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Panjim I March 27, 2011 I Postal Reg. No. Goa 101 I Price Rs. 3.00 I Air Surcharge Rs 2 I Pages 16+14

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jACKMAN, ASH BAG TOP HONOURS AT FICCI AWARDS >> P7

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Lives on a short fuse

Goans chicken out over high prices Panjim, March 26: Shortage of chicken has hit Goan market sending prices skyrocketing even though the delicacy is off platters of a majority of Catholic community due to the Lent season.

Officials from Royal Foods, the largest supplier of chicken in Goa, attribute the price hike to drop in production.

“The scorching heat drops broiler production. In Summer, chicken is always in >Continued on pg 11

MAPUSA CASTS HOOK, LINE & SINKER FOR ITS FISH MARKET >> P2

sports

DON’T TERM INDO-PAK MATCH AS WAR: ALAM >> P16

HERALD INvESTIgATION

After de-notifying prime private land, Govt stakes claim on navy land for Dabolim parking Land documents reveal Navy’s ownership, Govt disputes SURAJ NANDREKAR & TAURAPPA LAMANI Dabolim, March 26: It is now

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confirmed that the new alternate land earmarked for parking at the Dabolim airport as part of its expansion project clearly belongs to the navy. The attempts by the Digambar Kamat Government to pass this off as land of the Chicalim Communidade, earmarked for parking by the Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA); clearly fails to pass muster. The land belongs to the Ministry of Defence, as per records on Form I and IV of the Goa Daman and Diu Land Revenue Code 1968.

This is the main and ex-

plicit ownership document.

The Revenue records show that this is Defence land.

Documents in possession of Herald, earlier and now jointly zero in on two facts. a) The Government had acquired 36,800 square meters of land (without actually taking possession) of one Bernard D’Costa, completely suited for parking.

Under pressure from the Revenue Minister and the Deputy Speaker, the Cabinet decided to give back this land to D’Costa (valued according to two of Vasco’s topmost builders at least Rs 75 crore) b) The alternate land identified by the Government, after advice given by none other than D’Costa as well as the Revenue Minister

IN BLACK & WHITE: Form I & XIV of the Goa Daman and Diu Land Revenue Code 1968 showing the land owner as Ministry of Defence. and Deputy Speaker, is Defense land, notwithstanding it being marked for parking under the Outline Development Plan.

Speaking to Herald, Commodore Ajay Chabra Naval Officer in charge (Goa) and Chief Staff Officer to the Flag Officer Commanding Goa Herald Pic

Naval Area said “Let them claim that land Survey No 83/1 doesn’t belong to MoD, Revenue record of State Government doesn’t lie,

while Form I and XIV clearly displays the ownership of land by MoD”.

On the ODP issue, he said, “ODP has no sanctity, without asking the owner of land, how could the planners mark defence land for parking?

“If ODP is the final document to decide land ownership, then there are certain private properties, toward approach of runway at AltoDabolim which have been shown as the Defence land on the ODP, while Revenue record lists that land as belonging to private parties. We should claim those lands but we don’t”, said Commodore Chabra.

When pointed out that the land has already been used for parking, he said “We

don’t want to instigate the people by denying parking as it has been used for parking for quite some time. That doesn’t mean that the land can be used for parking for ever.

These revelations assume significance and casts a further shadow over the move to literally surrender land which was earmarked and completely apt for parking of 5000 cars post the crucial airport expansion. With expansion clearly linked to and a part of the parking plan, the Government’s decision to give back 36,800 square meters of land right next to the airport to a private individual in the name of justice, seems even more incorrect.

THE OTHER VIEW The MPDA’s stand Pg 4

Mohali drinks to the World Cup 1000 ` ticket being sold for ` 10,000 AGENCIES

PAK IS NEXT

Mohali, March 26: India’s

CHALO PANJIM: A float depicting the Hindu mythology at the Shigmo parade in Panjim on Saturday.

SUNDAY ANCHOR

Canacona kidney patients go everywhere but Canacona The erratic dialysis unit forces 150 people to Margao, Belgaum for dialysis every 48 hours KATHY PEREIRA

TIDES TODAY High Tide: 0403; 1814 Low Tide: 1051;

Canacona, March 26: Every alternate day, 150 odd people travel fifty kilometers or more from Canacona for a treatment that is officially available right at their doorstep.

All are kidney patients in need of regular dialysis every alternate day and need to make that journey because the dialysis unit at the Community Health Centre functions erratically and has myriad other problems.

“28 patients from Canacona visit Hospicio every alternate day for dialysis. Why do these

NO TAKERS: The dailysis unit at Canacona CHC. patients take the trouble to travel to Margao, when there is a Government-run dialysis unit at CHC Canacona”, asked Dr Celso Fernandes, member of the Hospicio executive panel. (See Awaz pg

2 for more reports) Canacona Lions President Motesino Fernandes, who incidentally suffers from a renal ailment, has to undergo dialysis at a private hospital in Margao on alternate days.

“About 22 renal patients from Canacona regularly visit the private hospital for dialysis”, said Fernandes.

The remaining 100-odd patients either visit private hospitals in the State or make regular trips to the Manipal or KLE hospital in Belgaum.

So well known is the plight of Canacona patients that they are actually given preference at the Manipal hospital. The regular visits of Canacona patients for the expensive dialysis procedure are welcome for any private hospital.

But why are patients from >Continued on pg 11

progress in the World Cup is proving intoxicating in more ways than one, with a survey claiming it has led directly to a rise in alcohol sales.

And the trend is particularly apparent in Chandigarh, the main city near Mohali where India face arch-rivals Pakistan in a hugely anticipated World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

According to a nationwide survey of 3,500 Indian fans aged 16-45, Chandigarh cricket lovers have come second only to those in the capital city of New Delhi when it comes to the consumption of alcohol.

The tabloid quoted the survey as saying chilled beer

is the favourite drink of at least 45 per cent of the city’s youth.

Meanwhile, tickets for the India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final are being sold for a premium — Rs 3,000 for a Rs 250 ticket and Rs 10,000

for a Rs 1,000 ticket. Those selling in black have managed to purchase tickets in bulk,” alleged Ram Kumar, a bank officer.

A good number of fans are also expected to come from across the border.

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Canacona residents suspect that batteries are not being replaced with working ones to provide business to some private players, who have invested huge amounts in dialysis units.

NGO provides ‘dialysis’ to ailing Canacona health centre

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he State government’s apathy in providing a fully functional dialysis unit at the Canacona Community Health Centre has compelled a NGO to come to the rescue of the ailing dialysis unit.

The Lions Club of Canacona has assured to provide necessary inverter batteries to the ailing dialysis unit at CHC Canacona and make it fully operational by April 15.

kathy pereira

canacona “The Lions Club has already started collecting fund of Rs 3 lakh to procure the required 100 battery units to replace the nonworking back-up power inverter at the dialysis unit of CHC Canacona,” said Canacona Lions President Motesino Fernandes.

A meeting was recently organised at Margao, where Dr Venkatesh of Lord Venkatesh Dialysis Rapid Action Trust was also invited to discuss the failure

of the dialysis unit at CHC Canacona. Dr Venkatesh is learnt to have reportedly attributed this failure to the indifferent attitude of authorities to replace the nonfunctional back-up inverter batteries at the CHC Canacona.

The cost of each battery is believed to be about Rs 3,000 and 100 such batteries are needed to operate the inverter as back-up to the constantly failing power supply.

“Each of our members/benefactors will contribute in multiples of Rs 3,000 to raise the required funds so that the dialysis unit at CHC Canacona can be started to function normally on or before April 15,” said Fernandes.

Incidentally, Dr Celso Fernandes, who is Lions (324-D2) District Chairperson (Sight-First), quoted a gazette publication to claim that for each kidney patient undergoing dialysis, the government provides a minimum of Rs 15,000 a month, over and above the dialysis cost.

“This amount is meant for the patient to meet additional ex-

SNAPSHOT GMA BizQuiz 2011 PANJIM: The Goa Management Association will organise the ‘GMA BizQuiz 2011’, an open business quiz, on March 27 at the National Institute of Oceanography Auditorium, Dona Paula, at 3 pm.

Participation is open to students, working professionals and employees from the public and private sector, each representing their institution, company or organisation in teams of two. Multiple teams from the same organization are allowed. There is no entry fee. To register, email gmagoa@gmail.com stating the name of your organization and that of the team members. Winners will be rewarded cash prizes.

Counselling for overseas studies PANJIM: Geebee Education - an authorized education advisor, will conduct free counselling/guidance and admissions for studying and settling in Canada, New Zealand, UK, USA and Singapore on March 28 at Geebee Education, L 36/38, 4th floor, Alfran Plaza, near Don Bosco School- Panjim, from 10 am to 4 pm. The counselling will be conducted by Vinayak Kamat, a renowned overseas education counsellor from Mumbai. For queries call 6655197/9823210023/9764007643.

Penha-de-Franca meet PORVORIM: The first ordinary Gram Sabha of Penhade-Franca Panchayat will be held at Panchayat Community Hall, opposite Dr Hede’s Clinic, Alto-Betim, on April 3 at 10 am. The agenda for the meeting includes approval of the budget for 2011-12, discussion on the developmental work to be undertaken during the financial year and discuss the suggestions received from the public. Residents of Penha-de-Franca, who desires to place any suggestion before the Gram Sabha should send it in writing to the sarpanch on or before March 30 by 12 noon, states the press note released by Sarpanch Eknath Narvekar.

penses towards medicines, including injections, which may be required during dialysis,” explained Dr Fernandes.

However, Dr Fernandes has claimed that no patient is being

given the benefit, either at Hospicio or any private hospitals in the State, whereas the cost of medicines, whenever used during dialysis, is recovered from the patients.

ECG Workshop PANJIM: Vrundavan Hospital & Research Centre will organise a one day workshop on Electrocardiography (ECG) for family physicians on April 3 in the conference hall of the hospital from 9 am 5 pm. Training would be imparted by Dr Digambar Naik along with the interventional cardiologists Dr Madhusudhan Asawa and Ms Cheryl De Menezes.

All course material will be provided by the hospital. For registration call 6713535 or 2250022/33.

There is no sign of any construction of the new fish market in Mapusa and with monsoons around the corner, fish vendors fear that they may be forced to sit in the temporary shed this monsoon as well.

Has a ‘private’ nexus led to a public failure? - Canacona patients ask

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esidents of Canacona have suspected a strong nexus between health authorities and some private hospitals, in view of the

Kathy Pereira

The empty beds in the dialysis unit at the Canacona Community Health Centre.

government’s failure to replace the non-functional batteries at the Canacona CHC dialysis unit.

On inquiries, it is learnt that the government had floated a tender to replace the non-functional batteries at Canacona CHC dialysis unit. Tenders were received and finalised, but for reasons best known to health authorities, the work order has not been issued.

Residents have suspected that batteries are not being replaced with working ones to provide business to some private players, who have invested huge amounts in dialysis units.

Incidentally, residents of Canacona have been agitating over the years for proper medical facilities at the main government hospital at Chaudi.

The residents were shocked to learn of the CAG report stating that the State government had failed to utilize the central government’s

fund to improve health facilities and had, instead, accumulated unspent funds of Rs 10.3 crore (March 2010) in the bank account of the State Health Society (SHS).

Canacona Health Welfare Committee President Diogo de Silva, involved in some agitations over the issue, said: “By the CAG report, our stand is vindicated. The government has failed to provide even basic medical facilities at the Canacona CHC, including some specialized doctors.”

“It is sad to know that funds are available, but what is absent is the will of the government authorities,” he said.

“The government can very well utilize crores of rupees lying idle in the funds of the State Health Society account and appoint all the needed specialized doctors and provide medical equipments at the Canacona CHC,” he added.

Mapusa casts hook, line and sinker for its fish market Out in the cold for two years, fish vendors suffer in temporary unhygienic conditions

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atching fish is surely child’s play compared to trying to get a fish market in Mapusa.

Vendors and residents in Mapusa have been pressurizing civic authorities to build a proper fish market, a basic facility that has eluded them for nearly two decades.

Despite protests by fish vendors and frequent demands of the public, the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) is yet to have a proper fish market in the town.

The old fish market, which has now been demolished, was built in 1991 at the cost of about Rs 25 lakh. However, the market complex was doomed because of a major flaw. The construction did not have proper water proofing and water seeped through the roof of the fish market.

In 2007, the MMC’s technical department declared the building ‘unsafe’ and the council appointed a consult-

ant to prepare a feasibility report regarding the repairs of the old fish market. The cost of repairs and water proofing, according to the consultant, worked out to Rs 25 lakh.

As MMC was not in a position to incur the huge expense, it was decided to construct the new fish market through the Goa Urban State Development Agency.

Accordingly, the new fish market project was prepared with an estimate of Rs 7.77 crore. The one-storeyed complex, to be constructed on an area of 2,488 sq mtrs, would house about 240 fish vendors, a cold storage room, toilets, rooms for municipal inspectors and linesmen of electricity department. On the first floor, provision would be made for about 44 chicken and mutton stalls, toilets and a canteen.

In April 2009, MMC demolished the roof of the old

Anil Shankwalker

The demolished old fish market in Mapusa. fish market and shifted the fisherwomen in a temporary shelter, built at a cost of Rs 8 lakh, in the open space.

Then MMC chairperson Roopa Bhakta had assured fisherwomen that the new market would be built within six months. Since MMC failed to honour its commitment, the fisherwomen staged a protest rally on

Anil Shankwalker

Summer camp for students PANJIM: Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Alto Porvorim, will organise a Summer Camp for students (10 years old and above) from April 4 to 30.

The camp will be organized from Monday to Saturday from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm.

The unique practical summer camp will cover and initiate students in meditation and exposure to world religions, art and film appreciation, painting, the meaning of history, general knowledge, methods of studying, reading habit, public speaking/public listening, letter writing, rules of games, first aid and safety, etiquettes and civic sense, gardening, cooking, stitching, environment, carpentry and electrical works and more. Material will be provided. For details, contact on 2417772 or email xchr.events@gmail.com

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Goa I Sunday 27, March 2011

Fish vendors sit in a temporary shed in unhygienic condition.

n In April 2009, MMC demolishes roof of old fish market and shifts fisherwomen in a temporary shelter. n Then MMC chairperson Roopa Bhakta assures fisherwomen that the new market would be built within six months. n Since MMC failed to honour its commitment, fisherwomen stage protest rallies to demand immediate construction of the new fish market. They also complain that the temporary shelter provided by the council is unhygienic. n MMC decides to lay foundation stone for the new fish market at the hands of Urban Development Minister Joaquim Alemao on September 13, 2010. Accordingly, plaque incorporating the names of Mapusa MLA Francis D’Souza and the councilors, to be installed at the site of foundation stone, was prepared spending about Rs 17,000.

March 17, 2010, and June 18, 2010, to demand the immediate construction of the new fish market.

The fisherwomen have complained to municipal authorities that the temporary shelter provided by the council is unhygienic.

In view of the demands made by fisherwomen, MMC decided to lay the foundation stone for the new fish market at the hands of Urban Development Minister Joaquim Alemao on September 13, 2010.

Accordingly, the plaque incorporating the names of Mapusa MLA Francis D’Souza and the councilors, to be installed at the site of foundation stone, was made spending about Rs 17,000.

Besides, invitation cards worth Rs 10,000 were also printed. But Alemao had gone out of the State, the function of laying foundation

stone could not be conducted and the entire expenditure of Rs 27,000 went down the drain.

Later, due to the code of conduct imposed in view of Valpoi assembly by-election and municipal elections, the foundation stone for the new fish market could not be laid. anil shankwalker

bardez However, it was only after the municipal elections, the new council, which took charge, finally handed over the fish market to Goa State Development Agency.

N B Kinlekar Construction Company was awarded the contract to construct the new fish market by GSUDA and undertook demolition of the old market in November 2010.

However, at the time of laying ‘wood piling’ foundation of the market, the construction company realized that the wood required for the purpose is not available and hence the work suffered a setback.

Fresh estimates for ‘concrete piling’ foundation have been prepared and sent for approval of the PWD. However, due to change in the foundation work, the project cost has been escalated by additional Rs 30 lakh.

The old fish market has been demolished completely and fish vendors are now sitting in the temporary shed in unhygienic condition. There is no sign of any construction of the new fish market and with monsoons around the corner, fish vendors fear that they may be forced to sit in the temporary shed this monsoon as well.

Mapusa council chief assures completion of project

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dmitting a delay in the construction of the new fish market, Mapusa Municipal Council Chairman Sudhir Kandolker has, however, assured that the project will be completed within 18 months.

“The initial budget estimates were prepared on the basis of the ‘wood piling’ foundation for the fish market. However after demolition of the fish market, the construction company realized that the wood required for the foundation work is not readily available in the market. Hence, the fresh estimates for ‘concrete foundation’ were prepared and was sent to the PWD for

approval,” said Kandolkar.

“The revised budget estimates has been approved by PWD,” informed MMC chairman and assured that the work will start soon. He further stated that the company has been directed to hasten up the work and complete the project within 18 months.

When contacted, Shiv Sena Ad-hoc committee member Philip D’Souza said the issue of fish market is hanging in the balance for the last several years. “Due to the lethargic attitude of the council members and poor management of MMC, residents of Mapusa are still craving for basic amenities,” stated D’Souza.

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The term ‘corrections’ is open to interpretation and such corrections corrupted RP2011.

Allowing changes post-notification means that the changes will be piecemeal which the government hopes will go unnoticed.

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Goa I Sunday 27, March 2011

Following threat to their drivers, Chimbel bus owners took their buses off the roads from Saturday afternoon affecting hundreds of commuters who were forced to make alternate arrangements to reach their destinations.

MGP backs Konkani, Marathi Orissa native dies HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 26: Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) on Saturday publicly supported Konkani and Marathi as medium of instruction warning government against the move to give any financial assistance to English medium schools.

Addressing press conference, MGP working president Advocate Narayan Sawant said that the party will come strong against English language as medium of instruction as the elementary education must be in mother tongue.

“Our party policy strongly recommends Marathi and Konkani as medium of instruction,” he said adding that the party is not against English language, which could be the medium of education at later stage.

The party also raised objection to the grants given to the primary level English medium schools.

“Just because sections of people are attracted to English, we cannot provide grants to English schools.

Not even any kind of financial assistance,” Sawant said.

Extending their support to

the newly formed Bharati Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM), the party along with their two legislators Ramkrishna Dhavalikar and Pandurang Dhavalikar would attend the convention, scheduled to be held on April 6 at Azad Maidan.

“Our party and its legislators would extend their support to Konkani and Marathi as medium of instruction. We will continue our support even at the cost of losing ministerial berth in the State government,” he said.

Sawant said that government needs to have firm decision over medium of

instruction, keeping aside its vote bank system.

“In a bid to woo its voters, government might take decision in favour of few,” he said responding to a question.

MGP’s Treasurer Apa Teli said that chief minister will have to clarify the government stand over the issue, publicly.

“Just to protect the interest of few, government cannot destroy our regional languages,” he said.

The party has decided to urge the members of Parent Teachers Association (PTA) to join hands in support of regional languages.

of burn injuries

HERALD REPORTER VASCO, MARCH 26: A 23year-old man hailing from Orissa, died of burn injuries on Saturday morning, after he along with two others were trapped in a room that was set ablaze by a jilted lover on March 21. Gariba Ishwar Andrap (23), who was residing at Mount Mary, Verna, succumbed to burn injuries at the GMC hospital on Saturday. It may be recalled that Ratnakar Laxman Dubdali, from Pirni-Verna, had set a room on fire in a bid to take re-

venge on his lover. The woman had sought shelter in the room of deceased.

Though it was an attempt to kill his lover, she escaped with minor burn injuries, while Gariba had sustained nearly 90 per cent burn injuries. Gariba's wife escaped with minor burn injuries.

Verna police had arrested Ratnakar Laxman Dubdali on Wednesday. They have registered a murder case against the accused and a dying declaration has been recorded by a judge," Verna PI said Dalvi.

GBA objects to changes in RP2021 post-notification HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 26: The Goa Bachao Abhiyan has taken a strong exception to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat’s comments in the assembly that genuine changes can also be made after notification of Regional Plan, saying it will open new areas for corruption.

Cornered by the legislators in the assembly over the mistakes in the plans notified for Pernem and Canancona, chief minister gave an assurance in the House that “even though the plan is notified genuine mistakes can be changed later.”

30-day scrutiny period of the full plan before notification.

Till date the government has no clear guidelines provided for many of its insertions,” Sabina said.

Cansaulim is one such glaring example of putting villages in non-ODP PDA areas without clear authority structure, she said.

Substantiating her claim, she explained, in case of Cansaulim the issue is still under question and no answers are forthcoming from the government as massive

mass land use change 'corrections' in the old RP2011 still exists.

“The large-scale development planned on Survey No 87 at Reis Magos by stakeholder DLF and associates on ‘No-Development’ slopes is a case in point. This is highlighted on the website www.samaraya.com and curiously has been marked in a misleading way on the old Regional Plan 2011,” She said.

Further, the GBA has called upon the people, vil-

Kamat also stated that the entire plan will be out in June 2011.

Taking a strong exception to this, GBA has demanded that the government follow its own order and keep the entire finalised Plan open for correction of mistakes for 30 days prior to notification of the entire RP2021 and not subsequently.

GBA convenor Sabina Martins has questioned as to why the government does not follow its own orders and prefers to open new areas of

corruption, requiring corrections after the notification of RP2021, where the term ‘corrections’ is open for any interpretation.

She stated that such corrections had led to agitation against the RP2011 where hundreds of so called ‘corrections and gazette notifications’ corrupted the Plan.

“Allowing changes postnotification means that the changes will be piecemeal which the government hopes will go unnoticed by the public, as opposed to a

Paroda gram sabha today

Drivers threatened at Chimbel; bus operators respond with strike

HERALD CORRESPONDENT QUEPEM, MARCH 26 Paroda Panchayat will hold a gram sabha take place on March 27 at 10 am in an open area opposite Immaculate Conception Church Paroda. Paroda Sarpanch Sharmila Vaz informed Herald that various issues will be discussed at the meeting.

Hundreds of commuters stranded HERALD CORRESPONDENT MERCES, MARCH 26: Hundreds of commuters from Chimbel were left stranded on Saturday, as bus operators took their buses off the road in protest against threats to their drivers by a bus operator Sudeep Tamankar.

They claimed that the bus operator, Sudeep Tamankar, along with his supporters had threatened drivers of dire consequences if they continued to drive the buses.

According to a Chimbel bus owner, Prashant Borkar, Sudeep Tamankar and one Sudesh Kalangutkar, accompanied by several other bus owners from north and south Goa, allegedly barged into his house and hurled abuses at his family members without any reason.

Prashant further informed that since he was not available at his house, the group of bus owners led by Sudeep Tamankar then targeted the bus drivers and threatened them with dire consequences if they continue to drive the buses.

Fearing that they would be assaulted, the bus drivers approached the owners, who

Threat case registered against two HERALD CORRESPONDENT OLD GOA, MARCH 26: Old Goa police on Saturday registered a case against Sudeep Tamankar of Chimbel and Sudesh Kalagutkar of Merces on charges of abusing and threatening Prashant Borkar of Kirlawada in Chimbel.

According to a complaint by Prashant, Sudeep and Sudesh on Saturday afternoon had abused and threatened Prashant. They had also stopped Prashant on his way at the Kadamba highway while he was driving his bus. decided to take up the issue with the Old Goa police and till the issue is settled decided to take their buses off the road.

When questioned why Sudeep Tamankar had targeted him and not the other bus owners, Prashant said that for the past 10 days,

Assam native held on murder charge CALANGUTE: Calangute police arrested an Assam native in connection with the murder of Topeshwar Das at Candolim on Saturday.

According to Calangute Police, Ronjoy Muchahary (26) was arrested as an accomplice in the murder of the Assamese caretaker, while a couple believed to be the prime suspects is been evading arrest.

According to sources, the motive behind the murder of Topeshwar alias Tapan, seems to be the love affair

between his ex-girlfriend and a friend, who had visited him the previous day). PI Manjunath Dessai is investigating the case.

Chandor gram sabha today MARGAO: The gram sabha of Chandor-Cavorim panchayat will be held on March 27 at 9.30 am in the community hall above panchayat office.

Sudeep's bus, which is plying in Chimbel is non-operational because no bus driver is willing to drive his bus.

"However, Sudeep suspects that I am instigating the drivers not to work for him," Prashant said and denied any role in the dispute between Sudeep and drivers.

Meanwhile, the decision of Chimbel bus owners to take their buses off the roads from afternoon affected hundreds of commuters who were forced to make alternate arrangements to reach their destinations.

Particularly affected were the commuters who had planned to travel to Panjim to witness the popular Shigmotsav festival.

The Chimbel bus owners have decided that they would be forced to keep their buses off the road if the police do not take action into the matter and arrest both Sudeep Tamankar and Sudesh Kalangutkar and also question the other bus owners over their role in barging into the house of Prashant Borkar.

lage RP committees, groups, to be vigilant about ‘unexplained insertions’ in their village and taluka plans and take it up with the appropriate authorities to ensure a proper Regional Plan for Goa.

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goa SNAPSHOT

FORCE to decide course of action

PANJIM: Receiving no response from the government over their deadline, the Forum for Rights of Children’s Education (FORCE) said that it will decide its future course of action in few days time.

FORCE had set a deadline of March 25 for the government to decide on giving grants to English medium schools, which ended yesterday. In a meeting held today, FORCE executive committee decided to consult the larger body of PTA representatives for its finalization of their next action and its execution.

Our demand is that English be included as the Medium of Instruction. With more than 120 English medium schools operating wherein only the rich can afford to pay the fee whereas the poor who cannot afford the high fees are deprived of a choice. -- Lopes

Cash fraudulently withdrawn from ATM

MARGAO (HR): An unknown person has allegedly withdrawn cash of three depositors of a city-based nationalized bank through the ATM. Margao police has registered a case against unknown person in connection with the case and has asked the bank manager to hand over the CCTV footage for investigations in the matter.

The matter came to light when the bank manager received three separate complaints stating that cash from their accounts have been fraudulently withdrawn through the ATM. The total amount withdrawn from the three accounts is pegged at Rs 71,000. A complaint to this effect has been registered by the police and investigation is in progress.

Talk at Fundação Oriente

PANJIM: João Vicente Melo, Doctoral Candidate, Swansea University will deliver a talk on Portuguese viceroys on April 1 at the premises of the Delegation of Fundação Oriente in India, behind People’s HS, Fontainhas, Panjim, at 5 pm.

The pre-dominant taxi lobby at Dabolim has ensured that no alternate means of transport are developed. More than 5000 cars touch the airport on an average day. Therefore, it becomes imperative to provide parking at one go for at least 1000 cars. -- Bhagwat

Navy didn’t object earlier, so why the fuss now? MPDA

Planning authority says land marked for parking coz navy didn’t put a boundary stone

Expert lays emphasis on parking space

Nilkanth clarifies on children

PANJIM: Contrary to report in the Herald, Tourism Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar today clarified that out of his three daughters only one is taking primary education in English medium.

Herald in its report “VIP Babas, Babies love English” had wrongly mentioned that all three daughters of tourism minister took English medium education at primary level. “My elder daughter Nitya has taken primary education in Konkani while the second daughter has done it in English while the youngest is too small,” he explained.

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Goa I Sunday 27, March 2011

TEAM HERALD DABOLIM, MARCH 26: As a burning controversy rages, with the navy giving documentary evidence of the ownership of the land (survey 83/1), the Mormugao Plannign and Development Authority has an interesting explanation The MPDA member secretary M Pandita reasoned that there was no boundary stone of navy when land survey 83/1 was earmarked as ‘Transport Parking’ in the ODP, since this land was traditionally used for car parking by Taxi tourist operators.

So in effect, what the MPDA says is that it marked this land for parking because it was tradition-

ally used for parking and that the nevy had not out a boundary stone. This begs the question “ Does the absence of a boundary stone lave a property vulnerable to be earmarked for a purpose in the ODP? Pandita further said that OPD has been notified and three copies of OPD has been given to navy official despite of that none of them have objected in the past on why their land has been earmarked for transport parking. “So why all this fuss now?” he asked.

Well, that’s simply because private land completely conducive for parking has been given back leading to a battle over land which clearly belongs to the navy.

With the ongoing controversy of denotification of land already acquired by the government, Herald sought the opinion of an aviation industry expert R S Bhagwat, the first Director of Goa Airport and now an aviation industry expert for the International Standards Organisation (ISO) certification process. Though he preferred to distance himself from the ongoing denotification controversy he has laid emphasis on the need for parking space on urgent basis.

HERALD: There have been differing opinions about the requirement of additional land for the expansion of Dabolim Airport. Is the additional land required by AAI? BHAGWAT: There can be no overemphasizing the

fact that the Dabolim Airport immediately requires modernization which includes a new terminal building, cargo handling facilities and most importantly – an adequate parking area.

Why the emphasis on parking ?

Well, over the years Dabolim has remained an airport solely dependent on road linkage. Other international airports are invariably mutli-transport facility oriented. Meaning they have self driven cars, a rail or metro connection and a city coach service. The pre-dominant taxi lobby at Dabolim has ensured that no alternate means of transport are developed leaving a situation where the entire connectivity is car oriented.

This means that for the current level of air traffic, more than 5000 cars touch the airport on an average day. With rising levels of air traffic, it therefore becomes imperative to provide parking at one go for at least 1000 cars and some more space for hotel coaches and buses plying for international charter flights.

So what exactly is the limiting factor at Dabolim.

In other airports managed

by AAI, land is usually not a constraint and parking areas can be easily accommodated in the city side. But at Dabolim, which is currently the busiest Civil Enclave in a military airfield in India, the

peculiar location of the terminal building and the adjacent National Highway leaves very little space for activities apart from a new terminal building.

Hence, it is necessary for the parking to be located across the highway with suitable cross connectivity. The airport was last expanded in 1997 and become saturated in 2004.

What are the problems that you oversee without adequate parking?

Goa Airport has recorded one of the highest growth rates in the last few months and this year nearly 3 million passengers are expected to be handled.

Any inability on the part of AAI to arrange for adequate parking with proper access to the main building could be expected to lead to a considerable amount of disorder on the highway as well as at the entry and exit points of the airport.

A well planned flyover or grade separator at the airport junction is also a must to prevent conflict of traffic at the airport junction which become acute by the passing day.

FACE-OFF

Savio Lopes Secretary, Forum for Rights of Children’s Education (FORCE) has been one of the leading lights in the campaign for English as a medium of instruction. Meanwhile Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar, has treaded cautiously but has backed Konkani in public and Marathi behind the scenes. Vibha Verma met the crusader and the politician for their views

The rich pay huge fees for English, but the poor are choice-less: Lopes HERALD: There is lot of debate on the Medium of Instruction (MoI), in the assembly as well as outside. Can you explain what your exact demand is?

LOPES: Our demand is to include English language as the medium of instruction along with other regional languages – Konkani and Marathi. We want to give a choice to students and parents to select their MoI. We are not binding that English be implemented in schools and regional languages be sidelined.

In the globalized world, we feel that English is the link language and hence we – the people of Goa should be given the choice of the language.

Why the demand was not raised when Konkani was made compulsory, some four decades ago?

There was a demand even earlier. We kept the ball rolling and

now parents have realized the need for English to be included at the elementary level.

What if the Government does not heed to your demand?

We have given a time frame to the Government to include English as the MoI from the forthcoming academic year, on June 6. For the decision we had given them a deadline till March 25. We will decide in our next executive meeting on our future course of action, if our demands are not heeded to. We don’t want to politicize the issue.

There are certain outfits who oppose your demand?

We don’t oppose their lines of thinking. We respect their opinion and accordingly they should respect our thinking also.

Our demand is that English be included as the Medium of Instruction along with Konkani and Marathi. With more than 120 English medium schools operating wherein only the rich can afford to pay the fee of their children whereas the poor and those who cannot afford the high fees are deprived of a choice.

How do you rate the success of the rally on March 21?

It was a huge success as more than 20,000 parents came on the streets joining the chorus supporting inclusion of English language.

We want our children to prosper and hence parents and children should be given a choice to choose

‘Primary Education should be in mother tongue’ HERALD: How do you react to the demand for change in the medium of instruction (MoI)?

PARRIKAR: My opinion is that English should be the medium of instruction from Class five onwards except those who can chose their own medium of instruction. The current policy of Konkani as the medium is working well and grants are properly distributed.

But it depends on the quality of education, trained teachers and role of education department. It is easier to train teachers in their own language so that they can educate students properly.

The central Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act envisaged that the mother tongue should be the medium for school children up to Class eight. But in Goa, it is not practical that Konkani continue as the medium after Class fourth.

What is your party stand on the issue?

Going by the scientific principals laid down by UNESCO, we strongly support that primary education be thought in mother tongue, for, explaining logic behind a particular step in English language is difficult. With Konkani or Marathi as MoI, the teachers as well as students would be in a better position to understand. Good future of a child depends on the ability of the child to score good marks and the knowledge; not by knowing a foreign language.

One should be thought in the language they know or else it becomes difficult, and gradually they can move to English. We favour English as a supporting language and it should be given ‘financial assistance.’

Lamanis on the coastal stretch surprisingly speak English, French, German and

Spanish. They are not educated in these languages but their business has made them to learn foreign languages.

Several thousand parents hit the street demanding English to be included as MoI with many elected representatives supporting it.

People were brought on the streets. Many did not even know why they were called for.

UNESCO, which is dedicated in the field of education and studies the subject extensively, has resolved and supports that primary education has to be done in the mother tongue.

Secondly, it cannot be debated or decided overnight or through any public meeting or even at zero hour of the Assembly. It has to be thought over deeply keeping in mind the past, present and future of a child. Therefore, experts come into the picture.

One can learn foreign language even after passing secondary or higher secondary.

There are so many successful people in the world who have studied primary education in their mother tongue. UNESCO says that it is only in India that English is termed as a ‘fashion.’

Who has the right to amend Right to Education?

RTE was formulated by Congress headed by Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kapil Sibal and as a result Congress party should make an amendment. MLAs do not play a role here. The government should formulate advisory council that can opine that it is not practicable to have mother tongue from Class fifth to eight. However, there cannot be changes from Class first to fourth because there is a statusquo. The ball is in the government’s court.

Panjim Shigmotsav serves Goa’s rich folklore on platter HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 26: Goa’s rich folklore was served on platter for the thousands of people, who flocked to Panjim’s busiest street, the 18th June Road, on Saturday.

Panaji Shigmotsav Samiti, which has been hosting this parade since 1989, claimed that around 50 floats participated in the grandeur and entire process went peacefully.

The capital city of Panjim was reverberated with the music of Dhol and Taso since afternoon as the groups had started arriving here one after another. The groups from far off places of Canacona and Ponda had made their present felt in the city

by afternoon.

After a quick lunch, the enthusiastic youths had started assembling their float, which was carried on various vehicles to the city.

Around 6 p.m the romtamel diverted the attention of the viewers. However, it was only at around 7.pm that the float parade began on the 18th June Road bringing in mythological demons, Gods and Godesses on the streets, which later got assembled at Azad Maidan. The three kilometer route was barricaded with policemen posted at every metre of the road.

The organizers said that even though the parade began on time, there were many chitraraths (float) which preferred the dusk as

they had electrified their creativity. “Romtamel and other category presentations were allowed in the day light,” an organizer said.

PSS has said that the every passing year, the Romtamel groups are decreasing in number. But this time around, the groups, which made their presence felt, compensated for the lack of participation.

The rich culture of Romtamel was brought on the lanes of Panjim by groups from parts of Tiswadi and Ponda taluka.

“There are many groups, which used to participate in earlier times but due to urbanization of population, the number of groups are getting lesser,” an organizer said.

Photo by Rozario Estibeiro

Damu blames CM for failure to hold unified festival HERALD REPORTER

Women perform Kunbi dance at the Panjim Shigmo on Saturday.

MARGAO, MARCH 26: Blaming the rival samiti headed by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat for the failure in the negotiations to hold one Shigmo in the Commercial capital, MLA Damu Naikled Margao Shigmo Samit on Saturday went ahead with the festivities by holding a colourful Romtamel parade in the city.

MLA Damu Naik told newsmen that the Shigmo organised by his samiti represents the spirit of Madgavkars as against the festivities chalked out by the rival group with government assistance. “I was all in favour of one Shigmo in the Commercial capital, but some vested interests

from the rival group sabotaged the attempts made in that direction. Our Samiti had asked for only two posts, but even that did not find favour with the CM-backed group,” he said, adding that the Margao Shigmo samiti held by him took out the Romtamel procession in the true spirit of traditional Shigmo festival by offering coconut to Lord Damodar at the Pimpalkatta.

BJP Leader Rupesh Mahatme said this is the sixth year that the traditional Shigmo is being held by the Margao Shigmo samiti under the leadership of Damu Naik as all attempts to bring the two groups have failed to bring the desired results.

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goa

By demanding grants for English medium primary schools, the Christians are dividing the people --- Konkani Tiatr writer R B S Komarpant

Opposition for grants to English medium schools gains momentum HERALD CORRESPONDENT CANACONA, MARCH 26: The movement to oppose demands for government grants to English medium schools has begun picking in Canacona, as a few people, including Marathi protagonists, met at the residence of a Tiatrist in Canacona to discuss the issue on Friday evening.

After discussing the issue, a resolution was taken condemning Education Minister Babush Monseratte for supporting the demand to provide government aid to English medium schools.

The meeting took place at the residence of Konkani Tiatr writer R B S Komarpant to prepare a roadmap for the taluka level meet on Monday and for April 6 meeting at Azad Maidan in Panjim.

Komarpant sought to blame the Christian community for demanding government grants to English medium primary schools.

“By demanding grants for English medium primary schools, the Christians are dividing the people,” said Komarpant, who convened the meeting

on Friday.

Konkani writer Kamlakar Mhalshi informed that no particular community should be made responsible for the issue, “but we should explore and solve the issue as to why suddenly parents of children attending primary schools run by the archdiocese now want to shift to English medium.”

“We should know the reason and educate parents first, who apparently with a reason have decided to demand English medium education to their children from elementary level.”

“We should not forget that the archdiocese managed schools in the State had shifted to Konkani medium once the primary education in mother tongue was made mandatory and no one had bothered to question it then,” he said.

Amid discussion over demands for government grants to English medium schools in the State, few area-wise representatives were chosen and asked to bring more people to attend the Monday meet, which also will be attended by speakers from other parts of the State.

In the meeting, representatives were also asked to involve elected representatives, including both MLAs, panchayat members, Mahila Mandals, Devasthan committees and others so that more people attend the meet.

Incidentally, the demand for English medium primary education is high even in Canacona taluka.

Sources have told Herald that in Canacona there are over 300 students studying in an unaided English medium private primary school run by an education society, while there are only 700 students studying in seven aided Konkani medium primary schools.

Ulhas Pai Bhatikar (State awardee and retired headmaster), Shantaji Naik Gaonkar (retired headmaster), Kamlakar Bhalshi (Konkani writer/Sarva Shiksha Abhiya Canacona i/c), Anant Agni (teacher), RBS Komarpant (Konkani writer/Tiatrist), Shantaram Komarpant (retired government primary teacher), Ravindra Raikar (retired teacher), Chinmoy were some of the people present at the meeting.

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Goa I Sunday 27, March 2011

‘Kednam Utt’ttolo’ by Prince Jacob Production won top honours at the 2nd popular Tiatr festival organized by Tiatr Academy Goa and bagged a total of 14 awards.

‘Kednam Utt’ttolo’ tops TAG’s tiatr fest HERALD NEWS DESK PANJIM, MARCH 26: ‘Kednam Utt’ttolo’ by Prince Jacob Production won top honours at the 2nd popular Tiatr festival organized by Tiatr Academy Goa and bagged a total of 14 awards including for acting, singing, etc .

‘Futtleli Boxi’ presented

by Menezes Theatre and ‘Novo Dis Udetana’ staged

by Comedian Domnick and his dramatic troupe won the second and third place respectively.

The first, second and third awards for best direction were bagged by Prince Jacob, Mario Menezes and Domnick Coelho respectively.

Pradeep Naik bagged the first place for acting for his role of a freedom fighter in the tiatr ‘Novo Dis Udetana’ while Jessica won the best actor award (female)for her role of ‘Larissa’ in ‘Futtleli Boxi’.

The detailed results are as under: Best performance: Kednam Utt’ttolo – 1st prize, Futtleli Boxi - 2nd prize and Novo Dis Udetana – 3rd prize.

Best direction: Prince Jacob (Kednam Utt’ttolo), Mario Menezes (Futtleli

Prince Jacob and Humbert receiving award for the best performance.

Boxi), Domnic Coelho (Novo Dis Udetana).

Best acting – female: Jessica - Larissa (Futtleli Boxi), Anthonette de Calangute Prescila (Devan Ghoddlem Munxan Moddlem) Best acting – male: Pradip Naik - Freedom fighter (Novo Dis Udetanam), Mario Menezes – Rio (Futtleli Boxi).

Best comedian (female): Hayzel Fernandes – Rosy Nustekan (Kednam Utt’ttolo), best comedian (male): Humbert Fernandes – PA (Kednam Utt’ttolo), best debutant actor (female): Senida – Carol (Godfather), best debutant actor (male): Elvis Mascarenhas - Nixon (Puro ami tras kaddleat te), best actor in negative role (female): Aplon – Estel (Novo

Dis Udetanam), best actor in negative role (male): Lawry Travasso – Wendell (Futtleli Boxi), best supporting actor (male): Elvis – Zico (Vichitr Natem), best supporting actor (female): Annie Quadros – Belinda (Kednam Utt’ttolo), best acting child artiste – female: Shenaya (Bhurgim Tim Bavlim Nhoi), best acting child artiste – male: Cameron (Bhurgim Tim Bavlim Nhoi), best quartet: ‘Tiatrist Sorgar’ – Anthony San, Peter, Nato, John D’Silva (Pisollem), best trio: ‘World Cup’ – Jacob, Cajy, Humbert (Kednam Utt’ttolo), best duet: ‘Bavtto Voir Dovrumia’ – Alias, Felcy (Novo Dis Udetanam), best duo: ‘Sharp Shooter’ – Bernard, Cosma

Kathy Pereira

also suffered damages after river banks had given away especially in upper regions of the taluka.

The government-appointed committee had reportedly recommended the need to remove heavy accumulation of siltation in these rivers and its tributaries and strengthening of river banks by constructing retaining walls at several points in the taluka to avoid future flooding incidents.

Accordingly, the WRD has commenced simultaneous desiltation at seven places in Talpona River and its upper regions at Bardem (Cotigao) at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

According to WRD sources, removing of silt is underway at four different locations in the range of 9 kms of Talpona River, while at Bardem-Cotigao, upper region of this river; desiltation process is in progress at three more places within 6 kms.

Some more locations in these belts will also be taken up in the days to come and completed before the onset of monsoon.

Sources informed that the desiltation works including the remaining are taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore.

Besides, desiltation, construction of retaining walls is also in progress at another three places in the river portions within Cotigao-

(Kednam Utt’ttolo), best choral song: ‘Novo Dis Udetanam’ – Bab Andrew, Albert, Alias (Novo Dis Udetanam), child singer – male: Cameron – Ambe Kuslole -(Bhurgim Tim Bavlim Nhoi), child singer – female: Shenaya - Romi Lipi – ( Bhurgim Tim Bavlim Nhoi), best singer (female): Felcy Sandhe’ (Novo Dis Udetanam) and Rosy Alvares ‘Padr Jose Vaz’ (Futtleli Boxi), best singer (male): Anthony San ‘Novo Tiatrist’ (Pisollem) and Joe Rose ‘Bible Ani Mobile’ (Kednam Utt’ttolo), best lyrics: Joe Rose – ‘Bible ani Mobile’ (Kednam Utt’ttolo) and Prince Jacob – ‘Kednam Utt’ttolo’ (Kednam Utt’ttolo), best background music: Kenny (Futtleli Boxi), best costumes: Annie Quadros (Kednam Utt’ttolo), best make-up: Jewel Fernandes (Kednam Utt’ttolo), best music (live band): Anthony de Velim (Bhurgim tim Bavlim Nhoi), best light effects: Piety (Futtleli Boxi), best setting: Kamlakant Chari (Kednam Utt’ttolo), best script - 1st prize (shared): Kednam Utt’ttolo – Prince Jacob & Puro Ami Tras Kaddleat Te – Alfred Fernandes.

CM assures to shelve sea link project if found unviable Desiltation of Talpona River begins HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 26: Presti-

Sanjay Wale, General Manger, Sai Service Station Ltd, hands over the key of newly launched Maruti Kizashi to Shaikh Nadim Haveri at Sai Service.

SAF seminar begins today HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 26: The South Asia Foundation (SAF) is organizing two-day seminar cum workshop in Goa to create a Brand Value for state’s crafts with reference to exploring tourism potential.

The seminar, which would commence from March 27, will also draw a strategic marketing plan for Goan crafts.

This is a step towards making a conscientious effort to market Goan crafts where Goa’s vibrant tourism could play an important role.

This could also help in developing the state’s crafts sector into micro and small enterprises that could create sustainable livelihood programme,” the organiz-

ers say.

The seminar would be preparing a detail report on potential of Goan crafts and accordingly, a Goa Crafts Village, the first of its kind in South Asia, would be set up with an objective to make sustainable socio-cultural and economic enterprise.

“This will strategically put Goan crafts to create a Brand and support various initiatives to enhance livelihood of the artisans,” SAF has said in its press note.

The seminar, which would be presided by Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava will also discuss issues related to the artisans community in Goa, micro-finance, marketing strategy, product design development, key marketing issues and socio-cultural development issue.

gious Dona Paula-Vasco Sea Link Project will be shelved if found uneconomical. Chief Minister Digambar Kamat on Friday told Goa Assembly that the government was examining the pros and cons of the sea-link and would go ahead with it only if it was found viable, economically.

The chief minister made the statement while responding to a question tabled by Mandrem MLA Laxmikant Parsekar who said the project does not appear to be cost effective.

The consultant appointed by the government has given five options -- giving approximate cost in building the sea link.

Mandrem MLA said even if the alternative with low cost Rs 844 crore -- PanjimSridao- Chicalim Play-

ground -- Mormugao Harbour, is taken up, it is not financially viable.

This alternative will have saving in vehicle operative cost to the tune of Rs 33.1 crore by 2040.

According to the estimates prepared by the consultant, this link by 2040 will save 87 million kilometers travelled and 47 million kilometers travelled in 2025.

Mandrem MLA however pointed out that interest alone on estimated cost of this mega project works out to be Rs 84 crore.

The Chief Minister assured the House that they are considering all aspects of the project and they have sought assistance of Maharashtra Road Transport Corporation and Planning Commission (PC).

"If the economics doesn't work out we would not go in for this project," he stated.

The de-silting work in progress in upper region tributaries in Cotigao-Canacona.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT CANACONA, MARCH 26: The Water Resources Department (WRD) has commenced the desiltation process and other associated works of flood-ravaged Talpona River at a cost of Rs 9 crore.

It may be recalled that the unprecedented October 2,

2009, floods in Canacona had caused enormous silt accumulation in the two major river beds in the taluka, after rampaging water flow opened up a mountain at Kuskem-Cotigao and washed away several paddy fields in upper regions.

Several other tributaries, including these rivers, had

Appeal for medical help HERALD NEWS DESK PANJIM, MARCH 26: Vardaman and Damu Simepu-

A seriously hurt Damu Simepurshkar undergoing treatment.

rushkar, two boys in their early twenties from Umtta Vaddo, Calangute met with a serious accident at Satara, Maharashtra. Till date about Rs 2 lakhs has been spent on their treatment which was covered by family and friends. As their injuries are of serious nature, an estimated Rs 2.5 lakhs more is required for their treatment.

Moti voiz foundation has appealed for donations for their authentic and dire need. For further details call Walter on 9960803790.

Equip India begins anti-plastic campaign in Santa Cruz HERALD CORRESPONDENT MERCES, MARCH 26: The NGO ‘Equip India’ has commenced an anti-plastic awareness campaign in Santa Cruz, to encourage people to limit the use of plastic as far as possible and to make use of biodegradable bags, which the NGO is providing at a nominal cost.

Explaining the purpose behind the campaign, Equip

India President Joe Gomes said the aim is to bring an awareness on the disadvantages of using plastic bags, which not only poses threat to the environment but also adds up to the already critical garbage menace that is engulfing the State.

“In the first phase, our members went around various establishments and shops in Santa Cruz and encouraged them not to give away

plastic bags to consumers,” Joe informed and added that as a substitute to plastic bags, Equip India provided environment-friendly bio-degradable bags to the shop owners, so that they can give away the same to those consumers who demand plastic bags.

When asked to throw light on the bio-degradable bags, Joe said: “The bags are made of non-woven fabric, which can be used multiple

times and can carry weight of around 8 kgs. After its use is over, the bags can be buried and within 3 months, it will decompose.”

Explaining further on the anti-plastic campaign, Joe informed that simultaneously the NGO has made an appeal to the villagers to donate old newspapers, which he said would be converted into paper bags and then pumped back into the village so that

the villagers are provided an alternative to plastic bags.

“In the second phase, Equip India will conduct door-to-door awareness in the areas of Alto-Santa Cruz, St Francis Colony and Kenkre Estate,” he said and added that people from these areas would also be given talk with the help of a projector so that they feel encouraged to limit the use of plastic bags.

Joe further informed that

the NGO has already received a tremendous response from the shopkeepers who are more than willing to contribute in their own way in making Goa clean and green.

“Some villagers too have shown interest in joining the movement,” he added and hoped that more people join in to make it truly a people’s movement. Joe Gomes can be contacted on 9096879999.

Kuskem, Morfondamoll and Tamnamoll while erection of more retaining walls is in the offing at few other specific places at a cost of Rs 4 crore.

Incidentally, the material lifted as part of desiltation process is being disposed off in private properties, which has resulted in complaints from some cashew farmers.

The farmers have alleged that huge amount of dust accumulation on cashew plants is taking a toll on cashew production.

Meanwhile, people residing on the Talpona River banks, have welcomed government initiative to de-silt the river beds and requested to survey more areas and carry out desiltation there, thereby minimizing risks of any more floods in the future.

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WEEKENDEDIT

A fresh light in our legislative tunnel

B

efore we miss this, and lest this no unnoticed, there were three bright rays of hope in the Goa assembly on the last working day of the week. Three key ministers of the Digambar Kamat government made gestures that will go a long way in restoring the credibility of the theory of consensus and the value of the legislature. We hope that this becomes sustained and consistent.

First up, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat announced that the Dona Paula Vasco sea link project would be dropped, if it was economically not feasible. He said that the project consultant had given three proposals and the one which saw minimum displacement of trees and houses would be taken, if at all.

Next up, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane. After holding firm on his decision that the Mapusa district hospital would be run on a PPP model, Rane assured that house that all stakeholders will be taken into confidence, including Aldona MLA Dayanand Narvekar, the most vocal critic of the PPP model and Mapusa MLA Francis D’Souza. Rane actually sounded far more conciliatory than his earlier stand. In his written reply to Anand Shet, Mayem MLA, Rane wrote, “The consultant has submitted the final draft request for proposal for selecting the PPP operator.

After vetting by the law department, the same will be published in the fourth week of March 2011.” He however told the house, “The RFP has been cancelled and I have no intention of going ahead without clearance from the law department.” With the High Court directing the health department to fully commission the Mapusa hospital by March 31, this deadline seems unlikely to be met.

Thirdly, Salcete’s powerhouse Churchill Alemao announced that the notification for the distribution of water tanks would be withdrawn and re-issued with modifications, after including suggestions of the opposition. Of course, the healing touch by Digambar Kamat further ‘softened’ Churchill. Kamat said that Churchill was soft at heart and rushed forward to implement the scheme since he felt for the poor.

In skeptical and tough times such as these, it is easy to let these announcements and gestures pass. But, before we let any of these decisions run its course and scrutinize them further, the three announcements give us hope that our legislative system is still alive and checks and balances do kick in, if the stakeholders-MLAs and ministers show the maturity to listen, absorb and make changes.

Lest we forget, all the three issues generated a fair bit of controversy. The distribution of water tanks, without allegedly proper legal vetting was raised by Damu Naik, Fatorda MLA and though Churchill emphatically stated that there was no irregularity, the issue still lingered. Meanwhile Digambar Kamat faced a fair amount of flak over the sea link project over viability issues. The selection of the consultant, the earmarking of funds and the cost benefit ratio were all questioned. For Kamat to step back and do a reassessment is reassuring.

In a Goa, where political discourse has meandered into selfpromotional slanging matches, what happened in the Goa assembly was healthy. Sceptics may argue that the impending heat of the assembly elections may have melted hardened stands; it is time to pause and salute such stands. As long as we have a state where genuine debate has space, where opposing views are taken cognizance of, where potential wrongs or procedural irregularities can be corrected, the will of the people who vote will be respected. Unfortunately, all this is slowly getting out of fashion, so when we see even glimpses of MLAs and ministers listening, hearing and understanding, it calls for a minor celebration.

Of course, this isn’t a guarantee that gestures will lead to a final course correction, but it is a beginning. At the end of every assembly session, an all-party review committee headed by anyone other than the leader of the house or the leader of the opposition should go into the manner of business conducted, the quality of debates and of issues raised. This committee should then give detailed suggestions for the future based on these observations.

Let us clutch on to these little straws. They tell us that all hope is not lost.

As long as we have a state where genuine debate has space, where opposing views are taken cognizance of, where potential wrongs or procedural irregularities can be corrected, the will of the people who vote will be respected.

– Edit

The English language is, no doubt, a foreign language but spoken in our homes just like any other favoured regional lan-

guage, be it Marathi, Hindi or Konkani.

Inclusion of English medium is just an option the parents and affected people, everything else remaining the same. In this scenario, instead of making it a language issue or threat to any other language, an option should be given to have English the same as Konkani or Marathi or any other regional language, for the smooth functioning of our education institutes imparting unbiased instruction to the children.

PL Fernandes, Ilhas I too agree and demand that English be the primary language from standard one and Konkani be a compulsory language for all schools in Goa. It is for the betterment of our own children, keeping in mind their future.

Vijay Krishnan, Canacona

I believe that the battle between Babush and Parrikar is between the creator and his creation. Let them slug it out on that front.

– Oscar Rebello

SHOOTING FROM THE HIP

PEOPLE’SEDIT

The PINC Argument

L

oving Goa, nowadays is really a tough ask. You have to fight your own inner schizophrenic demons.

During the recently concluded and valiantly fought CCP election a number of citizens (of which I was proudly one) got together and tried to galvanise and support a brand new set of councilors cutting across party lines, to challenge the vice-like grip of the erstwhile Babush panel which in our opinion had clearly failed us – the citizens of Panjim.

The evidence of that failure was so clear that Hercule Poirot’s pet poodle would have deciphered it. Of course it was a political process and hence we had to play the dirty game.

There were five founding principles that loosely tied us together as citizens.

1. Though 99 per cent of us believe in the Congress ideology of pluralism, tolerance and inclusiveness, we refuse to buy the argument that galloping in your face corruption indulged in by mercenaries, who pretend to be Congressmen, is to be tolerated at the altar of secular ethos. Follow the ideology not the mercenaries.

2. The BJP, the opposite pole of this spectrum has an ideology that truly sucks. Big time! Exclusivist, intolerant and the gross inability to crack down on their lunatic fringe groups like the Bajrang Dals and Ram Senas, when they go on their regular jolly rampages is the antithesis of everything that is beautifully Goan, indeed splendidly Indian.

However, it is without a doubt that most BJP legislators and councilors are

oscar reBello infinitely less odiously corrupt than their star Congress counterparts in Goa. You don’t find real estate and mining wheeler dealers as easily in the BJP pantheon (unless they defect to become Chief Minister that is.)

And certainly, in our opinion, the councilors we endorsed from the BJP, beginning with Ashok Naik were the epitome of humility, uprightness and dignity, the perpetual underdogs in this fight.

3. ‘Form your own party’ is the gratuitous advice we get from most sources.

This needs money, dedication (to a political cause) and time which we as citizens do simply do not have. And we therefore decided to back independent brave hearts like Surendra and Ruth Furtado, Ashley do Rosario, Aires Rodrigues, Oscar De Cunha – men and women of mettle who would be a bulwark in case the crazy bats on the right marched out to deface street names in Portuguese.

4. We concede that there were enough honourable men and women on the current Babush panel, but as Hercule Poirot’s pet poodle had already told us that his erstwhile panel had converted Panjim into one giant garbage dump. So, we couldn’t afford another calamity this time round. After a close shave this time,

The agitation is getting communal the Babush panel seems to be making the right noises. However only time, Babush and permissions if any, for giant skyscrapers, will tell us if these noises will translate into action on the ground.

5. Our right of choice (not to be confused with a choice of the right): We are all law abiding, taxpaying citizens of Goa. Consumers of a product. We are given a choice between a decaying toxic Coca Cola and a fresher Pepsi with more fizzle We made a choice and rooted for Pepsi. You can disagree and disparage our choice. But, surely you couldn’t be suggesting that we have no right to express our choice in a democracy as many of our well meaning detractors seem to suggest. That would be akin to following in the rich, anti democratic, traditions of Goa’s most popular hate figure Manohar Parrikar himself.

In summing up, PINC did what it thought best. It may not have been successful and it may have tread a dangerous ideological adjustment but it was a good shot and we got to interact and bond with some of the finest men and women on the campaign trail, which was an enlightening experience.

I believe that the battle between Babush and Parrikar is between the creator and his creation. Let them slug it out on that front.

For PINC, it was about looking beyond these two gentlemen and see a sorrowful Panjim that required us to raise a loud voice in protest and create a bloody good din about it, and boy, did we raise hell!!!

BENTO AT THE TINTO

Making mountains out of molehills

I

grew up in a little suburb in Bombay, the very same city now overrun with concrete, garbage and then some. In Malad, I was a proud alumnus of St Anne’s High, where the medium of instruction was English.

At the time, the diocesan English medium schools were still moving up the ladder in terms of prominence and by the time I passed out, things were heating up.

Today, everyone and their uncle studies at English medium schools, from the kindergarten onwards. Today, the level of English in Bombay is high. Look to any publication there, blogs as well. People realised early on that the value of English will rise, much like one would look at stock.

For three years, until January of this year, I used to teach journalism and creative thought at two of Goa’s best colleges, part time. It was quite a shame to see some of the aspiring journalism students struggle to string a few wellworded sentences together.

VOICES –MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION Look at the irony. By all accounts, Konknni should have been the medium of instruction throughout Goa. But as on September 30, 2008, in Goa there are 936 Marathi medium primary schools of which 888 belong to the government and 48 are run by the private Hindu managements.

While there are only 207 Konknni medium primary schools of which 140 belong to the private managements and 67 run by the government. Out of the 140 Konknni medium primary schools, 128 are run by the Catholic community and only six by the Hindu community.

Dr Pratap Naik, S.J, Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr

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Vol. No CXI No. 085 I Goa I Sunday 27, March 2011

English should be used as the primary language of instruction. The government should make certain changes, English will have to be mainstream – the medium of instruction – and Konkani and Hindi as the secondary language.

When I passed out from the higher secondary, English was the main language, so when I heard that the government has made changes I was pleasantly surprised.

What is the use of sending kids to good schools later in the hope of them getting better jobs when they will not be equipped to handle English at a higher level?

Pankaj Pawar, Navelim The Konkani Association from Middlesex UK ‘’International Voice for Romi Konknni’’ demand that their children

Kurt Bento That’s an example of just a few, some were par excellence. There is no better grounding than that of the primary education. The future of Goa lies in a better education and all logic points to English as a medium of instruction.

Konkani is the mai bhaas, the romantic link to Goa’s culture – one that will never and should never change. And I don’t think it would, even if English heads to the top of the clsass. For example, most of my Goan and Manglorean friends in Bombay still speak fluent Konkani. All of us studied in English medium schools.

I have friends here in Goa, who grew up speaking Portuguese and still speak it at home, but they have an almost equal fluency in English and Konkani. It’s up

to the parents and elders in the family to keep tradition alive and it holds true in this regard too.

Whatever happens, be it English as medium of instruction, grants or no grants, or a firm stand that Konkani stays prominent, we need to realise that this goes beyond political boundaries. At the end of the day, whatever happens needs to happen so that Goa can hold its own in a modern sea of careers and 21st century lifestyles.

This is a matter of Goa’s future and that of its children, they who today look up to us to guide them and show them right from wrong.

Everyone needs to come together on a common platform and figure out the game plan. This looks to be a battle and we all know what happens – one side wins, the other loses.

But in the current scenario, if we cannot find common ground, if we dont put political and religious or caste affiliations aside, the only losers, present and future, will be Goa’s children.

Dennis Dsouza

W

ith regards to information that two noted priests Fr Jaime Couto and Fr Mousinho de Ataide have written to the Archbishop of Goa. In the first instance, do these two priests have their own children? Obviously not. If they had then they would know the difficulties of the parents and children.

Till today there was no mention of any communal divide by any section of the Goan people who objected to medium of instruction in English.

It’s deplorable to note that these two Catholic priests are trying to divide the Goan people on the basis of communal divide. If these communal divide does take place then the Goan people know whom to blame.

The rally at Azad Maidan aimed at demanding a switch to the medium of instruction in English was attended by various communities and not only the catholic community. Hats off to the organisers of this rally and also to the MLAs and Ministers who attended it, especially to those who took on the matter in the assembly.

The medium of instruction in the constitution of India gives us the right to teach the children in the medium of instruction that we want. Now, with regards to the grants for certain schools, are only certain people paying taxes and the rest who demand medium of instructions in English not paying taxes?

It’s our fundamental right to educate our children in the language we want. We are Goans and we are proud of our mother tongue Konkani, but give us our fundamental right to teach our children in the language we want and keep Konkani/Marathi as a compulsory subject.

There is strong demand to the Goa Government from Goans of various communities that aid be given to English medium of instruction right from standard one onwards. The demand is felt more because our children are facing a serious problem when applying for jobs in Goa. I would request organizers of the aforementioned rally to continue with their demand and try and make it come to fruition.

I am one of the two members of the committee on the medium of instructions, ACMI, who fought these battles 20 years ago and we two members of the committee had gone on a hunger strike for the same reason for eight days at Azad Maidan, but were fooled

by Sashikala Kakodkar. Unfortunately one of my hunger strike partner Marcus D’souza expired.

We need to make sure that we get the government to give into this demand now, or we will also die an unfulfilled death.

For all these letters and more, do log onto heraldweekend › on face book and view and post on the discussion board may be given a choice to choose as English as the medium of Instruction from the next academic year. All the members gathered for the meeting demanded that English should be taught from the primary level with one subject Konkani or Marathi.

The dropout rates of children is increasing from year by year. The demand for English language is increasing day by day and the world is looking for English as the main language.

We demand with the Education Minister who is looking forward to move Goa with the rest world will take a wise decision and will make English as the Medium of Instruction from the next academic year starting from June.

Francisco Floriano Fernandes, UK The controversy of medium of instruc-

tion at schools has once again come to the fore. This imbroglio was created by the then PDF Government under the tutelage of the former Chief Minister, Shashikala Bandodkar, who had used a clever ploy to rejuvenate the ailing Marathi medium schools by showering grants to these schools but blatantly refusing similar grants to English medium schools which hitherto were enjoying the same.

It is the inherent right of the parents to decide in all matters for their minor children. So deciding in which language their wards should start their learning process is the absolute prerogative of the parents.

C Menezes, Varca The misplaced logic of seeking casteist domination through emotional black-

mail by forcing parents to accept a regional language, dubbing it as a mother tongue is a clever ploy to keep the masses suppressed and depressed, as frogs in a well.

But if you watch and analyze this vested interest, their own progeny would derive the benefits of English, criticize others using the goodness of English and endeavour to make sure that the underprivileged are denied the simple right to choose what is best for their children.

How long will the aam admi continue to suffer at the hands of these emotional blackmailers?

Only time would tell of Goans would soon get their basic right to choose what is best to all media of instruction. Language is a tool and it has no nationalism attached to it.

Stephen Dias, Dona Paula

F or l et ter s to the e d i tor co nta ct us at edi tor weeken d@her al d- go a. com Printed and published by Vinayak Pai Bir for and on behalf of Herald Publications Pvt Ltd. Printed at Herald Publications Pvt Ltd, Plot No: L-135, Phase II, Verna Industrial Estate, Verna, Salcete, Goa. Published at PO Box 160, Rua Sao Tome, Panjim, Goa - 403001.

Editor-in-chief: Mr R F Fernandes. Editor: Sujay Gupta (Responsible under PRB Act). Regd Office: St Tome Road, Panjim, Goa. Tel: 2224202, 2228083, Fax: 6558510 (all Editorial); 2230535, Fax: 2225622 (Advertising); Margao: 2737689. Mumbai Office: 16-A, Bell Building, 2nd Floor, 19 Sir PM Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400001 (Tel: 22840702/22844908). RNI No: 43667/83.

HOW TO CONTACT US: mail@herald-goa.com — For press notes, general queries. reporters@herald-goa.com — For Reporters. business@herald-goa.com — For Business news. editorweekend@herald-goa.com — For Letters to the Editor. sports@herald-goa.com — For Sports news. advt@herald-goa.com — For Advertisements.

Disclaimer: Except for the editorial above, articles and letters in Herald represent the views of the concerned authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Herald editor, publisher, and/or owners.

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india SNAPSHOT Traffic policeman crushed to death LUCKNOW: A traffic policeman was crushed to death when he tried to intercept a speeding car fleeing after hitting a cyclist in Alambagh area, police said here today.

Rakesh Savita was seriously injured after being hit by the car which he had attempted to stop. The car driver had rammed into a cyclist near Mawaiyya crossing yesterday, they said.

Rakesh, who sustained serious injuries in the chest and head, was rushed to a trauma centre where he succumbed during treatment.

In democracy everyone has the right to keep his viewpoint. Chakka jams are organised only for a day with the objective of giving a message. But nobody has a right to create problems for a large section of people and annoy them. — Ajit Singh

Modi meets PM; protests I-T notice to Gujarat

Bhagalpur locals go on rampage BHAGALPUR: Enraged over power crisis, angry residents today went on rampage and burnt a power house, ransacked railway station, attacked Vikramshila Express and government vehicles demanding uninterrupted power supply to Bhagalpur town in Bihar.

Facing severe power crisis since the past week, thousands descended on the street, marched to a power house before torching it, damaged the bikes of employees and burnt tyres at several places in the town, throwing life out of gear.

Official sources said hundreds of locals then stormed the Bhagalpur railway station and pelted stones at Bhagalpur-New Delhi Vikramshila Express.

The district magistrate and superintendent of police too incurred the wrath of the protesters who misbehaved with them and damaged their official vehicles, officials said.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel soon took control of the situation with use of mild force and arrested two of the agitators, sources said.

Padamsee sets auction record NEW DELHI: Indian modernist painter Akbar Padamsee set a new auction record with his untitled work fetched Rs 6.3 crore (USD 1,426,500) in a New York sale by Sotheby’s on March 25.

Padamsee’s 10x3ft painting of a reclining nude drawn from his ‘grey period’ of work in the 195960 when the artist returned to India after an eightyear-old stay in Paris was sourced from a private collection in the United State, reported the auction house.

The sale was part of the Modern and contemporary South Asian Art held in New York on March 25 which realised a total of USD 4,028,250.

Student hangs to death BELGAUM: Yielding to the pressure of examinations, a 19-year-old student of PUC II committed suicide by hanging himself to the ceiling of his house at Kali Amrai area, Belgaum, on Tuesday evening.

According to sources, Abhijeet Kishore Lalbeg was answering his examinations that commenced on March 17. His sister, a software engineer, after returning home Tuesday evening noticed that the door of the house locked from inside.

Jackman, Ash bag top honours at FICCI Awards

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan poses with her award during the 'FICCI Frames 2011' awards ceremony in Mumbai.

PTI MUMBAI, MARCH 26 :Holly-

wood star Hugh Jackman and Bollywood’s international face Aishwarya RaiBachchan have bagged the top honours at the FICCI Frames Awards here.

Jackman, known for his role as ‘Wolverine’ in the popular ‘X Men’ series, re-

ceived FICCI Frames Excellence International Honour, while Aishwarya got the Decade of Global Achievement Honour for her accomplishments in Hindi cinema at the awards function held last night.

“It is a huge honour and I am grateful to FICCI for giving me this award. I am humbled,” Aishwarya said.

Shahrukh Khan-starrer ‘My Name Is Khan’ and Salman Khan’s `Dabangg’ continued their award-winning spree at FICCI Frames also.

‘Dabangg’ bagged two awards, including the Best Film of the year. Its actor Sonakshi Sinha was adjudged the Best Debutant (Female).

Shahrukh received the Best Actor award for `My Name is Khan’, while Karan Johar took home the Best Director trophy for the same film.

“The award is special to me,” King Khan said.

For the second time, Vidya Balan walked away with the Best Actress award at the event, this time for her performance in ‘Ishqiya’.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being received with flowers by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at Ahmedabad Airport on Saturday.

“The Prime Minister PTI AHMEDABAD, MARCH 26:

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here and protested the notice from Income Tax Department to the state government over MoUs signed during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.

The I-T notice had sought details of all such MoUs signed during the Summit in January, where companies had pledged investments of over Rs 1,000 crore.

Modi met Singh, who is here to take part in the annual convocation ceremony of IIM (Ahmedabad), at the circuit house here and strongly protested the I-T notice, sources in the Chief Minister’s office said.

agreed with Modi that this should not have happened.

He has promised to look into the issue,” the sources claimed. The meeting was not scheduled in PM’s programme.

The I-T department, in a letter sent to the state government, stated that an inquiry was pending in connection with the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2011, and “the details of the MoUs signed by various corporate entities with the Government of Gujarat need to be examined.”

The letter, dated February 17, was signed by Deputy Director (investigations), Ahmedabad, Anurag Sharma. Inquiry was being conducted under section 131 (1A) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, it said.

“

LUCKNOW,

MARCH

26:

Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh today slammed the UP government for abetting the Jat agitation for reservation in central services.

“Jat stir was sponsored, promoted and flared by Mayawati government,” RLD supremo Ajit Singh alleged while talking to the newspersons where.

He said that while the demand of Jats was justified, but the manner in which the agitation was launched and continued was wrong.

“In democracy everyone has the right to keep his viewpoint. Chakka jams are organised only for a day with the objective of giving a message. But nobody has a right to create problems for a large section of people and annoy them,” Singh said.

He said that Jats were getting reservation in six states and their demand for the same in central services was justified.

RLD chief said that the day the Jat stir started, the Samajwadi Party too launched an agitation.

“We all have seen that how brutally SP men were

The basic idea is to provide access to children from poorer sections as well as rural areas to English education right from Class I rather than Class III (the current policy), so that they compete with students of private schools. — Sake Sailajanath

Cong seeks time from US court NEW YORK: India’s Congress Party has sought time till June

24 from a US court to respond to charges of “conspiring, aiding, abetting” the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 in a case filed by a community group.

Adam Finkel, from New York-based law firm Sabharwal Nordin & Finkel which is also a counsel for Union Minister Kamal Nath in this case, also wrote to Judge Robert Sweet requesting for a conference.

Earlier this month, a federal district court in New York summoned the Congress Party in a civil action filed by New York-based organisation Sikh For Justice that levelled charges on the party of “conspiring, aiding, abetting and carrying out organised attacks on the Sikh population of India” in 1984.

The lawyers representing the party has sought time till June 24 to file a response.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ, said the group would oppose the request for extra time.

“Congress’ request for time to file response is part of its plan to stall the case, delay the prosecution and tire out the witnesses and victims, as it has done for the past 26 years,” he said.

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Ajit Singh flays Maya for abetting Jat stir PTI

Goa I Sunday 27, March 2011

lathicharged and assaulted, but as Jats had protection of the government nothing happened against them,” he alleged.

The RLD chief said that when the court intervened and passed an order, the agitation ended within hours.

“That too without any lathicharge,” he said adding that Mayawati sponsored the agitation as it was afraid of the RLD which is a strong alternative for the BSP. Ajit Singh also accused the

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Goa I Sunday March 27, 2011

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Give us a choice

Rozario Estibeiro

The Herald campaign: Give us a choice, has evoked a very strong response from educationists, teachers and several organizations.

Your newspaper has based its campaign – as the same clearly suggests – on one strong premise, parents have to have the final choice on deciding in which language their child should study in. And if the overwhelming majority of parents, cutting across all lines, feel that English should be taught from the time the child begins his educations, that needs to be respected.

Parents are not, nor do they want to make this, either political or communal. Politicians and vested interest groups are.

As a part of this package we present two divergent but strong views of Advocate Anacleto Viegas, who is 1990 had led the agitation for grants to English medium primary schools. Today, he has done an about-turn where he apologises and pitches for Konkani as the mother tongue, to be preserved and protected.

Opposing him is Tennyson Fernandes, an educationist, a father and a common man who has simple but foolproof logic. Allow parents to make a choice.

We leave the choice to decide where you stand. You have already spoken.

Keep the debate gong. Exercise your choice. Mail us with your comments at editorweekend@herald-goa.com with ‘medium of instruction’in the subject line, or find us on facebook at ‘heraldweekend’

- EDITOR

Not English but Konkani In 1990, Advocate Anacleto Viegas was a leader of the agitation for grants to English medium primary schools. Today, in hindsight, he says it should be Konkani.

I

must apologise for my participation in the agitation for English to be made the medium of instruction at the primary level about 20 years ago. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa.

The error of judgement may have been due to my false notion that English was the key to secure my children’s success – they were in school then – or perhaps due to political compulsions or the influence of other parents, but the error is unpardonable.

The organisation called Action Committee for Medium of Instruction (ACMI) was able to bring thousands of people out on the streets and paralyse Goa for nearly five days. The agitation was against all odds – the government, the Education Department, the Diocesan Society of Education, the Konkani Bhasha Mandal were all against ACMI’s demand. Our agitation was a tremendous success, but the promise of Churchill Alemao – who was the Chief Minister for 15 days – that English would be made the medium of instrument did not fructify. Today there are no regrets. The rejection of the demand has done well for the state and its people.

The basis for the re-organisation of states in the Indian Union was language. Every state in India has its own language which, in fact, is the medium of instruction in each and every government run and aided school. It is also a proven fact that every person best assimilates and articulates facts in the mother tongue at the initial stages of learning.

We in Goa, seem to be suffering from a Portuguese hangover and have come together to relegate our mother tongue to the kitchen, just Sachin Ambadoskar

like the Portuguese-speaking elites did during the colonial regime in Goa. This attitude insults our state and our people.

The raison-d’être for Goa to be a state is its language, Konkani.

And if Konkani is not given priority in the matter of educational aid, what reason would be there to call ourselves a state? What happens to that great slogan which still reverberates in our ears and hearts: “Konkani Uloi, Konkani Boroi, Konkanitlean Sorkar Choloi?” Are we now heading for a complete alienation of the people from their language?

Experience, they say, is a great teacher. The best way to educate your child is to teach them in the mother tongue. Talking to a child in Konkani, singing rhymes, lullabies, folk songs and folk dances in the mother tongue has much to do with the attachment of the child to the mother tongue and the motherland. If the child learns about its mother tongue and mother land in English, we would only be giving a fillip to the great exodus of Goans to foreign lands, where they would have no roots, no mother land, no mother tongue…

The world over, the language of instruction is the language of the nation-state. Leaders of nations speak in their own mother tongues.

But our Goan leaders – dishonest, unscrupulous parasites – prefer their broken English over the simple, charming and precise mother tongue. Have we not heard enough howlers from our ministers, especially those who speak no language other than English? On what grounds does one predict which side will win a football match? On Fatorda ground, isn’t it?

Once one severs one’s roots, one

IN THE KONKANI CORNER: Sashikala Kakodkar at the BBSM meeting

is indeed a traumatised human being, if not one with a devastated ‘conscience’. So many Goans settled abroad return to Goa and look for a space for themselves, but to no avail. Nothing remains of their inheritance of the mother land. Do we desire that our children suffer from the same emptiness? Our forefathers sailed the seven seas, but returned home to rest and sleep the eternal sleep in the backyard of their homes.

During the last 20 years, students (without discrimination) have mastered three or four languages: Konkani, English, Hindi and another optional language.

Ours is a privileged nation; not just bilingual but multilingual. Lawyers, doctors, teachers, judges, who have learnt through the mother tongue express themselves with great accuracy. Indeed, no other language can interpret customs, traditions and the way of life of the people. If the mother tongue is substituted by English, society would only imbibe the mores and customs of the West instead of its own soil.

English, I believe, originated in England. But the Welsh do not encourage English-medium schools, even though Wales is a part of the United Kingdom. This small state has maintained its language, it culture and identity, in spite of political and linguistic ties with England. Bravo to its proud people!

The bewildering question is the change of heart in the Diocesan Society of Education (DSE) which, 20 years ago, was willing to excommunicate ACMI leaders for their profanity of supporting the English medium. In what way have the aims and objects of education suffered by implementing the language policy of the state to aid the schools teaching in the language of the people? Students from these schools – especially among the backward classes – have become excellent lawyers, doctors, engineers and teachers.

Does the Diocesan Society of Education have any statistics to prove that the medium of instruction has been a handicap to the education of the children that have passed through its schools, or is it the temptation of donations and capitation fees that has prompted them to call for the present agitation?

Let us not destroy the soul of Goa with this mindless demand. If children are disadvantaged owing to Konkani medium at the primary level, the answer is to teach English as a compulsory subject at the primary level, and not vice versa.

We will do an enormous injustice to the people of Goa if we give stepmotherly treatment to our mother tongue. Instead, let English be relegated to that position.

English cements Goa’s future Tennyson Xavier Fernandes is a former faculty member of Rosary Higher Secondary School, Navelim and the Institute of Hotel Management, Porvorim who feels that English is the way forward in Goa

E

ducation is the master key to development of a nation.

Today parents all over Goa want a choice. The parents do not want the government of Goa to force the medium of education on their children through its policy to promote education in the regional languages in Goa. While most of the state governments in our country use every opportunity to make a case for the regional languages, the ground reality in our country is interesting.

In our neighbouring state Karnataka, there is a 66 per cent decrease in Kannada medium schools as opposed to a 43 per cent rise in English medium schools this year. This trend is common in all the states in our country. From Punjab to Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, English medium schools are sprouting to meet the growing demand of parents who want to give the best of facilities to their children.

In our country, small farmers, factory workers and labourers are sending their children to English medium schools, even if it pinches their pocket.

In our neighbouring state Maharashtra, 2,500 new English medium schools have sprung up since 2006, but not a single Marathi medium school. This is also true in case of Kerala, which has a network of 12,800 government and private schools.

Today, the parents in Goa prefer English as a medium of primary education for their children so that they can compete with the best in the world.

While narrating his personal experience in the legislative assembly, the leader of the opposition, Manohar Parrikar said that he studied

in a Marathi medium school till standard seven. “When I joined IIT, I was not able to talk proper English. Now I can speak English fluently. This is only because of my habit to read,” Parrikar said on the floor of the assembly.

Fathers like me would not like our children to struggle to speak proper English when they go to medical or engineering college or the IIT and get humiliated, but would like them to be the best. In Karnataka, Mysore and Hubli-Dharward are regarded as the cultural capitals of the state and pride themselves on perfect accent and diction. This is the reason why the number of Kannada medium schools reduced significantly in Mysore and Hubli-Dharwad. In Goa, it is important to provide our children the opportunity to learn to talk English with perfect accent and diction. If our children study in Marathi and Konkani Devnagiri medium schools, then they will talk in English with the Devnagiri medium influence. Hence, it is important that the government of Goa provides grants also to the English medium schools in Goa. The should provide grants to all schools whether they impart education in Konkani, Marathi or English medium. The parents should be given the opportunity to decide whether their children should study in Konkani, Marathi or English medium schools. We say that in a democratic country the government is of the people, by the people and for the people. The government should also respect the sentiments and wishes of all the parents and should also provide grants to English medium schools.

Our leader of the opposition, Manohar Parrikar feels that if English is allowed to be the me-

dium of instruction, then Konkani language will be reduced to mere dialect in the next two generations.

Parrikar and all the Konkani writers, who have done their primary education in Marathi medium, need to understand that imposing the medium of instruction on our children will destroy the growth and development of Konkani.

The English medium schools should provide the opportunity to our children to choose Konkani as a language in Roman or Devnagiri script. The Devnagiri protagonists who are opposing grants to English medium schools and development of Konkani in the Roman script should understand that if the opportunity is provided for our children to choose Konkani as a language either in Roman or Devnagiri script then Konkani will be not only be used by Goans who are living in Goa, but by all the Goans who are settled all over the world. We have a lot of Goans who have settled in different countries like England, Canada, Australia, New Zeeland, Germany, and Italy etc. The government should also provide enough grants for publication of Konkani literature in Roman script. Konkani books published in Roman script could also be provided with audio video material with subtitles in English.

This will encourage lots of Goans and their children settled all over to know to read and write Konkani.

The office of NRI Commissioner can play a very important role is making this project of developing Konkani a great success.

I, as a father, teacher and a corporate trainer strongly recommend to the Minister for Education, Atanasio Monseratte to take a policy decision providing grants to English medium schools and all our MLAs who threaten to walk out of the assembly in order to promote the interest of their vote bank politics to support the idea of providing the children to choose Konkani as a language either in Roman or Devnagiri script to growth and development of Konkani.

Rozario Estibeiro

IN ENGLISH PLEASE? Babush Monseratte responding to a point at the PTA agitation at Azad Maidan

9

Goa I Sunday March 27, 2011

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goa

mirror LIVES ON A SHORT FUSE

Each child’s performance is valued against another. Children are no longer cared for and nurtured for what they are without comparisons with others — Merlina Fernandes

Do email us at editorweekend@herald-goa.com or upload your posts on the heraldweekend page on facebook. We will send your questions, comments to eminent consultant doctors who are specialists on the issue.

Twisted graphfix studios

BY INVITATION Dr Pundalik R Pai Kakode

Suicide prevention: A collective effort

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Away from the glare of Goa’s politics and protests, three young children took their lives, under stress. The reasons could have ranged from exam to school or parental pressure.

Vibha Verma travelled to Ponda where one of the deaths happened and researched the other two, to bring to you a report of these students’ suicides. It is something we must address so that these deaths do not remain mere numbers

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ebruary 18, the last day of school. Sayami Pandit wore a saree and dressed up like a giggly teenager on the brink of womanhood. About a week later she was dead.

Her limp body hung from a ceiling a day after she supposedly did not do well in her chemistry exams.

Her family, shocked, is still trying to figure what really was the trigger.

The previous evening, when the family watched television together and spoke about her chemistry exam paper, she did say she could have done better but would cover the deficit by scoring well in other papers.

The next morning, dad Shyam dropped Sayami’s mother, a teacher, at the bus stop and her brother to school and came to have a long chat with her. He quietly told her to relax. However, when

he called from work to check on her, and when calls to her home number and her cell phone went unanswered, he rushed home to find her dead.

Sayami’s suicide, has on the face of it no logic. She decided to stick to science even though her father told her that it wouldn’t be easy. She wanted to be an engineer. But as a science student, it wasn’t smooth sailing. For instance, for a project on sea shells, dad Shyam downloaded material from the internet but her teachers wanted the real thing. However one of the shells broke during the rickety crowded bus ride. The teacher initially refused to accept the broken specimens, but finally agreed.

Does all of this have anything to do with Sayami’s death? There are no easy answers of what lies beneath. But there were pressure points.

The school was conducting regular counselling

sessions for students to help them prepare for their exams.

The principal of the school, Baby Paracharu has no answers too. “The student had an average of 62 per cent. If we had any idea that she needed help, we would have stepped in. We keep observing students, their health, academic progress and other relationship with friends and teachers,” Parachuru said.

Days after Sayami’s suicide, the school reported yet another death of a eleventh class student.

But the school authorities claim that the death was due to illness. “The girl began vomiting after which she was rushed to the hospital. She was in the ICU for few days but she succumbed. Her death was because of the illness,” the principal defended.

She showed a request letter from the school to the Goa Board of Higher

Secondary School that three students who fell ill during the exams should be given another date for answering papers. Among the three students was the eleventh class victim, which other two are recuperating from pneumonia and food poisoning.

On March 2, 2011, Vishal Singh, studying in New English School, Kundaim was found dead, apparently because teachers insinuated that he may have stolen something, He walked out

of the home at 6.30 am on February 26 without speaking a word.

At home, the family from Bihar found a handwritten chit written in English and Hindi saying, “Teachers lost faith in me. God knows that I am not a thief. Didi (his elder sister in Bihar), I will not make it for your marriage (in April). Happy Marriage!” On the letter head he had written Zuari River, which clearly meant he was quitting his life there.

MARCH 2011: 3 STUDENTS, 3 SUICIDES March 8: Shayami Pandit (class twelve), Durgabhat Ponda. S S Samiti’s Lokmanya Tilak Higher Secondary School.

March 2: Vishal Singh (class ten), Tivrem, Marcel, Ponda. School New English School, Kundaim March 18: Aniket Davane (class five), Pargogal-Shiroda. Kamakshi School, Shiroda

His body was found on March 2 and since it was decomposed, exact cause of death could not be given. Police have recorded statements of teachers who say that they did not scold or beat him.

In yet another shocking incident, a sixth standard student hung himself to death at Shiroda, on March 18. The reason behind his death is also not known, but people suspect that he also was under tremendous pressure as his exams were nearing.

The police are probing these suicides case as unnatural deaths. But solutions do not lie in a good police investigation. The causes of stress need to be identified and the problem addressed.

Otherwise even as we write this there could be another Sayami Pandit or Vishal Singh getting ready to inflict the most gruesome tragedy on themselves.

Quitters? ...or Victims?

So we all thought Goa was above this. Land and fruit and home, cashew plantations and fish in the pond and a secure home. The new Goa-urbane, competition driven and the pressure to keep up has hit where it hurts, the young and the innocent. Shweta Kamat speaks to parents, teachers and in confidence to students to figure why children decide to blow the long whistle on their lives.

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students’ counselor in one the leading schools of Panjim, had an unusual problem on her hands.

One of the students came to her and said “How do I deal with my parents?

They are just stressing me out.” Over the next few weeks, closer to exam time, some more came with similar issues.

Quite clearly, the marks that you get in class, especially in a school where competition begins and spreads among parents who are society bigwigs themselves, is a barometer of social standing.

In towns like Panjim, Margao, Ponda, this is more acute. An exam

performance has moved beyond the domain of academics into the larger theatre of peer and parent dynamics.

Life’s changed for the average teen. Boyfriends, boredom, facebook, fashion, break-ups and sex, are thrown into this potpourri of madness which you either conquer or get conquered. Add to this, parental pressure and you have a bomb ticking.

13-year-old Hanish (name changed) is a pet of his parents. He has it all. Books, gadgets, gizmos and a cool phone, but this comes at a price – super marks. And when that isn’t delivered, pressure mounts from his

Rozario Estebeiro

LIVES AT STAKE: It’s time to act now to help children face the future parents. The pressure has led Hanish to depression, a further dip in performance, alienation and misery.

Merlina Fernandes from Merces says that parents are responsible for suicidal trends. “Each child’s performance is valued against another.

Children are no longer cared for and nurtured for what they are without comparisons with others.” Fernandes, a psychological expert, feels that in absence of a proper support system, children tend to get demoralized and think of extreme steps.

Peoples High School’s Parent Teachers Associa-

tion President Mukesh Desai lists the immediate problems. Desai feels that the younger generation has no control over their mind. “They tend to get desperate and worked up in no time. They have seen all these things on

television and feel that this is the only option.

“From the next academic year onwards, our PTA will be organizing special counseling for students over mental stress,” he added.

The students’ suicide is not a new phenomenon for Goa. The Goa government in its budget last year had admitted to this menace by proposing Rs 100 lakh for setting up counseling facilities in academic institutions.

It took a whole year for this to be formally structured. Meanwhile stress levels and suicides happened.

On March 09, 2011, the scheme for the counseling was formed but academics are still skeptical. The Goa Headmasters Association, Chairman Jose Mario Quardos stated

IN NUMBERS: NATIONAL OVERVIEW 1: India is one of the highest if not the highest in terms of the sheer number of student suicides in the world 2: Suicide is the sixth leading cause of death among six to 14 year olds 3: It is the third leading cause of death for 15-25 year olds

that this issue has been discussed for two years.

“It will be interesting to see how and when it will be a reality.”

Schools like Sharda Mandir at Miramar, have a facility in place to counsel its students. The High School Principal Nirmala Rebello said that they have two counselors – male and female, who troubleshoot and tackle problems raised by students and prepare them for any kind of stress, including exam related ones.

But what really is the tipping point? While it varies from person to person, there are some external triggers that act as catalysts.

Margao-based parent Ramakant Kerkar said that television and the internet act as influences.

“Also many often parents are working couples and not at home. So there is no one to prevent such tragedies,” says Kerkar If ever, Goa needs to wake up to these deaths and understand that that there is a difference between a road accident and a students’ suicide.

This won’t be solved in police stations. The solution has to be in people’s minds.

ately, there have been a lot of reported suicides in Goa. With a population of approximately 15 lakhs, Goa had around one suicide per day in 2010. Suicides below the age of 25 constitute a significant number of that statistic.

According to available statistics, India witnesses 275 suicides every day and around 2750 people attempt to end their lives. What is even more shocking is that Goa is losing young lives on a daily basis.

Childhood today is no longer a joyful experience.

Instead the lives of children and young adults are full of stress, tension and apprehension. This can be blamed on the current education system, the frequent changes in the syllabus, extra tuition, outof-school trends, competitive exams, reservation policies, admission processes, quota systems, parental attitude, modernisation and so much more.

The fact of the matter is that student suicide is Goa is an alarming problem.

It is important to make sure that your kids are on a comfortable level where they can share anything with you. Apart from this, parents need to spend quality time with their kids, where they can know their innermost thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Avoid creating any kind of pressure on kids as far as studying is concerned and do not compare your child with other children.

Similarly, teachers need to pay attention to all the kids and avoid favouritism towards a few. Students spend as much time in school as they do at home, so teachers need to make sure that kids are enjoying the process of learning rather than studying under stress! Segregation on the basis of merit should be banned and changes in language of instructions and syllabus should be implemented in a phased manner.

School counsellors have an important role in this situation, since they are the usually the first point of contact. And the government should appoint school counsellors in all schools on a permanent basis, so that children feel supported and suicidal tragedies are minimised. A suicide helpline service could be started or, if one existed, revived, so that continuous support and guidance is provided to students and youngsters. Students should realise that suicide is not an option and there are people who care about them and will go to lengths to help them solve their problems.

When it comes to the media, perhaps they should refrain from sensationalising suicides to an extent where it might unleash a wave of copycat incidents. We have recently seen this happen in Ponda, where there was a spate of suicides in a short span of time. Suicide is a complex issue with no easy solution in sight. It needs the collective effort of all stakeholders like teachers, counsellors, physicians, police, law makers, media and an alert and supportive govt. These are tragic and preventable deaths that can be avoided. (with inputs from Dr Rajesh Dhume)

Herald Stress Helpline As a parent do you feel that your child is getting stressed handling exam or just study pressure? Are there other external factors that are bogging him/her down?

As a student, what do you feel are your pressure points – exams, peer pressure of lifestyle, way of living, relationship tensions or not being able to communicate with parents or teachers.

In Herald, you have a friend, a caring elder or just a sounding board. Do email us at editorweekend@herald-goa.com or upload your posts on the heraldweekend page on facebook.

We will filter and send your questions, comments, discussion points to two of the most eminent consultant doctors who are specialists on the issue, Dr Rajesh Dhume, a senior psychiatrist at the Asilo Hospital, Mapusa and Dr Pundalik Pai Kakode, a Margao based psychiatrist. This panel will respond to each of your points and outline possible solutions which we will publish on our WE page next Sunday and thereafter.

This is a token gesture from your newspaper to hold hands and help you de-stress.

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india

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Goa I Sunday, 27 March 2011

BJP is contesting in 194 constituencies and we are not interested in providing freebies. But we assure you to provide a honest and transparent government (if BJP comes to power).

— Pon Radhakrishnan

The ULFA leaders trying out their electoral fortunes include Suresh Bora as Congress candidate from Barhampur, Prafulla Bora alias Dhekial Phukan as NCP contestant from Bihpuria and Jayanta Khound, fighting independently from Naoboicha.

20 JMC officials suspended PTI JAMMU, MARCH 26:Stepping up the heat on illegal constructions in the state, Jammu and Kashmir government today said that 20 officials of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) were suspended for failing to act against encroachers and violations of Building Permission Laws (BPL) here.

BJP releases manifesto

PTI

CHENNAI, MARCH 26:Coming down heavily against promise of freebies by DMK and AIADMK for the April 13 Tamil Nadu assembly polls, BJP today assured the people it would provide an “honest” and “transparent” government if voted to power.

Releasing BJP manifesto, former party national President Bangaru Laxman said the ruling Dravidian parties through the years had failed to address developmental issues and only focussed on garnering more votes by announcing “freebies”.

Terming the freebies announced DMK and AIADMK as an “empty rhetoric”, he criticised the Dravidian parties for having failed to address the basic issue of price rise. “If BJP comes into power, it will focus on the development of state”, he told reporters here.

Tamil Nadu unit President Pon Radhakrishnan said “BJP is contesting in 194 constituencies and we are not interested in providing freebies. But we assure you to provide a honest and transparent government (if BJP comes to power)”.

Man gets jail PTI JAUNPUR, MARCH 26: A man was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a local court here in a seven-yearold attempt to murder case.

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Israel will not accept terrorism against its citizens and every sovereign nation would respond when its citizenry became a target for indiscriminate launching of rockets.

Ehud Barak

NaTo: afghan civilians killed in air strike AFP KABUL, MARCH 26: Afghan civilians were killed and wounded in an airstrike by international forces targeting a Taliban commander in the volatile southern province of Helmand, NATO said today, giving no details of numbers.

It said the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) called an airstrike on two vehicles believed to be carrying a Taliban leader and his associates, but later discovered they were transporting civilians.

"Afghan civilians were accidentally killed and wounded in Naw Zad district, Helmand province yesterday (Friday)," ISAF said in a statement, adding that it had launched an investigation into the incident.

Civilian casualties in military operations are highly sensitive in Afghanistan as coalition troops battle to curb a Taliban-led insurgency ahead of a planned handover of security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.

The latest incident came after nine people – who Afghan officials said were children collecting firewood - were killed in a NATO airstrike near the border.

plans to arm Libyan rebels PTI WASHINGTON, MARCH 26 : The US and its allies are considering arming the Libyan rebels against the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, even as they continue bombing the regime's military assets to decimate its war waging capacity, a media report said.

With seven days of coalition air strike yet to topple the Gaddafi regime, the allies are contemplating whether to supply arms to the opposition as their air strikes fail to dislodge government forces from around key contested towns, The Washington Post

reported today quoting US and European officials.

France actively supports training and arming the rebels, and the Obama administration believes the UN resolution that authorised international intervention in Libya has the "flexibility" to allow such assistance, "if we thought that were the right way to go," Obama spokesman Jay Carney said. It was a "possibility," he added.

Gene Cretz, the recently withdrawn US ambassador to Libya, said administration officials were having "the full gamut" of discussions on "potential assistance we might

offer, both on the non-lethal and the lethal side," but that no decisions had been made.

The coalition has stepped up its outreach to the opposition, inviting one of its senior leaders to a high-level international conference in London on Tuesday, called to determine future political strategy in Libya.

Increased focus on aiding the rebels came as NATO reached final agreement on taking over command and control of all aspects of the Libya operation, including US-led air strikes against forces loyal to the Libyan strongman.

Goa I Sunday, 27 March 2011

We're succeeding in our mission. We've taken out Libya's air defences. Gaddafi's forces are no longer advancing across Libya.

Barack Obama

from paGe 1 Goans chicken out short supply”, Royal Food’s Peter Fernandes told Herald.

The price of chicken has shot up by over 10 per cent. Broilers which cost Rs 95-105 per kg, are now being sold for Rs 120135 per kg.

Stating that weather plays a spoil sport, Fernandes said humidity is a cause of concern for the poultry farmers and broiler cultivating units. Royal Food claims to supply chicken to almost 80 per cent bars and restaurants in the State.

The shortage of chicken in the wholesale market has also affected the price in the retail sector. City vendors stated that live chicken which could be purchased for around Rs 85 per kg, are now being sold for Rs 100.

“We can’t help it. There is shortage in the market”, a vendor at Dilkhush Mutton and Chicken Shop in Panjim stated. He said the wholesale dealers themselves had hiked the price.

Other factors that contributed to the price hike are rise in price of raw materials like corn, soya feed etc which have risen by almost 60 per cent.

At the backdrop of rising prices, the consumption of chicken has also decreased by almost 40 per cent.

“The Lent season is always dull for meat products”, a chicken vendor stated.

The hotel industry, too, seems to be feeling the heat. Some hoteliers rued that they could not hike rates as it may result in losing customers.

“We have stopped buying huge quantity of chicken. Instead, we are promoting sea food items”, a hotelier said adding that the profit margin on chicken dishes had decreased.

“The rates will stabilise after some time. But, till then, we will have to bear the brunt”, another hotelier from Panjim said.

Canacona kidney patients Canacona not at the Canacona Community Health Centre?

Recently, this correspondent posing as a casual visitor entered the Canacona CHC dialysis unit section. When questioned, an attendant/technician admitted: “We have only three patients, one presently undergoing dialysis, while two others have been sent to Margao as they needed blood transfusion”.

Said a kidney patient from Canacona: “Visit CHC Canacona dialysis unit and you run the risk of getting stuck for want of power supply and blood transfusion. Moreover, there is no emergency/ICU facility, if one goes into any complications at the time of dialysis process”.

A youth, who prefers to take his mother to Hospicio for dialysis, said: “For a proper dialysis, the patient should be kept on the machine for about four hours, but here they take you out within two-and-half hours. The track record of the dialysis unit at Canacona is such that no patient undergoing dialysis at the Canacona CHC has lived beyond six months”.

“The risks are few and facilities are much better at other hospitals”, said the youth.

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world

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Harper said he and Conservative MPs would remain focused on nurturing Canada's economic recovery.

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Goa, Sunday 27, March 2011

the judge questioned the prosecution’s plea to declare Kasab and Ansari as "proclaimed offenders" or fugitives and pointed out that they were not deliberately avoiding the proceedings in Pakistan.

Canada to go for polls in May Japan’s N-plant radiation PTI TORONTO, MARCH 26: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority Conservative government was toppled by opposition after Parliament passed a noconfidence vote and the country appeared headed for elections in May--the fourth in seven years.

The snap polls was forced following the passage of the no-confidence vote against the minority government engineered by the opposition Liberal Party and backed by two other opposition parties, on the heels of a historic contempt of Parliament charge.

It is for the first time a Canadian government would be held in contempt.

Harper (52) prepared to meet Governor General

David Johnston to recommend dissolving the 40th Parliament and following that, an election will be held after a minimum 36 days of campaigning.

The election is expected to take place on May 2 and the Conservatives are thought likely to retain power. Having led two minority governments, Harper is hoping this time his party will win a majority at the ballot box.

The opposition parties yesterday voted 156-145 in favour of a Liberal motion, a move that stemmed from a ruling on Monday that the minority government was in contempt of parliament. The Conservative Party holds 145 seats in the dissolving parliament, short by 10 seats in the 308-member House.

Harper said he and Conservative MPs would remain focused on nurturing Canada's economic recovery. "Our priority will remain to ensure stability and security for Canadians, in what remain extremely challenging global circumstances," he added.

The contempt charge marks a first for a national government anywhere in the Commonwealth.

"The vote obviously disappoints me and will, I suspect, disappoint most Canadians," Harper said, after the separatist Bloc Quebecois and leftist New Democrats voted with the Liberals to oust his government.

Harper said he and Conservative MPs would remain focused on nurturing Canada's economic recovery.

"Our priority will remain to ensure stability and security for Canadians, in what re-

main extremely challenging global circumstances," he added.

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff(63) said, "with this motion, we ask the House ... to find the government in contempt, and to withdraw the confidence of the House." He accused the government of having "stonewalled" Parliament for four months on details of its core spending priorities, as well as breaking election laws, and a former senior Tory staff of influence peddling.

The Liberals also accused a minister of forging docu-

ments and misleading Parliament.

"Canadians have had enough. This House has had enough," Ignatieff said, listing gripes: "Abuse of power... the largest deficit in Canadian history... and, finally, the first government in Canadian history to face a vote of contempt in the Canadian Parliament, a government out of touch and out of control."

"It is time for a change," said Ignatieff, a historian, writer and political commentator.

"We want to form an alternative to the Harper government that respects democracy, that respects our institutions, that respects Canadian citizens," Ignatieff added.

levels surges in seawater

PTI

TOKYO, MARCH 26: Amid efforts to stabilise Japan's tsunami-stricken Fukushima plant, radiation levels have surged in seawater near the nuclear reactors north-east of the capital, as workers tried to remove contaminated water from it, officials said today.

Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said that tests have shown radioactive iodine had surged 1,250 times higher than normal in the seawater some 330 metres south of the plant as the operator started pumping in fresh water into the No 2 reactor core to enhance the cooling of its overheated fuel rods.

The level rose to its highest so far after staying around levels 100 times over the legal limit, said Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), which operates the Fukushima plant, 250-km north-east of capital Tokyo.

It is highly likely that radioactive water in the plant has disembogued into the sea, said TEPCO, two weeks after the magnitude 9 quake and tsunami rocked the country's northeast leaving over 27,000 people dead or unaccounted for.

However, the safety agency said the contamination will not have significant impact on fishery products as fishing is not conducted in the area within 20 kilometers of the plant with the government already issuing a directive for residents in the area to evacuate.

Radioactive materials "will significantly dilute" by the time they are consumed by marine species, the agency was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency.

Meanwhile, TEPCO was trying to remove pools of contaminated water near the reactors, where several workers earlier sustained radiation burns while trying to connect power cables to restore the critical cooling sys-

tems.

"It is becoming very important to get rid of the puddles quickly," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, an official at the nuclear safety agency.

Three workers at the No 3 reactor's turbine building, who received burn injuries yesterday, were exposed to the water containing radioactive materials 10,000 times the normal level, Kyodo news agency reported quoting authorities.

Nishiyama told a press conference yesterday that "there is a good chance that the reactor (No 3) has been damaged."

He, however, said later that there is no data, such as on the pressure level, to suggest a crack, Kyodo reported.

Meanwhile, radiation levels in tap water at Tokyo water purification plants continued to drop today, remaining within the normal range for consumption for three days in a row, the Tokyo metropolitan government said.

Gates condemns recent attacks from Gaza AGENCIES

A Yemeni army's armoured personnel carriers and soldiers are pictured as they guard the outside of the Central Bank in Sanaa on Saturday.

Yemen president’s party opposes ouster AGENCIES SANAA, MARCH 26: Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ruling party has rejected growing de-

mands for his ouster, as soldiers on Saturday killed six suspected Al-Qaeda members in the south of the country.

Saleh, in power since 1978

and a key US ally in its fight against Al-Qaeda, has faced two months of street protests and his regime has been hit over the past week by defections in the ranks of top military and tribal leaders.

"It is unacceptable and illogical to override the constitutional legality or for the minority to impose its will on the majority of the people," his General People's Congress (GPC) said in a meeting late on Friday.

The GPC accused the opposition of having "closed the door to dialogue and sought isolation", and said the

crowds who took part in a pro-regime rally of solidarity with Saleh on Friday numbered three million.

Saleh himself said he would hand over power but only to "safe hands", in a defiant speech to his massed supporters, after talks with a top defector apparently failed to defuse Yemen's political crisis.

"We don't need power. We need to hand it over to safe

hands, and not to corrupt and hateful hands ... You are the ones who will be handed power," Yemen's strongman told his supporters.

The president, whose concessions and offers to stand down early have been snubbed by the opposition, renewed his invitation for youths at the forefront of the protests to join a dialogue.

"I am ready to talk to you

JERUSALEM, MARCH 26: A rocket fired by militants from Gaza overshot the Israeli port city of Ashdod on Thursday afternoon, landing in an open area to the north, as Defense Secretary Robert M Gates was meeting with Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak, less than 20 miles up the coast in Tel Aviv.

Rockets from Gaza have struck deeper into Israel this week than at any time since Israel ended its three-week offensive in the Palestinian coastal enclave in January 2009, and Israel has responded with repeated airstrikes against militant targets, raising fears that the recent escalation could spiral into an all-out conflict.

Gates joined Barak in condemning the attacks and underscoring the right of any sovereign state to defend itself.

“I would start by joining President Obama in condemning yesterday’s terrorist bomb attack in Jerusalem as well as the rockets and mortars fired into Israel from Gaza in recent days and even today,” Gates said at a news

conference at the Israeli Defense Ministry. “We underscore that Israel, like all nations, has the right to selfdefense and to bring justice to the perpetrators of these repugnant acts.”

Gates was referring to Wednesday’s bombing near the main bus station in Jerusalem — the worst attack in the city in four years — that killed a woman and injured at least 24 others.

Barak said that “Israel will not accept terrorism against its citizens” and noted that every sovereign nation “would respond when its citizenry became a target for indiscriminate launching of rockets.”

Still, several Israeli commentators said that while Israeli officials were issuing

tough statements in an effort at deterrence, they were not eager to be dragged into an all-out confrontation.

Since Tuesday — when stray mortar fire killed four Palestinian civilians as Israel responded to a rocket attack, and the Israeli Air Force killed four Islamic Jihad militants who were said to be preparingtolaunchmorerockets —Israelseemstohavebeenpracticing restraint.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said there had been one airstrike on Thursday morning against a squad of rocket launchers and another at night against a launching site. Gaza residents and security officials reported additional nighttime strikes against a sports hall, a Hamas training camp and other sites. There were no reports of casualties.

At least 10 rockets and mortar shells fired by Gaza militants slammed into southern Israel on Thursday. One struck the industrial zone of Ashdod, which is about 20 miles north of Gaza, and another hit the Israeli border town of Sderot.

Lights off in Sydney Pakistan court rejects plea to as ‘Earth Hour’ begins declare Kasab, Ansari fugitives

AGENCIES

HONG KONG, MARCH 26: Australia's Opera House was the first of many global landmarks to go dark on Saturday as "Earth Hour" got under way with hundreds of millions of people around the world set to switch off their lights.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris and the world's tallest building in Dubai will also have their lights turned off for 60 minutes as part of the remarkable event in which people reflect in darkness about how to fight global warming.

"The amount of power that's saved during that time is not really what it's about," Earth Hour co-founder and

executive director Andy Ridley told AFP in Sydney, where the movement began in 2007.

"What it is meant to be about is showing what can happen when people come together."

Ridley said a record 134 countries or territories were on board for this year's event, which organisers have dubbed the world's largest voluntary action for the environment.

Other landmarks going dark for the hour are Times Square in New York, Beijing's "Bird's Nest" stadium that hosted the 2008 Olympics, the London Eye Ferris wheel and Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue.

PTI

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 26: An anti-terrorism judge today rejected an application by prosecutors to declare Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving attacker involved in the 2008 Mumbai incident, and terror suspect Fahim Ansari as fugitives, saying they were not deliberately avoiding court proceedings in Pakistan.

Judge Rana Nisar Ahmed of the Rawalpindi-based court, who is conducting the trial of seven Pakistani suspects charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks, gave his decision after hearing arguments by prosecution and defence lawyers, sources told PTI.

The judge subsequently scheduled the next hearing of the case for April 9.

During the hearing conducted behind closed doors at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, the judge questioned the prosecution’s plea to declare Kasab and Ansari as "proclaimed offenders" or fugitives and pointed out that they were not deliberately avoiding the proceedings in Pakistan, the sources said.

Lawyers defending the suspects also told the judge that Kasab and Ansari had been in the custody of Indian authorities even before a case was registered by Pakistani law enforcement agencies against the seven suspects, including Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

The prosecution had wanted Kasab and Ansari to be declared fugitives as their presence in the Pakistani court is required to proceed with the trial of the seven suspects. A similar plea by the prosecution was earlier rejected by another anti-terrorism judge last year.

The defence lawyers have argued that Kasab had already been convicted and sentenced to death by a court in India and he could not be tried again in Pakistan.

They contended that the prosecution wanted to produce witnesses like Kasab and Ansari to whom it had no access and this had resulted in "inordinate and indefinite" delays in the proceedings in the anti-terrorism court.

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sports

An India-Pakistan match is almost always a big moneyspinner, and a World Cup semi-final clash is as big as it gets. Bookies and punters across the country are gearing up to run a show that is estimated to rake in Rs. 5,000 crore on the betting circle.

Nat Santosh Trophy in May AGENCIES New Delhi, March 26: The 64th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2010-11 will be held in Assam from May 6 to 30.

In all, 31 teams have been divided into eight clusters with last year’s semi-finalists West Bengal, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Goa directly finding their place in the groups quarter-final round.

The preliminary round matches will be held from May 6 to 16, while the quarter-final round matches will take place from May 17 to 24.

The first semi-final will be held on May 26, while the second semi-final will be played on May 27 with the grand finale on May 30.

All together seven venues

will hold the matches of Santosh Trophy in Assam.

Cluster I and V matches will be played in Guwahati, Cluster II matches will be played in Mangaldoi, Cluster III matches will be played in Shiv Sagar, Cluster V matches will take place in Tinsukia, while Cluster VI, VIII and VIII matches will be held in Nagoan, Bongaigoan and Korkrajar respectively.

Cluster I: Assam, Pondicherry, Rajasthan.

Cluster II: Chhattisgarh, Daman & Diu, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Cluster III: Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Andaman and Nicobar.

Cluster IV: Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand,.

Chandigarh.

Cluster V: Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Services,

Arunachal Pradesh.

Cluster VI: Delhi, Nagaland, Orissa and Himachal Pradesh.

Cluster VII: Mizoram, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura.

Cluster VIII: Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Railways, Sikkim.

Meanwhile, the Group B venue for Second Division ILeague has been shifted from Ranchi to Jamshedpur, with no change in the dates and fixtures.

Group B consists of Mohammedan Sporting, Denzong Boys, Ar-Hima FC, Josco FC, Kenkre FC, Sesa Football Academy and Malabar United.

The Group B preliminary qualifying round are scheduled to be held from April 2 to April 18.

Damodar HS (Gudi) top

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Goa I Sunday 27, March 2011

Bhaichung Bhutia is my favourite Indian striker and an inspiration too.

Comparison with him is way too early.”

Jeje Lalpekhlua, India striker

Festivities ruin Vasco’s Tilak Maidan Photo by M Prabhav.

The TiLak MaiDan in Vasco, which hosted the Shigmo music show organised by Murgao Nagarik Shigmoustav Samiti (MNSS).

HERALD REPORTER Vasco, March 26: Music rocked on football field at Tilak Maidan, here on Saturday. First, it was Viva Carnival and now the Shigmo celebration.

The Shigmo music shows were announced much in

advance but the SAG cared a damn since it is the politicians who call the shots and have no qualms about the sanctity of the playfield.

The well maintained turf at Tilak Maidan is bearing the burnt of the musical extravaganza for second time within 20 days as Murgao

Nagarik Shigmoustav Samiti (MNSS) is hosting the music fiesta on the main playing field.

First it was the Music Fusion musical show hosted by Vasco Carnival Committee featuring Konkani singer Lorna, Bollywood actress Mahima Chaudhary, come-

dian Sunil Pal. The Shigmo show had music events hosted by MNSS, featuring various TV artists and singers, prominent among them being Arya Ambekar from Z TV Sa Re Ga Ma, Rahul Saxena, Nilesh Sawe and local artist Mrunmayee Tirodkar.

As usually to erect the huge stage, trucks ventured onto the ground with heavy metallic trusses to plant them into the ground, while nearly 1000 odd chairs were placed on centrally located playing field and a huge stage was placed just in front of the goalpost.

This is not the first time that such a mega music show was hosted on the football turf and gradually it is turning into a regular feature.

“We told SAG Executive Director, V M Prabhudesai, that the ground would not be damaged,” said MNSS chairmen Shekhar Khadapkar. He assured that from next year they would explore new venue, since Baina beach would be a potential place to host such an event as the earlier council had organised the Baina Beach Festival.

Dragon Martial Arts steals limelight HERALD SPORTS DESK

souTh DisTricT winners, Damodar English HS, Gudi - Paroda U-14 boys team with headmaster Norbert Fernandes, PE teacher Eknath Marathe and manager Sunil Dessai.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT Margao, March 26: Damodar English HS, Gudi, Paroda emerged champions in U-14 boys South Goa District inter-school hockey tournament organised by DSYA at SAG practice ground, Fatorda. They beat St Anthony’s High School, Majorda 5-2 via the tiebreaker.

The teams shared four goals at full time.

Vinay Gaonkar and Akshay Valminki scored for Damodar HS while Saish Gaonkar, Shivanand gaonkar and Narendra Gaonkar scored in the tiebreaker.

The winning school team was coached by headmaster Norbert Fernandes who was assisted by physical educa-

36 get D-Licence Photo by M Prabhav.

The ‘D’ License coaches alongwith chief conductors Savio Madeira, coaches Mariano Dias, Mymol Rocky, Raymond Carvalho and Umer Mutval.

HERALD REPORTER Vasco, March 26: Thirty-six candidates from all over Goa successfully passed the ‘D’ License football coaching exam conducted by Goa Football Association’s (GFA), coaching and technical committee at Tilak Maidan, here on Thursday.

A professional license holder and former Salgaocar coach Savio Madeira was the chief conductor during the one-week coaching and he was assisted by four other coaches - Mariano Dias, Mymol Rocky, Raymond Carvalho and Umer Mutvali.

Lawrence Gomes, GFA zonal secretary, Mormugao Zone was the chief coordinator.

The chairman of coaching and training committee Brahmanand Shankvalkar alongwith Lawrence Gomes presented the certificates to the coaches.

The ‘D’ License coaching is a requirement to pursue the ‘C’ License, as per the FIFA guidelines. Players and Physical Education teachers have also to participate in the exam comprising practical and theory for obtaining higher licences.

Savio Madeira asked the newly passed coaches not to seat idle with the license as they have to put to use their experience at the village level to train children and then only the purpose of attaining the license would be served.

tion teacher Marathe.

Eknath

Panjim, March 26: Dragon Martial Arts bagged honours with five gold, twelve silver and fourteen bronze medals at the recent 1st All-Goa karate tournament organised by All-Goa Karate-Do Association at Campal indoor stadium, Panjim.

Results: 6-7 years girls colour belt – Garvita Agar-

wal (silver in kata and kumite).

8-9 years boys colour belt – Omraj Tivrekar (silver in kata). 8-9 years boys brown and black belt – Pravesh Mayekar (gold in kata), Sushank Karmalkar (silver in kumite), Kshitji Kumar (bronze in kumite), Sheldon Abraham (bronze in kumite).

8-9 years girls colour belt – Sonia Bhaidkar (silver in ku-

mite). 10-11 years boys brown and black belt – Rahul Sawant (gold in kumite and bronze in kata).

10-11 years girls colour belt – Anushkar Shah (gold in kata and kumite).

10-11 years girls brown and black belt – Alisha Samant (bronze in kata and kumite), Alsifa Saheb (silver in kumite). 12-13 years boys brown and black belt –

Saikumar Jampula (bronze in kumite).

12-13 years girls colour belt – Vrushika Shirodkar (bronze in kata). 14-15 years boys colour belt – Tushant Murgaonkar (silver in kata), Shubham Toraskar (bronze in kumite).

14-15 years girls brown and black belt – Nikhil Berde (silver in kumite), Sampath Jampula (bronze in kumite).

16-17 years boys colour belt – Sanket Naik (bronze in kata).

Above 18 years boys colour belt – Pankaj Chodankar (gold in kata and silver in kumite above 70kgs), Sarvesh Chari (bronze in kata), Gaurij Kanulkar (bronze in kumite above 70 kgs), Dasharath Nabik (silver in kumite below 60kgs) and Arvind Kumar Vishwakarma (silver in kata).

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“

The impending show cause notice to coach Bob Houghton which the AIFF was expected to serve has been dished out as soon as India’s commitment in the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 Qualifiers came to an end in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

“

Goa I Sunday 27, March 2011

The appointment of Colaco as GFA secretary, if at all has been made, is illegal, some members of the Executive Committee felt.

Savio Messias, ex-GFA secretary

Joalan nets brace for Milagres HERALD SPORTS REPORTER Mapusa, March 26: Jubilant Joalan Fernandes scored a second half brace to give Milagres Sports Club a 3-0 win over Penha de France in GFA’s 2nd Division at Duler stadium here on Saturday.

Milagres led through a Norvin Pontis penalty at the breather.

Milagres coach Jude Fernandes was banished to the stands for taking his protest too far in the 32nd minute.

He was upset that a tackle against his player was not cautioned, but one of his players was booked for a tackle moments later.

In the 38th minute Penha defender Bruno Fernandes was adjudged by the referee to have brought down Joalan Fernandes in the box and pointed straight to the spot. Norvin stepped up and

calmly struck home to give Milagres the lead.

Ten minutes after the breather Penha thought they were level when Govind Mahale chipped the ball in from the edge of the box, but the referee flagged for offside.

In the 65th minute, Joalan danced his way into the penalty area before shooting low past the Penha goalkeepers near post to double Milagres lead.

Ten minutes later Joalan made a multi-directional dribble that immobilized the defenders, before placing the ball into the bottom right hand corner.

After playing their fourth and final match, Penha de Franca still lead the group with six points, but will have to hope results go in their favour in the remaining fixtures in order to qualify for the play- offs.

Milagres are currently third with 5 points from three matches and are also in a good position to qualify for the play-offs.

Margao SportS club football team which has been promoted from First Division to Goa Professional League.

Bisheshwor tricks for Sporting Salgaocar suffer 0-3 defeat in Pro League HERALD cORRESPOnDEnT Margao, March 26: A fine triple strike by midfielder Bisheshwor Singh helped Sporting Club de Goa to register a 3-0 fluent win over I-League table toppers Salgaocar Sports Club in a GFA Professional League match at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Saturday. Sporting Clube de Goa were leading 1-0 at the breather.

The Panjim-based club made it clear right from the outset that they were not going to let Salgaocar dictate terms, holding their own in the midfield while remaining solid at the back.

Sporting Club de Goa, who are preparing for the Second Division National

League, started strongly and took the lead in the 20th minute when midfielder Bisheshwor Singh picked up the ball from his colleague Anthony D’Souza and punished Salgaocar goalkeeper Karanjit Singh with a snap shot.

Sporting Club de Goa defenders Boboi Konthoujam, Samananda Singh, Mathew Gonsalves and Rowan Pereira were rock solid at the back and did not allow their opponents to have a look at the goal with neat tackles.

At the other end, Salgoacar’s scoring machine Japanese Ryuji Sueoka tried to bulldoze his way on several counts, but the final goal scoring touch eluded him.

Salgoacar’s threat came in the 37th minute but striker Ryuji Sueoka failed to connect a Tomba Sing’s well measured cross inside the rival territory and Samananda Singh was alert to thwart him from scoring with a neat tackle.

Sporting Clube de Goa created several scoring opportunities but striker Avelino Fernandes muffed open chances after being fed

by Joevel Martins.

Salgaocar came close to leveling the score midway in the opening session but striker Ryuji Sueoka headed out with an open goal after midfielder Tomba Singh chopped from the left.

Crossing over, Sporting Clube de Goa continued to

Cuncolim Union advance HERALD cORRESPOnDEnT Margao, March 26: Cuncolim Union recorded a facile 3-0 win over Chicalim Youth Club to enter the quarter-finals of All-Goa SWC Cup inter-village football tournament organized

by Social Welfare Club of Zaino at Zaino ground, Velim on Saturday. Cuncolim Union led 1-0 at half time.

Cuncolim Union dominated the proceedings right from the word go with their

forwards repeatedly raiding the rival citadel. Their persistent forays paid off when Dilip Naik bulged the net from close range.

Stung by the setback, ChiclaimYouth Club tried their best to come back into the game and had scoring chances but their forwards frittered away chances.

At the other end, Cuncolim Union had also scoring chances to increase their tally but their forwards messed up

sitters either shooting wide or straight into the safe hands of the rival goalkeeper.

The second half saw Cuncolim Union in total command as they created umpteen forays into the rival territory. Ryan Colaco doubled the lead with a stiff shot.

Chicalim Youth Club struggled to contain the rival strikers and seldom troubled the rival goal.

Preston D’Costa rounded off the tally late in the second half.

enjoy ball possession and scoring chances during the first 15 minutes and came close in increasing their tally as midfielder Adil Khan ran down solo but shot wide after the rival defence was caught napping.

Salgaocar nearly equalised midway through but substitute Milagres Gonsalves’ smart header smashed into the crossbar off Ryuji’s flag kick.

Sporting Clube de Goa struck yet again in the 87th minute thanks to midfielder Bishheshwir Singh.

Following Agnelo D’Souza’s goalmouth cross from the left, Salgaocar defenders failed to intercept it and lurking Bisheshor Singh drilled a low shot

past Salgaocar goalkeeper Karanjit Singh.

Sporting Clube de Goa were unlucky when Niroshan Mani unleashed a long ranger which crashed into the crossbar and rebounded into play.

Midfielder Bisheshwor Singh then added insult to injury in the 90+5 as midfielder Bisheshwor Singh gently tapped it after striker Agnelo D’Souza failed to connect a well measured through pass from Rovan Pereira.

With this win, Sporting Clube de Goa collected 23 points and have one more match in hand while Salgaocar Sports Club finished their engagements with 25 points.

SWC Cup soccer: Goa Velha Sports Club v. Pax of Nagoa Sports Club, Zaino ground, Velim, 4.45 p.m.

1st All-Goa one-day soccer organised by Boys of St Cruz, St Sebastian ground, St Cruz.

2nd all-Goa 2-a-side tiebreaker organised by United Youth of Dugrem, Dugrem chapel ground, 11 a.m.

1st all-Goa 2-a-side football tie-breaker organized by Wizards of Mugalli Sports Club, Mugalli ground, near Royal Paradise dance floor, Sao Jose de Areal, 9 a.m.

3rd interward football organized by Youth Sports Club of Mankem, Lake View ground, Mankem.

All-Goa cricket organised by Warrior Boys of Aradh Bandh, Santa Cruz.

Agnelo stars in Sangolda Lightning victory HERALD cORRESPOnDEnT Calangute, March 26: A brace by Agnelo Quadros helped Sangolda Lightning to defeat strong favourites Calangute Association 2-0 and move into the semi-finals of Novino Gold Cup |nter-village football tournament organised by Can-

dolim Sports Club at Dr. Gustavo Monteiro Stadium, Candolim on Saturday.

Calangute dominated the initial proceedings but their forwards failed to score with the culpritsbeingSherwin,Edmond.

Sangolda finally broke the deadlock in the 25th minute through a solo effort from Agnelo Quadros. Agnelo

doubled the lead in the closing minutes of the first half.

Changing over Calangute exerted pressure and pulled one back through Rajkumar Naik off a Bruno corner.

Goaded by the success, Calangute went all out in search of the equaliser. A Bruno try was brilliantly saved by Sangolda keeper Washington to deny Calangute a goal.

Carmona Boys prevail over Mount Mary HERALD SPORTS DESK

Forty children (6 to10 years) of Stepping Stones Primary School who swam across the Mandovi River. They were aged between 6 - 10 years. They were trained by the teachers of the school and voluntary instructors. Besides the life guards of SAG, Malcolm Rocha, Anil Pandey, Sean Marquis also swam across with the children to give them moral support. Sushila Mendonca, a swimming instructor was also present.

Panjim, March 26: Carmona Boys prevailed over Mount Mary, Verna 6-4 in Villagers of Goa-Velha Super Soccer at Goa Velha ground.

Eusebio scored for Verna and Ajay made it 2-0 for Mount Mary. Royston reduced the margin for Carmona at the stroke of half time.

After the break, Jason equalised for Carmona. Alex and Romeo made it 4-2 for Carmona. Jason increased the lead and Alvit made it 62.

Richard and Ajay reduced the margin for Mount Mary.

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England got their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign back on track at Cardiff on Saturday, cruising to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium.

Frank Lampard and Darren Bent scored the goals to secure a straightforward win which saw England return to the top of Group G on goal difference.

Sangakkara hails bowlers AFP Colombo, March 26: Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara credited his bowlers for keeping up the pressure on England right from the first ball in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday.

The Sri Lankans restricted Andrew Strauss's men to 2296 before cruising to the target in the 40th over for an emphatic 10-wicket victory in the day-night clash at the R. Premadasa stadium.

Tillakaratne Dilshan (108) and Upal Tharanga (102) struck unbeaten centuries to cap a miserable outing for England and book a semi-final at the same venue against New Zealand on Tuesday.

"Losing the toss, it was important we started well with the ball," said Sangakkara.

"Dilshan did that with the new ball then later came together with Tharanga."

Sangakkara said it was vital that his team did not ease

Vettori dreams on, Smith shattered

PtI Mirpur, March 26: After upstaging title-favourites South Africa, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori said his team will now look to shed the 'perennial bridesmaid' tag in the World Cup even as a crestfallen Proteas skipper Graeme Smith struggled for words to explain the quarterfinal loss here.

Vettori attributed victory to the team's all-round performance.

"Every single bowler stepped up today, and probably it was the fielding that got us through. Martin Guptill was exceptional," Vettori said after the match.

Even as Vettori basked in his team's glory, his rival Smith was a shattered man.

"It's difficult to explain.

There are no words to describe how I feel. Just have to take it on the chin. It's been a very disappointing evening," Smith said.

Vettori said 250 would have been the ideal score on

the wicket at the Shere Bangla Stadium here.

"Once we got 220, we knew we had to be aggressive. We were hanging in there even when Kallis and AB were going. We wanted 250 on this pitch.

We lost some wickets, and s c r a p p e d through to 220.

"We knew it was a tricky wicket, and knew it was going to be an old-school one-day game.

That's the sort of game we like to play. Once we got de Villiers and Kallis, we were back in it. The run out of de Villiers was an amazing piece of work.

We are pretty happy to be in the semis, and will see how the wicket in Colombo plays tomorrow."

New Zealand have played in three semi-finals since the tournament's inception in 1975, and Vettori hoped the team will better that record.

"New Zealand have played in three semi-finals, and hopefully, we can take two steps further this time around," Vettori said.

Smith was gracious in defeat and praised the Kiwis for their showing but was disappointed that his team lost too

many wickets after sitting pretty at one stage.

"I thought we bowled pretty well. Credit to Jesse Ryder. At 100 for 2, we were sitting well, and then we lost too many wickets. The stand between Jesse and Taylor kept them in good stead, but we kept them to 220, which is very gettable. We lost too many wickets."

"Your guess is as good as mine (referring to South Africa's penchant for losing in knockout stages) its been happening since 1992," he said.

Despite the shock exit, Smith said there have been a few positives from the tournament.

"We have got some big positives out of the World Cup. We weren't good enough tonight, but we have to take it forward and not get bogged down. There will be a new coach and new captain. We are disappointed with tonight, and nothing I say is going to change that for fans back home," Smith said.

the pressure on England.

"The guys fought hard, especially fielding first, and they kept up the pressure.

They ensured that the total was manageable."

The Sri Lankan skipper said his team would not be complacent despite the huge victory.

"It is important to be confident but we should be realistic. They (New Zealand) will be hungry for a place in the final and so are we.

Everyday we cannot have such partnerships so we must ensure a good team effort in our next game."

The only worry for Sri Lanka was an injury to retiring spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan but Sangakkara hoped he would be fit for the last-four match.

"Murali has pulled up a bit stiff but I'm sure he'll be fit for the next game. We have enough cover for everyone.

We can't get too far ahead of ourselves, we just have to keep our heads down and feet on the ground."

Strauss admitted his side was thoroughly outplayed.

"We thought the total was 30 light and it was more like 50 light. We didn't get off to a good start. We tried to get some early wickets but did not get any breakthroughs.”

"We've been thoroughly beaten by a better side. They were able to bowl a lot of dot balls at us to build pressure.

But we have to be honest, we haven't been good enough during the tournament. We cannot hide away from this fact.

"We are very disappointed.

We've got to sit down, regroup and come back."

Dilshan, named man of the match, hoped to carry his form into the semis.

"It was a fantastic one-day wicket. It got better and better. We knew if we started well we could build from there. We had a good opening partnership. Tharanga took quite a few chances early on," he said.

"It was easier batting in the middle overs. Hopefully, I can continue my form in the semi-final. We are playing in home conditions, we have a very good chance of winning."

Miami, March 26: Indian tennis ace Somdev Devvarman maintained his fine run of form, scoring a stunning upset over world No 34 Milos Raonic of Canada to enter the third round of the men's

singles in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on Friday.

The 26-year-old, who attained a career-high ranking of 73 earlier this week, won 7-6(5), 7-5.

Somdev will next meet Spain's David Ferrer, who beat Igor Kunitsyn of Russia

We just think about that particular day, and try and win that particular match. So I don't think we will be under any extra pressure.

-- Pak all-rounder Moh. Hafeez

My fate in selectors’ hands: Ponting AFP Melbourne, March 26: Captain Ricky Ponting said Saturday his fate was in the hands of the selectors after Australia's shattering early exit from the World Cup. Ponting, whose captaincy has been under attack since Australia's Ashes series debacle against England in January, scored a fighting 104 but it was not enough to prevent India from knocking the champions out in Wednesday's quarter-final in Ahmedabad.

Australia's greatest Test runscorer has endured a torrid time and a majority of cricket fans, according to newspaper polls, want him to step down as team leader in a rebuilding phase.

Ponting, 36, confirmed in his column in The Australian newspaper Saturday that he has played in his last World Cup and that his immediate playing future was up to the discretion of the national selectors.

"I was asked before the quarter-final and at the media conference immediately after if I was retiring. I am not," Ponting wrote in his

Somdev wins, Sania loses ReuteRs

“

Goa I Sunday 27, March 2011

6-2, 6-1 in another second round match.

However, Indian fortunes in the tournament took a beating when Sania Mirza was sent packing by No 24 seed Russia's Maria Kirilenko after losing 7-5, 3-6, 0-6 in the second round.

column.

"It is my intention to keep playing cricket, I might not be the best judge of what my contribution to Australian cricket is.

"There are a panel of selectors who have that job and I am happy to accept their judgment."

Ponting said his focus now was on what was best for Australian cricket.

"We need to rally together to review all aspects that have contributed to our performances over the past six months," he said.

"There will be casualties and change come out of this (Cricket Australia) review but I am also confident it will highlight a number of programs, structures and people that remain the best or very close to the best in the world.

"Building on our strengths while working hard on our weaknesses will ensure that we are in the best possible shape to win back the World Cup in 2015 as well as the Ashes and other major trophies in the years ahead."

Ponting said he was "shattered" at Australia's earliest

Vettel on pole ReuteRs Melbourne, March 26: Red Bull's world champion Sebastian Vettel picked up where he left off by dominating qualifying to claim pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix for the second year in a row on Saturday.

exit from the World Cup since 1992.

"In some ways we performed to expectations in this World Cup. People did not expect us to win and we didn't," he said.

"It is fair to say that we need to examine our performances in depth and begin to plan for the future.

"A clear-the-decks policy is fraught with danger.

Young players need to be nurtured and the best way for that to be done is with senior guys around them.”

"It's been a difficult six months for us with the disappointing result in the Ashes and now this early exit from the World Cup."

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Indian media hailed the country's invitation to Pakistan’s President and Prime Minister to watch the arch-rivals' World Cup clash as "cricket diplomacy". PM has pushed strongly for "greater engagement" with Pakistan to address issues of mutual concern.

Yuvi keeping India glowing ProfiLe: What he SayS

AFP New Delhi, March 26: A joke is doing the rounds at the World Cup that if India’s Yuvraj Singh bats even with a stump, he will return to the dressing-room with at least a half-century under his belt.

The aggressive left-hander has already compiled 341 runs in seven matches with one hundred and four half-centuries at an amazing average of 113.66.

India may have prolific openers in Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, but Yuvraj has caught the eye with scoring runs in crunch situations as well as taking wickets with his tidy left-arm spin.

He is the tournament's fourth-highest scorer after Tendulkar (379), Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara (363) and Sehwag (342) ahead of next week's blockbuster semi-final clash with Pakistan in Mohali.

What has pleased Yuvraj the most in this tournament is that he has managed to perform the role of a finisher remarkably well, like former Australian one-day specialist Michael Bevan.

What has pleased Yuvraj the most in this tournament is that he has managed to perform the role of a finisher remarkably well, like former Australian one-day specialist Michael Bevan.

"Finishing a game gives me a lot of confidence going into the next match. I'm just happy about how I am hitting the ball. My responsibility is

to bat till the end whether we are batting first or chasing a target," said Yuvraj.

"I missed quite a bit of cricket over a year and a half due to injuries and now to come back and play my part in victories is very satisfying."

The latest example came during the quarter-final against defending champions Australia when he re-

mained unbeaten with 57 to see his team home.

The game looked evenly poised when India were reduced to 187-5 chasing a 261run target on a slow Ahmedabad track but Yuvraj held his nerve under pressure and added 74 runs with Suresh Raina in a match-winning stand.

When asked if everything he

was touching was now turning to gold, Yuvraj said: "I think so.

Last year, whatever I was doing was turning into mud."

Yuvraj, who smashed six sixes in an over from England paceman Stuart Broad in a 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa, has a strikerate of below 100 in this World Cup but his team are not complaining. Yuvraj has

PTI

a normal cricket match.

"Let it remain as cricket and don't make us feel as if we are standing on a warfront," Alam told PTI here.

The former Pakistan captain, who was also the coach of the side that won the 1992 World Cup is frankly not amused with the kind of

hype that has been generated as it puts unbearable pressure on the players.

"Iskee kya zarurat hein (what is the need of so much hype)."

"We don't want to pressurise (put pressure on) our players. This is needless," the former skipper, who has also coached the Punjab team in

Ranji Trophy said.

He also said that one of the teams has to lose, but the losers should be graceful in defeat.

"In both the countries, there are very emotional people. Both teams cannot win and somebody has to lose. But whichever team loses should lose gracefully.

also solved a major bowling problem for India.

The part-timer's best came when he bagged a maiden five-wicket haul against Ireland in Bangalore after the frontline bowlers struggled to make an impact.

"I am a part-time bowler and when I got those five wickets I was as happy as I was when I scored my first one-day international hundred. I think it's an achievement for a part-timer to get five wickets," he said.

Yuvraj took just two matches to prove he belonged on the big stage, cracking a brisk 84 against an Australian attack comprising Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie in Nairobi in 2000.

He now returns to his home ground in Mohali hoping to put in another impressive all-round show.

He has so far scored 8,030 runs in 272 matches with 13 hundreds and taken 105 wickets.

Don’t term Indo-Pak match as war: Alam Mohali, March 26: Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam is wary of the tremendous hype surrounding the semifinal clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan and has advised the media from terming it as "war" instead of

Tigers set up semis date with Kiwis

Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan raises his bat and helmet in celebration after scoring a century at R. Premadasa cricket stadium in Colombo on Saturday.

PTI Colombo, March 26: Openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga hit superb centuries as Sri Lanka humiliated England by 10 wickets in a thoroughly one-sided quarter-final encounter of

the World Cup, here today.

Chasing a target of 230, Dilshan (108 not out, 115 balls, 10x4, 2x6) and Tharanga (102 not out, 122 balls, 12x4, 1x6) played with consumate ease as they reached the target in only 37.3 overs to set up a semi-final date with New

scoreboArd England: Andrew Strauss b Dilshan 5, Ian Bell c Samaraweera b Mathews 25, Jonathan Trott c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 86, Ravi Bopara lbw b Muralitharan 31, Eoin Morgan c Mathews b Malinga 50, Graeme Swann lbw b Mendis 0, Matt Prior not out 22, Luke Wright not out 1.

Extras: 9. Total: 229 for 6. Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-31, 3-95, 4-186, 5186, 6-212. Bowling: Malinga 10-0-46-1, Dilshan 6-1-25-1, Mathews 5-0-20-1, Herath 10-1-47-0, Mendis 10-0-34-1, Muralitharan 9-0-54-2.

Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga not out 102, Tillakaratne Dilshan not out 108. Extras: 21. Total: 231 for no loss. Bowling: Bresnan 8-1-40-0, Swann 9-0-61-0, Tremlett 7.3-0-38-0, Bopara 5-1-22-0, Tredwell 6-038-0, Wright 4-0-17-0. Man-of-the-Match: T Dilshan.

Zealand, on Tuesday.

The target was never going to be difficult on a Premadasa track for a team that bats deep but one fancied England bowlers to put up a fight. Unlike some of their resilient performances at the group league stages, the English bowlers couldn't recreate the magic as both Dilshan and Tharanga never looked like getting into any kind of trouble.

The only time the duo looked troubled was after the match got over when both were in acute pain battling cramps in humid conditions.

Without taking any undue risks, both hit the boundaries with minimum fuss.

Their preference for the offside field was understandable as they repeatedly peppered the region with some thumping drives.

The ploy of opening the bowling with Graeme Swann also didn't work out as both Tharanga and Dilshan used their feet to good effect whenever the offie tossed it up.

We have to give that positive message," he said indicating that cricket should emerge as a winner in the end.

For Intikhab, it's a special occasion that they are again playing a match as big as World Cup semi-final on Indian soil.

"This is a blessing that we have come here to play cricket in India. This of course, is a special occasion, but I feel we should be playing more often," he said.

“

Goa I Sunday 27, March 2011

The guys fought hard, especially fielding first, and they kept up the pressure. They ensured that the total was manageable.

-- Kumar Sangakkara

Mills, du Plessis, Vettori fined

PTI

Mirpur, March 26: New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori, pacer Kyle Mills and South African batsman Francois du Plessis were today fined heavily by the ICC for being involved in an altercation during their quarter-final match, here.

"Mills has been fined 60 per cent of his match fee for breaching Article 2.2.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct which is a Level 2 offence relating to 'inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players'," the ICC said in a statement.

Mills has also been fined a further 60 per cent of his fee

for breaching Article 2.2.11 of the code, a Level 2 offence which relates to conduct that is "contrary to the spirit of the game" or "brings the game into disrepute."

Vettori has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee, also for breaching Article 2.2.4 of the Code and a further 40 per cent of his match fee for breaching Article 2.1.8 which is a Level 1 offence that relates to conduct "contrary to the spirit of the game" or "brings the game into disrepute."

"Du Plessis, meanwhile, has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee for breaching Article 2.2.4 of the code (a Level 2 offence)."

OHERALDO

IV

GOA, SUNDAY•27 MARCH, 2011

INDIA J&K asks Centre to rehabilitate migrants PTI JAMMU, MARCH 26

Jammu and Kashmir government has submitted a proposal to the Centre seeking rehabilitation of Jammu migrants on a par with their counterparts in the Valley.

"The government has submitted a fresh proposal to Central government for rehabilitation of Jammu migrants on a par with Kashmiri migrants. The proposal also includes provision of jobs to the Jammu migrants", Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla said in the state Assembly on Saturday.

Bhalla was replying to a question of Balwant Singh Mankotia on extending the relief package to Jammu migrants on the lines of Kashmiri migrants in the House.

Chendamelam during AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa's assembly election campaigning, in Thiruchirappali on Saturday.

Yeddyurappa will complete Jaya shedding ‘crocodile tears’ for full term, says Pradhan Muslims: Karuna PTI

PTI CHENNAI, MARCH 26

DMK patriarch and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Saturday charged AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa with shedding ‘crocodile tears’ for Muslims and said her election promise to increase reservation quota for them if voted to power was only an attempt to deceive them.

Asserting that it was his government which provided 3.5 per cent reservation for Muslims, he said in the DMK’s official organ ‘Murasoli’ that the minority community could not be deceived by her statement.

He said the ‘bondage’ between Muslims and DMK had begun from the days of IUML founder late Mohammed Ismail and DMK founder late C N Annadurai and it continued even now.

When IUML on its own gave

up one seat to accommodate the Congress demand of 63 seats for the April 13 polls, he himself had initiated steps for merger of IUML and Tamil Nadu National League and restored three seats to IUML. “What did Jayalalithaa, who now speaks of increasing the quota do when she was Chief Minister for two terms?” he asked.

Recalling her speech in the National Integration Council meeting in 1991 supporting Kar Seva during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Karunanidhi said she went on record to say that if Muslims were given reservation, it would open up a Pandora’s box as other minorities would also raise such a demand.

Karunanidhi said she had even asked if there was no place for a Ram temple at Ayodhya, where else would it then be?

BANGALORE, MARCH 26 BJP on Saturday declared that there was no change in the leadership of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, whose ouster party rebels have been demanding in the wake of allegations against him and said all issues had been “sorted out.”

“Now there is no such kind of talk of ensuring a graceful exist for the Chief Minister. Yeddyurappa is our Chief Minister and he will continue and complete his term,” Dharmendra Pradhan, in-charge of BJP affairs in Karnataka told reporters.

Pradhan, deputed by the party high command to try and contain the fresh crisis, met Yeddyurappa and state unit party chief K S Eswarappa last night and asked them to focus on the April 9 by-poll in three assembly constituencies.

To a question to specify the term of office of Yeddyurappa,

Govt will have to pay for suspending MLAs: Uddhav

Foodalicious

PTI MUMBAI, MARCH 26

Shiv Sena on Saturday said the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra will have to pay a “heavy price” for suspending nine opposition MLAs from the state assembly.

“The Congress-led government will have to pay this time heavily for suspending our (Shiv Sena-BJP) MLAs,” Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray said in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ today.

“The government, which suspended opposition MLAs without any strong grounds, is not going to be in power forever.

Governments change...Congress-NCP should keep this in mind,” Uddhav was quoted as saying by the paper.

Nine MLAs of the saffron alliance have been suspended for disrupting the budget presentation by Ajit Pawar on Wednesday.

Defending them, Uddhav said the protest over allocation of funds would be intensified from Monday. “We will not sit quiet.

The government is biased in allocating funds to legislators from opposition parties. We will intensify the protest until all the MLAs are given equal share,” he said.

ULFA calls strike against PM’s Assam visit PTI GUWAHATI, MARCH 26

The Paresh Baruah faction of ULFA has called a 12-hour Assam bandh this Monday to protest the visit of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to campaign in Assam for the Assembly polls.

The prime minister has “failed” to keep his written promise to discuss all the core issues for political solution of the Assam-India conflict, the outfit said in an e-mail to the media.

Accusing Dr Singh of “being the prime minister after acquiring his Assam residency documents without following rules”, the ULFA alleged, “under his leadership a new conspiracy has been hatched to divide Assam and make the Assamese community extinct”.

Pradhan said, “he has got a mandate for five years”.

Pradhan said it was BJP that had got the mandate to rule the state in the 2008 assembly polls.

He said the party would take steps to refurbish the image of the government and BJP after Yeddyurappa faced charges of corruption.

On activities of dissidents who led a delegation to Delhi and complained to the high command about Yeddyurappa’s style of functioning and demanded his removal, he said: “The party is united. In a democracy everybody has a right to express their views. After listening to all, the High Command has decided to face the (by)poll unitedly.”

Pradhan claimed he was here only to discuss the coming bypoll and attend a BJP youth training programme.

He said he discussed the political situation in the state with Yeddyurappa, Eswarappa and

W

e have all heard the popular proverb: “An apple a day will keep the doctor away”. While it will certainly take more than a daily apple to keep you healthy, it is a step in the right direction. Apples are delicious, easy to carry for snacking, low in calories, and a natural mouth freshener.

Crunchy Goodness

Apples are a source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber, such as pectin, helps prevent the buildup of cholesterol in the lining of blood vessel walls, thus reducing the incident of heart disease. The insoluble fiber provides bulk in the intestinal tract, holding water to cleanse and move food quickly through the digestive system.

It is a good idea to eat apples with their skin, as almost half the vitamin C content is just underneath the skin. Eating the skin also increases insoluble fiber content. Interestingly, most of an apple's fragrance cells are concentrated in the skin and, as they ripen, the skin cells develop more aroma and flavor.

Apples

The health benefits of apple include the following:

1

Digestion: Apples, being rich in fiber, help in digestion. Regular consumption of apples ensure smooth bowel movements and help in preventing constipation and stomach disorders.

2

Anemia: Apples are useful in treating anemia as they are rich in iron. Anemia is the deficiency of hemoglobin in the blood; Hemoglobin can increase with the intake of iron-rich items.

3

Weakness: Apples are known to treat weakness. It is, therefore, often given to patients to help them recover from their illnesses quicker. It also helps in detoxifying the body and improves the overall health.

Tip: When buying apples, make sure they are firm. Don’t buy apples that have wrinkles, as these apples have lost most of their health benefits and nutritional value.

Recent research has also revealed that apples have chemicals such as flavanoids and polyphenols which can help fight cancers. It is therefore, rightly, said - An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Different Varieties and Origins of Apples Arkansas Arkansas, United States Black

Cortland

5

Eye Disorders: Apples are believed to make the eyes strong and improve eye-sight. It also helps in treating night blindness.

Contact Us:

New York, United States

Flower Kent, England, of Kent United Kingdom Ginger Gold

4

Heart Disease: Apple lowers the level of cholesterol and hence it is beneficial for the heart.

some important leaders and the plans to give a stiff fight to the opposition in the by-poll.

Pradhan evaded a reply on whether the BJP would act a g a i n s t Ye d d y u r a p p a i f Lokayukta police registered a FIR on the basis of a local court order, which had directed it to investigate complaints of corruption.

He also ducked a query on whether the yardstick of seeking resignation of Katta Subramanya Naidu after an FIR was filed by Lokayukta police in connection with alleged irregularities in getting compensation for land acquired by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board would apply to Yeddyurappa.

“I am not good at law. There are different versions on registering of FIR”, he said.

After meeting party leaders, he said “everything has been settled. Certain matters are internal and will be sorted out”.

Golden Delicious

Granny Smith

Pixie

Irish Peach

Virginia, United States

Clay County, West Virginia, US Australia

Kilkenny, Ireland England, United Kingdom

Comments or queries? Bouquets or brickbats? Talk to us!

Email Junior Herald at junior@herald-goa.com or join our Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/Herald.Jr. Our readers are invited to rave, rant, chat or even contribute. No message will go unanswered!

OHERALDO

PgV GOA, SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2011

Contact: 9822148953

OHERALDO

VI

GOA, SUNDAY 27 MARCH, 2011

AP gives English push at primary education level PTI HYDERABAD, MARCH 26

With English increasingly becoming the preferred language of education even among the students hailing from poorer sections of the society and also rural areas, the Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to lay emphasis on English right from Class I in its schools.

Accordingly, English will now be taught as the second language from Class I from 201112 academic year, Minister for Primary Education Sake Sailajanath said.

“The basic idea is to provide access to children from poorer sections as well as rural areas

to English education right from Class I rather than Class III (the current policy), so that they compete with students of private schools,” Sailajanath told PTI. A report by the Regional Institute of English (RIE), (Bangalore) has established that the percentage of enrolment of students in Government schools has drastically reduced from 84.48 per cent to 55.72 per cent in primary and upper primary schools, whereas admissions in the private residential schools increased from 17.52 per cent to 44.28 per cent in the period from 1995-96 to 2009-10 in Andhra Pradesh.

In respect of Telugu medium, enrolment percentage in Class I to Class X for the period 200001 to 2009-10 in Government schools reduced from 83.47 per cent to 65.54 per cent, while English medium enrolment increased from 13.77 per cent to 31.66 per cent.

“It was observed that most parents in rural areas are withdrawing their children from Government Telugu medium schools due to lack of English teaching,” the report noted.

RIE has recommended introduction of English from Class I without making it a burden for the children to learn it most effectively in the early years.

The AP Government hopes that the introduction of English from Class I will help in increasing the enrolment of students and helping them at later stage of their education.

The State Council of Educational Research and Training had also proposed the introduction of English as a second language from Class I in Government schools and recommended development of effective textbooks from Class I to V reflecting constructive pedagogy as recommended by National Curriculum Framework 2005.

It also recommended development of appropriate reading material and learning cards for

Cong moves privilege motion against Orissa minister PTI BHUBANESWAR, MARCH 26

Zoroastrian or Parsi devotees observe religious rituals at the Parsi Dharmshala compound in Ahmedabad on Saturday on the occasion of Ava Yazad Parabh celebration. Zoroastrians are observing Ava Yazad Parabh by offerings flowers, coconuts and Daar Ni Pori, a Parsi sweet made for the occasion.

Armed Forces Tribunal sets aside Army order PTI NEW DELHI, MARCH 26

The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has “condemned” an order delivered by the Northern Command for interfering with a High Court judgement in a divorce case.

“The order dated 03.03.2010 is a contemptuous order and has to be condemned. The Army can’t resort to illegalities to bypass the order of the civil courts or over-riding the order passed by the High Court of Allahabad,” the Tribunal’s Principal Bench headed by Justice A K Mathur said in a recent judgement setting aside the Army order.

The Tribunal held that once a High Court order is passed, the Army can’t undo it by its “so-called order”.

The Tribunal was disposing of a petition by one Lt Col Naveen Ahlawat against the Northern Command order to revise the maintenance amount to Rs 25,000 from Rs 3,000 to his wife, whom he had divorced.

It held that civil court decrees or order cannot be undone by administrative authorities and it is only a competent higher court, which can do so.

J&K admits to diversion of road funds to Jammu PTI JAMMU, MARCH 26

Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Sagar today said that the funds of Rs 30 crore under Central Road Funds (CRF) for upgradation and improvement of Srinagar city roads were diverted to Jammu as these could not be utilized due to turmoil in the Valley and to avoid its lapse.

He, however, said that an additional Rs 30 crore would be provided this year to Srinagar over and above its normal allocation to compensate the loss.

This was stated by the minister while replying to the supplementaries by Mehbooba Mufti, A R Veeri and Saifullah Mir on the main question by Syed Basharat Ahmad Bukhari in the Legislative Assembly here today.

He, however, admitted that due to unrest in the Valley the execution of various works were affected and funds under CRF for road up-gradation were diverted to Jammu so that it does not lapse.

He said that necessary steps have been taken by the government to remove traffic congestions in Srinagar city.

The minister said that construction of flyover from Jehangir Chowk to Natipora is proposed to be taken under Trenche-II of Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan 2.

“The order passed by the Army without jurisdiction and nullity in view of the order passed by the Allahabad high Court on 31.03.2009 and we set aside the impugned order dated 03.03.2010 and award a sum of Rs 20,000 to the petitioner and responsibility may be fixed on the persons who have passed such impertinent order and the amount may be deducted from their salary,” the Tribunal said.

Reacting to the order, the Army headquarters said no individual was named in the judgement. The Army is working on the matter and responsibility

would be fixed in due course, they said.

Opposition Congress today moved a privilege motion in Orissa assembly accusing revenue and disaster management minister S N Patro of “misleading” the house by saying that Centre had not given any financial assistance to the state for last year’s drought and unseasonal rain.

Following the submission of the privilege notice by Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan, speaker Pradip Kumar Amat said he would examine it.

While replying to an adjournment debate, Patro had told the house on March 24 that the Centre had not given a single paise to the state while it sanctioned Rs 400 crore for Andhra Pradesh and Rs 600 crore for Maharashtra.

The minister further said that the state government from its own resources had disbursed Rs 105 crore for giving assistance to the farmers, hit by unseasonal rain.

effective English language acquisition and developing text-

books in coordination with the RIE.

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Sunday, 27 Mar 2011

Special Status Needed:

Niz mogachem moll duddvamni zaina -Anonymous

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email us at: goasheartbeat@herald-goa.com

One difference between poetry and lyrics is that lyrics sort of fade into the background. They fade on the page and live on the stage when set to music - Stephen Sondheim

To protect Goans not from Outsiders… but from the Greed of Goans

BY CHRISTINA VIEGAS HERALD FEATURES or a while now, we have been hearing a lot of uproar regarding the demand for Special Status for Goa. But converse around with the residents of the state and you will be surprised to learn that the Goans who are crying hoarse are not aware themselves of what exactly they want. What is this Special Status to Goa? What is this preserving of Goan identity and saving our Goan soil? Yes, what is all this when most of the Goans themselves have placed individual agendas before the larger welfare of Goans and Goa? Selfish individual interests and greed seems to be the norm in today’s Goa. Ancestral houses have been rampantly sold to the non-Goans; make no mistake, by the Goans themselves. Migrant workers have been brought in by the dozens by the Goans themselves. Bad decision making at the political level resulted in many skilled Goans traveling to foreign shores for better prospects. And while this vacuum had to be filled, what we fail to understand is why these contract labourers were not sent back to their homelands when their contracts were through.

Many Goans are flourishing in the Gulf but are they given rights to vote there? Doesn’t every country have their own set of laws to protect the interests of their lands and people? In many countries like the USA and NZ, there are various laws whereby if you go there on a work visa, you cannot buy a home and when you return to your home country, often you are not legally allowed to enter that foreign country again at least for two years. Yet, here in Goa, the migrant workers are given homes, voting cards and what not. What is baffling is how will a labourer from Karnataka or Bihar know the history of a Panjim or Taleigao or Benaulim and cast his vote for a do-gooder of Goa? But in being petty-minded Goans, like always, let us not shift the blame only to migrant labourers. What about our Goans? Who are they electing to power? How can you elect a cheat as your leader who garners in and secures migrant vote banks at your cost, allows illegal mining and gross violations in real estate constructions and allows various vices to breed in the state through casinos but only takes a rally to scream for Special Status for Goa? No wonder we have the eminent Goans who truly have Goa’s interests at heart wondering what Goans are wanting when they demand

F

all to ask en t n a w ans be f all, I First o . Haven’t Go al selfish “ : A Z ’ SOU adividu want FRED D xactly they it their own in inos to our wve L I W R D s to su the cas what e ! We ha Goans their own lawoans invited ate has done antly and making ts? Haven’t G t no other st o Goa abund y fighting interes omething tha to enter int what are the ial Status ters? Sd immigrantse banks. So, hat will Spec allowe hem into vot ey fighting? W made t whom are th for and em?” give th

for Special Status!

A demand for Special Status does not mean booting out your nonGoan friend who has been loyal to Goa and is contributing in every way towards the betterment of the land; instead it should be for progressive economic growth of the state and for ecological reasons. Labour laws should be drawn whereby workers from out, in whichever category, should be given limited-time work permits. Mining has to be regulated and illegal mining should be promptly stopped. Our natural resources should be kept untouched for our future generations, akin to what our ancestors left us.

We should never allow easy acquiring of land by the Armed Forces under the garb of national interests. Only 20 per cent of Goa’s geographical land is for settlement; we need to protect our scarce land resources from the outside land sharks.

We have reached our maximum carrying capacity and we cannot take in any more people. Why aren’t we blinded Goans probing into the fact that the corrupt are creating a need for construction labourers? Yes, most of the real estate coming up is either resorts, luxury holiday villas for people from out or ultra-chic residential complexes purchased by people from out. Go around visiting the residential complexes in Taleigao, Caranzalem and Miramar and you will be greeted with empty apartments. We greedy Goans have parceled our lands to the outsiders. Our land prices are fixed in the metropolises across the country while the average ‘goenkar’ cannot afford a reasonable home.

In today’s times and as peaceful, accommodative adults, we might cringe in asking for Special Status as anyone has a right to stay anywhere. But maybe, just maybe we need this Special Status as a stringent measure to save the Goans from their own greed! But as seen in the past, during Opinion Poll in 1967 and during the battle for recognition of Konkani as the official language, Goans are always divided amongst themselves because of petty, individual agendas. We need to be united in building a robust movement to address the demographic dilution of Goans.

TOMAZINH pened soon O CARDOZO: “Special s and not nowafter the Opinion Poll intatus would have helpe towards a h . Because back then Go 1967 or when we attaind Goa if it hapright manneealthy development wha was pure and we could ed statehood extent in termr. But today, Goa has ereby Goa would have have worked already hav s of land and environ already been destroy grown in the don’t even be 30-35 per cent of non ment and as for the de ed to a large have the un elieve that Goa will be -Goans living in the stamography, we ited strength te g to lobby for ranted Special Status . Besides, I as we don’t it.”

Theatre in Goa ...on the right track but miles to go

HERALD FEATURES heatre was once a major form of entertainment for the people. It encompassed elements of the people’s daily lives into a variety of entertaining stories of all genres. It was food for thought, talk and action among the society. With other sources for entertainment being introduced to Goa in the recent past theatre, tiatr more particularly, still stands strong through the competition. Amidst this dynamic, this World Theatre Day, March 27, 2011 Herald speaks to three names in the field of theatre, tiatr and natak on the status of each of the performing arts in the state

it has grown by leaps and bounds. PostLiberation, even without any government patronage, it sustained itself and, currently, with government patronage, it is improving by the day. Sadly, it has not achieved the same standard that Marathi and Konkani nataks have. One way to change that is constant updates to those associated with and in the tiatr field, through workshops. Competitions also help in garnering in quality. Interestingly, I have noticed that about thirty per cent of audiences for tiatrs are children and teenagers, both on and off stage. This is surely a good thing for the art. The tiatr fraternity as well as tiatr-loving Goans are looking up.”

On the status of English theatre in Goa

On the status of natak in Goa

T

Isabel Santa Rita Vaz, script-writer, direct and actor “English theatre in Goa is still growing. The overall state of theatre still has a long way to go. Compared to regional theatre it is only restricted to the urban areas. In Goa, people devote their talent to music and not so much theatre, with few participating, onstage and off. But I can see English theatre growing in the years to come. English writing in India has doubled more recently and gotten better in quality. Sooner or later, good playwrights will be produced. A subject of theatre should be introduced in schools, so that the quality of theatre in general, and of English theatre, more specifically will improve.”

On the status of tiatr in Goa

Tomazinho Cardozo, President, Tiatr Academy of Goa “If I can say one thing about the status of tiatr, it is that

Keshav Nadkarni, experienced Konkani and Marathi script-writer “The experimental aspect stands out strong with Konkani and Marathi nataks in the state. The core of any drama is its script and most nataks have depth and variety.

Besides this, the technical aspects are average and need to improve. Average in comparison to drama in Bengal and Kerela, which are the best in India. Generally speaking, the status of nataks is good, but I repeat myself, have plenty to improve on. For this to happen, finance is the main issue to be dealt with, which should be addressed by the government and cultural bodies. The people also should support nataks by being a part of the audience and introducing it to their children.”

(Compiled by Nomratha Fernandes)

DR NANDKUMAR M KAMAT: “We need an ethical revolution in Goa whereby all religions will come together and have a conclave to decide Goa’s future. We need a holistic approach towards protecting what little we have remaining. It is because of society’s spiritual bankruptcy in the last 20 years that Goa has been destroyed in this manner. The Goans have sold their souls to the lucrative commissions they get from the non-Goans’ capital of the various rackets in the state. Why weren’t the communidades corrupt during the Portuguese regime?

Because there were stringent punishments! Similarly, we need Special Status so that the Goans are saved from their very own greed and the greed of the contributing outsiders. It makes no sense when a place like Merces allows 30 scrap yards in their area and then goes out in huge rallies demanding Special Status.

Goa needs Special Status for three aspects: economic, political and constitutional and ecological. And this will happen only when Goans are united on this issue to acquire what Pandit Nehru had assured us.”

DR OSCAR REBELLO: “Honestly, I am not conversant with the topic as I have really not understood what this Special Status is that the Goans are fighting for.

I really don’t know what their demand is for.”

NITIN KUNKOLIENKAR: “I personally think most of the Goans are hypocrites.

On one hand they want to go by what the Constitution says and on the other hand they want to amend the Constitution to suit their needs. They compare Goa with Kashmir and the North-eastern states not even understanding that those states were granted Special Status because of their vulnerability owing to the proximity to enemy countries. Goa has no such problem. Goans want an amendment to Constitution whereby no nonGoan can purchase land in Goa. Here again, how do you define a Goan?

Someone will be from out of state with Goan parents, another will be born here with non-Goan parents, another will say he/she is Indian, another will be a domicile resident.

Instead, the Goans should ask for special category economic status which will help in the progressive development of the state. Presently, Goa contributes 2,500 crores of rupees of export duty on mining. This is ridiculous, we should demand that at least 500 crores of that be given to the state for environmental development. According to Section 80 IB of Income Tax Act, manufacturing units starting shop in Goa before 2004, were given 5 years tax holiday as Goa was declared industrially backward. We don’t have that any more.”

Tiatr bridging Gaps over the Years

B

BY RON FIDELIS etween the tiatrists of yesteryears and those of now, many benchmarks have been set. While the first tiatr was a translation, post original Konkani scripts, tiatrs began picking slices of Goan lives and portraying them.

With a flavour like this, they just couldn’t fail, now could they?

Gender inequality issues that plagued society at that time were well brought out by those tiatrists. And slowly but surely, change came about. From then on, more tales of indifferences between the rich and the poor via guises of the bhattkar and mundkar got vented out – simply as they were the topics of the day.

The point here to be noted is that tiatr came about because traditional plays like zagor had changed their focus; from creative expression, Goan theatre of a particular period had moved on to using this powerful medium to slander in public.

“Even now, although the actors see that their vulgar jokes get laughed upon, these very people have the sense to go home and single out this vulgarity, that in retrospect they don’t find funny,” says veteran tiatrist Platilda, one of our oldest performing comedians. “The thing is, one refrains from telling youngsters these tips because it may not be taken in the right spirit,” she adds, with a smile. However, this has been taken up by the Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG), who will now only assist those who are detached from these misgivings. This will be done only after signing an undertaking from the concerned clearly saying so.

The other bridge that seems to have been clearly gapped is

Photo by Rozario Estibeiro

Goa’s tiatr, one of its oldest forms of performing arts, has had quite a journey from the time it first began. Along with being a great form of entertainment, tiatr also acts as a mirror to our society, portraying reality in the cloak of humour this common, equal and fair pedestal for all tiatrists, with tiatrs looking for improvement with respect to stage settings, lights and costumes. And with this most powerful medium already getting the point – ‘a deteriorating Goa and the damned politicians’ – across to the audiences, tiatrs seem to be the only ones doing their job right. A point also mentioned repeatedly this Popular Tiatr Festival was the vibrance and creativity in trios and quartets that are like mini-musicals and absolutely entertaining.

However, tiatrists are getting more and more used to the deliberations and discussions, finally understanding the fact that many opinionists meeting up would inevitably have some amount of chaos in the decorum. So these meetings where they have to zero in on a particular thing are indeed getting more and more successful as interesting conversations with many viewpoints are finally being handled professionally and not emotionally. Surely, for this bunch that partly lives off slamming politicians for their misdeeds, they are definitely better behaved in a meeting vis-à-vis their political counterparts.

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info ‘nf’un zone

Sunday, 27 Mar 2011

WHAT’S UP IN GOA??

Class Act 2011, a workshop for primary school teachers to promote learning and behaviour in the classroom, organised by Sethu Centre will be held from April 12 to 15 at a venue in Panjim. Registration closes on April 5. Call 6513749.

A 5-day workshop in shell craft jewellery, organised Sunaparanta - Goa Centre for the Arts will be held from April 4 to 8 from 3pm to 6 pm at Sunaparanta, Altinho-Panjim. Registration closes on March 28. Call 2421311. ‘...Son?’ a story by Heta Pandit will be presented to commemorate World Theatre Day, on March 27 at 7 pm at Sunaparanta – Goa Centre for the Arts, Altinho, Panjim. Call 2421311.

Media and Human Development will be the topic of discussion at the seminar, organised by the International Centre Goa on March 27 from 9:30am to 5pm at the International Centre Goa, Dona Paula.

Call 9765404391 or 2452805-10.

Right to Information workshop organised by Asha Family Responsibilities & Rights Association will be held on March 27 from 9:15am to 11am, at St. Andrews Church Hall, Vasco, Goa. Call 2256445, 9822166876 or e m a i l : trustasha@yahoo.co.in A One Day State Level Research Scholars Meet organised by the research and consultancy cell of Dnyanprassarak Mandal’s College, Assagao will be held on March 31 in the college campus.

E-mail mrpatil@yahoo.com. Call 9420979228.

‘Indradhanush’, a 3-day cultural festival, organised by the Ganga-Zuari Academy will be held from April 22 to 24. There will be competitions in the areas of dance, singing, essay and drawing. Registration closes on March 31.

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Pg2

email us at: goasheartbeat@herald-goa.com

H O R O S C O P E Call 9822486204 or 9404434878.

Manthan 2011, organised by the Padre Conceicao College of Engineering, Verna will be held from March 31 to April 1 at the college campus, Verna. Call 2791266/67.

Aqua Fiesta at Cidade de Goa will host a Children Basic and Advance Swimming Courses for children between the age of 5 to 15. The basic swimming classes will be in two batches, from 10am to 11am and evening batch from 4pm to 5pm everyday till 16th April. For advanced swimming skills of breaststroke, refine and further development of freestyle and backstroke, training will start from April 4 to April 16 at Cidade de Goa, for children of 5 years and above, two batches from morning 9-10am and evening 5pm-6pm. Call: 2454545.

2-day Seminar cum Workshop on March 27 and 28 to discuss creating a Brand Value for Goan crafts with reference to exploring tourism potential will be held at 11.00 am at Tango Hall, Vivanta by Taj, Sant Inez, Panjim.

Workshop On “Special Provision For Goa–Article371” orgainsed by the Asha Family Responsibilities & Rights Association and B.C.C. will be held on Saturday April 2 from 4pm to 6pm at Benaulim Community Centre, CD GEN Complex, Benaulim, Goa. Call: 2256445, 9822166876, Email: trustasha@yahoo.co.in “Click! Click! Click! The vibrant colours of SHIGMO” photography contest capturing the sights of the Shigmo is organised by the Goan Shutterbugs. Entries can be handed or couriered, as a CD/DVD, along with a single Entry Form, per participant to: CLICK Photography School, BM Office, Near Torsanzor, Aquem, Margao. Downloads entry forms from: www.goanshutterbugs.com ph: 9822151419

To d a y y o u should continue to play the game that 21 Mar - 19 Apr everyone else has been playing. Now is the time to mount an aggressive P.R. campaign -- you need to make sure that your reputation is exactly what you think it should be, instead of whatever others think is the truth.

Taurus Delay making any travel plans today -- new information will 20 Apr - 20 May soon come to light. Shift your perspective a bit today -- you need to open up more, and your emotional energy is just right for making that happen.

It's a good time for you to ask big questions and reach out to new people.

Feelings that Gemini h a v e b e e n under the surface will become clearer today.

21 May - 20 Jun Someone close is holding back from you, but they don't mean to deceive you, exactly. They just have their own agenda and might not be able to see your role in it quite yet. Have patience.

Know that there's nothing in this day that you can't handle with grace. Your 22 Jun - 23 Jul senses are heightened somewhat today, though you may not be able to follow scents or hear bats pinging their sonar. Still, your awareness extends farther than usual, so try to make the most of it!

You can get a lot done with just your enthusiasm and charm today.

24 Jul - 23 Aug Listen carefully to a particular person today - they are telling you all you need to hear, though you almost certainly need to do a little creative interpretation in order to get to the heart of the matter.

You'll be making connections today -each of them 23 Aug - 22 Sep will plant a seed in your life. Your great energy is fueling your ambitions -- and no matter how impossible they seem, you should make some effort to achieve them now, You are sure to be surprised by what you come up with!

Sentimentality isn't productive today -- distract yourself with 23 Sept - 22 Oct numbers and facts. You're in the middle of an uncomfortable situation -- one that might make you feel too weird to fit in. That's not good for you, so try to ease the stress in some new way. It's not so hard.

Scorpio Your mood will be positive today -- be prepared for fits of 23 Oct - 22 Nov uncontrollable laughter. Your social skills are prominent right now and you may find it much easier to work with those you usually can't stand (or who for some reason can't stand you).

Reach out to those you need.

Sagittarius For a social out-

Capricorn Make finishing as many things as you can your pri22 Dec - 20 Jan m a r y t a s k today. Get stuff done! Someone new is quite impressed with you today, so see if you can get them to push your plans, ideas or career a bit further. Allies never hurt as you strive for bigger and better things!

Aquarius If you've been unable to achieve something, consider 21 Jan - 19 Feb t r y i n g s o m e new tactics. You can't fight back effectively today, but that doesn't mean you have to just roll over. You can walk away -- for a while -- and collect yourself while the game is played without you.

Today is all about taking it easy -- and you'll be smiling 20 Feb - 20 Mar all day long.

Try not to worry about where things are heading -- unseen forces are working on your behalf. You may meet a few people who know you better than you think they would, so watch them for help.

Aries

Libra

i n g t o d a y, choose an intimate spot conto 23 Nov - 20 Dec d u c i v e conversations.

Your finances are still on your mind, and now is a great time to think about savings and retirement. You may want to just focus on getting debt under control, but you've got the tools to do it!

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Pisces

DID YOU KNOW? The Good Friday Earthquake

nonplus Pronunciation non-pluhs Function Verb Meaning : to cause to be at a loss as to what to say, think, or do : perplex Example Sentence The utter mess Jerry made of the math problem completely nonplussed the teacher.

LAFFS

The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan Earthquake and the Good Friday Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that occurred on March 27, 1964, Good Friday that year. Across south-central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing buildings and tsunamis resulting from the earthquake caused about 131 deaths. Lasting nearly four minutes, it was the most powerful recorded earthquake in US and North American history, and the second most powerful ever measured by seismograph. It had a magnitude of 9.2, at the time making it the second largest earthquake in recorded history. The powerful earthquake produced earthquake liquefaction in the region. Ground fissures and failures caused major structural damage in several communities, much damage to property and several landslides. Anchorage sustained great destruction and 200 miles southwest, some areas near Kodiak were permanently raised by 30 feet.

WIZARD OF ID

Funny Quote

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.”

– Yogi Berra DAILY GROOK COPPERS AND ROBBERS

by Francis Rodrigues we get cheated in death by our funeral parlours, they, with ears so deaf play corpse and rob us!

SUN MOON TIDES

GARFIELD

MIND BENDERS

Tongue Twister Sunday 33° C | 24° C Dawn 06:13

High 03:44

Partly Cloudy

Sunrise 06:35

Moon rise

She sifted thistles through her thistle-sifter

01:27 Moon set

13:00

TIDES High Low 18:26 —

High —

Low 10:45

D Tide timings are for Mormugao Harbour. For Panjim/Calangute add 20 mins. For Colva add 30 mins

21:00 Krrish

10:05 12:05 14:25 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:45

The Keeper Bad Company White Chicks Ghost Rider Horsemen Casino Royale X2: X-Men United

10:45 13:00 14:00 16:00 18:30 21:00

Riddle Me This

Sunset Dark 18:47 19:08

Cirque du Freak Spartacus Honey Octopus Il Up in the Air Journey to the Center of the Earth 23:00 Jackie Chan's First Strike

08:30 11:30 15:00 19:00 22:30

I am a protector, I sit on a bridge.

One person can see right through me while others wonder what I hide. What am I? Last ‘Riddle Me This’ Answer: A Snail

18:50 Stormbreaker 21:00 Fast Track 23:05 Jesse Stone

Hanuman Hastey Hastey The Burning Train Haseena Maan Jaayegi Unbreakable 09:30 12:00 16:00 20:00 22:55

Hanuman Returns Sooryavansham Om Shanti Om Roti Kapda Aur Makaan Terminator 3

12:30 Did You Hear About the Morgans?

14:35 Men in Black II 16:30 The Forbidden Kingdom

08:30 12:00 16:00 20:00

13:00 Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!

17:00 Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...

A Wednesday Hum Saath Saath Hain Magic Robot Masti Express

23:00 Guinness World Records: Ab India Todega

10:00 10:21 11:00 11:30 13:00 14:30 14:45 15:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00

Link'D Let'z Go! Zoom Box Let'z Go! Garama Garam Guthy Renker Let'z Go! Top 40 Let'z Go! Planet Bollywood Business of Bollywood Times Food and Night Life Guide 2011 20:30 Main Miss India 21:00 Club Mix 23:00 3rd rock Kashmira 2011 Calendar

10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00

House House Top Chef Most Daring Masters of Illusion

IDIOT BOX 10:00 Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla 11:00 Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla 12:00 Discover India with Anupam Kher 12:30 Superstar Buzz 13:00 Maayke Se Bandhi Dor 17:00 Phas Gaye Re Obama 19:30 Love U Zindagi 20:00 Maayke Se Bandhi Dor 21:00 Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla 22:00 Pyar Mein Twist 22:30 Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla 23:30 Love U Zindagi

10:30 12:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 21:00 22:00

Jubilee Comedy Circus Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi C.I.D C.I.D C.I.D Hisss Jubilee Comedy Circus Jubilee Comedy Circus

10:00 Dance India Dance Doubles Lime Light 10:30 Idea Jalsa: Music for Soul 11:00 Pavitra Rishta 12:00 Hungama 15:30 Dance India Dance Doubles 19:00 Gadar: Ek Prem Katha 23:30 Idea Jalsa: Music for Soul

10:00 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma 15:00 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma 16:30 Gili Gili Gappa 17:00 Gili Gili Gappa 17:30 Ring Wrong Ring 18:00 Ring Wrong Ring 18:30 Ring Wrong Ring 19:00 Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo

SUDOKU 818

19:30 20:00 23:00 23:30

10:00 10:30 12:30 13:00 16:30 17:00 20:00 23:30

Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo Hum Mrs. Tendulkar Mrs. Tendulkar

Geet Geet Superstar Buzz Chamatkar Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani My Name Is Khan Dhoond Legi Manzil Humein

09:30 The Global Indian Film & Television Honours 2011 12:00 Tees Maar Khan 15:30 Golmaal 3 18:00 Dabangg 20:00 Tees Maar Khan

15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

Wipeout Most Daring Top Chef Wipeout Most Daring Masters of Illusion Top Chef Iron Man

20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

The Good Guys Koffee With Karan Detroit 187 White Collar

10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00

Kumbh Karan MAD VIII Mr. Bean: The Animated Bal Hanuman III: Return of Demon Chhota Bheem Marathon Mr. Bean The Animated Series Marathon Barbie: Thumbelina Mr. Bean: The Animated Takeshi's Castle FAQ

13:30 17:00 20:00 21:45 22:00 23:00

10:00 Superstars Legends 10:30 FIA F1 World Ch’ship Raceday 2011 11:15 FIA F1 World Ch’ship 2011 13:15 FIA F1 World Ch’ship Chequered Flag 2011 14:00 The Warrior Prince 15:30 Superstars Legends 16:00 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 H/ls 19:00 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 H/ls 22:00 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 H/ls

10:30 14:30 15:58 16:00 16:10

21:00 22:00

Indonesian PGA Ch’ship Sec Women's Gymnastics Sportscenter Weekend Bloopers Sbk Superbike World Championship 2011 2011 US Figure Skating Championships Sportscenter Weekend Bloopers Sbk Superbike World Championship 2011 Indonesian PGA Ch’ship H/ls Grand American Series

10:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 14:00 15:00

WWE: Superstars Winning Post World Hockey Magazine NBA 2010/11 UEFA Europa League H/ls UEFA Champions League H/ls

17:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00

Las Vegas American Idol Community Community The Simpsons The Simpsons Friends Friends Koffee With Karan Dexter Dexter Mr. Sunshine Raising Hope The Good Guys

19:28 19:30 19:40

16:00 UEFA Champions League Magazine Show 16:30 WWE: NXT 17:30 European Tour 21:30 ATP 1000 Masters

10:00 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 H/ls 15:00 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 H/ls 22:00 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 H/ls

10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00

The Known Universe Mission Army Planet Carnivore Nat Geo Amazing!

World's Deadliest Animals True Stories : Engineering Connections Super Cat Nat Geo Amazing!

The Decade Weird & Wonderful Hotels Weird & Wonderful Hotels Mission Army Inside

07:00 All Goa Youth Fusion 07:30Sunset Symphony 08:00 English News 09:00 Via Dolorosa 10:00 English News 11:00 Flavors 11:30 Clown Fiesta 12:00 Flavors 12:30Trendsetter 13:00 English News 14:00 Konkani Movie 15:00Jazz Gospel 15:30Namah 16:00 English News 17:00 Sunday Mass 18:00 English News 19:00 Via Dolorosa 20:00 English News 21:00 Snaden Shawn Dance Jhalak 21:30Way of the Cross 22:00 English News 23:00 Sunday Mass 00:00Sunset Symphony 00:30Clown Fiesta Note: Subject to change

Instructions for Sudoku 9 x 9 letter: To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in each of the nine vertical columns, in each of the nine horizontal rows and in each of the nine boxes

SUDOKU SOL 817

HERALD CROSSWORD - 818 Across 1- Sun. talk; 4- Sporting blades; 9- Ruhr city; 14- Garden tool; 15Cow catcher; 16- Sleep disorder; 17- Mountain pass in S South America; 19- Weeping; 20About; 21- Talent; 23- Gnarl; 24Farewell; 27- Actress Ward; 30Substitute; 32- Back talk; 33Pick by hand; 37- One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters"; 39Function; 40- Orator; 42- Stomach woe; 43- Process of returning collateral; 44- Born; 45Slighted; 48- Morse element; 50Atlas feature; 51- Reproduction; 55- Cobb, e.g.; 57- Pond scum; 58- Idaho capital; 60- Covering flap on a seed vessel; 64- Composer Bruckner; 65- Not o'er; 66sor; 57- Zwei cubed; 58- ___-relief; 59- ___ roll; Compass pt.; 67- Decline; 68- Everglades bird; 61- Fastener; 62- Decoration at the top of a 69- DC bigwig; chair leg; 63- Hwy.; Down 1- Husk of corn; 2- Histological stain; 3- Dupe; 4SOLUTION - 817 First name in jazz; 5- Amigo; 6- Conductor ___Pekka Salonen; 7- Cornerstone abbr.; 8- Soggy; 9- I could ___ horse!; 10- Glasses, briefly; 11Colubrine; 12- Alway; 13- Negative vote; 18- Do something; 22- Essence; 24- Arguing; 25- Freshwater fish; 26- Publicity; 28- Fabric woven from flax yarns; 29- "The covers of this book are too far ____" — Bierce; 30- Fights; 31- Give up; 33Dog; 34- Cop ___; 35- Something necessary; 36- Dr. of rap; 38- Male sheep; 40- Kemo ___; 41- Artist Mondrian; 43- Air rifle ammo; 46- Actress Peeples; 47- Brought to ruin; 49- Sports; 51- Actor Gulager; 52- Leers at; 53- Temporary stop; 54- Arabian republic; 56- Carson's succes-

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Sunday, 27 Mar 2011

Krishnarjun Yudh to be staged during Zambaulim Shishirotsav Celebrations

HERALD FEATURES athgramasta Hindu Sabha Kalavibhag will present the Konkani musical play Krishnarjun Yudh at the Zambaulim Shishirotsav Celebrations on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at Shree Damodar Temple, Zambaulim. The play based on the great mythological epic Mahabharata which is originally written

by Narcinva Chintaman Kelkar is translated in Konkani by Dr Venkatesh Hegde. Renowned theatre artist and winner of various awards, Vaikunth Pai Fondekar is the director of the play. The production of the play is done by Narayan Pai Fondekar.

Shaumik Pai Angle, grandson of renowned theatre personality and actor Bhiku Pai Angle, will be playing the role of Krishna while Vishal Pai Cacode will feature in the role of Arjun. Savani Pai Hegde will play the role of Krishna’s wife Satyabhama while Smita Pai Cacode will play Draupadi.

The play will also feature Sharmad Pai Raiturkar, Vaikunth Pai Fondekar, Mahesh Nayak, Pravina Mahalaxmikar, Sangeeta Sambari, Shekhar Pai Fondekar, Shyam Nayak, and others.

The week long celebrations of the Zambaulim Shishirotsav began on Thursday with the traditional Naral Pooja at Comba, Margao. A huge procession with band and fireworks of the Dambabalo Nall was taken from Margao to Zambaulim on Friday which was followed by the Sitaswayanvar play staged by the Mathgramastha.

The traditional Gulalotsav will be held on Tuesday, March 29 and the festivities will conclude with Haldune on Thursday, March 31.

M

Pg3

Celebrating 25 Great Goals on the Konkani Stage

The Tragedy King’s Triumphs

By Elvis Sequeira

H

e may have earned the sobriquet ‘Tragedy King’ for his intense portrayal of tragedy, but as an actor, Mario Menezes can get into the skin of any character with ease. As a director he commands the respect of the artistes he works with, and extracts the best of their histrionic potential, with his scripts that are thorough and of a high standard, combined with subtle direction.

Mario began his career in tiatrs as a child artist at the age of six. After acting in tiatrs under many directors at the amateur level, Mario was introduced to the professional Konkani stage in 1981 by Late Fr. Freddy J da Costa in his tiatr ‘Doxea’. His very first professional assignment, won him accolades from the audience and offers from well known direrctors to act in their tiatrs. Late Rosario Rodrigues in whose tiatr ‘Fulam Ani Kolle’ he gave an outstanding performance and was then crowned ‘Tragedy King’ ), Roseferns, Prince Jacob, Airestides Dias, Patrick Dourado, Ligorio Fernandes, Pascoal Rodrigues, Jose Rod, Comedian Agostinho, Menino de Bandar, are some of the prominent directors of the Konkani stage that Mario worked with, before forming his own troupe ‘Menezes Theatres’ in 2001. Although his first tiatr under the aegis of ‘Menezes Theatres’ was ‘He Chukik Bhogsonnem Asa?’ , his knack for direction was displayed much before when the tiatr ‘ Goa Bandh’ directed by him won the first prize at the Kala Academy Tiatr Competition in 1992.

Over the years, Mario has written, directed and staged 25 tiatrs on various themes, and has travelled across, Dubai, Muscat, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Qatar and London, winning several awards both at home and abroad. Till date he has given more than 6000 performances. He has also produced 4 audio albums, and two VCDs, besides displaying his singing and acting talents in more than 75 audio cassettes and 12 video films.

Mario, a Commerce graduate, also holds an MBA Diploma. He also studied law for two years. He hails from Chinchinim, Salcete, but is currently based in the port town of Vasco da Gama. Unlike some other prominent directors, Mario Menezes holds a regular day jobS. And, besides his busy schedule, Mario makes sure that he spends quality time with his family – his wife Epiphania and daughters Rioma and Riosha (Rioma, like her father, has made her mark on the Konkani stage with her acting and singing talents.) Although Mario is a prolific tiatrist, many will be surprised to learn that Mario loves football more than tiatrs. A keen footballer during his college days, Mario represented his college at the university level in Mumbai. He also played for Benfica Sports Club Vasco. He is a staunch supporter of Goa’s oldest Vasco Sports Club and Salgaocar Sports Club. And, despite his busy schedule he makes time to watch his favourite teams in action. On the social front, Mario has served on various social and cultural organisations such as: Vice PresidentChinchinim Jaycees; Vice President- CRC Club of Chinchinim; Member –Lions Club of Curchorem; General Secretary – Konkani Tiatristanchi Sounstha; General Secretary – Konkani Non-stop Tiatristanchi Sounstha. Currently he is the Executive Member of the Tiatr Academy of Goa(TAG).

Mario Menezes along with his daughter Rioma in his tiatr Hevui Chukik Bogsonnem nam.

AWARDS

Kala Acadamy Awards Best Actor for FAVONA TEM MEVONA (1982) Best Director for GOA BANDH (1992) BEST TIATR for GOA BANDH Best Duo alongwith Lawry Travasso (2002) Gulab Awards Best Actor for AMCHEM GHOR (1985) Best Director for HE CHUKIK BOGSONEM ASA? (2001) Best Directozr for TIATR SOMPLO CHOLAT GHARA (2003) Best Writer for SANGAT AMI BURGHUIM KHONACHIM (2004) Best Director for TANCHEM CHINTAT TEVUIM MUNXEAM (2005) Best Writer for TANCHEM CHINTAT TEVUIM MUNXEAM ( 2005) Dr Jack Sequira Award Best Director for KAL AIZ ANI FALEAM ( 2009) Best Tiatr KAL AIZ ANI FALAEAM Best Director BEIMAN KIR (2010) Best Actor BEIMAN KIR (2010) Completing 25 Tiatr as Writer/Director

25 Great Goals in 9½ years 1.

2.

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7.

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HEVUI CHUKIK BOGSONEM ASA? (13th October 2001) UPRANT RODDON KITEAK UPKARTA? (6th April 2002) MHOJI MAIM MHOJI DUSHMAN (26th October 2002) TIATR SOMPLO CHOLAT GHARA (20th April 2003) SOUNSARANT KHON NHOI KHONACHO (25th October 2003) SANGAT AMI BHURGUIM KHONACHIM? (24th October 2004) MHOJO GHORABO MHOJEM GHOR (24th October 2004) MOG ... FULLAM VO KHANTE? (27th March 2005) HEM GHOR AMCHEM NHOI (23rd October 2005) TANCHEM CHINTAM TIVUI MHUNXEAM (16th April 2006) KAIDE KONNAK KELEAT (6th August 2006) TUM TUJEA JIVITACHO BOROINAR (28th October 2006) SANG MAKA HANV PATKIM? (8th April 2007) HEVUI CHUKIK BOGSONNEM NAM (17th June 2007) TUMI TUMCHEA DOLLE UGDATT (14th October 2007) GHORABEACHEA VANTTE (23rd March 2008) HI MAIM KHONACHI? (17th June 2008) NAGINN (26th October 2008) LOVE STORY 2009 (12th April 2009)

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

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KAL AIZ ANI FALLEAM (24th May 2009) BEIMAN KIR (11th October 2009) FATLAEAN POI (4th April 2010) TEM TUKA NAKA (11th July 2010) FUTTLELI BOXI (24th October 2010) ROGTACHO RONG TAMBDDO (24th April 2011)

Mario with the Gulab best Director award for Sangat ami Burguim Konnachim.

TIATR ACADEMY GOA (TAG) 1st POPULAR TIATR COMPETITION Best Actor for BEIMAN KIR (2009) Best Director for BEIMAN KIR (2009) 2nd Best Writer for BEIMAN KIR (2009) Best Tiatr for BEIMAN KIR (2009) 2nd BEST WRITER Goa Konkani Academy for Tanchem Chintat Tivui Munxeam

Best Actor Award Cathetical association of Patrocin Chapel, Benaulim for PADRI Bandra Women's Welfare Association for Dolle Ugddun Poi Star of Condi, Quepem for BEIMAN KIR Maurice, Navelim for Bhauvacho Chedo ALL INDIA MAJOR PORTS CULTURAL MEET Best Supporting Actor in 1998 at Vishakapatnam Best Actor at Navi Mumbai (2007) BEST DIRECTOR Kala Niketan for TANCHEM CHINTAT TIVUI MUNXEAM Sangolda Lightning for TANCHEM CHINTAT TIVUI MUNXEAM Brain Box for TANCHEM CHINTAT TIVUI MUNXEAM Panjim Cultural Club for MHOJI MAIM MHOJI DUSHMAN Event Management, Baroda for HE CHUKIK BOGSONEM ASA? Konkani Uloupancho Asro, Nagpur for HE CHUKIK BOGSONEM ASA Our lady of Seven Dollars, Sonapur Mumbai for SANGAT AMI BURGUIM KONACHIM Drama Critic, Panjim for TIATR SOMPLO CHOLAT GHORA Lawrence Fernandes, Dubai for TIATR SOMPLO CHOLAT GHORA Hon. Minister Churchill Alemao for TEM TUKA NAKA Lions Club of Colva for GHORABEACHE VANTTE John & Goretti, Dubai for FUTTLELIL BOXI

A scene from Kala Academy award winning tiatr Goa Bandh written and directed by Mario Menezes.

‘Tiatr’s’ Winning Moments

Prince Jacob and Humbert rejoicing after winning 14 awards of the night for Kednam Utt'ttolo

Photos by Rozario Estibeiro

Anthony San wins Best singer (Male) for Novo Tiatrist in Pisollem Succor de St Cruz performing alon with Sonia Fernandes

Cameron received the Best child artiste (Male) and Best Child Singer (Male) for Bhurgim Tim Bavlim Nhoi

Parenting

Pandurang Phaldesai presenting the Best Duo award to Bernard and Cosme for Sharp Shooter in Kednam Utt'ttollo

Mario Menezes wins eight awards for Futleli Boxi including the second prize for Best Performance and Best Direction.

Shenaya received the Best child artiste (Female) and Best Child Singer (Female) for Bhurgim Tim Bavlim Nhoi

Elvis Sequeira in all smiles while receiving the Best Supporting Actor (Male) for Vichitr Natem

Lawry Travasso receiving his award for Best Actor in Negative Role (Male) for Futtleli Boxi

Roseferns receives the award for Best Music on behalf of Anthony de Velim for Bhurgim tim Bavlim Nhoi

Winners of different categories of the 2nd Popular Tiatr Festival organised by the Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG)

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Sunday, 27 Mar 2011

Sonakshi, Ranveer dying to work Together

Tourism

Parenting

Pg4

Rishi Kapoor has always been an inspiration: Hrithik

R

anveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha, who made impressive debuts last year with Band Baaja Baaraat and Dabangg, respectively, are eager to work with each other. Sonakshi bagged multiple awards this year for her role opposite Salman Khan in the blockbuster movie Dabangg, while Ranveer impressed as a Delhi-boy in romantic comedy Band Baaja Baaraat.

“I would love to work with Sonakshi. She is a brilliant performer and I hope we work together soon.

Although nothing is fixed as of now,” said Ranveer.

Sonakshi has big projects in her kitty – she has Joker with Akshay Kumar, Race 2 and a film with Kamaal Hassan, but she too wants to work with Ranveer and she made that desire obvious on Karan Johar’s talk show.

“We do want to work together. We talked about it, but he is very busy with his projects at the moment and my line up of films is also sorted. So we don’t have the opportunity now; it will take at least another year before we can work together,” said the actress.

At the moment, Ranveer is busy with Yash Raj Films production Ladies V/S Ricky Bahl, being directed by Maneesh Sharma.

B

ollywood hunk Hrithik Roshan who gets into the shoes of the iconic character Vijay Dinanath Chauhan in the remake of Agneepath is working with Rishi Kapoor for the first time.

Calling him a source of inspiration, Roshan praises the veteran actor’s energy and fitness at this age.

Besides the emotional scenes, the two actors have also done some action scenes together in the film directed by Karan Johar.

“Chintu uncle (Rishi Kapoor) has always been a source of inspiration for me, not just me but I think every Indian actor has somewhere tried to emulate the vortex of energy that is Rishi Kapoor. And he continues to inspire,” said Hrithik.

“I was amazed at his level of strength and fitness while shooting the action sequence. He took some bad falls, was bruised and scarred but just kept going!”

The iconic character was played by megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the original version of the film, directed by Mukul Anand. The film couldn’t make it at the box-office but it brought Bachchan his first National Award.

Reason behind Cooper’s and Zellwegar’s Split revealed

LiLo’s Decision to drop Last Name hurts Dad

A

ctor Bradley Cooper’s rising career is considered the reason behind his split with actress Renee Zellweger.

“If I had to pick any possible mistress, it would be Brad’s career. He worked really hard to get into leading man status,” said a friend of Cooper and Zellweger.

Cooper’s career has witnessed a rise since he starred in a hit comedy The Hangover and Limitless which topped the US box office and took in $19 million.

“She tried to make it work. But in the end it was too hard. Her friends feel bad it ended, but she’s okay,” said one of Renee’s friends.

The couple had parted ways just days after 36-year-old Cooper paid tribute to Zellweger, 41, during an interview on biographical series Inside The Actor’s Studio.

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indsay Lohan’s dad Michael has said that he is hurt by the news that his daughter wants to drop her last name. “At the outset, it hurts to hear something like that, but at the end of the day, it’s never going to happen,” he said.

“It’s a real shame Dina would make up this kind of story. From the time she came out to California, she has tried to put a wedge between Lindsay and me.”

“Every time she comes around, she tries to put a wedge, and it’s only harmful to Lindsay and the children. This family needs therapy,” he added.

Michael was arrested earlier this week after an alleged physical dispute with his ex-fiancée, Kate Major.

Men feel Old at 58, but Women at 29

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new study has revealed that women consider themselves old at 29, half the age of men who don’t feel over the hill until they are 58. A quarter of women say they felt old as soon as they spotted their first grey hairs. On the other hand, men tend to think they are still young until they can no longer perform in the bedroom, according to the study by Avalon Funeral Plans.

It is thought that this gulf between the sexes is because age perception is so determined by society’s attitude towards youth and beauty.

“In our society, the attractiveness of women is quite important. Men don’t have to be good looking but, for some reason, it’s important for women to look presentable,” said psychologist Professor Cary Cooper from Lancaster University.

“Magazines are all about youth and are filled with young, attractive women. Women then start to perceive themselves as old when they no longer feel like this, when they don’t feel trendy or fashionable.

“Men, on the other hand, don’t have to be good looking, it doesn’t concern them.”

He added: “At 30, women have matured; they’re expected to think about getting married and starting a family. While the majority of men are much more career orientated; they don’t feel old until they’ve reached retirement age.”

Sophisticated Cavemen had a lot in Common with us

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leading archaeologist claims that cavemen were far more sophisticated than their dimwitted reputation suggests. Professor John J Shea, of Stony Brook University, New York, says evidence of early humans’ weapons, symbols and burials 1,95,000 years ago shows they had more in common with us than we like to think.

He claims Homo sapiens emerged all at once, “not as modernlooking people first and as modern-behaving people later.”

Professor Shea started researching ‘behavioural variability’ in 2002 after excavating a 1,95,000-year-old site in Ethiopia.

“Nothing about the stone tools struck me as archaic or primitive,” he stated in his article, ‘Refuting a Myth about Human Origins’. “We need to discard an incorrect and outdated idea about human evolution, the belief that prehistoric Homo sapiens can be divided into ‘archaic’ and ‘modern’ humans.”

It follows research suggesting that a caveman did not only rely on animals for their diet but also dined on processed plant-based foods.

Powerful microscopes discovered traces of starch grains on grinding stones recovered from archaeological sites in Italy, Russia and the Czech Republic.

It has also been claimed that cavemen were better parents than we are. Their children were cuddled and carried about, never left to cry, spent lots of time outdoors and were breastfed for years rather than months.

And the fact cavemen had to rely on their wits should prove they were not thick, Professor Shea claims, explaining, “In the unforgiving Pleistocene environments in which our species evolved, reproductive isolation was the penalty for stupidity, and lions and wolves were its cure.”

“If any such cognitive ‘winner take all’ wipeout event ever happened, it was probably among earlier hominins or during the evolutionary differentiation of our species from these hominin ancestors.”

Quantum Dots could make Solar Panels more Efficient

Editor –in-chief: R F Fernandes. Editor: Ashwin Tombat. Chief Editor-Features: Christina Viegas.

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ew studies conducted by researchers at the Colorado School of Mines could significantly improve the efficiency of solar cells. Mark Lusk and his colleagues’ latest work describes how the size of lightabsorbing particles – quantum dots – affects the particles’ ability to transfer energy to electrons to generate electricity.

The advance provides evidence to support a controversial idea called multiple-exciton generation (MEG) which theorises that it is possible for an electron that has absorbed light energy, called an exciton, to transfer that energy to more than one electron, resulting in more electricity from the same amount of absorbed light.

Quantum dots are man-made atoms that confine electrons to a small space. They have atomic-like behaviour that results in unusual electronic properties on a nanoscale. These unique properties may be particularly valuable in tailoring the way light interacts with matter.

For this study, Lusk and collaborators used a National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported high performance computer cluster to quantify the relationship between the rate of MEG and quantum dot size.

They found that each dot has a slice of the solar spectrum for which it is best suited to perform MEG and that smaller dots carry out MEG for their slice more efficiently than larger dots. This implies that solar cells made of quantum dots specifically tuned to the solar spectrum would be much more efficient than solar cells made of material that is not fabricated with quantum dots.

Courtesy: Agencies

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From Goa’s Soil Oh! Cashew Wine!

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Goa’s Water Sports:

Endeavouring to stay Safe than Sorry Photo by Janice Rodrigues

Goa boasts of a coastline of around 101 kilometres, giving the state some really exquisite beaches with some unforgettable moments. With water bodies in our state, Goa has huge scope for utilising the resources to attract tourists. JANICE RODRIGUES takes the plunge into water sports in the state…

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he waves splashing on the shore, invites anyone standing at a beach, to get into the water, maybe just to dip your feet into the splendid water.

The water has a distinct charisma surrounding it that invites even the sternest of people into it. Tapping this alluring facet of water, and giving it an added thrill, is the water sports for the more adventurous; tourist and Goan alike.

Walk down the beach stretch of Calangute and Candolim during the months of the tourist seasons and the sights of a big colourful parachute flying overheads catches your eye. The person dangling from the harness, soaring the skies, screaming out in excitement, having a time of his life, is a scene worth a good laugh. Often, it even gives you an urge to try the same. Water sports have a charm of their own.

Goa being blessed with a coastline of 101 kilometers and with ample water bodies, the state has a load of water-sports from parasailing to paragliding to kayaking and scuba diving.

Speed boats, kayaks, banana boats, dinghies are lined up the shores of the water, waiting to be picked up along the Calangute-Candolim coastline. “Tourists come here and get attracted to the water sports, they just want to try everything and have fun,” says the Hindi-speaking Rakesh, who tries to sell me a ride as I take the path to where the equipment is lined up. When asked about the rides that they offer, Irfan, another promoter comes up and give the details, “We have the banana boats, the bumper rides, jet skis and the parasailing,” he explains. Rajesh and Irfan work together for an establishment called the ‘Lovers Water Sports’.

Anthony Godhino another person who runs a shack and a water sports business says that tourists who flock to Goa and the beaches, want to try anything that is exciting, “They are on a holiday and want to enjoy themselves, before they go back to their working life.” He also points out that the tourists who come in for adventure sports are more national than international, “The international tourists prefer to lie on the beach beaches and sun bathe,” he adds. Fibin from the John Fernandes Water Sports Group, in Colva says “In Colva, 95 percent of the tourists coming in for water sports are nationals. The international tourists prefer going for dolphin tours, snorkelling and kayaking.” Scuba diving, another water sport, has been popular among the international tourists, says Gary Lamare of the Goa Diving based in Bogmalo, “But now the Indian tourists too come in for it.”

Goa Kayaking another establishment of water sports, albeit a quieter one attracts

a lot of tourists to their daily trips. “The one day trips that are held from the month of October to the end of May get about 90% tourists out of which another 90% are international tourists,” says Prakash Alfonso, of the Goa Kayaking.

Water is as calming, as it is dangerous an element. The probability of accidents is always lurking in the vicinity. “There haven’t been any major accidents in the eight years I have been in this business. To avoid any maximum damage, all water sports have the compulsory use of the lifejackets, so that even if you do fall into the water and don’t know how to swim, you will stay afloat,” says Ashok from the Cheers Water Sports. “If anybody falls into the water, we throw out ropes to them so they can hang out to it, while the lifeguard gets in to save them,” says Rakesh.

“We have two personal lifeguards who are trained by the National Institute of Water Sports, who have the license too,” says Irfan. For the Kayaking scene it is almost impossible to fall from the kayak into the water, which is still, but yet the life jacket is a must and a trained person is always at the aid to anyone who has a problem, “We have one lifeguard per 10 people who go out kayaking,” says Prakash, whose favourite spots to kayak is the Nerul Creek and the Mandovi backwaters.

Scuba diving is probably the only water sport that requires training, “We take the clients to the swimming pool before they are taken out at sea, to provide them some basic training. And even when they are out at sea there is one instructor per person; we hold the anchor line and dive down and they are strictly instructed not to leave the line,” explains Gary who takes his clients to the Grande Island off the coast of Bogmalo.

Holidaying in Goa proves fatal to many tourists, when they consume excess alcohol and get into the water after that. But majority of these water sport enterprises strictly instruct the customers about not going into the water, loaded with alcohol. “The customers are not allowed to drink and come in to the water for any rides,” says Fibin, adding that if they misbehave we do report them to the cops.

The bumper ride according to Sachin Rao, who has been in the business for the past 8 years for Blue Coconut Water Sports, is the most risky ride, “but even with that we have a life guard who is on a boat out at sea, at all times, and if any one falls into the water, he immediately jumps in and come to rescue.” Fibin also adds that the crew is trained in lifesaving techniques.

...contd on page 4

Tiatr in Villages

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f we ponder a little over the performances of tiatr in the past, we come across many interesting facts. One such very important fact is that no feast in the village or ward is complete without staging a tiatr on that day. Even today the craze for staging a tiatr on the occasion of a feast is as strong as it was in the past. The only difference one observes is that few years back the tiatr to be staged on the occasion of a feast in the village was written, directed and acted by the artists from the respective village. In present times, a commercial dramatic troupe is hired to stage a tiatr on the occasion of the feast.

Unity Staging a tiatr by the artistes, boys and girls, from the village had a unique charm. Any capable person, young or old, used to write the script of the play. Adults, youth and children who had a flair for singing and acting were selected.

Rehearsals were carried on for almost a month mostly in the evening when everyone returned home from his/her daily work. Not only the persons acting in the tiatr were involved but also all the people in the ward participated as they used to contribute to meet the expenses of staging the tiatr. Mostly these tiatrs were staged in order to entertain the people from the ward. If any income was produced, the net profit was donated to the local sporting club or the chapel or the church. The activity of producing a yearly tiatr by the villagers strengthened the bonds of unity between the people from the ward/village.

Talents Another very significant reality of producing a tiatr in the village by the villagers was that it gave an ample opportunity to the people from the village to display their cultural and dramatic talents. It was due to the production of village tiatrs that Goa produced numerous script writers, directors, actors, singers, lyricists, etc. You name any stalwart of the tiatr stage – present or past – he/she must have first acted or sung in a village tiatr. Staging a yearly tiatr created a lot of enthusiasm among the children in the village which helped in creating love for tiatr, its song and music. The villages and wards that produced yearly tiatrs on the occasion of the feasts helped as nurseries for future tiatr artistes.

Unfortunately, this beautiful tradition has been stopped. A sad commentary indeed!

Commercialism The advent of hundreds of TV channels and internet facility, although could not adversely affect the popularity of tiatr, definitely did harm the production of tiatrs by the villagers in the villages. Easy entertainment available through TV channels and internet damaged children’s attitude towards creative entertainment. Craze for western culture too played its role in stopping the production of tiatrs by the villagers. This attitude of villagers encouraged commercial dramatic troupes to produce tiatrs as per the need of the time because the staging of a tiatr does take place on the

On the Tiatr

Stage

BY TOMAZINHO CARDOZO

occasion of every feast.

TAG’s Scheme Therefore, the Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) started a scheme to encourage production of tiatrs in the villages by the villagers. TAG is of the opinion that the hidden singing and acting talents among the youths in the villages must be explored and that encouragement should be given to develop such talents in the villages. Only such an attempt can help tiatrs in all respects such as production, promotion and preservation.

TAG’s scheme therefore provides financial and technical support for the villagers to produce tiatrs in the villages.

Villagers only Institutions, groups, dramatic troupes, individuals, etc interested in promoting tiatr culture in the village can take benefit of this scheme. The only important condition is that the participating artistes must be the residents of that village. The script and songs may be written/composed by anyone from anywhere but acting and singing must be done by the villagers alone. Musicians may be from anywhere and not necessarily from the village.

Financial Support If an institution or an individual ventures on producing a tiatr in the village under this scheme, TAG provides a financial support up to Rs 20,000 for production and staging of the first show of the tiatr. If technical guidance is needed, then TAG will provide a director who will direct the village talents and produce the tiatr. The expenditure incurred in engaging the director will be borne by the TAG. What should be kept in mind is that the tiatr should be shown to the people free without charging any tickets. However, sponsorship from businessmen, firms, etc may be taken to meet the extra expenditure if any.

Aim Goan tiatr is a part and parcel of Goan culture. There is no doubt that it is important to have thousands of performances of tiatr every year. But it is more important to have performances by involving maximum number of lovers of tiatr in the production and presentation. This aim can be achieved only if, as in the past, tiatrs are produced by the villagers in the villages. As for me, the true future of tiatr lies in this activity because it attempts, besides discovering dramatic talents in the village, to create love for tiatr among the village people.

(Email your feedback to: tomazinho.goa@gmail.com)

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Sunday, 27 March 2011

GOA’S FIRST AND ONLY GIP A Feni-licious Fill of Goan Spirit

Taking the ‘Feni’ Slog to ‘Tiatr’

BY CHRISTINA VIEGAS HERALD FEATURES iatr’ has been a very important medium to enlighten people on various issues plaguing the state of Goa. This art from has been tremendously impacting as seen in the influence it had on the Opinion Poll of 1967 or during the Konkani Movement in 1985.

So,itwasinterestingtogetchattingwithagroupofeminent tiatrists and inquire as to why they do not dwell on the subject of ‘Feni’ in their ‘tiatr’. The immediate reaction was one of shock.

“How can we promote alcohol through ‘tiatr’?” was the unanimous query from most of them. President of the Tiatr Association of Goa, Tomazinho Cardozo said, “In the past, ‘Feni’ was mentioned in some tiatrs but only with some humorous connotation.”

And the ‘Feni’ stakeholders spoken to said they are wary of ‘Feni’ being mentioned in ‘tiatr’ as unknowingly the tiatrists might damage the image of ‘Feni’ by portraying it in bad light.

The famous Prince Jacob promptly said, “If we bring up the topic of ‘Feni’, people would think we are promoting alcohol and someone’s brand.”

Quickly, remind him that the ‘Feni’ industry is not about one person’s brand or any individual interest. Instead, it comprises of an entire industry of people who have slogged continuously in keeping this centuries-old tradition alive and thisindustryvibrantdespitealltheeconomicandsocialhurdles in their lives. There are hoards of women involved in the strenuouslabourofclimbingtheharshanddanger-prone(wild bison, bulls, snakes, etc) slopes of the cashew plantations, picking the cashew apples, de-seeding them, crushing them etc. And the very process of distilling the liquor is tiresome.

Most of them hardly have two square meals a day and many are seeped in debt. So, how come the tiatrists have not seen this side of the industry and highlighted the same through their tiatr? Prince Jacob immediately answers, “This is a great point to debate. Yes, why haven’t we done it? Why haven’t we seen this side of the story instead of only looking at it as an alcohol?”

Interestingly, he goes on to enlighten, “In fact, in my last play, Kednam Utt’ttolo, I have essayed the role of a toddy tapper. I even sang a song enlightening people about how the toddy tappers are fast disappearing and that’s why we cannot make our ‘sannas’ from pure ‘sur’ like before.”

Excellent! This is exactly what the Cashew ‘Feni’ industry

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needs: Highlighting the harsh lifestyles of the poor ‘bhaticars’ who are relegated to the background. The famous Rooseferns pipes in, “I had the guts to highlight the life of the matchstick workers in my play ‘Ami Goemkar Tumi Kon’. So, I believe instead of only making ‘tiatr’ for commercial purpose, we also havearesponsibilitytohighlightimportantissuesandIdefinitely think we need to highlight the lives of the people behind the ‘Feni’ slog,” On Mr Tomazinho Cardozo’s part, he enlightens, “When it comes to any form of alcohol, there are several conditions laid down by the government. For example, if Kingfisher is a sponsor, we cannot mention Kingfisher beer, instead we mention only the water. Yet, isn’t it not obvious that it is the alcohol brand that is getting mileage.”

After mulling over the subject, he continues, “But as you mention now that this is about an entire industry of people and their struggles, I don’t think there should be any problem in incorporating their lifestyles in ‘tiatr’; about how things were in the past and what their present struggles are. Let us see what best we can do for this.”

So, it is clearly evident that there are double standards with regards to the subject on part of the government who shy away from promoting ‘Feni’ because it is an alcohol. Yet, we fail to understand the hosting of a wine festival on a phenomenal scale, year after year. Or the conceding of permission for liquor brands to scream out their labels during Carnival time or other festivities.

What is of vital importance here is to understand that no one is advocating any particular brand. Instead, we are talking about the need to preserve this centuries-old tradition and promote it accordingly, akin to what other countries have done for their GIPs. And going by the final deduction of what the tiatrists say that people need to get enlightened in the right mannersothatwecanhighlighttheslogofthe‘bhaticars’ - people without a face, the handful of unscrupulous bottlers posing a threat to the industry and to the genuine bottlers, the hardships of the ‘bhaticars’, the need to preserve this Goan tradition, the difficulty in procuring good, authentic ‘Feni’ etc, ‘tiatr’ can be a very powerful medium to do just that.

On a concluding note, Prince Jacob says, “If you give me a bottle of good old ‘Feni’ and a Johny Walker Whisky, I will go for ‘Feni’.”

Wonder when the Goa government will do the same and tout Goa’s ‘Feni’ over the wines that come in from out of state!

BEAUTY & brains

BY DR NANDKUMAR M KAMAT

What I gained from Marathi Medium Schools

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belong to a family of traders where there was no tradition of formal education. So despite having been born in a GSB family my educational status was not different than the masses who were deprived of education. My late father knew excellent spoken as well as written Portuguese and Marathi in both nagari and old modi script but he was not educated beyond a few standards. My mother, now 78, originally from San-Mudgere, near Karwar left the school after a few standards in Kannada. With some practice she could read Marathi and Konkani. So my schooling was without any help in homework from the parents.

When I look back at the first 11 years of my basic education on the background of the snowballing controversy over medium of instruction and basically the issue of state funding of English medium primary schools, I fail to understand why people confuse foreign language proficiency with the medium of instruction. What I gained in those 11 eventful years? My first two years were spent in Government primary school, Primeiro bairro, Santa Cruz, where I learnt nagari alphabets, mental arithmetic and acted in a Konkani play.

My next two years were spent in Panaji’s Massano De Amorim Primary School.

It helped me because central library had opened the new children’s reading section where the curator Mr Hubali gave me an early entry. Being in Panaji also gave me access to excellent libraries.

I could not read English till I entered the fifth standard of Kasturba Matoshri High School, formerly known as Kanyashala – a high school established in 1937 for educating girls. I was totally illiterate in English before Std V. Then for six years I studied English only as a lower level language in our school. We had Wren and Martin high school English grammar, Tarkhadkar’s bilingual grammars and teachers made it compulsory to purchase English to Marathi bilingual dictionaries. Without understanding much I used to watch English movies at National cinema

Versatality of Feni demonstrated by Kazkar Feni

Feni Botanica 1.25 Part Cashew Feni 1 Part Orange Vodka 0.5 Part Orange Juice 0.5 Part Sweet and Sour Mix Method: Shake and strain Glass: Cocktail Garnish: Lemon twist

oil S s ’ oa G From

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theatre. Our shop used to get truckloads of old English magazines. The smell of the pages of The Illustrated Weekly of India is still fresh in my mind. While turning the pages of these colourful English magazines, I wished I could have better English language proficiency to read them. After reaching Std VII that became possible.

But still there was a long way to go as I focussed on building my vocabulary. As students we were encouraged to translate text passages from English to Marathi and vice versa.

After finishing SSC with four languages – English, Marathi, Hindi and Sanskrit, joining the first year science class at Dhempe College was a big jump. Altogether we had at least 30 students from Goa and Maharashtra who had joined after finishing SSC in Marathi medium.

All of them are well settled now. Today I don’t have much difficulty with English.

I owe this to the solid foundation in a medium which was closer to my mother tongue Konkani.

Marathi medium education made me read Indian literature which enriched my life. I read many English classics first in translated form and then picked up the original works. Marathi medium education gave me a sense of belonging to local culture and the nation.

Studying four languages for four years helped me in creative writing. When I encounter convent educated post graduate students with poor knowledge of English reading or writing, I really wonder what they really gained in English medium.

Parents and educationists need to read and debate Carole Benson’s background paper, titled, The Importance of Mother Tongue-based Schooling for Educational Quality, prepared for UNESCO’s the Education for All Global Monitoring Report, 2005. Carole works at the Centre for Teaching and Learning Stockholm University, Sweden and is also a consultant in mother tonguebased multilingual education in the Americas, Europe and Africa, including Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, South Africa and Ethiopia. Besides she is engaged in research relating to mother tongue-based schooling, the influence of language competence on learning across the curriculum and the ways that mother tongue education might facilitate girls’ education. After reading this report, I understood why I am different. It was my basic education which imprinted in my genes a strong sense of belonging to the soil, land, nature, culture, family, people and nation.

(Email your feedback to: nandkamat@gmail.com)

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BY MIGUEL BRAGANZA

Oh! Cashew Wine!

he summer is heating up the state of Goa as much as the growing debate on the proper ‘medium’ of instruction. Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain wrote, “I never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Neither did I, nor have my three children allowed the Konkani in Devanagri “primary” schooling in ABE schools interfere even with their choice of languages. They do not know what a ‘kaju fok’ is but they are nuts about cashews! Since the advent of the RFRS-Vengurla, Sanjeev Mayekar from Bicholim and Lumina Lobo from Siolim, my children, Martha and I know of, and enjoy, cashew squash and cashew wine in addition to the bibbo, mutto, neiero and the cashew nuts specially the organic, salted, drum-roasted types.

Frank Sinatra sang about his “Summer wine” because he knew nothing of urrak-n-lime or cashew wine. Wine is one of the most delicious products we can enjoy in the processing of cashew fruits or ‘apples’. You can truly savour cashew and other non-grape fruit wines only if you know Dr John Carmo Rodrigues or Lumina Lobo’s phone number or learn how they are made. It is really not as difficult as you think!

You can pick up a copy of my Guru Edwin Saldanha’s book on Successful Home made Goan Wines from any bookstore, wait for Carmo’s book or just read on. Check out the ingredients and the step by step procedure for making wine from the cashew fruits.

The cashew tree Anacardium occidentale L, generally considered to be native to the Northern part of South America, is now found in many tropical areas with Brazil, India, Vietnam and Nigeria being the main producers. The fruit consists of mainly the nuts containing an embryo (kernel) and a false fruit commonly called cashew apple and it is rated foremost of the native fruits in Nigeria. Goa is known for TPS certified ‘organic’ cashew nuts and now has the ‘Geographical Indications’ for cashew Feni.

The apples undergo reverse osmosis (RO) like your water purification process to extract the juice but

you do not need any equipment for it, just a little sugar will do the trick. The juice will have to undergo the process of fermentation to produce the wine; baker’s yeast will do the job for you. All you need to do is to ‘activate’ the yeast with a little warm water and sugar and occasionally stir up things for the active yeast like a social activist.

The product is yellowish-brown in color and becomes reddish brown upon aging. It contains ten to twelve per cent ethyl alcohol or ethanol.

For one kilogram fresh cashew apples you need one hundred grams of refined sugar and half a teaspoonful of yeast. The procedure is simple. Select juicy, ripe cashew apples, wash, trim both ends of the apples and slice into four equal parts. Weigh the sliced apples. Add sugar and soak the mixture for 12 to 15 minutes. Decant and transfer the juice to fermenting vessel. Add the activated yeast and stir the mixture in a circular motion. Cover the mouth of the jar or can with cloth and tie it. Stir once a day for a minute for five days. Set aside for two to four weeks. Siphon or decant the wine.

Fully ripe cashew apples (yellow variety) ameliorated to 20° Brix and inoculated with one gram baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) per litre of extracted juice and fermented at 28°C for 14 days and then aged for six months of storage yields a wine that is light brown, slightly acidic in taste (total titratable acidity 0.74% w/ v tartaric acid)), low in tannin (0.60 mg/100 ml), low in vitamin C (14.2 mg/100 ml) and low in alcohol (7.2%) concentration. Sensory evaluation results show that there are no significant differences (p<0.05) in aroma and overall acceptability between the wine produced from cashew apple powder (CAP) and commercial fruit wines particularly in taste, colour, aroma and overall acceptability.

If the wine is a bit hazy, clarify it with egg white or albumen. Mix half a cup of egg white and pasteurise the wine to 50-60°C for three minutes. Pack in bottle with tight cork or non-metallic screw cap to ‘age’ the wine for at least six months. Chill the wine before serving.

Try it out now while the cashews are available in plenty. If you need some more clarifications, write back or meet us at the Konkan Fruit Fest, come May or earlier.

(Email your feedback to: braganza.miguel@gmail.com)

Across 1- First name in jazz; 5- Rocky hilltop; 8- Grounded fleet; 12- Coarse; 14- Caucus state; 15- Yorkshire river; 16- Awry; 17- Filmmaker Riefenstahl; 18- Depilatory brand; 19- Grouchy person; 21- Gold lump; 23- Heston's org.; 24- Commercials; 25- Conductor de Waart; 26- Dark brownish red color; 30- Made a mistake; 32- Hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, e.g.; 33- Sanguinaria; 37- Dies ___; 38- Chaplin persona; 39- High hair style; 40- Cocktail; 42- Broadcasting; 43- Dress style; 44- Small auk; 45- Paris possessive; 48- Cask wood; 49- Thunder Bay's prov.; 50- Cavalryman; 52- Visionary; 57- Aha!; 58- Atlantic mackerel; 60- Viscid;

61- Bought the farm; 62- Bristles; 63- Aromatic compound; 64- Sommer of film; 65- Decade divs.; 66- ___ -shanter (Scottish cap); Down 1- Ages; 2- Nike's swoosh, e.g.; 3- Corker; 4- Antiquing agent; 5- Digits of the foot; 6- Have; 7- Kerplop maker; 8- Squealed; 9- Prolonged attack; 10- Cornered; 11- Brief brawl; 13- Greek god of sleep; 14- Ingrid's "Casablanca" role; 20- Coffee container; 22- Not new; 24- Fragrance; 26- Disfigure; 27- Gillette brand; 28- Crowd sound; 29- Last letter of the Greek alphabet; 30- Delight; 31- Intoxicated; 33- Verge; 34- Fall birthstone; 35- Comics canine; 36- Civil wrong;

38- Government by three persons; 41- Burn soother; 42- Interruption; 44- Hydrocarbon suffix; 45- Slip; 46- Art supporter; 47- Move stealthily; 49- Scent; 51- Give up; 52- Coloured part of the eye; 53- Couldn't find; 54- Bit; 55- Appear; 56- Neophyte; 59- Decoration at the top of a chair leg;

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Sunday, 27 March 2011

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W E E K LY

n spite of the reams of paper written on dog psychology, I have noticed that the way people communicate with their own dogs is often counterproductive. Here are some points that might help out in better interaction with your canine: Dog runs onto the road. Owner comes out of house, stops at doorstep and starts screaming at the dog. Dog ignores human. Reason: Dogs do not listen to unstable beings. When one dog wishes to communicate something to another dog, they do not start screaming and yelling.

Dog barks at human to ask for the food the human is eating. Human hands the dog a piece. Problem: This is going to lead to the dog getting the message that he is boss. This is not respectful in the canine world. A lower member of the pack would never dream of barking at a pack leader while they were eating.

Dog sees another dog and starts to bark. Human says “No” to the dog, and proceeds to pet their dog on the head.

Problem: This is really like saying “Good dog for barking.” The dog has received mixed signals and until they are made clear, he will continue his behaviour or increase it.

Dog is on a leash and pulls the leash tight to sniff where he pleases as the owner talks to another human. What is needed: This is bad leash manners. Asking the dog to wait patiently would provide the dog with a mental challenge, which all dogs need.

Owner corrects dog by yelling the dog’s name over and over again, but never actually addresses the dog with any type of body language. The dog does not know what it is the owner wants. Human proceeds to have a conversation in human words with the dog stating they are going to punish the dog. Correction: One should only use a dog’s name for positive things so the dog associates his name with something good. Otherwise he will stop responding to his name.

Owner allows small dog to greet a human by putting their paws on human’s leg. In the dog world this is not a respectful way to greet another being. There is no difference between that 5 pound Lhasa Apso and that 90 pound German Shepherd in regards to the meaning behind the behaviour.

Dog is walking slightly in front of the person holding the leash. Then the human expects the dog to ignore other dogs when they let the dog lead. The signal to the dog is: you are my leader, but listen to what I say. That is confusing for a dog.

Humans approaching a gate or doorway let the dog nose their way first. Dogs should be sent back a step and made to watch for the humans cue that it’s their turn. No pushing.

Human attempting to go first through an entrance way, telling the dog to wait but never following through. Dog paused, but still had his nose in the doorway and was tense in posture, showing he did not give in to the idea. Dog should have stepped back and relaxed before the human allowed the dog to pass.

Owner picks up small dog. Dog wiggles and whines to get down and the owner obeys, reinforcing the dog’s power over the human.

H O R O S C O P E

ANIMALWorld

Learning the Language your Dog speaks

Dog barks at another dog. Human corrects dog by saying “No.” Dog turns head to avoid eye contact with the human. Human turns the dogs head back to get the dog to look at him, thinking the dog should look at him when being reprimanded. When actually the dog turning away was the dog communicating to the human that they do not wish to challenge them. In the human world making eye contact when being spoken too is respect, however in the dog world staring straight into one’s eyes can be taken as a gesture of a challenge.

Tiny dog is being carried by owner and barks and growls at another person. Owner laughs, grabs dog’s snoot and says “stop” in a neutral tone. The laugh by the owner and their tone were praise in the dog’s eyes. Dog barks and growls even more. Owner repeats the “correction” laughs and apologises to stranger.

Later dog is seen pulling on the leash. All humans including the stranger laugh thinking the aggression coming from such a small dog is funny. This dog is going to become a biter.

Owner is sitting with tiny dog on lap. Tiny dog barks at someone passing by. Owner pulls the dog close to her body trying to get it to be quiet. Owner just gave the dog affection for barking.

Another dog walks by a small dog who is on its owners lap. Owner covers the small dog's eyes to try and stop the small dog from barking. The small dog’s excitement escalates as dogs do not need their eyes to know another dog is near. They can feel it, smell it and hear it.

Small dog is on owner's lap and barks as some kids run by. Human hugs dog to their body while smacking its nose; again mixed signals of affection and smacks.

Little dog is in a heightened, excited, dominant state as it barks at people and other dogs passing by while sitting on owners lap. Owner gives dog hugs, kisses and scratches behind the ear as they tell little lap dog in human words to “be good, do you hear me?" Human words, ‘be good’ mean nothing to the dog. The affection tells dog you agree with how they are feeling at that moment. Good dog for being excited and dominant.

Dog wanders too far out of the house. Owner calls dog back. Dog lowers their head and walks back to owner. When dog gets to owner, owner smacks dog and says, “You are not allowed over there!” Owner just told dog it was bad for coming back to them.

People trying to win over an aggressive dog's affection with words of praise and affection. When one sweet-talks a dog who is in a defensive or aggressive mood it is like saying, good dog I agree with how you are feeling. Food should only be tossed to a dog for rewarding good behavior, not during bad behavior. Remember, however the dog is feeling or acting at the time of the reward is what you are telling the dog you agree with.

Owners going for a family walk with the kids and allowing the dog to walk in front of the stroller or a walking child. This is communicating to the dog that they are above human children in the pack order.

Dog frightened by firecracker. Owner immediately looks through window or opens door. Owner starts petting dog. Problem: This reinforces dog's fears that something is not normal. The correct action would be to ignore the crackers and behave normally with the dog. He will calm down.

Dog vomits in car. Owner stops and gives him biscuit. Problem: All food snacks should be associated with good achievement. Now dog will behave weirdly in car as his activity has been praised.

(To join the animal welfare movement contact gandhim@nic.in)

Mar 21 - Apr 19

Apr 20 - May 20

May 22 - Jun 20

You have a goal in mind on Monday. Do not trample on others to get there. On Tuesday and Wednesday, you're more of an idea person than an action go-getter. Get in cahoots with someone who thinks like you do for double the brainpower. After all that conscious thought, your subconscious has a message for you. Write down those dreams and visions. This weekend, toss the schedule and see what allures you from moment to moment.

If you've been thinking about getting out of town, firm up those plans on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday bring some unusual energy your way, a personal challenge perhaps. This could be a bend-or-break situation - which will you do? After this, fun with friends or a soecial someone is in order. Those who know and love you best energise you, and vice versa. And this weekend you just might be impetuous, spontaneous and ready to dive into something new.

If you're confused or indecisive, don't expect a sudden flash of insight on Monday. Around Tuesday and Wednesday if you apply yourself, you're likely to experience the dawning of a useful point of view. To prompt it seek out advice from an odd source. An e-mail, a text or other communique could be misunderstood; beware of assumptions now. Clear the matter asap. When the weekend comes, your feelings will come across beautifully.

Sept 22 - Oct 23

Dragging a bit on Monday?

Consider why you're feeling this way. You'll want to have your emotional state sorted out by Tuesday and Wednesday. Expect some pretty spectacular energy from the stars, including a possible romantic interlude. You might be disappointed at the end of the workweek, but smaller plans will go rather nicely.

On the weekend, find opportunities to cooperate and compete. Create something or play a game.

Oct 24 - Nov 21

You're a people person and super aware of opportunities on Monday, so seize this day!

Around Tuesday and Wednesday, family and/or household matters should be a priority. A little maintenance of your relationships and surroundings now prevents issues later. Leave mundane stuff behind and stretch that imagination at the end of the workweek.

Think big, think bold, think beautiful and think romance! This weekend, look for common ground rather than conflict.

BY MANEKA GANDHI

Jun 21 - Jul 22

Playing hooky or working from home might not be a bad idea on Monday because of the nature of your schedule.

Around Tuesday and Wednesday be sure to direct negative feelings appropriately. You don't want to end up tangling with your boss when your relationship's the source of your frustration. But spread the good stuff around.

By the end of the workweek, there is plenty of mojo your way. You'll click with others. This weekend, do what it takes to truly unwind.

Nov 22 - Dec 21

Dec 22 - Jan 19

A penny saved is a penny you can spend on something bigger and better later on Monday.

Around Tuesday and Wednesday, you have a bright, shiny quality that attracts others; your genuine interest in them keeps 'em around. At the end of the workweek, it's a good thing your head is securely attached.

You're prone to lose most everything else, including track of time at a crucial moment if you're not careful. A great date or an outing with friends this weekend might involve a game.

Hop out of bed early on Monday, and make the most of the limitless possibilities the stars are sending your way. By Tuesday and Wednesday, you're busy refining a scheme or looking for an alternative approach to a certain situation. The imaginative oomph you need, however, might not arrive until the end of the workweek. You're able to come up with all sorts of things now, especially in cahoots with someone super. Balance work and play this weekend; too much of one throws you off big time now.

Jul 23 - Aug 22

Aug 23 - Sept 21

Wanna make a good impression on Monday? It's easy make it all about them. They'll think you're the cat's pajamas.

Around Tuesday and Wednesday, somebody's quirks may make you crazy, but even you can admit you've got a few of your own. Try to loosen up or laugh it off. Your work or personal priorities require attention. The most appealing possibilities may not ultimately satisfy you. This weekend, almost anything seems like fun, so try something entirely different?

Jan 20 - Feb 18

On Monday, fit in some fun.

Around Tuesday and Wednesday, you have the tenacity to apply yourself to a task or situation, but then again, if you think more freely first, an entirely new and improved approach may present itself.

Don't overlook esoteric ideas. Try saying ‘I hear what you're saying’ at the end of the workweek even if you're thinking ‘You're a total wingnut’. You just might change your mind. Watch your wallet and any intertwined finances this weekend.

Feb 19 - Mar 20

If being 'on' on Monday is essential, consider hitting the gym to get your blood pumping. Delay bigger, better agenda items until Tuesday and Wednesday when the stars serve you some electric, inspiring stuff, and give you natural allure and extra shine. What do you want now?

Go for it! At the end of the workweek, it may seem like a hassle, but confirm plans, otherwise things are liable to go awry. As for the weekend? It looks great for self-discovery and possibly some revelations about others, too.

Why be a martyr on Monday when a friend or coworker's happy to help? If you feel funny asking, arrange for a mutually beneficial trade. Around Tuesday and Wednesday, fuse your imagination and your intellectual side for amazing results. Some free-form thought might throw up the next steps for your relationship, career or life at large.

Be glad you're you on Thursday and Friday, and be ready for additional appreciation from those around you, too. You're just extra great now This weekend, get to the bottom of a puzzling situation.

GRANDMA’S

The Long-gone Fortress of Gaspar Dias

W

Kitchen

VIEW Finder

BY LAWRIE COLACO

From the Nawabs Kitchen

BY SANJEEV SARDESAI

hen we think about forts in Goa, it is images of the sprawling Aguada Fort or the popular Chapora Fort that come to mind. Not many are aware that once upon a time, there existed a fort just on the fringes of the bustling city of Panaji. That’s right, along present day Miarms. Though the ramar Beach there once was a fort guardnumber of the garrison is ing the mouth of River Mandovi, the not traceable, one can preFortress of Gaspar Dias. sume that it may not be less The construction of the Fortress of Gasthan forty, including the par Dias was initiated in 1598 by Viceroy captain or captain-in-chief Dom Francisco de Gama, Count of subsequently. On February Vidigueira and the great-grandson of Dom 10, 1835, during the Civil Vasco da Gama on instructions from the War in the days of PrefecKing of Portugal, vide Royal Letter dated ture, the First Regiment of February 22, 1588 and was initially called Infantry and the Artillery Forte da Ponta de Gaspar Dias. The fortress Sole witness to the once-existed Battalion which was stationed was situated on the spot to the left side fort: a lone big cannon in Panaji revolted and this reof the present day roundabout at Miramar volt was put down on May 3, Beach.

Since no structural remains of the fortress are in ex- 1835. The fortress was damaged and burnt. However, istence today, it is very difficult to surmise the exact seven years later, the fortress was restored and partly site except a generalised location can be made from reconstructed in 1842.

By the June 30, 1870 dated Order of the army, the old maps and sketches. One can imagine that it stood Fortress of Gaspar Dias along with fortresses of Betul, on the spot occupying the area of the house of Damodar Colla, S Thiago and Khorjuvem as well as the military Mangalji, the shrine of Maruti, the portion of the road points at Baga, Uguem and Colem were to be abandoned. leading from roundabout to M S College of Law as well as the portion of the road right at the turn leading to Antonio Lopes Mendes, author of A India Portugueza reTonca. This land belonged to a fidalgo named Gaspar vealed that in 1878 it served as a sanatorium for the Dias. According to Bocarro, it was erected by using convalescing soldiers treated at the Military Hospital at stone and lime. They had also constructed a well in the New Goa. Not much is known about it further and it crumbled fortress for the garrison to use. They may also have with neglect and ultimately razed to ground to make fetched potable water from the interior terrain of Tonca way for the development works, the extension as well and Caranzalem due to salinity in the well. as the expansion of the existing street to Dona Paula.

The Fortress of Gaspar Dias was 15 feet in height and The sole witness of this monument is the lone big its walls were five feet in breadth. The façade had 16 cannon which is placed in the roundabout. cannons to defend the entry of enemy ships into the sand bar. Each section of a wall was of the length of six (E-mail your feedback to sanscritic@sify.com)

I

ndia has witnessed several invasions from Arab, Central Asia, the Mughal Empire and Persia in its early days.

These invasions had a great influence on Indian cooking.

During the Mughal dynasty, these dishes were prepared for the Mughal Emperors for elegant dining with dry fruits and nuts.

The Mughals brought their rich, aromatic food culture in India and is now an important part of the Indian culinary culture.

Mughlai cuisine is pretty spicy and has a unique fragrance.

The cooking method includes lots of milk and cream with exotic spices, nuts and dried fruits to make it rich and spicy.

‘Biryani’, ‘korma’, ‘pulao’ and ‘pasendi’ are some of the famous Mughlai dishes.

Each of the Muslim rulers offered something or the other to make Indian food the potpourri of spice, taste, tang and flavour. When Babur invaded India he brought his stylish food habits such as grilled meats along with different varieties of fruits and nuts from Central Asia. His son Humayun continued this tradition and also introduced a new tradition of rice-based ‘pulaos’ and using of fruits and nuts in the meat stews in India. Marriages of Mughal rulers to several Rajput princesses added a new dimension to the Mughal cuisines.

This saga of Mughlai dishes is still continuing. It still remains as one of the most important part in Indian culinary style.

SHAHI CHICKEN KORMA INGREDIENTS: 8 garlics minced 1kg chicken deboned 1 cup fresh curd and cut into pieces ½ tsp garam masala 3 onions chopped 3 tbsp ghee 1 tsp turmeric 5 almonds chopped 1 tsp dhania Powder 10 cashewnuts chopped 1 tsp red chilly powder Lemon juice to taste 1 " long piece ginger Coriander leaves chopped METHOD: Beat the curd and mix chicken pieces with turmeric and salt. Set it aside for half an hour. Now heat ghee and fry onions, ginger, garlic till light brown. Add red chilly powder, coriander and simmer for few minutes. Add chicken and fry for 5 minutes. Add two cups of hot water and stir well. Cover and cook till chicken is tender and dry.

Add garam masala and salt. Mix all the dry fruits and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot.

ROSE KULFI INGREDIENTS: 1 tin condensed milk 1½ litres milk 15 ml rose syrup 15 gm rose petals, dried 250 gm sugar METHOD: Soak the rose petals in warm water and then make a paste out of them using a hand grinder. Set aside. Heat the milk in a pan and let it boil till it reduces to one third of the quantity. Add the rose petal paste, sugar and condensed milk, and simmer for another five minutes. Remove from heat; add the rose syrup and the almond slivers. Transfer into kulfi moulds and freeze for eight hours at least. De-mould the kulfi and serve.

WEEKEND Splendour

email us at weekendsplendour@herald-goa.com

Pg4

Sunday, 27 Mar 2011

WWW2011: Discussing the Future of the Web With 81 technical papers, 90 posters, 25 demos, 12 tutorials, nine workshops, a PhD Symposium and a keynote address by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Web, the 20th World Wide Web Conference (WWW2011) will be held for the first time in India. It will be attended by 800 delegates from 49 countries

D

HERALD FEATURES id you know that less than 10 per cent of the Indian population uses the World Wide Web? Or that the next billion users of the internet will come from emerging markets like Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and Russia? The future of the Web will be under discussion at the 20th international World Wide Web Conference (WWW2011) in Hyderabad, a prestigious event that India, with one of the world’s fastest growing population of internet users, will host for the first time. It will begin on March 28 and will be attended by 800 delegates from 49 countries.

“The conference will debate the future of the Web, which is important for India,” said S Sadagopan, director of the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Bangalore. He added, “It is more relevant for India, especially in the context of high mobile penetration among the younger generation, improving literacy levels, large young and English-speaking population.”

IIIT, Bangalore, in cooperation with the IIIT, Hyderabad, and the Institute of Information Technology, Mumbai is hosting the event.

The five-day meet has the theme ‘Web for All’. It will debate technical challenges in overcoming the digital divide and ways to bring the Web to underserved populations. The event will be addressed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the WWW Conference director and inventor of the Web. He will deliver a visionary keynote address on ‘Designing the Web for an open society’.

It will also have research papers that can shape the Web of

tomorrow. The World Wide Web currently has two billion users. However, of the 4.8 billion people living in Asia and Africa, only one in five have access to the Web. The event will discuss challenges like developing content in local languages, poor PC penetration and lack of infrastructure to connect the next billion users. WWW2011 will discuss, debate and help set the future direction of the Web. It will focus on the regional and global impact of expanding open Web platform for application development. With the social media witnessing explosive growth, there will also be a panel discussion on ‘Social media: source of information or bunch of noise?’

Is there useful information in social media like tweets, how to sift through the vast amounts of social media and filter out the spam/offensive content are some of the questions the participants will debate.

The participants include chief information officers, IT directors and decision-makers from the public and private sector and researchers, technologists and developers from institutions and technology-driven businesses.

“It is a research conference. It brings out the best of the research in the world,” said Sadagopan. Referring to the quality of research, he said 80 best papers were selected from almost 700 papers submitted from around the world.

The accepted papers have been put into various categories like search, local language content, access, privacy, avoiding pornography, data mining. These research papers shape the Web of tomorrow. Technologies and scientific innovations come from such a research.

B O O K W O R M

...CONTD FROM PAGE 1

Goa’s Water Sports...

The beaches which boast of water sports have been divided into swimming zones and sporting zones, a red flag demarcates the sporting area and the yellow marks it safe to swim.

“But very often, when people cross over the sporting areas while swimming, that’s when accidents take place, but luckily, there haven’t been any major accidents, nothing more than a few cuts or bruises,” says Anthony. “Once there was one accident, where one customer fell while parasailing and into the water, but it was nothing major the person was admitted to hospital and discharged the next day,” says Fibin. Accidents like these have made, safety the first priority, to all those operating the water sports business. “Speed boat rides and parasailing rides don’t let customers go alone, we send them with the professionals,” says Irfan.

Setting up a business seems easier now than it was before, “But the competition is tough,” says Ashok. With the maintenance of the machinery running high with the amount of petrol the speedboats use, it often comes hard on the managers, who nonetheless make up their profits during the

peak of the tourist seasons. “Petrol is the main issue, we have to buy gallons of petrol in advance and stock up on the beach itself,” says Rakesh adding that they have to spend close to Rs 50,000 on maintenance every month. “We have put up petition to the government to set up a petrol pump at the nearby jetty so we can refuel our speed boats there, as we have to go all the way to the nearest petrol pump out side the beach,” says Irfan.

The busiest time of the year for these water sport proprietors is December to around mid-May; the remainder of the year being the rainy season.

“There has been a decline in the amount of tourists coming in for water sports because of the fear of the tsunamis. Even some of our staff has left in that fear,” says Rakesh who functions as a taxi driver during the rest of the year. Fibin, although based in the South, admits that the North Goa beaches have a lot more of water sports than any other part of the state “The Calangute-Baga stretch is the peak of all activity.”

TOMES...

ON THE SHELF ----------------------------------------------------The Luck of the Jews Author: Michael Benanav Price: Rs 395

----------------------------------------------------BY ARVIND PINTO

M

ichael Benanav is not your typical Jew. A travel writer, a photographer, and raconteur, Benanav traces the footsteps along the death trail taken by his grandparents from Slovakia and Hungary through Romania till their final destination – the Promised Land that is Israel today.

Michael undertakes to retrace the steps of his grandparents, travelling through the countries and towns to experience the hardships that the latter would have endured. He has a double narrative – the first being the trials and tribulations faced by his grandparents on their trail to Israel. The second part tells us his personal experiences on that trail. There is little to connect the two as much has changed since the days of the Second World War. Benanav is a photographer but the book has no photographs except a map of the places in the story!

This saga starts in Uzhgorod, which today is in southern Ukraine. The author begins his journey here to discover the tomb of his ancestors, but the city today did not have much traces of its former self. A poignant counterpoint in the book is when the author finds the tomb of his great grandfather in the deserted Jewish cemetery.

Benanav is basically a travel writer, journeying to distant shores in search of a story.

Tracing the footsteps of his grandparents is an excellent idea, allowing him to meet with people and the cultures as it exists today. All through his travels, he did not confront Anti-Semitism that prevailed during the days of the War. His journeys through these towns are basically cameos; his perspective of the place and people; they are necessarily selective and partial. Benanav is no ideologue, he does not attempt to debate or moralise on the issues of Semitism, the rise of Hitler and Nazism. Written from the perspective of what he had learnt from his grandparents, the horrors portrayed are indeed dramatised to the extent that a reader does wonder as to how those taken into captivity survive. Of course there is another side of the story that Benanav did not have insight into.

The book is written within the larger theme of the Holocaust. It does not delve into a debate on the Jewish question or the rationale and politics that brought about these pogroms. It is content to be a personal story of two Jewish families that suffered the horrors of persecution and meeting of Joshua and Isadora – whose union in the larger picture was the reason for the existence of the present author. A narrative worth a read!

(Email your feedback to: arvind_pinto@yahoo.com

Places

TRAVEL

A Nightmare at Nagapatnam

BY ARVIND PINTO the place. One of these relate to a Hindu lad he recent Tsunami that struck the north east of who was carrying a pot of milk to his master Japan, brought to mind, to many, here in India; the when he saw an apparition of a Lady with her tidal terror that struck the eastern coast of India. son asking for milk. He generously gave milk Nagapattinam, the southern most district of India bore from his pot, only to realise that his master would the brunt of this destruction – the scars of which are for scold him for the shortage of milk. But on reaching you to see, as you travel through this region. Mainly a his master’s house the pot was overflowing with fishing district, Nagapattinam is linked with Goa in that milk, thanks to the miraculous Lady with her the Portuguese and the Dutch also established colonies son. Another story relates to Portuguese ships on this coast. But much of this history has now been that were in fear of being shipwrecked in a storm obliterated. It was raining during my visit to Nagapattinam. near the coast. The prayers of the sailors to Our Most of the roads within the town were under water.

Lady were answered – by they being rescued by Talking to some of the residents, I heard of tales of water local fishermen. These sailors had promised to entering into houses and many people had to move into build a shrine to Our Lady. This was said to be higher floors to escape from the ravages of the tsunami. the foundations of the Church. Talking with Fr Visiting one of the beaches – I saw the overturned boats Rector, I learnt that there is not much historical of the tidal terror. Several communities were especially evidence for these stories, but the statue was those living by the shore were washed away never to be 300 years old and was donated by Portuguese found again! traders. The statute itself is clad in the traditional A pilgrimage to Vailankanni sari. Most of the pilgrims come with their offering My first stop in the district was to the pilgrimage and several believe that their prayers are ancentre of Vailankanni. Who does not know the power of swered. Like most places of pilgrimage, those the Vailankanni Mada – as she is called? Mary, who who work within the sanctuary appear to have Catholics believe to be the mother of God, is venerated little faith or sense of prayer. The manner, in in this shrine by devotees of all faiths, castes and creeds. The beautiful church, captured on lens, on a rainy day which they treat the votive offerings – candles, I remember having to drive through torrential rains to flowers and other items, leaves much to be desired. reach Vailankanni. As if by a miracle – the rains stopped as I neared that Gothic white church Well as the saying goes: familiarity breeds..... that rose like an angel in prayer. You could feel the presence of the power of the Arokiya Mada Well, Arokia Mada did work a miracle during the Tsunami. While those at the beach on that (in Tamil) as our Lady is affectionately called.

26th day of December 2004 were washed away, the raging waters did not enter the Church.

There are several tales of miraculous happenings that have become a part of the folklore of Doubting Thomases do you need any more signs?

T

Editor –in-chief: R F Fernandes. Editor: Ashwin Tombat. Chief Editor-Features: Christina Viegas. Regd Office: St Tome Road, Panjim, Goa. Tel: 6658512, 6658500, 2224202, 2228083. Fax: 2222475. Email: weekendsplendour@herald-goa.com.