Edited by Eddie Fernandes editor@goanvoice.org.uk

Lorna… Then, Now And Forever!

Angela Ribeiro: An acknowledgement
The family of Angela Ribeiro would like to sincerely thank all her friends for their kind emails, cards and Masses offered in her memory. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated and will always be remembered. For the funeral notice,  click here

Smart Beta: Passive Pereira hunts for a bespoke vehicle
24 May: City Wire (UK). Andrew Pereira, director of Stanmore-based The Quadrant Group, will go the extra mile to stick with the passive route, even if that means creating a new product with a fund manager to fill the gap. Pereira said the firm’s concern over the lack of a short-dated passive vehicle in the fixed interest space was such that he was looking at whether a fund group could create one for his firm… Photo.  click here
Andrew Pereira was born in Nairobi in 1968, the son of Francis and Maria (Apollonia) Pereira and moved to the UK in 1976.

The Church And Parrikar: Is there a first crack in the canvas?

Goa welcomes Mariner of the Seas cruise ship
24 May: IBNS. Royal Caribbean International’s Cruise liner Mariner of the Seas, one of the biggest in the world, arrived at Mormugao Port in South Goa from Dubai Friday. The arrival was greeted by the Deputy Chief Minister Francisco D’Souza followed by a traditional reception with Goan music and dance organized by the Goa Tourism, to welcome the passengers… There are 2947 passengers and 1197 crew members with 1500 cabins in this 311-meter long ship…  click here
Video: Prudent Media  click here

Goa eyes Rs.25,000 crore industrial investment (Goa newsletter)
24 May: New York Daily News. By Mayabhushan Nagvenkar. … After decades of cozying up to mining companies and smelting units, the Goa government is now eying light-weight, technology-heavy industry according to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar… One of the major responsibilities at hand was stopping Goa's brain drain … "Driven by personal greed and corruption, Goan politicians and bureaucrats conspired in the early 1990s to allow power-guzzling rolling mills from north India to Goa. Goa had opened the door for polluting furnace units where no Goan is ever willing to work … 629 words.  click here

Valanka Alemao: The woman behind Churchill's success

Russia opens consulate in Goa
24 May: New York Daily News. A slew of illegal land deals involving its nationals was one of the reasons why Russia decided to start a consular office in Goa, which hosted 1.5 lakh Russian tourists this season, Ambassador Alexander Kadakin said Friday. The ambassador also expressed distaste at the manner in which the word "mafia" was being liberally used when it came to rare cases involving Russians nationals…  click here
Video: 24 May. Prudent Media.  click here

Video: Foodology: Goan Shrimp Stew
23 May: Missouri Botanical Garden. Stephanie Prade and Mary Hammer of the St. Louis Herb Society share the steps for preparing Goan Shrimp Stew with herbs that can be grown in your own backyard…2m. 29s.  click here

Death: Jose (JP) Gomes

Toby Riccard denies assaulting mother of Scarlett Keeling
23 May: North Devon Journal. A man charged with assaulting the mother of murdered teenager Scarlett Keeling has failed to attend court to enter a plea to the charge. Toby Peter Riccard, 43, failed to attend North Devon Magistrates' Court for the second week running on Friday, when he was due to appear before magistrates, because of health problems. It's alleged he assaulted Fiona Mackeown in Holsworthy on October 8 last year… Mrs Mackeown's 15-year-old daughter Scarlett was raped and murdered on a beach in Goa, India in 2008. A trial will take place on July 29.  click here

Book Review: Indian Nocturne
24 May: Daily Mail (UK). Indian Nocturne by Antonio Tabucci (Canongate, £8.99). In Tabucci’s dream-like novel of 1984 a man is searching for a missing friend. He trawls the malodorous back streets, brothels and seedy hotels of Bombay and Madras, and the hippie hangouts of Goa. ‘You Europeans are very delicate,’ remarks a doctor, ‘A lot of people lose their way in India.’ Fragmented, enigmatic and hypnotising, the story offers vibrant images — floors teeming with black cockroaches, prostitute shacks the size of sentry boxes, crows in grand hotel gardens pecking at orange peel in Martini glasses and being chased off by cricket bat-wielding servants. Will the narrator find his friend or is he really on a quest to find himself?  click here
Amazon UK site has selected pages of the book online.  click here

Al-sho’ala, Bahrain’s Labor Minister and St Xavier’s College, Bombay

St Xaviers College

Drug officers arrest UK DJ at Siolim, Goa
24 May: Times of India. A disc jockey (DJ) from the UK, staying at Siolim, has been arrested by sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai, in connection with a major narcotics smuggling case booked in the metropolitan city. Paul Harrison, 35, alias Tan, was picked up from the house he was staying at in Bamonwaddo, and sources said he was taken to Mumbai on a transit warrant obtained from a JMFC court… his arrest is based on disclosures made by M A Shaikh who was arrested with 16kg of methadone… Harrison disclosed that he has been living in Goa since 2009 and that he works as a DJ…  click here
From Facebook: Paul Harrison has worked at Tia & Tan (tan), lives in Goa and is from Manchester.  click here
For a photo of Paul Harrison, click here.

Clarence Fernandes eyes Rwanda opportunities

UK: Forthcoming Events

Sun. 26 May: SOLD OUT The Bakuli Reunion

Tiatr, Tiatr. Goan Heritage London Presents "GHUNEAU KONNACHO" written and directed by King of Political songs FRANCIS DE TUEM, First visit to UK as Director. Accompanied by his famous Goan artistes: Lawry, Marcus, Xavier, Meni Mario, Anil, Olga, Chitra, Com Anita and Master Cameron. For the flyer, click here.
Sat. 1 Jun. 2013: 6:00 pm. Featherstone Hall, 11 Montague Way, Southall UB2 5HF. For tickets contact Antonio Mendis 07882749692, Nazareth 07588844529, Inacio 07542039323, Asmisao 07404514937 and Salvador (Salu of Hounslow) 07588417307.
Sun 2 Jun. 2013: 3:00 pm. Copland School Hall, Cecil Avenue, Wembley, HA9 7DU, For tickets contact Caetano Braganza 02084531803/07882009063, Joe Paul 07550825135, Lulu 07961981792, S Caitan 07949206355 and Pravin at Triangle Food n Wine store, 07448672233

4 Jun: 7.00 pm. Talk by Dr Shihan de Silva, Senior Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies. University of London on "Portuguese Influence in the East" to be held at the Tate South Lambeth Library, 180 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1QP. To book your free ticket call 020 7926 0705 or email readersandwriters@lambeth.gov.uk For details of the event, click here.

British Goans Project: Past Lives - The Exhibition
5 Jun - 14 Jun (Mon. to Fri. 10am - 5pm). Oral Histories of British-Goans project presents Past Lives - The Exhibition. Venue: Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF (Green Park Tube station). For the two page flyer with schedule of planned free Exhibition Events, Tours and Talks click here. Exhibition closes at 2pm on Fri. 14th June 2013. Reserve your choices by emailing eddie.fernandes@gmail.com

Sun. 16 June. Siolim Union (London) invites you to celebrate the feast of their Patron Saint, St Anthony of Padua, at Archbishop Lanfranc School Hall, Mitcham Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR9 3AS. Mass at 12 noon prompt followed by dancing to the music of "Maz n Co". Tickets include Snacks and Goan Meal: Members £13.00 Guests £14.00. Children under 12 years old - free entrance. Licensed Bar. Dress Code: Strictly Formal - No Jeans or Trainers allowed. The Siolim Union (London) Committee reserves the right of admission. Book early to avoid disappointment. For tickets, please contact Eugene on 020 86654773, Tony on 020 85403566, Derick on 020 83951084 or Wendy on 020 87680545. For further information and booking details please click here.

Sat: 29 Jun. 12.00pm. Venue: Goan Chaplaincy, St Thomas of Canterbury School, Commonside East, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 1YG. Mass of remembrance for deceased members of our Community celebrated by Fr Francis Rosario SFX, Goan Chaplain. Followed by lunch. Contact: Alfred Rebello on 020 8337 8022, Nina Pinto on 020 8767 0663. For further details go to www.goauk.co.uk

For Later Events See www.goanvoice.org.uk/events.php

Death: Pascoal Faria

Bahrain: Panjim claim Goans league trophy
23 May: Gulf Daily News (Bahrain). Panjim were crowned champions of the Bahrain Goans Inter-Village Football League. They had already sealed the championship before their final match, where they were held to a 1-1 draw by Assagao… Visiting priest from Goa Father Orfin Menezes was the chief guest of the awards ceremony and he gave away the trophies… 257 words.  click here

Goa to host conference on green industry practices
23 May: SME Times. Aiming to position Goa as a leader in green practices in construction, manufacturing and hospitality industry, a CII conference on eco-friendly practices will be held later this month, organisers said Thursday. Amar Britto, chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) Indian Green Building Council, said leading brands from across the country would attend the two-day conference 'Sustainable Development for a Green Goa' starting May 30…  click here

Video: Goa: A Postcolonial Society between Cultures: Yale Conference

Goa: Super homes
23 May: Goa Streets. Where in Goa can you get a seaview apartment with a terrace as large as a banquet hall, a private elevator and master bathroom fit for a maharaja? … Welcome to the luxurious world of the Goan superflat … Many of these abodes are being bought up by the rich and/or otherwise privileged classes from Indian metros and other fast-urbanizing cities. Goa’s real estate developers are cashing in, even though many Goans complain that demand from Delhites and others from richer Indian cities is taking real estate far beyond the reach of the average Goan. If in the nineties it was the Mumbaikars who jacked up prices of real estate by liberally buying rent-back apartments in Goa’s coastal locales for between Rs 12-15 lakh, it is mainly the rich and affluent from North India, especially Delhi, who are picking up plush flats for prices upwards of a crore of rupees… 1350 words. Photos.  click here

Fifty Years Ago: Goa as separate entity

Goa churches to undergo major restoration
23 May: Business Line. Several churches across Goa are heading for a massive restoration, a laborious and costly job undertaken once in 50-60 years. The lifespan of interiors and antiquities in these churches built during Portuguese colonial rule in the coastal State, has entered a phase where they require a lot of upkeep. The restoration of wooden altars and gold-plated antiquities is mandated every 50-60 years, according to experts… Goa has 180-odd churches and chapels spread across almost every corner of the State, which has a 27 per cent Catholic population…  click here

Congress for regulations on land purchase
23 May: Herald. The Congress has asked Goa government to frame regulations and set ceilings for purchase of land by outsiders and advised Goans not to sell their properties any more. “I heard villages have been bought; this should not be done. This should be curbed. The government should come out with a regulation and ceiling on buying of huge tracts of land,” Member of Parliament and senior party leader Francisco Sardinha said …  click here

Fight goes on for Dubai survivor even after double mastectomy

AirAsia India likely to miss September launch date
23 May: Mint. AirAsia India, a joint venture between Asia’s largest low-cost airline, Tata Sons Ltd and Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace Pvt. Ltd, may take longer than earlier planned to start domestic flights in India… AirAsia had earlier said it plans to start services by September with two Airbus A320 planes, Mint reported on 16 April. It submitted a detailed business plan to the aviation ministry in late April that envisaged the joint venture expanding to 36 aircraft by the fifth year, using Chennai and Kolkata as its operational hubs … A government official said the airline has not provided certain details in its application…  click here

Weekly Weather & Exchange Rates
23 May: Goa Met.. Weather: Max = 34.8. Min = 27.3.
Exchange rates (Xcom): £ = 83.79; $ = 55.58; $Can = 53.78&; Euro = 71.62.

Was Jomo Kenyatta's brother married to a Goan?

Kenya: Pio Gama Pinto: Commission wants all assassination reports made public

Changing face of activism in Kenya
21 May: The Standard (Kenya). Kuxi Ghai is a stunning beauty. She schooled in London, stays alone and is single. Then there is Mary Ingabire - a sassy university student, who loves to write about love and boys on her Facebook page. On May 14, during the Occupy Parliament protests against MPs' pay rise demands, the two revealed their side as fiery fighters for social rights. They are among thousands of young Kenyans from all walks of life, who are changing the face of activism… The use of a pig, piglets and blood also added to the sense of drama…  click here

Video: Milton Braganza, 33, of Disney Cruise Line allegedly molests girl, 11, in ship’s elevator

Goa police undergoes fitness test
22 May: IBNS. A major reform is set to take place in the Goa police force with 5,000-odd police personnel, divided in batches, undergoing physical proficiency test (PPT) – the first ever in the history of the elite department… The recently concluded state legislative assembly had expressed disappointment with the unfit and pot-bellied policemen in the department and suggested that government inculcate routine exercises among the force…  click here

Auction: Antique Goan cabinet

Accused UK realtor may have the last laugh
22 May: Herald. It was on March 5 last that a real estate developer was accused of mercilessly destroying a sand dune at Colva, triggering outrage amongst local villagers and activists. On March 14, the Colva police registered a case against the real estate developer and maintained that action would be initiated against the real estate developer Dilip Basant Acquilla of Acquilla Properties Pvt Ltd upon his return from UK. Two and half months the criminal case has hit a block and the authorities seem engaged in passing the buck on each other … Meanwhile, questions are being raised whether the government would intervene and save the remaining portion of the sand dune from destruction during the monsoons.  click here
The Directors of Acquilla Properties are listed as Sushma Dilip Acquilla and Dilip Basant Acquilla of Kilifi [Mombasa] House, 2 Leven Close, Stokesley, Middlesbrough, TS9 5AU, UK.  click here

UK: TV & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS By Lira Fernandes

Mon: Abdul Karim

FILM: Date Movie. Channel 4. Saturday 25th May. 00:10 to 01:35. Alyson Hannigan plays Julia Jones, a waitress who falls for Grant Funkyerdoder, but she must convince her parents that she can marry outside her Greek/African/American/Indian/Japanese heritage. (2006, PG, 2 Star)

SPORT: Cricket. itv4. Sunday 26th May. 14:45 to 20:00. Pepsi Indian Premier League Final Live. After seven weeks of intense competition the sixth IPL series draws to a close with the showpiece final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

DRAMA: New Tricks. Yesterday 19. Sunday 26th May. 20:00 to 21:00. James Bolam and Dennis Waterman star in another adventure for the aging detectives. The squad try to track down the attacker of a young Asian woman in Southall.

FILM: Jawani Diwani: A Youthful Joyride. Bollywood 4U (Sky). Sunday, 26 May. 22:30 to 02:00. Romantic drama. A singer cons the daughter of a top record producer into marrying him, but at his bachelor party in Goa, he falls head-over-heels for another woman. Will he go ahead and marry for his career, or run away with his Goan beauty?

ARTS: Move Over Wodehouse. BBC Radio 4. Monday 27th May. 16:00 to 16:30. International publishers and writers are flocking to India as it becomes the single biggest book market in the world. Mukti Jain Campion reports on the changing reading habits of India's growing middle class.

HISTORY DOCUMENTARY: Queen Victoria's Last Love. more4. Monday 27th May. 21:00 to 22:00. In 1897 a war was raging between Queen Victoria and her court over her relationship with her Indian servant, Abdul Karim. Her relationship with Karim produced shockwaves in the Palace. Originally one of two Indians selected to join the Queen's household, Karim rose from being a humble waiter to become Victoria's most intimate confidant. He introduced her to the delights of Indian cuisine, fed her romantic visions of India, and became her 'Munshi' or teacher, giving Victoria daily lessons in Hindustani.

Driving in Goa is not for the faint-hearted

Forthcoming Auction: Indo-Portuguese Rosewood and Hardwood Bookcase

‘Goa hospital faces water shortage because taps are stolen’
21 May: IANS. The Goa Medical College (GMC), the state’s top health facility, regularly faces water shortage because people steal taps installed in the hospital premises, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Tuesday. The water shortage is putting patients and their kin to hardships, especially during the scorching summer season… He added that all employees and patients’ kin working or visiting the hospital would soon be frisked by security guards to ensure that such thefts do not occur again …  click here

Goa’s land record software wins international award
21 May: IANS. Dharnaksh, a land record portal developed by the Goa government has won an international award for making e-governance concepts people-friendly and accessible, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Tuesday. It won the Geospatial World Application Excellence award at Holland’s Rotterdam last week, beating over 270 nominations from across the globe, he said. “The portal as a following all over the world,” Parrikar said, adding that users, many of them non resident Goans had accessed the website from Britain, Canada, UAE, Kuwait, etc. Dharnaksh enables anyone with a computer and an internet connection to search through all the land records as well as survey numbers as well as see the property in question via satellite imagery by just logging in the corresponding property details.  click here
For the Dharnaksh website,  click here

Andrea Colaço Brings Gesture Control to Mobile Devices

Goa to extend 45-day fishing ban to two months
21 May: Times of India. The 45-day fishing ban during the monsoon period in Goa will be extended by 15 more days after the Goa government decided to reduce the proposed extension of the ban. Taking cognizance of demands from various quarters, the government had proposed to extend the ban period from June 15 to July 31 (45 days) to 75 days. Environmentalists and the fishing community itself had been crying hoarse about a decline in the fish catch in recent years…  click here

Tony Fernandes: The Indian Aviation Scene
20 May: SME Mentor. India's perception of low-cost carriers has been badly damaged and bruised by failed promises, said AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes in an exclusive interaction with Entrepreneur magazine. Not one to mince any words, Fernandes said that "too many people in the airline business have an ego the size of an A380."… Starting out in the third quarter of 2014, AirAsia will begin operations from Chennai and it is expected that it will come into direct competition from SpiceJet … Photo  click here

New Goan Voice Sponsor: Goa & Worldwide Travel

Foreigners and locals now pay more to marry in Goa
21 May: Times of India. Foreigners and locals tying the knot in Goa are paying a higher marriage registration fee. The government has hiked the registration fees for foreigners' marriages from Rs 100 to Rs 5,000 while the fee for locals has been doubled to Rs 200. Annually around 14,000 marriages are registered in the state, of which 100 figure foreigners…  click here

Dabolim airport vital for tourism: Eduardo
21 May: Herald. Wading into the airport debate and stressing the importance of Dabolim's central location and its importance for tourism, former union minister Eduardo Faleiro has in a statement released here said "the ideal" situation "would be if the Navy shifts from Dabolim." …  click here

Anthony Rego: A Goan kappelmeister in Adelaide

Move to patent Goa’s Feni manufacturing process
21 May: PTI. After obtaining Geographical Indication (GI) status for the famous Goa Feni, researchers and producers in the coastal State are now trying to patent the process to manufacture this local brew, which is also known for its medicinal benefits… There are 35 leading Feni processors besides several hundred people brewing this spirit alongside their cashew plantations in Goa.  click here

Goa study on impact of 'yogic farming' on productivity
21 May: Business Standard. The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) in Goa is contemplating the possibility of developing a plot of land using the yogic farming practice … experts will study the impact of meditation on plants and their growth… the energy produced from meditation will be transferred to the land … 325 words.  click here

Forthcoming Auctions: Goan Ivory Carvings

Death: Dominic Noronha

Indians take over London: Census shows they are largest foreign-born group in city now
21 May: Times of India. Indians have become the largest foreign-born group in London. Nearly 9% of all foreign-born residents in London are now Indians. In sheer numbers, this means 263,000 people born in India are now living in London. London had about 3 million foreign-born residents in 2011 (37% of the total London population and 40% of the total foreign-born population of England and Wales). London's foreign-born population increased by 54% since 2001, accounting for 105% of the total population increase, as the UK-born population decreased in the decade… Oxford University's migration observatory deputy director Scott Blinder described the increase in foreign-born population from 9% to 13% in 2011 as "a very noticeable change" …  click here

Young Canadian classical players to mentor Indian musicians

Think your flip-flops have been through hell? Try a pair of Gandys
20 May: CNN. Created by orphans of the 2004 Asian tsunami, Gandys flip-flops aim to do more than sit around on the beach. The Forkan brothers launched Gandys flip-flops in memory of their parents… India is where their fondest family memories were made… Gandys is forecast to turn over more than £1million ($1.51 million) by 2014… the brothers donate 10% of profits from Gandys to Mango Tree Goa, a UK-based charity that helps disadvantaged children in Goa. In one year of operating Gandys, the brothers say they’ve donated enough money to Mango Tree Goa to provide school supplies for 100 children and fund a teacher for a year. 1359 words + photos.  click here

Video: Goa Tourism Minister announces new shack policy
20 May: Goa 365. The Tourism Minister has stated that the Govt plans to come out with strict garbage clearance guidelines in its new shack policy and has also considered giving owners of beach shacks licenses to operate for 3 years…  click here

Silvia Fernandes: Music and dance are part of Goan lifestyle

Mumbai Bonnie Fernandes turned his talent for hosting events into business
20 May: Economic Times. It was only in 1995, that Bonnie Fernandes started making money off his hobby. In the meantime, he added to his repertoire by hosting communion parties and weddingsIt was only in 1995, that Bonnie Fernandes started making money off his hobby. In the meantime, he added to his repertoire by hosting communion parties and weddings … Today, he makes Rs 25,000 a month handling about 4-5 shows, working only on weekends when he can spare time from his day job… Photo.  click here

The Russian mafia could be operating in Goa: Russian official

Victor Albuquerque

Cheaper fish may hit the markets
20 May: Times of India. Chonak (giant sea perch) and modso (lemon fish), two species of tasty and high-priced in Goa could turn cheap and abundant in the future. The fisheries department has finalized plans to rear them in cages kept in the open sea… This involves placing a circular cage of six metres diameter in the sea at a depth of between six to 10 metres. The fishermen will then release fingerlings (young fish) into the cage. The fishermen will rear the fish in the open sea cages by feeding them pellet feed. Each cage is expected to yield about four tonnes of fish in about seven-eight months…  click here

Indian rapes prompt change, but slowly
20 May: Total Travel (Aus). By Nathan Paull. The vile act of rape is a punchline in India… We met a band of 20-something Indian guys on a beach in Goa. The group of maybe 10 or so young men came to join us after noticing an attractive young English woman in our company. The ringleader and self-proclaimed ladies man, who went by the moniker "Chocolatey Boy", proudly told us the group was in Goa to lose their respective virginities… He said that he decided the English girl we were with would be a suitable candidate to lose his virginity to. Despite repeated assurances she was seeing our mate, who was sitting right next to her, Chocolatey Boy's attempts at smooth-talking didn't let up until she pretended to go to the toilet and went back to her room…  click here

Liz Dobson: Dangers of driving in Goa

UK visitors rank second in Goa figures
17 May: Travel Media Daily (UK). Goa registered a record arrival of international tourists with the UK its second-biggest market. Around 152 chartered flights from the UK travelled to the area out of 987, second only to Russia’s 742. The region also saw an increase in cruise ship visits, with 25 vessels carrying 22, 233 people visiting in the 2012/13 period…  click here

44 great Dubai secrets
13 May: Time Out Dubai … Hidden eats, secret nightlife, one-off shops and more hidden gems … Ambot Tik: A real hidden gem serving affordable authentic Goan eats, from the selection of meats to the Portuguese-style pau bread rolls. Chelsea Plaza Hotel, Satwa ...  click here

Death: Olga da Costa

O’Coqueiro’s: Goan cuisine at its best
19 May: Navhind Times. … In 1970, the management of O’ Coqueiro Bar and Restaurant changed hands and was popularised by Chef Gines Viegas, a native of Assagao, who had returned from [Dar es Salaam], East Africa. O’ Coqueiro is now run by Chef Peter Fernandes, who apprenticed with the legendary Viegas. In 1997, Chef Viegas collaborated with Alcon chairman, Mr Anil Counto, who at that time invited Mr Fernandes to come aboard and run the venture. Later in 2002, when Chef Viegas passed away, Alcon acquired the restaurant, and since then Mr Fernandes has been with O’ Coqueiro, that’s nearly 23 years… Chef Gines Viegas, was the first to introduce chicken cafreal in the state…  click here

Goa ministers have 172 staff; 30 with CM Manohar Parrikar
19 May: Times of India. The Goa cabinet ministers have a total of 172 office staff members and the chief minister ManoharParrikar himself has a strength of 30, information obtained by social activist Aires Rodrigues. under Right to Information ( RTI) Act has revealed… As per the rules revised last year, the chief minister is now entitled to a maximum of 33 office staff while each cabinet Minister is allowed up to 15 staff, Rodrigues said…  click here

Death: Brig Joseph Victor Pinto, AVSM

Meet Mario Antao of the Carnival Spirit Cruise Ship
19 May: News.com.au. Mario Agnelo Antao: Age: 32. Born: Goa. Bartender. “Goa is a country within a country. It is different from the rest of India because it was under Portuguese rule, so it is mainly Roman Catholic … The people of Goa are beautiful loving people only too willing to help promote their city… My wife and I have great mutual trust in each other mostly due to our Catholic faith and great love for each other… for me my perfect place is home, Goa… 421 words + photo.  click here

Africans in Goa: Colouring The Whole

Grandchildren of the Raj
19 May: Daily News & Analysis. Curious foreigners are digging through records of the East India Company to trace what their forefathers did in India during the Raj, finds Yolande D'Mello… People of British-origin who are keen on tracing their ancestry usually hit a dead end when they find that their forefathers were in India. That’s when the Families in British India Society (FIBIS) steps in. “The East India Company maintained exhaustive records of every British citizen that left for India, what post they held, where they married and when they died,” says Peter Bailey, FIBS chairman. The FIBIS resource includes arrival and departure notices on British ships, army musters, census reports, lists of government officials and church records… 1161 words. Photos.  click here
For the Families in British India Society (FIBIS) website,  click here

Death: Anselm D'Souza
11 May: Winnipeg, Canada. ANSELM JOSEPH XAVIER D'SOUZA. Anslem died at St. Joseph Residence at the age of 90 years. Funeral Liturgy will be held on 18th May at 10:00 a.m. in St. Paul The Apostle Roman Catholic Church, 2400 Portage Avenue. Interment will follow in Assumption Roman Catholic Cemetery, 3990 Portage Avenue.

Death: Grace de Souza

Roland Francis: Gulf Goans (The Conclusion) - Stray Thoughts of a Toronto Goan
The entry into Bahrain seems to have been the proverbial opening of the floodgates for Goans in India to work and eventually settle abroad via the small states of the Persian Gulf. Although there was a trickle even before Bahrain that flowed to the other emirates specifically Dubai and Kuwait, it was Bahrain that proved to be the milestone and the watershed for the Goan community.

It was the sixties and seventies. There was not enough economic activity in India to sustain the growing population and to provide jobs for the legions of young men and women making their exits from secondary schools and higher education. Oil that was discovered in the Arabian Peninsula thirty to fifty years before, was slowly bearing fruit. Construction in the desert cities was the first to create demand for employment along with the oilfield and drilling industry with finance and banking not far behind.

What better opportunity for educated Indians who the Arabs favored since they were hard working, non-political and non-trouble makers. Among the Indians just as the British had, the Arabs preferred Goans. They were westernized, the job seekers were mostly Christian (people of the Book), and they were the perfect means to build businesses that were raring to go with all that spare money flowing into the local economies from oil exports. The British too who were no longer the masters of that region but to whom the Arabs still looked up to as demi-Gods, naturally themselves looked to Goans as their underlings and for their office staff. A Bombay bank worker whose pay on the high side was about Rs 500 per month, now could suddenly expect 8 to 10 times that salary if he secured a Gulf position. The word spread and soon Gulf recruiters were reaching out to Goa through their existing Goan network. Some Goans in key positions saw an opportunity to help their village folk and it became common in some villages for every idle boy to find a job in their sponsors company.

This was especially fortuitous for the folk back in Goa and Bombay since these were the bleakest years of the era where India had decided that they were not going to import a single item if the exporter was not willing to transfer sophisticated technology to help in Indian manufacture. Coupled with some other silly prohibitions like that of liquor and gold, the average Bombay resident would have killed to enjoy a carton of State Express 555 cigarettes, a 'Made in England' box of chocolates, a French perfume and of course the ubiquitous bottle of Johnnie Walker which was good as gold at a wedding reception. All this and more the Gulf Goan could bring back. It was Santa Claus coming home to please the relatives and as any Goan knows, there were many outstretched hands that needed to be filled. Such situations were not without their own humor.

New houses got built, the Goan economy stimulated, progress commenced. All on the dime of the Gulf Goan remittance. The mines were in operation of course but on a low key since Japan and the rest of the world didn't care for Goa's poor grade ore and China was still in its manufacturing infancy. What the Portuguese didn't possess to drive the market, Arab oil now did. The fact that later on money would flow, albeit not in the right places or the right areas is all due to the corruption that India festers in. Gulf money was clean, Goans were hardworking but times were going to change mostly for the worse from then on. There would be more money coming Goa's way but it would not be clean and only a few would enjoy its ill-gotten fruit.

Comments to roland.francis@gmail.com

Australia: Keg D’Souza told to take the money and let creativity run

Double murder: Victims' daughter sexually abused, say Goa cops
18 May: Business Standard. Police today said the minor daughter of the couple, who was murdered last week, was sexually abused by one of the culprits. The six-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother were strangled and dumped along a ghat section on Goa-Karnataka border, but both survived. Their parents had been murdered before that. Osban Fernandes and Ramesh Bhagwe have been arrested for murdering the couple Shivaji Nayak and Sujata Nayak and trying to kill the two children… Bhagwe had confessed to have sexually abused the girl in the car on Monday … http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-  click here

NRI guide to property investment in India
17 May: NDTV. NRIs have always been opportunistic in terms of investment avenues and returns… Real estate is one of the sectors which always grabs the attention of non-residents. The Reserve Bank of India has also given permission to all non-residents who possess Indian passports as well as people of Indian origin to put their money in the real estate sector (residential as well as commercial property). The number of NRIs investing in real estate is increasing fast as the value of the rupee is depreciating and real estate offers better returns. A place in the homeland usually gives a sentimental support and sense of security, which is the other reason of investment in real estate by NRIs… 1008 words.  click here

Reversal of Fortune

Remo Fernandes:
17 May: Radio & Music. Multi-lingual and instrumentalist Remo Fernandes has worn many musical hats throughout his career. Born 8 May, 1953 in Goa, Fernandes was a prodigious musician at a young age and already managed to form a band in school… Between 1977-80, he literally hitchhiked his way across North Africa and Europe, busking- playing music on streets for money- to stay alive. Over the years, his innovativeness, versatility and vitality in music has won him multi-platinum albums and the opportunities like performing with rock legends Led Zeppelin and the Queen. After hippiedom, experimenting with music, earning accolades, Fernandes can afford to take it (a little) easy. Radioandmusic.com caught up with the man who brought, Calypso, the sun n sand, Goa and fun to our collective imagination… 3 pages. 887 words + photo.  click here

Look out, it's all go in Goa

NZ Herald

Daily Telegraph

Mumbai: Women’s Football: Karen Pias scripts Magic Bus victory
18 May: Free Press Journal (Mumbai). Karen Pias struck winning goal to give Magic Bus a narrow 1-0 win against I.C. United in a Group match of the Goan Sports Association-Women’s Football League (WFL) - 2013, at the Goan Sports Association (GSA) ground, Cross Maidan on Friday… .
31 Oct: Mid-Day. Hard Work Pays Off For Karen. Photo  click here

'Misbehaviour with lady worker led to killing'
18 May: Times of India. Misbehaviour with a female employee of Osban Fernandes is what cost Shivaji Naik his life, so say police, stating that Fernandes has revealed this during interrogation. Fernandes is accused of killing his employee Shivaji and wife Sujata and attempting to kill their children Renuka and Vishal. Police said the accused in his statement has stated that Shivaji was drunk on Saturday (May 11) and misbehaved with a female employee…  click here

The Young Radicals

Goa: Gambling Exposed
18 May: The Goan. The Goan uncovers a rash of gambling dens, in the garb of social clubs, run with police and political support … The Goan simply “ went in” to the seedy cubby holes called social clubs and found tables laden with cards, chips, note sheets and numbers. Yes, we broke their party. As Navin Jha and Sagun Gawde of The Goan moved from one gambling den to another, the gamblers reacted with shock and horror when the flashbulbs came on. Some ducked for cover, other ran with their faces covered, some turned tables over, leaving behind half empty glasses of liquor, chips and cards… Part 1:  click here
Part 2: Over 50% Goans involved in the matka business.  click here
Part 3: Politicians and Matka have shared a symbiotic relationship. click here.