My Goa 18 03 2017

crime: Irishwoman Danielle McLaughlin’s murder puts focus on safety of lady tourists in Goa RNI No. goaeng/2015/60455

MyGoa `10

18 MARCH 2017

the complete goan newsweekly

vol 3 | issue 7 | panaji - goa | 16 pages

Manohar Parrikar is Goa’s new Chief Minister. His homecoming has not only bolstered the morale of the BJP, but has united the once anti-BJP opposition as a force to reckon

manohar parrikar

back in the saddle

editorial

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an alliance like no other

Saturday, 18 March 2017

idea of the week

GTDC bags Brand Excellence Award

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly The formation of the current government is a clear coming together of political forces for the sake of development.

They say politics makes strange bedfellows. But looking at the way political parties that were opposed to the BJP over so many years, have found political pragmatism is aligning with the party in Goa, despite the fact that the dwindling position in the Goa Assembly – or more precisely, because of it, says a lot about the BJP’s strength in Goan polity; and the support that it receives from the Centre.

It is interesting to note that Vijai Sardesai’s Goa Forward Party was the most to gain, as all three legislators have got ministerial berths.

The independents, two of them, have been given ministries. And the MGP, as they have always been, are back in the power equation.

But the leadership of the government has rightly been bestowed on Manohar Parrikar.

This Assembly, in my opinion, will see Manohar Parrikar deliver like he did in his first stint as Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister has made it abundantly clear that the focus of his regime is to resurrect Goa’s economy which is pretty much in the dumps.

There are infrastructural projects in various stages of progress. Besides, there are industries which need to be established to bring in twenty five thousand crore investment under the mandate of the specially constituted Industrial Promotion Board – in order to generate fifty thousand jobs for Goans.

Yes, there has been a constitutional aberration of sorts because the single largest party – the Congress, was not invited to form the government by the Governor.

But the Congress remedied the situation by petitioning the Supreme Court, which while

disposing off the petition, gave a 48-hour notice to the BJPled government to prove its strength on the floor of the house. That done, there should be no remorse now on who would have the strength and who wouldn’t. Today, all this is rendered as a mere academic discussion.

If the Goa Forward and MGP had made up its mind to join the BJP, then inviting the Congress to form the government would be an exercise in futility. Of course, this is a view in hindsight.

However, the moot point now is governance. There are many pain points before the administration. There was also an anti-incumbency feeing against the Laxmikant Parsekar led government, which saw the defeat of some bigwig ministers in the state.

To take a fresh perspective, the newly sworn-in government is that way a brand new one, a government comprising of many youngsters. It is a good mix of experience and youthful zest.

Two new ministers have had the distinction of being vociferous opponents of the erstwhile BJP government’s policies, as MLAs. Notwithstanding that, they have been performers in their constituencies.

There are three first time legislators who have been made ministers. All of them have one thing in common – they have all been giant killers, who have vanquished powerful ministers in their constituencies. What they lack in experience, they make up with their killer instincts.

It is a strange but potent mix where Manohar Parrikar has taken support of unlikely allies, but his grip on the state administration has always been strong.

When people of Goa think of Parrikar as a Chief Minister, they are reminded of his first term – the speed at which he took decisions and the personal

Left to Right - Onassis Vaz, Senior Vice President, Adfactors PR receiving the award on behalf of Goa Tourism from Suresh Prabhu, Railway Minister of India and Chairman of Lokmat, Vijay Darda.

Goa Tourism Development Corporation was recently honoured with an award for Brand Excellence in Government Sector by Lokmat at its Corporate Excellence Awards held in Mumbai recently. The award was presented by Suresh Prabhu, Railway Minister of India and Chairman of Lokmat, Vijay

Darda. The award was received

by Onassis Vaz, Senior Vice President, Adfactors PR on behalf of Goa Tourism. Gavin Dias, General Manager, GTDC said “Goa Tourism has evolved over the last five years due to its branding, marketing and promotion. Goa Tourism is a brand which everyone wishes to associate itself with be it

in the News

goa in a week

dattaprasad lawande The Goa state cabinet, in one of its first resolutions, on Friday, appointed Additional Advocate General of the state, Dattaprasad Lawande, as Advocate General (AG), following the resignation of Saresh Lotlikar from the post.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told mediapersons that the cabinet officially approved the appointment of Lawande as AG. He said the decision was made as Lawande handles most matters before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the high court of Bombay at Goa. energy that he brought to the state administration. This is a god-send opportunity for him and for Goa. I would hazard a guess that here is an

the industry, trade, tourism stake holders and last but not the least the tourist. This award for brand excellence is an endorsement of the sincere efforts of the GTDC management and the work that has gone into the makeover that Goa Tourism received from its branding, marketing and promotion.”

Lawande, who has had a long tenure handling matters for the government, has been associated with the chamber of senior advocate Atmaram Nadkarni, who is the present Additional Solicitor General of India. opportunity that he would not hbhatkuly@gmail.com like to miss.

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Printed, published and owned by Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly and printed at Elegant Offset Printers Pvt Ltd, Shed No D2-31, Thivim Industrial Estate, Karaswada, Mapusa Goa and Published at 409, Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza, Panaji - Goa 403001. Editor: Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly

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Saturday, 18 March 2017

COVERSTORY

Parrikar rules, despite a fractured mandate Manohar Parrikar led BJP turned the political situation on its head, while the Congress seemed clueless on how to form a government

New Ministry (L to R) Pandurang Madkaikar, Vinod Palienkar, Sudin Dhavlikar, Manohar Parrikar, Francis D’Souza, Babu Azgaonkar, Rohan Khaunte, Jayesh Salgaonkar and Govind Gaude My Goa news desk

T

he results in 3 of the 5 poll-bound states gave a clear cut mandate to the national parties.

As BJP secured landslide victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Congress party managed to win a comfortable majority in Punjab. The states which received a hung mandate were Manipur and Goa. And in both the states, BJP though being a second largest party speeded rather too fast than the Congress party; and were successful in forming the government.

In Goa, currently, the unexpected has happened. The political situation surprised all levels of voters and the political parties alike. Ideologically contrasting parties have come together to form what will be known as a relatively younger cabinet in the history of Goa. A government which has inducted the most vocal and vociferous opposition leaders of the recent past, within the ruling dispensation, this time.

Congress which had the numbers to be called for government formation lagged behind in negotiating

with other parties. Those negotiations were conducted on smooth terms from the BJP central leadership. Many in the BJP circuit have credited Michael Lobo and Nitin Gadkari for getting the support from other parties.

While counting of votes were going on, Michael Lobo had spoken confidently that he had had parleys with Goa Forward’s Vijai Sardesai and that Vijai would support the government headed by BJP. This blow to the Congress came after a local channel had broadcast Vijai’s interview a day before the results of the election were declared, wherein the Goa Forward

Party supremo had praised Parrikar’s capabilities as a Chief Minister.

The Congress party, as it is its wont, had many CM post aspirants among the elected representatives including former Chief Ministers Luizinho Faleiro, Ravi Naik, Digambar Kamat and Pratapsingh Rane, and hence were busy deciding their CLP leader. While BJP, on the other side, had got their centrally imported leader Manohar Parrikar, elevated as Chief Minister. The BJP moved with such alacrity that letters of support from Goa Forward Party, MG Party and the required independents were

“I resigned from the Congress Party, as it failed to form a Government despite having a majority. It is the mistake of Goa Desk in-charge who came from Delhi. The Congress Vice President should conduct inquiry into Goa Desk incharge failure to form a Government in Goa.” vishwajeet rane

furnished before the Governor in real time, who in turn, ruled that Manohar Parrikar would be the next Chief Minister of Goa. Oath Taking Ceremony Congress party further made attempts to stall the oath taking ceremony by moving the Supreme Court over the formation of government in Goa by Manohar Parrikar, despite them (Congress) being the single largest party.

Accusing the Governor’s office, Congress said: “The Governor’s decision to appoint Parrikar as Chief Minister without consulting the single largest party was a brazen misuse of constitutional office.”

The Apex Court rejected the plea put across by Congress and allowed the State BJP unit to prove the numbers in the floor test to be held on 16 March. The issue of government formation in the two small states, Goa and Manipur were even raised in Lok Sabha. Members of the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal led a walkout from the Parliament

after not being allowed to discuss the issue by Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

The ensuing oath taking ceremony saw BJP giving away most of their ministerial berths to their alliance partners. 10 ministers (including Parrikar) were sworn-in at the Raj Bhavan on 14th March.

Manohar Parrikar was sworn in for the fourth time as Chief Minister of Goa, this time with the support of MGP, GFP, and two Independent MLAs taking the tally to 21.

Governor Mridula Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to 9 other MLAs which includes Sudin Dhavlikar (MGP), Vijai Sardesai (GFP), Francis D’Souza (BJP), Pandurang Madkaikar (BJP), Vinod Palienkar (GFP), Jayesh Salgaonkar (GFP), Manohar (Babu) Azgaonkar (MGP), Independent legislators Govind Gawde and Rohan Khaunte.

In attendance for the ceremony were Union Ministers JP Nadda, Nitin Gadkari, Venkaiah Naidu and BJP National Chief Amit Shah.

NCP elected MLA Churchill

COVERSTORY

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Parrikar sworn in as Chief Minister for the fourth time

Alemao also graced the ceremony.

Addressing a press conference after the swearingin function, Manohar Parrikar said: “In ten years, Congress had given 12 CMs. No one wants to support them as everyone knows there is infighting. They proved it again today. I am asked again, will you prove majority? We had 21 on day one.

Congress came in a bus (to meet the Governor). The reason is they are scared if they come by car, they are scared some cars might disappear.

They packed 17 in a bus. We have MGP, Goa Forward and two Independents. More than 55 per cent Goans are thus represented. Thus, we have a post-election coalition. This is adequate proof for floor of the House. We will prove it. Let everyone be very clear – 365 days x 5 years.”

Civil Society Protest Within these unexpected political developments, the agitated NGOs took to streets around Raj Bhavan to protest against the government formation by Manohar Parrikar, who they claimed, received from the electorate, a fractured mandate. US like

The Congress party had many CM post aspirants among the elected representatives including former CMs Luizinho Faleiro, Ravi Naik, Digambar Kamat and Pratapsingh Rane, and hence were busy deciding their CLP leader. While BJP, on the other side, had got their centrally imported leader Manohar Parrikar, elevated as Chief Minister trends of protest against the President Elect Donald Trump were seen among the Goan activists who held placards reading ‘Not My CM’, ‘Goa Backward’ etc.

According to the protesters, the candidates from Goa Forward had fought the election being an alternative to BJP and their change in stand had upset the public in Goa. They also claimed that, Goa Forward and Congress should have come together to form the government as per their likeminded ideologies.

Further, questions were even raised about the office of the Governor.

The Dissent Within Congress Despite the poll verdict having been in favour of the Congress Party, somewhere the Congress failed to negotiate to get the much needed magical numbers.

The blame for this debacle is largely directed towards their Goa in-charge and General Secretary Digvijay Singh and the State Congress unit President Luizinho Faliero, by their elected representatives.

Vishwajeet Rane and Jennifer Monseratte have publicly voiced their leadership failure to negotiate with the other parties. Agitated Valpoi MLA Vishwajeet Rane, who later resigned as a Congress MLA,

said, “I am very upset with the way our party leaders have handled the situation after the results, which made us the single largest party. I am upset with the functioning of the party leaders who could not take decisions at the right time.”

Taleigao MLA Jennifer Monserrate said, “People will never trust the Congress again and that the party has no future. Whatever happened was miserable and horrible.

People trusted us and brought us back to power. We were 17, but still could not form the government. This is a shame.

We are the laughing stock today. Congress is finished in

Members greeting one another as Assembly begins for the trust motion

Goa and it is never going to come back to power again, nobody will ever vote for Congress. My supporters have told me that they are no more with the Congress.”

Even Parrikar took a jibe at Digvijay Singh, while addressing the media after winning the floor test, Parrikar said: “The Congress never had the numbers. This is what happens when you come to Goa only to holiday, not to work.”

Parrikar’s government successfully managed to pass the floor test conducted by pro-tem Speaker Sidharth Kuncalienkar. The Former Defence Minister won the support of 22 legislators to pass the ‘floor-test’ and form the government; with Churchill Alemao, elected as NCP legislator, standing in support of the trust motion. The Congress however, secured only 16, one less from their elected representatives, due to the absence of their Valpoi MLA Vishwajeet Rane. The same day Vishwajeet tendered his resignation as Congress MLA and said that he would be contesting as an independent candidate. Speaking to the press he said, “I resigned from the Congress Party, as it failed to form a Government despite having a majority. It is the mistake of Goa Desk incharge who came from Delhi.

The Congress Vice President should conduct inquiry into Goa Desk in-charge failure to form a Government in Goa.”

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Saturday, 18 March 2017

politics

Budget to be more of figures and less of speech, says Manohar Parrikar

T

he newly formed government has announced March 24 for the declaration of the Budget in the Vidhan Sabha. It will be presented by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar himself.

“The upcoming budget’s main focus would be to stabilise the State economy,” Parrikar said.

The session which begun on 16 March for floor test has been adjourned till March 23.

The Governor would address the assembly session on March 23, and the following day on March 24 the State Budget will be presented.

Speaking about the Budget, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said that it would be a document-based budget which will have more of figures and less of speech. “We will also consider the impact of GST on the state’s finances,” the CM

said.

Parrikar also informed that the Budget will be prepared in consultation with alliance

partners and the budget as a whole would “indicate the mind of the BJP-led alliance government.” After assuming

NCP issues notice to Churchill Alemao over supporting BJP’s trust vote

C

hurchill Alemao is often seen as an opportunistic figure in Goan politics. He has changed parties many times, depending on the political tidings and the opportunities that has come his way.

In a recent move, he has been issued a show cause notice by the National Congress Party for supporting the trust vote by the coalition government led

by BJP. Churchill was present for the oath taking ceremony of the Manohar Parrikar government, as well.

The show-cause notice issued to Alemao reads, “Alemao violated the party discipline by participating in the meeting of BJP and supported them in formulation of their government without seeking the consent of

the central leadership, which is against the party’s constitution.”

Alemao was also quoted saying whatever decisions that he will take will be in the best interest of his constituency.

He claimed, “I had called a meeting of my workers at my residence. They authorised me to decide what is best for the constituency.”

Churchill had previously complimented BJP on forming the government. He stated, “I compliment the BJP for cobbling up a government.

People gave 17 seats to the Congress but still they couldn’t form a government. The BJP showed the capacity to do so.”

Alemao has been given 7 days time to respond to the show cause notice. Alemao won the Benaulim constituency with a thumping majority defeating AAP candidate Royla Clarina Fernandes with a margin of 5191 votes.

the position of Chief Minister, Parrikar held Budget related meetings with concerned officials.

Parrikar admitted that the two month election code of conduct had slowed down the infrastructural works in the state. However he has assured that all the projects would be speeded up in the following months to make up for the halt in the works due to code of conduct. He has also ensured a timely delivery of the few projects which include, the third Mandovi bridge, the second Zuari bridge, road and highway widening, water supply scheme, sewerage networking scheme etc. At the same time Parrikar hinted that the Prime Minister’s suggestion of simultaneous elections is the way ahead for the nation to save the slow growth witnessed

during the code of conduct for an extended period.

According to state finance officials, the Budget exercise has been completed by the state Finance Department.

According to insiders, the Finance Department has left the planning on capital estimates and expenditure to the new government.

According to a government official, the exercise was prepared earlier in time to ensure smooth delivery of the 7th Pay Commission. The official said, “The revenue component will go up. There is also a component on power purchase. The danger, however, is that in a coalition government, where there are many first time ministers, they have certain priorities that may make fiscal discipline difficult.”

Prabhakar Timble steps down as GFP President

S

ocial media is abuzz with the reaction to the political combinations that has given the new government to Goa. In such a revolt within the party, Prabhakar Timble has stepped down as President of Goa Forward Party stating that he doesn’t want to be a face of the party which aligns with Bhartiya Janta Party. “I have not left the party, but I don’t want to be the face of the party,” he told pressmen.

Timble termed Vijai Sardessai’s move of forming the government with BJP as ‘unprofessional’. He said, “We fought the election on the

plank of keeping the BJP out of power. We can’t divorce from the plank and get married immediately.”

As soon as Vijai Sardessai had sent his support letter to Manohar Parrikar, Timble issued his resignation as GFP President. Timble however hasn’t left the party as yet.

It was noted that apart from Prabhakar Timble, many other office bearer of Goa Forward Party had opposed the idea of joining hands with the BJP. Timble has expressed that Congress should have been naturally the first choice for the GFP. He said, “Supporting Congress should have been the first choice. If not satisfied with it, the party was free to go elsewhere.” He added, “No doubt, Congress has ditched us but still we could have explored the possibility of forming Congress government fully before taking such a decision.”

politics

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The Moral Minority

Ashwin Tombat The writer is former editor of Gomantak Times, Herald and The Navhind Times Online Edition

D

oes the recent fractured mandate really come as a surprise; given the fact that Goan politicians have

in the past, been testing the very outer limits of electoral law in India?

Those who are outraged and furious at the recent turn of events following the election results in Goa seem to forget the ‘bad old days’. In the 10 years from 1990 to 2000, Goa’s government changed no less than 15 times. In the 17 years since we have had only eight CMs; and this includes Manohar Parrikar’s departure, his replacement, and his ‘triumphant’ return.

There are elections and elections. In most, the people

succumb to the usual bait that politicians throw at them. But there are elections in which they vent their outrage through the ballot box. It seems that the Goan people already spent their spleen in 2012, when they reduced the Congress to single digits and gave the state its first clear majority in two decades.

This time, material gain rules the roost. Everyone wants only the loaves and fishes of office. No one wants to sit in the opposition. Those who are in the government, as well as those who are shouting about a stolen mandate; both

are basically interested only in the great gains that come with great power.

I sometimes wonder if they know about those other loaves and fishes; the ones that Jesus blessed as he commanded his disciples to distribute just five loaves and two fishes among the thousands who had gathered to hear Him speak.

And what happened then?

After everyone had eaten and was satisfied, twelve baskets of food remained...

Fractured mandates and post-poll contortions are not new. Nor is perverting the people’s mandate. It’s just that the last time it happened at this scale was over a decade ago, in 2005, when the master manipulator Manohar Parrikar was out-manoeuvred by one Francisco alias Mickky Pacheco. Following which the then Governor S C Jamir – appointed by the then Congress government at the Centre – acted more or less in the same manner as the BJPappointed Governor Mridula Sinha did this time.

It’s what all politicians do, but more so Goan politicians.

They have been at the cutting edge of subverting every rule and law enacted to curb post-electoral malpractices.

Whether it was getting around the old ‘one-third’ anti-defection law by mass defection (including the Assembly Speaker) or its ‘twothirds’ successor – by resigning and seeking re-election, as Rane Jr has done – or whether it was Goa’s Assembly Speakers experimenting with how tightly they can twist the rules of disqualification from

the Assembly; over the years, Goan politicians have been at the forefront of testing the very outer limits of electoral law in India.

There are so many other interesting things about this election. The BJP has more Catholic MLAs than Hindu MLAs (which Goa Forward leader Vijai Sardessai, interestingly, cites as justification for his Great Leap Backward). Is this because of the Subhash Velingkar-led Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM)?

Nearly all their candidates got only a few hundred votes, but did the Manch go in for tactical voting; backing the candidate most likely to defeat the BJP? The Aam Admi Party (AAP) spectacularly crashed out. All but one of their candidates forfeited their deposits (for having failed to get one-sixth or 16.66 per cent of the votes cast). This home-grown party was abruptly taken over by leaders from New Delhi a few months before the election, causing a general impression among the public that it was a ‘high command’ outfit, much like its rivals. Did this cause its sorry downfall?

Why wring one’s hands at the immorality of our political representatives? Instead, look ahead. There’s every chance that the next assembly election will be held in 2019, if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project – of bringing a law that elections to all state assemblies and parliament are held together every five years – comes to fruition. The next election might be much sooner than we think. Let’s plan for it today.

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Saturday, 18 March 2017

Atmaram Nadkarni to defend the Mhadei case again Additional Solicitor General Atmaram Nadkarni has been granted permission to represent Goa in the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal. The move, it is learnt, comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in the matter.

R K Srivastava, Dy Legal Advisor, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, in a letter addressed to Ameya Abhayankar, Secretary to Chief Minister, has conveyed that Nadkarni has been granted permission to represent Goa. “The undersigned is directed to honourable Chief Minister’s letter dated 03/02/2017 conveying withdrawal of permission granted to Shri Atmaram Nadkarni, Ld ASG for appearing before Mhadeyi Inter-State River Dispute Tribunal and to state that after reconsidering the matter, permission has been granted to Mr Nadkarni for appearing before the tribunal on behalf of State of Goa in relaxation of rules, with clear stipulation

Atmaram Nadkarni

that his appearance will be as an advocate and not ASG,” the letter reads.

In February, the central government had withdrawn the permission given to the additional solicitor general Atmaram Nadkarni to represent Goa government in the Mhadei water diversion case before the Mhadei water disputes tribunal (MWDT).

Following which, then Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar had written to the central ministry to reconsider the decision.

Nautical Conference by CII Goa on 18 March CII is organizing a nautical conference on the 18th of March 2017 at 9:30 am in Cidade de Goa, Dona Paula.

The conference is being held with the aim of promoting nautical tourism.

The conference will be a platform for major stakeholders to get together to discuss policies and business trends.

The conference is meant for regulatory authorities, investors, boat owners, operators, industry

Parth Abhit Naik, student of Manovikas High School, Margao scored a stupendous 99% at the Goa State Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Grading Examination conducted by the IMA Mental Arithmetic Academy Pvt Ltd. 9-yearold Parth is also a keen swimmer and has brought accolades to his school with his all-round performance.

9-year-old Parth Naik with his banker parents, Abhit and Pradnya Naik. The boy scored 99% at the state Abacus exam

Amita Salatry, Mahesh Corjuenkar, Gangaram Morajkar, Manoj Patil, Roland Martins and Prof Shabir Ali

orld Consumer Rights Day was celebrated in Panaji on Wednesday by the Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, in collaboration with Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI). The theme for the programme was Consumer Rights in the Digital Age. The Director of Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer

Affairs, Mahesh Corjuenkar welcomed the gathering and briefed the gathering regarding the history of World Consumer Rights Day. He spoke of the work done by the Department and highlighted the various remedies available to the consumers through the state consumer redressal agencies and various regulatory bodies.

Special invitee for the function and Co-ordinator,

Atreya Sawant

consultants and students.

The opening address will be by the Chairman of CIIGoa Atreya Sawant, while the other speakers for the occasion will be Ratnakar S Dandekar, Aquarius Shipyard, Hemant Arondekar, Pinakin Construction, Director General Shipping, Ministry of shipping Malini Shankar.

Capt.

James Braganza, Captain of Ports, will be one of the participants in a panel discussion on craft regulation.

Parth Abhit Naik excels at State Abacus Exam

World Consumer Rights Day celebrated

W

social

GOACAN, Roland Martin said that works to create consumer awareness, is growing steadily.

Also, present on the occasion were the Chairperson, Consumer Affairs Committee, GCCI, Gangaram Morajkar and Chairperson, Trade and Commerce Committee, GCCI, Manoj Patil among others. Prof Shabbir Ali later held a session on Rights and Responsibilities in a Digital World.

weekdiary

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An evening for Art

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The Assagao Mehfil brings to Goa classy acts of art, music and dance

Julie Beaulieu

Jonathan Voyer

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6th Assagao Mehfil organized an evening with Musician Jonathan Voyer, Dancer Julie Beaulieu and Tabla player Mayank Bedekar on 17th of March 2017 at the hotel Astoria in Assagao.

Jonathan Voyer holds a Masters in Religious Studies and is presently a PhD candidate in Performing Arts at the University of Quebec in Montreal.

He received his initial training with voice teacher Louise Yard from whom he learned the secrets of the Bel Canto singing technic. Disciple of santoor maestro Pandit Satish Vyas and of vocalist Pandit Somanath Mardur, he now evolves in the Hindustani Classical Music tradition. Along with Julie Beaulieu, he founded the company Samskara that focuses to promote transcultural dialogue through arts.

Jonathan performs and presents workshops regularly in Canada and abroad. He is also a member of Centre d’études et de recherche sur l’Inde, l’Asie du Sud et sa diaspora (CERIAS).

Julie Beaulieu also holds a Masters in dance from the University of Quebec in Montreal. She travels often to India to perform and create new

choreographies and to perfect the art of Bharatnatyam. Julie too, is a member of CERIAS along with others such as World Dance Alliance Americas (WDAA), South Asian Alliance of Canada (SADAC) and Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD). She has also collaborated with choreographers Marie-Julie Asselin, Emmanuel Jouthe, Louise Bedard, Roger Sinha and more.

Her collaborations and creations led her to work in Canada, Italy, Germany, France and India. Julie plays the role of a teacher as well; she teaches dance at St. Laurent’s College since 2004 and is also a yoga instructor certified by the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center.

Mayank Bedekar has been playing the table since the age of 3 under the support and guidance of Vinay Wagle at Ujjain. Further, he received training from Suresh Tulankar at Nagpur for a span of 3 years and Kaleram Ji in Punjab for two years. For the past couple of years, Mayank is learning under the Guru-Shishya Parampara from the great Tabla Exponent Padmashree ‘Taal Yogi’ Pt. Suresh Talwalkar at Pune. Mayank holds a masters degree

in Tabla from the Khairagad University.

Adding to his credits are the various prestigious festivals he has performed in all over India and abroad with several renowned artists.

He has performed in many Fusion and Jazz programs as well in many projects of his guru like Taal Yatra, Taal-Kirtan and Triveni.

The Assagao Mehfil has been enthralling audiences in the beautiful village of Assagao since early 2013, when Chinmaya Dunster, a renowned World Music maestro, and Sandeep Srivastava, singer, and composer, created the monthly concerts. At that time, there hardly any professional, live Indie/Fusion music and dance performances happening in North Goa on a regular basis. The open air and intimate concerts became an instant hit with the many music lovers in North Goa, attracting an eclectic and deeply loyal international audience to each evening event.

Over the past two years, the Assagao Mehfil stage has hosted many impressive Indian classical musicians, vocalists and dancers from Goa, other states in India as well as from

Mayank Bedekar

Canada, Spain, France, UK, Iran, Russia and USA. All artists present their own original compositions and are selected after submitting videos and/or recording samples of their performances. Although the Assagao Mehfil presents concerts year round, Goa is teeming with global musical talent; Assagao Mehfil affords these amazing artists a professionally produced event with an appreciative and attentive audience. Since the Monsoon season 2013, the beautiful and uniquely Goan ‘Hotel Astoria’ in Assagao has generously hosted the Assagao Mehfil; their magical outdoor venue provides a stunning backdrop for the evening performances.

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India Travel Mart 2017 begins

business

Goa hosts the biggest travel mart this year, with tempting options

The international travel mart is a prominent event that will help explore and discover destinations of national and international nature

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oa’s biggest international travel exhibition – the India Travel Mart 2017 began in Goa on the 17th March. The three day event (March 17-19) is being held at the Convention Center, Mala, Panjim where one can discover, and explore destinations with national and international tourism offerings. Organized by Delhi based Creative Minds, Goa is the host State for the three day event.

The event is supported by Goa Tourism, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) and the Corporation of the City of Panaji. National Trade Associations like Indian Association of Tour Organizers (IATO), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Travel Agent Association of India (TAAIGOA Chapter), Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) are also actively supporting the event.

Tourism Boards and tourism brands who will be participating include India Tourism, Gujarat Tourism, Rajasthan Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir Tourism, Karnataka Tourism, Himachal Tourism, Jharkhand Tourism, Delhi Tourism, Uttar Pradesh Tourism, Cox & Kings, Thomas Cook Treebo Hotels, Spiceland Holidays and many more

ITM is known for its unique quality of exhibitions and travel events showcasing the best from the travel, tourism, hospitality and other related industries.

Today’s stressful lives calls for a refreshing holiday and unique travel destinations and this exhibition aims at the same. The primary focus of the exhibition is on making travel more interesting and hassle free for the traveler. It provides a detailed knowledge about the various sources that can help make most of one’s travel.

There is a wide variety of attractive packages and unique tourist destinations to choose from. The exhibition also focuses on inbound, outbound & domestic tourism.

Gavin Dias, General Manager, GTDC said, “The ITM Goa 2017 is a mega tourism exhibition which will provide a platform not only for tourists but also locals to choose destinations for a wholesome tourism experience, be it nationally or internationally. As the host State for the ITM 2017, Goa also has an edge over other tourism boards owning to the fact that during the last three to four years, we have increased our tourism offering and have made Goa an attraction holiday destination that tourists will find irresistible.”

Ajay Gupta, Director of ITM said, “The mart is not

only going to come up with variety of holiday destinations,

but also offer the best packages and deals in the industry.

A traveler today wants to diversify his/her travel in such a way that he can make the best of it and for this purpose only, the main highlights would be pilgrimage tourism, adventure tourism, eco tourism, health tourism and wildlife tourism.

At this time of the year, we expect a huge response and look forward to this event being a grand success.”

Along with the exhibition, events like Travel Quiz, Travel Painting Competitions etc for kids is also held. Entry is Free and open to all during the three days. The timings of the exhibition are between 11 am to 7 pm.

greengoa

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rowing up in the Southern Indian port city of Cochin, Montry Manuel was influenced by his father, who instilled in him a deep love for music and the Planet. Montry Manuel was trained by his Cochin-based guru Jerry Peter who instilled in him the love of drums. He later learned about the finer nuances of different drumming styles from Jeoraj Stanley. He attributes his flexibility and

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Saturday, 18 March 2017

Swaying to the beats of organic grooves trance music. Passionate about the same, Montry started to ideate in creating music from recycled products. Thus Thalavattam was formed in 2009 with Cherian as the Manager for Thaalavattam.

The word Thaalavattam is derived from Malayalam which translates to “The Circle

Using recycled materials to create a new sound in percussion, to promote the idea of “Reuse, Reduce and Recycle”

of Rhythm”. Soon after this Montry quit Swaratha and started focusing full time on Thaalavattam in pursuit of his dream of making a difference for the environment, through music.

The main vision of project “Thaalavattam” is to create music using innovative instruments made from waste plastic and metal, keeping

His instruments are mainly created from reused paint cans, soda cans, PVC pipes etc. mimicking the street drummers. These are reborn as hybrid percussion kits, tubes, didgeridoos and more, and then electronically sampled to offer a musical experience that is earthy and organic, yet unearthly and otherworldly.

Thaalavattam aims to clean

with the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle. Montry Manuel uses instruments created from readily found objects like waste plastic and metal with the aim to inspire people to think creatively about waste.

Montry Manuel

comfort with different styles like reggae, samba, and Indian folk to the grounding in basics his teachers gave him.

Growing up to the tunes of classic rock ‘n roll, he played in bands that covered everyone from Pink Floyd to Weather Report, but all before he met popular Indian folk rock band, Swarathma.

Cherian Karippaparambil, also a guitarist and a music lover, introduced Montry to

Summer Vegetable Seedlings on sale

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reen Essentials will be organizing a sale of summer vegetable seedlings on the 18th and 19th of March 2017. The sale will be held at two venues; the Xavier Centre for Historical Research, Porvorim from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm and at Maina Wado, Socorro, Bardez from 10 am onwards, respectively.

Green Essentials focuses on coaching people on growing their own food at home, organically. Inspired by Poonam Kasturi’s Daily Dump, they began as a small store. The store offers gardening inputs and ideas for healthier and more environmentally friendly alternatives to items that are used at home on a regular basis. Since its beginning, Green Essentials has moved from selling green products to promoting the cause of

organic kitchen gardening. In the mission of promoting the importance of organic kitchen gardening, Green Essentials have been part of several initiatives organized by the International Centre Goa and the Botanical Society of Goa. Their workshops include a variety of topics; Growing

vegetables organically (summer, winter and monsoon sessions), Growing food in pots, growing fruits organically in your home garden, troubleshooting pest problems organically and reviving family farms. Often conducted in collaboration with Miguel Braganza, these workshops

up the plastic waste that is plaguing India, through its trendy music. At the moment in India, Thaalavattam also conducts a drum circle event – rhythm rushes through which it tries to encourage people to recycle and re-use waste materials. Thaalavattam also has an interior designing space that designs furniture from scrap. The basic ideology is that everyone can be a part of the circle.

Thaalavattam was ‘the first live act from India’, to perform internationally, with gigs at the O.Z.O.R.A. Music Festival (DRAGON-NEST) in Hungary in 2014, and were part of the opening and closing acts. They have since played in 2015, and were invited to headline again in 2016, making it three years in a row at O.Z.O.R.A. Every Thaalavattam performance is different, varying in its mixed media and artistic collaborations. Every show is customized according to the venue.

Green Essentials comes forward with yet another initiative for better and healthy living

Karan Manral and Yogita Mehra

are inclined more towards practical demonstrations and

hands-on sessions than the theoretical aspects of growing vegetables. They believe that kitchen gardening in the city is a great way to make lives healthier (and tastier) and will also help reconnect with the environment.

Green Essentials also conduct special workshops on request for an audience that they would like to engage or inform. They adapt their session contents to match the time and space requirements specified. Few of their successful sessions include Special Environment Day/Earth Day at corporate organizations, container vegetable gardening sessions for special groups/housing societies, Educational sessions for students in schools/colleges and Gardening workshops at events and festivals.

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Saturday, 18 March 2017

28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin from Buncrana, Donegal, was found dead on Tuesday at a secluded spot at Devbag, Canacona

Irishwoman’s gruesome murder puts Goa in the focus again

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oa finds itself caught in the limelight for the wrong reasons, yet again with another reminder that there is still a lot that needs to be done to safeguard of tourists who travel to the country.

28 year old Danielle McLaughlin from Buncrana, Donegal, was found dead on Tuesday in a secluded spot at Devbag, Canacona, one of the most popular spots for backpackers. The victim’s body was found unclothed and brutally beaten with marks on her head and face.

Goa Police Superintendent Umesh Gaonkar, said that McLaughlin had travelled to Goa with an Australian friend and was staying at a beach hut. The two women had been celebrating Holi at a nearby village.

A following autopsy on Thursday, which was conducted at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim, confirmed police suspicions on the case. The postmortem conducted by a two-member panel of doctors headed by Dr Madhu Ghodkirekar, confirmed that McLaughlin was raped and then strangled to death.

Forensic examination showed that the victim suffered from multiple deep fractures on her face, cerebral damage and constriction of the neck, causing her death.

Police investigations into the case led to the arrest of Vikat Bhagat, who is a history-sheeter involved in various offences involving foreigners. CCTV footage gave the investigating team a much needed lead to the case. The footage confirmed that Bhagat was last seen with McLaughlin walking along a street. Bhagat, who has a string of robbery and assault cases lodged against him, allegedly told police that he first met McLaughlin during her visit to Goa last year and confessed to

crime

McLaughlin had come to Goa with a friend and had celebrated Holi in coastal Canacona village, known for its popular beach Palolem Scarlett Keeling. According to the Guardian (UK), however, the police received criticism in handling the case. Saskia Gall, a British national who was asked to help identify McLaughlin’s body, said there had been significant “contamination of evidence” at the crime scene.

“We went out to the field and there were about 30 or more men standing next to the body

Danielle McLaughlin

taking photos and watching,” she said.

According to Press Association, Christy Duffy, a close friend of McLaughlin’s from Buncrana, said that as soon as the body has been released from the postmortem, they would begin the six day journey home to Ireland.

Vikat Bhagat

Police investigations into the case led to the arrest of Vikat Bhagat, who is a history-sheeter involved in various offences involving foreigners. CCTV footage gave the investigating team a much needed lead to the case. The footage confirmed that Bhagat was last seen with McLaughlin raping the victim and killing her. Further, in an attempt to prevent the body from being identified, he disfigured the face by stabbing it with broken beer bottles, shards of which were found at the place from where the victim’s body was recovered.

Canacona Police on Wednesday arrested the murder accused Vikat Bhagat who has now been booked under additional charges of rape, destruction of evidence and causing hurt, under various sections of the Indian

Penal Code (IPC). Police said that the crime was committed by one person, and that it was not a gangrape. Four of Bhagat’s friends were arrested under Section 41 of IPC and later released. Although Bhagat confessed to the crime, the police are trying to find out if he had any accomplices.

This case indeed had the Goan police under great pressure to investigate the case transparently after being accused of overlooking evidence in the death nine years ago of British teenager

The ex-convict who stands accused?

Vikat Bhagat

Vikat Bhagat a resident of Bhagatwada, Canacona, was arrested after his Activa scooter and clothes allegedly were found covered in blood stains at his home. Bhagat had also sustained injuries consistent with being scratched by nails.

Bhagat has been in news previously for several other burglary and dacoity. In 2014, a British national complained that a burglar had entered his rented flat through the balcony door and had stolen items of a total worth of `1,29,800.

Another complainant stated that the burglar had decamped with items worth `90,000.

Canacona Police had arrested Vikat Bhagat, allegedly was convicted for both cases.

In 2016, Vikas Bhagat and another accused allegedly entered a restaurant after midnight at Palolem and demanded for food from the cook when the restaurant was already closed. The two accused persons then violently assaulted the cook and other staff causing injuries.

THEARTS

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Saturday, 18 March 2017 My Goa

@MyGoa

mygoanews@gmail.com

dance

23rd Classical Dance Festival at Mardol

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blend of age-old tradition, art and folk culture, classical dance in India comprises numerous styles with different aspects of Indian culture and imbibe elements from other parts of the country. Some of the world-famous dance forms that originated and evolved in India are Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam and Odissi. With time, the classical dances evolved to include the expressions and themes from social life and experiences.

Kala Academy Goa in

association with West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur, presents 23rd Classical Dance Festival from the 18- 20 March at the Shree Mahalasa Saunsthan, Mardol.

The festival will be inaugurated on the Saturday 18th March at 7pm at the hands of Daulat Hawaldar, IAS and Secretary at Arts and Culture, Goa; along with Sushant Khedekar Vice Chairman of Kala Academy; and Vinod Kamat, President of Shree Mahalasa Saunsthan.

The festival will begin with a Kathak dance recital

by Goan performers under the guidance of Guru Shama Bhate, which will be followed by a Bharatanatyam dance recital by Neha Bhatnagar.

On Sunday 19th, follows a performance of the Kuchipudi dance recital by T. Reddi Lakshmi and Mayurbhanj Chhau – Kathak dance by artists of Lok Chhanda Cultural Unit, with choreographer Maitreyee Pahari. The festival concludes on Monday 20th with a performance of Kathak

by Deepti Gupta and a performance of Odissi Dance

by Arushi Mudgal.

comedy

Pajama 2017 makes its way to Goa

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Neville Shah

Radhika Vaz

ndia’s largest comedy festival

by Weirdass Comedy, a Vir Das Comedy Company is having the Weirdass Pajama Festival. The Escapade begins and its first stop is Weirdass Pajama Clubsmash at Ravindra Bhavan on the 18th of March 2017. The festival is a fusion of stand-up routines, sketch comedy, improve, comedy theatre and a whole lot more.

The Clubsmash will feature Neville Shah, Radhika Vaz and Amogh Ranadive.

Neville Shah is half Parsi, half gujju who takes on social issues such as

Neville Shah

misogyny, Indians and societal issues. He is part of one of India’s oldest comedy group ‘Schitzengiggles’.

Radhika Vaz is considered one of the pioneers of the standup movement in India and has been featured in Vogue’s ‘The Power of 50’ and is also a frequent guest on NDTV and Radio One. Radhika is known for her outspoken views on gender roles. She has been invited to speak and perform at university panels, fund raising events including The Times of India Literature Festival, Amogh Ranadive is a

comedian and writer who is regularly seen performing at the Canvas Laugh Club in Mumbai and have also performed at the Comedy Store London, Rugby Club Crawley, NTUC Auditorium Singapore, India Habitat Centre Delhi, and many more venues across the nation.

Besides these, he also heads the writing team at Weirdass Comedy. Weirdass Comedy writes for several shows including Bollywood award shows such as Filmfare and IIFA, corporate shows like Aditya Birla Group Awards, digital videos for brands and more.

Weirdass Pajama Festival is India’s largest comedy Festival, that takes place in January every year.

theatre

Musical Performance by ‘In Stages’

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unaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts presents ‘Hitting the Fourth Wall’ – an adaptation of a Gemma Sneddon play and ‘Street Dog: A Musical’. The musical piece is directed by Arundhati Chattopadhyaya, and produced by Ruth B Costa, with art director Shallu Sharma. The musicals are scripted and will be performed by the students of In Stages. A 35-week theatre programme, In Stages is a Theatre Company for Young Adults facilitated by Arundhati Chattopadhyaya with guest facilitators like Chitra Palekar, Glenn Hayden, Keya D’Souza, Shallu Sharma, Marianne Borgo and Diniz Sanchez.

Arundhati, a graduate of St. Xavier’s College, began her dance career in Bombay. She mastered the Pandanallur style of Bharata Natyam from Guru Raghavan Nair and was part of the Marathi Theatre group Aniket. She was awarded the Maharashtra State Award for Acting in 1974 and moved to New York City, where she began performing dance

A 35-week theatre programme, In Stages is a Theatre Company for Young Adults facilitated

by Arundhati Chattopadhyaya and acting for off-Broadway theater productions.

In stages will perform at Sunaparanta amphitheatre on Saturday, 18th March 2017 at 6.45 pm. This performance is open to all. For more details call- (0832)2421311 or Email: info@scfa.org

Cuisine

Tasty delicacies with Fatima Moniz

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atima Moniz will be organizing a cooking class on the 18th and 19th of March 2017 where she will instruct the participants on how to make baked soufflés, cold set soufflés, zucchini and carrot muffins, corn pie, tuna egg tart and crispy baby corn with spicy sauce. The classes will be held out of her home between the Santemol Junction and St. Threza Convent, Raia.

Fatima Moniz started off when she took up the initiative to teach few of her friends how

to make her favourite dishes.

Fatima’s recipes are inspired from her mother’s cooking and also her own delicious experiments. Her passion for cooking has led her to gain expertise in various types of cuisines. Desserts and baking is what she enjoys the most.

Few of the cuisines that she deals with include Indian, Continental, Portuguese and Goan. Besides these, Fatima is also keen on offering tailored classes if asked for, wherein participants can decide on what they wish to learn.

Fatima conducts classes regularly where she shares her skills to the willing masses with dishes from all across cuisines.

Fatima makes sure that the number of participants in a particular class stays limited as she prefers to keep the classes personal.

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Saturday, 18 March 2017

Art therapy workshop at Saraya Eco-stay

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araya Eco-Stay, host an art therapy workshop conducted by art therapist, Jackie Chandani on Saturday March 18, from 10 am to 6:30 pm.

The workshop will give participants an insight to various art explorations to see how art therapy can and does enhance life. Time will be allotted for question and answer session and how in your professional world, you can employ the techniques of

the Creative Art Therapies and the field of Art Therapy. The workshop will be interactive, with the art process, and all will be encouraged to participate in the process and discussion.

No background in the visual arts is required, but a sense of openness and willingness to honestly and openly participate in both the art process and open discussion is necessary for a successful exploration and workshop. The price of the one day workshop will be Rs.

1,200 and all art materials will be provided by the facilitator.

The instructor for the workshop, Jackie Chandani is an art educator, and a registered, board certified and licensed creative arts therapist from New York. She has spent over 30 years in India as an art educator and creative arts therapist working with a variety of populations, including women with low self esteem issues, children with special needs and disabilities, autistic children on the spectrum, and residential psychiatric patients. She has provided training to clinicians such as mental health counselors and psychologists, and has worked with teachers in mainstream and special educational settings The workshop will be held at Sayara Eco-stay, Chogm Road, Sangolda Bardez. For more information and registration 8888926811

Talk at ICG on ‘Revisiting the RMS Titanic: Facts and fiction’ by Bijon B Shaha

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he International Centre Goa will be organizing a talk cum interactive session on ‘Revisiting the RMS Titanic: Facts and fiction’ by Bijon B Shaha on the 24th of March 2017.

The talk will try to understand numerous errors, mistakes and blunders that were either the main causes or other contributory causes and their unfortunate ‘Swiss cheese-hole style’ line-up that lead to a disaster of such a mammoth proportions, and such a massive loss of human lives with the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the luxury passenger steamship.

Bijon B Shaha has served the Department of Electronic and Information Technology, Govt of India in New Delhi, Mumbai and Goa. Before retirement, Bijon was the Director of the ETDC for a continuous span of 12 years.

His expertise is reflected

Bijon B Shaha

Bijon B Shaha has served the Department of Electronic and Information Technology, Govt of India in New Delhi, Mumbai and Goa. Before retirement, Bijon was the Director of the ETDC for a continuous span of 12 years

in the variety of Industry Seminars and Workshops he holds on a range of topics such as Quality Management and Quality Technology, System Reliability Tools, Environmental Management, Information Technology and Technical Communication.

Other than seminars and workshops, he also delivers public-lectures on topics of general interest such as cyber-security, the universal language esperanto, protecting environment, quality management, optical and other illusions, etc.

Bijon also holds knowledge of ships and ship-building, acquired in connection with conducting seminars and workshops for industries like Goa Shipyard Ltd. Entry for the talk is kept free and open for all. The talk will commence at 6 pm and is expected to go on till 7:30pm.

whatsup

Goût de France: Good France

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lliance Française Panjim presents ‘Goût de France: Good France’ from March 20 to March 22. Celebrating its third annual edition of the great global event, ‘Goût de France / Good France’ Alliance Française will be hosting a series of events as part of this celebration and promises an enjoyable evening of wine and desserts influenced by seasonal Goan produce.

Goût de France: Good France begins on March 20th with presentation of fusion and contemporary desserts prepared by Sam Shem at the HH Art Spaces, Arpora.

Sam Shem is a Canadian Artist and Chef, whose love for food and his passion for teaching are clear in technique and knowledge of food. As a professional pastry chef for 15 years, Sam has worked in wellknown bakeries, fine dining restaurants and hotels. During the past five years, Sam has been cooking vegetarian food and making raw and vegan

desserts for yoga students with his popular weekly Saturday Sweets events.

March 21 follows with an introduction to different grains and a gluten free cooking workshop by House of Grains at Alliance Française de Panjim, Altinho. A workshop on layered ratatouille cooking workshop by the German writer Kornelia Santoro followed by a film screening of Ratatouille will take place on March 22 at Alliance Française de Panjim.

For more information contact AFP- 08322420049

Sustainable Living Talk on World Water Day by Engr. K B Wadhvane

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he Institute of Engineers (India) Goa State Centre along with the International Centre Goa will be organizing a talk on the World Water Day

by Engineer K.B. Wadhvane, Director (Technical), Indian Water Works Association on the 22nd of March 2017 at the International Centre Goa. Engr. K. B. Wadhvane is a water works engineer with over 25 years of experience.

Presently working in capacity of Executive Engineer at Asia’s largest water treatment plant in Mumbai, Wadhvane has presented many papers in the field of water, wastewater and energy efficiency. He is also a recipient of the award for best article published in IWWA Journal on water treatment.

Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. UN – Water supports the World Water Day campaign and sets the

Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. UN – Water supports the World Water Day campaign and sets the theme each year theme each year. Under the theme ‘Wastewater’, the year 2017 provides an important opportunity to consolidate and build upon the previous World Water Days to highlight the two-way relationship between water and the decent work agenda in the quest for sustainable development.

World Water Day tries to remind people about the significance of fresh water and to promote sustainability for fresh water resources management.

sports

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Saturday, 18 March 2017 My Goa

@MyGoa

mygoanews@gmail.com

Kaushal, Dutta and Padhav dominate Day 1 of Goa Sailing Week

ashwin tombat

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he team of Kaushal Kumar and Nitesh Kumar dominated the first day of the Goa International Sailing Week in Hobie Cats for the vClusive Cup. Upamanyu Dutta took a commanding lead in the Laser Std class, while Maheshwar Padhav is sitting atop the pile in the Olympic RS:X Windsurfing class.

As many as 22 Laser boats, 12 Windsurfers and 7 Hobie Cats are vying for honours in a series of 12 races at Cidade de Goa, Vainguinim Beach and Dolphin Adventure Sports, Hawaii Beach, Dona Paula.

With Goa’s top windsurfing talent away for a national coaching camp at Mumbai, the state’s sole representative is Zamir Mirza in the Laser Radial class.

Designed by Hobart Alter, who began as a surfboard manufacturer, the Hobie 16 is the most popular catamaran (double hulled boat) ever and the most competitive catamaran class in the world.

Over 135,000 Hobie 16 Cats are sailing around the world.

An easily beached fibreglass catamaran, Hobie catamarans are raced in a large number of countries around the world.

There are national, regional

and world championships.

In the first two races, Deelip Kumar’s Laser led for most of the race, only to be overtaken on the final run by Upamanyu Dutta. In the third race, Deelip was over the line at the start and was disqualified.

In the RS:X Windsurfing class, Rahul Chowdhury came first to the finish in Race 3, but he had forgotten to round the mark and had to go back.

He returned to finish third. In Hobie Cats, Kaushal Kumar and Nitesh Kumar might well have made a clean sweep. But they went to the rescue of a

capsized sailor in the second race, and were disqualified.

They have sought redress, and a hearing will be held later.

The Goa International Sailing Week is organised by the Chapora Bay Yacht Club and the Goa Yachting Association (GYA). This is the second edition of this very popular regatta. Racing continues for the next three days. While Lasers and Windsurfers launch from Hawaii Beach, Hobie Cats launch from Cidade de Goa. Racing for the second day will start at 11am on 17th March.

Results: Laser Standard: Race 1: (1) Upamanyu Dutta (INWTC, Mumbai), (2) Deelip Kumar (EMESA), (3) Ajay Singh Rajput (INSA) Laser Standard: Race 2: (1) Upamanyu Dutta (INWTC, Mumbai), (2) Deelip Kumar (EMESA), (3) Ajay Singh Rajput (INSA) Laser Standard: Race 3: (1) Upamanyu Dutta (INWTC, Mumbai), (2) Israj Ali (EMESA), (3) Ajay Singh Rajput (INSA) Hobie Cats: Race 1: (1) Kaushal Kumar & Nitesh Kumar (AWSA), (2) Indramani Yadav & Naveen Vasisht (AWSA).

Hobie Cats: Race 2: (1) Ajay Patel & Gurunath (GBSA), (2) Navaz Currimbhoy and Sarvanan (RMYC).

Hobie Cats: Race 3: (1) Kaushal Kumar and Nitesh Kumar (AWSA) (2) Indramani Yadav & Naveen Vasisht (AWSA).

RS:X Race 1 (1) M Padhav (INSA), (2) Rahul Chowdhury (INSA), (3) Kamlapati Ojha (EMESA) RS:X Race 1 (1) M Padhav (INSA), (2) Rahul Chowdhury (INSA), (3) Kamlapati Ojha (EMESA) RS:X Race 1 (1) M Padhav (INSA), (2) Kamlapati Ojha (EMESA), (3) Rahul Chowdhury (INSA)

UBA’s first Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point-Competition come down to the wire

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t would have been a clean sweep for Hyderabad Sky during the UBA’s very first Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Competition held on 15th March, 2017. The show was telecast on Ten Sports Network on 16th March at 6:30 pm. The 3-point shootout was won by Mahesh Padmanabhan of Hyderabad Sky as he outshot Jairam Jat and Agu, both from Chennai Slam, in the final round. He took home $1000 as his prize. His teammate Mak Boskailo tied with Ronald March of Delhi Capitals in the final round of the Slam Dunk Contest as both Mak and Ronald won $1000 each as the prize. Each team wasn’t represented by participants, as the selection was based on choosing the best players in the league for the respective events.

The three-point shootout was a closely contested affair with the shooters playing string music on the net. Each player shot from five racks containing five balls each, with each makes counting for one point and the last ball in each rack counting as a money ball for two points. The players had 60 seconds to go through the racks. Here’s a look at how close the first round was:

Ram Kumar (Pune Peshwas head coach)- 10 points AdyBiswas (Punjab Steelers head coach)- 6 points T ommy Fisher (UBA India Chairman and CEO)- 8 points Pierre Newton (Pune Peshwas player)- 10 points Mahesh Padmanabhan (Hyderabad Sky player)- 19 points De’Sean Mattox (Haryana Gold player)- 12 points JairamJat (Chennai Slam player)- 15 points Ram Kumar (Chennai Slam player)- 9 points Agu (Chennai Slam player)14 points Mahesh, Jairam and Agu moved to the final round where Mahesh took home the honors with his remarkably consistent sharpshooting.

The Slam Dunk Contest was judged by Tommy Fisher, UBA Chairman, commentator Shaun Golden and Haryana Gold player Eban Hyams.

Here’s a look at the participants: The one-of-a-kind All-star exhibition contest featured a never-before-seen collection of talent on one basketball court.

Fifteen best players from the UBA North Division took on the fifteen best from the South Division in an exciting and flashy contest.

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Saturday, 18 March 2017

santosh trophy

Kerala scores at the ‘death’ to earn a point, Maharashtra slumps to second straight defeat

Kerala snatched a point from the jaws of defeat as substitute Muhammed Parakkottil scored two goals in the last ten minutes to earn a thrilling 2-2 draw against Punjab at the GMC Stadium at Bambolim.

In a match that came alive in the second half, Punjab after playing the counter attacking game were 2-0 up with just ten minutes of play left, however Kerala came from the death to gain a valuable point that keeps them firmly in contention for a semi-final berth.

Both teams had relatively equal chances to score in the first half although Punjab had the better of the lot. Kerala skipper Usman P had a great chance to put his team in the lead when he received a through ball from the midfield, beat the offside trap and got past the keeper. But just as he was about to turn and take a shot, he was closed down by three on rushing Punjab defenders. Then again a couple of minutes later, a cross from the right saw the ball elude the Punjab keeper and defender Rajbir Singh. But in spite of two Kerala attackers waiting on the other side of the cross they failed to score. Punjab too, had chances of their own.

In the 11th minute a superb

Singh absolutely no chance of saving it. Kerala were right back in it and luck was on their side when the fourth official showed five minutes of added on time. With seconds to go before the final whistle, Jobby Justin, turned provider again when his flick header found Parakkottil who was at the right place at the right time to deflect the ball into the Punjab goal sending the Kerala bench into raptures.

Kerala, with this draw, have four points from two matches while Punjab with 5 points from three games need a win in their final match against Maharashtra to have any hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

volley by Vijay Kumar was well saved by the Kerala keeper Midhun V. He was again called into action when he saved a fine header from Rajbir Singh to keep the score at 0-0 going into the break In the second half Punjab relied on some fine counter attacking play to go 2-0 up within the first twenty minutes of the second half.

First a strong cross from the left by Amandeep Singh went dangerously close to the goal

and Kerala defender Sherin Sam knocked it into his own net while trying to clear the cross.

In the 57th minute, Punjab coach Kuldip Singh must have thought he had the three points in the bag. A lovely diagonal ball across the Punjab midfield found Manvir Singh in acres of space on the left.

Credit to him though, he kept his composure, feigned two defenders and neatly placed the ball past an onrushing

Midhun who could just watch the ball fly past him.

With nothing to lose, Kerala coach V. P. Shaji rolled the last die and brought in Muhammed Parakkottil. And the U-21 youngster didn’t disappoint his coach and the travelling journalists from Kerala. Two minutes before the end of regulation time, a brilliant pacy cross by Jobby Justin found Parakkottil, whose bullet header gave the Punjab keeper Paramjit

Maharashtra downs its capmapign: A Rahul Dias own goal in the 32nd minute relegated Maharashtra to a shock 0-1 defeat to Railways and almost ended their campaign in this year’s Santosh Trophy. After narrowly losing out to Mizoram in their first game by an identical score line, Maharashtra needed a win to keep their hopes alive in the tournament. However an insipid display from the 199900 winners leaves them with virtually no chance of reaching the semi-finals.

Goa-Bengal ends in a stalemate, Services keep hopes alive

I

n the end the match turned out to be a damp squib and never really reached the level of expected proportions.

Goa and Bengal, both showed sporadic glimpses of brilliance before settling for a goalless draw at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim. Goa, the stronger of the two sides on paper never really took off, their build up play wasn’t really of the highest standards and only a strong second half performance ensured that they still look one of the two favourites to qualify from Group A. The first half saw both teams

enjoy almost equal possession.

Midfield possession was the order of the day with both teams hardly creating any chances. Bengal required a mistake from Goa goalkeeper Agnelo Gomes to make their first real foray into the Goan defence. An innocuous looking back header from Melvin Lobo was spilled by Agnelo in the 11th minute. The ball fell at the feet of Bengal forward Moirangthem Basanta Singh, however with the goalkeeper way off his line and only the last man Peter Carvalho to beat, he slammed his shot wide

of the post.

Goa’s only clear chance in the first half came in the 39th minute when young Leander D’Cunha’s shot sailing over the bar after the Bengal defence failed to clear a Liston Colaco free kick.

The second half started with much purpose, Goa being the more adventurous of the two teams. Liston Colaco’s free kick three minutes after the restart went straight to the keeper. Goa’s keeper then came to his sides rescue saving twice from close range, first from a shot off Manvir Singh and

then from a shot off Debasis Pradshan who smashed a pile driver from the right.

Bengal had their best chance in the 70th minute when Shaikhom Ronald Singh’s cross from the left went just above the head of Manvir Singh. It was all Goa in the last twenty minutes, Cajetan Fernandes, Liston Colaco and Brian Mascarenhas from the left creating havoc with their crosses, runs and through balls leaving the Bengal defence at sixes and sevens. However, apart from a weak effort from Cajetan who suffered a brain

fade when he entered the box, and a free kick towards the end that needed a double save from the Bengal keeper Sankar Roy, Goa never came close to putting the ball in the back of the net.

Meanwhile in Vasco, defending champions Services scored through a penalty to earn a 1-0 win over Chandigarh and keep their chances of qualifying for the semis alive.

Francis Zountlunga converted the spot kick in the 8th minute to script Services’ first win of the tournament.

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MY GOA | Saturday, 18 March 2017 | Pg16