Volume 2
Issue 2
February 2023
antonette fernandes
A Goan mom who found huge success as an Instagram influencer and model
Adele Sharman
In a brief conversation with ItsGoa, Adele Sharman, a travel blogger from the UK, shares her experiences about her recent holiday in Goa.
Maheswari Naik
A Panjim-based medical lecturer who doubles up during her free time as an Instagram influencer
Love is Not Enough in a Relationship missing teeth
Psychologist Richelle Brito-Carvalho talks about a few elements that are vital in romantic relationships
Panjim-based periodontist Dr. Valerie Pereira talks about the various treatments for tooth loss
Hi friends,
Welcome to the February issue of our emagazine ‘Being Goan’.
On the cover of this month's issue, we have featured Antonette Fernandes, a young Goan mother who found huge success as an Instagram influencer and model. As an influencer, Antonette has collaborated with many brands to promote their products. She has also participated in and won many titles at various fashion pageants in Goa. read the full story to know more about this interesting personality
Our inside pages feature stories on Adele Sharman, a travel blogger from the UK who recently was down in Goa on a holiday. In a brief conversation with ItsGoa, Adele shared insights about her life, her career and her experiences during her trip to Goa. We have also done a story on Maheshwari Naik, a medical lecturer based in Panjim whose hobby of travelling and posting pictures of her travels on social media led to her gaining popularity as a travel blogger on Instagram.
Guest writeups on tooth loss by periodontist Dr. Valerie Pereira, on a 'Holistic Approach to Cancer Care' by homoeopathic practitioner Dr.
Denise Rodrigues, and on the various elements that are very vital in a romantic relationship by noted psychologist Richelle Brito-Carvalho also feature in this month's issue of our e-magazine.
This month of February is loaded with a number of exciting festivities and events. The famous Goa Carnival will be held this month from the 18th to the 21st of February. The four-day event will begin in Panaji on the 18th of February. From Panaji, the carnival will make its way to Margao on the 19th, Mapusa on the 20th and will culminate at Vasco on the 21st of February. The carnival promises to attract thousands of revellers who will throng the streets to welcome King Momo and his entourage of dancers, clowns and musicians.
Also, the Goa Book Fair will be held this month from the 9th to the 13th of February at the Ravindra Bhavan in Margao. The fair, which is being organised by The Dogears Bookshop, Margao, in association with Publishing Next, will see a large number of publishers and booksellers exhibiting a variety of books in different languages and genres.
Goa is due to host India’s first World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender event later this month from the 27th of February to the 5th of March. The event, which will be held at the Goa University Stadium in Taleigao, promises to be a truly exciting event and will provide Indians with an opportunity to witness the biggest names from the world of Table Tennis battling it out right in front of their own eyes.
Well, that's all I have for you guys from my desk this month. I hope you enjoy reading this month’s issue of our e-magazine. Do share it with your friends all across the world.
Until next month, cheers!
Jessyl Fernandez Editor01 Antonette Fernandes
02 Adele Sharman
03 Maheshwari Naik
04 “Only Love is Not Enough in a Relationship
05 Holistic Approach to Cancer Care
06 Missing Teeth - A Tale of Loss and Identity
Introduction
Goa, the tiniest state on the western coast of India, boasts golden pristine beaches, palmfringed avenues, flavourful food, delicious Portuguese-influenced sweets, and warm, hospitable people. Also known as the Ibiza of India for its partying. A tropical paradise of flora and fauna, from the very famous almi (mushrooms) endemic to its forests, that grow only on the red mud anthills, to the solar prawns that are fished immediately after the monsoons, Goa is unique. Tourists are also attracted to Goa for its cultural heritage - from the famous old Portuguese churches like Se Cathedral in Old Goa, the 16th Century Safa Masjid in Ponda and Shree Mangesha Temple in Mardol, the legendary Arvalem or Pandava Caves where the Pandavas of the Mahabharat fame lived, to its two unique festivals - Carnival and Shigmo. Goa plays host to many festivals - the International Film Festival of India that promotes cinema, the Serendipity Art Festival, Sunburn Music Festival,
The Grape Escapade to name a few. To showcase this varied heritage of culture, art, tradition, food, and people, in 2015 ItsGoa was
born. The main aim was to make it the premier portal for all things Goa. We were able to showcase Goa like never before. Soon our blog-
based website transcended the virtual space,
with the ItsGoa magazine a sought-after resource for visitors to Goa from countries like Norway, Germany, UK, USA, UAE, etc.
Chief Editor
Jessyl Fernandez
Content Manager
Steve Antao
Content Curators
Prataya Sarkar
Dr. Valerie Pereira
Richelle Brito-Carvalho
Dr. Denise Rodrigues
Sales & Marketing
Donald Fernandez
Graphics & Layout
Shankar Kamble
Aniket Naik
Social Media Manager
Saviola Dias
Adele Sharman
Adele Sharman is a travel and lifestyle blogger from Leeds in England. She runs a travel blog called Sharman Shores (sharmanshores.com). She is currently down in Goa on a holiday and is put up at Seashell Suites and Villas in Candolim. This is her third visit to Goa. She previously visited Goa in 2019 and then in 2020.
Prior to venturing into the world of travel and blogging, Adele used to be a stay-at-home mum raising her two daughters. After they started schooling, Adele spent 8 years as a volunteer supporting children with special educational needs. She also worked in the field of sales for many beauty brands. Despite all of this, her greatest passion has always been travelling.
After completing her schooling, Adele went to college to study Sports, Leisure and Tourism. However, the course was a bit too inclined towards sports. Due to this, Adele decided to drop out of it. After dropping out of college, she started working as a beauty consultant for a company called Clinique. She had a passion for sales and also had the gift of the gab. She went on to work for Clarins and Estee Lauder as a counter manager. After her daughters were born, Adele gave up her job to take care of them.
After her two daughters started schooling, Adele began to volunteer at her girl’s school and then went on to work as a teaching assistant with children who had special educational needs. She worked as a teaching assistant for 8 years until she lost her voice on numerous occasions. She then retrained herself and set up a business providing beauty treatments. (eyelashes and tinting).
Her Journey as a Travel Blogger
Adele's passion for travelling began when she visited Egypt at the age of 17. As time went by, her passion for travelling only grew stronger. After her daughters were born, she travelled along with them to Australia and Singapore with her daughters. Visiting new places is her thing and she loves flying and staying in hotels.
Personal Profile
As a child, Adele had various ambitions. At one point in time, she wanted to become an air hostess. She also considered the thought of becoming an actress, and once even contemplated starting her own hotel. She wittingly says that if she started her own hotel, she would allow all her guests to come down for breakfast in their PJs and robes!
Adele’s blogging journey began when she became a part of Team CoCo Gang in 2019. Team CoCo Gang was an online group of travel and lifestyle influencers and content creators. It was founded by Laura Bartlett, a travel blogger and the proprietor of ‘House of CoCo’, a magazine based in the UK. Adele’s passion for travelling and sharing her travels with others became a reality in October 2020 when she was on a holiday in Belek, Turkey. The holiday, which was planned for 10 days, turned into a 5week and 2 days long holiday for Adele after her return flight got cancelled.
After her holiday in Turkey, Adele and her husband travelled to Florida and stayed in a beautiful hotel for 2 weeks until they found a lovely condominium in a gated golf and country club complex. The condominium was their home for the next two months.
DJ Ryan performing at Hammerzz nightclubAround that time, the UK had gone into a lockdown again. So, after her holiday in Florida came to an end, instead of flying back, Adele and her husband flew to the Dominican Republic for a month-long holiday which ultimately turned into three months. Adele regularly posted articles and pictures of all the places she travelled to on her blog. As time passed, her blog started growing and she started to gain a lot of followers as she was sharing so much interesting content. She was living her best travel life. She and her husband soon returned to Florida and then continued travelling to places like Antigua, Nashville, Georgia, Mexico, Texas and so on.
People who knew Adele personally were aware of her endless love for travelling. While most people were cooped up indoors during the lockdown, Adele continued travelling and got amazing feedback from her family and friends.
Challenges Faced
Adele says that one of the biggest challenges she faces as a travel blogger is that the entire process is very time-consuming. A lot of research and reading has to be done to prepare for a trip to a particular place. She feels she is quite lucky to have got such a supportive husband. She gets free upgrades many times which is a nice bonus but she spends most of her time on her phone or laptop to plan her content. Despite all of this, she wants to devote all of her time and energy to blogging since it is something she truly admires.
people and goes all the way to the food and the weather. For her, the weather in January is perfect. When it comes to the food, she has tried almost all kinds of Goan dishes and loves all of them. "Goan fish curry, Samosa, and Biryani are some of my favourite dishes'”, she says.
During her stay in Goa this year, she dined at a number of restaurants, one among them being the newly opened ‘WhitePlate by Chef Jason’ at Candolim. “Chef Jason is a gem of a person” says Adele. “And his food is simply outstanding. I will be writing a post about his wonderful restaurant and the story of his life very soon” she adds.
Adele adds that it is not only the physical things about Goa that she admires. "Goa has an utterly unique atmosphere that I cannot put into words. It is just something one needs to experience themselves,” she says.
Important People In Her Life
One of the many people whom Adele looks up to with a great deal of admiration and respect is Laura Bartlett, the owner of House of CoCo magazine. Laura set up Team Coco Gang to help and support people like Adele who have a passion for travelling and blogging. "I am eternally grateful to Laura for her mentorship and friendship. Thanks to Laura, I got to meet the amazing Maggie Colette, an Instagram coach and the CEO of the 'Think Like a Boss' podcast”, says Adele. Maggie helps female entrepreneurs to grow their audiences on Instagram. “This lady has boosted my confidence and has given me so much inspiration,” she says. "I call her 'Magic Maggie'"!
Also, through Laura, Adele got to meet the lovely Daria, who is now a big part of Adele's blog 'Sharman Shores'. Daria is presently helping Adele to fulfil her dream of writing a book about her travel adventures. However, the number one person who has been strongly supporting Adele throughout her whole blogging journey is her sister Dawn . "My sister has overcome so much in life, including mental health issues. She is a wealth of knowledge," says Adele. “I am a strong person, but sometimes we need other people in our lives to make us even stronger. My sister is one of these people”, she adds.
Her Plans For The Future
Adele intends to continue travelling around the world, exploring new places, meeting new people living and learning new things. She aspires to grow her blog and inspire as many people as possible to broaden their horizons and explore this huge and vibrant world. “Also I would love to collaborate with some hotel chains and airlines and share useful recommendations with my dear followers,” she says.
As of now, Adele hasn’t collaborated with any influencers or bloggers in Goa or India. However , it is something she would certainly love to do. She will be coming back to Goa in January next year and is open to collaborating with bloggers, YouTubers and Instagram influencers based in Goa as well as other parts of India.
When asked what message she would like to share with our readers, Adele said that the only message she has for people is “travel, travel and travel”. She says that travelling is a fantastic way to find new acquaintances and live the best life. “Do what you love and don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today”, she says.
For more information about Adele and her various travel adventures, visit her blog Sharman Shores at: https://sharmanshores.com/
You can also follow her on: Instagram: instagram.com/sharmanshores Facebook: facebook.com/sharmanshores Twitter: twitter.com/adele_sharman1 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCFuh9ZQUD5Ahyrm16yVhoOQ
Article by: Prataya Sarkar
Images by: Maheswari Naik
Maheswari Naik, popularly known as ‘The Wanderess’, is an Instagram influencer based in Panaji. She did her schooling at Dr. K. B. Hedgewar High School, Panaji and then completed her higher secondary education at Mushtifund Higher Secondary School in Panaji. Post this, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Medical Imaging Technology from Goa Medical College and thereafter pursued a master’s degree in the same from Nitte University, Mangalore. She currently serves as a lecturer in Medical Imaging Technology at a reputed medical institute in Goa.
During her childhood days, Maheswari always had a strong desire to work in the medical field. She was also inclined towards the aviation industry and aspired to become a commercial pilot and soar in the sky.
While growing up, Maheswari cultivated an ardent interest in photography and travelling. Once, while going on a school trip, her mother gifted her a digital camera. It was a Canon PowerShot camera. She would carry that camera along with her wherever she went and would click evocative images of birds, animals, scenery and architecture and so on.
Maheshwari was bitten by a travel bug at a tender age and always wanted to explore different places. She took various road trips with her family to different parts of North India, including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir. Her little camera banks a lot of beautiful pictures of the places she visited. She then started to post those pictures on Facebook and even got featured in newspapers when social media was not as popular as it is today.
One of Maheshwari’s friends suggested that she start posting the pictures she used to take on Instagram. So, Maheswari started a page on Instagram and started posting the pictures she used to take during her various travels across India. The page soon became very popular and gained a lot of recognition not just from users, but also from prominent photographers. She started posting pictures consistently on her Instagram feed and became known as 'The wanderess'.
Maheshwari has collaborated with @panjim.goa and @krisbphoto and even got featured on many pages online. Her Instagram page @the.wanderess_ was featured in Lokaso's list of the 15 most amazing
Instagram pages in Goa to follow in 2017.
Maheshwari pursues photography as a hobby and enjoys it. While talking about the challenges of running her page, she says that the audience today prefers video or reel-based content over still photos which leads to a drop in the reach of photography pages. In the future, she plans on exploring more offbeat destinations not just in India, but globally as well.
Maheshwari believes that nothing worth having comes easy in life. “It is only hard work and sheer persistence which can help us get closer to achieving our dream. So always stay positive and keep trying” she says.
Follow Maheshwari on Instagram @the.wanderess_
Maheshwari near the river flowing though the Parvati Valley at Kasol in Himachal Pradesh
Antonette Fernandes
A Goan mom who found huge success as an Instagram influencer and model
Article by: Prataya Sarkar Images by: Antonette FernandesAntonette Fernandes is a successful Instagram influencer and model from Kapileshwarim in Ponda. Ever since she was a child, Antonette always had a passion for dancing and always enjoyed being in the limelight. After completing her graduation, she worked at different places in various positions, including as a DTP operator, an accountant, and even as a receptionist. However, she always had a strong desire to do something different with her life.
In 2018, during the days leading up to her wedding, Antonette started making TikTok videos, just out of her love for dancing and to keep herself busy and happy. Many people used to discouraged her from posting those videos. However, what kept her going was the belief that even if there are people who discourage you, there are also a lot of people in this world who will encourage and support you.
After Antonette delivered her first child in January 2020, she again started making videos on TikTok. Later, when TikTok got banned, she was shattered. Instagram Reels came to her rescue and she began posting videos over there. Antonette posted her first Instagram reel in August 2020 and since then, there has been no looking back for her.
Antonette bagged her first collaboration deal with a skincare brand in 2021. Since then, she has continued to receive offers from various brands to promote their products. She now makes videos for many different apps and earns herself a good revenue stream. Today, even her baby gets a lot of offers for collaboration and even got featured on
Last year, Antonette participated in the Mrs. Queen of Goa beauty pageant. Participating in the event took a lot of courage and willpower, but Antonett went ahead and won two titles at the contest- Mrs Popular Queen of Goa and Mrs People's Choice of Goa.
Antonette never got any support from her parents during her journey as an influencer because her parents didn’t know much about social media. When it comes to friends, she never found anyone at her side when she needed them the most. This led to her becoming her own pillar of support. She motivated herself and gave herself the required push whenever she needed it.
Antonette shoots her videos at home, all by herself. She does all of this when her baby is asleep. With time, as she learnt more about making and editing videos, she started implementing certain changes to the style of her videos and improved a lot as she went forward in her journey as an influencer.
“Love is great, Love is necessary. Love is beautiful. But love is not enough”- Mark Manson
We have all heard the phrase ‘ Love is all that Matters’, but is it the only ingredient to a long-term romantic relationship? Research highlights that there are quite a few things more important in a relationship than love alone.
According to Jennifer Rhodes, a licensed psychologist, author and relationship expert, “love alone is simply not enough for a committed relationship to work.” That doesn’t need to strip us from being a complete romantic! When it comes to love and relationships, it's all so much more complicated than the suggested polarity. If you're only in the relationship because of the feeling of love, you are likely to feel that the relationship is either overlooking something, is stuck or is slipping away. As we grow we realize that a relationship requires a lot more effort, attention and acceptance.
What could be more important than love in a relationship then? Over time, being with someone, the goosebumps and the mushy feeling you’d experience would eventually subside. What keeps the relationship fire burning then?
Trusting Each Other Wholeheartedly
“Love cannot live where there is no trust” - Edith Hamilton
It doesn’t matter how much you love another person: if there is a lack of trust, it will be an issue that will resurface eventually. Trust is a crucial ingredient to a healthy relationship and a key indicator for experts when assessing a couple’s connection. When we think about trust, we often think about infidelity or cheating but in its entirety, it encompasses intimate and vulnerable information about your partner and a deep known certainty of safety and security! If it doesn’t come right away, there is help available to explore why you don’t feel secure or cared for, and look at ways to build trust together.
Respect: Need I Say More?
You would have heard or witnessed justifications, especially between partners that have shown traces of abuse “I stay with them because I love them.” This
indicates how love can blind you to the reality of a bad situation, including being with someone who doesn't respect you.
As therapist Nancy Kislin, LCSW, MFT says, “Respect is all about honouring each other's differences. “A couple doesn’t need to have the same interests or passions, but they do need to have the capacity to understand each other. One must be present with their partner — without judgements, demands, and unreasonable expectations."
Retaining Your Sense of Self is Paramount!
Holding on to your autonomy in a relationship is just as important as finding ways to move as a couple. No amount of love is worth giving up the essence of who you are. It can be concerning if you get into a relationship and give up your goals and interests, and in the process, lose the very core of your being.
Therefore, it is central to you to make an effort to hold onto those values that are fundamental to who you are. You can work with your partner to create time for things that are important to you and encourage your partner to do the same.
When in a relationship, we are often worried about losing the relationship or upsetting the other. However, it is helpful to open a discussion with your partner and include them in the decisionmaking process to a certain degree.
Focusing on your individuality will strengthen your connection, improve your self-worth, and renew your sense of purpose which in turn will help you comprehend that your relationship need not be your defining characteristic of being.
Relationship = Partnership, Isn’t It?
Isn’t it nice to feel like you can handle anything as a couple, no matter what life throws your way? Working on striking a balance when it comes to chores, emotional support and so on is essential to create the type of relationship that supports fair partnership.
While you can help each other out, and show love by stepping up when necessary and being supportive. One thing that helps to keep this partnership on track is regular check-ins such as ‘How are you feeling about our discussion last week?’, ‘Do you feel supported in this relationship?’ Are there any areas you need more support?’, ‘What are some ways we can stay connected when we are busy?’ Asking these questions from time to time can further strengthen the connection.
Honest Communication of Your Needs
Communication is vital when two or more people are involved in a relationship to set boundaries, express love, resolve conflicts, express your needs as well as engage in passionate sex.
Good communication is a tool that helps partners get to know each other and make room for personal changes. It allows room for discussion and clears out unrealistic expectations from each other. Good communication is going to be what makes things work long term which ensures that the couple is on the same page and can learn to move through challenging times.
Ultimately, any relationship comes down to the people who want to be together and make an effort to do things to grow in their relationship. There are many factors and past experiences that will shape the quality of your relationship but that doesn’t mean there is no room for change.
Enduring relationships come to those who value and care for themselves, and their partner and
understand a relationship’s fragility. Nothing can last if you don’t take care of it, relationship included. So, when you are with someone, invest time doing things that build love alongside integrating values and beliefs that will strengthen the bond between you and your partner.
While you might feel alone in these struggles with your partner, these are experiences that many couples encounter but most often than not, they are shamed for talking about it.
There is help available if you need support to work towards gaining a deeper understanding of your relationship dynamic, receive an impartial sounding board, and create a space for you and your partner to bring up and navigate conflicts.
What is most important, is the willingness to repair the rupture in your relationship from both individuals.
Note: Some relationships are abusive in nature; physical, emotional as well as sexual abuse and in such cases one must seek a resolution and safeguard themselves. This article in no way supports tolerating abusive actions.
About the Author:
Richelle Brito Carvalho is a Counselling Psychologist based in Mapusa. She is the founder of Wholistic Connect, an online counselling service. She also provides counselling services at Antarman, a psychosocial well-being centre, in Panjim She has done her M.Sc in Counselling Psychology from Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore.
If you are facing any psychological issues and wish to seek help, you may contact Richelle on:
WhatsApp: 9767969405
Email: wholistic.connect@gmail.com
Instagram: @wholistic.connect.counselling
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