Issue No: 38

Saturday, September 6, 2014 | Vol. No. 2 | Issue 38 | Price Rs. 10 | www.goastreets.com | G-2/RNP/Weekly/Goa-05/2013-15

 Steven Gutkin on Palestine  Real Estate Lowdown  God's Children

To connect with the author and to watch the pre-launch trailer visit www.facebook.com/panasuthegoldencity

Cover Story 3

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Goan to Waste

The Bold Truth About Goa’s Garbage Where there’s a will, there’s a way…

By Aparna Raut Desai

“

We didn’t see much of Goa on our trip this year,” said Sushila Vij about one of her trips to Goa. “That’s not because we didn’t get out of the hotel much. We traveled quite a bit in the state. When I say we didn’t see much of Goa, I mean it’s almost invisible under piles of garbage along every street.

I guess it was only time before the effects of integration with India began leaving its mark on a place that once used to be pristine.”

The once proud Goan is now a subdued, humiliated lot, inured to remarks like this, all the while resenting the ‘outsider’ for the various ills that now affect their home.

Goans were warned of a stark change in the way we would live, before the Konkan Railway was commissioned, making access to the ghat-enveloped state so much easier from the rest of the country. Migrants and tourists indeed have descended on Goa in droves, bringing with them a need for planning and infrastructure that never materialized.

Every once in a while, a politician or six will visit a first-world country on our dime, and upon return, make forthright noises about turning Goa into a wellmanaged, systematic state with a stateof-the-art mechanism in place. What seems lost on each politico is that Goa used to be exactly that, and the lessons she needs are right here in her past.

“I’m so ashamed every time I have

a visitor,” rues Savio Braganza from Borda, who works on a ship. “I used to be so proud when we had guests and they would remark upon how different Goa is. Now I find myself apologizing for each heap of stinking rot, and there are so many, I do nothing but apologize. I’m going to stop inviting friends here. It’s depressing.”

In 2012, the Chief Minister himself, upon return from Germany raved about the system in Kaiserslautern, a town a hundred or so kilometres from Frankfurt, and how its waste treatment plant emitted “no smell, and had no flies” around it.

Goans were promised a similar treatment plant in a location that was left ominously undisclosed, with the CM promising that locals would have no objection to it, as it would be sufficiently distant from habitation. Two years on, we’re still a long way from Kaiserslautern, and flies are ubiquitous, not just around the several ad hoc dumping grounds for garbage, but on every street and in every neighbourhood.

“Seriousness, both from the government and the people to solve the problem is lacking,” says Clinton Vaz, frontrunner among Goa’s garbage activists. Vaz denies that a treatment plant is the end-all solution to the problem, stressing instead on awareness and education among the people for segregation at source. “Of course the governments will always go for the big-cost treatment plants, because there is a lot of money to be exchanged around these.”

He points to the disastrous attempt with the multi-crore treatment plant in Ghaziabad, New Delhi, which set out to treat mixed waste. Not only have public moneys gone to waste, the locals have been left to deal with the fall-out of the failure, he says.

“Source segregation has been achieved successfully in Panjim, and there’s no reason why it cannot be replicated everywhere else in the state,” he points out, adding, “When the waste is

segregated at source, it presents a vast number of recycling and other solutions after. But will is lacking, and so is implementation. Take the case of Margao where door-to-door collection has just been commenced. While in Panjim the locals are separating their garbage before it is collected, Margao citizens have not been educated on this, nor have they been given the wherewithwal to follow this method. No training or awareness has been provided, not even to the 200 waste workers who have been hired to do the job.”

The real danger of Goa’s waste problem, which if looked at practically, is imminently solvable with just a little planning and foresight, is that it simply ceases to be a problem, like in other states of the country. Already, many Goans are so accustomed to the sight of garbage everywhere they go, that there is hardly a squeak on the subject, except among pockets of concerned citizens.

The blame is put squarely on the outsider, and while the contention may have more than some merit, it is local governing bodies that are failing Goa year after year, even while going out of their way—and duty—to promote tourism and real estate expansion.

No where is this attitude perpetuated more alarmingly than at Gogol’s Housing Board colony in the vicinity of Margao, as dogs, cows and birds hover around humungous piles of garbage that actually

Turn to page 4

4 Cover Story From page 3

cover story | 3 Garbage in Goa

feature | 6 Gutkin's Comeback

food & drink | 8 Urban Ration: Doorstep Supermarket

food & drink | 10 Park Hyatt Masters

the corner | 11 Natti's Naturals & Wockhardt

give back | 12 Sister Valentina's Orphanage

music & nightlife | 13 The Jazz Knights with Joe & Shefali

what's on | 15 Events in Goa

arts & entertainment | 16 Krishna Reddy, master printmaker

homes & more | 18 Real Estate in Goa

spill out on to the roads proper and onto traffic.

The CCP in Panjim, and other governing bodies in other cities wash their hands of the collection issue by simply pointing out that they have no where to put it. Landfills, where not shut down by protesting locals, are full to bursting with waste that is still waiting on the Germans to arrive and liberate us.

Garbage bins have all but disappeared from the state, after an ambitious plan in the capital city saw door-to-door collection systems put in place during the same Chief Minister’s previous tenure, ten years ago. While the populace of Panjim is now better informed about segregation and the value thereof, a significant lapse in judgment either forgot to address or conveniently ignored the reality of garbage generated outside homes.

With no bins at all to toss bags, wrappers and assorted waste into, citizens simply used the roads.

Always cart before horse, at frequent intervals, another batch of noises is made about a fining process “soon” to be in place.

Anyone who chucks waste on the street will be caught and fined, says the Chief Minister every three months or so. Where the soon-to-befined citizen must in fact put the waste instead is a subject touched on less often.

The fact is, that unless the much-touted treatment plant is built and functional, and can actually accommodate Goa’s burgeoning waste, the CCP and other corporations cannot be faulted for pointing out the obvious, they have no choice but to leave waste where it happens to collect.

The nonchalance of the governing bodies and the authorities has led to some frankly bizarre measures being introduced around the state. As a deterrent to chucking garbage, usual suspect spots now sport boards with Hindu, Muslim and Christian religious symbols prominently displayed, beseeching locals and migrants, in the name of God, to quit littering.

All in vain, of course.

After being herded out of several sites following serious health hazards caused to

localities with landfills in the vicinity, thanks to continual and indiscriminate dumping without any follow up treatment and disposal whatsoever, Panjim’s corporation authorities pulled a coup by designating Campal grounds, along a main artery of Panjim as a dumping ground.

Seeing as there is significant profit to be made out of a mechanism for garbage removal and treatment, perhaps the logical solution for Goa would be to privatize its waste treatment problem. Small (migrant) entrepreneurs have already begun making a name for themselves in remote areas of the state. Chandor is kept surprisingly garbage-free not by its local municipality, but a determined sixty-year old with a gaily painting cycle-cart, who drives through the town picking up after it.

Lack of accountability among business owners on the other hand, combined with lack of enforcing bodies means shop-owners across the state will not even place a bin outside their premises. Simple solutions that could go a long way towards helping Goa reduce the eyesore that is indiscriminately chucked garbage are shunned in favour of elaborately ill-planned hoaxes regularly thrown at the perplexed Goan.

Manohar Parrikar’s government was reinstated with a mandate in 2012, with the average Goan confident that the CM would repeat and better his performance from the previous time, when improvements had been undeniable, and solutions innovative, even if poorly followed up. Despite the mandate however, we have a vastly different man incharge now, a Chief Minister who seems to be concerned more with attending to interests in BJP’s central policies than addressing the immediate needs of the state he is in-charge of.

After over-shooting self-proclaimed deadlines on solutions to Goa’s waste problem several times over the last two-and-half-years he has been in power, he has once again set a date for a clean Goa. Parrikar promises that Goa will see a dedicated mechanism in place by the end of the year 2014, so its garbage woes are soon to be a thing of the past.

But they’ve heard this one before, so for the average Goan, for those that actually care still, it’s just another deadline that’s going to go to waste. 

Vodafone And Gfdc are Back With The Second Edition Of “Vodafone Gfdc Rising Stars Football Festival 2014”

V

odafone India, one of India’s leading telecom service providers, in partnership with Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) today announced the launchof the second edition of the unique grassroot league initiative, ‘Vodafone GFDC Rising Stars Football Festival 2014’. The festival is a sixmonthlong Intra-centre, Inter-Zonal and Champions League football championship tournament exclusively for kids up to the age of 13 years. It will provide an excellent platform to identify and cultivate young local football talent across the State. This initiative is in line with Vodafone’s commitment to nurture and promote the sport of Football in Goa, in association with the government of Goa’s GFDC. The second edition of ‘Vodafone GFDC Rising Stars Football Festival 2014’, kicks off on September 10, 2014 and the competitive league concludes in January 2015.The football league will showcase over 1000matches, featuring over 3000 young talented players and will be played across 25 centers in Goa. The teams have been divided into four zones, each team will have eight members and have been split into three categories: boys below 10 years, boys below 13 years and girls aged below 13 years.a Sharing his views on this unique initiative for young and aspiring football talent in Goa, Ishmeet Singh, Business Head - Maharashtra & Goa, Vodafone India said, “The first edition of Vodafone GFDC Rising Stars Football Festival got an overwhelming response with participation from over 650 kids. Vodafone is extremely pleased to extend its partnership with GFDC for second year in a row as the festival gets bigger and better with participation of over 3000 kids featuring in over 1000 matches this year. As

a value based organization, Vodafone believes in making a meaningful contribution to society, across the geographies we operate in. This initiative reinforces Vodafone’s continued commitment to support and promote football at the grassroots level in Goa.” Dr. Rufino Monteiro, Chairman, GFDC added, The 2nd edition of the VODAFONE-GFDC RISING STARS FOOTBALL LEAGUE is here again but this year it will feature over 3000 of our trainees playing their hearts out , all around Goa----demonstrating their skills in an enjoyable spirit & competing to be champions . At GFDC , we are striving with partners like Vodafone to produce Champion players .

Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision; they must have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and above all---the will.

Elvis Gomes, Member Secretary, GFDC and President, Goa Football Association said, “It is nice to have Vodafone once again supporting our cause to make football an enjoyable sport. Training without tournaments is boring. The 2nd GFDC-Vodafone Rising Star Football Festival not only helps our children enjoy but also shows us the path we are taking.

‘The Intra Centre Championship League’ of the ‘Vodafone GFDC Rising Stars Football Festival 2014’tournament will be played in September 2014 and October 2014. These matches will be played at the centre level and the focus will be more on ‘enjoying the game’, rather than the competition aspect, as per FIFA guidelines. The qualifying teams from the first phase willplayin the second phase -‘Vodafone GFDC Inter Centre Championship League’in the month of November 2014 and December 2014. Eight teams i.e.

2 teams from each zone, will battleit out in the Inter zonal for the Championship that will be played in January 2015.The matches will be played on GFDC center grounds in Valpoi, Sulcorna, Aldona, Moira, Navelim, Benaulim, Khandepar, Pernem, Arambol, Parra, Arrpora, Mayem, Poira, Sanquelim, Savoi Verem, Marcel, Collem, Paroda, Shiroda, Quepem, Ambaulim, Utorda, Devabhag, Amone and Cuncolim on Fridays and Saturdays.

The entire festival will be conducted with the involvement of participants’ parents, village elders and other key local personalities with a view to encourage and boost morale of budding stars.

6 Feature

And the truth about bias

West Bank separation wall

By Steven Gutkin

W

hen I led coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the world’s largest news organization between 2004 and 2010, my colleagues and I knew we were writing about the globe’s most scrutinized story.

But we tried to take it in stride. As long as we angered each side equally, we surmised, we were doing something right.

So when we were falsely accused of “erasing” a video of a young Palestinian boy getting shot by an Israeli soldier, we decided not to give it credence by responding. And when these past few days, a former colleague stated, again falsely, that we buried key stories that made Israel look good, among other transgressions, my initial reaction was the same. Just let it go.

But there was something different about this accusation. For one, it came from a reporter whom I hired personally in 2006 in the middle of a war. And from a person who I thought then and still think now is a good writer.

Matti Friedman’s allegations, in a story in the Jewish publication Tablet, have gone viral, with more than 70,000 Facebook shares as of this writing.

Eloquently written, it has the air of a ‘tell-all’ piece from a former insider. The article has struck a chord among Jews, despite its dubious central theme: that anti-Semitism thrives, even among nonMuslim communities in the West and especially among journalists.

With Israel’s public image reeling from the recent war in Gaza – and Israel

supporters everywhere eager to counter the widespread criticism of Israel - the story’s timing was perfect.

Unfortunately, the story was little more than well-written hogwash.

Matti’s message was that Jews today – like their oppressed ancestors – have once again become “the pool into which the world spits.” Criticism of Israel, he argued, is the latest manifestation of old-style anti-Semitism, which has focused attention on Israel rather than the world’s true villains. The key to understanding this “hostile obsession with the Jews,” he wrote, “is to be found first among the educated and respectable people who populate the international news industry; decent people, many of them, and some of them my former colleagues.”

Matti didn’t mention names, but he was talking about me, and other leaders of the Associated Press bureau in Jerusalem. I’m no longer in that crowd.

I left the AP nearly three years ago (to start the publication you’re reading now), which gives me something in common with Matti, who resigned around the same time I did. I (like he) can say whatever I want about those momentous years, without having to consult the AP or anyone else.

Matti’s article was essentially about bias – what he said was our bias against the Jewish state. If we are honest with ourselves, we must acknowledge that bias, especially unconscious bias, is an inescapable part of the human condition. (The Nobel-prize winning Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kahneman explained it elegantly in his

book “Thinking Fast and Slow”, writing, “We are blind, and we are blind to our blindness.”)

It is true the conflict we covered can be framed in various ways: of downtrodden Palestinians facing off against powerful Israel, or of tiny Israel against the surrounding sea of 300 million Arabs.

Often, I felt that attempting to “frame” it either way was not instructive. It was preferable to simply bear witness to what we saw unfolding before our eyes.

During my six-year tenure in Israel and the Palestinian territories, our staff was made up mostly of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims, with a smaller number of foreigners who belonged to neither or those two communities. Matti provided valuable, fair-minded input during those years, a voice that often helped ensure the Israeli viewpoint got a fair shake without belittling the other side. I was grateful for that, and for the other voices in the bureau who did the same for the Palestinians.

As bureau chief, I knew it was one of my key roles to fight bias in our reporting. Was this achieved all the time?

I doubt it. But I know an honest attempt was made at all times. I always told our reporters not to deliver “milk toast” and to lay bare the raw passions of each side in all their glory, rather than trying to tone down the arguments. While fairness was of utmost importance, I told them, not every story had to be 50-50 (if you were reporting in 1930s Germany, I asked, would you be compelled to give half the space to the Jewish side and the other half to the Nazis?)

Matti states that the AP’s Jerusalem

Feature 7

bureau – like all other major news operations based in Israel and the Palestinian territories – employs an inordinate amount of reporters because of this hostile obsession with the Jews.

The truth is the story of Israel is that of a nation rising from the ashes of the worst genocide in human history, being attacked from all sides upon its inception.

Depending on your point of view, it’s also a story about the persecuted becoming the persecutors. All of this, of course, is happening to the people of the Bible, the descendants of the Hebrew slaves who were led out of Egypt by Moses and from whose ranks emerged Jesus Christ. It’s as if a new chapter of the Bible is being written in our times. Whether you think the Bible is mythology or the word of God is beside the point. The point is we are all human beings who love a good story, and this one is particularly good.

In his article, Matti states that I personally suppressed stories that did not fit my narrative of Israel being bad, implying that I was a part of this worldwide media conspiracy against the Jews. It’s a large statement, and of course could only be true if I hated myself. The truth is I am not a self-hating Jew or any kind of Jew other than just a regular one.

There was a time years ago when the large media outlets avoided appointing Jewish people to lead news operations in Israel. Wouldn’t such a person be prone to taking the Israeli side? Or perhaps over-compensate by being too pro-Palestinian? Experience has shown those concerns were largely unfounded, and that Jewish bureau chiefs in Israel have been pretty much the same as

anyone else. In my case, I have no doubt that my Jewishness gave me a keener appreciation of the Israeli cause. I also know that my intense feelings about Jewish persecution – and the fact that much of my own family was murdered in the Holocaust – made me even more sensitive to the plight of the weak, no matter who they were.

I was present in Pakistan when another Jew, Daniel Pearl, was murdered.

I was chasing after an interview with the same militants who brutally ended his life, and at first I thought he was “lucky” when he beat me to them. I knew his fate could have been mine. I did not know Steven Sotloff, the Jewish journalist recently beheaded in Syria, but his personal story, too, was not unlike mine.

Yes, I have a strong Jewish identity. But what I believe in most is humanity.

One of my favourite memories of my time in Afghanistan is of a local AP colleague, a devout Muslim, driving around Taliban-ruled Kabul singing the Hebrew hymn “Shalom Aleichem.” I had taught it to him. In the morning, my children and I drink from ceramic mugs that were gifted to me by a Palestinian colleague in Gaza grateful that I secured him a hospital bed in Jerusalem when he suffered a medical crisis. The AP staff in Gaza and the West Bank all knew I was Jewish, and were all fiercely protective of me whenever I visited. Not unlike my colleague in Peshawar, Pakistan who helped me escape the clutches of the ISI when they detained me at the Afghan border, getting beat up for it in the process. One of my favourite Facebook messages is the one I receive every year

from a former colleague in Gaza – no matter the situation on the ground – wishing me a Happy Passover.

I do not believe in suppressing good stories, and would never do so. Nor do I think Israel is bad.

If an article didn’t appear that Matti thought should have, it was not because it didn’t fit a pre-ordained narrative or because we had it in for Israel. Deciding which stories to pursue involves news judgment, and rare events are more newsworthy than common ones. Reporters do not write about all the houses that DON’T catch fire, and corruption in Sweden is more noteworthy than it is in Nigeria.

(Though it must be stated that Matti’s assertion that the AP ignores Palestinian corruption and other aspects of Palestinian existence is untrue).

Matti stated that a female reporter in our bureau had access to maps showing the contours of a generous Israeli offer of a Palestinian state, but that the bureau’s leadership refused to run the story.

The map he’s talking about was indeed shown by a Palestinian official to one of our reporters. It affirmed a longstanding Palestinian proposal for a land swap that had been part of the Geneva Initiative, and was old news.

During my years with the AP and other news organizations, I reported from some two dozen countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Colombia, Cuba and Israel. I have been threatened, shot at and shelled, and I have been present when colleagues were injured and killed. Were there times when we decided not to report a given fact because

we thought it would endanger one of our reporters? Yes there were, and one of these incidents occurred when Matti was on the editing desk. But these events were extremely rare – perhaps only two or three times during my entire six-year stint in Israel/Palestine – and we withheld the information only after concluding that it would necessarily be traced to the reporter in question, thus jeopardizing his life.

Matti and I were in Israel at the same time covering the same news. I am grateful for the acknowledgment he gave me in The Aleppo Codex, the wonderful book he wrote on the stunning fate of one of history’s most important Hebrew manuscripts.

Of course I do question Matti’s belief that the international media is teeming with anti-Semitism. And I do wonder how a person with his intelligence and compassion can fail so completely to see the other side.

Matti’s 4,000-word story in Tablet did not mention the word “occupation.” That a sizeable percentage of the population making up the Holy Land live under Israeli military rule against their will did not merit a single sentence tells us something about the prevalence of bias.

No, media coverage of Israel is not the new face of global anti-Semitism. In every society I covered in my decades as a foreign correspondent, whistle blowers were dubbed traitors and defenders of the status quo were considered patriots.

Matti seems to argue that Israel should be left alone because it’s not as bad as Bashar Assad or the Taliban. I believe there’s nothing wrong with giving voice to all those who believe the Jewish state can and should do better.

And I feel the same way about the Palestinians.

Matti writes, “If you follow mainstream coverage, you will find nearly no real analysis of Palestinian society or ideologies, profiles of armed Palestinian groups, or investigation of Palestinian government. Palestinians are not taken seriously as agents of their own fate.”

During my time in the region, I worked hard to ensure the strength of AP’s coverage of the entire story, both in Israel and the territories. We upgraded our offices in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Gaza City, and appointed a full-time senior staffer to oversee coverage of the Palestinian territories. Those moves continue to pay dividends, providing highly nuanced, well-researched insights into these areas (in recent weeks alone, the news agency ran stories on Palestinian nepotism, dissenting voices in Gaza, Hamas corruption and the arrest of a top Hamas official for financial misdeeds).

There’s no such thing as perfect balance and a complete lack of bias. Not when you’re dealing with human beings.

But there is something called good faith, and I’m proud to say we had lots of it in Israel and Palestine. I say that in the spirit of fighting bias - not as a Jew, but as a journalist. Steven Gutkin runs Goa Streets along with his wife Marisha Dutt

8

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Who needs supermarkets when you have...

URBAN RATION!

Relax, and shop from the comfort of your home

By Shubham Gupta

N

ot everyone hates going to the supermarket, and of course the experience is not completely devoid of pleasure. But let’s face it. It’s not the most wonderful thing to do, either. First, you gotta brave the traffic jams, the rain, and the two-wheelers and four-wheelers and every other kind of wheeler just to get there. And then once you’re there, there’s the long queues of folks buying loads of items they don’t even need. When was the last time you parked your cart in the shortest queue and saw the shoppers in longer queues get done before you?

Behold Urban Ration, Goa’s premier virtual supermarket, wherein you can buy all that you can find in a supermarket, just by visiting their website www.

UrbanRation.com or making a quick phone call to 8390872200/4400. And of

course, all that you need will be delivered at your doorstep!

Founded in July 2013, this incredible and innovative initiative is a subsidiary of Daily Hypermart Pvt. Ltd. With the e-commerce industry growing astronomically, the advent of Urban Ration is eminently well timed and exactly what’s needed in Goa, especially for working women and house wives who can really benefit from this kind of convenience.

Take the case of Tatyana Shelyazhynskaja, a Ukrainian woman working full-time for a travel agency in Goa. She puts many hours into her job, and after work hours she wants to spend time with her friends and relax. Having recently discovered UrbanRation.com,

she never misses a chance to impress her boyfriend with delightful continental recipes, with all the exotic ingredients home delivered, of course. On one particular rainy day when she knew that she’d get free from work an hour early, she decided to cook ‘Shaved Potato Cakes’ for her sweetheart.

The problem, however, was that the only ingredient she had at home was salt.

So here’s what she did. She called up 8390872200 from the office at 4:30 pm and ordered two kilograms of potatoes, one kilogram of onions, 500 mililitres of refined oil, half a kilogram of corn flour, 6 eggs, a bunch of fresh basil leaves and packaged, dried rosemary to be delivered at her residence in North Goa. At 6:00 pm when she got back home, she knew she had 15 minutes to go before her ingredients were due to arrive. Voila! An on-time delivery! Now she was good to flip those potato cakes on to the pan. Yes, Urban Ration delivers on the very same day between 1 pm to 4 pm (for orders made before 12 pm) and from 6 pm to 9 pm (if you missed ordering in the morning, orders are taken until 5 pm for evening delivery).

The team behind Urban Ration is completely committed to customer satisfaction. If you don’t like what you get when it arrives at your home, you don’t have to keep it – or pay for it.

Having read this, you may want to consider abandoning the shopping cart drives and sit back on your couch as the cart rides to you instead.  Contact: www.urbanration.com M. 8390872200/4400

Food & Drink 9

Saturday, September 6, 2014

September 22 Soma Introducing Soma- Wine + Supper Club Wine tasting, wine Pairing, special courses meals, community At Black Sheep Bistro, Panjim 7 pm onwards +91 8308803103

Sunday Brunch Sunday Family Brunch Rejuvenating cocktails, soul warming gourmet cuisine from around the world and activities to keep the kids entertained.

At Latitude, Vivanta by Taj, Panjim 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm +91 832 6633636 Italian Sunday Lunch Feast on an unlimited selection of antipasti, pizzas and home-made pastas. Conclude your meal with decadent Italian desserts. The Sunday lunch is a perfect opportunity to simply unwind over the weekend and spend your afternoon basking in the pool.

INR 1199 plus taxes per person Complimentary use of the swimming pool, outdoor whirlpool and Camp Hyatt.

At Da Luigi, Park Hyatt Goa Resort and spa, Cansaulim 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm +91 832 2721234

Bhatti Village Indian & Goan There is chicken cafreal, pork roast and beef roast, sorpotel, samaranchi kodi, feijoida, all the different varieties of chilli fry and fish Roe. At Bhattiwaddo, Nerul @ 7.30 pm to 11 pm +919822184103 Café de Goa Attractive Café with lots of fresh small bites and innovative offerings.

At The Red Tower, Calangute 10.30 am to 5.30 pm +91 832 2279961

Anjuna & Around A Varanda Chinese, European, Goan, Italian, North Indian, Thai.

Check out the seafood platter, fish curry rice, chicken cafreal and beaf xacutti. 7 am to 11 pm At Resort Marinha Dourada, Arpora +91 832 2276780/ 84 Alcove Restaurant & Bar Chinese, Goan, Italian, North Indian & Seafood Dine on chilled Avocado and prawn salad, or get stuffed with the prawn stuffed calamari.

At Ozrant Beach, Anjuna 8 am onwards +918322274491/2273349

Sunday Brunch This is one of the more interesting spots in town to have a meal. Under the supervision of Vandana Naik, a former top chef in New York City and easily one of Goa’s most notable culinary experts, there’s a wide variety of delights on offer, including pizzas, soups, salads, hummus and meat balls, plus an eclectic mix of Indian, Mediterranean and other world cuisines. That’s not to mention the desserts, another top draw here.

Noon to 4 pm At Cantina Bodega, Sunaparanta, Panjim. +91 832 2421315

Avalon Sunset Bar & Restaurant Goan, Indian, Chinese, Seafood & European Some popular orders are paneer pasanda, fish masala, chicken vindaloo, seafood pasta, seafood sizzlers.

At Anjuna Beach, Anjuna 8.30 am to midnight +91 9822586268

Baga, Calangute & Around

Baba au Rhum A coffee shop with a twist A favourite among the foreign crowd, this popular eatery offers lots of tasty choices. Especially check out their croissants, quiches and pizzas.

At Kudachwaddo, Arpora 8 am to 4 pm +919822078759

Aquamarine Bistro & Bar Indian, Goan, Continental Perhaps the top draw is the riverside location. Good place for golden fried prawns and a nice sunset view over the river.

7 am to 10.30 pm At Baga Land’s End, Baga +91 832 2276084/2275482 Kapriz Restaurant Continental A fusion food restaurant overlooking the beautiful Baga Creak with live music five nights a week catering for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

At Baga Creek Road, The Royal Goan Beach Club, Arpora +91 9922203723

Blue Tao Italian & Seafood Organic Food. Calling all hippies.

At Anjuna Beach Rd, Anjuna 9 am to 11 pm +918975061435

Basilico Italian This alfresco restaurant serves pizzas, home-made pastas, salads and sinful desserts.

At D’mello Waddo, Anjuna 6.30 pm to 11 pm +918322273721/ +918323953744/ +919822599130

Biryani Palace Goan, North Indian, seafood Now take a wild guess what this place specializes in? (Hint: there’s rice involved).

At Anjuna Beach Road, Anjuna 11 am to midnight +918323257586 Frangipani Global Cuisine Start with the chicken satay- skewered chicken supreme grilled in Chinese marinade.

At Sun Village, Fankwadi, Arpora 7.30 am to 10.30 pm +91 832 2279409/14

Candolim Addah Indian & Barbeque Enjoy the sea view deck on the beach and the soft music of a live two-piece band, with appealing cuisine.

7 pm to 10.30 pm At The O Hotel, Candolim +91 832 3047000/ 9/ +91 9890800073 Angaara Tandoori, Goan, North Indian & Seafood. With decent Indian and Goan fare and a lot for vegetarians as well.

At Murrodwaddo, Candolim Beach Road, Candolim 9 am to 12.30 pm +91 832 6647601-4 Caravela Chinese, European, Goan, Italian, North Indian, Thai A long-time favourite haunt among Goans and visitors alike. Check out the party scene on Friday nights (and the appealing female/male ratio).

At Vivanta Holiday Village, Sinquerim 7.30 am to 10.30 pm +91 832 6645858

Kebabs & Curries Indian At Holiday Street, Goan Heritage Hotel, Candolim +91 832 6515279

Hotel Sanskruti Pure Veg. Filled with office workers at lunch time. Cheap and good.

At Porvorim 7 am to 10 pm +91 832 - 2414400

Beach House Goan, Portuguese & Seafood A Goan specialty restaurant that was long the base of the renowned chef Rego.

At Vivanta Holiday Village, Sinquerim 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm +918326645858

Black sheep Bistro The Black Sheep Bistro is Goa’s first casual fine dining concept restaurant Located in the heart of Panjim City At Swami Vivekananda Road, Next to icici Bank, Panjim 7 pm to 1 am +91 832 2222901

Barbeque and Grill North Indian, seafood, grills and live entertainment Seafood Bazaar is on Monday and Wednesday At Fortune Select Regina, Candolim 7.30 pm to 11 pm +918323988444

A’tona Bar and Restaurant Goan, Portuguese Good choice for grilled dishes and highly competent Goan food. Winner of the Goa Streets Readers’ Choice Award for Best Xacutti.

At Carina Desa, Betim 7 pm to 11 pm +919823129239

Bob’s Inn Goan Something of a Goan institution, this place offers up some fine curry rice and other satisfying fare.

At Calangute-Candolim Road, Candolim 11.30 am to 3.30 pm, 7 pm to 11 pm +91 832 2489402

Panjim & Around Pakiza Restaurant Mughlai, Indian At 31st January road, Fontainhas, Panjim +91 9890974424/ +91 9850464086 Thai n Wah Restro Bar Its Thai & Oriental and its Authentic.

At Melruio Building, Goa Marriot Hotel road, Miramar +91 832 2461980/ +91 7350522781

A Pastelaria Bakery Good place for pastries, cakes, cookies and other sweet offerings 9 am to 9 pm At Hotel Mandovi, Panjim +91 832 2426270/ 73 Anandashram Hotel Chinese, Goan and Seafood This is one of the oldest eateries in Goa and is something of an institution for its affordable and delicious Goan Fare.

At 31st January Road, Panjim 1 pm to 10.30 pm +91 9823195245 Avanti Bar & Restaurant Indian, Goan & Seafood Serves up Goan specialties like rawa fried prawns, stuffed squid and stuffed crab masala Near Patto Bridge, Panjim 11 am to 3 .30 pm, 7 pm to 11.30 pm +91 832 2435884/ +91 832 2427179

10 Food & Drink Slow cooked lamb chop with morel-green pea khichdi and nihari reduction

Park Hyatt Masters of Food and Wine – Perfect Pairings

P

ark Hyatt Masters of Food and Wine is an event held at the turn of every season, designed to pay tribute to local culture, its ingredients and flavours. This season, guests were guided through the perfect pairing of exquisite whiskies and the bold flavours of Indian cuisine; a union explored for the first time in Goa. On 29 August, guests had an opportunity to perfect the nuances of whisky tasting with ‘Raveen Misra Diageo Reserve Brands, Brand Ambassador India’. He took guests through four premium single malt whiskies - Talisker 10 years, Glenkinchie 12 years, Singleton 12 of Glen Ord and the Dalwhinie 15 years - discovering the complexities and exploring the different regions, styles and age statements of each whisky.

On 30 August, guests witnessed a culinary spectacle as our master chefs took them through a five course

whisky-paired dinner. The menu was a marriage of old world culinary traditions and new world elegance. The repast began with a pineapple rasam paired with an ice cold Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve. The appetisers were a choice between aloo tikki with figs macerated in tamarind jus and tandoori jhinga paired with the rare Johnnie Walker Platinum Label. The main course was a fascinating choice between fish steak with chaunka palak and Malabar curry; slow cooked lamb chop with morel-green pea khichdi and nihari reduction and fresh cottage cheese dumpling with morel-green pea khichdi and pistachio curry, complemented immaculately with a Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

To conclude the meal was an uncommon garlic and spinach kheer and tomato halwa parfait paired with Cardhu 12 year whisky, the “master of malt”.

Whisky aficionado Raveen Misra has travelled around the world to learn about whisky, and has hosted fine Scotch dinners for the likes of Tom Jones.

To learn more about seasonal workshop experiences at other Park Hyatt locations around the world, please visit the website at mastersfoodandwine.com or the dedicated Facebook page.

Fresh cottage cheese rolls with morel-green peas khichdi and pistachio curry

Exclusive Organic Café and Health Store Opens in Arpora

N

atti’s Naturals is an organic café with a retail outlet that sells a varied collection of products ranging from organic teas, coffees, herbs, spices, healthy snacks, natural cosmetics, clothes and healthcare products. All the products are sourced from established organic certified companies around India. In fact, Natti’s Naturals is one of the first health food shops in Goa to collaborate with local farmers to provide healthy food products exclusively.

Foodstuff is priced reasonably from Rs 40 to around Rs 300. The café features healthy soups such as Spiced Pumpkin; juices such as the ABC or Apple, Beet and Carrot and desserts such as gluten-free chocolate cake as well.

For many years, Goa has been a health destination for the spiritually-aware traveller. Natti’s Naturals is a centre for promoting this awareness as well as a meeting place for healers and therapists such

as hypnotherapists, algologists, alternative doctors, naturopathy practitioners and homeopaths, to share their skills.

There is also a daily morning yoga class focusing on pranayama and meditation besides the other workshops on subjects spanning healthy living, organic farming and raw food benefits. Natti is a Sivananda trained yoga teacher, has studied naturopathic medicine, brought up three kids on homeopathy and finally after years of being a corporate trainer and life coach in Bangalore, was drawn to Goa to open her dream store. Natti’s Naturals is the creation of Natti Mac who is of Indian origin… Half Punjabi and half Austrian. She was brought up with traditional Punjabi grandparents, who taught her all about using foods as a medicine to heal and cook with.

Located conveniently on the Arpora night market road towards Anjuna, opposite the office of the NGO Video Volunteers, there is ample parking available as well.

Contact Information: Natti Mac. Ph: 8550999422 Email: nattisnaturals@gmail.com. Facebook.com/ nattisnaturals

Dr. Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay, Senior Consultant & Interventional Cardiologist available at NUSI-Wockhardt Hospitals-Goa

N

USI-Wockhardt Hospitals, a multi-speciality hospital is well known for delivering best medical facilities and patient care in tertiary care practices. The Hospital is privileged to be the first hospital in the state to have complete cardiac care set up with team of Non Invasive Cardiology, Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery & Cardiac anesthesiology.

Dr.Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay, Senior Consultant & Interventional Cardiologist, graduated from the prestigious Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and pursued his postgraduate degree in Internal Medicine and Cardiology. Dr. S. Mukhopadhyay brings along with him first-hand experience in Interventional Cardiology from prestigious institutions like B.M. Birla Heart Center, Kolkata (with Dr. Devi Shetty), Batra Heart Center, New Delhi, Apollo Hospital, Bhilai, TMH, Jamshedpur JLNHRC, Bhilai. He has an extensive experience in Angiography & Angioplasty (Radial and Femoral), Echocardiography (Adult/Pediatric/ Fetal/TEE), Pacemaker Implantations, Device closures (ASD, VSD) as well as Clinical Cardiology. To keep him abreast of trends in Interventional cardiology Dr. S. Mukhopadhyay has attended numerous conferences of national and international stature.

The advanced Cardiac Care unit of NUSI Wockhardt Hospitals, Goa is headed

by Dr.Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay and is supported by skilled and qualified team

of doctors and nurses who ensure timely care in all Cardiac emergencies. The Cardiac unit of the hospital comprises of 11 ICU and 9 SICU, 1 Cardiothoracic Operation Theatre,1 Cardiac Catheterization Lab,1 Dedicated cardiac Ambulance & 24 Hour Emergency Heartline 0832-6684400.

The various Interventional Cardiology procedures Coronary Angiography, Angioplasty and Stenting, Angiography & Angioplasty of arteries of neck, leg, arm and kidney, EP Study Diagnostic and Ablation, Permanent Pacemaker (Single & Double Chamber), Heart Failure Device and AICD Implantation, Valvuloplasty - Mitral, Aortic, Pulmonary, Device ASD, VSD, PDA Closure, Coarctation Replacements, Endovascular Aneurysm Repair and Percutaneous Valve Replacements

12 Give Back

Sister Valentina’s

Little Angels

A missionary for about 38 years, Sr. Valentina Mascarenhas took leave from her duties of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary to start an orphanage ‘Valentina’s Little Heaven’ in Vanelim, Colva.

Social service! A generous soul and a golden heart, Sr. Valentina has been devoting her time and untiring energy in looking after the less privileged children…….

Dr. Charlane Pereira e Rebello caught up with this

78-year-old missionary nun whose social work reflects the true spirit of Goa.

n Children at little heave

A

s I hurried for the 4 pm appointment with Sr. Valentina at the small orphanage, I zigzagged along the winding roads of Vanelim in Colva with my humble four-wheeler. I felt an utmost sense of contentment as always when I travel to satiate my journalistic desires.

As my roadside companion parked its four wheels on the driveway of the ‘Valentina’s Little Heaven,’ I heard several melodious voices wafting from one of the rooms. I followed the voices to see a huge crowd of children squatted on the floor.

God’s most loving and precious children!

A quick look around and I saw a huge gang of college students entertaining these young children. On questioning a young student about whereabouts of

Sr. Valentina, I spotted a kind eyed nun seated a little further. As I pushed my way and introduced myself to her, she quickly rose and led the way to her office.

She ushered me in, and I took a seat next to her as she chatted animatedly about herself and the orphanage. A member of the Congregation of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, Sr. Valentina has been to different parts of India doing missionary work.

Taking leave from her duties of the Congregation, Sr. Valentina harboured a wish to ‘do something good’ in Goa. That’s how ‘Valentina’s Little Heaven’ sprung up in 1993. As she couldn’t find suitable premises, she turned her own ancestral home into a home for orphaned kids.

Neglected children, many of whom were abandoned….

Gradually, children from all communities started pouring in. Children whom she fondly refers to as her babies and her children…. She says, “These children are a part of my life. They are very precious to me. The Lord has destined this for me.”

Today, this orphanage houses 86 children (56 girls and 30 boys), and has separate dormitories for girls and boys. The orphanage also has a small play area for the kids to frolic and have fun, encouraging healthy personality development.

They find suitable employment after the completion of their studies.

The children are being schooled in various academic institutions – St. Jude High School, (Betalbatim), Government Primary High School (Betalbatim), Infant Jesus High School (Colva), Government School (Colva), Auxilium Open School (Benaulim), and Holy Trinity College (Benaulim).

She adds, “All the children are schooling to their best. We have 2 sisters and 3 caretakers who help out with their tuitions.”

Sr. Valentina’s Little Heaven aims to educate the children for the future. She comments, “It is not only about ‘book education’ but to enable each of these children to become independent in life and support themselves in the near future.”

Sr. Valentina is happy that the children are doing well in life. She adds, “Two have got married. Some are studying in schools and colleges. Others are working. One has taken up catering. Another has become an air hostess. They do visit this home every now and then.”

Well-wishers donate some food items on few occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, funerals, etc. Others give necessary items like soaps, dal, oil, etc. The orphanage has managed so far with the aid of its well-wishers. With a cook and a maid to help out in their respective chores, the orphanage is managed remarkably well by Sr. Valentina and her staff.

She remarks, “It is not money that makes it work. We need to change ourselves and do good in this world.”

She continues on a more sober note, “Don’t wait to do good to others. Don’t wait for solutions. Do what you can. Do good willingly and lovingly.”

She recounts a case wherein she had to rush to the aid of a small baby (a few months old) and his mother in the midst of night.

She has encountered many challenging situations where she has rescued abandoned babies, several months old or sometimes even a day old…

Going as per the fixed schedule of the orphanage, the kids are up by 6 am, followed by breakfast a while later, after which they ready themselves to rush to school. They are back by 2 pm to have lunch followed by study sessions till 4.30 pm. Evenings are reserved for play, activities and watching television serials. Prayer service held at 7.30 pm is followed by dinner. By 9 pm, the children are in bed.

On a parting note, she says, “I don’t call myself great. I do what I can do. One doesn’t need degrees to serve people.

One just needs a large heart.”

I made a quick exit as Sr. Valentina was running behind her schedule as a few heads popped in waiting anxiously to meet her.

Anyone who is interested in visiting or donating to ‘Valentina’s Little Heaven’ can contact Sr. Valentina on (0832) 2788433 and visit the humble heaven located at Vanelim, Pequeno Colva, Salcete, Goa - 403708 

13

Saturday, September 6, 2014

The Jazz Knights Brought Out The Stars At The Sofala

With Joe & Shefali Alvares

Joe and the band

J

azz funk, Gospel, R&B and Pop improvisations were the order of the star-studded evening at The Sofala, bringing out the Goan cognoscenti and Bollywood social glitterati together in a full house, packed performance headlined by Joe & Shefali Alvares with the Jazz Knights on Sept 4.

In true connoisseur style Joe opened the starry night to the big band sound of his Jazz Knights going heavy with improvisations of George Benson, Al Jarreau `Blue Moon’, `Around Midnight,’ while Shefali Alvares added much need

Good times at the Jazz Knights

Turn to page 14

14 Music & Nightlife September 6 Answer Along with: DJ Benz, DJ Rinton, Mr.E At SinQ, Candolim 10 pm onwards +91 8308000080

Sept 9 Soul Music of Portugal The toucing voice of leding Fadistas an evening with beautiful music and exotic food At Cidade de Goa, Panim 8 pm onwards +91 832 2454545

Every Tuesday Extraordinary Nights With Emmanuel Antao At Gawin’s Restaurant, Varca 9 pm onwards +91 9822177179

Every Wednesday Rock is Alive With Charley and the Music Factory At Baywatch Resort, Colva @ 7.30 pm +91 832 2747744 Angels & Demons at Cafe Mambo At Cafe Mambo, Tito’s Lane, Baga @ 9 pm onwards +91 9822765002

Every Thursday Thursday Sizzling Karaoke Nite With Saby Fernandes At Kudos, Chogm Road, Porvorim 7.30 pm onwards +91 832 6510565 Thursday Night Live With Smoking Chutney At Sofala, Nerul @ 8.30 pm +91 777400882 Sundown Karaoke With DJ Colett and… you, if you’re in the mood to help Colett with your voice and talent.

At Cocopazzo, Chapora 7 pm onwards. +91 9561212810

Every Friday Electric Pulse Live!!!

At Cheenos, Baga River, Baga 9 pm onwards +91 8806564991 Reggae Friday

By Graeme Hamilton At Laguna, Anjuna @ 7.30 pm +91 832 227 4131

From page 13 spunk and fluidity to her vocal range with `Summer Time,’ a classic rendition of `These Are A Few of My Favourite Things’ from Sound of Music, throwing in a funked up take on Sting’s much lauded `Roxanne’ showing her playful yet incredible diva prowess with the microphone.

The Jazz Knights ably supported by versatile world class musicians like Loy Mendonsa (bass guitar), Karan Joseph (keyboards), Ruben Steijn (drummer), Pawan Benjamin (saxophone) and Karim Ellaboudi (pianist) was a treat to the soul as much as it was to the ears.

Supported By Johnny Walker, Ciroc, Diageo And Kingfisher, Joe & Shefali Alvares With The Jazz Knights Was Presented By The Sofala Boutique Hotel And Sun Estates.

Friday Funk With DJ Lasker and Akshay At Cape Town Cafe, Calangute 7 pm onwards +91 95 27612070

Shefali Alvares

Karan Joseph

Friday Vibes With DJ Jay & Brandan At Cafe Mambo, Baga 7 pm onwards +91 8322275028

Every Saturday Silent Noise Party With DJs Husman, Sam & Azgar Find out which is true, the silence or the noise.

At Neptune Point, Palolem 8 pm to 4 am +91 9822584968 Saturday Showtime With Ajit Pai & Jay Brainwash At Cafe Mambo, Baga 7 pm onwards +91 83 22279895, +91 83 22275028

On-going Cavala Every Wednesday: Cavala Acoustic Latin Retro Every Friday: Tidal Wave Every Saturday: Piano played by Bosco At Cavala, Calangute - Baga Road, Baga 8.30 pm onwards +91 832 2276090

Pawan Benjamin

Cantare There’s live music on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but the big draw is the jazz duo Steve Sequeira and his wife Kittu on Monday nights, often accompanied by Brazilian chef and harmonica player Guto. The place fills up with locals (not many tourists), and its non-beach location nestled amid the Portuguese-inspired architecture of Saligao adds to the great vibe.

At Cantare, Saligao 8 pm onwards +91 832 2409461 The Park, Calangute Every Thursday: Retro Night Every Friday: Karaoke Night with KDJ Tony Every Saturday: Ladies Night with DJ Sunil and Tania At The Park, Calangute 8 pm onwards +91 8805028194 +91 832 2267600

Loy Mendonsa

The poolside atrium at the Sofala

15

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Sept 7 TREK: to Chorla Ghat Offtrail Adventure announces trek to the magnificent Vazra Sakla waterfall on the 07th of September 2014, the trek embarks on a journey through breathtaking landscape and pristine forest in the heart of Chorla ghat.

Pick up at Mabai Hotel Margao at 07.00 AM and Panjim below Mandovi Bridge near Santa Monica Cruises at 07.45AM. +91 9960054428,+91 9764239789

Sept 10 World Suicide Prevention day Under the ‘Go Yello’ Campaign initiated

by COOJ At The Don Bosco Oratory , Panjim From 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm +91 832 2252525

Sept 27 Goans for Goa A Network of Dedicated Goans, Committed to Preserve, Protect & Nurture Goa At Gomant Vidya Niketan, Margao 3 pm onwards +91 9730328599

Sept 3 to Sept 7 Goa Photogaphy Festival 2014 Five Awesome Days of Talks by National and International renowned photographers on Careers, Sports, Wildlife, Street, Underwater, Space, Road trips, Architecture, etc. Great hand-ons workshops on Product, Food, Portrait, Wedding, Lighting and more. Exclusive photography workshop for kids. Screening of some cool photography. Photo Contests, Photo Quiz and Photo Walk. 7th Sept. Grand finale - the Discover Panjim.

At Panjim +91 982251419

Sept 6 to Sept 15 National Women Challengers 2014 The 41st National Women Challengers Chess Championship 2014 hosted by Goa Chess Association on behalf of All India Chess Federation and Sports Authority of Goa and Sports Authority of India.

At Peddem Sports complex, peddem, mapusa +91 9822104771

Sept 6 and Sept 13 French film ‘The Children of Paradise’ THE CHILDREN OF PARADISE : FIRST PERIOD BOULEVARD OF CRIME (Les Enfants du paradis : première époque: boulevard du crime) by Marcel Carné (1943) At Alliance Francaise, Panjim @ 3.00 pm. +91 832 2420049.

The Private Collection Features an eclectic collection of sophisticated women’s apparel, bespoke jewellery, colorful accessories, lifestyle, furniture, design pieces and more. At Anavaddo, Candolim 10 am to 8 pm +91 832 2489033

Sept 12 to Sept 14 India Hospitality Expo Organized by Trinity Ventures, this India Hospitality + F & B Pro`14-International Exhibition & Conference, brings the creme of the food and hospitality sectors under one roof. This expo is expected to feature 500 international and domestic brands, with companies displaying the latest among equipment and products. The Grand Goa Culinary Challenge will also be held concurrent with this expo.

At Fr. Agnel College Ground, Pilar +91 9769555657

Sacha’s Shop A little shop of resort wear, Prints and stationary, bags, jewellery, art books, handmade soaps, leather lampshades and wooden toys!

At Casa Mendes, Panjim 10 am to 8 pm +91 9823805897

Untill Sept 7

Baba’s Furniture Store The store displays some of the most breathtaking delightful pieces available anywhere in Goa Open All the time Closed on Tuesday At Baba’s Wood Café, Panjim +91 99 23414098, (+91) 83 23256213

Flat 15% Off on All Diamond Jewellery Upto 25% off on a single piece of diamond jewellery worth rs2 lakh and above.

At Tanishq Panjim Showroom, Near Azad Maidan, Panjim +91 832 6520801/02

July to October White water rafting is the ultimate Goa thrill this monsoon The river rafting, subject to availability of rapids and adequate water currents, and suitable weather conditions. There will be two trips beginning at 10.30 am and 2.30 pm every day. The program is open to both adults and children above 10 years. White water rafting activities are carried out in accordance with the internationally accepted norms.

The instructors are highly trained and the operations run with a ‘safety first’ policy. Each passenger will be provided with safety equipments like life jackets, paddles following the instruction sessions from experts. reservations@goa-tourism.com.

Waterfalls in Goa Arvalam Waterfall With an altitude of 70 feet, it falls in a straight drop and is at its most glorious during the monsoons. The spectacle of the thunderous gush of water, with the mountainous terrain as background, is nothing short of stunning.

At Valpoi, North Goa Dudhsagar Waterfall Another amazing waterfall best seen in the monsoons. It’s Goa’s largest and highest waterfall, and well worth a visit.

At Mollem, South Goa Tamdi Surla Waterfall You have to make a quite a trek to get here, but once you do, you’ll be very happy. You pass through dense forest and a number of streams that make for a highly refreshing experience. Also in the area is the temple known as Tamdi Surla, made under the Kadamba style of architecture.

At Sanguem, South Goa

Kesarval Waterfall Emerging from hard rocks and flanked by swaying betel palms, the spring is surrounded by fantastic tropical beauty. Also well worth visiting.

At Verna, South Goa Splashdown Waterpark At Calangute - Anjuna Main R, Anjuna +91 832 2273008/ +91 9637424023/024 www.splashdowngoa.com

Monsoon Adventures Water Rappelling/ River Crossing Best place to go are Cotigao Waterfall, vazra Sakla in virdi This Activity is done by Off trail Adventures, Eco trek Goa River Rafting At Uskem – valpoi, Mhadei and Dandeli Contact: White water rafting, Dandeli, Goa River rafting, Southern river adventures – Goa rafting Bird Watching It’s basically revolves around studying the diversity among birds, Contact: Birdwatcher Goa, Goa Birders, Wild trek adventures

Supermarkets in Goa Borkar SuperMarket At Lake Plaza Building, Margao +91 832 2743680/ 2743699 Big G Big G has eight levels of exclusive shopping with a restaurant, supermarket and the best of brands of various items to boot.

At Margao, Salcete +91 832 2702995 Ajay Supermarket At Morod Village Road, Mapusa +91 832 6520196

Maple Leaf Supermarket Maple Leaf Supermarket is a selfservice grocery store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments.

At Porvorim, Bardez +91 832 6454099 Magsons Supermarket Hopping off Shopping On At Caranzalem +91 832 2464704 At Porvorim +91 7507807004 Newton’s Supermarket At Major District Road, Candolim +91 832 2489056 Delfinos Supermarket In just a year Delfinos has gained a reputation that places it among the most sought after supermarkets in Goa. Not one of them has returned disappointed, for Delfinos HyMart has something for everyone—the widest range of items manufactured locally, in the country and imported.

At Candolim. +91 832-2489972 / 73

Museums Goa Chitra With a collection of over 4,000 artefacts, Goa Chitra is an ethnographic museum that focuses on Goa’s traditional agrarian lifestyle and technology.

At Mondo Waddo, Benaulim 9 am to 5 pm +91 832 6570877 Email: goachitra@gmail.com Museum Of Christian Art Open all days of the week At the Convent of Santa Monica. You may pray if you wish to, else just soak in the ambience of peace. At Old Goa From 9:30 am – 5 pm +91 832 2285299 Goa Science Centre The Centre has a science park with interactive exhibits, 3D shows, galleries on oceanic science, explaining mysteries of the underwater world.

Experience science through fun. There are some interesting exhibits explaining scientific principles. At Miramar 10 am to 6 pm +91 832 2463426

Cheshire Cat Jewellery Gallery This Gallery showcases jewellery, accessories and fashion, among other delights.

At Bairo Alto, Assagao 10 am to 7 pm +91 9822580898

Goa State Museum Has some 8,000 artifacts on display including carvings, paintings, manuscripts, rare coins and stone sculptures.

A museum shop is planned soon with the aim of popularizing Goan culture through museum objects.

At EDC Complex, Patto, Panjim 9.30 am to 5.30 pm +91 832 2438006 / +91 832 2437306

Wendell Rodricks a stylish boutique featuring luxuriously comfortable fashion items by celebrated Goan designers Wendell Rodrick At Luis Gomes Garden, Campal, Panjim +91 832 2234082

Xavier Centre of Historical Research See exhibitions of paintings, browse through rare books and attend symposiums with particular emphasis on contemporary cultural & social issues affecting Goa. At BB Borkar Road, Porvorim +91 832 2417772

Lifestyle & Fashion

16

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Krishna Reddy – Keeping the Stunning Heritage of Printmaking Alive

By Perin Ilavia

P

rintmaking is not an exclusively Indian art form, but it’s so tied up with our artistic heritage it seems fair to claim it as our own.

It’s an artistic method appreciated for its unique technical qualities and its immense visual vocabulary.

Printmaking is the process of creating art through printing, often on paper. A matrix, or template, is normally used, with the artist manipulating it to create a range of markings, textures, colour effects and forms.

Common matrices include blocks of wood for woodcut, linoleum for linocuts, metal plates (usually copper or zinc) and stone. Fabric is used for screen printing.

Recently, Goa was privileged to play host to the works of one of the best print makers in the country. Krishna Reddy, now 89, was born in the small village of Chittor in Andhra Pradesh. His journey from a small village to the grand halls of international exhibitions seems like a fairy tale. Mr. Reddy himself did not appear in Goa, but it was a privilege to see his creations on display in the sunny state.

The exhibition titled “The Embodied Image: Krishna Reddy, A Retrospective” at Kala Academy last month showcased his works dating back to the 1940s. Over 70 etchings and drawings were on display, including works that have been displayed in Paris, London, New York and Mexico. By the time he mastered the process, tinkering with the viscosity of inks and inventing new tools, Reddy was able to create works of luminous depth, some appearing almost like sculpted planes in relief.

In the 1950’s, Reddy cracked the process of colour etching, which was not lost on the art world. Joan Miro, the great Catalan painter, had been experimenting with making multi-coloured etchings from a single plate in Paris with Reddy at his side just a few years earlier.

The philosopher J. Krishnamurthy was a great influence in his life and a close associate. “We inherit the universe but we do so little with our inheritance. The earth so subtle and enduring is an unimaginable marvel. As our understanding of life processes of the earth’s organism grows in intensity, our existence in it gains a deeper

Sept 13 The Meanings of Modern Art Presented by artist and art historian Apurva Kulkarni, it will be a visual journey tracing the roots of modern art right from Impressionism to the present.

At Opp. Panjim Inn, Gallery Gitanjali, Panjim @ 6 pm +91 832 2423331/ +91 8806035195

Sept 20 An Evening of Modern & Folk Music Featuring A26, Pure Magic, sky high, big city band, take 5ive, At Blueberry Hill, Verna @ 4 pm +91 832 271480/10

Sept 4 to Sept 8 Kala Rang - festival of dance, music and theater Noted film actor/ director Amol Palekar will inaugurate Kala Rang 2014 - a five day festival of dance, music and theatre.

6th Sept.: Santoor performance by Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma.

7th Sept.: Play `Boiled Beans on Toast`, by the Primetime Theatre Company, Company.

8th Sept.: Play `Atmakatha` by Padatik and Rich, Kolkata.

At Ravindra Bhavan, Margao +91 832 272 6980

Sept 12 to Sept 16 Exhibition of Paintings by Neville Dsouza & Amit Das - Theme “Thanks Goa” At Kala Academy, Campal, Panaji Open from 10 am to 7.30 p.m. daily. +91 9325257275

Sept 23 to Oct 22 Spandan’s Art Festival Spandan is a series of national art exhibitions organized by art enthusiast and curator Anant Vikas of Enhance Exhibitions & Events. The work of talented artists, photographers, and sculptors exhibited. The exhibitions will be held at the Entertainment Society of Goa in Panjim and at Kala Academy, Panjim. +91 8975453600

October 9 to October 12

Ball and Man

EXHIBITION - Asturi 2014 The GCCI Women’s Wing is organizing their Annual Exhibition “ASTURI 2014” This four-day exhibition in Goa provides an excellent opportunity for women entrepreneurs in Goa to market products that are manufactured by them. Goan businesswomen who trade in various products can also display their products at the exhibition.

At Darya Sangam, Kala Academy, Campal, Panjim. +91 832 2424252

Arts & Entertainment 17

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Galleries of Note Off The Wall Daily Art Exhibitions At Fort Aguada Road, Sinquerim +91 9820083497. +91 9823289123 San Thome Museum Go back in time and visit a real jewel in Goa’s treasure chest.

Free entry.

At Varca 9 am to 8 pm +91 9822363917/ +91 832 2745017 Panjim Art Gallery Get a dose of local culture: figurative, individual work by Goan artists.

Near Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, Panjim 9 am – 8 pm +91 9822168703 Mario Art Gallery Original paintings and other memorabilia of the great Goan artist/ cartoonist Mario Miranda.

Buy “The Life of Mario”, as well as prints, mounted prints, frames, tiles, mugs, card sets and other books.

At ‘Houses of Goa’, Salvador-doMundo, Porvorim area 9 am to 5.30 pm +91 832 2410711 Casa Araujo Alvares A 250-year-old mansion showcases our heritage in Goa’s first automated sound & light museum.

Entry Fees Charged Rs.50 At Big Foot, Loutolim 9 am – 6 pm +91 832 2777034 Email: bigfoottrust@gmail.com Gallery Attic More local talent on display: paintings

by Goan Artists.

Opposite Don Bosco, Panjim 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 7 pm +91 832 2420929/+91 2257931 Art Chamber - Galleria de Belas Artes Featuring works by Goan artist Yolanda D’Souza and others. Whilst you’re there, check out their programme of musical performances.

At Gauravaddo, Calangute 10 am to 1 pm & 4 pm to 8 pm +91 832 2277144/ +91 9823217435 Sunaparanta- Goa Centre for the Arts The centre houses several exhibition galleries, a large multi-functional space for workshops and lectures, an inhouse film club, sketch club, studios, open air amphitheatre, pottery studio and an open courtyard that houses the al fresco café, Bodega. Open to the public, and the food at the café is recommended. Brunch on Sundays.

10 am to 6 pm At Altinho, Panjim +91 832 2421311 Gallery Gitanjali An elegant art gallery in Panjim’s Latin Quarter; worth popping in when you’re in the area.

At Fontainhas, Panjim 9 am to 9 pm +91 9823572035

Clown and Flying Swans

Moksa Art Gallery Salvador’s paintings. Salvadoran Fernandez, that is, and others.

At Naikawaddo, Calangute 9.30 am to 8.30 pm +91 832 2281121/ +91 9326717386 Gallery Esperance Go back in time: Retrospective of art in Oils, Watercolors, Crayons Portraits, Landscape and Still Life Photographs.

Near the Our Lady of Merces Church, Merces 9 am to 6 pm. +91 9545536437 Arte Douro Art Gallery Even if you aren’t into serious art, check out these paintings on canvas originals and prints, international and local.

At Porba Vaddo, Calangute 9 am to 9 pm +91 832 22882266/ +91 9822147148 Fundação Oriente Art Gallery Permanent exhibition of paintings by Antonio Xavier Trindade (1870-1935) – a well-known Goan painter of the time.

At Fontainhas, Panjim 10 am to 1 pm & 2 pm to 5 pm +91 832 2230728/ +91 2436108 Kerkar Art Gallery This gallery exhibits installations and sculptures by local artists such as Subodh Kerkar and selected works by contemporary artists from all over India.

At Gauravaddo, Calangute 10 am to 7 pm. +91 832 2276017 Ancestral Goa A mock village depicting the culture & traditions of Goa from a century ago and perhaps even earlier. Great for history lovers.

Entry Fees Charged Rs. 50 At Loutolim.

9 am to 6 pm +91 832 2777034

significance,” Reddy was quoted as saying about his art not too long ago.

Reddy has been a pioneer in the universe of printmaking. He travelled around the world, lecturing and conducting workshops on the multi-coloured printing technique called Colour Viscosity, an intensely laborious process, yielding mesmeric explosions of colour and texture. At the exhibit, I noticed clowns and flowers were prominent subjects, his mastery over the medium in a colour pallet of browns, beige, blue, with subtle highlights in orange and red. The abstract compositions titled and singed in pencil are amazing.

Reddy received the Padma Shri Award in 1972 by President Shri V V Giri and the Gagan Abani Puraskar of Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, conferred by Indira Gandhi in 1980. He has been living out the country for five decades, now in the US, and his works are often on display in prominent galleries.

Originally, printmaking was used merely

as a form of communication – as a device to reproduce multiples of an original, which could then be circulated to a large number of people.

The Chinese first used screen printing almost 2000 years ago. Japanese artists used the technique of woodcut to make several editions of Buddhist manuscripts. There is evidence of the concept of mass duplication in India dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization.

Contemporary printmaking came to India in 1556. The process of printing chosen by the artist determines the composition of the template. Once the matrix (the template) has been established, the artist manipulates it using a variety of different materials and methods, all significant to the chosen process.

In most cases the process of printing an image can be repeated numerous times. Works printed from a single plate form an ‘edition’. A ‘limited edition’ is when a set of editions are signed and numbered individually by the artist.

Chromolithography is a term used to describe coloured lithographs, in which each colour in the design is worked onto a separate matrix and the paper is pressed against each of these matrices, to form the final design.

The greatest master of etching was Rembrandt.

Edgar Degas and other contemporary artists used the technique in the 20th century.

Among Indian artists, the first artist to use printmaking was Raja Ravi Varma , not as an artistic medium but as a means for his art to reach the masses. K.G. Subramanyan, Laxman Gaud among others, effortlessly incorporated several printmaking processes as well. 

18 Homes & More

It’s A Buyer’s Market

By Crespo D’Souza

H

ere's the deal. If you're thinking of buying property, now is the time.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently launched data on global housing prices indicating that among 52 major markets, India has witnessed the steepest fall. Their index shows that prices in India fell by 9.1 per cent, even worse than in countries struggling with the European Union's ongoing financial crisis. Property prices in Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Spain and Portugal have all come down, but at a much slower rate than India's.

Analysts and players in the wildly unpredictable real estate market here in Goa are unanimous in the view that the real estate industry is going through a 'slump'.

Where they differ is whether the prices will go down or resume rising six months from now.

However, contrary to the popular notion that a fall in

demand would mean a reduction in prices, property prices in Goa haven't fallen.

They have, as Desh Prabhudesai, President of the Goa chapter of CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India) says, "stagnated." "The prices are not increasing as it was increasing over the last two to three years," he said.

Another real estate developer, Rohit Gera of Gera developments, elaborated. "The residential segment catering to second homes is greatly affected by the overall economic situation and GDP growth. At present numbers, the GDP growth is not conducive to substantial demand from second home buyers. Further, the mining ban has affected sentiment within Goa from local home buyers. All in all, the residential realty market continues to be sluggish with prices being flat to negative," he said.

However, both Gera and Prabhudesai say the combination of stagnant prices and inflation amount to a de facto price slump.

"If we look at inflation and improvement of facilities/specifications/amenities provided to home buyers, the net effect is one of increased costs to the developer and effectively, this has resulted in a reduction in the real rates," Gera said. He said that it would be wrong to expect prices to come down "While demand has reduced, the increased costs make it difficult for developers to reduce the prices. Further, land that was purchased at higher prices has already contributed to developer input costs. This too makes it difficult for prices to come down," Gera said.

Having established themselves in Pune, Gera Developments is one of one of the leading developers in Goa as well, venturing into the state in 2004 with the building Gera’s Imperium in Panjim.

High prices in the face of sluggish demand appear to be unsustainable, though many in the industry still hold out hope for an uptick in demand.

Evidence of Goa's property slump can be found in the fact that village level uprisings, common between 2006 and 2012, have subsided. Beginning with the massive anti regional plan agitation that engulfed the state between 2006 and 2007 and followed by the Salcete village rising against 'mega' projects have all but disappeared, save for the odd uprising like the current one in Curtorim against an 85-room hotel project.

Yet the protests have succeeded in halting many projects.

Currently prices of built up area in Goa

Photo Courtesy Vispa Architects

Real Estate in Goa

commonly hover between Rs 40,000 per square metre and Rs 75,000 per square metre, depending on where the property is.

In places like Mapusa and Vasco da Gama, away from the bustle of the two major cities of Panjim and Margao, prices are between Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 per square metre. In the state capital prices start at Rs 55,000 per sq m and go up to Rs 85,000 a square metre and above. Suburb Porvorim commands a lower price of Rs 45,000 to Rs 60,000. A similar story exists for the Southern capital of Margao where prices range from Rs 55,000 to Rs 75,000 while its suburb Navelim commands a price of Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000.

Prabhudesai is sober in his assessment of the real estate market’s future.

"Basically it's the global recession and consequently the national recession. In Goa there wasn't a boom as such. But there was optimistic demand. But now the market is stabilizing to realistic figures. We should come out of the recession within around six months or so," he added.

Gera explains that demand for commercial real estate in Goa comes from both Goans and second home buyers across India, while "commercial demand on the other hand is for people looking at expanding their businesses.”

The current price structure means that the average Goan family can only barely afford a two-bedroom flat in the popular talukas of Bardez and Tiswadi, despite being a state with the highest per capita income.

Gera says that this will automatically stabilize as 'market forces' will make developers adapt.

"Developers must be in a position to sell the properties they build. As such, if affordability is not kept in mind, developers will not be able to sustain their projects. As a result, market forces will determine prices, sizes and number of customers for any development," he said, adding that if no one purchases, prices are bound to come down.

He acknowledged that few Goans can afford 'larger homes'.

"The majority of larger homes at higher price points are being purchased by second home buyers from out of Goa while smaller homes at lower prices are purchased by people who are looking for a primary home," he said.

Where does the industry see itself in the long run?

"We should come out of the recession within around six months or so," Prabhudesai said, assuming that the Indian economy will resume its days of heady growth under the new government.

Gera said Goa’s charm and infrastructure make it a good long-term investment destination.

"Given the quality of road infrastructure as well as looking at the quantum of land that is not developable for various reasons, the long term outlook for the Goan real estate purchaser continues to be good," he said. 