Goa Streets - Issue 27

Thursday, May 9, 2013 | Vol. No. I | Issue 27 | Price Rs. 10 | Pages 28 | www.goastreets.com

16 yr old rocker • pg 3 Street art • pg 10 Hot 3D phone • pg 17

Kick power

Goan Women & Martial Arts

s Plu ete pl / com event d/ e foo ghtlif ni ide gu

Radharao at large 8 • Mumbai’s Goan Cuisine 18 • Green repair 22

2

what’s hot this

week May 10 Noite Portuguesa 2013

May 10 to May 12 Konkan Fruit Fest

By Botanical Society of Goa At BPS Club, Margao +919011864429/+919960643245

Indo Portuguese Friendship Society-Goa Panaji presents Noite Portuguesa 2013 - Dine & Dance, with Cascades: Goa’s most popular band to keep your feet tapping.

At Coco Loco, Agacaim @ 8 pm +919822102549/+919822102001

May 12 Sunday afternoons 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

May 15 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

May 11 & May 12 Brain Magic

Brain magic (NPL) Practitioner Courses Conducted by Goa Institute of Counselling.

At Brain Magic, Margao +919049319910/+918322735839

May 9 to May 15

Final Wave 2013

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

May 12

Watch, Play & Party

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

May 10 to May 12

Champagne Sunday Brunch

May 9 to May 16 Tango with mango

Mango shacks, Mango Cake, Mango Gelatos And many more delicious treats, all with your favourite fruit.

At Vivanta by Taj, Panjim +918326633636

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

Thursday, May 9, 2013

16 year old rocker

turn to page 5

music & nightlife | 03 Music prodigy Neil

lowdown | 06 news feature | 07 Beef does a vanishing act

feature | 08 Radharao Gracias holds forth

arts & entertainment | 10 Osborne’s avant garde art

Explore | 12 7 shops to jazz up your home

cover story | 14 Martial arts for women in Goa

feature | 17 Amazing 3D phone

news feature | 18 Goan cuisine in Mumbai

food | 19

feature | 22

Eclectic Bob’s Inn

Whitewashing the green way

literature | 23

sex | 24

give back| 26

Fiction: The Night of the Fan

Bad Boy Love

Lady of 100 Summers

Thursday, May 9, 2013

6 The Lowdown The Lowdown Karate, taekwondo and other forms of martial arts have always been popular among the youth in Goa. But these forms of weapon-less self defence take on a new significance in these times of increased crimes against women.

We talk to Angela Abreu e Naik, a champion taekwondo trainer and other instructors to see how women are training to give a swift kick where it hurts, if the situation demands it.

After the brief shortage of vegetables and fruits in the aftermath of the entry tax, it is the turn of beef to take its leave from dining tables in Goa. Streets examines the shadow play behind this tussle between courts, government and consumers.

from page 5

In a freewheeling interview, Radharao Gracias, the maverick politician from South Goa, weighs in with his views on Parrikar’s governance and the fading hopes of Goa ever having its own regional party.

We talk to two innovative artistes - Neil Fernandes, a multi talented teenage musician and Osborne Carvalho, an artist who loves to use the street as a canvas. Talking of canvas, we got hold of the all-new Micromax Canvas 3D A115, a phone that promises 3D viewing without glasses. Does the 3D actually work?

Find out in our tech review!

Foodies can browse through restaurants plating up Goan cuisine in Mumbai as well as at Bob’s Inn at Candolim, closer to home. Also in this issue, we meet a resident at an old age home in Old Goa who has just turned 100, and examine an age-old technique of painting using an environmentally friendly method.

In addition to all this, we have our regular food, event and nightlife listings to give you some great events and dinners to look forward to.

Happy reading!

José Lourenço

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

Feature 7

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Where’s the Beef?

By Ashley do Rosario

T

he shortage of beef caused by curbs on animal slaughter imposed by the Bombay High Court Bench is turning out to be a major hurdle and test for Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, in his on-going efforts to consolidate the newly found electoral support his party got from the Goan Catholic community.

A hint of Catholic angst over the beef shortage has come from the Council for Social Justice and Peace, the social arm of the powerful Roman Catholic church of Goa. In an unusually sharp critique of the High Court order, the Council’s executive secretary Fr Savio Fernandes termed it “an infringement on the religious rights of minorities in Goa”.

Father Savio’s statement issued earlier this week placed the ball in the government’s court, criticising it for “failing to intervene” appropriately to overturn the curbs imposed amidst allegations of irregularities at Goa’s main abattoir.

He said the council was disappointed that the government failed to act with fairness and justice to the Catholics and Muslims of Goa, for whom he said beef was an essential part of the diet.

Father Savio also accused the Parrikar government of failing to act with appropriate urgency to ameliorate the situation and undo the beef shortage in the state.

Butcher shops in Goa’s markets have virtually shut and the cold storages across the state’s cities, towns and villages are struggling to service demand both from the resident population as well as the tens of thousands of Western tourists who arrive annually.

Goa is estimated to consume around 10 to 12 tonnes of beef daily and the shortage following curbs imposed by the High Court on the government-run state-of-the-art abattoir at Usgao has sent prices of the red meat soaring.

“Prices of beef have doubled. I bought the meat from a cold storage on Tuesday for Rs 300 a kilo,” said Joao Fernandes, a non-gazetted official of the state government. Before the shortage the average price of beef was Rs 150.

Meanwhile, aware of the political implications of the beef shortage imbroglio if his government is seen as not doing enough, Parrikar is weighing various options, including approaching the court for a review of its orders or even going to the Supreme Court to seek lifting of the curbs on animal slaughter.

The chief minister was not available for comment despite several attempts to contact him on phone, but sources in his office said he was seized with the matter and is working out a strategy.

Earlier, when the High Court passed the interim orders two weeks ago, Parrikar went out of the way to say his government would “passionately ask the court to allow the government abattoir to resume slaughter of bulls and hebuffaloes.”

The BJP in other states is known to oppose ‘cow slaughter’ as the animal is holy in Hinduism.

But the High Court did not pay heed to the government’s pleas and banned import of bulls for slaughter in Goa and also appointed a committee to supervise the abattoir and ensure animals under 12 years of age are not butchered.

The courts directions came while

adjudicating the petition filed by Govansh Raksha Abhiyan, Goa (Cow Protection Movement), an NGO known to have filial links to the Parrikar-led BJP in Goa. Three different laws govern animal slaughter in Goa, including one that bans cow slaughter (meaning the beef one eats in Goa comes from bulls).

Of the other two laws, the first requires animals to be certified by a veterinarian before they are slaughtered and another law prevents the slaughter of scheduled animals (protected species).

According to allegations made by the petitioners, young bulls were being illegally cleared by the government veterinarians who are posted at the abattoir.

The Church affiliated body is not alone in its criticism of the government on the beef shortage issue.

Leaders of the Opposition Congress

too were quick to take pot-shots at Parrikar with its South Goa MP, Francisco Sardinha leading the tirade.

Sardinha said the beef shortage was anti-minorities and he along with other leaders of his party demanded that the government play a proactive role to correct the situation.

When asked for his comments on the issue, Margao based lawyer Radharao Gracias was critical of the court’s decision.

“When passing such orders, courts should consider the impact they can have on the local population, especially on a matter of food habit. An alternate arrangement should have been simultaneously made,” said Gracias.

“Nevertheless we know that the affairs at the Goa Meat Complex have been shady for a long time. In fact, when I was a legislator in the mid-1990s, I had raised the matter on numerous occasions in the House. Hopefully now that the High Court is seized of the matter and is scrutinising it, things will normalise at the Goa Meat Complex.”

Meanwhile, Goa’s hotels and restaurants too have begun to feel the pinch of the shortage.

Eddie George, who runs the beef speciality George Bar and Restaurant said he’s waiting with baited breath for the Government to “do something”.

“Prices of beef have doubled but we have not changed the prices on our menu,” Eddie told Streets, adding he will not be able to sustain the high input costs for too long.

“In a way it’s good that the court is scrutinizing for hygiene and ensuring the beef traded in Goa is healthy,” Eddie said, but wondered aloud why the same yardstick does not apply to poultry products and other meats like mutton.

Public ire against the shortage of beef is even greater in the Salcete sub-district in South Goa, the Catholic heartland of Goa. “We can’t go on without beef for long, neither can we afford to pay exorbitant prices for it. As it is life is getting tough with prices of essentials rising and now even beef which was relatively cheaper than most other meats, is getting expensive,” lamented Stephen Fernandes, who works at a five-star hotel in South Goa. The message is clear. The State cannot continue to let things be and Parrikar will have to come up with a viable strategy to overcome the shortage if his government wants to avoid the ire of Catholics, who showed signs of warming up to his party at the last elections. 

8 Interview

No hope for a regional political force Radharao Gracias A

By Ashley Do Rosario

rguably among Goa’s strongest votaries of regional politics, a politician who has always steered clear of national parties, Radharao Gracias, tells Goa Streets he is disillusioned that no regional political party has made a mark in his three decades in politics to protect the state’s ‘unique identity’. In a freewheeling interview with Streets Senior Correspondent Ashley do Rosario, the maverick lawyer-politician rues that two of Goa’s tallest Catholic leaders - Dr Jack de Sequeira and Dr Wilfred de Souza lost the plot due to “their own obstinate arrogance”. He also slams Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for the wavering performance of his 14-month-old government despite a decisive mandate.

Excerpts: AR: You’ve long been amongst the strongest protagonists of a regional political force for Goa. Why, according to you, Goa lacks such a political party? Doesn’t the blame lie on the shoulders of the leadership, including yourself?

RG: I agree we have failed. I have never claimed to be a leader who can draw the masses. I neither have the resources nor do I have the charisma to lead and build a strong regional party.

In India, regional parties are driven more by the persona of its leaders rather than ideology. The DMK in Tamil Nadu revolves around Karunanidhi and the AIADMK around J Jayalalitha. The NCP of Maharashtra has Sharad Pawar. Almost all the regional parties in India are driven by the charisma and leadership capabilities of a single politician.

Unfortunately, Goa hasn’t had a tall leader who stuck to building a regional party. Two of Goa’s tallest Catholic leaders, Dr Jack de Sequeira and Dr Wilfred de Souza, who were best positioned to fulfil this political need of a strong Goan regional party wasted it by their sheer arrogance. They were both good leaders but arrogant and never paid

heed to inputs from others around them.

They never listened to others. That’s why they lost the plot.

More recently, Churchill Alemao seemed to be emerging as a force around whom a regional party could have been built. But we have seen how he oscillated back and forth into the Congress.

AR: What about the UGDP? Is there hope for the future?

RG: I really don’t think so. A substantial number of outsiders (nonethnic residents of Goa) have now settled here. Each passing year, the chances of building a strong regional party are getting dimmer because of the demographic changes effected by continuous large-scale migration. Unless something dramatic happens, some sort of revolution by Goans, there seems to be no hope for a regional political force.

Even the late Matanhy Saldanha, who throughout his career as a politician and activist was a die-hard votary of a regional party, was pragmatic enough to realise this situation. So, he threw in the

Two of Goa’s tallest Catholic leaders, Dr Jack de Sequeira and Dr Wilfred de Souza, who were best positioned to fulfil this political need of a strong Goan regional party wasted it by their sheer arrogance. They were both good leaders but arrogant and never paid heed to inputs from others around them.

towel and joined the BJP. In the run-up to his joining the BJP, he had mentioned to me that now, we should change the perspective of our fight from one for ‘protecting Goans’ to one for protecting the ‘people of Goa’. In fact, it was not Goans who earned him his victory from the Cortalim constituency but ‘people of Goa’ from the slums of migrant-dominated Sancoale. He got more than 60 per-cent of his votes from the Sancoale village.

As for the the UGDP, you know what the experience has been. Every time we got a few MLAs elected on our party’s ticket, they migrated to the national parties. Those of us who are left aren’t capable of taking the UGDP to any great heights. In my opinion, none of us possess the requisite charisma or the resources and we are all part-time politicians.I will be happy if some people come forward to take over the party and organise it into a major political force.

AR: Vijai Sardessai claims Goenkar, the organisation he floated, will

metamorphose into a strong regional political force. Your comment?

RG: I don’t think so. Vijai has traditionally been a Congressman. He’s an independent today only because he could not secure the Congress ticket during the elections. I am sure he will be back in the Congress by the time the next elections are held. Like they did with his mentor, Churchill, the Congress will take him in with a higher position and greater importance in the party depending on how strong a political force he emerges.

AR: How do you rate the performance of Manohar Parrikar in his second coming?

RG: He has a majority with which he has no challenge from any quarters. The BJP was given this mandate because the people were fed up with the misrule of the Congress. But in this one year, there has been no perceptible change for the good. Parrikar has been affected by his IIT degree in metallurgy and has become only malleable and ductile. He is not sticking to what he had promised at the

Interview 9

Thursday, May 9, 2013

time of elections in March 2012.

AR: Can you quote concrete examples where the CM has fallen short of what he had promised at the time of the polls?

RG: There are so many issues where Parrikar has deviated from what he stood for before and during the elections. Take the case of the land scam in which land acquired and earmarked for parking space at the airport was de-notified by the previous Digambar Kamat government. He was in the forefront of the attack on the government on this matter. Now it’s more than one year that he’s in government but there has been no action.

Similarly, take the case of illegal mining. He was the champion of this cause and led a scathing attack on the ruling dispensation throughout the previous term of the Goa legislative assembly. But now he is not delivering.

On the contrary he’s singing a completely different tune from his vociferous antiillegal mining chorus.

On corruption too, the ground reality is as bad as it was

during the Congress regime. You should be able to point out a perceptible change for the better, but in the instant case you can’t.

AR: The present BJP-led government is proactively taking the Mopa airport project forward?

Why are you still steadfast in your opposition to Mopa?

RG: We have always believed that an airport in Goa should service the whole state and for this it should be centrally located. The present Dabolim airport suits the bill fine. If at all it’s necessary to build an alternative airport, then it should be done in a centrally located area. Mopa is not centrally located. It is not being built for Goa. It’s being built for Maharashtra. It could have been in Keri, where land on the plateau is already in the government’s possession.

I cannot fault the BJP-led government for zealously pursuing the Mopa airport project because the BJP has always supported Mopa. But Forest Minister Alina Saldanha, has some explaining to do. Her late husband, Matanhy, was staunchly and publicly anti-Mopa airport. Did the BJP agree to drop Mopa or did Matanhy agree to the airport project? It’s for Alina to explain to the public what exactly the deal was.

If it’s the former then the BJP is

betraying its departed leader and if it’s the latter than it’s clear that he betrayed the cause of anti-Mopa airport activists.

AR: But the Dabolim airport faces huge problems and is projected to be unable to handle future growth in passenger air traffic.

RG: The Navy has usurped Dabolim which is essentially a civilian airport. I don’t understand why the Navy lends so much importance to having a base at the Dabolim airport. Goa by no stretch of imagination is a defence sensitive area.

The Navy should rather concentrate on building its capabilities closer to defence sensitive areas where they can reach in quick time to tackle incursions like the recent one by the Chinese in Ladhak.

Besides, the Sea Bird naval base in Karwar is just 50 to 70 kilometres away from Dabolim. The logic of why the Navy wants two naval

bases within 70 kilometres of each other, beats me.

It appears to me that we are being treated like a colony. Even the recent accident where a Coast Guard ship collided with a trawler killing six of its crew, exposes this colonial attitude.

I understand that it was an accident, but even in war, an enemy survivor is expected to be picked up by the victorious forces and given medical attention. How come the Coast Guard personnel just left the survivors to their fate?

AR: How do you see the Chief Minister’s handling of the contentious medium of instruction imbroglio?

Are you happy with the current arrangement?

RG: I’m certainly not satisfied. Grantin-aid to schools should be delinked from the medium of instruction. Every parent should have the freedom to decide which medium of instruction his/her child should opt for.

The present arrangement adopted by the government is sectarian. It’s meant to oblige the Catholic community and also deprive the Hindu Bahujan Samaj the opportunity to study in English medium.

Let every village/area have English, Konkani and Marathi schools so that parents have the choice to admit their child in any one. Ninety per-cent will enrol their children in English medium. In 10 years, it will wipe out Marathi in Goa but Konkani will survive because it’s the natural language of Goans and it will be spoken and used in day-to-day life. This whole controversy is being fuelled by the Marathi lobby to sustain the imported language in Goa. The few Konkaniwadis opposing English medium schools are misguided. 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

May 9

Goemkarponn

At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 7.45 pm +919823535378

May 11

Rocking Moms

Balaji Entertainers presents Rocking Moms (Dance Mummy Dance).

At Shantadurga Temple, Calangute +919923883677/+919975737153

May 12

Konkani Musical Show At Kala Academy, Panjim @ 7.45 pm +918322420453

May 10 to May 12

Art on the Streets

Konkan Fruit Fest

By Botanical Society of Goa At BPS Club, Margao +919011864429/+919960643245

May 11 & May 12 Brain Magic

Brain magic (NPL) Practitioner Courses Conducted by Goa Institute of Counselling.

At Brain Magic, Margao +919049319910/+918322735839

May 17 to May 19

Badami caves photography At Badami @ 6 am to 9 pm +919822123458

Xavier Centre of Historical Research

April 14 to May 21

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

Socorrchi Girestkai Festival @ 4 pm, at Socorro

Everyday

Art Chamber

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

Carpe Diem

Gallery Gitanjali

Ruchika’s Art Gallery

Carpe Diem, an art and learning centre 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

Osborne Carvalho paints the town red (and other colours)

Art Escape

Art Escape Goa is a knowledge sharing 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 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

Contemporary works of canvas paintings on Goan subject and art crafts are displayed.

At Bandawalwada, Pernem +919404149764

‘Milky Way’ - street art by Osborne Carvalho

By José Lourenço

O

sborne Carvalho’s earliest brush with art came when he was barely 10, when his school teacher at St Anthony High School, Majorda, scolded him for drawing grafitti on a school road following a tiff between friends.

“You are too young to use those words,” she rebuked him.

After graduating with a degree in Fine Arts from Goa College of Art, Osborne found himself in Mumbai, working in advertising, and soon got weary of that line. Back in Goa, he worked at an arts academy - Milu’s Art Centre at Fatorda, before moving on to creating murals and installation art.

Osborne is something of a revolutionary on the Goan art scene – encouraging folks not just to look at art but to interact with it, questioning preconceptions and provoking unusual reactions.

A mural by Osborne on the first floor of Clube Harmonia in Margao depicts Japanese culture.

A lady with a parasol stands in the foreground as a boatman confronts a dragon. For a mural for BMW, Osborne painted the Indo-Portuguese

‘Kutre’ installation at Gallery Gitanjali house of the Colaco family on a wall. Another commercial work depicted the parts and workings of an IFB washing machine.

‘Matchbox Stories’ is a mural on a wall near Pousada hotel, Panjim, that shows a motorcycle pilot with two tourist ‘aunties’ as the motif for a matchbox. The lines in Konkani ‘Kitem choita re?’

(What are you looking at?) and ‘Tenkon bos’ (sit closer) scrawled around the work are familiar colloquial phrases heard in buses and traffic in Goa. At an installation titled ‘Kodel, Kutre & Kinetic’ held at Gallery Gitanjali, Panjim in 2011,

Arts&Entertainment 11

Thursday, May 9, 2013

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

Osborne Carvalho

A mural for BMW by Osborne

Japanese culture mural at Clube Harmonia Osborne handed out polystyrene ‘bones’ to visitors as they entered the gallery.

Each bone had a word like Guilt, Sin or Infatuation inscribed on it. The visitor would then ‘feed’ the bone to any of the 11 dogs (kutre in Konkani) made of plastic, papier-mâché, boxes and clothes hangers, who seemed to be in need of that particular bone.

“People are hesitant to interact with art. We wanted to free viewers of this restriction, and to allow them to freely express themselves. There’s an awe for art, which we wanted to break,” says Osborne. At this art event, fellow artist

Manjunath Naik placed a group of painted chairs (kodels) in the formation of ‘musical chairs’, and invited visitors to sit on them.

Miriam Sukhija urged guests to paint grafitti on a Kinetic scooter placed as a work of art.

‘Night Crawlers’, an installation last year at Gallery Gitanjali consisting of a flamboyantly decorated lower half of a mannequin dwells on the love, sex and drugs of night life, where one is only left with the anguish and pain of excesses.

‘Blinded by the Bright Spot’, an installation outside his house, was assembled using paper plates hung out on wire. “Many people phoned me to ask – Why have you done this? What is the meaning of it? Why paper plates? Most people think that art is only done to derive meaning. People are happy when they decode some meaning in a work of art. For me it’s nothing like that. Art has a meaning, but it need not be only about what I have to say. If I exhibit a decrepit, rusty scooter, one viewer will say Shivaji died under that bike. Another will hold that it has been repossessed by the bank, yet another will call it poor engineering.”

A few weeks back, Osborne painted a herd of fluorescent cows on the wall of the Majorda railway underpass. He calls this work ‘Milky Way’, a parallel he draws with the galaxy we live in. A series of over 20 cows walk in one direction, with two of them in the opposite direction, a large question mark looming above the nonconforming duo.

“I was apprehensive about doing this work,” says Osborne. “Local people prefer a grey, blank area to a colourful

image.” A couple of passersby queried him, wondering what he was doing.

“Some people think the cows are about politics. Some think it’s an environmental statement. Yet others think it’s about violating a No-Entry road!”

Street sculptures and art installations are good for a city, says Osborne. “This art takes you to a fantasy world for a moment, and washes your mind.”

“I have been pregnant with the idea of doing a huge installation in Goa,” says Osborne, who is inspired by French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle and British street artist Banksy. “But getting the approval of various departments and raising funds is quite a challenge.”

Here’s hoping Osborne will meet all his challenges, even as he continues to challenge us. 

‘Night Crawlers’ installation at Gallery Gitanjali

7 Good Home Shop Stops in and around Panjim

By Richa Narvekar

Y

es you finally have it, that dream home in Goa. So now what? The much awaited interior design!

Yes, I see many of you homemakers salivating at just the thought. But after long painful discussions with your interior designer, hours spent at various curtain and tiling stores and head splitting arguments with your carpenter, you realise that it’s not quite the selection spree you thought it would be.

You’re up to your knees in veneer samples and your dreams are filled with mouldings. Ugh. You need a break; a home shopping break! So head on to:



and canopies are lit with a clear still light that hardly a passerby can ignore.

Most of their collection is sourced from Portugal; the clay and glazing material for all of the ceramic ware are also apparently imported from Portugal, and prepared by Goan artisans in Margao.

The cut glass sets in various tints will make quite a lovely addition to your collection of crystal, albeit a pricey one.The large collection of little azulejos (handmade tiles),available as loose tiles, wall pieces and little china boxes are the highlight of the collection.



Marcou’s Artefacts - Fontainhas

Fusion Accessopposite Panjim ferry point

treated seaweed) that looks a lot like tinted wicker, and has a rustic appeal. Also, if you’ve recently jumped on the Buddhism bandwagon and are crazy about Buddha sculptures; this is the place for you.



Heirlooms - 18th June Road, Panjim The old wood plank signboard with the painted on ‘Heirlooms’ letters is enough to magnetise home decor suckers like myself right out of the Fidalgo into the store.

Their collection is constantly updated, so be sure to keep revisiting. You’re more likely to find the ‘one off art piece’ here than the perfect colour coordinated ceramic accent, but it has seemingly no limitations, you could find everything from contemporary Indian paintings to a set of little glass camels to dhurries here.



Paperboat Collective - Sangolda

Fusion Access is housed in the upper storey of an old Goan-Portuguese styled building here in Panjim.

Glazed ceramic ware, objets d’ art and generally a lot of contemporised Indian kitsch are available for the discerning connoisseur of interiors. The collection of lampshades and cushion covers complete the rustic yet glam theme of the place.



Barefoot - Fontainhas Located on a narrow perpendicular on the periphery of Fontainhas, right next to the delightful Hotel Venite, this little store seems to have but one motto; ‘simple, arty, beautiful’. Stainless steel enamelled vases, wood carved candle stands, cutlery from Art D’Inox and tinted and crackled glassware are the highlights of their home collection. The ‘camouflage pattern’ wicker laundry baskets in different sizes definitely make the grade for the ‘low key conversation piece’. Upstairs you will find limited edition designer ethnic wear, shoes from Janota and a pretty good collection of kundan and marcasite jewellery.

The well lit shop windows of this store, on 31 January Road, at the corner of the turn into Viva Panjim are reminiscent of quaint little heritage towns in Europe, ala Heidelberg. The collection is dominated by glazed ceramic ware (that has been handmade and hand painted by artists in the factory at Old Goa). The colour coordinated display stands are quite a visual treat, and you will find little and not so little ceramic pigs, cows, crabs, chilli shaped bowls and what not in many different colours here, so this is a great place to find that ‘matching’ piece to go with your already defined colour scheme.



Adore - Porvorim



Velha Goa – next to Panjim Inn Set up by the famous Borda Costas (of the tinned food fame),Velha Goa is the right place to find that little piece of Portuguese Goa that your heart craves. Just around a corner off the Rua de Ourem, next to the Panjim Inn, the rows of windows with the Portuguese band of plaster

Along the NH 17 highway, at Porvorim, with the large sign and stylish façade, this store is hard to miss. Besides fabric from D Decor and a smattering of chandeliers, the store stocks furniture made from natural fibre (such as

The newest store on the list and the most charming is run by artist, designer and entrepreneur Bhagyashree Patwardhan, out of a charming little Goan Portuguese styled house along the highway in Sangolda. There is an educated, esoteric ‘designer touch’ evident in these handmade pieces. The aquarian animal pieces, some of which have a clear crystalline aqua glaze simulating water, and the ‘pouffes’ made out of recycled toffee wrapper and tyres, stand out. There are also hand painted clothes and baby wear.

To recap with an aerial view; all of the stores have an assortment of glazed ceramic wall pieces, cushion covers, lampshades and mirror frames. If you’re looking for handmade lanterns and rustic-glam furniture, FabIndia in Campal, Panjim is well worth the visit. The Bombay Store in Panjim will yield kitschier knick knacks, especially LED lighting chains that are great to liven up a lounging space. Oona in Panjim is also worth checking out, especially for the carved wood mirror frames.

So all geared up, home-owner? Grab a friend and get set, go! Turn that house into a home! 

13 Thursday, May 9, 2013

May 10

May 11 to May 12

Hosprec goa health & medical records

Terracotta Hand Building Workshop

Noite Portuguesa 2013

May 4 to May 10

Annual national conference At Goa medical college, Bambolim @ 8.30 am

Indo Portuguese Friendship Society-Goa Panaji presents Noite Portuguesa 2013 - Dine & Dance, with Cascades: Goa’s most popular band to keep your feet tapping.

At Coco Loco, Agacaim @ 8 pm +919822102549/+919822102001

Handwoven sarees sale

With high tea At Paper Boat Collective, Sangolda @ 12 pm +918326521248

Deco Pots

Age 7-12 yrs Fees: Rs 500/At Bookworm, Taleigao @ 10 am to 1 pm

May 11

Scrapbooking

Age: 5yrs+ Fees: rs 450/At Bookworm, Taleigao @ 10 am to 1 pm

May 12

Soft Toy Making-Workshop At Ravindra Bhavan, Fatorda @ 10 am to 1 pm +918322726980/+918322653083

At Sunaparanta-Goa centre for the Arts, Panjim @ 10.30 am to 12.30 pm +918322421311

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

April 29 to May 12

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

April 29 to May 12

May 11 to May 12

Terracotta Hand Building Workshop At Sunaparanta, Panjim @ 10.30 am to 12.30 pm +918322421311

May 13 to May 18 Stitching Stories Fees: rs 2000/At Bookworm, Taleigao @ 9.30 am to 1 pm

May 13 to May 17 Robotics Workshops At Mala, Panjim +917875238094

May 10 to May 12

Painting & Drawing Workshop At Carpe Diem, Majorda @ 10 am to 12.30 pm +918888862462

Aqua Zumba

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 24 to May 20 At Western Ghats +919049081097

Every Sunday

April 23 to May 12

Near Holy Family School, Porvorim From 3 pm to 6 pm +919765731003

Farm off the Grid

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

April 1 to May 2013

At Communidade Building, opp municipality, Margao

Every Thursday

Organised by Walter Macarena At International Center Goa, Dona Paula from 5 pm to 7 pm +919822911161

At Taleigao football ground, Taleigao @ 7.30 am to 9 am

At Panaji @ 12.30 pm

Help & Help Sale

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

Every Friday

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

May 7 to May 10

Zumba Fitness

Junior summer soccer camp

May 15

Treasure hunt

Every Tuesday

Ballroom and Latin- American Dance Classes:

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

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

Until May 26

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

Free Swimming Guidance

Tailoring Classes

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 hand-picked from across India.

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

Monday & Friday

Taekwondo Sessions

Martial Arts, Fitness, Health & 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

Spice Farms

Tropical spice plantation

Elephant rides, authentic Goan cuisine, mini bird sanctuary and a boat to row or paddle.

At Arla Bazar Keri, Ponda For reservation call: +918322340329 or Email: tropicalspice@rediffmail.com

Sahakari Spice Farm

Guests are entertained by folk dances, elephant rides, art of climbing the tall betel nut palms and swinging from one stalk to the other. Lunch in earthen pots and banana leaves. At Ponda Belgaum highway, Curti.

Call: +918322312394 or Email: info@sahakarifarms.com

Savoi Plantation

Offers traditional Goan Saraswat cuisine served in mud pots and banana leaf plates along with seasonal fruits grown in the plantation. At Ponda For reservation call: +918322340272/ +919423888899 or Email: savaiplantation@rediffmail.com

Water sports Scuba Diving

Attractive corals, coloured and beautiful, shells and fishes all invite exploration.

At Scuba Diving India, Alfran Plaza, M.G. Rd, Panjim @ 9 am to 5 pm. +918326711999

Barracuda Diving India

Pool parties and underwater celebrations among other water sports activities.

At Sun Village Resort, Baga, Arpora & Chalston Beach Resort, Calangute +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

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,

Museums Goa Chitra

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

Big Foot Cross Museum

Houses 80 classifications of crosses of around the world.

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

Branca’s Cooking Classes Panjim 9822131835

David Furtado Dance & Aerobics @ Panjim, Mapusa, Porvorim, Candolim, Aldona and Saligao. Learn Salsa, Jive Waltz for Adults & Bollywood, Hip Hop & Contemporary dance for kids +91 9975914195

Fatima Moniz

Cooking courses, Margao.

2776035/ +91 9370275702

Dance

Cyrus Da Costa Dance Classes

Monday to Saturday Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Cha Cha Cha, Jive, Margao. 2715906/ 9921039537

Dance for Life Academy Mapusa 9823765523

Women and Martial Arts

By Ashley Do Rosario

A

Photographs by Arun Pavaratty

Beware attackers!

These ladies mean business

teenaged Angela and her sister were on their way to Colva’s fama feast on a bus and were being troubled by a copassenger. Just when they were about to alight from the bus he attacked Angela, put his arm around her from behind and pressed it against her chest.

“For a moment I was stunned. But then I gathered my wits, swirled 180 degrees to be face-to-face, and struck a blow on his face, all in a single motion.”

The next moment, the attacker was down, flat on the floor of the bus.

“I could ward off that attack, only because I was training in karate at the time,” Angela Abreu e Naik, told Streets.

Years later, Angela did herself and her native Goa proud by winning the yellow medal in the Taekwondo competition at the 1994 and 1997 National Games. Today, she is unarguably one of Goa’s top Taekwondo instructors.

She’s also an inspiring exponent of a very real option that few even consider in these times of increasing vulnerability for women and girls: Beating back the attackers with a little of their own medicine.

For some, chops, kicks, punches and strangleholds are the perfect answer to wouldbe attackers who expect a helpless victim but instead get a martial arts dynamo.

Rapists beware!

If you’re the parent of a daughter, the husband of a wife, the sibling of a sister or any other human being concerned about the safety of women and girls, read on…

Above and Cover photograph: Sybyl Fernandes and Ritzela Diniz of the Goa Shotokan Karate Do. Instructor: Joseph Rodrigues

Cover Story 15

Thursday, May 9, 2013

There’s no point taking a stance and showing off to the attacker that you are an exponent of Taekwondo or any other martial art form. You should camouflage your martial arts ability. It will make its use for self-defence that much more effective.

- Angela Abreu e Naik Taekwondo instructor

Mahesh Kamat, an Australia-trained martial arts trainer in Vasco, also says he’s noticed an increase.

Overall, the girls to boys ratio among students enrolling for martial arts is around 10 to 90, he explains. “But in recent years there is definitely a marginal increase in this ratio,” Mahesh says.

Some four months ago, prompted by the spurt in incidents of violence against women, Mahesh launched his ‘Papa’s Initiative,’ through which he imparts basic martial arts techniques focussed on awareness, observation and anticipation.

“With this, the girls are equipped enough to defend themselves and ward off stalkers and attackers,” Mahesh said, adding that he has already covered 105 schools and nearly 13,000 girl students, who have been given these basic techniques.

He has a few volunteers who help him arrange the sessions with the schools’ authorities. Teachers help refresh the techniques with students.

“Nothing can be handier than a proper martial arts training to defend yourself in everyday situations,” says Angela, whose martial arts training has saved her more than once.

Angela also donned the Indian colours at the World Championships at Cairo where she qualified for the semis and finished 9th. She gave up sparring in 2009, but continues to teach Korean martial arts in Margao.

“Taekwondo is by far the most powerful martial arts form for selfdefence in real life situations,” she argues, adding that the Taekwondo kicks are most potent since they are delivered from a mobile position, and use the reach and power of the legs which is greater than that of the arms.

She cautions, however, against girls and women making a show of Taekwondo in real-life situations, if only to maintain the element of surprise.

turn to page 16

Angela’s bus faceoff took place three decades ago, at a time when Goa was a safer place for females. In present times, the need for self-defense is felt even more, given rising crime and a spate of cases of molestation, attempted rape, rape and child abuse, not to mention the state’s largely ineffective law and order machinery.

Particularly frightening was the case of rape of a seven-year-old girl in the washroom of her own school, reported at Mormugao in South Goa earlier this year.

Thirty-something Deepali Kalangutkar says she’s noticed an increase in the number of women pursuing karate since she started practicing it six years ago in Mapusa.

“The focus of the training in our class is on how to carry oneself in real-life situations on the street. Techniques that will help us tackle aggression from an attacker are taught and practiced,” Deepali told Streets.

Her instructor, Satish Kumar, is in

the process of setting up a ladies-only karate class, aimed at imparting basic techniques to women to help them fend off attacks in day-to-day life.

“Since it’s difficult for older ladies to cope with the physical requirements in a normal karate class, this idea came to Satish’s mind, especially because of the spate of recent incidents of violence against women,” Deepali said.

Satish conducts his classes at the 4th floor hall of the Communidade Ghor opposite the Mapusa church. Those interested in enrolling can do so only after a face-to-face meeting with him at the venue of the classes.

Satish also conducts short-duration camps for girl students in schools through the aegis of the Rotary Club.

One such camp was recently held in Siolim, where girls were imparted basic techniques to protect themselves in dangerous situations.

While no one keeps track of the number of women studying martial arts,

He touched me.

So I touched him.

from page 15 “There’s no point taking a stance and showing off to the attacker that you are an exponent of Taekwondo or any other martial art form. You should camouflage your martial arts ability. It will make its use for self-defence that much more effective,” Angela said.

Taekwondo was developed by the Korean military as a training regimen.

The country then introduced it at various levels, including schools, colleges and universities in the 1950’s. It soon spread across the world and by 1989 was considered the world’s most popular martial art.

One style, Gyeorugi, a type of sparring, was admitted as an Olympic sport in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

According to Angela, with Taekwondo gaining great popularity here in Goa as well, most who enrol with her for training do it more as a sport rather than self-defence.

“It’s true. They (trainees) mostly want to pursue Taekwondo as a sport.

But, even if that’s the case, the help it can be of to defend oneself in physically threatening situations in daily life, cannot be discounted. It’s definitely a bonus,” Angela said.

Karate in its various styles is another martial art form that has been popular in Goa for decades – in part because of the martial arts movies that hit theatres in the 1970s.

Panjim-based Joseph Rodrigues, a karate black belt, estimates there are around 30 fellow karate instructors in the state. He believes there should be more training in schools, for both boys and girls.

“It’s about time every school should have self-defence training for students at least for three months. It can be done in batches,” says Joseph, who’s been teaching karate since 1984.

Apparently there’s no such thinking in the government ranks.

Officials in the Goa government’s Department of Education said there are no plans to introduce a martial

Contact the instructors...

• Angela Naik (Taekwondo) Margao - +919890671764 • Joseph Rodrigues (Karate) Panjim - +919049915164 • Mahesh Kamat (Karate, Tai Chi and Wushu) Vasco - +919762415528 • Satish Kumar (Karate) Mapusa - c/o Deepali Kalangutkar - +919420687549

It’s about time every school should have self-defence training for students at least for three months.

It can be done in batches.

- Joseph Rodrigues Karate instructor arts component in the school physical education curriculum.

Nearly three decades ago, Medha Monteiro enrolled herself in one of Joseph’s classes when she was 19. Now she’s in her 50s.

“I had never participated in any sport event in school or college and was physically not very strong. So I decided to join karate training to build my physical fitness. Once I was in it, I realised that it gives you a lot of confidence. It also helps you immensely to protect yourself,” says Medha.

It’s not that Medha, who lives in Parra, practiced karate all through these thirty years since she joined as a teenager.

“I took a break in between….got married and had a family. I re-joined training under Joseph about two years ago,” she explains, adding that she is now a black belt. 

Tech Review 17

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Micromax Canvas 3D A115

A Hot 3D Phone

By Praveen P

T

here’s a new phone in town. You can watch 3D videos and images on it. Without 3D glasses!

The Micromax Canvas 3D A115 sports a 5-inch (12.7 cm) display and runs on Android Jelly Bean operating system.

This dual-sim smartphone is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor and RAM of 512 MB. It has 0.93 GB internal memory and supports a 32GB memory card. It is priced at Rs 9999 at the Micromax store.

The really big, mind boggling question for me was: Does the 3D really work, without glasses?

First let’s look at what 3D sans glasses really means. Such phones have autostereoscopic (adding perception of 3D depth) displays. The display has a layer of material, called a parallax barrier, with a series of precision slits which allow each eye to see a different set of pixels, creating a sense of depth. Each eye sees a different image creating the illusion of 3D. The glasses free/parallax barrier technique works

better on mobile devices like phones and handheld games (like the Nintendo 3DS) than TVs due to the narrower viewing angle.

We played a 3D movie trailer on the phone and waited with bated breath. A rollicking dance sequence from ‘Anybody Can Dance 3D’(ABCD-3D) played out on the 5-inch screen. The 3D effect was initially a little disorienting, but we moved to a darker room, and voila! - the video was in all its 3D glory! There is definitely a perception of depth in the display, a clever illusion that led us to examine whether the phone was thicker than other standard cellphones. It isn’t.

It is just 13.7 mm thick at the camera location.

The Canvas 3D A115 shoots and converts standard images and video to 3D display format. Connectivity options include 3G , Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and USB 2.0. The smartphone’s 2000 mAh battery claims a standby time of 225 hours and talktime of 4.5 hours. Access to Micromax 3D Space is also provided, with a menu of 3D videos and games.

The camera has a 5 MP camera at the back and a 0.3 MP camera at the front for video chats.

Video formats supported are 3GP, MP4 and AVI which supports 3D video.

The video resolution is 480 x 800 and the video frame rate is 30 fps. The phone supports MP3, Midi and Wav audio formats. Sensors for proximity, motion and gravity are provided, to take care of touch and swipe gestures and image orientation and other ‘appy’ stuff.

Gaming, photos and videos are obviously the hot areas for the 3D feature, but Micromax has even turned its user interface into a 3D delight, with a feature carousel spinning out from the screen. A screensaver has a pool of water with a fish swimming. I touch it and the water ripples realistically and the fish darts off. This may be around on other phones, but the 3D effect here is lovely.

Photos and video taken on the phone didn’t appear as dramatically three dimensional as the 3D movie trailer, but then a Jessica Alba screensaver always looks better than your roomate’s picture,

doesn’t it? There is certainly a simulated 3D feel to the stuff we shot. Again it’s a matter of shooting in good light, composition and contrast, etc, that all goes to make a good picture or movie.

Micromax, an Indian consumer electronics company located in Gurgaon, Haryana has enjoyed considerable growth since its entry into the Indian mobile devices market in 2008, emerging as one of the largest selling phone manufacturers in India.

Comments in cyberspace rage on about Micromax phones. Some urge to buy Micromax and support homegrown Indian phones. Others wonder what’s Indian about phones that have Chinese components. Yet others point out that nearly all phone manufacturers use parts from all around the world.

But Micromax has certainly created a sensation with this spectacular 3D phone. We don’t know how it will fare in the stamina stakes, but right now we can watch 3D movie clips on this reasonably priced phone, and for that we are pleased. 

18 Feature

By Pedro Menezes

I

t’s a familiar story. You visit a distant place and after a while start missing your home food. Goans visiting Mumbai, too, get this feeling, and it’s not always easy to satisfy your craving. Many claim to serve Goan food, specially the fish-curry-rice or fish thali, but one bite or look and a Goan can always tell if it’s the real thing.

Although a great many Goans are settled in Mumbai, surprisingly the number of exclusively Goan authentic food restaurants is so few you can count them on one hand. And almost all of them are concentrated in south Mumbai. The best of the lot is undoubtedly City Kitchen on Dockyard Road at Ballard Estate, followed by Venice Caterers in Dhobhi Talao, New Martins in Colaba, Snowflakes in Dhobhi Talao and the upmarket Goa Portuguesa in Mahim. No matter what people might say, these are the only Goan food restaurants in Mumbai, though there are a few others which also serve Konkan-style food which also passes off as Goan Hindu food. (Editor’s note: If any of our readers disagree with Pedro’s assertion, or know of a fantastic Goan joint not on this list, please let us know on our Facebook page or write to us at streets@goastreets.com).

City Kitchen, a stone’s throw from CST railway station, is probably more authentic than some of the Goan food restaurants in Goa, according to some old-timers. Felix Flor, a musician living in Bandra, says, “That’s because they’ve maintained the old recipes from when the restaurant started 50 years ago and the cooks, though Goan, don’t live in Goa. Food evolves, so Goan food in Goa is evolving, but the recipes which were brought from Goa back then haven’t changed in Mumbai.” (Another editor’s note: Authenticity through time freeze?

Interesting!)

If Felix is in the Fort area of Mumbai, he makes it a point to have lunch at City Kitchen. The menu is a small blackboard on which the specials of the day are listed, besides the old favourites. There are never more than 10 dishes on the menu, with fish-curry-rice, beef-curryrice and pork vindalho the regular dishes.

On other days you get pork chops in green masala, fish reichado and some other dishes, all made just like they make it in a Goan home. It was started in 1964

by Sacru Menezes, who won an Olympic gold medal in hockey as part of the Indian team. His daughter Edna now runs the place.

Once a year during Christmas they make the most fantastic and delicious roast suckling pig, in a manner no restaurant in Goa makes these days. And roast turkey with stuffing. So the next time you crave some truly special Goan food on Christmas, my suggestion is head to Mumbai!

Another favourite of Goans in Mumbai is New Martins at Colaba, a hole in the wall just behind the Colaba market. Although the owner, Martin, is Mangalorean Christian, when he started his restaurant around 40 years ago, he had Goan cooks, so the food served ended up as a mix of Goan and East

Mumbai Goan Restaurants Finding the Good Ones Ain’t Easy Indian cuisine. The fish-curry-rice is as good as anything anywhere in Goa, as are the pork and beef roast. The chicken vindalho, though a bit on the East Indian side, always has a massive chunk of meat, and his prawn pulao is unbeatable.

New Martins used to be the favourite for Dempo football players when they would visit Mumbai to play in the Rovers Cup, and during lunch you have to queue up outside for a place inside. It’s a huge favourite with the media and advertising crowd of south Mumbai who go there for their weekly ‘Goan’ fix. Says Archana Pajni, an advertising executive working for a media company in Nariman Point, whose sister is married in Goa, “It’s the place for Goan food. I love their fishcurry-rice and fried fish.”

All at very affordable prices. “I always want to keep my place affordable for the common man,” says Martin, “because even I’m a common man who loves my fish-curry-rice.” But they don’t serve fish reichado.

Venice Caterers and Snowflakes are both in Dhobi Talao, Venice at one end of the dirty Dhobi Talao market, and Snowflakes in a lane at the other end of the market, close to Metro cinema. They, too, have a limited number of dishes and are very easy on the wallet, and yes, the

fish reichado at Venice is as good as it gets. They’re also known for their beef and pork chilly fry. The place is popular with the Goans in the Dhobi Talao area.

At the other end is Goa Portuguesa in Mahim, started around 22 years ago

by Dr Suhas and Deepa Awchat, the wife being a famous champion table tennis player from Panjim. So to please his wife, the good doctor started the most upmarket Goan food restaurant in Mumbai.

This is where you go for the more exotic

fare like xec-xec prawns, crabs and lobsters, besides the regular fish-curryrice and pork vindalho. Character actor Dalip Tahil says he goes there whenever he gets the cravings for some “tisreaos”.

Goa Portuguesa is also the only place in Mumbai where you get home-style Goan Saraswat Hindu food. But it does not come cheap.

There are a few other places which claim to serve ‘Gomantak’ food, but then, that’s not quite Goan. 

The liquid rack at Bob’s Inn

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

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

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Interiors of Bob’s Inn

22 Feature

Pishol

the bio-degradable brush Green techniques for restoration sonna (coconut outer shell) and then a virachi saron (broom made out of palm leaf), and then settled to paint. Neither did they use the short brushes for small chapels and crosses but fabricated their own brush―the pishol with a handle long enough to reach below the waist and above the head, thus eliminating the need to bend and the use of a ladder, both a waste of energy and time. And the best part was that these brushes were made from locally available materials and discarded plant parts.

Sixty year old Mario Ratos from Benaulim has spent thirty-five years of his life painting churches and chapels

Mario Ratos using a pishol

By Pantaleao Fernandes

W

e’re in the month of May and the numerous roadside crosses and tiny shrines in the village are spruced up for their annual litany. A couple of labourers scrape the structures with a wire brush to rid it of the previous year’s coat of mildewed lime. They then dissolve white lime powder in a bucketful of water, apply the paint with nylon hair brushes and the job is done.

In earlier times, whitewashing the

crosses, shrines, chapels and churches was a meticulous operation that engaged a group of dedicated men.

These were not casual labourers hired and fired for the job but were experts who usually spent their entire lifetimes to painting the same structures year after year right from their childhood till old age forced them to retire.

These were diligent men who slaked their own lime, filtered it, and often tinged it with gum and indigo to improve cohesion and whiteness. They did not use the wire brush to scrape but

white. He began by assisting his father who was a professional white washer.

He also helped his father in making their homemade brushes, before assembling them on his own and undertaking his own jobs.

Mario explains the making of the pishol (brush), “After a banana bunch was cut off from the plant, the latter was truncated at the base and discarded. We collected such banana stems and brought them home. After drying them well, we divided them into pieces of ek hath (one and a half foot) each. These were split longitudinally and kept aside. When a job came calling, this kedia add (banana plant stem) was arranged around a bamboo pole of a suitable length (five to six feet) and tied. Coir string was used to provide strength, and vaye (fibres pulled out from a palm leaf midriff) used to keep the kedia add fibres at the base in place. The tip was tied at intervals of four inches each using jute fibres. The pishol was now ready.”

Mario says that they made this pishol at home for various reasons. First and foremost being made of natural materials available in the village, it was almost free.

“The stick eliminated the use of a ladder cutting the work time by half. Standing on firm ground we also felt safe and worked with greater efficiency.”

“Once the pishol was used for a few hours, the tip got worn out. A jute string tied at the end had to be untied to release brushing fibres. At the end of a hard day’s work, the entire brush would get work out. When we got home, we had to make a new pishol using only a fresh kedia add, the other parts being reused.”

Of late however, the new breed of painters does not know of our pishol. They just use the readymade short brushes available in the market. “I have given up white washing churches due to my ill health. Whenever I pass by the churches of Navelim, Chinchinim, Sarzora, chapel at Sirlem, I remember my heydays.” 

Literature 23

Thursday, May 9, 2013

The Fan

By José Lourenço

H

e lay on the bed watching the fan.

Bloody grain mill.

There was no other sound in the room. Just the sound of the fan and its faint breeze. The entire room was bathed in darkness. Outside the moon too had taken its leave. Only fireflies flittered and flickered in the dark sky of the room.

From a distance he heard the barking of a dog. He couldn’t sleep tonight. His eyes just refused to close. Usually by this time the grinding of the fan and the keen sounds of the night within would make him drowsy. And then he would sleep soundly. But tonight he had vowed to sleep without taking his tablets.

Along with the dog’s howling, the sounds of someone talking came through the air. One or two persons seemed to be speaking in fluttering whispers. What they were speaking didn’t seem clear. The guim-guim of the fan, the kuim-kuim of the dogs and the low chattering seemed to meld together. He tried to keep aside the sound of the fan and focus on the whispering…who was speaking…from the left of the room or the right…what were they speaking…from which direction were the dogs howling? But he failed. The sounds of the conversation would drop in pitch midway. And then he would only hear the sound of the fan. Just like a grain mill.

How many times had he asked for that fan to be changed! But no one heeded him. We’ll do it, we’ll do it, they would say. The government does not have money to buy new fans, they would say.

Fucking government! Couldn’t they give a man, who had paid tax all his life, a decent fan in his old age? The ministers always ran short of money to quench the fire in their own arses!

He sudenly rose from his bed and shut off the fan. Then he sat on the bed’s edge and listened keenly. The fan slowly groaned to a halt. But as the fan stopped, all the sounds of the night also ceased.

There was just the tick …tick …tick …tick of the clock on the table. He opened the clock and took out its batteries. The clock too fell silent. He sat for a few minutes and listened to the night. Nothing. Not even the dogs. All the old folks in the other rooms seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Sweat began to run down his back in the stuffy heat of the room. He rose, returned to the fan and switched it on.

His right hand felt a little numb. He came back to the bed, rubbing his right hand with his left and laid down again.

The fan slowly geared up and began turning. The unreal barking began again.

Faintly now and then…but the sound was there. Perhaps it was the sound of the fan itself. Occasionally it would come like the beating of a stick on air…ghunv ghunv ghunv…and mingled in it was the sound of some distant music…did someone leave the TV on in the other room? Or are my own ears frazzled, he wondered?

I should have taken those sleeping tablets…he tried to shake his head clear.

In a little while, the fan began to move faster. This was that time in the city. The time when its rhythm would change.

People would go to sleep at this time.

They would all switch off their lights.

They would mount their beds. And each other. The voltage would rise…

A brisk breeze swept the room. Now he would surely fall asleep! The breeze played on his face and wafted through his hair. He closed his eyes. He felt like he was on a beach. Coconut palms swaying… gusts of air dancing hither and thither… sand flying. The rhythmic sounds of the wind lulling him to sleep…the waves on

the beach and birds in the trees singing a lullaby…..

He woke up in the middle of the night.

His left hand had disappeared. He lifted his right hand and began groping around.

After fumbling for a while he touched something cold and lifeless by his side.

He lifted that numb frozen hand and placed it on his chest. He rubbed it and squeezed it and slowly brought it back to life. Tingling currents began shooting again through his left hand.

This always happened if he slept on one side. A hand would vanish, sometimes the right sometimes the left.

At first he used to be terrified to find a chilled dead hand at his side in the middle of the night. But now he was used to it. Thank God both his hands had never ever disappeared at the same time!

He was soaked in sweat. The fan had slowed down again. The grain mill grind had returned. He felt a heaviness in his chest. As though the oppressive air itself sat heavily on his body. He took in a deep long breath.

His ears were shrill now. The sound of wheels came to him, ghud ghud… kree kree…the sound of going from the church to the cemetery…with the cart that carried the coffin…pushing it with one hand…on tyres that had no air…ghud ghud…kree kreee…

Wait for a while, she had said. Wait near me, don’t go anywhere.

Don’t be afraid, he had said, I will keep water to heat and come back soon.

He kept water on the stove. He fed the dog. He closed the door. When he returned to her…cold horror….

Eyes wide open. That wicked grimace on her face. That terrible grin in the throes of death…o god o god....

He had frozen in fear. He had felt like running away. After a while he had gathered courage and called the

neighbours. Actually he should have cried….hugging her… but he could not bring himself to embrace that hideous spectre. He could not even cry.

His chest filled and his throat choked.

He felt a wetness on his cheeks. Oh God! Tonight… after all these years? The tears trickled into his ears.

The wheels of the cart kept rolling. He tried to rise. To switch off the fan. To take his sleeping tablets. But his entire body had become like stone. He could not even lift his hands. Neither one.

In that tumultuous moment, the fan stopped by itself. With the stopping of all sound, the darkness of the room deepened. He lay on the bed sweating, waiting.

The power returned. The fan began turning again. The air picked up speed.

Turning and turning, a tempest broke out over the bed. The weight on his chest increased. And on the wings of the wind, he returned to the beach.

But… The wind was now dark, pitch black… bringing with it thunder and lightning… silencing the birds in the palms…

The storm roared and shook the trees…the demon wind spewed a bitter rain and the sky shattered into a thousand pieces as the thunder exploded three times. Did the cracks of thunder come from the sky or the fan, he would wonder for the rest of eternity.

He remained staring at the fan for the rest of the night, with his eyes wide open.

And like a three winged angel, the still fan stood guard over him till the early morning.  First published in Konkani in the Chaturthi ‘Ankh’ of Sunaparant in 2008.

Translated into English by the author.

24 Hot Streets

you have to say. As human beings, we generally don’t like to be told what to do or be given unsolicited advice.

Your friend may say this isn’t sexual, but sometimes there’s more to relationships than meets the eye. Secrets abound in the realm of intimacy.

As for the abortions, you don’t have to be a ‘bad boy’ to cause pregnancies but you might be a ‘stupid girl’ if you don’t take action to stop unwanted ones. And as for the matchmaking, that seems like a thoughtful approach. You know, Maryann, we human beings are complex creatures.

Sometimes decent guys come in ‘bad boy’ packaging. Can you find your friend one of them?

Love, Acaricia May

Dear Acaricia May I am a 27-year-old woman with a female friend of the same age. The problem with my friend is that she gets attracted to ‘bad boys’, young men who have vices or are very rough in their behaviour. Her attraction is not so much sexual. She thinks she will be able to correct their behaviour and make them better persons, the way a social activist tries to cure some social problems. So she gets into relationships that always turn out badly. She gets exploited by the guy and then she winds up brokenhearted.

Until the next bad boy comes along. I have tried to match her up with some decent boys, but she doesn’t show interest. She says they are boring.

How do I stop my friend from ruining

Whatever happened to our sexual relations?

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

herself? She has already been through an abortion.

Regards Maryann - Mapusa Dear Maryann,

You ever hear that Billy Joel line “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints”? Seems your friend is taking that to heart! Let me be frank with you, Maryann. Unless these fellows are physically abusing your friend, I don’t see much of a role for you here. She’s an adult and these are her choices. As a friend, listen and support her. Perhaps point out the pitfalls without judging or lecturing. If she feels you are hearing and understanding her, truly empathizing, it’s more likely she will listen to whatever

I don’t know.

They don’t visit us very often now.

The

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Konkan fruit fest at Margao

he decennial Konkan Fruit Fest 2013 will be organised at the BPS Club in Margao by The Botanical Society of Goa with the BPS Sports Club as a festival partner.

It will be open to the public after the inauguration on Friday May 10, up to 7 pm, according to Miguel Braganza, Secretary of the Botanical Society of Goa. Fruits for the competition must reach the venue by 3 pm The Corner is a on Thursday, May regular space where 9 and the entries organizations, will be judged the entrepreneurs and all same day and results those with noteworthy declared the next projects can “strut day. their stuff.”

Entries for Chickoo, White Sapota, Guava, Mangosteen, Rose Apple, etc should include six fruits with at least a single ripe one for tasting. For mango four fruits will do.

For rare fruits like Sour Sop, Bull’s Heart, Lakoocha, etc a single fruit will be accepted. For berries and small fruits like Jamun, Carvanda, Churna, etc 20 fruits will make one entry.For large fruits like Jack, Pumelo SIX sub-units [carpels/bulbs, segments] will constitute an entry.

The festival will also include a

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There will also be entertainment programmes and spot competitions held in fruit eating and fruit carving.

The ICAR-Goa, the RFRS-Vengurla of the Dr. BS Konkan KrishVidyapeet, Goa Forest Department Goa Food and Drugs Administration and the Directorate of Agriculture are participating.

The KVK-North of the ICAR-Goa will hold demonstrations in vermicomposting and grafting on Saturday May 11, at 10 am and Green Essentials will conduct demonstrations on Sunday May 12 at 4.30 pm.

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A Hundred Summers in the Sun

Claudina and Sister Elsie at the St. John of God Home for the Aged, Old Goa

By Jonathan Rodrigues

F

or Claudina Brito, a century is enough.

“For a century now, I have seen so much with these eyes. But my mind has not been able to register the memories,” says Claudina Brito, who turned 100 on the 11th of April this year.

The centenarian who originally hails from Pomburpa is the eldest among 28 women living at the home for the aged at St John of God, Old Goa. She apologizes for not having the memory to share her life story but all these years have not taken away the charm of her gentle eyes and dimpled smile.

Engrossed in her prayers, she fiddles with her beads as she awaits my arrival at the entrance. Her skin is wrinkled and weathered, but she appears quite active.

She has few health problems and unlike many others is off medication, other than pills for the occasional cough and cold.

Her ‘juniors’ say she is always chirpy and inquiring of the wellbeing of others, even when she isn’t too well. “Even at home, she was always helpful. She would make

little pickles and jams and distribute it to the neighbours,” vouches one of her neighbours who now shares the same roof in the home.

Last year at her 99th birthday, she was quite certain that she would not make it to 100. “She asked us to celebrate her 99th birthday as her last. However I kept telling her that she would somehow make it through and that she should keep the faith because not everyone gets a chance to live a hundred years,” says Sister Elsie, a nun at

the home.

Claudina was not initially happy to be here and was adamant on going back home. But she gradually blended in with the rest of the women who are almost a generation younger to her. “As the days got nearer, I would wake her up every morning and remind her of the countdown to the big day (turning 100), and slowly the excitement in her grew too. There was a change in her attitude towards living,” reveals Sister Elsie. This nun, who is originally from Kerala, belongs to the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of Immaculate

Conception. She chose to take care of the old as her mission after she finished her nursing at St. John’s at Bangalore.

It’s not easy to ascertain information about Claudina’s life – and she preferred not to talk about it and her caregivers said little. I gathered, however, that her husband died three or four decades ago, and that she once had a daughter who died young.

Perhaps it’s the solitude that has sapped her will to live.

A normal day for the Sisters working here would be waking up the residents for morning mass, bathing them on alternate days; dressing them up, giving them their medications, laying out the food and bringing them together for prayer; besides the primary task of nursing the sick.

Not everything is rosy at the home, however. The curse of the caste is sometimes especially noticeable among the aged.

“It exists among a few. A particular person will sit aloof and ignore other sections of the community,” observes Sister Elsie. “There was a time when those who paid to be here would receive special cooked food and the rest would have to eat the normal diet; but I was very clear about doing away with this practice,”

Of the 28 residents here, there are a few who have been transferred from different homes like the orphanages, homes for the abused and assaulted. Most have walked in on their own as they found themselves a burden to their families and a handful have been brought there by loved ones with a promise to take them back in time, a lie that the sisters have learned to forgive and forget.

There are times when the residents find themselves in immense pain, but the sisters here have never given up on any of them.

“When I come across situations like this I just call out to God and tell Him― “If you can’t heal her then please take her. We cannot even think of giving up until He from above decides it is time.”

Euthanasia is a hotly debated topic around the world and Sr. Elsie has clear views on the topic.

“When I was in the U.S., a patient was struggling to breathe. I couldn’t stand the sight and started performing the resuscitation procedure.

When the family learnt about this they scolded me stating that his will mentioned that no extreme measures were to be taken to save his life. They even threatened to sue me.”

Some of the aged occupants of the Home plead to the sisters to intercede with God for their trip to heaven. “It breaks my heart when they request us to pray for their death, but then their struggles are tremendous. On my part I keep telling them that I don’t have a mother and that they are my mothers.

They then feel a sense of belonging and treat me like their own daughter and forget about their pain.” But then pain is invisible to the eyes and some people are unselfish and endure it alone.

Claudina made no fuss to walk down from her room and sit down for a chat with me, but then she put me in that one situation that I dreaded the most. “I have no idea why God is doing this to me, pray that He may show me some mercy and take me away. Will you call my doctor?

Will you pray?” she asked me with those sunken eyes. “I shall call the doctor. Give me your blessings.” I replied and took her leave.

Sr. Elsie followed me to the door. “You don’t have to feel bad about lying about the doctor. We do it all the time. I guess God will forgive us for this one.” 

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Hema Sardesai, a Bollywood singer of Goan origin was the chief guest

Akshada Bandekar and other singers paid musical tribute at the event

Salam Bollywood

held at Kala Academy, on 3rd May