Goan Voice UK: Newsletter. Issue 2008-05. Jan. 31, 2008

Frederick Noronha: Songs Of The Survivors

Songs of the Survivors is the first book to be published by Goa 1556 – a new venture by Frederick Noronha (FN). If you're thinking of getting your book into print click here
For a profile of FN click here.
Songs Of The Survivors is a collection of the memoirs of Goan survivors of Burma in the Second World War period. Cornel DaCosta in reviewing the new book writes: … there were parallels between those in Burma and those in East Africa, especially, in relation to religiosity and a measure of joviality and a fun culture largely within the community itself …
To read the review in full and for order details check out the special GVUK supplement. Click here.

Video: William Alphonso on making a new life in Canada

25 Jan: Building Futures in Canada. From Francis Rodrigues via GoaNet: A new immigrant - William Alphonso - shares his perspective on a new life abroad, on national TV. He and Judaline, his wife, run United Air Express, a Toronto courier firm. To watch the clip, 7m. 14s click here.
To congratulate them, get their contact details after clicking here.
For other immigrant success stories, click here.

UK: Harvey DeSouza: School holds classical concert
25 Jan: Kent & Sussex Courier. A Classical concert featuring award-winning musicians is being held at Speldhurst Primary School on February 3 at 7.30pm. International musicians Simon Morris, Harvey Desouza and Leo Debono will play a selection of music including works by Chopin and Mendelssohn. Tickets are £15 … For tickets contact the school on 01892 863044 …

Video: Floyd Cardoz cooks Kanji
Jan. 25: NBC News – Today (USA). Floyd Cardoz, the chef at New York City’s Tabla restaurant, demonstrates pan-roasted cod with clams and basmati kanji. 3m. 41s Click here.
For the GVUK Floyd Cardoz supplement click here.

East meets West, and a child is born
25 Jan: Star Tribune (USA). A man [Tony D’Souza] of mixed race and heritage (dad is a Catholic Indian immigrant, mom a white Peace Corps worker) reflects on his complex and sometimes kooky childhood. Click here.

Dr Darrell DeMello: “the pacemaker for the eye.”
26 Jan: The Star Tribune (USA). ScyFix has developed a device, currently undergoing field trials that treats diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration by shooting electric currents into the eye. The company hopes to sell the first device approved by the Food and Drug Administration designed to restore eyesight. "To me, this is the pacemaker for the eye," said Dr. Darrell DeMello, ScyFix president. Full text, 583 words, at click here.
For a photograph and brief profile of Dr DeMello on GVUK 2006-39 click here.

Joaquim Goes: Global Warming

26 Jan. Business Recorder (Pakistan). According to Joaquim Goes, the relationship between global warming, declining snow cover in Eurasia, and the food chain in the Arabian Sea were not even on his mind when he stumbled onto the discovery. 2528 words. Click here.
For the Joaquim Goes GVUK supplement click here.

Vince Cable and the performance of politics
26 Jan: The Telegraph (UK). Vince Cable who triumphed as acting leader of the Liberal Democrats is also something of a Renaissance Man … His first wife Olympia was a Goan, from Kenya, and neither sets of parents approved of the match. "Her father vehemently opposed it, I was the wrong caste, the wrong religion, the wrong everything and they already had a suitable boy lined up for her. My father was an old-fashioned man with an old-fashioned view of race." When they married, they were cut off by their families for years. Then his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. He cared for her for 14 years as she slowly died … Click here.
For the GVUK Olympia Rebelo supplement click here.

Swindon: Game Brings Down Barriers

Click to enlarge

28 Jan: Swindon Advertiser. Young members of the Goan and Muslim communities made new friends as they played football against each other for the first time in years. The match had been organised to get rid of the animosity between the young people that live there. The Goan team won 6-2 … Rushton Pereira, who manages Goa FC, said the match wouldn't have taken place without the hard work of Doug Imrie, a community sports coach … 410 words + Comments. Click here.
The photo shows the Goan team: Aaron Cardozo, Shaun Pires, Byron Balha, Denzil Novais, Felix Dias, Mario D’Mello, Zico DeSouza, Anthony Fernandez, Eusebio DeSouza, Radj Fernandes, …
For six more photographs search for Goa after clicking here.

Video: Chriselle Almeida.
30 Jan: You Tube. A second trailer of the film “When Kiran Met Karen” starring Chriselle Almeida has been released. To view it, click here.

Tourism overkill. By Ervell E. Menezes
14 Jan: Herald … There was a travel agent chief who called the charters the cream of tourists only to realize in a hurry that they were indeed the dregs. The surfeit of Brits in the 1990s soon made the tour operators to look for better-spending tourists … The Indian High Commission offices in the United Kingdom bungled this year and shut their visa offices in November leading to a big drop in foreign tourists but thankfully the domestic tourists made up for this shortfall … For text, 1010 words, click here.
[Ed: The foreign tourists do not spend much in Goa because they have prepaid in the UK for their accommodation, meals, tours etc. The comparison is invidious].

Video: India not so 'Incredible' for foreign women
24 Jan: CNN-IBN. India's tourism ministry is finally waking up to increasingly growing threat of rapes and molestations on foreign women … Incredible India campaign is losing its shine. Most woman tourists who travel to India looking for an incredible experience are met with only trauma … Click here.

Visa shopping in London
25 Jan: Herald (Goa). … I have great sympathy with any UK resident trying to obtain a visa from the High Commission of India in London during October and November last year. My own experience was a nightmare … 783 words. Click here.

Poor Season for Tourism - Massive Decrease in UK Guests
25 Jan: Daijiworld. Goa has witnessed massive fall in the inbound tourists especially from UK following the visa problems back home and unexplainable increase in the hotel tariff. The tourism industry players are claiming the decrease to around 20 per cent and blame it squarely on overpricing of the hotels. The visa problems in the Indian High commissioner's office in UK have rubbing salt to the wound. 708 words. Click here.

Beyond beaches
25 Jan: Express Hospitality. The industry and the government have come together to build Goa as a destination for all seasons. 1106 words. Click here.

Country magic in Goa
25 Jan: Express Hospitality. Country Inns and Suites Goa, a Portuguese-themed resort, has plenty to offer for both leisure and MICE travellers. 614 words. Click here.

Audio: Winter Escape to Goa
26 Jan: BBC Radio 4. Excess Baggage. Paul Moss reveals why a holiday in Goa is a chance to open your mind or just to close it down for a while. For the podcast go to click here.

Paradise Lost? By Bryan D’Sousa, Birmingham, UK
28 Jan: Herald (Goa) … Ervell Menezes wrote that Goa attracts the “Dregs of society” (42 per cent of those “dregs” are British). I personally know quite a few “dregs” who have been holidaying in Goa for many years in luxury hotels and they have told me they won’t be coming back! The Goa government apparently won’t let “self funding” retired people to settle in Goa or India. The authorities are apparently actively pursuing a ‘witch-hunt’ to get them out … Goa is going the same way as Zimbabwe … Click here.

Audio: More tourists experience sexual harassment in India
28 Jan: ABC Radio (Australia). India's tourism ministry has called for security talks with her state counterparts following increasing reports of sexual harassment of female tourists … The image of Goa, a holiday maker's paradise, also took a beating with at least three cases of sexual harassment of foreign tourists being reported in January. 3m. 32s. Click here.

Voluntourism to “ensure tourism helps reduce poverty”
28 Jan: PR Log. Different Travel, a UK based volunteer travel company take their volunteer tourists to their charitable projects … Their biggest project is the Mother Teresa's Roses Home for Destitute Children in Goa …
Different Travel is a small travel company offering holidays which combine sight-seeing, relaxation and accommodation with opportunities to work alongside local people on development projects. To find out more visit www.different-travel.com…
Click here.

India takes steps to combat tourist rape
28 Jan: The Telegraph (UK). India's federal government is to deploy thousands of retired defence personnel to provide security to overseas tourists following at least seven cases of alleged rape and molestation of foreigners, including four Britons, this month … In a separate incident, Goa police said that two British women claimed to have been sexually assaulted by the owner of a resort in the former Portuguese enclave, but a case had yet to be registered against him. Click here.

Suzie Lumsden: How I blazed a trail through hidden lands
31 Jan: The Daily Express (UK). Suzie Lumsden quit her office job and now spends her days taking tourists on motorbikes on tours, covering Goa, the Himalayas and Rajasthan … Having swapped her tiny rented flat in Camberwell, south London, for a six-bedroom colonial mansion in Goa, it is clear to see why Suzie, 41, has never regretted such a life changing decision ... Now she has a fleet of 30 bikes, speaks fluent Hindi and runs about 14 tours a year … Photos and text, 1379 words. Click here.

White Woman's Woe
4 Feb: Outlook (India). For Indian men, nothing's fairer than white, and nothing 'more available' ... Sudhir Kakar, who lives in Goa, says that a white woman walking alone there is likely to be stopped by someone on a motorcycle and asked point-blank, "Do you want to be f*****d?" Or words to that effect … 808 words. Click here.

Aldeia de Goa project: GBA shocked over govt’s decision
25 Jan: Navhind Times. The Goa Bachao Abhiyan has expressed shock and outrage at the government’s submission in the High Court that it will withdraw its “stop work” order against the Aldeia de Goa project at Bambolim. The GBA has planned to intervene in the matter and will meet today to decide its future course of action. Click here.

Goa Government accused of colluding with builders
26 Jan: The Hindu. The Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA), which spearheaded an agitation last year to get a controversial State regional plan scrapped, has accused the Goa Government of tacitly condoning the illegality and collaborating with the builders in the matter of a controversial real estate project and warned it not to “provoke the people of Goa” … Click here.

Irish speculators bank on success in the Indian empire
27 Jan: Sunday Business Post (Ireland) … The Indian real estate may be thriving but, officially, foreign investors are not allowed to buy here. Many have done, particularly in Goa, usually by setting up a company, and it is believed that legislation with regard to foreign ownership is set to change … Savills is marketing Cape Corinth, a 100acre development in an eco-friendly, gated community surrounded by lush green forest and with fabulous views over a sparkling river … Coming with a 7 per cent rental guarantee for five years, prices start from €48,200 for studio suites with villa prices yet to be announced. 1290 words. Click here.

Religion and Caste: The Christian and Hindu Gaudde of Goa
24 Jan: Daily India.com. The international conference-Rethinking Religion in India-held in Delhi has turned out to be a major confluence of individuals … Claudia Pereria, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University Institute for Social Sciences, Labour Studies and Technologies (Lisbon, Portugal), presented her paper on Religion and Caste: The Christian and Hindu Gaudde of Goa. Her paper analysed the relationship between Hindus and Christians in a village of Goa and the reciprocal social and political classifications, attempting to understand their dynamics as part of plural India under transformation. Her focus was on Gaudde, who are at the bottom of the social system and who show an interesting sociological duality. Click here.

Different strokes… Goan Art
25 Jan: Goa Plus. Goan art has found for itself space not only in some of the best art galleries but also in homes of art lovers all over the world. Lately, it adorned the walls of Ruchika’s Art Gallery in kaleidoscopic splendour in an exhibition-cum-sale of works by Goan Masters … Click here.

Rane Jr directed not to interfere with Adv Aires Rodrigues
26 Jan: Herald (Goa). The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Edgar Fernandes today directed Goa’s Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane not to interfere with the complainant by Adv Aires Rodrigues. Click here.

Goa: No mining at the cost of people’s lives: report
29 Jan: the Hindu. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in its 356-page Report titled ‘Rich Lands, Poor People. Is Sustainable Mining Possible?’ has describing Goa’s mining as “an ecological disaster,” 366 words. Click here.

Goa shivers in cold
29 Jan: Navhind Times. Panaji recorded the lowest temperature in 63 years, with the mercury touching 15.5 degrees Celsius. The all time low was in 1945 when the mercury dropped down to 14.4 degrees. Click here.

Goa minister opposes site of 2nd airport
31 Jan: The Asian Age. By Pamela D’Mello. Churchill Alemao, PWD minister in the Digambar Kamat government has asked "all politicians" to oppose the Mopa airport… Mr Alemao was reacting to chief minister Digambar Kamat’s Tuesday announcement that a high-level committee had signalled a go-ahead for the project. 406 words. Click here.

Disquiet on the island
Sep. 2007. Indian Economic And Social History Review -New Delhi- Vol 44; Numb 3. pp. 269-296. Title: Disquiet on the island: Conversion, conflicts and conformity in sixteenth-century Goa. By: Angela Barreto Xavier. Institute for Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon. Except: This article seeks to address the social and religious changes brought about in Goa during the first century of Portuguese conquest. It studies how the ‘negative’ effects of the Christian presence were overcome and transformed into an acceptable situation by the people involved in the process of Christianisation, and relates it to the durability of the Portuguese imperial presence. Click here.

Madonna installs €12m home gym
26 Jan: The Irish Examiner. Pop superstar Madonna has no plans to live in her latest €16.2m) property purchase – a 10-bedroom Georgian house next door. She is now reported to have converted the spare building into her personal fitness centre to ensure her privacy. Madonna currently exercises at her personal trainer, James D'Silva's studio in St John's Wood, but her fitness sessions have become so routine crowds of fans have begun to form outside the gym to catch a glimpse of the star as she arrives.

Edward Peters led the 1860 gold rush to New Zealand
26 Jan: Taranaki Daily News (New Zealand). Indian people have been living in New Zealand for more than 100 years, but this [Indian Settlers: The story of a New Zealand South Asian Community, by Jacqueline Leckie] is the first book to tell their story. The first gold discovered in Otago, which led to the rushes of the 1860s, was founded by Edward Peters from Goa …

Kenyan Indians fear more violence
27 Jan: The Times (South Africa). Kenyan Indians in the port city of Kisumu fear that the post-election unrest that forced them to flee their homes and take refuge in temples may erupt again. Click here.

UK: Why is racial abuse now considered acceptable?
28 Jan: The Independent (UK). … By Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. It is hugely upsetting that we blacks and Asians increasingly experience spit-in-your-face racism, even in London … Last Monday, I was speaking at a public debate in smart Sloane Square … There was much unruly shouting. I was called a "c***" and told to go back to Uganda … Last week, the British Social Attitudes Survey found that about 30 per cent of respondents said they were racially prejudiced – an increase of 5 per cent since 2001 … When reviewing one of my books Andrew Marr noted with typical precision: "She sways from optimism of the will to pessimism of the facts." That is so true for millions of black and Asian Britons. Hopes are fulfilled, success reached but circling sharks endanger both, and fill us with fears. We have never had it so good nor so very bad – and the paradox is unsettling. 826 words. Click here.

Portugal: TV Documentary on Goa
28 Jan: Correio da Manha. A two part documentary 'Goa' will be broadcast shortly by RTP International … The Director said, "I met people who prefer an independent Goa and not under the control of the vast India." … there are still Goans who liked to preserve its identity and culture and who are opposed to an unbridled development … He admitted that he would have preferred to have the programmes on RTP 1 or on RTP 2, so that the Portuguese could know the reality of immigrants. Click here.

Konkani organisation enters Guinness Book of World Records
28 Jan: PTI. A Konkani cultural organisation has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for holding a 40-hour-long non-stop musical performance by a group of singers … Over 1,700 singers from different parts of the country and abroad rendered over 600 Konkani songs for 40 hours continuously… Click here.

Lenten foods are more luscious than you might guess
28 Jan: The Canadian Press. Christians around the world are preparing for Lent … Personal renewal and sacrifice need not taste bland … In Goa, there's a strong Catholic community that dates back to Portuguese colonialism in the 15th century. Spicy fish, cooked with vinegar, is popular during Lent …

Lisbon: Book on religious music of Goa launched
29 Jan: Diário Digital. A book «Motetes Polifónicos de Goa para a Semana Santa » will be launched on Thursday in the National Library in Lisbon. The book was the result of a survey by Manuel Morais, between 1996 and 1997 … more than 100 works and recordings were made by the choir that accompanied the research … the music risks dying due to the “continuous reduction in the number of Catholics, particularly in Goa” 264 words. Click here.

Lisbon: Launch of Agostinho Fernandes’ new novel
30 Jan: Jornal Regional (Portugal). Casa de Goa in Lisbon held an event on 18 Jan. to launch the second novel of cardiologist Dr Agostinho Fernandes. Long before the proceedings began guests arrived and there was much shaking of hands, hugs and kisses and cries of “Do you remember me”? … 819 words. Click here.

Indo-Canadian faces deportation to India
30 Jan: Times of India. An Indo-Canadian who was sexually assaulted in custody five years back in Edmonton may be deported to India following the assault on his wife by him. Click here.

Man's heart failed after sex in bed
30 Jan: Hemel Gazette (UK). Paul Swendell, aged 55, a heavy goods vehicle driver from Hemel Hempstead died after suffering heart failure whilst engaged in sexual intercourse, an inquest has heard. Mr Swendell last saw his GP on May 10, 2007. His GP Dr [Trevor] Fernandes said: "His blood pressure was normal, but he complained of heartburn when he ate and other stress." Click here.

Is 'Canadian' a racist slur?
30 Jan: CBC News (Canada). This is a question being debated this week with both intensity and some humour after a Canadian newspaper story that revealed that the term "Canadian" is being used in parts of the U.S. as a euphemism — as code — for a racist characterization of black people … 1123 words. Click here.

India: Cable damage hits internet network
31 Jan: Economic Times (India). Internet users in India struggled with slow surfing speeds and companies tapped redundancy systems to overcome a disruption to international connectivity due to the breakdown of two undersea cables in the Mediterranean, industry officials said … a "degraded" service was running by Wednesday night, but full restoration would take 10 to 15 days … Click here.

Kuwait Goans crowned NYC Trophy champions
31 Jan: Arab Times (Kuwait). Kuwait Goans Association (KGA) won the prestigious 18th NYC Trophy football tournament 1-0 in the final … The game was played in chilling temperatures (8°C in Kuwait City) was watched by a sizeable number of spectators, many ladies were drawn to watch as well … The first half was so dreary, not a single hard shot was taken on the goal. Some of the players made more show of themselves than play good football …Some played like enemies instead of playing like true opponents … 1081 words. Click here.

Traditional handicrafts made from wood, terracotta and bell metal were a hit at the Handlooms and Handicrafts Exhibition in Margao, Goa, that ended on Jan 18, 2008. A group of 22 artisans from Bastar in Chattisgarh managed to sell their handicrafts to the value of Rs 1 million to local Goans and foreign tourists.

The passing away of Lino Leitao in Montreal, Canada, on 24, January 2008 has led to many tributes from Goanetters. In particular, Lino's novel---The Gift of the Holy Cross (Peepal Tree Press, 1999), has received many commendations for its beautiful portrayal of Goan village life amidst the setting of Goan nationalism fighting Portuguese colonialism, and "Indian nationalism looking to Goa to fight its own agenda."

Vinayak Khedekar provides an interesting article titled Evolution of Deities [in Goa]. However this account of the different deities of the early Hindu people begins with the sorry tale of so much damage to representations of deities and Hindu temples as recorded in 16th century Portuguese documents. Indeed, such documents record the destruction of 680 sacred places and deities in Tiswadi, Salcete and Bardez.

Selma Carvalho provides, yet again, a very perceptive piece titled Goa And The Search For Eden. She notes a powerful desire among older Goans to recall the pristine Goa of yore and their desire for Goa to remain as it was imagined in an idealised state with little or no recall of all the disadvantages that existed then. Selma then goes on to explain how those trying to retain Goa as it once was may rob someone else to have a chance and opportunity to live their lives with different dreams.

Water sport is increasingly becoming established in Goa, and Mumbai based Joseph Dias believes that in the next decade, "we can build Goa into a hub for boat shows and the trade in India." Find out more about this prospect from a Goanet News article titled Water Sports Equipment Floods Indian Market.

Finally, in an article titled Ship Beckons These Dream Merchants, we discover in much detail exactly what encourages Goan youth (mainly males) to seek work on board ships plying the high seas. So great is the attraction to work on board ships that, young men will work hard to gain appropriate qualifications for many ship jobs "rather than work for a meagre income in Goa itself."

DOCUMENTARY: Adoption Stories. Discovery Home and Health
Sat. 2nd Feb. 05:00 to 05:30. Neeraj and Leigh have two biological daughters, but want to add two boys to their family from Neeraj's native India.

DOCUMENTARY: Adoption Stories. Discovery Home and Health
Sun 3rd Feb: 19:30 to 20:00. Rennie and Castelino are adopting a young boy from India who, coincidentally, shares his father-to-be's name.

ASIAN MAGAZINE: Desi DNA. BBC 2.
Wed. 6th Feb: 23:20 to 23:50. Includes the life of Mahatma Gandhi as a London student and the life of city dwellers who have escaped to the country.

DOCUMENTARY: Indian School. BBC 2
Wed. 6th Feb. 23:50 to 00:20. Cyber Genius. Series about secondary school life in the IT boom city of Pune, India.

FILM: Race. BBC 2
Thu. 7th Feb. 04:00 to 06:00. Two programmes looking at racism and immigration.

DOCUMENTARY: Spit Game. BBC 2
Fri. 8th Feb. 05:30 to 06:00. Two teenage drivers have been involved in a road traffic accident, one a young Asian girl, the other a black male. Why is there an undercurrent of preconception, judgement and low-key racism in the different ways they are treated in hospital?

ARTS: Arena. BBC 4
Fri. 8th Feb: 03:00 to 04:10. Saints. The Catholic Church is the only Christian persuasion with an official saint-making process, overseen by the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

DOCUMENTARY: Fading Traditions. BBC World Service Radio
Fri. 8th Feb: 20:05 to 20:30. Richard Hamilton investigates ancient traditions and ways of life. This week Temple Prostitutes in India.

Sun. 3 Feb. VIVA GOA ENTERTAINMENT presents Traditional RED & BLACK evening in WEST London - Old Actonian Assoc. Sports Club, Gunnersbury Drive, Ealing, W5 4LL. Music by – “LEVEL 4” and "CHICO." Doors open 2.30 onwards. Limited admittance; tickets £10/adults & £3/child. Contact Francis/Norman on 0208 932 9375/ 07957206169/ 0208 647 1887

Sun: 3 Feb: Mungul Union (UK). 30th Anniversary. Feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel at St Ignatius College, Turkey Street, Enfield, EN1 4NP. Band: "Rainbow's End". Disco "Nite Life". For tickets and details, please contact Rosy D'Silva - 0208 352 9450 or Rosalind Rebello on 0208 767 8652; ros.rebello@amserve.net. Members note cut-off date 13 Jan. Public transport to Hall: Buses 217 from Turnpike Lane or 121 from Wood Green. Overhead train from Liverpool St. Station to Turkey St.

Sun 6 Apr. 1pm – 8.30pm. Charity Dance in aid of Osteoporosis Brittle Bone Disease. Venue: Archbishop Lanfranc School, Mitcham Road, Croydon, Surrey CR9 3AS. All proceeds will go to St. George’s Hospital Tooting. Featuring Music by Dimensions Band. Disco by ‘Say One Do One’. Plus Cabaret shows. Admission: Adults - £13 with food; Children (4-10 yrs) - £5 with food. For tickets, please contact: Derrick Pereira – 020 8952 8899; Clare D’Souza – 01784 421421; Irene Mendonca – 020 8767 2762; Hazel Rodrigues – 020 8357 6776; Bernie Gracias 020 8723 1322.