CONTENTS Volume 1
Issue 4
December 2015
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entire setup. In the forest department, I had created the animal sculptors. I have done a lot of private work also like murals, sculptors for some of the big hotels in Goa. While doing that somehow my creative work left behind. These work which I had done, I do not call them creative, that is commercial work according to me,” He said. According to Sachin the creativity is not the one that is made to the order, but it is the work of imagination and creation of the sculptor out of it. “Presently I am working on the project of the mermaid. This is my creative work. Here I am putting all my creativity and imagination in it. The project mermaid is something unique. I am going to sculpt the series of mermaids in various moods and positions which will be designed based on the imagination. I am going to design around 15 to 20 different types of mermaids under this project. The usual concept of the mermaid is the half naked lady with the top body of a human and rest is fish,” Sachin narrated. According to Sachin, his mermaids will be of contemporary styles “My mermaid will be riding the bike while another mermaid may be fisherwoman selling fish in the market. It will be all the part of my imagination which I do not want to reveal all at the moment, but slowly people will see my modern creativity,” Sachin said. When I asked Sachin as how he is connected with the history research in Goa he commenced saying that “The subject of History is my passion or you can call it my first love. I am the student of history subject. There is a reason behind me getting inclined towards the history from the childhood and the reason is my
mother. She belongs to the Bhonsle Gharana (family) and she always has that pride for being part of the dynasty of Shivaji Maharaj and due to that, the atmosphere at home was always been connected with the stories of Shivaji. That subjected into rooting of the seed of history deep inside me. Event the tape recorder at home would only play the “POWADA” every morning. (Powada is a genre of Marathi poetry that emerged during the late 17th century in India. The powadas are a kind of ballad written in an exciting style and narrate historical events in an inspiring manner.) And from here on my love for the History began,” he said and took a small pause before continuing further. “Now coming back to my profession of sculpting, it also has a small story connected to it. When I was in the school one my tutor Joshi sir saw my work of doing small forts and images of shivaji made by me from out of mud and he got impressed with the obtainable talent in me and from there on he started inspiring me to take my hidden talent seriously. That was my first sculptor of Tanaji on Sinhagad, maybe it was not that good in shape but it was surely a good effort for that time at the age of hardly 12,” said Sachin From there on Sachin got the new direction to his hidden talent. “Joshi sir guided me to go to Dinkar sir's studio to help me sharpen my skills and on his personal recommendation I started going to Dinkar Sir's studio on the holidays and weekends and there I made my mind become the sculptor (Shilpakar). Actually, I belong to the middle-class family and there are misconceptions among the people that artists are a drunkard and they are only
capable of doing some painting and prepare the Ganesha Idols for festivals. Another restriction I was facing during then was the expectations of my family from me. According to them, after completing the college, I shall join any available government jobs. So either works in government offices or join the military were the only options available for me then,” he said. But Sachin was not one among the commoner, and when he reached in 9th grade he made the announcement in front of his parents that he has no interest in Government Jobs and he would like to peruse his studies in art college. “It was not the easy task to convince my parents against their wish, in those days every parent wanted their children should opt for the most secure source of income and what would be better than the government job? But I decided to remain stiff on my decision and finally managed to join the art college in Pune,” Sachin Narrated. After finishing my studies, I DECEMBER 2015 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ 29
TREND SETTERS \ Arun Pandey decided to come to Goa and started working on the small projects to make my living while spending moderately towards my love and passion of historical research in Goa. “Here I started to put my time in finding the historic forts which were hidden behind the darkness of past. It was very difficult to believe that despite the existence of so many numbers of forts in Goa it has not been mentioned much in the books as if it does not exist,” said Sachin. Sachin gives the credit of his success to his teacher who taught him painting and encouraged his inner talent of sculpting “I remember whenever there used to be a cultural period Joshi sir used to talk about the historical events and that made a deep impact on my personality, Although I joined the art college to sharpen my creative skills, but I could not let go my passion for
30 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
history in fact with every day it was getting more stronger,” said Sachin. “My love for the history developed so much that I started visiting the forts around in Pune, even my parents started worrying about my condition at that moment. They were more worried as sometimes I used to come back home very late. At the same time, I was just a small kid then. When I came to Goa first thing I did was started searching for the forts, since I was doing the same thing while I was in Pune, the habit continued and out of that habit I discovered more than 4 dozens of forts in Goa,” said Sachin It is not that I came to Goa without the pre-acquaintance of the historical places over here. I read a lot about the forts in Goa while I was in Pune, but to my surprise when I came to Goa I realized that things were only in the books and
does not exist in reality, that means when I tried to ask people about one 'Mardan Garh' forts they said that they have never heard of such place before. This made me take things seriously and I decided to start the discovery of all such places which exist only in the papers. On the way to his mission, he found the first place known as Mardangad at Ponda. “I wrote my first article on Mardangad Fort in the year 2001. I remember that everyone appreciated my work; some of them even went up to saying that this is the first time they came to know so much about the place they were completely unaware of for so many years,” he said. “When I came to Goa first I was just single then and did not have much work also in the hands so I started taking up all sorts of work to survive. I remember doing
terracotta work at one point of time to make my ends meet. I also started doing my work with fiber material to create the murals and sculptures for the small big hotels in Goa,” he added. According to Sachin, there are around 52 forts existing in Goa, at least on the papers, out of which some have partially vanished with the time while others have been converted into heritage structures. Out of 52, around 43 forts have their mention prominently in the books of history? “Now I am having the bigger plans of starting the series of theme based sculptor series on Golden India. In this series I will display the Greek-roman era in India and their trading work in those days,” said Sachin. “I like to quote one thing here and that is pertaining to the existence and prosperity of Goa in 4th and 5th century. Goa was one of the major places of trade in India then. It was the period called Golden Era in India which lasted till the 10th century according to my knowledge,” he said as though he believes in the history very strongly, but he does not believe on the may facts which were supported by myth. He gave the example the place called Chandor that was known as Chandrapur and it was established by Chandragupta Maurya is a myth according to him. He also does not believe in the place called Pandava Caves which was supposedly built by Pandavas. “It is all myth as if Pandavas did not have any other work then to construct the caves, they were not the contractors to this kind of things.” He was laughing while clarifying this fact with me. According to him in India, we do not have proper studies of History. “We all believe more in
mythological and imaginary things. The history has been divided into two things leftist and rightist and they believe in their own versions of the facts. There are many things which I can prove with the documentary evidence. When I tried to find out about his dual talent out of which one is dedicated to the history and second towards the art of sculpting, according to you which one is dearer to you “This is like asking me which of hand I love more or which of my eye I like more. Both are an integral part of my personality and life and I cannot live without either of them,” he explained. “But I never mix both of them, when I am a historian I completely forget that I am the sculptor and while I am sculpting I do not think of history. When I do the work related to history the artist inside me I switched off and vis a versa. Now I have mastered this trade and there are two people responsible for this. Two people who came into my life, first Gajanan Bhaskar Mehendale I called him the scientist of history. He has the tremendous amount of
knowledge about Shivaji Maharaj beside that he has complete knowledge of history regardless of which race it belongs to, greek, Indian, Arabian, American Dutch everything,” he said. “At the moment I am working on one big project, although it is still in preliminary stage, I am going to recreate the whole village in that project with realistic sculptors all over. It is a private project which will have around 150 to 200 sculptors built by me,” he added. “Finally, I would like to give one message across to all the readers that, I really feel sad sometimes when I look around, as a sculptor I work with my complete dedication and passion putting all my efforts and hard work but there is an existence of commercial nonsculptors who do not never ever sculpted a single line on the stone who never molded anything in their life, but they call themselves sculptor and sells the things made by others in the market with their own branding. I want this practice to be stopped and the true sculptors should get the recognition,” with this words he concluded.
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BUSINESS NEWS
Casinos are here stay? Delta Corp gets another Casino license in Goa
Jaidev Modi, one of the biggest player in the casino business in India is spreading his business empire in Goa bigtime. His vision is to create the destination such as Singapore and Macau are not a distant story anymore. he is the player who plays only to win. After his recent claim of creating the destination like Singapore and Macau Jaidev Modi seems to have started taking one step at a time in the direction of fulfilling his claims. According to the news published in the Calvinayre Portal, it has been confirmed that the government of Goa has allotted one more Casino license to Delta Corp owned by Jaidev Modi. The Casino news portal has also quoted that, “Delta announced that it had been granted a license to operate a casino at its Deltin Suites hotel in Goa. Delta says the five-star, 106-room hotel will offer a variety of casino games, including blackjack, baccarat, and roulette.” Mr. Jaidev Modi had recently 32 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
announced his plans of setting up more casinos in Goa on the grounds of 30% growth taking place in the casino business every year. “I think it will be short of capacity if we stay offshore for another 4 to 5 years from now, it can be substituted with adding bigger ship into the fleet but the huge growth of 5 to 10 times in another 10 years will be a major challenge in front of us,” Said Jaidev Modi. The only solution to this according to him is to create the destination like Singapore and Macau in Goa and create the multiple resorts and Casinos here to fill up space. Delta being one of the major dominant players in the casino business having two operational floating casinos, Deltin Royale, and Deltin Jack and the third one is Deltin Caravela which is under renovation at the moment, will soon have its fourth Casino on shore at Deltin Suites. This is happening despite the challenge from the Goa Government to stop the local people from entering the
casinos except for work purpose it might be the biggest challenge in front of casino owners if the government proposal gets implemented as no locals will be able to play in those casinos. Deltin is not only targeting the Goa market but it is also spreading the tentacles across the other state which has the permission of casino operation in India and one such place is Daman which was the part of Goa Union Territory before Goa attained its statehood. According to the reports, Deltin is in the process of installing the new gaming facility in Daman where they already have their resort, which was set in Daman in 2014. Deltin is putting up around 60 thousand sqft of Casino which will contain around 1500 gaming positions, the report says. The former chief minister of Goa Shri Manohar Parriakar after coming to power had promised that there will be no more casino licenses will be alloted to any more casinos in Goa and during his tenure only deltin group managed to set up two offshore casinos in Goa and the third one they recently took over from Advani Ventures which is still under renovation and Once that gets operational the Delta Corp will have three offshore casinos and one onshore in Goa besides their existing presence in Daman. The casinos are here to stay, it generates the biggest chunk of revenue for government treasury which is getting empty day by day as a result of heavy pilferages in the accounts at various stages, and hence it will not be correct to blame the government alone. We need to check what percentage of Goans play on these casinos and how many gets the employment from it. The stopping of casino operation in Goa will not affect alone the players but also the employees and the government treasury. IG
BUSINESS NEWS India's first Double Decker Shatabdi train will resume its services back from Goa to Mumbai on 6th December. The train will be flagged off from Margao Railways station by the Railway Minister. Indian railways have finally had decided to resume the services of India's first Double Decker Shatabdi train between Goa – Mumbai. Based on the available information from the reliable sources, this is the Second Effort made by the government of Goa to start the double-decker AC train between Goa and Mumbai after the failure of the first attempt in September 2014. The train will leave Margao on 6th and will have the following halts before reaching its destination in Mumbai. The train will halt at Karmali, Thivim, Swantawadi, Kankavli, Ratnagiri, Chiplun, Khed, Panvel, Thane and finally Kurla station in Mumbai. The halts will be applicable both ways. The press note released by the KRCL says that the AC Double Decker train No. 11085 will have the AC Chair Car Coaches, similar to the existing Shatabdi trains which run between Mumbai and Goa. The train will leave Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Former VT) on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5.30am and it will reach Margao at about 5.30pm on the same day and similarly Train No 11086 will leave Margao every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at about 6 am and it will reach Mumbai by 5.10pm on the same day. Jan Shatabdi Train Service, one of the fastest train services that started in 2002, which cover the Goa-Mumbai distance within just 8 hours time. After almost 13 years, the government is planning to bring in India's first AC doubledecker Shatabdi train which will
First Goa - Mumbai Double Decker train flagged o fffrom Margao Goa
ply between Goa – Mumbai route. According to the sources, there is a proposal to run double-decker trains between Goa and Mumbai to handle the growing demand by tourists. Goa is being the popular beach destination in the country has a huge tourist flow traveling between Goa and Mumbai and the double-decker AC trained service will be in the position to handle this traffic and it will also help in boosting the tourism business in Goa said the senior official from Railway Ministry. “There is a proposal to run the train between Goa and Mumbai to handle the growing demand by tourist,” official added.
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BUSINESS NEWS
New Mandovi Bridge is fighting with RUST? Does the 403 Crore project needs serious attention?
Despite all the opposition, the work of New Mandovi Bridge commenced in a full swing, but is everything going well with the construction of the new bridge? Or the bridge is facing some serious issues? Perhaps yes!! Panaji city is perhaps the only place in Goa having two bridges across the famous Mandovi River. Despite this, the creation of third bridge was initiated by the former Chief Minister of Goa Shri Manohar Parrikar. Perhaps this was the most ambitious project during his tenure before leaving for Delhi. This project initially attracted lots of criticism from the opposition parties as well people of Goa. The reason behind the disagreement was the priority of Zuari Bridge, according to the VOX POPULI it is on the verge of a collapse. Nevertheless despite all the opposition, the work of New Mandovi Bridge commenced this year in full swing promising the completion of the same within just two years time. It is perhaps the biggest single project that Goa will be having as of now. But is everything going well about the 34 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
construction of the new bridge? Or the bridge is facing some serious issues? Perhaps yes. This news article is going to put some light on the depleting situation this bridge is facing at the moment. This article is constructed on the facts made available by the reliable sources. The sources have revealed that there is a certain compromise in the material used in the construction of this bridge and one such example is the RUSTING OF A STEEL BARS used in the construction. It does not require much of the investigation as the fact is evident and clearly visible with the necked eyes. Every day hundreds of thousand people commute across the existing Mandovi Bridge, how many of you have witnessed the standing tall mild steel structure is entirely corroded? It is the fact and this fact has been brought to the notice of Goa Prism by one conscious citizen of Goa (name is not disclosed for the reason of privacy) who thought there is something seriously wrong with the work in progress of the New Mandovi Bridge and the same has been verified with the help of
contractual agreement between the GSIDC and L&T by obtaining the documents under RTI. Goa Prism has decided to take up this story in the interest of public and same has been brought to the notice of Durgadas Kamat, President of GenNext, who assured to support the case. Durgadas visited the site for the purpose of inspection to make sure that there is a fact in the narration, (we have included the video of Durgadas bellow the article) and after getting convinced with facts verified with the help of obtained documents he decided to take up this issue in the media and bring the facts out in front of the people of Goa. Durgadas has appealed the Chief Minister of Goa Laxmikant Parsekar to carry out the inspection of this under Construction Bridge and verify the facts. Today at 12 pm there will be a press conference which will put some more lights on this issue. We appeal to the people of Goa to support the mission taken over by the concerned citizens of Goa who feels apprehensive about everyone. Wait for more updates on this issue. This article was originally published on www.goaprism.com
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TV MOVIE GOA \ Nirmon
“Nachom-ia Kumpasar” The Facts and fiction of the Biopic There are various examples now a day whereby the movies are made on the true life stories of people. Making the film on the life of the person who is well known and achieved the tremendous name and fame is very common today. But making the movie on the life of someone that been barely acknowledged for his or her great work during is very rare. This is the story of the unsung musicians who devoted their lives to the music and contributed the lion's share towards the shaping of Bombay's music industry. It is also the story of The bittersweet relationship between a young singer and her musician mentor which is featured on the screen by Bardroy Barretto, the talented Goan director of a movie “Nachom-ia
Nachom-ia Kumpasar is made on the backdrop of the jazz clubs of Bombay and the musicians from Goa during the 60s. It is the part of the true story of Goa's legendary music couple, Lorna Cordeiro, and Christopher Pereira better known as Chris Perry. The title of the movie “Nachom-ia Kumpasar” has been derived from the name of the song sung by Lorna and Chris. Although the movie is based on the love story of a young crooner 36 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
and her musician mentor against the backdrop of the jazz clubs of Bombay and the musicians from Goa during the 60s, but it has much more to tell the world besides just one love story. The movie takes you through the roller coaster ride of the relationship between Lawry and Dona (Chris and Lorna) while showing the bitter side of the music and film industry existed then in Bombay. It shows how the talented musicians from Goa had
been exploited by some of the well know musicians from the Bombay film industry. The story also displays the booming of nightclubs in Mumbai its rise and fall from 1960 to 1970. In this story, a young Goan musician Lawry (Chris) playing in the nightclubs of Mumbai comes to Goa in the search of female crooner and finds Dona (Lorna) highly impressionable and vivacious to the core. The process of molding of Dona into
the talented star singer starts in Mumbai where they (Lowry and Dona) falls in love with each other. Despite realizing that the relationship has no destination, as the Larry is already married; Dona decides to continue with the relationship since she is unable to hold herself back. The emotional rollercoaster of the love story ends up in the tragedy. The only person suffers here in this story is the Dona, who loses everything including her bright future and goes into the obscurity. Lawry plays his cards well and makes sure that Dona does not sing with any other musician if she does not sing in his band. He beats up the people who try to give the opportunity to Dona for singing in their bands. This makes her life more disastrous and she completely remains aloof from the entire world of music for years. This Quasi-Biographical movie has the much better version of the story than the actual life tasted by the singer in the real world. In one of her interview in The Telegraph Calcutta Edition of 4th January 2015, Lorna mentions that she has forgiven Chris Perry for what he has done to her. "I will never ďŹ nd another person like Chris, a genius who is imitated to this day," Lorna mentions in the interview. This shows how much she loved him and still does. In this interview which was conducted by the Telegraph journalist Reena Martins, Lorna puts the light on many facts of her real life story which is connected with Chris as well as this movie. Lorna, the woman with golden voice lives in Mumbai's Dhobitalao area which was once ďŹ lled up with Irani cafes. Goan DECEMBER 2015 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ 37
TV MOVIE GOA \ Nirmon Saligao (her village in Goa). I no longer have to look for another singer,'" she narrated. The writer claims here that “Lorna's story is an incredible roller coaster ride of a tale: she touched the stars and was flung back to the ground, only to rise again.” Lorna's voice throw was incredible (and still it is) as a young girl, she sang along with the radio, "So loud, I could blow the roof off" she recalls. An old Parsi neighbor would clap and gift her four annas (the coins denomination in those days, 25% of one rupee). "My girl, one day you'll be a big singer," he'd often say. Before coming in contact with Chris, Lorna used to sing for the weddings and the local band known as Bajaj and his Dance Band, till then her life was simple and income was good, claims the writer. The things started changing when Chris (Larry in the movie) discovered her and made her the
female crooner in his band. "I only had a voice; it has Chris who molded me," she says. "He'd hit me on the back if I slouched, and used to tell me how to move around the stage." Chris played the trumpet while she - in a slim silken gown and bouffant wig sang jazz in the nightclub circuit: Venice and the Blue Nile in Mumbai; Lido and Gaylord in Delhi; and Firpo's in Calcutta. Slowly the chemistry between Lorna and Chris (who was married then with 4 children) started developing so much so that they came closer crossing all the limits. "Chris wouldn't let any of us chat or laugh with her," recalls Ronnie Monserrate, music director of Nachomiya Kumpasar, whose band does a "tightrope walk" syncing with Chris's music tracks recorded from live shows for the film. Lorna claims here that she was in the relationship with Chris "But even if we were in a relationship, so what? Wasn't
Chris Perry & Lorna
musicians used to frequent the places. But with the time, everything washed out. The trend of live music died in the 1970s. According to the reports, Lorna does not like to meet press much. But when the writer of the article in The Telegraph Reena Martins met Lorna at her sparsely furnished apartment in Dhobitalao the facts related to Lorna's life started coming into the light. The following story will take you through the facts and the fictions of the Biopic “Nachom-ia Kumpasar” made on her life. Lorna recalls that how Chris first heard about her, “It was the performance I gave under the Mango Tree with Raymond Albuquerque and his band at the Bandra fair, the song was from the James Bond flick Dr. No.” she continues, “then he was searching for the female crooner. I gave an audition for him and He said 'Today a star is born in
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it happening then? Doesn't it happen now," Lorna asks. Chris, on the other hand, was the gifted trumpet player and musician but like all others, he has his own weaknesses. Chris was a very hard taskmaster. A falsetto would invite a shower of abuse or even worse. "Musicians who've played with Chris tell me that he'd slap or even stub cigarettes on the palm if you hit a wrong note," says Vijay Maurya, a Mumbai-based adman who plays Larry in the film. Chris was very talented indeed, he was capable of scribing the lyrics sitting anywhere sometimes even on the backseat of the cab says, Lorna. The songs spoke of love, longing, and betrayal. "It's as though he knew what he would put me through," she muses. Chris dumped her and moved to Dubai to start the music school there in the seventies, at that time Lorna was left alone with no bank balance, a broken spirit and body claims the writer. Monserrate says she had to take up a job as a compounder at a dentist's clinic. And she stopped singing. "I did not even hum a tune in all those years," she says. "Chris beat up any musician who tried to get me to sing or any man who wanted to marry me. He ruined me. I lost my youth. I can't imagine where I would have reached had I continued singing," says Lorna. The situation changed when Lorna made her comeback in The nineties, persuaded by Monserrate who was the part of a Chris's band in the seventies. Monserrate decided to visit Lorna one evening, but he did not ring the bell fearing that she might slam to door on his face. "I stood outside her door and whistled a little tune that is a
code among musicians," he says. When finally Lorna opened the door Monserrate stunned to see her state. According to Monserrate, the hard time and Alcohol had battered her body "I thought there was no way she could come back from such a terrible state," he says. But when he asked her to sing a Konkani song for old times' sake, he found that the embers were still alive. For the six months, he would drive from Bandra to Dhobitalao with his keyboards after work for nightly practice sessions for a show that was to be called Hello Lorna, claims the writer. The comeback wasn't easy either. On the night of the show at the Miramar beach in Goa on December 1, 1995, Chris suddenly came to Lorna's hotel lobby. He brandished before the waiting press a 20-year-long bond that barred her from singing with any musician besides
him, says Lorna. The band chickened out and a new set of musicians had to be hired for the concert. "I was escorted to the venue and back in a police van," she remembers. Backstage, she sweated beads, till the opening lines of her Konkani song, Aikat mozo tavo (Listen to my voice), drove the sea of heads berserk, Monserrate adds. As she headed to the hotel after two songs, traffic was still snaking towards the venue. "People were curious because of rumors that I was dead," Lorna says. Hello, Lorna set the stage for her comeback, and she has since then been singing in England, Canada, and the Gulf. "I have a lot of masti (zest) in me and enjoy the audience. Many of them cry as I sing. But before they cry, I have to feel the pain." As for the man who taught her to move about on stage, "I have forgiven him." IG
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DIVINE GOA \ Chandreshwar Bhuthnath
Shree Marutirai Devasthan Temple in former portuguese colony The Maruti Temple in Mala is one of the oldest structures built in 1933 known as Marutirai Devasthan. It was originally built by the people from the slope of Altinho area in the time of Portuguese regime while the area was dominated by the Portuguese in those days. The capital city of Panaji has two prominent temples of Lord Hanuman. One is situated in front of the famous Miramar beach and second is at Old Portuguese colony Fontainhas Mala Shree Marutirai Devasthan. This almost 82 years old temple (built in year 1933) of Mala is one of the most beautiful temples in Goa situated amidst the scenic
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surrounding atop the hill. It's a picturesque walk, back through the by lanes of the past, as you pass through the narrow roads that make up the precincts of Sao Tome and San Sebastian in the areas of Fontainhas, also known as Mala. Filled with traditional houses, that share space with houses from the Portuguese era, these areas were
declared as a conservation zone in 1974 and it is a ďŹ ne example of peace & harmony. The architectural styles from the east and west blend together well. According to the historical facts this temple was conceptualised and designed by the visionary leaders of the 'Gomantak Saraswat Samaj' during the
Portuguese era. Shri Marutirai Sansthan was established on 23rd January 1934, the tenth day of Magh (according to the Hindu calendar). The Manuman jayanti is celebrated here with much pomp and fervour. The four-day celebrations include palakhi of the idol in the Mala area, pavani (auction) of the fruits and other items used for the deity and three plays. According to the management of the sansthan the devotees from all over the Goa and neighbouring states of Karnataka and Maharashtra ock here. Some of the devotees y from London to attend this annual ritual. People from all communities participate in the zatrotsava and wait in long queues to do the abhisheka to their fond deity – Maruti or Hanuman, the son of Pawan or Vayu (air) Initially the temple was small. The present structure as it exists today was replaced due to the efforts of the temple committee in year1980s. The committee then decided to construct a bigger structure. At preset the temple is also seen from the outskirts and the illuminated structure during the night attracts the attention. The main festivals at this temple are Navaratri and Chaitra Purnima. Other religious events to be held annually include Hanuman Jayanti, Ram Navmi and all the Saturdays in the holy Hindu month of Shravan. Maruti Zatra is the most prominent festival being organized every year to commemorating the foundation day of the temple. Initially this day was celebrated by holding a palanquin procession of the deity, within the precinct of the temple. However, later, with an DECEMBER 2015 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ 41
DIVINE GOA \ BETUL FORT objective to expand this festival the procession moved from the temple to Mala, Panaji area, up to Vitthal and Rukhmini Temple and further took a turn at the holy venue near People's High School, to return. The annual zatra of the temple is attended by Hindu devotees not only from the city, but adjoining villages also. On this occasion the palkhi of Lord Maruti is taken around the ward, stopping at homes so that devotees can offer prayers. The palkhi starts its journey from Vitthal and Rukhmini temple, which is opposite Bhandari Hospital. (This temple was built in 1917 by Vasudev Khovanekar) from here, it goes to Rua de Ourem, where it stops at the Ghumti of Vatari Deu, near People's High School. It then enters Filipe Neri Xavier road and wends its way through Nanu Pednekar road upto the chapel of St Francis Xavier, at
Portais (Bhatlem). From here, it makes its way back to the temple of Lord Maruti. This procession goes on through the night and ends in the wee hours of the morning. The zatra celebrations started in the year 1944. Until electrification was done, the committee had to provide petromax (portable kerosene lamp) during the zatra festivities. However, this and non-availability of funds did not deter the committee and the devotees from celebrating the zatra. In 1953, when electrical installations were provided, the committee overcame a major hurdle. People living in Mala also made good use of electricity by illuminating their houses and creating a festive atmosphere along the route. On the day of the zatra 'abhishek' is held in the morning at five. Thereafter, other main
rituals, 'Punyahvachan', 'Matruka Pujan' and 'Nandi Shraddha' are also performed. At seven in the evening, the grand palkhi procession of Lord Maruthi will start from Vitthal and Rukhmini temple. The festivities continue for four days. On the second day the palkhi procession of Lord Maruti is held around the temple, followed by aarti, tirthprasad and pauni (auction of offerings of coconuts and fruits given to the deity). On the third and fourth day the same rituals are followed. There are various cultural programmes organised during these days. Some wards in Mala make statues of Maruti and have different decorations and illumination, which attract a large number of visitors. A large fair is put up from the foot of the hill and winds along the Nanu Pednekar road till the junction of Filipe Neri Road (Fundação Oriente).
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ETHNIC GOA \ Ruchika’s Wardrobe
Lend me your Ears Incredible Goa’s Ethnic World Brought to you by the Fashion & Lifestyle Column “DIVAnee” by TV anchor and performer Ruchika Davar. A self-proclaimed lifetime student of fashion, style and trend spotting- she has travelled across the globe as a performer & has previously written columns for Delhi Midday & the Herald apart from presenting lifestyle and lm related TV shows on many channels. This column is a space where she shares her style mantras and curates special trends especially for the Goan fashionistas. Write to us at incrediblegoamedia@gmail.com
From my very early childhood, having been brought up on old Bollywood videos of movies from 60's, 70's & 80's (all thanks to my Lata didi/ Asha tai fandad)- there are certain songs that have been imprinted on my mind. One of them being Sadhna gyrating coquettishly in 'Mera saaya' to 'Jhumka gira re bareilley ke bazaar mein'. I remember the first time I saw that song, I was mesmerised by her Banjara style metallic earrings and longed to grow up quickly just to be able to wear something like that. Another memory vivid in my mind is the queen of item numbers Helen's 44 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
preoccupation with gigantic & specially customised ear accessories for her superhot dance numbers- how they shimmered like a thousand stars around her radiant face. No wonder I'm a big fan of all kinds of earrings and how they can transform one's look. But an accessory that has the ability to frame your face in an entirely elegant way can also bring out facial flaws if not chosen carefully. I have seen countless women going by one simple rule about earrings- ' Like it, wear it'. Alas they couldn't be further away from the truth. Just because a pair of diamond studs are suiting your friend and making her look cute doesn't mean that they will add the same glint to your eyesBecause you forgot to take into account that your friends has a petit chiselled face with a pixie haircut while you are a fuller face with curls like wild horses that were not meant to be tamed. So how does one choose the right pair of ear sparklers? Face Shape is the biggest make or break factor while choosing earrings. You must observe your face before choosing to buy a particular pair of earrings. Here are a few pointers that shall help you stand out in any kind of ear candy party. · Long Face- think actress Sarah Jessica Parker- a long pair of earrings will only add more length to her already long face. The best option is to balance the length with some short, round earrings. No wonder she is mostly spotted in studs & small tops even on red carpet appearances, mostly even avoiding ear jewellery and wearing necklaces instead. In Indian faces, I think Anushka Sharma makes for fine example. · Round face-Think Mila Kunis, Selena Gomez or even
amchi mulgi Madhuri Dixit- a round face will end up looking more pudgy if accentuated with Round hoops or globular studs. Instead such faces need vertical relief by adding long danglers & even shoulder dusters. Always look for angular, architectural, linear shapes instead of very curvy floral kind of designs. I have many a times obsessed over a pair of stunning pearl tops, or goth reptilian ear cuffs but then decided not to buy them in the interest of facial aesthetics, ruing my round Botticelli face. · Oval face- The gorgeous caramel Halle Berry is the perfect example of having a face that does justice to any shape, anytime, anywhere. (sigh)! Though Sonam Kapoor is also a fine example of a similar structure. From experience I have notice that oval faces look amazing with Oval shaped hoops or danglers as these pieces accentuate the elegant shape of the face. And I absolutely love ear cuffs on oblong faces. · Heart shaped face- Think of an inverted triangle with the tip pointing down like Scarlett Johanson or Kajol. There's lots of empty space near the neck due to a wide forehead and pointy chin. Such faces look smashing in Tear drop style or full bodied earrings like Chand baalis or Chandeliers.
So when it's a special occasion and you want to compel people to focus on your best features, then keep the above mentioned rules in mind and your earrings with do perfect justice to your designer outfit. But otherwise, feel free to experiment with any kind of earrings because there is just one life to live and some rules must be broken after all!
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FEATURE \ Sunburn
Sunburn will be held at Vagator, but keeping options open - Percept MD
The meeting of Percept Managing Director with Calangute Panchayat members raised the speculations in the media about the possibilities of change in the venue of Sunburn this time. Sunburn electronic dance music festival (EDM) started in Goa in the year 2007. Although at the moment the permanent venue for Sunburn is Vagator, but it commenced at Candolim in 2007 and within the span of just two years it was ranked as the 9th best music festival in the world by CNN in 2009. The festival organized the by the percept company (now owned by Sony) runs three days music extravaganza every year. To drop all the speculations, the festival organizers made it clear to the media that they will not be changing the existing venue at the moment. The festival will take place in Vagator only since it is the bigger and better site compared to bustled Calangute and Candolim areas. Mr. Harindra Singh, MD, Percept Company told the media that he is right now focused on Vagator venue alone. He further expressed that the reason behind 48 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
approaching the Calangute Village Panchayat was for the purpose of obtaining the NOC. He said that this is being one of the biggest music festivals in India and gets the huge crowd and need of larger place is the necessary. Vagator is the most suitable venue but at the same there is a need of keeping the options open for the alternate venues. Just like every year in the case of any eventuality. The Calangute and Baga could be the alternative venues. He was perhaps referring to the event of 2014 when the Village Panchayat of Anjuna had Passed the Resolution to not to allow the music festival in their village. We are keeping the fingers crossed he said. In case if someone goes to the court and gets the stay against the festival venue at Vagator then we have to be ready. But meanwhile, the Vagator remains the venue for Sunburn 2015. According to the sources, Sunburn which used to take place in Candolim had been shifted to the Vagator after the disputes with the organizers of rival Supersonic EDM festival who managed to retain the Candolim location.
Calangute Panchayat on Tuesday published the notice for special gram sabha on Sunday 13th December to discuss the issue of “Hosting the Sunburn at Sauntavaddo, Baga from December 27 to 30”. Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira has agreed that the percept head Shailendra Singh met him at the panchayat office on Monday and submitted the application “We received the application yesterday from Shailendra Singh. There are some NGOs which are opposing the festival at Vagator. Also, the venue is Comunidade land and some Comunidade members are opposed to the festival. They may still have the festival in Vagator this year, but from next year they want to have it at Baga. Because of this, we have called a special gram sabha to let the people decide whether they want Sunburn in Baga or not. Let the people decide,” Sequeira said. He did not rule out the possibility of Sunburn being held in Baga this year. He also clarified that no preparations have been started in Vagator venue as yet and the stakeholders in the tourism sector are looking towards the possibility of having the festival this year at Baga which will result in boosting the businesses in the vicinity. Besides that Goa Tourism also developed the huge place keeping in the mind mega music festivals. With the above statement made by Sequeira gives the clear indication that festival may happen in Baga this year. It will be the good sign of relief to the stakeholders in the tourism industry in Baga and Calangute that is facing the heat of dipping tourism business this year. Let's wait and watch what happens next. IG This article was originally published on www.goaprism.com
FEATURE \ Online Fraud Portuguese nationality is one of the most contentious issues that Goa state is facing at the moment. Many dignified people of Goa possess a dual passport (Portuguese as well as Indian) which has become the matter of national debate. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Union Ministry for Law and Justice been working together on this issue for quite some time and finally they have come up with the opinion that alone registration of birth in Lisbon will not entitle the Goans to acquire the Portuguese citizenship. The process will have to be followed, to complete the formalities, to obtain the Portuguese citizenship and according to the guideline set by the MHA the Goans, who have registered their birth in Portugal should submit an affidavit to MHA mentioning that they wish to continue to retain their Indian Citizenship and do not wish to relinquish the same. According to the clear guidelines set by the Law Ministry in India, those Goans who possess the Portuguese Passport will not be able to continue their citizenship in India. According to the available sources, as many as 40000 Goans have believed to have registered their births in Portugal and have Dual Citizenship, although is a controversial issue and is still under the consideration by the centre. The figure includes the politicians, police personnel, bureaucrats and the common man. As per the news published by Goa Prism in June 2015, in Goa Prism the union ministry of law and justice has suggested the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to amend the country's citizenship act and grant the one time AMNESTY to This article was originally published on www.goaprism.com
Registration of birth in Lisbon doesn't amount to Portuguese citizenship
those Goans who have registered their births in Portugal. The government of India has appointed a three-member highlevel committee to keep watch on the issue of dual citizenship in Goa. The committee is headed by the additional secretary of home affairs B K Prasad who will take the decision on the recommendations of the Law Ministry and the same will be informed to the state government. According to the sources, the union home ministry has conducted the high-level meeting in the national capital Delhi to discuss the issue of dual citizenship in Goa. The discussion in the meeting also revealed that how some of the children have registered their parent's births in Portugal without the consent of their parents to obtain the Portuguese passport for themselves. It may be recalled that High level inter-ministerial meeting took place in the New Delhi on 5th June 2015 in presence of additional secretary & ministry of law and justice to suggest that “one-time
amnesty” may be granted to these Goans to retain Indian citizenship as per the law, but this will have to be provided (for) in the Citizenship Act/rules through an amendment; only then can it (amnesty) be done”. But the same has not been accepted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). There were even cases of filing the FIRs against people including the politicians and police personnel in this regard. The sources have also revealed that, based on the 'bilhete de identidade', the children of those born before Goa's liberation and having their birth registered in Portugal are eligible to register their births in Portugal for obtaining of the citizenship. Many Goans make use of 'bilhete de identidade' to travel across Europe as it makes the Schengen visa redundant. In fact, many Goans have sought employment in Europe on the basis of the bilhete. According to the information provided by the sources in the government all the people who have registered their birth in Portugal do not possess the Portuguese passports. IG DECEMBER 2015 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ 49
FEATURE \ Special Status
RIC misleading Russian tourists and tour operators - TTAG This news is based on the act of a travel agency from north Goa claiming to be representing the Russian advisory attempted to spread the misleading news about Goa is not safe for Russian tourist. RIC (Russian Information Center) a small time travel agency operating from Pernem is supposedly misleading the Russian tourists and tour operators claiming that Goa is not the safe destination for the Russian travelers, claimed the press note released by the Goa Tourism office. The press note further says that RIC does not have any official authority from any department of Russia to quote such misleading statements. The Russian tourists have ridiculed the statements made by RIC representatives which claim that the Goa unsafe destination. The report also says that the RIC has tarnished the image of Goa by making such baseless statements in the press. According to the reports, the Russian tourists are spending their vacation along the coastal belts of Goa as the season is reaching its peak. Diana Makarova, a representative of Anex Tours has claimed that, the news of Goa is not safe for the tourists to have come as a big surprise to the Russian tourists and that they have not received any such complaints from anyone, “I personally vouch that the Goa is a safe destination in India,” She said. Many Russian tourists have raised their voice against the broadcasting of the false information by the RIC in Goa. The report also says that one of the Russian tourists travelled all the way from Morjim to Panaji to 50 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
speak to the officials of Goa Tourism in this regards. “I was shocked when I read the news in the newspaper claiming that Goa is not a safe destination for Russians, on the contrary, Goa is known to extend its hospitality along with the safety and security to the tourists unlike other destinations,” said Milena Mezhuieva, a tourist who frequents to Goa on holidays. According to the another young Russian tourist, Nikola Agafya, who is in Goa for the first time, have expressed her regrets over the dissemination of such a misleading news by RIC, she said that, “This is an act of irresponsibility and it needed to be dealt with strictly, in fact, the Russian and Indian government should not tolerate such nonsense and take strict action against those involved into this, as they are instilling the fear in the mind of Russian tourist coming to Goa.” TTAG along with GTDC took serious cognizance of this event and called the press conference to clarify the facts in front of media. They claimed that there is no such advisory from the Russian government or its consulates and the so-called “Russian Information Centre” does not represent Russia and it not even and news agency to make such claims, it is just a small time travel agency operating from Pernem. They also claimed that the Interfax is just a small time private news gathering agency and it has not official standing in the market. The official website of Russian Consulate does not display any such claims. The news that was spread in Goa and other national media was completely false and baseless. The TTAG official has claimed that
the news agencies took the liberty to publish the misleading news without verifying the facts and thus caused the damage to the fair image of Goa which led to creating the chaos in the market. Mr. Victor Albuquerque, the Russian consul in Goa has confirmed that the information spread by the RIC and Interfax is completely false and baseless and none of them represent the Russian Government. According to the Tour operators, the Russian inbound business this year is much better compared to the last year. Ernest Dias of SITA Travels has stated that none of his Russian operators have heard of such 'advisory' which unfortunately originated from Goa rather than Moscow. The so-called “Russian Information Centre” as quoted by the press is actually a “Russian Disinformation Centre” said Dias. He also clarified that “The tragedy in Egypt and Turkish has boosted the business in Goa with more bookings from Russian tourists which made us look for the more rooms and additional flights, but such misinformation can lead to affect the sales in the future.” “I am of the opinion that the Goa government should sue the RIC and the Interfax news agency which spreading the misleading information that is defamatory in nature. They seem working against the interest of Goa and representing some other countries and TTAG strongly condemn this act of certain vested interest,” said the official. The Managing Director of GTDC, Nikhil Desai stated that “The inbound arrivals are showing positive trends in tourism season ahead. The tourists from Russia, UK and CIS nations are flocking towards Goa and this became possible due to the situation at Egypt and Turkey and spreading of such misleading information in media will only lead to further damage,” he claimed. IG This article was originally published on www.goaprism.com
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YOUNG GOA \ Chaitanya Malik
Jolene Dias Overcoming the disability Some are born with a disability while some come across it accidently in the normal course of life. Disability may be a constraint for some while for others it can be the source of stimulation which enables them to achieve something beyond the expectation of this world. There are many examples of the disabled people achieving a tremendous amount of name and fame in their lifespan. Here I am telling you the story of one such young talented girl who despite facing the disability disorder from the age of 15 achieved a lot of accolades for her god gifted talent of singing. This is the story of Jolene Dias from Margao. Jolene was born just like any other normal child but when she became 15 years old, she was diagnosed for the rare hereditary syndrome called 'Muscular Dystrophy'. The Muscular Dystrophy is a condition in which the group of muscle diseases weakens the musculoskeletal system and hampers locomotion. Muscular dystrophies are characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissues. “This condition started when I was answering my 10th Standard. The initial symptoms started with the slowing down of my physical activities. In the early stage, I could Walk, Climb the Stairs, do Squats, but the only thing was that I could not do it is as fast as the others which meant I used to get left behind. Gradually as the years passed by my disability progressed and my limitations also grew,” Said Jolene. According to the Jolene, she was born with the talent of singing. “Well, according to me I did not 52 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
realize my own talent. It was my mother who saw this spark in me and enrolled me to join the Solfège classes. At the age of 5, I was doing Solfège that too pretty well. This motivated my mother to send me to the piano classes which I completed grade 5. As I grew my interest in music developed with me. I started appearing on the merit list of the music school, this motivated me more. But here my life started changing. When I was a Grade 5 student, I was already in the 10th Standard at Manovikas High School. Here my ailment started appearing and I had to give up my music. Due to the disability syndrome, my body muscles started giving way one by one. But still in the similar condition, I completed my Grade 8 study in the music,” Jolene Narrated. When I asked Jolene if the disability stops her from doing things she wants to do she said that although it did not stop her, but when it comes to the mobility and locomotive action she needed to be dependent on the others for it. Due to the Muscular Dystrophy, her fine
motor skills have got affected and it became weak with the time. “I can play the Piano but cannot play as fast as a normal person. Initially, I thought that this could become the barrier but when I saw the condition of other children I felt that mine problem is nothing in front of them and that gave me more encouragement to work in the field of music,” she said. Jolene always had a dream to become the celebrity, she says, “I am the born actor and I always wanted to become the celebrity, sign autographs and be seen on a big screen. I wanted to be in front of the camera and not behind the scene, but my limitations made me give up my dreams. I took the music as my passion and pursued my studies in that field. Despite the situation, I completed my grade 8 in the music. Now I teach the music to the special children. It's been almost 5 years now that I am teaching the music to the specially abled children.” Jolene says that “As far as the special children are concerned,
they have a slight difficulty in their cognitive skills like recognizing & memorizing. These Children go to Special schools, but there are also limitations with the educators. Some of these students cannot pick up things were done in class so I introduce music and by putting a beat to it. The Waves of music strikes a special child in a perfect manner. They are very sensitive to the sound, especially the autistic children can memorize anything with the help of sound of Music, and the power of sound is very effective. So what I do is bring the essence of sound in music and I deliver whatever information the special educators cannot put in them.” Jolene's singing career started with the Hindi title number “Soniye” in 2011. “I have sung many songs before doing my debut in Hindi single title Soniye which was released in 2011. It was I can say something original and that created the identity of a true singer. The music of Soniye was composed by Margao-based music composer Allan Fernandes. It was the song based on the heartbreak situation and I feel that is very close to my heart too. Besides this, I also sang Konkani songs for a devotional album “'Jezucho Mog Ek Vizmit” by Brian Fernandes. Besides Konkani I have also done one single “Olathumbathe Olanjanli” in Malyalam language composed by Santosh Verma a Musician from Kerala. “Olathumbathe Olanjanli” is a song on nature. It's like calling out to a bird which usually sits on coconut trees and it's also calling out to a dragonfly. It's like telling the bird and the dragonfly that if we are together, then the sky is within our reach. DECEMBER 2015 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ 53
YOUNG GOA \ Chaitanya Malik
According to Jolene, she always wanted to do something different than the usual. “When I decided to sing in Malyalam language it was not easy at all. I had no knowledge of the language but still I decided to accept the challenge. I always wanted to do something different. I decided to be versatile and multi-lingual. I started listening to a lot of Malayalam and Tamil songs, although I did not understand a single word. I started watching South Indian films which had subtitles in English. I can never say that I am 100% perfect now but each day I learn. At present, I can sing in Konkani, English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Punjabi, Marathi, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch,” She said. Coming back to the dealing with the children with the disability factors Jolene said that “Now as far as the Children with Physical disability are concerned, I give them a musical instrument of their comfort so they feel Selfconfident. Many a times we see how there so many music teachers, but then there are hardly any Teachers for The Specially abled kids. And by nature, I am ever ready to take 54 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
up challenges so where others wouldn't do it, I Would! I feel that this is a Blessing of the God, but as I was doing my Grade 8, I had this interest of doing a little bit of more research in my studies in Vocals. This is where I discovered about “Music Therapy” and at the same time I went to this special school called “Setu” which is situated at Porvorim. Dr. Nandita D'Souza helped me. This is also where I saw and came into contact with these children which gave me an idea about things from a Music Therapist's Point of view. When we tried to find out from Jolene as how she managed to handle the stage program in Kala Academy she said that “I was approached by Anand Vikas, the organizer of the show who chose me to perform at the program. He said that he wanted someone to perform for an hour and a half. So he left all the management in my hands and said that whatever I wanted to do he would accept it. So I saw the opportunity to involve children into my program so most of my dancers were children and even the backing vocalist were my friends, the musicians from around. We did a lot of practices too.” Jolene has also had one more
famous solo to her credit, “Thodi Aalg Hoon” when we asked her about the same she said, “Actually I met this person in Mumbai called Suresh Thomas, who is the M.D. of Crescendo Music which is a record label. So at that time, I was a big Bollywood Freak as I loved the music then and I told him as how I wanted to be a Bollywood singer and asked him how he could help me. I also told him about my physical conditions and my limitations. The Song “Thodi Alag Hoon” was entirely his concept, and he had funded everything right from preproduction to post-production. So there was lyricist who was a Bollywood, the actress in video and the music director Vikram Khajooriya, they all did almost everything and I had to only go to the studio and just do my part of singing. The Video for the song was shot at my place, and the recording was done at Margao and the mixing was done at Mumbai.” Jolene is a perfect example of the winner. She is the fighter, who fought against all the odds in her life and came out as a winner at the end. Today Jolene do not have any limitation of her disability. She doesn't just prepare herself for the next task, but she also helps the special children and teaches them music. Her contribution may not be very big to the society, but the example set by her is surely big enough for the others to learn from it. Jolene says, “Keep practicing. Love yourself and have faith on God. Nobody has the time to see your weaknesses. I am not a star today because I am physically challenged. I am a star because I worked hard.”
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GOA BUZZ \ Tourism
No more Renew or Issue permits to Taxis without Digital Meter & GPS
This is high time to get cabs fitted with the digital meter and GPS device if you wish to get the permit for your cab, as RTO has decided to stop renewing and issuing any further permits to the Taxis that do not have a digital meter and GPS device fitted over it. The issue of meterless taxis in Goa exists for many years. Many governments tried to implement the same in the state but in vain. Taxi operators are not comfortable with the suggestion of using the meter in their cab and they perhaps believe in charging people according to the destination and hour of the day. The taxis include everything bearing the yellow plates and having the permit to ply on the set route. But now the department of Transport has decided to become little stiff on this issue. They have issued the circular in the official gazette of Goa according to which, now onwards the transport department will not issue or renew the taxi permits unless the cab owners install the digital meter and GPS tracking device in their cabs. The new amendment rule is published in the series – I of Goa official gazette 2015. It has been 56 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
made mandatory to install the GPS system and digital meter in all the taxis. The notification says that “every motor cab plying in the state of Goa shall be fitted with a fare meter of the digital type with printer and global positioning system (GPS) tracking device approved by the state transport authority from the date as may be notified by the director of transport.” Unless the digital meter and GPS (Global Positioning Device) are installed into the cab no more new permits will be issued to the taxi operators, claims the notification. It may be recalled that the notification to this regards was issued by the earlier director of transport Arun Desai on 25th June 2015 stating that all the suggestions and objections to the draft rule to be forwarded to the office of director of transport within 15 days of the issuance of the said notification whereby the same may be taken into the consideration at the time of making an amendment. According to the sources, after considering the suggestions and objections received by the office of director of transport the state government amended the Goa Motor Vehicles Rules, 1991 and
substituted the clause making the following points clear, Motor cabs to be fitted with fare meters', in Rule 140 of the Goa Motor Vehicles Rules, 1991, thus making it compulsory for all cabs in the state to have the facility of fare meters with printer and GPS. No fitness certificate to a motor cab shall be issued or its existing fitness certificate renewed unless such motor cab is fitted with the digital meter. The digital meter shall be sealed at three points- at the meter, the junction box, and the adapter. The motor vehicle will not be allowed to ply on the route unless it is fitted with the fare meter and bears the seal of metrology department to prove that the fare meter is tested and is in working condition. In the case of any need of alteration required it shall be carried out only by the legal metrology department with the written permission of the secretary of the state transport authority. The notification further says that, The owner, driver, attendant of the motor cab or any other person who breaks or tampers in any way with the seal or marks placed on a fare meter, or who with an intent to deceive, tampers with the fare meter or the driving mechanism thereof, shall be deemed to have committed a breach of this rule and shall be liable for a penalty as specified in section 177 of the Act,” the clause 140 of the draft rules conclude. It looks like it is going to be a tough time for the taxi operators while complying with the rules laid down by the transport department. The implementation of the new amendment will be quite a task for the concerned authorities. But one thing will be good and that is the customer satisfaction.
IG
GOA BUZZ \ State It looks the like the police-drug mafia nexus case will fall flat due to the lack of evidence CBI claims no proof to establish the case in the court. CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) is considered to be one of the most powerful and efficient investigation agencies in India. All the serious cases are finally handed over to the CBI which is out of the reach of local police and crime branch. The police-drug dealer nexus came into the light somewhere in 2010 when the ANC (Anti-Narcotics Cell) had arrested the Israeli drug dealer Dudu at Anjuna for the alleged possession of the drug. Subsequently, CBI arrested five police constables in alleged Police-drug dealer nexus in the year 2012 for the purpose of investigation and that apparently got completed in 2013. In the year 2014 CBI filed supplementary chargesheet before the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) court at Mapusa and in the year 2015 all the police personnel involved into this case had been reinstated back into their jobs. “Their suspension was revoked by the home ministry. “According to the news published in a local daily, Goa government on Tuesday reinstated two senior police officers and five constables who were suspended and arrested for their involvement with drug peddlers in the state in 2010. The state home department had shown mercy on these cops by restoring them back to their respective posts. The cops who were allotted their portfolio by the home department are, PI Ashish Shirodkar, PSI Panaji Gawas and five constables who were suspended following their online exposure by a foreign model who was the friend of drug mafia
CBI found no evidence in Police-drug mafia nexus, all police been discharged
Atala.” The CBI, after completion of their probe on Friday 4th December 2015, had filed a fat 110 pages chargesheet before the JMFC (Judicial magistrate First Class) court at Panaji. The chargesheet had ruled out any possibility of Police-drug nexus due to lack of evidence. Although the CBI managed to file the accusation against the then ANC Police Inspector Ashish Shirodkar in the case of forgery and cheating, CBI claimed that Shirodkar had obtained the Mobile SIM card by forging the documents and used the same to connect with drug dealers. The CBI managed to file 14 witnesses in this case and besides Ashish Shirodkar, no other police personnel have been made the accused in this case. The CBI failed to prove the police-drug mafia nexus due to the lack of evidence. While doing this CBI kept the door open of departmental enquiry against the six policemen. This case was investigated by the Police Inspector S. Parab from CBI. Although CBI claimed no evidence but the sources revealed that those who tipped the local
police and CBI on alleged Policedrug mafia nexus do not want to come in front to become the witness in the court against the police personnel and they have pleaded their inability to do so. Imagine the situation, here the CBI did not manage to collect the enough pieces of evidence against the police personnel involved in the drug nexus, what will happen when politicians get investigated?, Unless, they are not the part of the ruling government. People started losing its faith in the local police and started looking at the CBI as the final option for getting the justice. But the present performance of CBI may raise the following concern amongst the people of Goa. Is the whole system is corrupt? Or there are some places where there is no corruption? Please do not forget to leave your valuable comments and suggestions at the DISQUS forum at the bottom of this article and share it with millions of users. IG
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GOA BUZZ \ Crime
FOURTH NEW GENERATION OPV BUILT BY GSL FOR COAST GUARD LAUNCHED
from Government, Navy and Coast Guard. Addressing the gathering, Smt Surina Rajan, Addl. Secretary, Defence Production, Govt. of India said, “GSL has steadily built up the requisite expertise and skill in undertaking complex shipbuilding projects, thus establishing for itself a niche in the shipbuilding industry”. While complementing GSL for all round improvement in the performance IG S K Goyal, DDG (M&M), ICG said, “the launching of the fourth vessel will be another major milestone towards our goal of having an adequate number of such ships in our inventory. Once inducted, the vessel would be tasked for performing the Coast Guard Charter and this would include the crucial functions of coastal security.” Speaking on the occasion, RAdm Shekhar Mital, NM, IN (Retd) CMD, GSL said that the Close on the heels of successful This 105 meters new generation Offshore Patrol launch of four AOPVs in last one year is a major feat for GSL and unparalleled in the history of Commissioning of rst new class CG OPV Vessel (OPV) was launched by Smt Surina Indian shipbuilding and this has been made “ICGS Samarth”, on 10 Nov 15 and unslipping of Rajan, Additional Secretary, Defence possible only due to innate capabilities of GSL Sri Lankan OPV on 25 Nov 2015, Goa Shipyard Production, Govt. of India in presence of Shri ceremoniously launched the fourth of the series Carlos Almeida, MLA Vasco, IG S K Goyal, DDG and it's very committed to work force, both of cers and employees. He passed the full of Six OPVs, designed in-house and built by (M&M), ICG, Rear Admiral Shekhar Mital, NM, credit to GSL employees and assured that all GSL, for the Indian Coast Guard on 27th IN (Retd) CMD, GSL, RAdm De Silva, Sri ships will be delivered by GSL on time, as per the November 2015 at Goa. Lankan Navy and many other senior dignitaries contractual schedule.
Konkani Movie “Nachom-ia Kumpasar” creates history by making way to Oscars
According to Mr. Barretto, they have sent the entry in two categories, Background music, and Foreign Film and it should be in contention for both the categories. “It's great news for Goa and for Konkani cinema. Making this far that too purely on merit makes it that much sweeter,” Mr. Barretto told Goa Prism. It is the matter of pride that Nachom-ia Kumpasar got Bardroy Barretto selected for the entry in Oscars while Indian Government did not The first Konkani movie in the made in the history of Indian films even consider it at the time of making the official list for the history of Konkani cinema to make from crowd funding. Nachom-ia Oscar entry. In fact, they selected its way to Oscars is none other Kumpasar is one of the two Indian the Marathi movie “Court” than “Nachom-ia Kumpasar”, films that made its entry in Oscar's trashing all other movies including directed by Goa's own 'Bardroy Listing of 88th Academy Awards the flicks like “PK”, “Masaan”, Barretto'. This is first such instance 2016. another Indian movie is Mary Kom”, Haider and Bahubali. The next process will the when any Konkani language film “Jalam” a Malayalam film by P screening of selected movies from ever managed to make it that far. Padmakumar. the entry in front of the reputed Although “Nachom-ia Kumpasar” Nachom-ia Kumpasar is already an jury members from all over the is not selected by the Indian award winning movie with seven world who will then shortlist the Government for the Oscars, but it awards to its disposal on the films which will go for the final was the efforts of the producers national and international level nomination for Oscar awards. Mr. and director of the movie who and now the news of making its Barretto feels that at least now manage to send the entry on its entry in Oscars is the matter of Indian Government should own and, fortunately, it had got support the movie to push it great pride for Goa and Goans. selected for the entry into the through the tough process of Bardroy Barretto who made his Oscars. Nachom-ia Kumpasar is in selection. “It is beyond our reach debut in the film industry with this the list of 309 movies in various now but hoping for the best,” said languages selected from all over movie. In fact, this is the first film Bardroy Barretto. the world for the Oscar entry. 58 \ INCREDIBLE GOA \ DECEMBER 2015
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