My Goa December 2022

White Plate by Chef Jason is Goa’s newest culinary offering started after making a mark in Bangalore, Mumbai, London and with Michelin star chefs Gordon Ramsay and Alaine Ducasse in the United Kingdom

DECEMBER 2022

Publisher-Editor

HARSHVARDHAN BHATKULY

Group Director URVIJA

BHATKULY

Admin Head

ANNALISE GOUVEIA

Chief Reporter

SYBIL RODRIGUES

Reporter

RAGESHREE DAS

Graphic Designer

RAKSHAMA NAIK

Distribution

MAYUR SANTINESKAR

Contributors

CONRAD BARRETO SHARVANI CHANDVALE WENDY AMANDA COUTINHO

Harsh Reality

appropriate behaviour, irrespective of the size of people who are threatening to jam up the road of North Goa.

The long and short of it is that we cannot rely on the words of what we read and listen to on newspapers, tv, radio or our social media feeds. Irrespective of our political leanings, we have to look after ourselves and our dear ones.

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Take Care

Covid is raising its ugly head in some parts of the world. Watching some news channel and the disturbing imagery on them cannot but give you a déjà vu feeling and bring back all the gory emotions of the time when the pandemic was raging in our neck of the woods.

Experts, depending on where they are placed in the world, have been sending mixed signals to us lay folks, who don’t understand the medical jargon and worse, who cannot figure out the alpha numerals in the hierarchy of the pathological terminology of the virus strains. Some say that this current strain of virus has been already prevalent in 90 plus countries; while others claim that the virus has broken the record of the largest single day infection, that too in China.

We haven’t stopped aircrafts landing in India from the virus affected countries. Various state governments and central machinery are busy drumming up their preparedness, should the doomsday prophets hit bull’s eye.

What is the fate of us common folks in the midst of all this? Would it be safe and wise to throw caution to the winds and behave as if we are all immune to the dangers of the pandemic, because we are double vaccinated? Or should we lock ourself up and wear triple masks even when we speak to someone via the telephone?!

Goa will see a surge of travellers during Christmas and New Year. Organisers and attendees of mega music festivals will be busy to show that they are ensuring covid

In my opinion, it would be prudent to stick to basic tenets of covid protected and appropriate behaviour. Let the masks come on. Better to have the N95 ones. It may not only be to show that you are being politically correct to safeguard your interests and that of others, but it works. However much we are tempted and have FOMO on our minds, it would help to avoid crowded places. Maintaining hygiene and frequenting restaurants and other places that maintain hygiene would be a great idea.

All this is to avoid a lockdown scenario so that we do not have to go through the grill of reinventing our lives and livelihoods all over again.

Talking about livelihoods, we should be extra careful of our work and be proactive and focused to get things done well and on time. The last episode has left many with damaged bank accounts and a low sense of self-esteem.

On the practical front, it is definitely not prudent to compare the immune systems of our kind of population with that of other countries and pass sweeping statements saying that we have better immune systems. I guess we have to also take in less from social media feeds, more particularly from our friends who preach from the corridors of Whatsapp University.

It is always better to place your faith in the hands of your family doctor –someone who is aware of your health history and someone who can take a call for your medical status.

It would be a great idea to have a support system of friends and family to help us out, should the naysayers be proved right.

This is a rather sombre and cautionary piece of thought. But better be safe than sorry. Have a joyous season. So what if you have to watch over your back?!

Printed, published and owned by Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly and printed at Elegant Offset Printers, D2-31, Tivim Industrial Estate, Karaswada, Mapusa, Goa 403526 and published at 409, Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza, Panaji - Goa 403001. Editor: Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly

Goa

Mopa Airport inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC)

At the 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) and Arogya Expo in Goa, several senior residents from Goa and tourists made the most of the opportunity to engage with naturopathy and homoeopathic practitioners, drug producers, enthusiasts, and academicians.

ayurveda and Unani medicine. At the event, researchers from famous ayurvedic institutes in India gave presentations on product formulations and therapeutic methods they had created based on case studies and clinical trials to address various issues with hair and skin health.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the international airport at Mopa. He named the airport after late Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who passed away in March 2019.

“The state-of-theart airport in Mopa will significantly improve connectivity as well as boost tourism in Goa. Manohar Parrikar International Airport is proof of the changed government thinking and approach

Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant declared that his administration would establish a Ministry of AYUSH in Goa. At the capital’s closing ceremony for the 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC), Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant delivered a speech saying, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expanded the scope of Ayurveda worldwide. For the benefit of the state’s AYUSH physicians, we will establish a Ministry of AYUSH in Goa.” Dr Sawant expressed his gratitude to

towards infrastructure in the country today. We took the initiative to take air travel to the smallest cities in the country,” PM Modi said.

The airport at Mopa in north Goa, being built at a cost of Rs.2,870 crore, will be the second facility in the state in addition to the existing airport at Dabolim. The airport will have the capacity to handle 44 lakh passengers a year in the first phase and it will go up to one crore passengers a year after the entire project is complete

An ayurvedic PG student from Mysore who travelled to Goa to check out the expo remarked, “The diverse parts of marketing skills, practising ways of the treatment, and new research in ayurveda are fantastic material for researchers to examine.” The platform also provided students and researchers with practical information of lesser-known forms of

The significance of ‘panchakarma’ in treating illnesses connected to heart failure was underlined by researchers in a presentation on ‘Ayurveda Heals: Success Stories.’ Heart Failure Reversal Therapy (HFRT) has been discovered to be an effective and practical therapeutic alternative for individuals with heart failure, according to Dr. A. M. Siddiqui

HAS University enters into MoU with Savoi-Verem agriculture college

the Union Government for giving Goa the opportunity to host this year’s World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo.

“In light of this, the decision to introduce an AYUSH visa for AYUSH therapy is historic. The All India Institute of Ayurveda’s forthcoming satellite centre in Goa will increase the state’s Ayurvedic tourism,” he continued. Dr Sawant stated that Goan students will have a 50% admissions preference for the institute’s various programmes

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the HAS University in the Netherlands and the RCPR Community College of Agriculture in Savoi-Verem, Goa, regarding knowledge exchange in addition to student exchange and agri-technology.

Currently visiting Goa, a group of Dutch university professors have agreed to launch a number of projects over the next few years.

Following the discussion, it was determined to launch an agricultural skilldevelopment programme that would use contemporary technology and add value to

the agricultural output. At the RCPR Community College of Agriculture, the university faculties will collaborate on the curriculum and run the ‘Train the Trainer’ programme. Successful certificate holders will be able to discover employment opportunities in both the Netherlands and the surrounding European nations.

This programme to promote education will also include participation from the Indo-Dutch Education Agency (IDEA). The governments of the two nations also support this programme for knowledge exchange

Goa to have separate Ayush Ministry:

Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant

Dr Pramod Sawant

The airport has been named after Manohar Parrikar Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Winter Session of Goa Legislative Assembly from 16 Jan

Government to enforce fines against nuisance at tourist spots

Goa Assembly Winter session begins on the Opinion Poll Anniversary on January 16, 2023. There will be four sittings of the Goa Assembly till January 19, 2023. The sessions will begin at 11.30 am and normally go on till 6 pm. Members have been requested to restrict the number of

starred questions to three and unstarred questions to 15. The last date for tabling questions varies from December 26 to 28 December 2022.

Leader of Opposition, Yuri Alemao said that all the opposition MLAs will meet after Christmas, on Monday, December 26 to discuss

HIGH COURT SHUTS DOWN ALL OUTDOOR MUSIC AFTER 10PM

strategy. All 7 opposition MLAs, including Congress, AAP, Goa Forward, and Revolutionary Goans have joined hands to challenge the ruling BJP, which has 28 MLAs in the House of 40.

2 MGP and 3 independent MLAs are supporting the ruling BJP

Goa’s per capita fuel consumption highest

The Goa Tourism Department labelled several actions as a ‘nuisance’ in an effort to enhance the tourist experience. The list includes the majority of behaviours that detract from the reputation of Goa’s beaches, from begging for alms to preparing food outside and driving or riding in cars on the beaches.

The trance and rave parties have been put to rest. The High Court recently ruled that no music will be played outdoors in any place after 10 p.m., putting an end to the permission-less, illegal music performances on idyllic beaches, woodlands, and underground areas.

The petitioners’ advocates brought up the problem of nightclubs not abiding by orders to stop playing loud music after midnight by informing the court of news articles published in local newspapers that they had relied on to make their case. In a landmark decision, the Division Bench of Justices M. S. Sonak and B. P. Deshpande stated unequivocally that any activities involving the playing of music outside after 10 p.m. would be prima facie

illegal and unapproved, and they instructed the authorities to take the appropriate legal action to stop such illegal activities. “Authorities are not taking serious action, which leads to such parties/entities breaking the regulations,” the Bench observed in a harsh critique. Although the authorities are required to take action against the violators, no such action is forthcoming, as is evident from the marketing that such shows/events are organised for profit.

The North and South Superintendents of Police were also ordered to submit Action Taken Reports (ATR) on all outdoor performances and activities occurring after 10 p.m. in their respective jurisdictions before the next hearing

Goa consumes 10.6 kilogrammes of gasoline per person per month, which is astronomically five times greater than the national average of 2.09 kg.

Diesel usage in the state is three times greater per person than the national average of 4.96 kg per month, at 15.6 kg per month.

The PPAC data shows that the state’s per capita use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders is 3.9 kg per month compared to the national average of 1.7 kg per month.

Officials from oil marketing organisations explained Goa’s reputation as a top fuel guzzler by claiming that the state has the most automobiles on the road and practically all Goans own either a car or a two-wheeler.

According to them, other factors include Goa’s high tourist traffic and its relatively inexpensive gasoline and diesel

The Goa Tourist Places Protection and Maintenance Act, 2001’s Section 5 (4) gave the Director of Tourism the authority to enact the order. Violations of the Act may result in fines ranging from `5,000 to `50,000 or legal action under Section 188 of the IPC. The Act may also forbid bothersome activities and further order the party in question, their company, or their association, with immediate effect, not to engage in them in tourist areas. The injunction forbids hawkers and vendors from bothering tourists on the beaches and streets, as well as from hawking their wares from unauthorised kiosks and hand carts. Along with putting deck beds and tables on the beach without proper licenses, operating any boats or engaging in water sports from locations other than those authorised and inside the delineated zones has also been deemed a nuisance. All concerned police officers have been directed to support the orders

White Plate by Chef Jason is Goa’s newest culinary kid on the block. Started by the man himself in the state’s prime beach block at Candolim, this restaurateur, after making a mark in Bangalore, Mumbai, London and with Michelin star chefs Gordon Ramsay and Alaine Ducasse in the United Kingdom, is keen on making his craft speak in his home state of Goa

An Eccentric Artist and his Canvas

White Plate by Chef Jason

Destiny sometimes deals you a winning hand.

In the case of 41-year-old ace chef Jason DeSouza, this twist of fate came in the form of two envelopes delivered to his home via snail mail.

After he completed his early education, Jason (he wasn’t a chef then) who was still in his teens, had two choices, either to lawyer-up or hit the kitchen with a vengeance.

“I applied for both and even got through the admission processes for both the fields. My hotel management letter came through first. I paid the fees and did everything required, but once I came back home, a letter about my admission to a law college was also in the mailbox. It was destiny. After joining the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in Goa, I knew from day one that I wanted to be a chef. Most candidates sign up and figure out what they can do, but my heart was already set on being a chef. I was firm that I wanted to learn, grow and do more than just be a stereotypical chef who has graduated with a degree in hotel management,” says Chef Jason, who has just launched ‘White Plate’, a niche restaurant that is redefining a molecular fine dining experience in Candolim village along North Goa’s prime beach tourism strip.

A white plate for a chef, according to Jason, is what a blank canvas is for an artist. A blank space which awaits a masterpiece.

“So basically, the White Plate is a blank canvas. Even the logo has a story behind it. It is a white plate, where the plate is white, but the words written on it are in black ink. There is a reason why the words are written in black on the white plate. That’s where the dark elements of an eccentric artist come into play,” he explains.

The professional journey of Chef Jason had taken him away from Goa and has now brought him back to his roots. There were many pit stops along the way, after his early work stint with the Taj group.

“I travelled to London. I worked extensively in London and came back to India where I worked in Bombay as a Food and Beverage Director, but I always felt that opening a restaurant was extremely important. Because Goa is a leading

holiday destination in the country, there is a constant inflow of a wide variety of tourists. Goa is also emerging as the food capital of the country. So, I decided to launch White Plate here. And now could not be a better time,” he states.

But Goa’s culinary landscape has a wide range and a large number of premium and exotic restaurants already, so how would his restaurant, White Plate, stand out in the sea of competition? According to Chef Jason, the fundamentals of his restaurant revolve around stamping his own brand of innovation and uniqueness in the dishes which White Plate proudly boasts off.

“To be honest with you, when people

start restaurants and create cuisines, you look at the relationship between them, their food and what they serve. Those dishes have invariably been made by some other chef ages ago before them. That is copycat. It is the style, the finesse and the eccentricity of the chef, which should create their dishes differently. Chefs are mad scientists, experimenting is something which should come naturally to them. This is what most people don’t do,” he laments.

Chef Jason’s belief is rooted in a school of thought which believes that chefs should not copy creations made by others, but should create new signatures and flavours themselves. “That is because food is so versatile and allows you to exploit it in an ocean of umpteen possibilities. The marrying of flavours, the merging of ingredients, playing around with smoke scents, it’s all very appealing,” he states.

“For example, one of my creations, the Yam Torched Eclair, is an Indianised smoked yam pate that goes on top of an eclair with a date and tamarind relish, mint coulis and bubble burst of caviars. Now, if you look at it, it’s got the pillowy softness of a choux éclair. The key earthy aromas of the yam, that is your sweet and savoury note that has a really good balance and it’s got the mint which gives you a hint of spice. In conclusion, playing around with flavour is what needs to be done and you will never get that dish

Smoked Salmon Jalapeno Motichur Compound

Andaman Reef Cod

anywhere else unless someone copies this. With White Plate, the plus points are many, but each of its dishes has a story. Each of my creations is a story,” he adds.

Chef Jason’s confidence in his abilities as well as the quantum of ambition and his plan and vision stems from years of training under some of the best names in the business globally. Gordon Ramsay, one of the most popular chefs in the world, has been his mentor. He has also had the ‘privilege’ of having been the target of Ramsay’s ire, combined with a can of potatoes.

“Believe it or not, the Gordon that you see on TV is Gordon on a good day. In reality, he is a lot worse. I have had a can of potatoes flung at me, because I overboiled them, but if he calls, I will still be ready to assist, because you learn at every given step of your life. With Gordon, I learnt the cooking temperatures, the constant need to perfect what you perfected yesterday, because you don’t need to compete with somebody else to be better, however, you have to compete with yourself. Being a better version of what you were yesterday is what Gordon

refines in you,” he said.

“I have actually lost track of the number of times he has scolded me, because you anticipate his need for perfection and towards the end you get it done. I have been scolded a million times by Gordon,” he recalled.

Chef Jason’s other pillar of inspiration, French ace chef Alaine Ducasse, taught him the finer nuances of molecular gastronomy.

“He is a pioneer in molecular fine dining. That’s where my interest peaked, because I was curious to know and liked playing with snow, scent, spheres and smokes. He instilled in me the need to have the freshest ingredients at every given time at hand,” he said.

In India, Chef Jason draws inspiration from Chef Arvind Saraswat, who encouraged him to go ahead with whatever he wanted to create; a bit of advice which may have contributed to his ‘eccentric behaviour’, he quips.

“He allowed me to be myself and supported me to try out crazy flavours that people have never heard of. Even during my finals in the TMTP Program,

I wanted to create a soufflé and everyone knows that you shouldn’t do that because it is so complicated. There was always the easy route. But when I submitted my menu, he just pushed me to train harder,” he said.

Chef Jason’s fascination for the culinary universe began with the colours and smells which emanate from the narrow, but packed lanes of the Mapusa market, which is in its full glory on Fridays. It is at this market that his fascination for food and flavours blossomed.

The first dish which he ever made with his own hands was a Black Forest cake, a dessert, which still holds a place in his heart.

“I used to take orders for Black Forest cake when I was in the 9th grade in Bombay and here’s why. My sister had gone for a baking course at IHM and one day she came home with a Black Forest cake. I haven’t stopped being in awe of it till date.

Even now, I always make a Black Forest cake. It has been a critical element in several celebratory occasions,

“I have actually lost track of the number of times he has scolded me, because you anticipate his need for perfection and towards the end you get it done. I have been scolded a million times by Gordon (Ramsay),” Chef Jason recalls

including my 21st birthday. It is a cake that’s been associated with me and I have tweaked and redefined the Black Forest to the epitome of its due diligence – gone is the stereotypical old layered cake and in comes the new – A Walk In The Forest –that features in my menu at White Plate,” he said.

When asked if he has had to face stigma because of the meteoric rise in his career, Chef Jason says: “When I was the youngest executive chef in the country at the age of 25, my battle was not with the city, it was with standing out in my own kitchen at work. I was trolled by some, who claimed that because I was young, I was inexperienced. That is when I realised I am going to prove that I belong here as much as they do. The way I made a difference was when I went and cooked along with the staff, because every chef is only as good as his hands, the rest is all fluff. Rarely does an executive chef

actually cook in the kitchen with their staff. I instantly gained their trust because I was a threat to them (his peers), but I wear it as a badge of pride”.

Back home, which Goan food does the chef love the most? “Although I am extremely allergic to crabs, prawns and lobsters, I love mussel rava fry, recheado pomfret, shark cutlet, pork vindaloo, beef and tongue roast and a mean fish curry”. Globally, with good food coming to the centre-stage of people’s lives, on dinner tables, in restaurants and even social

media channels, does the world really need more chefs to add to the explosion of the culinary universe? Chef Jason has an interesting take. “Yes, but the world needs chefs who can really get out of their comfort zones and be open to exploring and experimenting different ingredients, at White Plate I will be changing my menu every six months so I constantly ensure that I redefine my yesterday and stretch the limit with the team, because I am only as good as my weakest link so training them is strengthening me”

CHRISTMAS PUDDING RECIPE BY CHEF JASON

Ingredients

Salted butter (softened) – ½ cup

Dark brown sugar – 200 gm Eggs – 2 no Cinnamon powder – 1 level tsp Clove powder – ¼ tsp Nutmeg powder – ¼ tsp

Black currants (soaked in rum overnight) – 1 cup

Cranberries – ¼ cup

Candid orange peel (roughly chopped) –2 tbsp

Golden raisins – 1 cup

Almonds (roughly chopped) – 4 tbsp Candid ginger (roughly chopped) – 2 heaped tsp Rind of 1 orange Juice of 1 orange Rum

Refined flour – 120 gm

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Fresh bread crumbs – 2 cups Apple (peeled & grated) – 1 no Brandy – 1 ladle full

Method

Into a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar for 10 minutes till it gets light and airy. Pour in the eggs and emulsify really well.

Add the cinnamon powder, clove

powder, nutmeg powder and emulsify. (The clove and cinnamon powder can be omitted and replaced with all spice powder) Now in goes the black currants that have been soaked in rum, the cranberries, candied orange peels, golden raisins, almonds and candied ginger. Blitz this all together. Drop in the rind of 1 orange and a cup full of the juice of 1 orange topped with dark rum. Continue blitzing while adding the refined flour, baking powder and bread crumbs. Lastly in goes the grated apple. Mix it all well and pour into a dome shaped steel bowl with a lip that has been greased with butter. Give it a light pat to ensure that there is no air bubble, cover with a foot

long parchment paper lined foil, and settle it tight and tie it with a twine under the lip. This ensures that no water or vapour enters while it’s steaming.

Steam in a steamer for 5 hours, opening it every hour to drop in some water so that it doesn’t burn dry. 5 hours later, switch off the flame, remove from the steamer, open it up and let it cool.

A Christmas pudding is always made in advance, so once cooled, line it with parchment paper, wrap in foil and refrigerate till Christmas eve, when you remove from the refrigerator and steam it again for 2 hours. Demold it, flambé it with some brandy on top and it’s ready to be enjoyed

Carbonated Cranberry Sphere

Traffic havoc at Porvorim

By Rageshree Das

The heart of North Goa is where you’ll find Alto Porvorim. This location intersects the Mumbai-Goa Highway (NH17), allowing for massive human and commercial traffic between the two major cities. Aside from that, the Betim-Pomburpa, Chogm, and Calangute-Mapusa Roads provide accessibility to this location. Residents of this neighbourhood benefit from living in a quiet neighbourhood free of noise and pollution while still being close to Panjim, the state’s capital. Traffic gridlock on the motorway and the Chogm road in Porvorim always leave travellers trapped and furious. An increase in traffic on account of extended weekends, roadwork on the Chogm road are amongst the primary factors leading to the traffic congestion.

The huge queues shove off the locals and tourists fuming, venting out their anger against authorities and the government for failing to tackle the situation.

On account of the construction of barricades, the already congested highway has become even narrower and Chogm Road has been blocked, adding to the normal causes of accidents brought on by reckless driving. There had been several accidents, traffic dangers, and inconveniences throughout the previous six months. The barricades were set up as a test to see if they could ease traffic congestion at the intersection. It has been successful and will continue to be successful. “We are working to have the collector send out the notification

concurrently,” said Vijay Singh, SP - Goa Police .

Due to on-going roadwork, some accidents were recorded when two-wheelers slipped on the slick road close to the Navtara restaurant. The bikers are believed to have incurred some injuries.

Due to the lengthy lines of parked cars, many residents found it difficult to access and exit their housing colonies along the Chogm route.

When approached, Traffic Police Inspector Brandon D’Souza informed that only one-way traffic from Porvorim towards Saligao and Calangute was permitted on the route since the Chogm road was being repaired.

Traffic was detoured away from Sangolda and

Copperleaf Restaurant and directed to take the highway instead of travelling from Calangute to Porvorim and Panaji, according to D’Souza.

“Since Chogm road was changed into a one-way route, there was considerable congestion on the main road. As a result, we purposely shut down the traffic signal at O’Coqueiro Circle and manually managed traffic along the route.”

12 traffic police officers, according to PI D’Souza, were stationed at Sangolda, Chogm Road, Alto Porvorim Junction, O’Coqueiro Junction, and Sai Service to keep an eye on the flow of traffic.

“There has been an increase in tourists due to

holidays and weekends, which has also increased the traffic movement in Porvorim.”

“The traffic gridlock is likely to persist because the PWD has promised to finish the work on the Chogm road very soon. I am personally overseeing this issue as the Traffic Police is doing its utmost to control the situation, said PI D’Souza.

Accident Prone Zone Road accident statistics for 2022 are a serious worry. Data show that between January and October this year, around 217 people have died, 51 more than the similar time last year. During the 10 months, the State has reported 2,495 accidents, of which 202 caused instant death. The information also shows that bike riders were killed in 126 cases. The numbers are undoubtedly concerning, and it is concerning that 23 people perished in incidents in October this year, despite the government announcing a number of steps.

NILESH CABRAL PWD

Atal Setu Bridge has reported of several accidents from earlier this year. Overly aggressive four-wheelers mainly disregard the traffic rules of maintaining a regular speed on the highway. Sometimes there are records

With the increase in traffic, the government is developing ideas that might help to address this issue

Minister

It won’t be simple to complete the work in Porvorim. It will take four to five years, and people will have to put up with the inconvenience. There is no alternative for traffic diversion there

of fatal casualties. The collision or accidents end up producing severe backup of traffic on the Porvorim-Panaji road.

The question of whether the speed cameras are genuinely in place now emerges. And if they are installed, do they even function? As they have been double-checked the bridge in the wake of the disasters that occur, they were unable to locate any cameras; instead, they only discovered some potholes and a display board for a speed monitor camera on Atal Setu.

Despite all the planning, committees, rules, and reports, the inability to advance road safety is obvious as day. Goa’s traffic density is increasing quickly, and the increasing number of accidents simply serves as further evidence that the system cannot keep up. Furthermore, despite the new regulations being in effect, which were meant to act as deterrents against violators, traffic enforcement is failing horribly. All measures appear ineffective.

Overspeeding, drunk driving and riding without a helmet continue to be major causes of fatalities, which show negligence. According to Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant, alcohol driving causes 95% of accidents that occur at night.

Rather than criticising the drawbacks of bad road conditions and a lack of signage, we as citizens need to demonstrate responsible driving. Thus, it makes us ponder how safe the roadways are nowadays. There is a shortage of protection on highways, including cameras on the highway, and common people abuse traffic laws. In consequence, it is time to face the sobering truth about

traffic accidents.

Long-term plans for Goa The Porvorim roadway on stilts project would be put out to bid within the next four months, according to PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral, who also predicted that the full project will take at least four years. He stated that as soon as the project is tendered, a traffic management strategy will be created in the lack of an alternative route.

The financial allocation has been approved for the construction of a 4.7 km long, six-lane elevated highway in Porvorim, he said. “It won’t be simple to complete the work in Porvorim. It will take four to five years, and people will have to put up with the inconvenience. There is no alternative for traffic diversion there.” There won’t be a choice. “Tendering will take at least four months, and after that, we will construct a traffic management plan,” Cabral said. “During that time, traffic will have to travel through a single lane, exactly as it was done in the case of the Zuari bridge work.”

Due to a Supreme Court case regarding the acquisition of land for the six-lane highway on stilts at Porvorim, expansion on only this stretch could not take place, causing a bottleneck in traffic at the moment. Recently, Goa sought approval for highway works worth `2,228 crore by the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways.

A requested for `2,228.70 crore was proposed for the construction projects in Goa, but the regional headquarters in Mumbai had previously only authorised `1,300 crore. The entire amount of `2,228.70 crore was authorised after the Chief Minister and Cabral pursued it; the existing four-laning of the 6.7km Navelim to Cuncolim segment, inclusive of overpass.

It has also been allowed to improve the old road from MPT to Sada Junction and to maintain the Khandepar Bridge by completing the remaining 7 km of the bridge, according to Cabral. A tunnel had previously been demanded by Canacona residents in order to preserve the forest cover on the Karmal ghat area.

Moving on, there is also a plan for the elevated highway segment was initially presented to panchayat members of every local panchayat in Porvorim. They were also shown the construction-related traffic control plan. In Porvorim, an elevated highway is being built to prevent the destruction of homes and businesses. The roadway is cited as a potential solution to the stretch’s current traffic congestion. Locals, however, are concerned that traffic would be a nightmare during the construction phase. “We’ll plan everything so that we can carry it out without too many issues. Even though we claim

there are no issues, Porvorim is already experiencing traffic congestion. We’ll need to support one another. For the next 2.5 years, there may be heavier traffic jams, but after that, there won’t be any more. We’ll offer you a presentation for this. We’ll set things up so that people who don’t want to visit Porvorim can still get to Panaji via the elevated highway without clogging up traffic in Porvorim,” said Cabral.

The plan would be presented to the panchayats before being made public, according to Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte. “We’ll make sure the project follows the panchayat recommendations and that the traffic management plan runs smoothly. There should be no room for uncertainty regarding the starting point of the project or the location of the landing. PWD is prepared to show to you and receive suggestions”, Khaunte remarked.

We, as the residents, will now have to wait for a while, as the Deputy Superintendent Of Goa Police Dharmesh Angle explicitly revealed, that there is always a traffic bottleneck near the mouth of the bridge because the roadways have been narrowed due to the current work. Therefore, there isn’t a quick fix for this issue.

We must somehow come to terms with this reality and hold out and hope for a change for the better

ROHAN KHAUNTE Porvorim MLA / Tourism and Infotech Minister

“We will make sure that the project follows panchayat recommendations and that the traffic management plan runs smoothly. There should be no room for uncertainty regarding the starting point of the project or the location of the landing. PWD is prepared to show to you and receive suggestions”

“The Goa Heritage Festival is an opportunity to shed light on the need for collective action by our society”

What were the events that led to the revival of the festival?

Earlier this year, I was approached by the mayor of Panaji city for advice on how to make the city a more appealing and happening place. During our discussion, a dedicated calendar of events became the most obvious choice. However, we made it clear that the events hosted in the city must involve and engage the residents as well to avoid Panaji becoming just another event venue. As a young teenager, I had attended the Goa Heritage Festival and the Fontainhas Festival of the Arts. These festivals rested very fondly in my memory.

These festivals were organised by Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG), a unique association of accomplished individuals in varying fields with a passion for preserving and celebrating Goa’s built and natural heritage. The festivals stood out for me because the focus was to revitalise neighbourhoods and celebrate Goa with the residents. With this in mind, I approached the group and requested them to stage a revival of the festival. I am now a life member of the organisation myself, and it has been an enriching experience working on the festival this year with the GHAG.

What was the focus area of the group that was highlighted at the festival? As the group seeks to protect and promote

Goa’s built and natural heritage, the focus was to help revitalise the neighbourhood of Campal. We have taken baby steps this year, and hope to take larger steps before the next edition. Another major focus was to provide a platform to traditional Goan art and craft, and a corresponding exposure to the young generation of Goans and Goa lovers. Every initiative requires to be driven by some collective action and so it falls upon the younger generation to drive Goa centric and similar community related activities and events.

There were a lot of literary releases at the festival...

We were privileged to have books released by leaders of history, art and heritage from Goa, along with heritage leaders from other parts of India at the festival. The book releases spanned various topics from architecture to art to food and wildlife.

The festival as a reflection of Goa was blessed with a breadth of segments and interests. In order to stay relevant in the national context, it was also important to give the festival and its programming some depth. We invited leaders and luminaries of heritage from across the country so that Goa remains part of the heritage conversation nationally, as well.

The festival had a special emphasis on art, as well...

Art has always been special to the GHAG. We are blessed to have abundant talent in our state. It was the original festivals some 15 years ago that helped curate and expose Goan art and artists to the generation of the time, and it is a privilege for us to play a similar role for this generation today. Like most in the creative traditional space, the pursuit of art is passion that yields immense personal satisfaction but is seldom a financially sound decision as a career. With a lion’s share of our population in this country being in the 20 to 40-year-

Carlos de Souza, organizing member of the Goa Heritage Festival, which concluded recently, spoke to SYBIL RODRIGUES on the main takeaways of the event and its impact on Goa

Carlos de Souza

Activities for children

Save Mollem collaborates with the festival

India

“Telling stories is an incredible way of preserving heritage and passing it on to future generations. Goa is an attractive story of India. I would love the rest of India to be like Goa.”

Shashi Tharoor was present at the Goa Heritage Festival and in an interactive session with Vivek Menezes, stressed on the importance of communal and religious harmony in the State. He also spoke on about his latest book, Ambedkar: A Life. He said that Dr. Babsaheb Ambedkar who is known as the Father of Indian Constitution, was probably India’s first male feminist and

old category, it is encouraging to see the scope for the interest and growth of art and artists in Goa and in India in the coming years. We hope to play a small role to help enable that here in Goa. We had 45 artists exhibiting their works at the festival, from the established household names to the new and upcoming ones. The youngest artist showing was 23 years old. In addition to this, we also had a competition with students of Goa College of Art. We hope to do a lot more in the coming years to bring wonderful works to the public.

What were the special aspects of heritage that were deliberated and discussed upon, over the days the festival was held?

The festival saw 170 exhibitors and performers over a five day period. We are a product of our heritage. It is clear

urged women to stand up as equals and not be forced into marriage and childbirth. “Ambedkar fought for women workers and labourers, as a legislator, his was a remarkable feminist thinking 80-90 years back,” he said.

Responding to a question on India’s image globally, Tharoor said that in 1975, the country’s image in the west was very appalling. “It was considered a poor country and people’s idea about India was about fakirs sleeping on nail-bed or snake-charmers doing road tricks.

From there, the transformation has been astonishing. By the turn of

to see that heritage is a very broad term. The deliberations, talks, workshops and discussions therefore ranged from built heritage and action required to preserve protect and restore the same, to natural heritage and the need for education, participation and nurturing of the same. There were deliberations on culture, and the direction in which it is evolving. A festival like this is an important opportunity to shed light on the need for collective action by a society. What is important to us as a society and why? Knowledge inspires love, and love inspires the instinct to protect. It has therefore been our aim at the festival to provide a platform for the knowledgeable to share their experiences.

How do you think the festival has impacted the heritage movement in Goa?

the millennium, you had the Indian software revolution and suddenly started imagining Indians as computer geeks,” he said. Tharoor said that the ‘digital revolution’ was a turning point for the India’s computer professionals.

“Suddenly we had a demand for Indians writing codes to overcome various problems and that’s when India’s software revolution really took off,” he said. According to Tharoor, the other thing that happened in the western world was about the consciousness of Indian expatriates as not just computer people, but committed professionals

After a long pandemic, individual priorities have been reassessed and life has started moving on.

Human relationships in communities have taken a back seat particularly with the older generation. Besides, being a source of education and inspiration from a knowledge perspective, the Goa Heritage Festival was primarily a community-centric event. Old friends catching up after years, ‘Ponjekars’ having a good time in their own backyards; This was a gentle reminder that outside your home exists the rest of this wonderful state to which you still have the right to enjoy and the responsibility to protect. People as individuals and collective need to build the future that they want to see, it is as simple as that. It is our hope that we took a step in that direction with this festival

In conversation with Vivek Menezes at The Goa Heritage Festival, Shashi Tharoor speaks about Goan heritage and his new book on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar

“I would love the rest of

to be like Goa”

Vivek Menezes

ArtConnecting the World to Goa with Art

of connectivity, through facets of recollections and representation as well as the celerity and intensity of a medium. Bridging the gap between yearning for home and the pacificity of

By Wendy Amanda Coutinho

0832 is the area code for Goa, enabling prompt communication between two parties; from the rest of the world to Goa. The functionality of this code, through this exhibition, is transferred to other mediums, tangible and intangible, that help establish instantaneous connections, allowing those in the diasporic surroundings to teleport themselves, for a beat, to Goa; their home. 0832 explored the affinity towards one’s homeland and its transfiguration into the diaspora, hoping to answer multi-layered non-linear quests for connection and rootedness.

The correlation between migration movements and identity formation is undoubtedly integral to 0832. The holy grail of this exhibition, therefore, was to comprehend the functions

knowing home is just a memory away; this exhibition opened a portal for self and collective exploration. The artists, of Goan origin, have been a part of the diaspora at a point in time and understand, deeply, the essence and larger conversation that needed its due conveyance. Their artworks are a manifestation of resuscitating this connection; visual memoirs that have witnessed personal transformation on the backs of unknown territories and borders, unveiling a profound grasp and appreciation for home.

The exhibition offers the viewer an opportunity to

deep-dive into an array of parallel records, personal and collaborative, that amplifies a sense of identity.

The Goan artists who had displayed their artwork are Subodh Kerkar, Viraj Naik, Sonia Rodrigues Sabharwal, Shripad Gurav, Sagar Naik Mule and Siddharth Kerkar

Sonia Rodrigues Sabharwal Meditative yet highly intuitive, through this body of works, the artist honours and celebrates integral nuances of Goa through her personal and shared experiences, with memories and histories. The art, here, is deeply rooted in the figurative and carries an intense emotional charge.

The figures and their employed characteristics depict a sincere vulnerability, particularly achieved through

Wendy Amanda Coutinho is an independent curator and art writer. She has worked with renowned galleries and organisations in India and UAE. A former advertising professional, she brings in marketing expertise teamed with her zeal for making art accessible and approachable: intellectually, conceptually, as well as visually

the transparency of the attire. The soulful gaze coupled with the graceful posture enriches the depicted simplicity of Goan folk and life.

Subodh Kerkar

Drawing on the innate human senses of sight, taste, and smell, the artist has charged the sculptures, installations, and water colour works with invigorating narratives of the Goan ethos. Each sense is a powerful tool in its own way, which enables the viewer to comprehensively partake in an immersive experience.

Employing visual representations that are augmented by the viewer’s kinaesthetic ability to orientate oneself, these artworks are intricately based on one’s mood, character, and emotion, especially those of Goa.

Be it the aroma of freshly baked bread, feni, dhoomp (incense), flowers, or even a marketplace, the works are guaranteed to teleport a Goan, on the wheels of their sensory archives, back home.

Shripad Gurav

With an incredible ability to amalgamate several simultaneous anecdotes in a single visual, the artist tactfully and tastefully embodies the everyday stories of the quintessential Goa.

0832, an art exhibition curated by Wendy Amanda Coutinho with Goan artists, has endeavoured to bring back memories of a Goa of the past

Sonia Rodrigues Sabharwal

Subodh Kerkar

These graphite-laden artworks have a powerful potential to draw the viewer within, enabling a deep sense of familiarity with the illustrated spaces and faces. Rendering in black and white also helps shift focus to the subject, primarily, followed by composition, value, lighting, textures, shapes, and patterns.

Catching fleeting nuances and amplifying them in his artworks, the artist eloquently unifies parallel accounts ensuring that the viewer is able to grasp not just the grandeur of Goa, but the glorious mundane.

Sagar Naik Mule

Deeply entrenched within the heritage, culture, and narratives of Adpai, Goa, the artist’s practice manifests his roots, his village and his people. Passionately involved in the ever-evolving local demonstration and conversation of Goan culture and all that it encompasses, the artworks exemplify his artistic philosophy.

Along with a

formal inquiry, stories and legends, of old and new, find their way into the visuals that he creates.

In an honest endeavour to archive traditions, the artworks rely on excavating personal memory and local history; informed by the sentiment ‘of his people, by his people, for his people’. Additionally, the choice of medium is also a reflection of this belief.

Viraj Naik

With robust figures, unapologetic gait, confident countenances and a master penchant for colour schemes and visual rhythm, the

artist renders the innermost psyche/s of the self. The artworks administer the revelation of the inebriated; nonchalant, self-absorbed, colourful, and bordering on

Blending textures and patterns, morphing the traditional into the contemporary, these artworks exemplify worldliness.

Inspired by the diasporic conversation and observing concurrent shifts in clothes and textile preferences among

animalistic. Forgoing human intuition, and capitalising on the feral, the viewer is cajoled into an aura of astonishment, bordering on bewilderment. The Goan denizens are no strangers to this synonymity whether in the streets or at the tiatr (Goan theatre).

The artist has also brought his studio into the exhibition space allowing viewers an up-close and subjective experience of rendering distinct Goan forms and filling their visual persona with brazen colours.

Goan folk, the artist operates from the inner community. These gathered inspirations are translated into abstract lyrics of geometric patterns, textures and shapes, integrating the humble Kunbi cloth. Originally, the Kunbi saree was dyed in red and black and woven in small and large checks; the dye was obtained from a recipe of iron ore, rice kanji (starch) and vinegar. The artworks, in its totality, are sacrosanct with the simplicity of this Goan attire

Siddharth Kerkar

Siddharth Kerkar

Shripad Gurav

Viraj Naik

Sagar

Naik Mule

Reminiscing Goa through Lambert Mascarenhas

Diving back to our roots with Lambert Mascarenhas’s immortal works of writing

By Rageshree Das

The name Lambert Mascarenhas was one that was frequently heard. Mascarenhas was born in Portuguese Goa’s Colva and was a prominent journalist, activist and writer. He received his early education in Pune before moving on to St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. He was founder coeditor of The Navhind Times. He became actively involved in Goa’s freedom struggle in 1949 while writing for The March as an enthusiastic supporter of Goa’s liberation. Mascarenhas’ column, which first ran from 1961 to 1962 in the Goan Tribune in Bombay, was written under the pen name Lamas.

He was made to visit Goa to report on the actual circumstances in the Portuguese colony. However, after writing his dispatches, the government had him arrested and imprisoned

for three years, forcing him into exile in Bombay. He later became editor of The Goan Tribune (1956-1961). Mascarenhas also made a contribution to the liberation fight in India. Later, after being granted bail, he was removed from Goa. He joined

the National Congress in Bombay.

He married Dr Jolly; and had sworn that he would not get married until Goa was freed from colonial Portuguese rule. As a result, he got married on December 29, 1961, exactly 10 days

after India liberated Goa on December 19, 1961.

Then, at a time when Goa’s media was limited to a few magazines, he founded the monthly Goa Today and ran it from 1960s to 1980s. In the years to come, Goa Today was acquired by industrialist Dattaraj Salgaocar.

A year and a half after passing away at the age of 106, veteran Lambert Mascarenhas got a resurrection. It was well known that this incredibly inspirational and remarkable man had a complex personality, always lived life to the fullest, and was a natural pioneer. In addition to being a grounded family guy, he was known to be an avid traveler. Although Goans are deeply saddened by his passing, his legacy of dedication to the causes of freedom, justice, and initiative must be carried forward because of the depth and significance of his life. Mascarenhas received the Gomantak Sharada Puraskar (2008); the Lifetime Achievement Award (2013) from GCCI; Gomantak Vibhushan (2014);Padma Shree (2015) from Government of India; and the State Cultural Award from the Directorate of Art & Culture for his literary and journalistic accomplishments (1999–2000).

His work which was compiled by his family have been published by Broadway Publishing House and was released in November.

Along with the second printing of Mascarenhas’s short story book, In the Womb of Saudade, a collection of his renowned column Musings

Lambert Mascarenhas

Sorrowing Lies My Land and other work

A political critique of the Portuguese occupation of Goa, , paints an image in which Babush, the protagonist tells a story about the imaginary town of Copena, which is located miles from Margao City, starting when he was seven years old and was with his parents and brothers, to when he is an adult and is sitting alone in his boyhood house thinking back. Mascarenhas’ classic Goan narrative, which is set against the backdrop of Portuguese authority in Goa, focuses mostly on Tobias Costa, Babush’s father, and his nationalist viewpoint. While the book primarily serves as a political critique of the Portuguese occupation of Goa, it also introduces the reader to a variety of other Goa-specific characters, including the drunk, the gossip, the landowners, their tenants, and the vicar.

It was released in surcharged times.

Sorrowing Lies My Land has received a great deal of praise in Goan literature, and there was once talk of it being turned into a movie. When the author was in his early 40s

in the middle of the 1950s, it was portrayed as the period of sorrow. It is a political book with the message that during Portuguese rule, the people of Goa were denied fundamental civil rights including the ability to assemble and speak, and anyone who opposed were swiftly punished or imprisoned. Mascarenhas uses Babush, his family, his community, and their land’s struggles to create a melancholy portrait of this time period in Goa.

The Portuguese colonial era novel which is recommended reading for the Goa University English literature course, had been out of print for a while.

His other works on occasion dealt with a complex political environment in post-colonial Goa. Namely, A Portuguese Soldier’s Story talks about a Portuguese subject who goes back to the region to finish business from colonial times after colonial rule ends in Goa.

To move past dichotomising anti-colonial discourses, Mascarenhas adapted the ideas of Homi Bhabha and Boaventura de Sousa Santos and examines how each story challenges essential ideas about the excoloniser. By doing this, he enables the reader to question

common presumptions about the orientation and operations of post-colonial literature. The narrative, which was written in various languages and at various times, differ in their endings and so demonstrate the diversity of identity games in post-colonial contexts, a complexity that is underplayed by a narrowly anti-colonial notion of postcoloniality.

These were a few of his works that were instrumental in bringing Goans together by bringing to mind the hardships people had to overcome in order to build the Goa of their dreams and to provide some joy during those dark times. With so much transpiring in Goa during the colonial era, Mascarenhas pulls away from the vital and crucial situations to highlight the actual Goan culture, the simple life people lead that has contributed to Goa’s cultural richness. Every Goan will always value his creations.

After the passing of one of Goa’s finest writers, his creations were stored away in virtual seclusion. The family believed that his creative works needed to be protected by copyright and that the use of those works for reproduction should be strictly regulated. As a

memorial to the people who dedicated their entire lives to documenting these events, book collections also need to be carefully conserved and made accessible.

Mascarenhas’ family paid respect to him by reissuing two of his most well-known works at ICG (International Centre Goa), Sorrowing Lies My Land and In the Womb of Saudade, in which the book’s cover was illustrated by late Mario Miranda himself. Renowned Goan personalities Vinayak Naik, Editor-inChief of Goa Today, Frederick Noronha, journalist, and historian, Dr. Sushila Sawant Mendes were the speakers at the event.

His third book, Moods Musings & Memories, which was published on that day, has a selection of well-known pieces from Goa Today. The early readers of Goa Today will undoubtedly be reminded of their past.

Mascarenhas was a larger than life personality who contributed much to Goa during his lifetime – be it as a freedom fighter, a journalist and author. Being an adventurer, he loved to travel. He spent his twilight years at his home in Dona Paula with his family who he loved more than anything else

Moods Memories was also published on the same day.

L to R: Dr Jolly Mascarenhas, Amita Mascarenhas, Vinayak Naik, Dr Susheela Sawant Mendes and Frederick Noronha; (right) Dr Jolly pays homage to her late husband

Tribute

Remembering Goa’s veteran journalist

By Sybil Rodrigues

Founder Member of the Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ) and veteran journalist, Gurudas Rauji Singbal, passed away recently after a brief illness at his residence in Porvorim. He was 83; and is survived by his son and daughter.

Singbal commenced his journalistic journey with the launch of The Navhind Times in 1964. He served in the newspaper’s editorial department for 13 years, which included eight years as its chief reporter. He wrote a popular weekly column ‘Focus on Goa’, under the pen name, Balsing.

In the late seventies, Singbal joined the West Coast Times, a paper based in Margao as its head of bureau in Panaji. Later, he also freelanced for Deccan Herald, based in Bangalore, contributing two fortnightly newsletters narrating events happening in Goa.

Singbal’s next job as a journalist came at Indian Express after the West Coast Times shut shop. He joined the national publication as its bureau chief in Goa. Singbal has witnessed Goa develop

Singbal

in front of his very eyes, taking in all the significant events that influenced the state. Singbal has observed every major event, including the first state assembly session, elections, and major international gatherings like the

Bhatkuly, Publisher-Editor

Kaka Singbal was my gateway to the world of media. It is in his home (next door to mine) that my 5 or 6 year old mind was inundated with influences that comprised the best in the national media. I would devour newspapers and magazines well before I was 10.

As a senior journalist, he had all kinds of political bigwigs visiting him at all hours. I would look at them with bewilderment and connect to their photos that I had seen in the newspapers. A leading reporter from the then UT’s and later state’s capital, Kaka was a respected name reporting for The Navhind Times and later West

Coast Times. When the WCT folded rather prematurely, Kaka became the Goa bureau chief of Indian Express.

A man of few needs, my memories of him are of seeing him feverishly typing on his Remington, cigarette dangling from the side of his handsome mouth –completely oblivious to the cacophony that was part of his large family comprising of his better half Asha (Ashaami to us all), his daughter Amita (Sachu, to him) and the now famous advertising man, son Nityanand (Bond, to him), Kaka’s elderly but sprightly mother, and endless line of nephews and nieces who would be either staying at the

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting(CHOGM), where world leaders like British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi spent time in Goa.

Singbal has received numerous honors for his work as a journalist, which include the prestigious Dr. TB Cunha Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 in the field of journalism by DIP, Government of Goa; the inaugural Narad Award, instituted by the state RSS; the lifetime achievement award by Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI); and the outstanding journalist award established by the cultural division of the Goa Kala Academy.

In Goa’s media community, Singbal was affectionately referred to as “Kaka” and has served as a mentor and advisor to a number of seasoned and rising journalists.

Singbal taught journalism at the Mushtifund Institute of Mass Communication in Panaji for six years after he retired. He published his memoirs My Days in Journalism in 2019

Singbals for lunch or dinner or for a nightcap.

Bored with retirement, Singbal steered the media school at Mushtifund Saunstha.

He also, in his soft and mild mannered way, mentored scores of journalists who have nothing but good to say about him.

My greatest takeaway from him was a recommendation letter to the editor of the now defunct weekly, Goa Post. It meant a lot for a 15-year old me, who was thrown into the pool of reporting and seeing his name in the form of a byline... what a high!

In later years, Kaka was

very active on social media, commenting on all issues close to our hearts.

He would, almost religiously, send me a review of our magazine every month, often surprised at the way new tech businesses have made an impact in the state. I missed having his feedback for our last issue and something told me that all was not right. I messaged him a day before he passed on and heard from his daughter that he wasn’t keeping too well to message back.

Sadly, he has left this world. Much to the sorrow of the many people whose life he has touched. You will be missed, Kaka

“Kaka Singbal was my gateway to the world of media”

Having worked with major names in Goa’s media community, Gurudas Singbal (Kaka) leaves his mark as a journalist, mentor and teacher

Harshvardhan

of Business Goa and My Goa recalls his memories of Singbal

Gurudas

‘Purple Fest: Celebrating Diversity’ is the country’s first inclusive festival celebrating disability

The festival will be held from 6th to 8th January 2023 and is organised by the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Government of Goa; Directorate of Social Welfare; Entertainment Society of Goa; Goa Tourism Development Corporation; and Goa State Information and Publicity Department.

Guruprasad Pawaskar, the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities shares his insights on the festival

How did the concept of Purple Fest evolve?

We express sympathy when we see a person with a disability. They actually require our empathy rather than our pity. Today there are many people with disabilities across the country who have accepted their disability as simply one aspect of who they are and have achieved high positions in various fields through their efforts. The aim of this Purple Fest is to illustrate that disabilities are not barriers, but people’s attitude towards disability is.

What will be the main attraction of Purple Fest?

Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud will grace the festival. His judgments with regards to inclusion of PwDs have always been landmark and great steps towards dignifying a PwD. The CJI’s presence at this first-of-itskind inclusive festival will be a huge boost to its success.

The other thing for

which we are super excited is ‘Joyful Choir’, which will be performed by children with varied disabilities across the state. These students are currently receiving training from the Shankar Mahadevan Academy.

The Central Government of India has initiated the ADIP Scheme for PwDs. Under this scheme, Aids and Assistive Devices are provided to PwDs for their empowerment, Rehabilitation

and Independent living. A special camp has been organised under this scheme in this festival.

One of the curators of the fest has come up with a unique activity known as ‘Purple Fun Zone’. Under this, activities such as ‘Bird Watching’, ‘Fun at Beach’, ‘Accessible Movie Screening’ and ‘Cruise Ride’ have been organised for persons with disabilities. Apart from this, an inclusive car rally will

be held for the first time in the state of Goa, where the navigator will be a person with visual impairment while the driver will be a person with no disability.

What are the other activities planned for this festival?

Inter-State Blind Cricket Tournament, All India Para Table Tennis Championship, National Marathon for 21 types of disabilities, 10th Mr. and Miss Deaf India, DeafBlind Convention and Access India Convention have been organised as part of the Purple Fest.

Under the Purple Experience Zone, various activities such as ‘Antarchakshu’, ‘Jagruti Mela’, ‘Inclusive Carnival’ and ‘Museum of Possibilities’ have been planned. Under ‘Antarchakshu’ immersive activities have been designed to mirror the experience of navigating life with disability.

‘Jagruti Mela’ is a platform, which bring various stakeholders, associated with PwD under a single roof to get introduced to knowledge and information towards education, skilling, schemes, training and livelihood opportunities which will empower PwDs.

‘Museum of Possibilities’ will demonstrate various

Guruprasad Pawaskar

L to R: Neetal Amonkar, Member Secretary, Sanjay Centre for Special Education; Avelino De Sa, President, DRAG; Siddharth Kuncalienker, Chairman, Sanjay Centre for Special Education; Hema Sardessai; Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant; Vishant Nagvekar, Disability Activitist; Subhash Phaldessai, Minister for Social Welfare; Guruprasad Pawaskar, State Commissioner for PwDs and Taha Haaziq, Secretary, Office of the State Commissioner for PwDs

Dr DHANANJAY CHANDRACHUD (CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA) TO GRACE PURPLE FEST

ideas and features that can be incorporated to make a house accessible for people with disabilities. ‘Inclusive Carnival’ is a fun wrapped, non-invasive and nonjudgemental environment that fosters interaction between the general public and people with disabilities.

There will be panel discussion and seminars on inclusive education, employment and sports opportunities for persons with disabilities. Apart from this, new technology in the field of disability, various items made by the people with disability will be presented in the Purple exhibition zone.

Along with this, All India Commissioner for the Persons with Disabilities meet will take place during the festival. This meeting will be chaired by Dr. Virendra Kumar, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment.

What were the challenges in organising this festival and how were they overcome? Such kind of festival is being held for the first time at this level in the country, so people from all walks of life and from across the country are participating in this festival. Persons with disabilities from different states will be visiting and participating in the festival. Considering this, there was a big challenge to arrange accessible rooms for them. For this, hotels were inspected with the help of ‘DRAG’ president Avelino de Sa and Disability Activist Vishant Nagvekar. Another major challenge was financial arrangements for the festival. The festival has been made possible by the financial support provided by the Directorate of Social Welfare of Goa, Goa Tourism Development Corporation, Goa State Information

and Publicity Department and Goa Art and Culture Department.

What kind of help was received from the government for this festival?

When we pitched the concept of this festival to Subhash Phaldesai, Minister for Social Welfare, he was so impressed that he gave us a nod without a second thought. Since then till today Phaldessai is paying special attention to make this festival a grand success. He reviews everything. He also helped a lot in raising funds for this festival. Basically the Minister for Social Welfare, he took lead to organize this festival. Apart from this, the organization of this festival has been possible only because of the support of ministers like Rohan Khaunte, Minister for Tourism and Govind Gaude, Minister for

Art and Culture, Directorate of Social Welfare and Goa Entertainment Society. Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant is also taking special notice of things related to this festival. Along with this, he reviews everything and gives suggestions accordingly. The Chief Minister keeps encouraging us, so that this festival should be as successful as IFFI.

What type of change will the Purple Fest bring in the state?

I believe Purple Fest is the first step towards making Goa an accessible and inclusive state. Purple Fest is the reason for facilitating accessibility for the persons with disability at Entertainment Society of Goa and at Miramar Beach. This festival will help in bringing attitudinal change among the general public towards people with disabilities. Many things

will be made easier in the administration processes for the people with disabilities.

Goa is famous for tourism. But, so far, the tourism sector has not given the right attention to the tourists with disabilities. This festival will inspire various stakeholders associated with the hospitality industry, transportation and administration to take necessary steps to make things accessible for PwDs.

Many persons with disabilities, many experts in various sectors and representatives of nongovernmental organisations will take active part in this festival. Therefore, the people with disabilities from Goa will get to know many things and such exposure will improve in tapping opportunities in sectors of their interests.

Will the Purple Fest provide the right direction to the movement of people with disabilities?

The colour purple is growing in its recognition as the symbol of disability. This movement was started at a global level to make everyone aware of their contribution to society and the workforce. The Purple Fest is India’s Purple Movement.

As soon as we made an announcement of this festival, the color purple reached across many parts of the country. This year, for the first time, many of the buildings in Delhi were illuminated in purple on the International Day of Persons

A Purple Market was held in the state of Tamil Nadu. This festival is a true reflection of a celebration for all of us. It’s time to celebrate.

with Disabilities.

We believe that many positive changes will be seen in the state in the near future due to this festival

The judgement of the Chief Justice of India in regards to inclusion of Persons with Disabilities has always been a landmark and a great step towards dignifying a Person with Disabilities. His presence at the festival will be very special for us, says Pawaskar

Shiv Kumar CEO- Shankar Mahadevan Music Academy; Subhash Phal Dessai, Minister of Social Welfare, Goa; Guruprasad Pawaskar, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Goa; Taha Haaziq, Secretary, Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Goa; Sandhya Kamat, Director of Social Welfare, Goa

CJI Dr D Y Chandrachud

Cinema Walking down IFFI 2022 lane

The 53rd edition saw the best of cinema coming together in Goa with various activities, and celebrations held

By Sybil Rodrigues

The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The festival is conducted jointly by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, National Film Development Corporation and Entertainment Society of Goa (Government of Goa) and was held from 20th November to 28th November 2022.

The Festival execution structure had also been revised from last 2 editions (51st IFFI and 52nd IFFI) taking into consideration the pandemic situation to physical as well as virtual format

The Opening ceremony was held at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium on 20th November. The opening and closing ceremony saw as many as 14 cultural performances featuring top film celebrities from across India and included music and dance groups representing France, Spain and Goa as well. The theme was ‘Evolution of Indian Cinema in the last 100 years under the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations

The Country Focus for this year was France and eight films were screened under this package.

The Opening film was Alma and Oskar (Austrian) directed by Dieter Berner

There were 45 blockbuster films for the Indian Panorama section (25 features and 20 non features).

There were 10 world premiers, 13 international premiers, 34 Asia premiers and 93 Indian premiers.

This year, film making and acting courses were held for the disabled from 21st to the 28th of November.

IFFI 2022 paid tributes

to departed cinema icons. Movies were screened to honour 17 Indian artistes.

Lata Mangeshkar, Bappi Lahiri, KK, Bhupinder Singh, KPAC Latha, Pratap Pothen, Ramesh Deo, Ravi Tandon, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Birju Maharaj, Salim Ghouse, Sawan Kumar, Shiv Kumar Subramanium, Tarun Majumdar, Vatsala Deshmukh, T Rama Rao and Krishnam Raju.

Recognising the motion of fear and its mass appeal, IFFI screened a quartet of newly released horror films, including supernatural movies which were Night

Siren, Huesera, Venus and Hatching.

This year IFFI celebrated Mexican cinema with the screening of 7 Mexican films in various categories as well as the Golden Jubilee of Manipuri Cinema.

IFFI also showcased five films from various parts of the world, in a specially curated animated segment, with stories that appealed both to children and adults.

A poster design contest, ‘One and Only Ray’, was held to celebrate Satyajit Ray’s work and the top entries were put up at IFFI.

This year also saw the second edition of ‘Creative minds of tomorrow,’ by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, called where 75 youngsters attended the film festival as special guests.

A movie by Madhur Bhandarkar, India Lockdown, based on true incidents that happened during corona crisis which led to lockdown in India and the world, was also screened at the festival.

The IFFI Film Bazaar had a Cannes flavour this year as it was divided into pavilions set up by the promenade along the sea.

Minister of State, Information & Broadcasting, L Murugan, Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur; Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant, Goa Governor Sreedharan Pillai, Union Minister Shripad Naik and others

Kartik Aaryan

Sara Ali Khan Mrunal Thakur

3 films of Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Asha Parekh were screened as a retrospective.

The Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred on Spanish film director Carlos Saura.

The gala premier segment was an exclusive event which was the highlight of IFFI this year. They had a line up of big stars from the Indian film fraternity who showcased their films at the event and walked the red carpet. This included Paresh Rawal’s The Storyteller; Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s Drishyam 2; Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon’s Bhediya; Yami Gautam’s Lost; Telugu film, Raymo; Deepti Naval and Kalki Koechlin’s Goldfish; and Randeep Hooda and Ileana D’Cruz’s Tera Kya Hoga Lovely premiered at IFFI, along with an episode of OTT shows like Vadhandhi, Khakee and Fauda Season

There were 15 acclaimed films that were put up for the Golden Peacock Award of which 3 were Indian films: The Kashmir Files, the Storyteller, Kurangu Pedal.

Apart from festival screenings, master classes and discussions, the festival delegates had other activities lined up to be explored, experienced, and enjoyed.

The Festival mile or the side walk starting from Kala Academy to the premises of ESG was decorated with

fascinating art installations and numerous food stalls alongside the festival mile.

Open Air screenings at Jogger’s Park, Altinho; Ravindra Bhavan, Margao; and Miramar beach were held, so that tourists and locals who have not registered as delegates for the festival were be able to join in.

Entertainment zones were set up at Bhagwan Mahavir Children’s Park and the Art Park. Both locations featured live performances, art installations, and food stalls.

Delegates and the general public got to witness glimpses of the Carnival and Shigmostav Parade on 26 November 2022 and 27November 2022 opposite the Old GMC premises.

Caravans were deployed throughout Goa and popular movies were screened for the masses.

The Goa Section: There were

ten entries received under the Goa section which included the Goan Film Premiere Section: (6 short films and 1 documentary film).

There were non feature films like Ardo Dis, Before I Sleep, The White Shirt, Wind Chimes, The White Dream, Goy Swatantryache Homkhan and Nimnya Disak. The Jury for the Goan Section premiere was Vinod Ganatra (Film Maker), Imo Singh (Producer, Director, and Writer) and Pampally Sandeep Kumar (Producer, Actor). ESG had organised special master classes for Goan film makers from 23 to the 26 November on various aspects of film making.

Closing Ceremony

The 53rd edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa came to a glittering close on 28 November. Union Information & Broadcasting

Minister Anurag Thakur; Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant, Minister of State, Information & Broadcasting, L Murugan, actors Chiranjeevi, Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rana Daggubati, Sharman Joshi, Manushi Chhillar, Esha Gupta and veteran actor Asha Parekh were present at the closing ceremony.

Chiranjeevi was given the ‘Indian Film Personality of the Year’ award with a rousing applause by his fans present at the stadium. Spanish coming-of-age drama I Have Electric Dreams won the Golden Peacock award. Vahid Mobasheri and Daniela Marin Navarro got best actor and best actress awards, respectively

The award for Best Director was given to Nader Saeivar, for the film No End Asimina Proedrou’s Behind the Haystack won the Best Debut Feature Film of a Director. Lav Diaz, won the Special Jury Award for When The Waves Are Gone.

There was a Special Mention for a Debut Feature Film of a director – Praveen Kandregula’s Cinema Bandi and Payam Eskandar’s, Nargesi won the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal.

Asha Parekh along with Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana and Prosenjit Chatterjee were honoured at the closing ceremony

Shigmo at IFFI 2022

Carnaval at IFFI 2022

Rishab Shetty at IFFI 2022

Making Houses Speak

Heta Pandit regales the reader with a behind-the-scenes narrative of her new book, Stories from Goan Houses

Heta’s books about Goan houses allowed her to explore Goa through the lens of domestic and monumental architecture, oral history and traditional art. She elaborates on what made her write a book which documents the intricate relationship that the residents share with their homes. “Years later and several books down the line, I realised that the houses were shells and cannot be called the vestibules of Goan culture unless you talk about the people who inhabit the houses. It is the families, the aais and the avos and the sons and daughters, who inhabit the houses that make these houses crucibles of culture.”

By Sybil Rodrigues

Heta Pandit’s first ‘real job’ was with famed ethologist Dr Jane Goodall on a chimpanzee research station in Tanzania, East Africa. On her return to India in 1981, Heta volunteered with Bombay Environmental Action Group and initiated several heritage preservation projects through the Indian Heritage Society, Bombay Chapter. Traumatized by the riots in 1993 in her beloved Bombay, she left the city for Munnar at first and then to Goa, putting all her energies into the preservation of Goan houses.

Heta has written 11 books on Goan heritage: Houses of Goa, Hidden HandsMaster builders of Goa, Dust & Other Short Stories from Goa, Walking in Goa, Walking in Old Goa and Walking with Angels, There’s More to Life Than a House in Goa, Grinding Stories: Songs from Goa, Grinding Stories Retold, and Stories from Goan Houses.

Goan homes grow on you. Once you have seen one, spent a few days lazing in one or bought a ruined home and restored it to its original beauty, you simply cannot forget the homes that you have seen or lived in. For you, it is not just a home; it is part of your life’s story.

This book is an anthology of stories from a few select houses in Goa that hold a special place in the heart of Heta. These are stories of inherited wealth, shared ideas, artifacts, designs and borrowed technology, and most important of all, the passion for Goa and Goan homes. It is with this same love that each of the houses in this book have been described, showcased and photographed through the eyes of the author. For Heta and many home owners, these are not just houses. They are material evidence of history, a crucible of culture, that unique umbilical cord that binds us all to the idea that is Goa. Speaking on the events that set the book in motion and the common link that binds these homes together, Heta says, “Not by design but by

accident, every house had a connection with another house in the book. Sangita Gaunekar for example is a daughter of the Mhamai Kamat House in Panaji. She recalls her memories of growing up there. We have also featured her home in Bandora, where she is the daughterin-law of the house. Here we feature a totally different aspect of the house both from her point of view and from the point of view of Alka Gaunekar, another daughter-in-law of the house. Alka’s memories of the house, how she adjusted to a new lifestyle after her marriage, are interesting and very informative from a social scientist’s understanding.” Choosing which houses to feature in the book was not an easy task and it was Engineer Alinto Coelho who did most of the contact and liaison work. Heta knew some of the homeowners personally but all the legwork was done by Coelho. “We did not choose the houses for the book. One thing flowed into another and in fact, the houses chose us!” she adds.

In the process of working on the book, Heta has unearthed interesting stories about the people living in these lovely houses. “The book will tell you the stories! We have grouped the houses into various bunches. Houses where the members of the family have made historic contributions to Goa; houses that are absolutely stunning in terms of their architecture, furniture, and artifacts; and houses that are repositories of Goan culture, crafts, and art. You must read the book and find out!”

Heta has bought and restored her own home in Saligão when she shifted to Goa years ago. She expresses her idea of a home and the various ways in which her house represents the idea of Goa. “Home is that place where you meet your soul, the creator within. Your house is like the body that holds the soul. Would you like your body to be listless and without energy? An empty house would be like that; without vibrations, soulless and silent. When I first saw the house in Saligao (after seeing 24 houses over 11 months) I just knew that this is where I would live. It had not been lived in for over 10 years and not even the caretaker

Heta Pandit

Author: Luis S. R. Vas | Publisher: Broadway Publishing House

The Amazing Kosambis & Their Unusual Quest

In addition to numerous works on mathematics and mathematical physics, D D Kosambi was an Indian mathematician who also wrote about genetics, numismatics, indology, Sanskrit studies, and Indian history. He included statistics, Marxism, critical analysis, and algebra into his study of historiography.

For the first five years of his childhood, Kosambi resided in Goa with his maternal grandpa. He stayed there with the rest of his family in 1912, when his father moved to Pune. These were the last few years of his life that he would spend with his parents, three sisters, and father. Between 1912 and 1918 in Pune, Kosambi started his formal education. He demonstrated his brilliance as a student at the New English School. Despite being significantly younger than the rest of his cohort, he started secondary school in 1915. Hence his father organized a second journey to Harvard University in the US in 1918.

The nuclear physicist Homi Jehangir Bhabha (1909–1966), who served as the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research’s founding director, extended an invitation to him to join the Tata Institute due to his outstanding academic standing, though. Hence Kosambi assumed the position of Chair of Mathematics at the Institute.

His father, Acharya Dharmananda Damodar Kosambi was also well-known. Bhagwan Buddha, one of the most well-known biographies of Buddha, was written by him in Marathi in 1940. Central Sahitya Akademi later translated it into English and other Indian languages. Kosambi has written eleven volumes about Buddhism and Jainism in addition to Bhagwan Buddha. He also

opened it up and inspected it on a regular basis. Yet, the house had soul. It had the right vibrations. It embraced me warmly. When my mother saw it, she told me that this is a home where no one will ever trouble me; and that I will always feel secure in this house. And it is true. The house is full of people, filled with laughter and love, always.”

Goa has undergone a sea change with rapid urbanisation that is proving to be a menace in more ways than one. Heta gives her opinion on the dangers to Goa’s

wrote a Marathi drama called Bodhisatva that tells the story of Gautama Buddha’s life. His Marathi autobiography, titled Nivedan, was serialised and published in the Panjim-based publication Bharat from November 1912 to February 1916.

Many people had disregarded the extraordinary achievements they had made, but Luis Santa Rita Vas set the record straight with a small 178-page book that centres on father and son. He also completed it in a timely manner.

It’s enjoyable and helpful to read this book. The Kosambis: Everything You Wanted To Know is a more apt title. Its title, The Amazing Kosambis & Their Unusual Quest, is similarly accurate. Even incredible might not be enough of an adjective to describe what two generations in one family have

traditional houses and urban planning. “Rapid urbanization is taking place in all rural areas all over the world. We are feeling the pressure because it has come really very fast and with no regard to the social, cultural, and environmental degradation that it will bring. Our urban planners need to work with us to mitigate the effects of this rapid onslaught, from the adverse effect of climate change and from the apathy of people who are not aware of the real danger we are about to face. Instead, our planners appear to be

accomplished in such a short period of time.

One can only envision a fatherson team from a little Goan village navigating the world-shattering events of the early and middle 20th century. The book’s content is drawn from a variety of sources, including a few in-depth quotations from books by Indrayani Sawkar (Dharmanand’s granddaughter and Damodar’s niece, for instance). It is written in a style that is not too footnoted and appears to be geared toward the ordinary reader.

Strangely, the Kosambis were better recognised outside of Goa for a long time, although nearly no one inside acknowledged their existence. Most of this attitude was likely brought on by ignorance, but some may have also been caused by their left-leaning political views. They do not easily fit into the frequently Catholic narrative of Goan emigration. Nevertheless, this book and learning more about the Kosambis give us profound insights into the past of Goa. This book contains a lot of information that is already accessible online. However, it is dispersed in several places and books. Vas has done a good job of condensing everything under one set of covers. As a result, it is much simpler to come across, comprehend, and appreciate the Kosambis and their creative output. This book is the ideal illustration of how Goan culture has spread over the world. The works of these great geniuses would be lost as the years went by if it weren’t for Vas.

It is a book that will serve as a reminder of the Kosambis’ contributions. Hence makes it a must-read

accelerating destruction!”

Heta sees more books in her future given that there are so many more undiscovered homes in the state. “I would now like to document the rapidly disappearing articles, utensils, and traditional domestic systems of Goa. I have already translated Pournima Kerkar’s book Vismrutichya Umbarthyavar from Marathi to English. I would like to use it as a base and expand it to do a book on the objects that are disappearing but can be saved

Getting the party started Music

By Sybil Rodrigues

What happens when a classical violinist and pianist meets underground music? DJ Armando Ferreira is what happens. An experienced Disc Jockey with a demonstrated history of working in the entertainment industry, Armando Ferreira is also skilled in customer service, advertising and sales.

Born and brought up in-between Margao and Corjuem, Armando started off as a classical musician at the age of four. He was part of the Youth Orchestra at 14 as a 1st Violin. He attended Vidya Vikas Academy where he completed his schooling and high school. Later, he graduated from S.S. Dempo College of Commerce and Economics and acquired his post-graduate degree from Middlesex University, London. In addition to playing the piano and violin, Armando also plays other instruments like the trumpet, the flute, the drums and the guitar.

Back in the day, it was a visit to, Nikhil Chinapa’s Sunburn Festival when Armando was younger that put him on the path to becoming a DJ. “At Nikhil’s Sunburn Festival I saw the heart at which the idea of the festival originated, the intent to revolutionise dance music across the country the whole layout of how music is used to make people dance and that’s when I decided I would like to be up on a stage or working to take music and music experiences to different audiences like this someday,

playing for those thousands of people and making them groove to my music.”

Armando has enjoyed his journey as a DJ. “When I started off, I began by playing all types of house. That’s where most of us have begun, playing house music. I have always edged the underground playing more groovy house at various venues. The major shift came when I decided to focus more on playing underground music rather than mainstream music. After that I never looked back and am enjoying this phase of my life.”

Speaking on keeping up with the latest music trends, Armando says every DJ has his or her own style of listening or playing music. “Since I am more into underground music I do a lot of research online and offline. I follow different artistes and check out their

styles of playing music. Also, I write my own music and that I feel is very important. The latest music trends in the underground sphere are more of the emotions that we put into the music. It’s more of new and original music that we put out there and hope that people like it.”

The ability to put a smile on people’s faces and control the rhythm and journey throughout the night, which can make or break one’s mood, is the most rewarding thing about being a DJ, affirms Armando

Having started out as a classical musician who plays the violin and piano, it has helped him extensively in his journey as a DJ. “As a DJ, one needs to have a special set of skills, in beat-matching music, knowing the keys and making sure that everything flows together. With classical

music, I can do this with ease – be it writing the songs, structuring the music; it all comes to me very naturally.”

Speaking on his favorite genre of music, Armando says that he loves classical music. “Classical music is something that I have been brought up with and I always have the affinity towards it. But also using classical music into underground music such as melodic house and techno and making a mix between the two is something that I do a lot now and absolutely love the process.”

When he’s not busy DJing, Armando loves playing the violin, the piano and football. There have been ups and downs in the music industry and he has had his fair share of challenges. “There are a lot of DJs but not enough space. Every DJ faces the issue of relevance and it is up to us to keep up with the pace,” he says.

Armando’s family has been very encouraging and supportive towards his career choice. “I have to thank my

A trained classical musician, Armando Ferreira speaks on his journey as a DJ and making people dance to his tunes

The ability to put a smile on people’s faces and control the rhythm and journey throughout the night, which can make or break one’s mood, is the most rewarding thing about being a DJ, says Armando

Armando Ferreira

A Goa within Goa

Maendra Alvares speaks on the idea behind Big Foot, the varied projects undertaken, and preserving Goa’s cultural identity

By Sybil Rodrigues

Goa’s laidback vibes and innate tranquility has been attracting holiday seekers to its pristine shores for decades. Renowned primarily as a beach destination, Goa’s tourism industry eventually acquired everything what made this tiny slice of paradise inimitable.

To contend with the transience of the modern world, moves towards progressive development were put into action. This caused intangible facets of Goa’s cultural heritage to fade into antiquated visions of the past.

Throughout history, Goa’s natural and colonial past has forged a melting pot of diverse cultures as is evident in our varied costumes and traditions. Therefore, when the need to preserve these characteristic idiosyncrasies arose, the project ‘Ancestral Goa’ was born, in its many iterations. This etymological museum is the very first of its kind in Goa, with the unique concept of an open air, walk-through village, with colourful life-sized tableaux depicting in freeze-frame bygone archetypes.

It took one man’s dream to put up this slice of paradise, which has made a name for itself in this tiny State.

Maendra Alvares completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in commercial art at a time when advertising agencies catering to such artists were rare. From working with other ad agencies, he started

his own screen-printing and ad agency, Art Ads. It was a slow start and Maendra not only walked an untrodden path but also pushed himself to venture into diverse directions. From creating and promoting industries, small businesses, he also began landscaping. The Old Anchor hotel at Cavelossim is one of the few that he has worked with from scratch. In most other starred hotels, Maendra provided advertising and interior décor; murals, and other décor.

The turning point in Maendra’s career came with the entry of technology. “I was actively watching a new world

emerging and this one was slicing into the human trend with lightning speed. The brain did not need to exercise itself as the computer made its thinking redundant. The world of creative advertising had tilted on its axis and everything became financially accessible, that was the upside. The downside was a loss of innovativeness. No creativity was involved

and that was my turning point.” He did not have to go very far to think up a newer venture and his strength lay

Maendra Alvares with the Big Foot in the background

in his willingness to take up a challenge. “My advantages lay in my family, friends and a few very good mentors. That decision, for a change, was what took me from one level of creativity to another huge change.”

Maendra elaborates on the idea of coming up with Ancestral Goa. “The entry of my sculpture; ‘Natural Harmony’ of Sant Mira in the Limca Book of Records was my leap into the world of museology. It broke records for length; 14 mts in length by 5 mts in breadth and for being carved in a period of 30 days. For people to visit us I had to take a huge and very big step into many trials by fire before the viability fell into place and thus was born ‘Ancestral Goa’, Goa’s first open-air landscaped museum detailing the evolution of architecture, trade and lifestyles. The entry of the sculpture; ‘Natural Harmony’ in many records (5 precisely) was a huge plus but none like it being declared as Goa’s first Cancellation stamp by the Post Master General of

The hippie culture that Goa was known for began taking a backseat as the State turned into a commercial zone, with starred hotels blooming all over the place. “So I decided upon providing the hinterland in a ‘one-visit is all it takes’ idea. Ancestral Goa had to speak of much more than the mundane promotion of ‘sun-sand-seatemple-church’ that Goa was being touted for.”

Many ideas were tossed around and much advice was sought out. And in 1995, we threw open our doors to the public as a museum that was being visited by historians, students of architecture, students of business schools

of ‘Satellite – Commerce’ that we had provided an otherwise sleepy village, Loutolim.”

Ancestral Goa is a mock village that depicts forgotten trades, crafts and more. This museum encapsulates a vintage patina from when the sun cast sepia hues upon Goa’s famed unbroken coastline. Ancestral Goa showcases the creation of Goa, professions of Goa, forgotten beliefs and rituals of Goa; and costumes as well as architecture.

The discovery of a footprint was what drew people from all over and the creation of a dance floor was designed and shaped in the form of a giant footprint.

Maendra’s nephew,

architect Ian Karl Alvares, laughingly called it a Big Foot, and so was born the name that primarily was the discovery of the footprint which is housed in a separate structure replete with an explanation of how it came about. Most of it was a retelling from the lore of the farmers who tilled the land, there. Thus, was born the generic, ‘Big Foot’ as it is now, popularly known as.

The project in its diversity houses some of the most unusual collections of Ganesh idols, crosses and rosary beads. “I ventured to open my ancestral home as another museum. This was mainly to stop it from falling prey to squatters and ruin.

From being a museum to now a much looked-outfor film and advertisement location, Casa Araujo Alvares has come a long way. I even began a “Tiatr hall of fame” housing handprints of various drama artistes”, says Maendra with a touch of pride

parents for believing and trusting in me. It wasn’t easy convincing them, given that it is an offbeat job, but they let me follow my path. Every parent is concerned about their child when they take up a career that involves late hours or staying up nights, but then we grow into that life. And once you set up a model for yourself you work around that model. My family has always believed in me and here I am today. My mother has been a huge driving force when things have gotten tough and has told me to do what my heart desires and that no matter what; they are always there for me. I am forever grateful to my

mother for always helping me overcome and be there for me as a best friend whenever I needed it. A big part of me also has Nikhil Chinapa and his wife Pearl Miglani to thank; their idea sparked the revolution of the Dance

Music Industry in India. Because of this little idea, today so many have followed this path and achieved great heights, too. I consider Nikhil the godfather of the Dance Music Revolution in India.”

Regarding his future plans Armando states that he intends to take all what he has done with his music and perform at international gigs all around the world. He will be performing over the next few weeks in Goa and various other cities.

Armando shares a few words of advice to aspiring young musicians and DJs. “Try to stand out and be different. There is a lot happening on the music scene and only those who stand out will do great things.

Live music is making a comeback in a big way, if you can stick to that and go back to the roots of music; it will ensure that you make a name for yourself”

Armando: Spinning the wheel

Health

Goa’s first ever Cosmetic Gynaecology Clinic launched

Goa’s first ever exclusive clinic conceptualised by Dr. Vikram Dukle for Cosmetic Gynaecology, AnamivaCosmetic Gynaecology Clinic at Dr. Dukle’s Hospital and Research Centre, Candolim was recently inaugurated by renowned Gynaecologist and Infertility Specialist Dr. Kedar Padte.

Cosmetic Gynaecology as a new field introduces much awaited innovations which provides results beyond imagination in intimate feminine wellness with cutting edge laser technology to elevate the quality of life of women on an outpatient basis.

Dr. Vikram Dukle, Cosmetic Gynaecologist and advanced laparoscopic surgeon practicing at Dr. Dukle’s Hospital and Research Centre, Candolim and Healthway Hospital, Old Goa has completed his Diploma under pioneers in this field; Dr. Navneet Magon at the Indian College of Cosmetic Gynaecology (ICCG) at Hyderabad, Fellowship with Dr. Mayuri Kothiwala, SkinEva Clinic at Jaipur and AMILS Academy, Mumbai.

This recent breakthrough in the cosmetic field helps transform female external genitalia appearance to look younger and more natural. It involves a group of procedures that are cosmetic in nature and some are medically necessary. They are performed to either improve the function or the appearance; or both.

These procedures could really be beneficial for the beautification and enrichment of an individual’s marital life (sexual health) and most of them are OPD procedures without anaesthesia.

Pregnancy, childbirth, weight fluctuations, hormonal changes, age, and even genetics can take a toll on the internal and external structure of the vagina which leads to loss of sensation and pain during sexual intercourse leading to a dissatisfactory sexual life. Others may have difficulty in holding back the urine while coughing, sneezing, walking or laughing causing a urine leak.

Dr. Vikram Dukle was the workshop co-ordinator and faculty along with Dr. Vidhya Pancholia (Indore) and Dr. Mayuri Kothiwala (Jaipur) for the first Cosmetic

Gynaecology Workshop held at Kadamba Fern, Goa. The Vaginal- Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (V-NOTES) workshop was held along with Dr. Suyash Naval (Jalgaon) as faculty who is a pioneer in natural orifice surgery at Healthway Hospital, Old Goa. The workshop was organised by Panaji and Margao Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies and was attended by gynaecologists from Goa and neighbouring states.

The focus of the workshop was non-surgical and surgical treatment in Cosmetic Gynaecology and VNOTES Gynaecological procedures.

Non-Surgical Treatment Options:

• Vaginal Rejuvenation with Laser(LVR)

• Stress Urine Incontinence with Laser

• Post DeliveryRehabilitation

• Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause

• Laser Vulval Skin Tightening

• G-Spot Amplification with PRP

• V-Shot for female sexual quality enhancement

Surgical Treatment Options:

• Hymenoplasty

• Labiaplasty (Minora & Majora)

• Clitoral Hoodectomy

• Vaginal Tightening

• Mommy Makeover

• TOT for Stress Urinary Incontinence

• V-NOTES for Gynaecological Procedures.

“The results of cosmetic gynaecology can improve the enjoyment of sexual activities, while also rejuvenating the genitals to make the body appear younger or more aesthetically pleasing.

Women are susceptible to diverse intimate issues and there is a lack of right information and empathetic approach to solutions for feminine rejuvenation. Similar to the cutting edge technology of 3D Laparoscopy that we introduced in Goa last year it’s our pleasure to introduce the VNOTES, LASER and HIFEM technology to make cosmetic gynaecology treatments accessible, affordable and available to women and help them feel beautiful and confident at every age and stage of their lives,” says Dr. Dukle

Dr. Vikram Dukle launches Anamiva, a cosmetic gynaecology clinic at Dr. Dukle’s Hospital and Research Centre, Candolim

Dr Vikram Dukle with Dr Kedar Padte; CosGyn Workshop - Dr. Vidhya Pancholia, Dr. Mayuri Kothiwala; ICCG Diploma - Prof. Dr. Navneet Magon

Ho Ho Ho! It’s the Harley Santa Run 5.0

life; that we could do annually and hopefully become an iconic moment In Goa, every last Sunday before Christmas.

Grand Hyatt Goa in collaboration with Harley Davidson Owners Group, Goa organized the 5th edition of the Santa Run through the streets of Panjim.

The celebratory ride began during the midday hours of Sunday where a group of over 40 enthusiastic Harley Davidson riders from across Goa along with their family members, roared through the streets all dressed up as Santa Claus. The bikers rode through the streets of Miramar - Panjim ChurchOld Goa Ponda Bypass - Old Goa Church Square - Old Goa Ponda Bypass - Goa Medical College, where enthusiastic onlookers got a glimpse of this spectacular ride.

The convoy of Santa Claus riders were also joined by the children of Bethesda Life Centre. While the joyful ride culminated at Grand Hyatt Goa, the celebrations had only just begun.

The team at Grand Hyatt Goa had organized a special party with a bouncy castle, trampoline and a whole lot of games for the Santa riders and

kids of the hotel employees. The get-together was brought to a befitting wrap-up with a special visit by Santa Claus who came riding to the venue on a Harley Davidson.

On bookmarking its 5th edition of Harley Santa Run, Jaco Le Roux, Area Vice President Leisure Hotels, India & General Manager, Grand Hyatt Goa said, Together with GHG and the H.O.G. family, we are so proud to be able to host this annual iconic event for the fifth time. The idea was born one night when we were sitting around a fireplace having Christmas dinner and earlier in the evening, witnessed beautiful Christmas carol singing by young kids.

In spirit of the values of Grand Hyatt Goa and the Goa Harley community we wanted to create something where we could do something special for kids who don’t get to enjoy Christmas as we all do. And so, this fun, colourful and high-energy event came to

Elaborating further on this occasion, Carlos Fermino, Director, Harley Owners Group Goa Chapter said, This is my third year participating in the annual Santa run and this year as the present Director of the Goa chapter of the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G) it makes me feel proud and grateful to be a part of the team planning it. H.O.G is involved in many social activities but this particular charity ride in partnership with the Grand Hyatt is very close to my heart as it brings the Christmas spirit and joy to children who need it the most.

The rumble of the motorcycles ridden by Santas creates a unique feeling of excitement and coupled with the fun Christmas party held at the hotel leaves a lasting positive memory in the minds of the children. I hope to continue to be a part of this wonderful tradition and I thank Harley-Davidson and the Grand Hyatt for giving me the opportunity to be part of this initiative to give back to society.”

All in all, it was a jubilant evening of delicious treats, christmas goodies, fun games and wholesome vibes shared over lots of laughter and love between the riders and kids before they took off for the Christmas weekend

Serendipity Arts Festival is bigger this year

Serendipity Arts Festival

2022 will present a series of interdisciplinary activations to energise Goa with various exhibitions and an engaging display of art. The Festival, open to all, will be bigger and better than its last edition with 120 plus projects, 500 plus artists across 14 venues, spread across Panaji, skirting the Mandovi river. The festival will continue to uphold its fundamental values of sustainability, inclusivity, and accessibility. The projects in this edition are curator led and not discipline guided.

aims to bring joy through the arts. The festival in its fifth edition will be taking the arts beyond the white walls and prosceniums. The programming for this edition is spread across exhibitions, performances, workshops, public arts and talks and book launches.

with disabilities and children’s programs.

The festival aims to give much-deserved exposure, a collaborative platform to produce a sustainable environment for contemporary arts and crafts and to highlight the shared cultural heritage of South Asia by building a strong alumni network of artists across the globe.

The Festival will also feature the works of the Serendipity Arts Foundation Residents and Grantees from 2021-22.

Spread across a patch of Panaji skirting the river Mandovi, with the Old GMC Complex at its heart, the festival locations have been strategically chosen for their historical value, natural beauty, and affinity to the arts. The initiatives undertaken by the festival are set to

transform these venues into spaces where audiences from all walks of life can experience the wonders of the arts in new and exciting contexts—an endeavour that will turn the Mandovi waterfront, into a hub of cultural activity. With its close-knit networks and practical commute options, Serendipity Arts Festival promises to be accessible to all. The festival will continue to base its ideas on sustainability, inclusivity, and accessibility with a marketplace focusing on home-grown, sustainable products and workshops and for all generations with a special focus on persons

Speaking about being back in Goa for the Festival, Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Festival, said, “Our curators have put up a great line-up of projects from across Goa and the south Asian region that would place Panaji in the global art map, as the host to the biggest art hub in the world and we are inching towards that with each edition”

‘Growing like a tree: Sent a letter’ at Sunaparanta

Serendipity Arts Festival hopes to be a festival that Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts in partnership with the Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai is pleased to present ‘Growing Like A Tree: Sent A Letter’, a curatorial curatorial debut by Bunu Dhungana and Sadia Marium Rupa.

The collaboration between the two organisations provides a unique opportunity to witness pathbreaking curatorial directions in the field of contemporary art within the subcontinent. Marking the third iteration of the exhibition initially curated by artist Sohrab Hura at Ishara Art Foundation in Dubai in 2021, the show expands on collective journeys with practitioners across geographic borders.

The exposition in Goa furthers Sunaparanta’s and Ishara’s commitment to supporting the burgeoning art scenes from the region both locally and internationally.

The show comprises of photography, artist-books, texts, films, video and sound installations that reflect the complex and imbricated histories of South Asia and the world. Bringing together new and previously presented works, the curation pushes the boundaries of contemporary image-making as modes of address that offer a changing map of interconnected practices practices.

The ensemble of artists and collectives in the exhibition includes

Aishwarya Arumbakkam, Vinita Barretto, Uma Bista, Dolly Devi, Shaheen DillRiaz, Pooja Gurung & Bibhusan Basnet, Alana Hunt, Sathish Kumar, Ipshita Maitra, Nida Mehboob, Farah Mulla, Jaisingh Nageswaran, Gaurang Naik, Ali Monis Naqvi, The Packet, Sarker Protick, Priyadarshini Ravichandran, Rajee Samarasinghe, Suneil Sanzgiri, Sylvia Schedelbauer,

Prasiit Sthapit, Maryam Tafakory, Avani Tanya and Zainab, along with a citation of Dayanita Singh’s ‘Sent A Letter.’ With site-specific notations by Sohrab Hura, his role as a curator tunes out with the third iteration inviting new curatorial voices that proliferate the growing of the tree into a forest. The exhibition is on view till 15 May 2023 at Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts

Events

Goa State Cultural Awards and Yuva Srujan Puraskar 2021-2022

Directorate of Art and Culture presented the Goa State Cultural Awards and Yuva Srujan Puraskar to personalities from the field of art and culture at a function held at Institute Menezes Braganza, Panaji.

The Goa State Cultural Awards 2021-2022 were conferred to eminent personalities, which included Rameshchandra Kolwalkar (Literature), Milind Mhadgut

(Literature), Gurudas Gad (Drama), Les Menezes (Theatre), Beatrice Fernandes alias Betty Naz (Tiatr), William Fernandes (Tiatr), Fatima D’Souza (Tiatr), Saju alias Manohar Narayan Naik (Music), Balthazar Fernandes (Western Music), Sanjay Harmalkar (Fine Arts), Parshuram Kankonkar (Bhajan), Gajananbuva Naik (Kirtan), Zilu Laxman Gaonkar (Folk Arts).

While the recipients of the Yuva Srujan Puraskar 2021-2022 are 9 young artists– Fr Myron Barreto (Drama), Samir Vaigankar (Music), Siddhi Surlakar alias Pilgaonkar (Music), Vanita Kurtikar (Theatre), Vishal Gawas (Theatre), Ageema Fernandes (Tiatr), Sandesh Naik (Fine Art), Rajtilak Naik (Fine Arts/Photography), Premnath Kerkar (Folk). The Best Cultural Institution

award went to Mahashala Kala Sangam, Marcel.

“Goa is the true cultural centre of this country,” stated Govind Gaude, Minister of Art and Culture, as he urged the youth to participate in cultural events in a speech given on the occasion.

“Today, Goa is a rich trove of artists in many sectors, including literature, numerous art forms, research, and theatre,” said Gaude

Indo-Brasilian Art Show at Galeria de Belas Artes, Calangute

Art Chamber - Galeria de Belas Artes Calangute opened its doors to the public after 4 long years of covid with a Indo-Brasilian Exhibition titled ‘Offerings.’

A brain child of Brasilian artist and curator Regina Carmona, this is the fourth Edition of Regina’s project ‘Art as Food Ritual and Offering’ and had Lina Vincent as

curatorial advisor in India. The idea behind the show was to celebrate the belief that art should be an inclusive and shared experience, regardless of contrasts in

culture and the figurative separation of national borders. It was a meeting between artists working in various mediums, all of whom have a deep connect to their roots and work with intensity, all the while providing a channel to the creative spring that nourishes their artistic instincts and meaning-making in natural and symbolic ways. This was clearly emphasised in the works displayed by the eight participants in the show, Regina Carmona, Lourdes Sakotani, Carlos Adissi and Pitiu Bonfin from Brasil and Yolanda de Sousa, Kanchan Chandler Renuka Kesaramadu and Biswajit Sahani from India

Yolanda de Sousa of Galeria de Belas Artes (extreme left) with artists showing at the gallery

Grand Hyatt Goa rings in the festivities with its annual Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration

Jaco Le Roux, General Manager & Area VP Leisure Hotels India

With less than a few weeks to go, Grand Hyatt Goa has set flight right into the sparkling spirit of Christmas festivities with its annual Christmas tree lighting celebration by the 17th Century Chapel on the resort.

The evening began with a countdown leading to a brightly lit Christmas tree and the delightful sounds

of Christmas carols by the children of Bethesda Life Centre.

No Christmas celebration is complete without the joyful cheer of Santa Claus as he hopped, danced and sang along to Christmas carols with both kids and adults.

Set along the calm waters of the Bambolim Bay, the evening witnessed

a captivating performance by a live pianist performing nostalgic Christmas tunes while singer Katya dazzled with an impromptu dance with Santa Claus.

Highlights of the evening also included a home-made spread, where guests were treated to a menu that was curated and personally prepared by General Manager

of Grand Hyatt Goa, Jaco Le Roux along with Executive Chef, David Ansted.

Nothing compares to the spectacular experience of spending the holidays at Grand Hyatt Goa and the 5th edition of annual tree lighting celebrations marks the beginning of the festivities on the resort

Spreading Christmas cheer at The St. Regis Goa Resort

In a unique celebration of the Christmas spirit, children from Valentina’s Little Heaven Orphanage celebrated the traditional Christmas tree lighting ceremony at The St. Regis Goa Resort in Cavelossim along with guests and influencers.

The special guests at the ceremony were witness to a 32-foot Christmas tree which was decorated, to mark the celebration of the 32-year legacy of the property located in South Goa.

The Christmas tree at the St. Regis Goa Resort represents lineage and fond memories created by the guests during their previous visits at the resort.

“Christmas is the perfect time to give back to society, a time to share your blessings.

At The St. Regis Goa Resort, we spread joy with our little friends from Valentina’s Little Heaven Orphanage, as we celebrated our cake mixing ceremony with them. 100% of the proceeds from the revenue made through the sales of these Christmas cakes will be handed over to the

orphanage” explained Satish Kumar, General Manager, The St Regis Goa Resort.

The lighting of the Christmas tree is seen as a symbol of love, with the wish that the lives of our near and dear ones shine as brightly as the tree, followed by carol singing, a special raffle draw

to spread holiday happiness, marking the beginning of the Christmas season.

The unique Christmas celebration at The St. Regis Goa Resort sums up the spirit of the festival in the words “It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree that matters; it’s who’s around it!”

Carol singing by the children of Valentina’s Little Heaven Orphanage

Carol singing by the children of Valentina’s Little Heaven Orphanage

Arjuna Award for Chess Queen Bhakti Kulkarni

Awarded for securing Silver Medal in World Championship, 2021 and Bronze Medal in Commonwealth Championship, 2019

Chess Master Bhakti Kulkarni has become the first woman in Goa to receive the secondhighest sporting honour, the Arjuna Award.

The International Chess Master received the Arjuna Award from President Droupadi Murmu on November 30 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Bhakti has set a new bar for women athletes in India with her constant hard work and dedication. With this feat, she has also become the first Goan woman to receive this much sought after sporting honour.

Bhakti earned the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and in 2019; she clinched the International Master (IM) title.

At the age of six she won a State Under-7 championship and got selected for the

Nationals in 1998 and stood third in the junior national championships. In 2000, she competed in the National Beat Tournament, which was organised by the Goa Chess Association and won the Best Goan title. Over the years she has won many titles and accolades making the state proud.

Apart from being a chess player she is also an excellent singer. Bhakti is a devoted environmental advocate and often campaigns to promote tree plantations on social media. She loves to dabble in photography, enjoys swimming and playing table tennis.

Only two Goans have been conferred with the Arjuna Award – Brahmanand Shankhwalkar (1998) and Bruno Coutinho (2001), both in football

Maya Kharangate’s 2016 novel ‘Amrutvel’ bags

Sahitya Akademi Puraskar

Akademi Award in Konkani. The book sheds light on the struggles of a widow in the pre-liberation era in Goa. It portrays the struggle of the character, Sitabai, and how she raises her children after her husband’s demise. Besides highlighting the plight of widowed women, the novel

also tells the story of other women of the family who participated in the freedom struggle.

Kharangate is a retired teacher and had earlier won the Sharada Kavya Seva award for her Kapyanli poetry book in 1990. Kharangate has written over 35 books including story books, translation and children’s literature.

She has served as a teacher at the Vidya Bhuvan Konkani School in Margao

Maya Kharangate’s 2016 novel Amrutvel has won the Sahitya

Bhakti Kulkarni receives the Arjuna Award from President of India, Droupadi Murmu

Maya Kharangate

Adv Uday Bhembre honoured with Chandrakant Keni Award 2022

Stalwart of Goa’s struggle for independent identity, writer, journalist and lawyer, Uday Bhembre was felicitated with the Chandrakant Keni Journalism Award at a function held in Margao. The chief guest for the event was senior industrialist and chairman of Fomento Group, Auduth Timblo.

Speaking in the occasion, Bhembre said, “Democracy is the greatest gift given to ourselves and we must preserve the sanctity of this weapon that gives us might to fight for our rights. But is democracy in safe hands today? Two of the four pillars that it stands on are crumbling and shaking. We have many challenges before us and we must strengthen all the four pillars to save democracy from crushing.”

Bhembre lamented that today’s Goa is not what it was when it was liberated in 1961. He expressed concern and anguish about democracy being not in safe hands. “Today’s politicians change colours like chameleons and there is no strong judiciary to take action against their

defections, which is a dangerous trend,” said the veteran writer and Konkani stalwart.

Recalling his days as a journalist, Bhembre said, “In my 17-year-long career as a journalist, I did not have to face any pressure from my bosses. We were given a free hand and that is the reason we could express our views and opinions without any fear of losing the job. Today, the situation is not the

same. Media is either being bought or being pressurised by political giants and the journalists succumb to such pressures.”

Endorsing the view that Goa is becoming extremely volatile, veteran industrialist Timblo also spoke on the subject.

While addressing the gathering Timblo recalled his moments with late Keni and his association with the Marathi newspaper Rashtramat that was initiated for fighting the cause of keeping Goa’s independent identity alive.

Pointing out that Goa has a long history and it is because of the painstaking efforts of many unsung warriors that this land is breathing the joy of freedom and exists as an separate State in the country, Timblo asked, “But, is the battle won?”

Stating that the battle is not yet over and there are many crucial issues facing the State, Timblo asked if “we are ready” to take these issues head on. “We should, because unless we save our dear Goa from going bankrupt –intellectually, politically, and

financially, we have no future,” he cautioned the audience comprising of intellectuals and change makers.

The Chandrakant Keni award is bestowed upon a veteran journalist who has contributed for the upliftment of Goa. Bhembre had worked alongside late Chandrakant Keni to secure the independent identity of the State during

1967

the

Opinion Poll

AUDUTH

TIMBLO Chairman, Fomento Group

UDAY BHEMBRE Writer, Journalist and Lawyer

“We should fight for Goa... because unless we save our dear Goa from going bankrupt – intellectually, politically, and financially, we have no future”

“Democracy is the greatest gift given to ourselves and we must preserve the sanctity of this weapon that gives us might to fight for our rights”

(L to R) Dinesh Manerkar, Raju Nayak, Adv Uday Bhembre, Auduth Timblo and Suresh Walve

The champion of Konkani language has been at the forefront of Goa’s public discourse for over 55 years, and urges fellow Goans to protect democracy at all costs

Making a Splash Sports

Taking on the world by breaking records and winning everything that she puts her mind to, Sanjana Prabhugaonkar is conquering the waters with her love for swimming

By Sybil Rodrigues

Astudent of standard ten at Ardee School in Porvorim and a trained competitive swimmer, Sanjana Prabhugaonkar has participated in various state, interstate, national and international championships winning 95 gold medals, 37 silver and 17 bronze medals totaling to 149 medals till now for Goa.

Sanjana has received nine individual championship trophies at the State Level and inter-state level in India and has created eleven new meet records at state

level and one new meet UAE record at Dubai, UAE.

Recently, Sanjana bagged a national gold medal in 200 mts Backstroke for Goa at the 47th Glenmark Junior National Aquatic Championship in Bangalore along with two silver medals (100m backstroke & 50m backstroke) in Junior category along with one gold medal (200m backstroke), one silver medal (200m freestyle), three Bronze medals (100m freestyle), 100m backstroke and 50m backstroke) at the Karnataka State Junior Aquatic Championship 20202021 organised by the Karnataka Swimming Association.

At the National level, she has participated in the Khelo India Youth Games 2020 (Assam), SGFI National school Games 2019 (Delhi), SFI Sub Junior Nationals (Pune, Rajkot, Banglore) while at the international level she represented team India in UIPM 2016 Biathlete/Tri-athlete World Championships in Sarasota, Florida (USA) in 2016 in Youth E (Girls category) of Bi-athlete wining a Silver medal for India. Sanjana has also won four gold medals and one silver medal and achieved a new UAE swimming record in 100 mts Backstroke at the APEX 1st Swimming Community Open championship at Dubai, UAE .

At the recently held Junior National Aquatic Championship held in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, Sanjana won four silver, and one bronze medal for Goa.

Sanjana who loves swimming says, “Under water swimming, jumping from heights (diving board) and racing with my seniors during various swimming camps was great fun for me and I felt very comfortable in the water. Then at the

age of six and a half I started competitive swimming in Panjim.”

Sanjana shifted to Sharada Mandir School so that she could spend more time in the pool as she had to attend classes for just half a day.

“I won my first medal at the age of seven and that’s the time I realised that swimming just wasn’t a hobby it was my passion and I wanted to take it seriously. I won my first national medal at the age of twelve in the sub- junior nationals held in Pune where I won three bronze medals.”

Sanjana has a total of 149 medals out of which 14 medals were won at the National level and one silver at International level in Florida (USA). She has nearly 9 championship trophies in her name.

“I have participated in many inter school, state level, interstate level, national competitions and at the International level. Every competition has been a huge learning experience. When I improve my style or timings, and win I’m extremely happy and it helps to build my confidence level,” she adds.

Whenever she has participated in a competition and did not manage to win, she would feel disappointed but would

always try to learn from her mistakes and work harder so as to do better in the next competition.

“Each race teaches me something new. I meet so many swimmers from all over the country and the world over and have learned so much from them.”

During lockdown the pools were closed all over and it was very difficult to keep fit and stay in form so Sanjana would do some dry land exercises at home but it wasn’t the same.

She then came to know about pools being open in Dubai and India’s head coach and Dronacharya awarded coach, Pradeep Kumar was training at Aqua Nation Sports Academy (ANSA).

Sanjana took the opportunity and with the support of her family, she has been training in Dubai for the past one year.

“I love the training here and have the privilege of having two time Olympian Sajan Prakash as a team mate,” she says when speaking on her experiences in Dubai.

Sanjana mentions there are many challenges and obstacles in all competitive sports that people face and this includes sports injuries too.

“Staying in Dubai and studying in Goa at The Ardee School, is a huge challenge. I have study on my own and as I’m in grade 10 this year the load is more. The principal and all the teachers at the school are extremely supportive. They even give me personal extra classes so that I am able to complete my syllabus. All my classmates are also very helpful. They share notes and all academic details with me from time to time. I am very grateful to the full staff of the school without whom I would not be able to pursue my passion.”

Regarding her future plans, Sanjana says she intends to continue her advance training, participate in more international meets and try and make her country proud

Tendulkar and Prabhudesai shine for Goa

off 207 balls. Arjun along with Suyash Prabhudessai combined for 221 runs for the sixth wicket to help Goa reach a massive 493/8 at the end of day two.

Arjun, who is primarily a left-arm fast medium, had entered the batting order at the tail end of the first day after wicketkeeper-batsman Eknath Kerkar exited, when Goa was in a critical position at 201 for 5.

Arjun Tendulkar struck a century for Goa against Rajasthan in a Ranji Trophy match, following in the footsteps of his famous father, Sachin Tendulkar.

On the second day of the game against Rajasthan being played at the Goa Cricket Association Academy ground, Porvorim, the 23-year-old entered the field at the fall of the fifth wicket.

On December 11, 1988, at Wankhede Stadium, Sachin Tendulkar, playing for

Mumbai, against Gujarat, had scored a century on his Ranji Trophy debut. Arjun imitated his celebrated father by scoring 100 runs unbeaten. Sachin at the age of 15 years and 232 days had become the youngest Indian to strike a century in his first-class cricket debut.

Earlier in the season, Arjun left Mumbai for Goa in search of greater playing opportunities. He batted at position seven and generated 120 runs

In the company of RCB player Prabhudessai, Arjun started off conservatively, seeing off 12 deliveries to be on four overnight. The 23-yearold restarted his innings and defeated Rajasthan’s attack, which featured experienced bowlers Aniket Choudhary and Kamlesh Nagarkoti, to reach his first fifty off 86 balls. In order to follow in the footsteps of his father, who holds the record for most runs scored in international cricket history, he reached his first century off 177 deliveries

Arjun Tendulkar

Suyash Prabhudesai

Sanjana with coach Pradeep Kumar

Watching the Beautiful Game, Live!

The writer gives a first-hand account of his experience at the FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar

By Conrad Barreto

It’s absolutely surreal to be at a FIFA World Cup for the first time; pretty much the life goal of every football fan (pun intended). From watching Brazil lose the 1998 World Cup Final to watching games as a kid every afternoon in 2002, waiting for the TV to be rolled in to now getting to see it all play out in front of me! It’s been an absolutely crazy experience (in a good way)!

Qatar has put on a spectacle. The feeling when I entered the stadium is unexplainable. And getting to watch my most favourite player in the world right now (Virgil Van Dijk) up so close and put on a defensive masterclass was candy for

the eyes. I have been a Brazil fan since they lost the World Cup Final in 1998. As a kid I grew up watching them play football full of magic and flair. There was no better chance to watch them play than the World Cup in Qatar considering the next one is in America, Mexico and Canada which is really far away. Thought

it was much unplanned. I got swamped by the work at the U17 FIFA World Cup in Goa where I was the Venue Manager. I missed out on tickets. Thankfully through my networking I managed to get a Brazil ticket for myself which is when I decided I was going even if it was for one game. Post that, every day I religiously stalked the resale platform and managed to get tickets

MLAs Yuri Alemao and Altone D’Costa

The writer (middle) with fellow enthusiasts

for the Netherlands game where I got to watch my most favourite player in the world right now – Virgil Van Dijk and the France game. Watching the champions of the world play is another feather in the cap. My football pilgrimage was complete when I watched the Samba boys in action against Serbia on 24th November.

The last time I was so excited about a live football match was when I was in Liverpool. The kick off at 10 p.m. took eternity to come. I was supposed to stay with a friend from FIFA but ended staying with a very kind Goan, Jorge Gomez, who extended his hospitality to hosting my uncles, Anthony Peréira, Jaison Fernandes and me. My uncles had tickets to the Portugal game so I went with them to the one of its kind Stadium 974. It’s a stadium that can be packed into 974 containers and set up anywhere in the world; an engineering

marvel. It was good to meet many other Goans at the game who had travelled and also those living in Qatar. I then headed to Lusail at about 6p.m. The view of the stadium when you step out of the metro blows your mind. I grabbed a coffee and some food at the Lusail Boulevard where I met Brazil and Serbian fans from all over the world. We spoke about their football fan culture and while watching the Portugal game on a big screen. By 8:30pm I was inside the Lusail Iconic Stadium. Its shape and façade echo the decorative motifs that adorn bowls and vessels which is typical of the golden age of arts and crafts in the Arab-Muslim world; a perfect fusion of traditional art and modern technology. Watching Brazil play LIVE was the final thing on my football pilgrimage bucket list. Winning 2-0, a clean sheet for Alisson Becker in goal and probably witnessing the goal of the tournament from Richarlison. That goal was text book beach football and an ode to Brazilian football culture. There was one point in his life where he nearly gave up on football because he did not have the money to go to training. Scoring a goal like that on your World Cup debut is absolutely brilliant. In short that night was Joga Bonito. I now feel that my life is complete

Conrad Barreto, a passionate football enthusiast, is the co-founder of The Football Dugout, the biggest football community in Goa with fans from different walks of life supporting various teams across continents. When he’s not busy eating, sleeping and walking football,

he’s travelling and exploring new food joints as an influencer, with his wife Karen Ann Ferrao.

Pobre and Bonny Pereira of Martin’s Corner

Goa’s Hinterland Tourism: A carefully preserved tapestry of experiences

A peek into tribAl lifestyle

folk DAnce

of VAlpoi

The gradually emerging wave of hinterland tourism in Goa brings the unseen Goa to centre stage. Apart from bringing together some exclusive, offbeat experiences, it also aims at inculcating the habit of slow and mindful tourism. Instead of visiting 10 new locations in a single day, why not indulge in an immersive laidback experience?

Following this, the Goa Government also launched its State Tourism Policy in 2020, focusing on hinterland tourism and the development of rural Goa to attract highend tourists.

While this can strongly boost the rural economy, it should not divert from the element of mindfulness that is at the core of this new wave. The idea is to introduce Goa’s lesser-known stories through its festivals, culture and heritage without overpowering its frail rural infrastructure. The only way to maintain equilibrium is by channeling hinterland explorations through local

tour guides. They work closely with local hosts, bar owners, farmers and so on to curate a consciously guided experience.

Goan villages are the true hidden gems of the state. As you move farther east, away from the shores, you are welcomed by rolling fields lined with a magnificent backdrop of the Sahyadri mountains, rivers and obscure architecture. There is a lot to be said about life beyond the beaches in Goa. For instance, not many know that Goa is home to four unique tribes, a Dakhni-speaking population and vegetarian spreads that are just as soul-satisfying. Once you step beyond the facade, Soul Travelling’s local guides can show you the birds of Chorao, the backwaters of the Mandovi, the harmonious coexistence of tribals with nature, some exquisite rock-carvings in Rivona and Goan architecture that isn’t just ‘Portuguese’. The state has succumbed to the clichéd tourist traps for too long and it’s time people see it for what it is – a melting pot of cultural diversity. There is so much history in every nook and cranny of the state. All you have to do is seek it

The secret is beautiful, and it deserves to be shared keeping in mind that its true identity is not lost to superficial forces

The author, Sharvani Chandvale writing for Soul Travelling, speaks about hinterland tourism and how it brings out the unseen side of Goa in the limelight

Pic: Caden Fernandes (@snapbloom)

Pic: Kedar Borker (@soul.travelling)

stones

It is time to zoom out a little – look at the bigger picture. Imagine walking through lush green fields and verdant jungles, stopping at a hidden pool, taking a dip and finishing off with a wholesome locally sourced meal.

Does it make you think of Goa? Probably not. Often, the state inspires very specific visuals in the minds of Indians. The romanticised sea, sand and spirits have doused it with a singular identity as a party destination.

Ask any Goan about the questions they’ve heard from visitors and they will have a very long list. Do Goans always wear florals? No. Do we always go to the beach? No. Is our life a vacation? Definitely not. Contrary to the popular belief, there are a handful of other things Goans enjoy doing and it does not often include drinking at the beach

Goa may be small, but its unique heritage and multitude of cultures pack quite the punch. The nightlife can be fun, without a doubt, but its local festivals that vary from village to village are better. Slow, sustainable travelling is the only way forward, especially for a state like Goa that caters to lakhs of tourists every year. The side effects of a strategy bent on making money are now visible through the littered beaches and crowded hotspots. To truly experience Goa without affecting its pristine beauty, one needs to take a step back and redefine how one perceives travelling. Goa’s wave of hinterland tourism isn’t just about showing you its other side, it is also about encouraging responsible tourism that does not leave a trail of garbage in its wake

A content writer who focuses on talking about food and lifestyle from around the world, Sharvani is always seeking new stories. It could be an obscure recipe, a wellknown street or just a stranger that she has met on a trip – she loves narrating it all. You can find her swooning over Goan monsoons and cribbing about floral shirts over a glass of wine. She speaks six languages and makes a living by creating content for small businesses.

(Insta: @sharvanomnom)

At the shiVrAk sunDAy eVent, we switcheD things up

goA’s true weAlth rests in its unpolisheD

Pic: Eish Kakodkar (@eishstagram)

Pic: Eish Kakodkar (@eishstagram)

Taking his music to the Oscars

By Sybil Rodrigues

Ashish Prabhu Ajgaonkar says composing music is something that he was born with. Having grown up in Panjim, Ashish went to People’s High School where he completed his 10th and 12th standard and later attended S.S. Dempo College of Commerce.

Ashish learnt the tabla when young and would play for various bands. He then got into production and began composing various jingles for ads and songs for documentaries and small feature films. There are a few projects for which Ashish has not been credited for but that did not deter him from carrying on with his chosen profession of composing songs.

Ashish states that back then there was a dearth of music studios and information regarding composing and making music in Goa. It was a slow process and he had yet to make his mark in the music world. A lot of it was self taught but Ashish continued working towards his goal.

He struck gold when he began working

with Pan Nalin, an award winning director best known for directing award winning movies like Samsara, Valley of Flowers and Angry Indian Goddesses.

Ashish and Nalin collaborated on Angry Indian Goddesses where he composed the music for this award winning movie.

Nalin’s latest film in Gujarati, Chello Show (Last Film Show in English) has made it to the Oscars in the ‘Best International Film’ category shortlist. This film has just one song which was composed by Ashish, called Chora Kamaal Hai and he says that this is his most famous composition so far. Cyril Morin has done the background scores including the orchestration and symphony for the film. Chello Show is a coming-of-age drama that stars Bhavin Rabari, Bhavesh Shrimali, Richa Meena, Dipen Raval and Paresh Mehta. Child actor Rahul Koli who was battling cancer, passed away in October. It is a semiautobiography of the director and his experiences in the world of cinema.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced shortlists in 10 categories for the 95th Oscars, including documentary feature, international film, makeup and hairstyling, score, original song, sound, visual effects and shorts. Nominations for all categories will be announced on 24 January 2023. The 95th Oscars will be held on 12 March 2023.

Ashish has faced plenty of challenges and still continues to face them. The biggest challenge he says is learning the art of composing, given that Goa does not have much to offer in this field. Lack of information, getting in touch with the right people and learning the know-how of the industry were some of the hurdles faced by him. But by God’s grace, as he says, he got to know a few professionals who proved to be helpful and set him on the right path.

As a Goan, Ashish feels that Goa needs to put their art out there with professionalism in all aspects, on par with industry standards. This, he says, is just the beginning of the journey; one has to go out, meet with professionals, network and try to make do with the best of what is available.

Regarding his future plans Ashish says he is open for everything at the moment. He hopes that his composition for a film which has been shortlisted for the Academy Awards (Oscars) should open a few doors for him. Currently, he is working on a documentary.

He is starting his own outfit, The Sound Zone Studio, and plans to work under this name in his future projects.

As a parting shot, Ashish says it is all about following one’s passions and if you were to pursue your goals relentlessly, nothing can stand in your way

Ashish Prabhu Ajgaonkar talks about his composition for Chello Show, India’s entry at this year’s Oscars

Ashish Prabhu Ajgaonkar (right) with filmmaker Pan Nalin

GVCVC hosts Vintage Car Rally

Car lovers and people with an affinity for vintage car exhibitions had an opportunity to experience classic cars of various brands in an event held at the Chicalim ground on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day.

Minister for Transport Mauvin Godinho applauded the passion of the retro car owners in keeping these cars in mint condition. He further said that the idea behind organising this vintage car display event is that people should realise that ‘old is gold’ and learn about the history of the cars.

Ninad Kamat, one of the organisers of this event said that The Goa Vintage & Classic Vehicles Club (GVCVC) was happy to be associated with the Directorate of Transport in

organising this Liberation Day Drive 2022 to celebrate Goa’s liberation. This is the second year that GVCVC has been invited to arrange a display and drive of the vintage vehicles.

Over 50 different classic Young Timer and Indian heritage cars participated with members who had come from Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Belgaum, apart from various towns and villages of Goa.

As one could see, the participating owners have taken great care of their vehicles and kept motoring history alive. In the latter part of the event, these cars were driven for 21 km on the Chicalim-Baina flyover and proceeded to Bogmalo for the concluding event.

Godinho also stated that we need to blend the experience of the old with the enthusiasm of the new ones to create history

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Next Year I will….

Forget your boring diet…. I say take up these realistic New Year’s Resolutions and avoid disappointments

should you. I will be the first person to tell you that you are an amazing person who deserves to be loved for who you are. Prove me right by loving yourselves unconditionally.

3. I will make my cats internet celebrities

can be Bugs Bunny. It would be fun having a couple of cartoon characters walking out of Business Goa office.

These are the days I am looking forward to and so should you.

5.

SYBIL RODRIGUES

Can you believe that we are at the end of December already? The festive season is staring at us in the face, Santa is saying hello, we are waving goodbye to a healthy bank balance and prepping our stomachs (and liver, in some cases) for the gastronomical delights that is the hallmark of the season.

I highly doubt most of us have accomplished our New Year resolutions that were meant to define our 2022.

Most of my ill fated forays into self improvement like eat clean, train dirty has only made me throw up in my mouth. So for the coming year, I am abandoning all my sanctimonious promises to myself. I have decided to make some resolutions that may not help with my health goals, but will definitely make me (and you) happier. As if I will ever encourage anyone to eat less cutlet pão.

1. I vow to communicate exclusively in memes

There is truly a meme for every occasion. Many of my friends spend their days sending memes back and forth, no matter how grave the situation is. (Yes, Ameya Nayak, Keegan Furtado and Pushkar Prabhudessai, I am looking at you three.) So people, commit to communicating with your folks mostly via memes, at least until they catch on and ask what’s up. That way there will at least some communication instead of just blue ticks or being ignored.

2. I vow to eat McDonalds in every month that has an ‘e’ in it. Who cares if I get fat? I will keep on eating my favourite food and desserts. And so

If my cats could be famous they absolutely would. The only thing holding them back is a lack of opposable thumbs and a smartphone. It will be my responsibility to help them out by photographing them and writing captions on their behalf.

I also need to fatten them up a bit; especially Oreo and Brindle. I follow a couple of ‘Fat Cat’ pages on Facebook and Instagram and adore the ‘absolute units’ of cats featured there. I would love to have you people comment with “What a heckin’ chonk-a-saurus” or “Oh laawwdd here comes Godzilla cat.” So mission ‘Fatten the Beasts’ is on.

4. I will celebrate obscure holidays at work

Decorating the office for Diwali, Halloween and Christmas is super simple and fun. But I would love to celebrate offbeat holidays in my own weird way. Here are some examples.

• Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (January 31st): Wrap everything in the office in bubble wrap right up from a pen holder to the office chairs. I bet Boss will thank me for it as it will help take the edge away after having to deal with all of us.

• World Sleep Day (March 17th): I will bring a pillow and blanket to work, make place under my desk and nap there all day. My colleague Annalise Gouveia will be all up for it. In fact I can imagine her sauntering to the office dressed in her teddy bear pajamas, wearing thick, fluffy bunny slippers, clutching a pillow and blanket under each arm and yawning her head off. I am already sleepy thinking of that glorious day.

• International Artists Day (October 25th): This is a day for our resident artist Rakshama Naik who is brilliant at face painting. She can turn me into a perfect replica of Scar from The Lion King, with just a few strokes of her brush. Annalise

I will give myself fake deadlines

Every month I say to myself that I won’t wait until the last minute when I have an article or story due, but as usual I am lying to myself. Next year instead of relying on my willpower, I will trick myself into being productive. When writing due dates in my planner, I will set them a bit earlier. Yes, as usual, I will still end up working frantically to the last minute but at least I will have time to edit.

6. I will start checking fun and exciting things off my bucket list

We all have a list of things that we want to do someday but we keep pushing them back for whatever reason. Maybe we are too tired. Maybe we are too afraid. Maybe we think we have all the time in the world to accomplish them. Since there’s no time like the present to start doing the things that we always say we want to do, I will

• Get a tattoo (Annalise and I have been vowing to get one for years)

• Dye my hair a crazy colour (silver, to channel my inner Daenerys Targaryen)

• Try standup comedy (though in my case, it would be sit down comedy, since I am such a lazy one)

So whatever it is you like doing, please do. We are not guaranteed a tomorrow or a next time.

7. I won’t make any New Year’s resolutions.

I don’t even have to make a resolution if I don’t want to. Although, if I resolve not to make a resolution, that is a resolution in and of itself. On second thought, I will just stick to these, fun easy resolutions, so that I don’t end up doing something crazy like pulling a muscle at the gym or going vegan (shudder). The last few years have been weird enough.

So have fun making your resolutions. Here’s wishing you all a Merry Everything and a Happy Always!!!

Sybil writes for Business Goa and My Goa when she isn’t fussing over her cats, deep diving into a book, or telling people off on social media