took place in Istanbul, as Turkey was the host country for the Jazz Day celebrations. Jazz Goa’s director Colin D’Cruz got in touch with UNESCO, requesting for India as the next host country, with Panjim as host city.

He was informed that it could be possible in 2015. “This would be a huge event for India and Goa where musicians from all over the world have found an inspiring

Ultra Brass Sound quartet

home,” says Colin.

Ultra Brass Sound, an ensemble of wind musicians from Panjim, opens the concert. It’s a slow start for the event, as the rendition, though a commendable effort, is a bit rusty. Things pick up quickly, though, with the arrival on stage of Chico Fonseca, a veteran Goan singer, singing Portuguese, English and Konkani songs,

plucking away on an acoustic guitar.

Zezinho Fernandes, a bespectacled guitarist-singer, is popular among the locals. He belts out several Spanish and Portuguese numbers, joined by a lady striking a cowbell.

The impromptu open-mic mood is

turn to page 5

Melon Bash

music & nightlife | 03 Jazz day in Goa

Celebrating Parra’s favourite fruit!

Edwin lobo productions & La Calyps Baga Tidal wave brothers in arms DJ Ryan Sparx Compere RJ Ayesha Barretto At Emerald Lawns, Parra @ 4 pm

Special Ladies Night

With Guest DJ & Aggie At The Radisson Blu, Tito’s Lane, Baga @ 9 pm +918888061199

lowdown | 06

Fabulous Friday

news feature | 07 Entry tax dilemma

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

May 4

White Out

With Dj Rinton-su-edits-Dj benz Dj Russel- Dj Lester - DJ Jericho At Jackson’s beach cafe, Candolim @ 3 pm

feature | 08

May 5

Mad over Sunset

Inside the drug scene

Featuring Ajit Pal, Lasker, Ryan n Navin, Jay, Usman peppy, Alli Marc, David, Kiran, MIc At Wind mill Cafe, Candolim @ 4 pm +918326511005

arts & entertainment | 10 The Gaudda Song book

Sizzling Saturday

With Dj Navin & spike At White House Restaurant and bar, Dona Paula @ 8 pm +918322453839

May 2, 3, 4, 5

Explore | 12

Goa Beach Grind 2013

Goa’s biggest grooviest, swankiest EDM Fest.

Featuring the world’s coolest and hottest DJs At Betalbatim beach @ 4.30 pm +919922929644

10 Chill out ideas

cover story | 14

May 10 to May 12

Remo Fernandes unplugged

Final Wave 2013

At The Park on Holiday beach, SinQ @ 4 pm to 10 pm & 10 pm to 4 am

Until May 28

feature | 17

Retro and all time Hits

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

Curdi rises from the depths

news feature | 18 Hope for tigers

Until May 26

Watch, Play & Party

At Zaia Bar, Calangute @ 4 pm to 11 pm +918322275331/ +918322275332

Until May 30 Salsa Night

food | 19

movies | 22

Dinner at the Verandah

Iron Man, the third

At L’Orange, Candolim @ 8 pm to 11 pm +919970173606

Until May 25

Saturday Sundown

streetspeak | 23 The Omelette Man

sex | 24

give back| 26 Films from waste

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

Uptill May 31

Mekong Lounge

Is playing host to your sporty side all this month. Watch your favourite IPL teams batting it out; Vote for the winning team and get set to be our man of the match.

Beers, shots, coffee cocktails, Mojito’s and more all through the matches.

At Mekong Lounge, Panjim +918380072277 / +918888662233.

Beer, BBQ & Blues

Veeam & the Highway Stars to perform live.

At Sweet Chilli, Sinquerim, Candolim.

From 8 pm to 11 pm +918322479446/ +918325625693/ +919890651163/ +919860182932

On-going

Pickled Mango

Multi Cuisine serving culinary delights from around the world. @ Resort Rio, Arpora @ 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm Mon: Karaoke time with Bonny Tue: Music by Jus’ Leo n Zie Wed: Grill Nite with Music fever Thur: Rock n Retro by Country Joe Fri: Dance your blues away with Party Creation Sat: Rio Festival with Crossroads band Sun: Live entertainment with Hyden and Natasha +918322267300

Shivers Garden

Restaurant & Sports Bar At Candolim

@ 7.30 pm Wed: Bingo Nite Sat: Dance Nite & Live football broadcast Sun: Sunday Roast (2 pm)

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

Martin’s Corner

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

Music & Nightlife 5

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Natalie Matos jams with musicians of Jazz Junction

from page 3 evident as a friend of the genial host Raymond Albuquerque does some solos.

Quinton Creado from Mahim croons Cheating Heart, Blueberry Hill and All of Me, accompanied by Mumbai-based Desmond Taylor on the guitar.

But Taylor and his fellow guitarist Barry Murray really blow the audience next, with beautiful renditions of Cavatina, the theme from the film Deerhunter, and a Simon & Garfunkel classic – Mrs. Robinson. The lead work and vocal harmonies are lovely, and it is evident that these gentlemen from Mumbai are a seasoned duo.

An exuberant Varun Carvalho goes solo next, singing his original compositions ‘Set Me Free’ and ‘Amche Goa’, with the percussionist Carlos Gonsalves thumping on a simple wooden box.

The lady in the orange top gets on stage with a box guitar. She is Natalie Matos, a British folk singer, scheduled to fly home the next day. Her voice is powerful, carrying her songs effortlessly. “Hang on to our rhythm, manifest the stars,” she sings. She has a red flower in her hair. After another, a slower song, she pulls Colin D’Cruz, Carlos and Sancho Menezes, a keyboardist on stage to jam on two songs - ‘Free’ and ‘Goddess’.

“Will Monserate be playing?” asks the gent seated next to me. He was passing by and dropped in. The Monserate Brothers are Goan musicians, popular for their blowing mettle. They’re not here today.

The Moon Arra Duo from Bangalore are next. Jagdish on the guitar and Madhuri on the vocals are usually part of a larger ensemble. They open with an Indo-jazz

Jagadish of the Moon Arra group

fusion song. Madhuri captures the night – “Birds flying high, you know how I feel...” – her vocal range sweeps from a deep bass to a shrill high. An upbeat swingy track is next ‘You Get a D in Love’. Jagadish come into his own in a jam with Colin D’Cruz with a mind blowing interpretation of the Beatles classic Norwegian Woods.

A strange percussionist then sets up an African xylophone on stage. He has a bongo strapped on too. “My name is Ping Pong .

But I am not Chinese. I am a hippie, I have been in Goa for 40 years.” The crowd cheers.

As Christian Marwitz aka Ping Pong sets up his stuff, he tells the audience – “A percussion player plays an instrument. But he also plays the larger instrument, the Panjim city,” referring to the echoes from the houses around.

He throbs away at the xylophone of little pots for a while, and then enters the audience, pounding at his bongo. “Are you tired?” he exhorts the crowd to sing along. “No we aren’t” is the crowd’s refrain.

“Then let’s go!” he replies. These three lines comprise the shortest lyrics for the night, yelled repeatedly by Ping Pong and the motley gathering. No mike here, no electronics, just one shaman and his tribe, a true hippie moment!

Jazz Junction occupies centre stage next, with Colin D’Cruz on bass guitar, Lester Godinho on drums, Benoy Rai on lead guitar, Jason Quadros on keyboard. Their trademark groove ‘Jazz Goa Blues’ sweetens the air. Susan Rocha takes the vocals and Johnny Fernandes and Simon Hewitt do guest turns on the saxophone. The aficionados linger on, soaking it all in. It’s a great night for jazz. 

6 The Lowdown The Lowdown He’s Goa’s most celebrated performer, and he’s the Cover Guy in this week’s edition of Goa Streets. As you will see, Remo Fernandes did not pull punches or hold back in his interview with Streets Editor José Lourenço.

He just tells it like it is, and the results make for some very interesting reading.

In this issue, we also explore Goa’s illicit drug scene to provide you with a seldom or neverreported view from the inside. This is not about condoning or condemning anything, but about reporting a relevant reality.

We also bring you the second instalment of our new section StreetSpeak, highlighting the real-life stories of the people of Goa. This week it’s a moving piece about a man behind the food cart, and the extraordinary way he lifted up his family by selling omelettes.

Christian Marwitz aka Ping Pong and accompanist

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

Also introducing a pay for 1 JAGERBOMB and shoot another for absolutely FREE, along with free COSMOPOLITANS for the ladies all night long.

At Butter, Panjim @ 8 pm +918308838888

Ladies Night

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 Salsa Night

At L’Orange Marquis Vaddo, Candolim @ 8 pm to 11 pm +919970173606/+919823291413

Rock n Roll

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

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

Russian Ecstasy Nights

Thursday Grill and Games

Jam Session

Every Friday

At Radisson blu resort, Cavelossim beach @ 9 pm +918326726666/+918888061199 A musical adventure with Goa’s one & Only Zezhinio At Sweet Chilli, Sinquerim @ 7.30 pm +91 9820820254

Music, games & barbeque At Soul Souffle, Verna @ 7 pm to 10 pm 2782100, +91 9764694321

Ladies Night and Hoteliers Special At Radisson Blu Resort Cavelossim @ 9 pm +918326726666/ +918888061199

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.

Karaoke Night At Fiplee’s, Benaulim @ 9 pm to 11.30 pm +918322770123/ +919822153545

Every Saturday Silent Noise

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

And don’t forget about the tigers. Several months back we ran a cover story on the Goan tiger. Now one of these majestic animals has been photographed, providing proof once and for all of their presence in the forests of Goa. We invite you to take a look at Ashley do Rosario’s story about the chief minister’s proposed entry tax, putting the entire topic into perspective. Please also see our story about how International Jazz Day was celebrated in Goa, in addition to our stories on food and folklore, our quirky movie review and Acaricia May’s weekly column on sex and relationships.

Happy reading!

Retro Party

The Goa Streets Team

Funky Saturday are Back

Chief Advisor - Steven Gutkin Publisher - Marisha Dutt Editor - José Lourenço Senior Correspondent - Ashley Do Rosario Business Manager - Praveen P Sales Executive - Rajeev Radhakrishnan Sales Executive - Kedar Prabhugaonkar Web Sales Executive - Alisha Naik Data Entry Operator - Radhika Naik Photographer - Arun Pavaratty Administrative Assistant - Nilesh Shetgaonkar

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.

At Butter, Panjim @ 8 pm onwards

Every Sunday Gravity

With Savio, Cieza and Velroy At Fipplee’s, Benaulim @ 8 pm +918322770123/+919822153545

Sunday afternoon’s in Panjim are never gonna be

The same again. Mekong plays host to the hottest DJ’s In town with The Sunday Mekong Grind.

At Mekong, Panjim 12:00 pm to 8:00pm. +918380072277 / +918888662233.

Feature 7

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Entry Tax for Goa?

By Ashley Do Rosario

D

epending on your point of view, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s plan to impose an ‘entry tax’ on vehicles entering Goa from other states is an inflationary blunder or a legitimate revenue generator at a time of need.

Both sides have their arguments. Some say it’s not the truckers or the suppliers who will pay in the end, but you and me, in the form of higher prices for basic goods. Others wonder whether the entry fees ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000 are really too much to ask when the state badly requires additional revenue because of the Supreme Court-imposed mining ban.

Opponents of the tax say it would be easier to swallow if we knew the funds would actually be put to good use rather than line the pockets of politicians. Proponents ask how the government can be expected to provide decent education, health care and other services without sufficient funds.

Opponents point out that Goa would be the only state in India to impose an entry tax. Proponents say Goa, unlike other states, doesn’t charge road tolls.

Many of the business people, industrialists and traders consulted by Streets are down on the measure.

“It will surely affect the cost of production. It will also exert inflationary pressure on other materials transported by road into Goa, especially food grains, vegetables and fruits,” said Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Manguirish Pai Raikar.

Parrikar imposed the ‘entry tax’of Rs 1,000 for trucks (lorries), Rs 500 for tempos, Rs 250 for cars and Rs 100 for three-wheelers.

Budget documents reveal that the State expects to collect about Rs 100 crores through the entry tax this fiscal year.

The move provoked a strong reaction from commercial transporters from across the border in the neigbouring states of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The Belgaum Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Karnataka Milk Federation and Belgaum’s Wholesale Vegetable Market Association expressed strong displeasure.

Last week, transporters even resorted to a two-day flash strike, which starved Goa’s vegetable, fruit and grocery

A deeper look

markets of supplies and triggered a sudden spurt in prices.

Goa’s markets are heavily dependent on the neighbouring districts, particularly Belgaum in Karnataka and Kholapur in Maharashtra, for supplies of fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, fish, meat and other items.

In a meeting with transporters, Parrikar stood his ground, justifying his decision by drawing attention to high toll fees charged by other states for the use of roads.

However, he promised some concessions, like issuing monthly passes at reduced rates for trucks and other vehicles which transport essentials like milk.

The meeting with Parrikar, according to the representatives of the Kholapur and Belgaum trade bodies, was ‘not so fruitful.’ They called off their campaign temporarily because of elections in Karnataka but may renew it in the coming days.

Parrikar seems in no mood to climb down from his decision, which he hopes will help compensate for coffers starved of nearly Rs 850 crores a year that came in from mining.

“Why shouldn’t we charge the entry tax? All other states charge toll for using their roads,” Parrikar said.

He said he would not be cowed by the “blackmail tactics” of striking transporters. Speaking on the issue in the Goa Legislative Assembly, Parrikar said,

it is a matter of the state’s ‘prestige’ to charge the tax and that he will not listen to the diktats of trade organisations of the neighbouring states.

Traders, he said, cannot stop transportation of essential commodities and issued a veiled threat by reminding them that their petrol and diesel is routed through Goa (and presumably could be stopped).

He didn’t have any cash.”

Former Parliamentarian Amrut Kansar takes issue with Parrikar’s stance.

A veteran legal practitioner who also taught Constitutional Law, he says the principle adopted by the chief minister to impose the tax may not violate the letter of the law but is questionable on constitutional grounds.

“It’s contradictory to the federal fabric of the Indian Constitution,” Kansar told Streets, saying that it discriminates between vehicle owners from others states and those from Goa. “Even Jammu and Kashmir and some North-Eastern States which enjoy Constitutional autonomy haven’t imposed such entry tax,” Kansar said.

“Any such tax should have been introduced only after consultations with the Centre. National Highways are not the sole property of the State,” Kansar said.

For its part, the opposition Congress party has not yet made its stand on the entry tax clear, but its Member of Parliament, Francisco Sardinha, said he feared it will affect growth in tourism.

“The domestic visitor who travels by road may be kept away,” he said.

Goa, he said, is not a producing state and has to import most commodities of daily use from outside. The state cannot afford to intimidate these traders who supply to the Goan markets, he added. 

8 News Feature

U

By Pedro Menezes

nlike human beings, not all illicit drugs are created equal.

There are uppers and downers and chill-out smokes and energy snorts. Some make you mellow and others rev you up. They are generally harmful to health, with some exceptions, such as medical marijuana for cancer or glaucoma patients.

Drugs in Goa have long been associated with addiction and crime, and for good reason. Since they’re illegal, if you do use, buy or sell them, you are in fact committing a crime. And everyone knows about the slippery slope of even sporadic, recreational drug use, which can easily descend into life-destroying addiction.

But here’s something many readers may not know: Many people, often intelligent, thoughtful ones, see unmistakable benefits to the occasional use of certain mind-altering substances. Tribal peoples around the world have long used hallucinogenic plants and herbs to “commune with the gods.” Others believe use of certain narcotics such as “magic mushrooms” or LSD open up parts of the brain to which we normally don’t have access.

Timothy Leary, who died in 1996, was perhaps the first and most celebrated advocate of psychedelic drugs and their potential to enhance the human experience on earth. He also gave the hippies their favourite slogan: “Turn on, tune in, drop out”.

Please don’t get me wrong. I do not condone the use of these substances.

But we are living in Goa, site of an internationally famous hippie scene that has long been closely linked to drug use. Besides the obvious high, what is the attraction? I decided to find out by penetrating the drug culture of Goa, and asking the users themselves (with their names changed for obvious reasons) Below are my findings.

S

ubhash, one of the ‘gurus’ in the Goan psychedelic scene, conducts private trance-party LSD sessions at his den in North Goa’s Siolim. People who take LSD know exactly how hard it is to put trips into words. Here’s his attempt: “It’s a yogic experience.”

A huge Shiva painting occupies pride of place in the den. The melodies and sounds of Goa Trance music – that hippie genre that first made Goa famous as a kind of drug Mecca - take the tripper higher and higher, he explains, leading them to a state of super-consciousness or the Shiva state of mind. An LSD trip can last for 12 hours or more, depending on the dosage.

We met up with Sunny, a regular ‘tripper’ from Mumbai who visits Goa to party a few times every year. He claimed that many of these party spots, like a riverside hotspot, have “hidden designs” which become “visible” only when you’re “tripping” on LSD. The paintings and sculptures come alive with spiritual and cosmic vibrations and dimensions, he said.

LSD is a hallucinogen which, by altering your brain’s chemical processes,

leads to heightened sensory perception.

Users insist it should be taken in the proper environment with the right kind of music and visual stimulants, because otherwise you can have a “bad trip”, too.

Negative effects can include panic attacks, anxiety, delusions and paranoia – in addition to the impaired judgment while using that can place people in danger.

Different drugs, of course, have different effects. While charas-hashish and grass are considered ‘soft drugs,’ heroin, LSD and cocaine are considered ‘heavy’. Junkies seek the thrill of opiatederivatives like heroin and “brown sugar”, while those on the psychedelic journey trip on LSD, taking it in liquid form as ‘drops’ or through ‘dots’, which are actually micro tablets or through ‘papers’ (tiny bits of blotting papers carrying liquid LSD). These tiny papers look like miniature stamps and usually have a design or print. A popular variety is called Hofmann, named after Albert Hofmann, the Swiss scientist who discovered LSD. Hofmanns, Buddhas and Gorbachevs are among the varieties of LSD available in Goa – named for those on the pictures

of the papers. Hofmanns are supposed to give a more psychedelic experience, while a Buddha trip will give a profoundly blissful experience, according to users.

Subhash swears by ‘Gorbachevs’, a paper with pictures of the former Soviet leader.

They’re very popular with the Russian crowd who come to party in Goa, he says.

“The Gorbachevs really open your mind and set you free, man,” he says. Open your mind as in opening the famous “Doors of Perception”, the name of the book which was written by Aldous Huxley describing the effects of LSD. His friend Stanley described a trance music session they’d had the previous night. “All the lights were expanded and the colors were brutally vivid.”

Although the heyday of Goa Trance is in the past, there are still many Internet forums where Goa freaks connect.

Legends abound about famous people who have done LSD in Goa, including Apple founder Steve Jobs who is said to have done it during a backpacker trip in India back in the mid-70’s. Jobs later told the New York Times that taking LSD was one of the two or three most important things he had done in his life. He said

News Feature 9

Thursday, May 2, 2013

there were things about him that people who had not tried psychedelics – even people who knew him well, including his wife – could never understand.

In recent years, LSD in Goa has been displaced to some degree by the arrival of ecstasy. Ecstasy comes in tablet form, the size of a crocin, and its effects can last for 10 hours. “Ecstasy gives you a very ‘shanti ‘feeling,” says William, a regular user in Calangute. “You feel at peace with yourself and everybody else.” It became popular with party animals because you cannot have a “bad trip” like with LSD. Anxieties disappear. Unlike LSD, ecstasy does not make you hallucinate. It does dehydrate you, however, and other reported side effects include difficulty concentrating, lack of appetite and jaw clenching.

More popular than even ecstasy in the local drug scene is crack-cocaine. The effects are euphoric, says Sandesh from Vagator. “You feel like you come alive and are bursting with good energy. You can dance for a very long time.”

Cocaine, of course, is famous for its energy and its confidence-enhancing qualities. Crack-cocaine is smoked, unlike powder cocaine, which is snorted.

The latter costs upwards of Rs 3,000 a gram, and is considered to be an “elite” drug. Coke freak Patrick describes a recent snort, “Zing! Ahhh…the first rush.

Amazing, absolutely amazing, a burst of

energy and rising euphoria immediately.

Snorting that line feels like the best decision of my life. I feel as if I’ve been elevated to a new plane of awareness and comfort.”

While there are those who use cocaine recreationally and do not get addicted, in general it is a highly addictive substance.

Cocaine addiction can result in psychosis, depression, physiological damage and fatal overdose. Another good reason not to do it: The havoc and violence it causes in the societies where it is produced, distributed and consumed.

Many users in Goa use a combination of these drugs. It’s not uncommon to puff on a spliff or a joint or blow a chillum of hash or charas while using LSD or coke or ecstasy. In fact it’s almost mandatory for Goa Trance babas to blow chillums because of their association with Lord Shiva. Users say that after tripping the whole night or day, these substances help them “chill down”.

Tina, a Goa Trance freak describes the trip this way: “There is the initial overwhelming intensity of an alternate reality, followed by an opportunity for a spiritual-mind expanding journey, ending with a comfortable reflection and application to life period.”

And then there are the opiatederivates like heroin. Some do a frightening combination of coke and heroin called a speedball, injected via

syringe. As one junkie describes it, “The sensation is utterly deafening and overwhelming. The heart slows for just a second, and the air is suddenly knocked from your lungs. The sounds around us quickly lessen and finally mute, and a metallic hiss screams so loudly that nothing else is possibly heard

or understood. My skin grows cold and completely numb. Not a thought flows through my mind, and I feel as though I’m falling through the air at a million miles an hour. Snorting or smoking come nowhere close to the power of this.”

Not for the faint-hearted. 

Two Stoners at Dinner When The Bill Arrives This is a profound and deeply philosophical manuscript.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

May 2

Art Exploration

At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 10 am to 7.30 pm +918322420450

Konkani Play:

Dhumpacho Zoso Pormoll Directed by Comedian Domnic At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 7.30 pm +918322420453

Konkani Play:

Dhumpacho Zoso Parmoll At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 7.45 pm +918322420453

Dance class

By one dance studio +919769896806

May 3

Salam Bollywood live in Concert

Kannar Khell - a pestle dance

By Akshada Bandekar At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 5 pm +918322420453

A Stitch in Time

May 2 to May 3

At Carpe Diem, Majorda @ 10 am to 12.30 pm +918888862462

Painting Exhibition At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 10 am to 7.30 pm +918322420453

Dazzle

Presented by Vaz Boys All goa dance competition the occasion of the Holy Cross At Near the railway gate, Comba, Margao +919822981415/+919822981415

May 4 to May 5

Education expo goa 2013 At kala academy, Panjim @ 10 am to 9 pm +918322420453

May 4

Kannada Play:

April 14 to May 21

He Vantte Dhormanche Directed by Menind De Bandar At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 7.45 pm +919822583218

Socorrchi Girestkai Festival @ 4 pm

April 24 to May 7

May 5

The One Dance Academy

Nach Goenkara

At Margao +919765056005

Annual dance event organized by Unbeatable Dance Academy.

At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 3.30 pm +919423309275

Uptill may 3 BAL natya

May 6

At kala academy, Panjim @ 10 am to 6 pm +918322420450

Basic Photography- Discover Your Style

Everyday

At Carpe Diem, Majorda @ 3 pm to 5 pm +918888862462

May 8

Musical fusion Concert

By all goa youth At Kala Academy, Panjim +918322420453

Mat 1 to May 6 Gruha Shobha

Living style exhibition At Navelim Ground, near rosary Church @ 10.30 am to 9 pm

Art Chamber

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

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

The Song of the Gauddo New book records tribal lore

By Goa Streets

W

omen in bright white and red costumes dance around a pestle, pounding imaginary grain as they sing and tell of happenings in the village and of their young ones who have come of age.

The throbbing of local drums, the ghumot and madallem keeps up a lively rhythm.

Kannar Khell, a Gaudda tribal dance was just one of many colourful performances by men and women of the local Gaudda community at the launch of Goencho Mull Avaz, a book on the Gaudda tribal culture by Joao Fernandes on 28th April at Quepem.

The Dhalo dance was performed next, a thanksgiving for a good harvest. Two lines of women with hands woven around each others’ waists dance to and fro. The fugddi is is a quick paced circular dance.

The Intrumez performance, a unique Gauddi tradition, would take place during weddings and chapel feasts.

The esre is an invocation and blessing for a newly wedded couple. At the book launch event it was performed as the guests entered the venue.

The Gauddi sari or kapodd, worn by the women, has a distinct red and white pattern. The denttli, a knot for the pallu (sari end) which is usually thrown loosely over the shoulder, ensures that it doesn’t come undone when working in the paddy fields.

Its hem is knee high, also a practical

Arts&Entertainment 11

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Carpe Diem

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

At Majorda From 10 am to 6 pm +918888862462

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

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-by-doing 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

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

Esre, an invocation for newly wedded couples

necessity.

Jaki ‘Nadd’ Fernandes, a bespectacled and bald man, played the madhallem (double-ended drum), gumot and kasallem (cymbals). Inacinha Fernandes, 75, showed great stamina as she sang her heart out.

There was a friendly informal spirit in the Intrumez singing. The drummers went off beat at one point and were scolded by the singing women.

After many years of activism for his community through GAKUVED , a body of Gaudda, Kunbi, Velip and Dhangar tribes, and the Christian Adivasi group, Joao Fernandes, a stalwart of the Gaudda community of Ambaulim, Quepem, wanted to do more to document and preserve their tribal culture. He had been recording the Gauddi songs and dances since 1993.

“I am proud to be a Gauddo,” said Joao, a practising lawyer. “We must progress through education and we must also preserve our songs. There is mention of various trees and herbs in our songs. The kindall, gutka, rhumodd...these are our medicines. The smell of the earth and

water of the hills, these are all embodied in our songs. These are all our wealth and we must safeguard them. Look at our mothers are strong, they can sing and dance even in their seventies.”

The book contains the lyrics of the songs and commentary by Joao. Colourful photographs of the dances and rituals adorn the book and a glossary is also included. The text is in the Devanagri script, but great care has been taken to ensure that the phonetics of the Gaudda dialect are kept intact. The book has been published with support from the Department of Art & Culture.

Vincy Quadros, a Konkani writer, spoke on the book. “This book has opened doors to this heritage. People who do not know their heritage are like trees without roots.

The dominance of the English language often takes people away from their roots.

Joao has recorded the songs of his village, but many more songs exist in other villages and they too must be documented.”

Pobre Fernandes, a poet, observed that in Dandeli, Karnataka, the tribals there still

wear flowers in their hair and sport a tikli on their forehead when they go for mass, but in Goa tribal people shy from these traditions.

“After harvesting the women would all break into song and dance and their tiredness would go away,” said Pobre.

“All villagers used to coordinate the harvesting of their parcels of land, so that all benefitted. Today there is no unity, we have become selfish, we harvest without thinking of the neighbour. If he cannot harvest along with me, his fields will be trampled by cows. In the past we used to consider each other’s needs.”

Josefa Fernandes, a village elder, when asked to speak, broke into song. She sang of getting married, of carrying pez (rice gruel) to the paddy fields, and of her father who worked hard to bring them up. If the world is to be made a better place, let’s grow our fields, she sang.

Pundalik Naik, President of Goa Konkani Academy, noted that at the evening’s dances there were teenagers dancing along with the older men and women, an encouraging sign that the culture was being passed on to the next generations.

The Gauddas, the original settlers of Goa, are the true custodians and guardians of Konkani language, he said.

“We call our ancestors illiterate.

But their methodical agriculture, their irrigation systems, the use of herbal medicine, and the ambil diet show that they were an advanced people,” said Naik. He sang a line from a fugdi – “Hadd ek kudoll, mar re dempo, roi tulsi rompo” (Fetch a spade, dig a mound, plant a basil) – that showed they knew that tulsi plants kept away mosquitoes. He also urged the temple and church authorities to allow the tribal people to continue with their traditions like maandd (ritual space), devchar (spirit) and sur-rontt (offering to spirits), as Hinduism and Christianity should accept people along with their original cultures. 

10 Ways to cool off this summer

By Goa Streets



Dudhsagar waterfalls Take a dip at the Dudhsagar waterfalls or Aravalem falls. The cascade may be a bit depleted as compared to monsoon time, but there’s still enough water and foam to keep you cool. Of course, you must stay away from the Devil’s Canyon at Molem and other deep waters with strong undercurrents.



Hit a waterbody



Drink a fruity coolant

Beaches, freshwater springs, rivers and lakes are in plenty all over Goa. Head for a picnic to one of Goa’s many freshwater springs, at places like Kesarval-Cortalim or Mayem Lake, for instance, where the temperature will surely be a few degrees lower. Play water volleyball at a village ogor (freshwater pond). Make sure you can swim before entering any water, even if only waist deep, or wear a lifejacket.



Spend a day at a Water park



Swimming classes Many hotels and gyms offer swimming classes in the summer, handy for kids who are on holidays from school. Grab that chance to learn swimming, lose some flab and keep cool. Bikinied lasses and handsome hunks are a bonus, if present in your class.



Cut your hair short

Ever since Willis Carrier invented modern electric air-conditioning in 1902, millions of ACs have kept humans, foodstuff and computers cool as cucumbers. So pick up one and retreat to your AC den every time the Fahrenheit hits the roof.

Cut those locks down to the bare minimum. Your scalp will ventilate well, cooling you down. Here’s your chance to try out some fancy tram-cuts a la Apache Indian or your favourite rapper or hip hopper.

Scuba diving

Pour down a good old limbu soda down the hatch to chill out. The traditional raw mango drink and the wine red sol-kadi, made from the kokum fruit, also act as great coolants.



Build your own private pool



Get Air conditioning





Swish down a waterslide and dunk yourself in a pool at a water park.

Splashdown at Anjuna provides plenty of slides, rides and pools for kids and adults alike.

Pile up some earth in a circular pattern and cover with a large tarpaulin.

Fill up with water and voila – your own little lounge pool. Emptying and refilling may be a bother, but involve the family and have fun. When the rains come, fold the tarpaulin, flatten the earth and the pool is gone...until next summer.

Cotton up!

Pull on some nice cotton outfits this summer. It’s wedding season too, so gents, pick up a loose jacket instead of those suffocating two-piece formal suits.

And yes, drink loads of water and stay in the shade. Else you risk dehydration and heat stroke.

Explore shipwrecks and look at exotic fish with qualified scuba diving instructors off the Goan coast. Try out the guys at Goa Aquatics, Dreamz Diving, Barracuda Diving and Dive Goa.

13 Thursday, May 2, 2013

May 4

Lecture cum Interactive Session on

‘Activities of Terrorist Groups in our Region and Beyond’

By Amber Sen At The International Centre Goa, Dona Paula @ 11 am to 12.30 pm +918322452805

Sankoll-book launch

At Goa State Museum, Panjim @ 6 pm +918322437306

May 6

Monday to Friday

French Language for kids At Alliance Francaise, Panjim @ 10 am to 12 pm +918322420049

May 4 to May 10

Isabs - national summer event At Dona Sylvia beach resort, Cavelossim @ 12 pm onwards +918326727777

May 4 & May 5

The times of India organising An all girls inter Goa football Tournament. All girls football team between The age group of 12 to 16 years will be batting each other for A chance to be crowded champions.

At opp Nehru stadium, Fatorda or duler stadium, Mapusa @ 9 am onwards

April 29 to May 2 Mural Workshop At Carpe Diem, Majorda @ 3 pm to 5 pm +918888862462

April 29 to May 2

Broken Tiles Mural Workshop At Carpe Diem, Majorda @ 3 pm to 5 pm +918888862462

April 29 to May 12

Junior Summer Soccer Camp At Taleigao Football Ground, Taleigao @ 7.30 am to 9 am

May 1 to May 3

Stitch Craft Workshop At Carpe Diem, Majorda @ 10 am to 12.30 pm +918888862462

May 3 to May 5 Theatre Workshop At Carpe Diem, Majorda @ 3 pm to 6 pm +918888862462

April 29 to May 4 Summer pool camp

At Margao/Vasco/Mapusa @ 10 am to 1 pm +919850464878/+919226726612

April 29 to May 7

Until May 26

Spice Farms

With Toastmasters Club, Age 8-12 yrs Fees: Rs 2000/At Bookworm Library, Taleigao

With Elena Fedosenko At Sunaparanta, Panjim @ 10 am to 12 pm +918322421311

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

Talk the Talk

April 29 to May 12

Junior summer soccer camp At Taleigao football ground, Taleigao @ 7.30 am to 9 am

Drowing Workshop

Every Tuesday Zumba Fitness

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

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

April 24 to May 20

Every Thursday

At Western Ghats +919049081097

Zumba in the water. A water-based workout for cardio-conditioning and body-toning At Grand Hyatt Goa, Bambolim From 10 am to 11 am +918323011603/ +918323011604

April 18 to May 2 Summer Camp

Farm off the Grid

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

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

April 22 to May 4 Sailing Course

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

April 1 to May 2013

Ballroom and Latin- American Dance Classes:

At Peddem, Margao By Gold Medalist (FATD) Tony FernandesTake advantage of the summer holidays And enjoy the technique and grace of the Ballroom dances. +919769896806.

May 4 & May 5

Herald Group Present

Take the Right Steps for a bright future Last Date for stall booking April 30, 2013 At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 10 am to 9 pm +919822130034

May 16

Exploring Great Theatre script Fortnightly play readings At International centre Goa, Dona Paula @ 6 pm to 7 pm +919619348887

This summer

Summer Aloe Fresh

This summer beat the heat with the summer aloe fresh, Treatment Treatment: Aloe Vera wrap with Face Treatment: 1 Hour At Shamana spa, Grand Hyatt, Bambolim +918323011658/+917709004914

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

Tropical spice plantation

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 +918322269409/ +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

Big Foot Cross Museum

Houses 80 classifications of crosses of around the world.

At Big Foot, Loutolim @ 10 am to 5 pm. +918322777034

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 +918322777034, 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 +918322777034

Courses LANGUAGES

Alliance Francaise

Learn French courses, Panjim 2420049/ +91 9922813950

St. Britto

Learn French, Mapusa 2293812/ +91 9049018214

Don Bosco Provincial House Odxel Beginner’s German language course

COOKING

Theresa’s Cookery Classes Margao +91 9970037242

Cooking Classes for foreigners Detroit Institute +91 9822131835.

Taengs Cookery Classes Margao. +91 9822585944

Fatima Menezes E Moniz Cooking classes, Raia. 2776035

Cynthia Dsouza Cooking Classes Verna. 2783281

Bertha Pereira Cooking Classes 2734589. Margao

Vandana’s Bakery Classes Caranzalem. 2462163

Meena’s Cooking Classes Caranzalem. 2462163

GESTO Culinary & Hospitality Academy Margao, 2730873

Water Park that boasts of 5 pools, a variety of slides, flumes and other interesting features. At Splashdown Waterpark, Calangute-Anjuna +91 9637424023/024, +918322273008,

Branca’s Cooking Classes

Monday & Friday

Museums

Martial Arts, Fitness, Health & Self-defence Trainer: Vincent Rosario, Introductory Fee: Rs. 400 per month At The International Centre Goa, Dona Paula @ 5.15 pm to 6.15 pm +919823696138

Ethnographic museum that preserves its universality in its collections of artifacts representing the culture of ancient Goa. At Goa Chitra, Mondo-Waddo, Benaulim @ 9 am to 5 pm +91 9850466165/ +918326570877, Email: goachitra@gmail.com

@ Panjim, Mapusa, Porvorim, Candolim, Aldona and Saligao.

Learn Salsa, Jive Waltz for Adults & Bollywood, Hip Hop & Contemporary dance for kids +91 9975914195

Taekwondo Sessions

Goa Chitra

Panjim 9822131835

David Furtado Dance & Aerobics

Fatima Moniz

Cooking courses, Margao.

2776035/ +91 9370275702

Goan Crazy again Remo Fernandes’s amazing journey has taken him through pop, rock, Indian fusion, playback singing for films and chillout music. Influences from Goan and Portuguese music to African and Latin and Jamaican genres give his songs a charismatic energy.

India’s pioneering rock star talks to Streets’ Editor José Lourenço, among other things, about his latest project - the reworking of one of his finest albums – Goan Crazy.

JL: What kind of music and artistes are you listening to these days?

RF: I listen to different kinds of music, but for the last two weeks I’ve been listening to is Deolinda, a young group from Portugal, fully acoustic and the music is very minimal - two guitars and an acoustic bass. I love their music and their compositions. Most of the time, if you ask musicians who are also composers, most of us don’t really keep abreast of what is the latest music. We’re too busy creating our own music, rather than following what’s happening. That period of ‘following music’ happened many years ago, when I was in college, and we wanted what to know of the latest that Jethro Tull had released, the new Led Zeppelin album, the new James Taylor album...

Cover Story 15

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Photograph by Amrita Barua

JL: You’re re-recording Goan Crazy, your earliest album originally recorded in 1984?

RF: I just finished recording it last night, the last song. Now we’ll start the mixing and the mastering.

JL: Has the timber of your voice changed over these years?

RF: One of my really old friends, who knows me before I recorded Goan Crazy, has heard the new recordings, and he is convinced that it is the same voice.

Luckily for me, it hasn’t changed, and I know some singers whose voice has not changed. Look at Lorna, you hear her singing and you can’t make out that decades have passed.

JL: Is it a problem that music recorded today, especially Konkani music in Goa, is recorded in studios with programming?

RF: No, I don’t think so. The problem is the music itself. If you have a good, inspired song, no one stops to think ‘Oh , but this is programmed.’ A good song is a good song; you don’t have to even think about it, it touches you. If you listen to Birdie Dance, do you stop to wonder whether it is programmed or not? Or Gangnam style? Or Kolaveri Di? Unfortunately here in India, the focus is all on technology. Not enough attention is being given to creativity and originality.

We are proud to be good photo copying machines. Raj Kapoor, one of the so called biggest actors of India was proud to say that he was the Charlie Chaplin of India. Someone else will be proud to say she is the Madonna of India, or that he is the Michael Jackson of India.

Why only people, we are proud to say that Kashmir is the Switzerland of India.

We only value ourselves if we can be compared to something abroad. Goa is the Rome of the East! We pat ourselves on the back, we exaggerate, and say we are the Rome of the East. I think that is the main reason why we have not directed our attention to being original. If we can copy someone from the West, it’s fantastic.

JL: Did you start writing after you travelled around Europe?

RF: I was writing my own songs much before going to Europe. I started doing Indo-Western fusion much before I ever left India. When I was in Bombay, I had a band called Street, because I was fascinated by the street musicians in Bombay, in the trains, the beggars...the rhythms they used to make, they had some fire in them that the established bands didn’t have. These guys, when they got onto a train with some two boxes and a stone and a harmonium, I could hear an energy which I couldn’t hear elsewhere.

I thought, now this will really fuse well with rock, because it’s got that street, that gut power. So we formed a band and did one concert, and then I left for Europe.

JL: Have you mentored any young people in composing original music?

RF: Oh I do that. So many people send me their music and ask me for my opinion. Most of the time I tell them, listen, don’t ask for anybody’s opinion, the first person who has to be happy with something is the artist himself.

10 persons will give you 10 different opinions. If you listen to all of them, your

Remo jamming with A R Rahman

Remo with the legendary Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

song will be everything else except your song. So what are you trying to do, are you trying to make your song or the song of 10 persons?

JL: Where did your ‘scatting’ style (improvised, meaningless syllables sung to a melody) come from?

RF: My showmanship on stage, the scatting, all that came as I travelled. A friend was doing the lights at the Pavillon de Paris concert hall, he asked if I wanted to come for a concert for free, as he was backstage doing the lights. That was a concert hall where I heard a lot of stars like Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton, Santana, Weather Report, in the seventies. So I went for the concert and sat in the wings. And this guy went up on stage and started singing, I had never heard singing like that, it happened to be Al Jarreau!

I didn’t know who he was, and throughout the concert I was there with my mouth literally open. After the concert finished, he came walking off the wings, he came walking straight towards me and he smiled...I couldn’t even smile back, my mouth was just open! And before I could react, his bodyguards came and took him away. That really showed me it was possible to use the voice as an instrument.

By the way, many Goan musicians say to me “You promoted yourself well”, or “You had a good break”, or “You were lucky”, or “Your father helped you a

turn to page 16

a rage against the politicians.

RF: It’s not just rage...How would you feel about somebody who is coming and robbing your house every day, would you just take it with a smile? If you had a neighbour who was raping your daughter, transferring your money to his account, taking your land, how would you feel? The problem is we don’t think that way, we feel, Oh it’s government money, we don’t think it’s my money. We don’t think the rape of Goa is equivalent to the rape of my daughter. We refuse to feel involved with Goa, we just say we love Goa. A couple of years back, the press asked what is the solution to Goa’s problems, and I said the best solution is to put all the politicians on a boat, take them in the middle of the sea and drown them, that will save Goa. More than rage and anger, it’s disdain. What do we do with such robbers? We invite them to our house, saying you are our honoured guests, come rape me some more, we lick their asses, we glorify them.

JL: Can you advise kids of today on how to make demo tapes or produce an album at home?

RF: I think today’s kids could teach me that. There’s so much software out there. You can just connect a mike and record your guitar and your song, and you have a demo song. That’s such a bonus for today’s kids. In the past even if a kid had a great composition, he had to hire so many musicians and a recording studio. That was very expensive. It was daunting to know the meter was running by the hour when you were at a recording studio, just to make a demo.

Nowadays there are so many studios, and they are not expensive, they cost in hundreds per hour. So if they cannot record at home, they can always try out a studio. 

from page 17 lot”, things like that. I just keep quiet and I smile, because if I tell them the truth, it will be so harsh. What are you doing, you’re just copying other people’s songs. Have you ever composed a song in your life? And can my father help me to compose? Can a break help me to compose?

Instead of analysing why someone like me is successful, they look for excuses for their own mediocrity. They just think that Remo is lucky? That Chris Perry is lucky?

What about all the songs that Chris Perry composed? They don’t allow themselves to realize, that oh Remo has composed songs therefore he has made it, so let me try and compose.

Composing, like anything, comes with practice. The first songs I composed sounded very much like the Beatles songs, they were my heroes. I was 13 when I wrote my first song, obviously in the Beatles style. It was called ‘Till I Die’.

It was for my girlfriend, I was 13 and she was 12 and I wrote a song saying ‘I’ll love you till I die, my baby’...my baby yeah! ...there was a yeah also there! When you are 13 and you fall in love, you think it’s forever, you know. We had a band, and we used to wear bellbottoms and high collars and belts with broad buckles...

There’s another breed of Goan musicians who are performing mostly on the beach belt at the flea markets. They jam with a lot of international musicians.

Mainstream Goa may not go to listen to their music, they may brand them as ‘hippies’. The best musician among them is Elvis Lobo, he’s very good. On the beach belt you find musicians from everywhere, from US, from Europe...Some of them experiment with their traditional kind of music. They are not just into rock.

They come with instruments from Russia,

from Uzbekistan... Europe is coming to Goa, and we are not taking advantage of it.

JL: In the past you have created postcards, do you sometimes do other creative work?

RF: My latest passion is making music videos. The last two or three music videos I have directed, scripted and edited by myself. The last one, for the vote – Tit for Tat – I have done myself.

JL: When you did the Vote Campaign in 2012, there was a surge in voting.

RF: Yes, it was 82%, the highest in

Goa ever. I am not claiming that I was the only motivation for it, but (the campaign) certainly did. It is important that the person (motivating the people) be above suspicion, should not have ulterior motives. In Goa so many people, including artists who pose as lovers of Goa are all shaking hands with politicians behind the back. Because they are all depending on them for their awards and travels abroad. Including social activists who pretend to be fighting for Goa. JL: You came across as angry, especially in the earlier years. There’s

The original album cover of Goan Crazy

Feature 17

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Curdi – A Goan Atlantis A submerged village rises

By José Lourenço

W

e are standing in the middle of one of the most surreal landscapes in Goa. The steeply cut banks of a stream show strange parallel marks and deep burrows. Mud walls of abandoned houses still stand weirdly here and there. A stone pedestal without its cross appears as muddy as the barren land around. Stumps of coconut trees stick out everywhere, with strange nest-like cavities.

The terrain in this valley is barren and scorched, but only up to a distinct line in the distance, beyond which lush greenery abounds. Why is this valley so desolate?

And why is it so only to a certain distance to my left and right?

The answer lies straight ahead, at the water body stretching out as far as the eye can see. We are in the middle of Curdi, a village in Sanguem taluka, that was submerged by the Selaulim Dam project back in the 1980s. It is only in the hot summer month of May that the waters recede enough for parts of Curdi village to rise again. It is in this month that some original villagers of Curdi make a pilgrimage here again, to celebrate the feast of a little chapel that still stands on the hill, just above the water line. They have all gathered around that little shrine up on the green hilltop, as we stand at the centre of the parched dead village. Just ahead of us, an old road vanished into the waters.

Alex Pereira, a 52-year-old man who hailed from Curdi, was 19 years old when he heard that a dam was going to be built. “We thought that it was not possible to build a dam across this huge river. I couldn’t believe that it would turn into reality. Some people thought that the government was going to join the two mountains in the village which were miles apart, which to them was simply impossible.”

The mud walls of some houses still stand strong, the rammed earth has hardened into a stonelike mass. Pieces of clay roof tiles and shards of pottery lie around, giving the place an appearance of an archeological dig. And yet, although it is only for a month, new shoots of grass emerge on the dry cracked bed.

After the dam project was planned, the villagers of the affected areas were offered compensation and relocation.

The Curdikars moved to Vaddem and Valkinim, two hamlets near Sanguem town.

After a period of anguish, the villagers of Curdi have moved on with their lives in

their new settlements. A new generation of young people born after Curdi was submerged are growing up with the old Curdi existing only in the memories of their parents and village elders.

“There was a lot of open space,” Augustine Furtado, a villager, recalls of Curdi. “Water was fresh and in plenty.

People were free to grow anything in the open space.”

Venisha Fernandes, a young academic teaching at Shri Mallikarjun College at Canacona, wrote a dissertation on Curdi for her Masters degree in Sociology at Goa University. She interviewed

many Curdi elders on their experience, emotions and memories. For many of them, their village still exists in dreamtime.

“Curdi is also present in people’s dreams,” says Venisha. “They see it and virtually visit it in their dreams, and meet old neighbours and others. People dream of the places they frequented or of people to whom they were much attached. One villager dreams of his parents; those who are dead come into his dreams. He also dreams of the fields, his coconut grove, and cows. He says many of his fellow villagers get dreams of Curdi, which they share, saying ‘Arre! ratim hanv Curdi vochun ailom!’ (Man! Last night I went to Curdi!)”

Though she was born later, Venisha’s family is from this village, and the rising of Curdi in May has a strong emotional

significance to her. Her paper will appear as an essay along with eight other sociological studies by young scholars in a forthcoming book titled ‘Hanv Konn?’(Who Am I?), edited by Alito Siqueira, her mentor at the Department of Sociology at Goa University, noted writer Victor Rangel-Ribeiro, and myself.

The structure of the old post office still stands in Curdi, its cubicles and concrete lintels defying decades of submersion under water. Some of the children who have turned up for the village feast play hide and seek in its encrusted walls, probably unaware of the letters of love and longing that once went out to the world from this once living village. Soon the storm clouds of June will come, the rains will lash the land, and Curdi will return to the embrace of deep waters. 

18 News Feature

Tiger Caught on Camera Proof Goa is Tiger Territory

By Ashley do Rosario

A

tiger - the majestic but endangered striped feline - has finally said cheese to cameras

in Goa. Forest department officials have managed to get the most clinching evidence thus far of the big cat’s presence in Goa’s forests. Hi-tech cameras with movement sensors captured an adult male tiger moving to-and-fro from its wild boar kill deep in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.

In one go, the development has put to rest all doubts about whether Goa really is tiger country or not, said Richard D’Souza, the highest ranking forest official and Goa’s Chief Wildlife Warden.

Goa’s folklore, tribal customs and culture through centuries, village names and temples dedicated to the majestic feline clearly point to an unmistakable link between the endangered tiger and Goa’s verdant green forests.

Then, there are those scores of first-person accounts of sightings and prey kills, indicative of typical hunts for food by tigers. All this and more has been documented by wildlife experts and environmentalists and reported to foresters.

Yet Goa’s officialdom that oversees its forests had for decades dismissed that tigers live in this territory’s woods. Even

a June 2011 letter officially shot off by the then Union Forests and Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, seeking that steps be taken to set up a tiger reserve citing the tell-tale signs of the feline’s presence here, did not cut much ice.

“We will take a decision (on setting up a tiger reserve) at the appropriate time,” Digambar Kamat, the then Chief Minister of Goa had said in response to the Union Minister’s letter.

Perhaps Digambar’s ‘appropriate’ time is now.

“We had several people telling us of having sighted the big cat and so we decided to track it by placing trap cameras at strategic locations in the sanctuary. We finally closed in on the male tiger when one informer gave us specifics of a wild boar kill which was half eaten. We knew that the tiger would return to eat the remainder and that’s

how we caught it on camera,” said Paresh Parab, a senior range forester currently posted at the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary.

An elated Richard D’Souza, an Indian Forest Service officer who was last year appointed Goa’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, said the photographic evidence is a huge boost to the campaign to convince governments both in the state and at the centre to upgrade Mhadei from a wildlife sanctuary to a tiger reserve.

“This evidence is irrefutable,” Richard said, adding that until now all evidence and data related to tiger presence in Goa was ‘circumstantial’ in the form of sighting accounts, pug marks, tiger scat and big prey being killed by tigers for food.

Richard was in fact the architect of the campaign that eventually ended with Mhadei being notified as a wildlife

sanctuary despite facing stiff pressure from the political establishment.

It seems his appointment to the top post last year has drastically changed the disposition of the Goa forest department towards the striped cat. Formerly, the same department headed by his predecessor Dr Sashi Kumar, was in a state of constant denial about any tiger presence in Goa. Even after an infamous 2009 tragedy when a tiger got trapped and killed in a steel-wire trap laid in the Mhadei forests by poachers, Dr Kumar insisted there were no ‘resident tigers’ in Goa and explained the episode away by arguing that its scarce presence was due to their migration from contiguous forests of neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Now, forests officials openly admit that they’ve enough evidence that there are at least five big cats roaming the forests of Goa. “These photographs of a male tiger clearly indicate that it rules a territory.

Tigers are territorial and it will not allow another male to enter its territory.

Studies have established that there’s generally about one-male-to-four-females ration in each tiger’s territory,” said Dionisio Carvalho, Conservator of Forests (Wildlife).

Dionisio said, irrespective of when a tiger reserve is established, it’s the responsibility of the department to protect the big cat’s habitat in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, now that its presence has been proven.

While the new evidence of the tiger’s presence has triggered elation among conservationists, the development may not augur well for the mining industry.

That’s because the notification of a tiger reserve would surely entail curbs on all activity that adversely affect the majestic cat’s habitat. And mining is a certain nono, forest officials said.

According to Goa’s well known and respected wildlife activist, Rajendra Kerkar, there are at least 30 mining leases in the vicinity of the Mhadei sanctuary.

“That’s why forest officials and politicians in the government connived with the mining lobby in the past to deny the tiger’s presence in Goa’s forests,” said Kerkar, who has mentored an army of young wildlife activists in his and other neighbouring villages hugging the sanctuary.

This news of the iron-ore rich Mhadei region being tiger territory could not have come at a worse time for Goa’s multi-billion rupee mining industry, already reeling under the Supreme Court imposed ban.

Nonetheless, it could potentially drive Goa’s contribution to a nationwide campaign to save from extinction the most majestic dwellers of the forests whose survival, experts across the globe say, is crucial for a healthy ecological balance. 

19 Thursday, May 2, 2013

May 5

Lounge & Lunch @ The Sofala

Join us for Goa’s most authentic Italian food At our new restaurant Mia Cucina Delicious homemade Dishes and unlimited beer, wine, Sangria and Selected cocktails for INR 1,000 plus tax per Person Mia Cucina Restaurant at the Sofala, Bhattiwaddo, Nerul 12 pm to 4 pm +918550919222

May 8

Mia Cucina presents Pizza Feast

@ The Sofala Unlimited pizza from our wood fired oven, beer, wine and Sangria for INR 1,000 plus tax per person Mia Cucina Restaurant at The Sofala, Bhattiwaddo, Nerul 8 pm to 11.30 pm +918550919222

May 1 to May 20 Tango with mango

Mango shacks, Mango Cake, Mango Gelatos And Many more delicious treats, all with your favorate fruit. At Vivanta by Taj, Panjim +918326633636

May 1 to May 31

Multi Cuisine lunch and Dinner Buffet At Cidade De Goa @ 12.30 pm to 11.30 pm +919822130743

The Verandah

Celebrating a birthday in style

By Marisha Dutt and Steven Gutkin

I

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

Home delivery: 0832-2411959 & 9764159686 Caterin Service Contact: Mr. Roland Rodrigues @ 9890422440

t is said that of all the human senses, olfactory is the most evocative – the one that stirs emotions, triggers memories and transforms your mood. So when you walk into The Verandah and catch a whiff of the seafood and meats cooking over an oversized charcoal grill, the open kitchen and breathtaking view of the Bambolim bay somehow take a backseat to what’s happening with your nostrils. The scene is set by the aroma.

And with that, a culinary journey commences.

Before we continue, let’s take care of a bit of housekeeping.

Streets policy in reviewing restaurants is to do so anonymously and pay the bill. In the interest of full disclosure, on the evening we dined at The Verandah, the staff did in fact know we were there. So while we did pay the bill, we were not there anonymously. And this evening, the truth is we came not just to eat – but to celebrate the 76th birthday of Marisha’s father. We openly admit that we are partial to The Verandah. Out of Goa’s thousands of restaurants, we chose to celebrate here, which says something about our opinion of the place! We also admit that on this night we got some special pampering.

We were greeted by the Grand Hyatt’s gregarious Executive Chef Shane O’Neill and the hotel’s Assistant Director of Food & Beverage, Oliver Viegas. And before the staff served us what we turn to page 21

20 Food Dosa Festival

At Baywatch, Calangute @ 9 pm to 11 pm +919850452711

The Sizzler Festival

Is sizzling from the hottest view point In Vasco only at Z the roof top Bar & Grill At The HQ, Vasco Call: 7709003237.

Happy Hours

Buy 1 and get one free on Domestic Drinks At Hotel Grand Hyatt, Bambolim @ 7 pm to 9 pm +918323011234

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

Lunch & Dinner Menu With multi Cuisine At Tito’s Retro club, Calangute @ 12.30 pm +919822765002

Lunch Buffet

With German Cuisine At Lila Cafe, Calangute @ 12.30 pm to 11.30 pm +919822150533

Dinner Buffet

With Continental & Indian Cuisine At Casino Carnival, Panjim @ 7.30 pm to 11.30 pm +918326456301

Until May 5

Weekend International Buffet Festival At Vivanta by Taj, Panjim @ 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm

The Dining Room restaurant at the Grand Hyatt

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 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

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

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

Baga, Calangute & around Cape Town cafe

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

Fish Tales

Specialising in Seafood At The Glitz, Calangute @ 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm & 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm +918322281800

Artjuna

Set up in an Old Portuguese house surrounded by a beautiful garden. The café serves up chilled café au lait, milkshakes, sandwiches, juices and baked goodies, homemade dips, iced lattes, blended coffees and more. At Monteiro Waddo, Anjuna @ 9 am to 6 pm +918322274794

Eat Street

Blue Tao

O’Asia

Alcove Restaurant and Bar

Mamma Mia

Barbeque and Grill

It’s a place to dine, drink and dance the night away, specialising in Multi- Cuisine At Calangute @ 24 hrs a day +918326636000 Specialised in Chinese, Goan, Italian, North Indian, seafood, At Ozran beach, Anjuna @ 8 am onwards +918322274491/+918322273349

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

Flame

Multi- Cuisine Restaurant At Double tree by Hilton, Arpora, Baga @ 7 am to 11 pm +9183266556672

Ciao Bella

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

Anjuna & around Baba au Rhum

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

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

Specialising in Italian Food At Vivanta fort Aguada, Sinquerim @ 7.30 pm to 11 pm +918326645858

Addah

It’s a sea view deck on the beach.

Specialised in Indian, Barbeque At O Hotel, Candolim From 7 pm to 10.30 pm +919890800073

Chilihip

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

Flambé e

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

Specialising in Pan Asian At The O Hotel, Dando, Candolim @ noon to 3 pm , 7.30 pm to 11 pm +918323047000 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

Beach House

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

Panaji & around Goenchin

Specialising Chinese, Pan Asian At Hotel Mandovi, DB Marg, Panjim @ Noon to 3 pm, 7 pm to 11 pm +918322227614

The Verandah

Is the signature grill restaurant, serving fresh Market produce of seafood, meat and vegetables.

At Grand Hyatt, Bambolim @ 7 pm to 12 am +918323011658

Food 21

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Giardini

A’tona Bar and Restaurant

Live Music on most nights, Specialising in Multi-cuisine At Curca, Bambolim @ 11.30 am to 11 pm +918805873335

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

Chulha

Is an Informal, Fun, Local Indian’ food restaurant At Grand Hyatt, Bambolim @ 7 pm to 12 am +918323011658

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

Forrest Veg Food Court

Ritz Classic

Specialising in Chinese, Indian, Italian At Bhagwan Mahavir BAL Vihar, Panjim @ 11 am to 11 pm +918326454353

George Bar and Restaurant

Viva Panjim

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

Specialising in Goan, Seafood At near Mary Immaculate Conception church, Panjim @ 10 am to 3.30 pm, 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm +918322426820

Chulha

Casabela

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

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

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

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

O’ Coqueiro

Pan Asian Bowl

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

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

Baba’s Wood Cafe

An Italian wine bar and restaurant with pizza oven and homemade gelato. Wide choice of pure Italian dishes with beef fillet and fish always on the menu. @ 6 pm - Monday to Sunday.

Closed on Tuesday At Mala, Fontainhas, Panaji +918323256213/ +919923414098

Betty’s Place

Specialising European, Goan, Indian, Seafood At opp. Holiday inn Resort, Mobor, Cavelossim @ 6.30 pm to 11 pm +918322871038/+918322871456

Bistro

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

Boat Quay Grill

Specialising in World Cuisine, European, Grills At Royal Orchid beach resort, Uttorda @ 7 pm to midnight +918805013553

Shandong

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

Delhi Darbar

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

Tea Cafe

Barista Lavazza Outlet

Tamari

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

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

City Pride

Cantina Bodega

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

Spice Studio

Fig & Olive

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

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

Global Shore Restaurant

Fernandos Nostalgia

Goan Cuisine in a favourite landmark restaurant featuring very good food and a great collection of “nostalgic” antiques At Raia, Salcete, Margao @ 11 am to 11 pm +918322777098/ +918322777054/ +91 9822103467/ +91 9822151296

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

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

Margao & around

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

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

Flavours of the Mediterranean, Arabian & Italian. At Holiday Inn Resort, Cavelossim @ 9 am to 11 pm +918322871303 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 +918326726666

Cafe Mardi Gras

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

Cafe Mojo

Morjim & Around

A Pastelaria

Specialising in French, Indian, Italian At Morjim-Ashvem Rd, Morjim @ 11 am to midnight +918326453102/+919850056742

Arguably Panjim’s best pub. Innovative, fun and lively. At Salida Del Sol Hotel, Panjim All day. +91 9850980091 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

Sur la Mer

Marbella

The restaurant is located beachside, with full service extending to the sun bed area.

Complete with lounge music giving the place a relaxed, creative, beach vibe.

At Morjim. +919158881185/+918326450599

from page 19 wanted to eat, they gave us a sampling of what they thought we should eat: Asparagus & Cheddar Melt on Crostini, and Tomato & Basil Bruschetta with Parmesan Shaving. It didn’t take long to understand why Shane and his crew felt we had to have it.

The dishes were crunchy, tangy and delicate.

Next came the appetizers that we actually ordered: Gorgonzola Salad with Poached Pear and Caramelized Walnut; Goat Cheese Salad on Cucumber and Beetroot with Walnut, Tomato and Pear Chutney; Crab Cakes with Chili Aioli; and Sauteed Tiger Prawns in Lemon Caper and Garlic Butter. This is the first food review we have written as a couple, which in itself is a dangerous thing given the immense scope for disagreement. So far, however, the going is easy as, somewhat miraculously, the two of us reached the same verdict on the appetizers: The best offering was the gorgonzola salad with the crab cakes being a very, very close second.

We’re not sure we qualify 100 percent, but we like to think of ourselves as foodies. Between the two of us, we have lived in the following places: Phoenix, Kolkata, Los Angeles, Assam, New York, Singapore, Jakarta, Bogota, Jerusalem, Caracas, Atlanta and Goa. We have visited dozens of other countries and in each of them spent much of our time in search of the perfect meal. We love to cook and entertain and, for us, flavour matters.

The same holds true for The Verandah.

Take the main course, for instance. Marisha’s dad Gautam ordered the Red Snapper Grilled in Banana Leaf with Tomato Sambal after our on-the-ball waitress, Ashwini, warned that his first choice, the Sea Bass, might not be to his liking as its flavour was somewhat sour. We were so busy eating everything else on the table that we neglected to sample Gautam’s red snapper, though the look on his face revealed satisfaction.

The dishes we did sample include: Grilled King Prawns with Lemon Chilli Butter; Braised New Zealand Lamb Shank with Cumin, Fig and Harisa Sauce; Surf and Turf with Spinach and Chargrilled Nebraska Ribeye. We do not know exactly where they find prawns this big, but suffice to say they are huge – a nod to The Verandah’s stated promise of “serving primarily fresh market produce of vegetables, seafood and meat.” The Nebraska Ribeye was outstanding, served exactly as ordered: medium rare. The lamb shank was as tasty as it was tender, and the surf and turf – consisting of prawn and steak – held its own nicely amid all the other creations. Incredibly, the two of us agreed on the main course as well. Best among the very good dishes was the Nebraska Ribeye.

Finally, when all was said and eaten, the birthday cake arrived. We sang in honour of Gautam, our family’s fun-loving patriarch, and gobbled down the dark chocolate dessert, its crumbs lingering on the lips of Gautam’s three grandchildren.

The cake was on the house, and, like everything else that night, extremely satisfying. 

The Food: Superb The Ambience: Elegant and understated, with an open kitchen and a view of the Bambolim Bay The Prices: High Where: At the Grand Hyatt, Bambolim.

Ph: +91 832 301 1234 or email reservations at ghgoa@hyatt.com

22 Movie Review

Iron Man 3

By Steven Gutkin

B

efore I begin this movie review, I have a confession to make.

I’m not a fan of action films, especially ones involving super heroes.

I went to see Iron Man 3 not because I wanted to, but because I was forced to – by my 10-year-old and 8-year-old sons.

I went gritting my teeth, hoping the time would pass quickly and lamenting that smart phone use in a dark theatre could annoy fellow movie goers who actually did want to be there.

Now here’s the amazing part (at least to me). I liked Iron Man 3.

I liked that the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, that it was filled with quirky dialogue and that it starred three of my favourite actors – Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Kingsley. I like that it was made with a light touch.

I liked a death-defying sky diving scene near the end that made me question my decades-old aversion to action films.

I liked watching Kingsley, who first captured my imagination as Mahatma Ghandi, now play an actor playing a villain (the Mandarin) with the bearing of

Osama Bin Laden.

I think super hero movies are inherently ridiculous. To my great surprise, so does Iron Man 3 director Shane Black. So he keeps things chirpily amusing, as when Downey, playing billionaire industrial Tony Stark as the Iron Man, tells his child sidekick with a deadbeat father, “Dads leave. No need to be such a pussy about it.”

I went online to see how the real critics (I don’t pretend to be one) felt about Iron Man 3. Sure enough, most felt this was the best of the series, and gave high marks to Black, this being only his second directing gig. Others criticized the film for having too many plots, too many characters, too much action and too many computer-generated effects. I would agree with all that.

Unlike Stark’s excruciatingly unsentimental comment to that little boy, I don’t mind being a little sentimental myself. The film had more violence than I would have liked my sons to see, but I loved watching them watch it. They had been waiting anxiously for the movie to come out. By taking them to see it, I was something of a super hero, too. 

StreetSpeak 23

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Building a home on broken eggs

By José Lourenço

L

ate in the evening, the aroma of omelettes and chicken drifts around the old Margao bus stand.

Half a dozen carts come alive there, serving tired commuters an appetizing bite till late in the night. There are vegetarian carts that offer pakoras and batatawadas, but most of them are rasomelettes (omelette and chicken gravy) carts.

Govind Khandeparkar is busy breaking eggs into his pan, as he has been doing thousands of times in his life. The plate of chopped onion, a few strands of coriander and a stack of hot bread wait besides his pan.

“Break two eggs and let them lie there for a while,” instructs a customer. Govind patiently carries out these rare custom egg frying orders. His standard dish is the omelette and chicken gravy, which he can make in his sleep. “Now turn it for just two seconds,” says the egg-aficionado.

“Yes, that’s it, enough!” And the barely fried eggs are plated up, the yolk shyly seeping out to meet the gravy.

This is not just a story about a man who makes omelettes. It’s also a tale of triumph – of bettering one’s lot and creating a better world for those you love.

This is the story of the man behind the food cart – a story like so many others in Goa and around the world, and yet extraordinary once you scratch beneath the surface.

“I started out collecting sopo (stall tax) for the Margao Municipality in 1980,” Govind reminisces. “In 1995 I also began providing packed meals for the RTO office, at that time it was housed in the Communidade building. I was delivering 40 meals a day to the RTO. Then one of

I have worked very hard for my daughters’ education. I didn’t study much, but I wanted them to be well educated. I studied up to the fifth standard.

Then when I was working as a sopo collector in the day, I went to Loyola High School’s night school and studied sixth to eighth standard there. the fellows at the Municipality said - now you are married, how will you manage like this, why don’t you put up a food cart? So I got the cart built and started serving ras-omelette and chicken here.”

The carts all line up at night at the old bus stand of Margao, in front of the Police Station. Just behind the carts lies the wreckage of cars and motorcycles that have met with accidents. The battered vehicles tell their own stories.

“I have worked very hard for my daughters’ education. I didn’t study much, but I wanted them to be well educated.

I studied up to the fifth standard. Then when I was working as a sopo collector in the day, I went to Loyola High School’s night school and studied sixth to eighth standard there. Hanvem zaite circus

kelea...I have worked on so many jobs.”

His eldest daughter obtained her Commerce degree and is now employed at a bank in Margao. The second too has gained her Commerce degree and will soon be working. The third is in the third year of an Arts degree course.

“I used to drink quite frequently. Then one day my eldest daughter said to me ‘Just imagine, if we study well, and you come to our college, and the teacher talks to you and tells you your daughters are studying well, and you talk to them, they will smell the alcohol on your breath and think - his daughters are studying well, but the father is drinking. Would you like that? After all what are you doing all this hard work for us for?’ What she said struck me very hard and I sat thinking

about it. Then I took the bottle from my side - I would not drink at a bar, I would drink only at home, all by myself - and swung it and threw it as far as I could. From that day to today, I have not touched alcohol.”

In the past an old Petromax would light up the cart, giving off its trademark hissing sound and kerosene fumes.

It has now given way to a fluorescent lamp hanging from the roof of the cart, connected to a rusty looking contraption.

“That’s an invertor,” Govind tells me.

“Now it is difficult to get kerosene, we get it from here and there. We can’t afford to use kerosene for the Petromax. So we use these bulbs, connected to an inverter.”

It is nearly midnight now, and the lamp goes off every few minutes, the invertor’s charge almost depleted.

Govind too looks tired. In another half hour, by midnight, he will close his cart, wheel it to a safe place, lock it up, and return home. Home to his family, to his wife, and to his daughters who are probably already asleep, safe in the world that their father has built for them.  This is our latest piece looking at the real-life trials and triumphs of the people of Goa.

24 Hot Streets

Keeping tabs on him

Dear Acaricia I am a 32-year-old man, happily married to an attractive woman. I love women in Western attire, especially when they sport a little cleavage. I would like my wife to occasionally wear a slightly low cut top or dress (not too much!). She would really look gorgeous to me, it would be a great turn on. But if I actually ask her to wear a dress like that, she may think I’m a pervert. How do I tell her to do this for me?

Dear Acaricia May, My husband travels a lot within Goa, and often doesn’t come home for days. He says that he has to keep late hours because of work and sometimes has to stay overnight at the places he visits. I know he is working, but I keep telling him to call me up and tell me where he is.

He doesn’t like me asking for this.

He says it restricts his independence and that I should trust that he is safe and sound. I am told that his mother used to pester him on his whereabouts during his school and college days, and maybe I remind him of her. But if I don’t know where he is, I can’t sleep, worrying over whether he has met with an accident or something.

How do I convince him to keep me informed? It’s just one phone call that I am asking for!

Gary - Panjim Dear Gary, You have made my job quite easy by writing the script! Here’s what you say: “Darling, I am so happy to be married to you and you are such an attractive woman. I think you’d look really nice in a top or dress that’s just slightly low cut, without being too much, of course. You would really look gorgeous to me and it would be a great turn on!”

The words are yours, Gary. You’ve written them to me. Now say them to her! (You might also ask her what turns HER on and return the favour).

Love, Acaricia May If you have questions about sex, relationships or any other matter relating to the heart, please write to Acaricia May at acariciamay@ goastreets.com.

MF -Mapusa Dear MF, Every marriage and every person is different. Some value space and independence more than others.

And space and independence can be downright healthy for relationships.

Usually, however, marriage does involve sacrificing at least some of it – if only for the sake of basic courtesy. A simple phone call or sms to keep you from worrying and enabling you to sleep peacefully is not too much to ask. You are not asking your husband not to stay out.

You are asking him to keep you informed.

I’m tired of the same old routines.

Can we try something new?

You can tell him Acaricia May says that’s fair enough. (By the way, what exactly IS he doing when he goes away for DAYS? A question well worth exploring further).

If all else fails, I suggest giving Mr. Sleep Away a taste of his own medicine.

Book a hotel room for yourself or spend the night at a friend’s place. And don’t call.

Love, Acaricia May

The

Corner Aussie barbecue

festival at Marriott’s

OK. Let’s do it missionary style.

G

oa Marriott Resort & Spa will hold its Great Australian Barbecue food festival at its Simply Grillsmoonlit riverside restaurant from April 27 to May 8.

The fare promised includes juicy cuts of meats and ocean-fresh seafood, blasted with specialty marinades and grilled to perfection by expert Chefs.

Open for dinner, the lavish spread from the land Down Under includes Angus with pepper, bacon wrapped Chipolata, barbecued lamb cutlet, seafood creations like grilled Salmon with orange fennel and coriander salad, and vegan specials including barbecued cheese &herb Polenta fingers and rocket and parmesan Salad.

Reservations can be done by calling Goa Marriott Resort &Spaon0832-2463333.

USEFUL STUFF www.goastreets.com

Thursday, May 2, 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

The

Corner Bharat Ratanpalis Park Hyatt Goa’s Sales Director

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

P

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

ark Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa has announced the appointment of Mr Bharat Ratanpal as the Director of Sales and Marketing of its awardwinning destination resort.

Bharat brings in more than 10 years of expertise in sales and marketing and has a keen understanding of the legacy and values of Hyatt International.

At Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa, he will oversee the induction of marketing agendas, planning sales and distribution strategies for national and international markets, customer servicing and people management.

He will also lead the sales and marketing team at Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa towards fulfilling the vision of being India’s finest beach resort and spa and also playa pivotal role in reinforcing Hyatt’s thought leadership in the hospitality industry, the property’s management said in a press release.

Formerly, Bharat was Director of Sales at Grand Hyatt Goa where he was instrumental in positioning the hotel in the marketthrough appropriate sales and marketing initiatives. His role included developing the hotel’s sales and pricing strategy, achieving market share and revenue goals and ensuring the product and services align with the hotel’s positioning and brand promise.

Prior to Grand Hyatt Goa, Bharat had an impressive career in sales at Grand Hyatt Mumbai, rising to Associate Director of Sales within a short span of time.

Sukho Thai -The Thai Foot Spa At Calangute @ 11 am to 11 pm +918326511265

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 Shamana Spa offers south-east asian treatment with a contemporary approach. the spa encloses a gym, indoor pool, whirlpool and wet areas with sauna, steam and plunge pools.

At Grand Hyatt, Bambolim @ 9 am to 9 pm +918323011658

Workshop with political cartoonist at Sunaparanta

S

The Corner is a regular space where organizations, entrepreneurs and all those with noteworthy projects can “strut their stuff.”

unaparantaGoa Centre of Arts, Altinho, is organising a workshop with political cartoonist Ravi Shankar as part of its Sunaparanta Mario Miranda Cartoon Festival on May 6.

The workshop entitled ‘Explore the World of Politics through Cartoons’ is open to all above 14 years of age, and will be of one-and-half hour duration between 11 am and 12.30 pm. Since seats are limited, however, Sunaparanta requires participants to tele-register on 08322421311.

Ravi Shankar is the executive editor of The Sunday Standard from the The New Indian Express stable.

By José Lourenço

T

he film crew huddle around the set. A vampire-like bad guy is about to punch Mr Genius, a scientist, as the voice over yells ‘Help help!’ A superhero swoops in from the sky and takes on the bad guy.

The film director is a teenage boy, clutching his script with pencilled drawings scrawled on it. The superhero is made of two toothpaste tubes. The diabolical villain’s head is made of paper.

The set is a small cardboard box, inside which characters made of bottles, cans and other waste items wage a war of good versus evil. Welcome to the filming of ‘Macroman to the Rescue’.

Last week, 15 children got together in Aldona to produce three animated short films, like this one, using only waste material. This innovative project called ‘Aldona’s Magic Box’ has been carried out by Communicare, a trust established in 2005 with the aim of teaching languages, such as Portuguese, Spanish and Konkani, all under one roof.

An earlier animation workshop had been conducted using drawings. Nalini Elvino de Sousa’s film company Lotus Productions provided the resources to

shoot and produce the movies.

In all, 15 children participated in the film-out-of waste project. Eight of these kids came from underprivileged backgrounds, but were sponsored by friends and wellwishers from Panjim and surrounding areas.

A demo film ‘Orion the Worm’ was made by Isa, one of the facilitators.

Desmond Pinto, Lavina Fernandes, Ria Cardoz, Pratima Khandolkar, Logan Lobo were some of the kids who took part.

A second film, by a mixed group of boys and girls, has less pow wow. In ‘A Different Christmas’ Santa Claus goes around gifting washing machines (tetrapaks with a straw pipe sticking out) and other stuff, but eventually gives Goa a great gift – snow. Cardboard and tin characters happily watch snow falling in the garden.

‘About Cats and Dogs’ opens to an idyllic nature scene. Nima the cat is chased around a lake (coloured paper sheet) by Jeetu and Bob, two ferocious

Toothpaste tube Superhero fights Pet bottle Villain

Macroman could drops through and battle the villain.

Shaira Sequeira-Shetty and John Lino manned the camera. Avinash Mesquita, Mark Fernandes and other volunteers of an Aldona-based group collaborated on the project. This group is working to educate the villagers of Aldona on waste segregation and recycling.

Nalini’s Lotus Productions has also recently produced Dances of Goa, a documentary on the ethnic dance forms around the state and the long running Contacto Goa series for the Portuguese TV channel RTP. 

dogs made out of Nescafe tins. Mercifully for Nima, the voiceovers of the dogs’ owners are heard, calling them home.

“On the first day we taught them to segregate the waste that they would use for the films,” says Nalini. “ Then over the next few days they created characters, drew up scripts and prepared the background using colours on paper.”

A beer carton was opened up to form the backdrop onto which the coloured background was pasted―voila― A Magic

Box! “We used a Sony camera on a tripod and 2 lightbulbs. The film was shot in stop-motion, we shoot for 3 seconds, then change the character’s position, then shoot again for 3 seconds, and so on.

The editing was done using Final Cut Pro software. But this kind of films can even be done using a cellphone camera and simple movie-making software available on Windows,etc.”

On the film ‘set’ of Microman to the Rescue, the boys innovatively cut out a hole in the top of the Magic Box, so that

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Celebration of Hanuman Jayanti at Maruti temple - Marutigad, Mala, Panjim

‘Aadaar Airlines’ - a play with an all - woman cast at Porvorim organized by the Socorro Socio-Art & Cultural Association

Young hands get to work at moulding pottery and other items at Paperboat Collective’s workshop at Sangolda