Goan Voice UK: Newsletter. Issue 2005-30. Aug 11, 2005

Report: UK Goan Festival of 31 July 2005.

[Click image to enlarge]
UK Goan Festival 2005

From Diego Pinto, Chairman of the Festival Organising Committee: The rain shied away to make way for the Goans to celebrate and thousands came to the most popular event in the Goan calendar - The Goan Festival which was yet another resounding success.
Commencing with Holy Mass, the Chief celebrant Rt. Rev. Alex Dias, Bishop of Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar Islands) along with six concelebrants, made it as solemn as the old Pontifical Mass. The Chief Guest, Antonette Mendes - Melody Queen and film star of Amchem Noxib looked stunning in red. She was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Bernie Gracias, wife of the President of the Goan Association UK.
The Goan Association (UK) is delighted to work with the Village/Club Organisations and has enjoyed an excellent relationship over the years. This partnership has made it possible to successfully organise the festival and sponsor Ven. Fr. Agnelo’s Commemoration Mass.
There were 40 stalls in all, 19 of them selling food with each one endeavouring to excel in Goan culinary art as this day always offers a wide variety of the Goan cuisine.
Appreciation should be attributed to the backroom staff and various volunteers - the manning of the gate, the traffic controllers, medics & performers, who all offer their assistance/services absolutely gratis.

Remote-Controlled Health Care
2 Aug: Forbes. … Dr. Joseph Britto, hoping to protect others from suffering needlessly, began working on a Web-based diagnosis system. The database, called Isabel, allows doctors to enter a list of symptoms any given patient is experiencing. It returns a list of possible diagnoses, including more obscure diseases many doctors might not consider. For full text click here.
For a GVUK profile of Dr Joseph Britto see:
http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/supplement/josephbritto.html

Amber Turnell: Air France Toronto Survivor
4 Aug: The Mirror (UK). Excerpts: British survivor Amber Turnell, who had flown to Toronto … jumped eight feet on to a grassy bank by a river, hurting her ankle … Amber was met at the airport by her uncle Ruben, who took her to their home in Toronto. When there, she called family back in England to say she was OK. For full text click here.
Besides the Canadian papers, there was wide UK coverage of Amber’s involvement - the Evening Standard, Sun, Daily Mail, Express etc. She had gone to Canada to attend the funeral of her grandmother (See Regina Rebello in the Deaths Section of this issue). Amber who lives in Tonbridge, Kent, is the daughter of Mabel (nee Rebello) and the great granddaughter of Sonny Da Silva (1871 – 1951), hunter, remarkable Kenya pioneer and founding member of the Goan Institutes in Mombasa, Nairobi, and Kampala. For a biography of Sonny Da Silva see http://www.goacom.com/culture/biographies/silva3.html

Seraphino Antao: Great Chance for Mombasa to Showcase Kenya's Ability
6 Aug: The Nation (Kenya) After 200 years of Portuguese, 190 of Omani Arab, 76 of British and 42 of our own control, Mombasa, burnt to the ground five times in regular conflict, will get perhaps its grandest opportunity to declare its immortality to the world when it hosts the 2007 World Cross-Country Championships … the world's fastest men and women have tended to emerge from sea-level zones. Kenya is no exception. Seraphino Antao, an Empire Games gold medallist for Kenya in the early 1960s, called Mombasa home.
For the GVUK profile of him see :
http://goanvoice.org.uk/supplement/SeraphinoAntao.htm

Britain to rebrand ethnic minorities
8 Aug: The Times. The Government is proposing to rename ethnic minority groups along US lines in an attempt to strengthen and highlight their British roots. Minorities could be described as, for example “Asian-British” rather than simply as “Asian” under proposals being considered by Hazel Blears, the Home Office Minister. For full text click here.
8 Aug. The Times. Should ethnic minorities be rebranded? For full text click here.
9 Aug. New Kerala .com. Rebranding of Indians unacceptable, say UK ethnic communities. Keith Vaz said that while he understood what Blears was doing, British Asians knew who they were.
http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=12389

V. M. de Malar: London Bombings
10 Aug. Herald. Excerpts: A scary new world order emerged on July 21…It had all been looking rather good for South Asians in the United Kingdom, particularly in the last five years. Second and third-generation immigrants from our part of the world have blended into the former colonial power to an extent that was inconceivable a couple of decades ago … It’s an endlessly troubling development; we look at the photos of the suicide bombers who struck the UK last month, we look at the faces of the new, deadly, threat to a country where Goans have very deep ties and a large presence, and we find ourselves looking into a mirror. We see the enemy, and it looks like us.
http://oheraldo.in/node/2779

Goan Voice Weekly Newsletter: Exclusive to Subscribers from Sept. 2005
The weekly newsletter takes considerable resources to produce but only a very small percentage of users are subscribers (£20 p.a.). However, from September 2005, it will not be available for reading or downloading from the website, http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/ but there will continue to be the free daily newsletter available at the same site.

The number of users to the website had more than doubled in the last year but the number of subscribers continues to shrink. I am amazed by the number of non-subscribers who proudly tell me how they download the weekly issues off the site and forward it to their friends. It is also ironic that it is the non-subscribers who also expect free personal announcements and advertising services from Goan Voice UK.

There is another change in Goan Voice UK policy. Because of the high number of email messages I am receiving (about 230 daily), I am not able to respond in future to requests from non-subscribers for help or information.

You have a choice: read the daily newsletter for free at the website or support the service by subscribing – for details click here.

3 Aug: Majorda, Goa. RITA GONSALVES. Wife of late Valente Gonsalves. Mother of Dennis/Imma (Kuwait), Doris/Ludo Fernandes, Derek/Mable, (Sweden) & late David. Sister of Marianne/ late J.S. Remedios Fernandes, Anthony/Stella (UK) , Joe/Anna (UK), Martin/Disa (Sweden), Milly & late Cursino Gonsalves (UK).

31 Jul: Toronto. REGINA OLIVIA CECILIA REBELLO. (nee DaSILVA, ex-Nairobi). Wife of late Joseph (Joe). Mother of Mabel, Rowland (Ella), Ruben (Juliet), Muriel (Patrick) and Mozina. Loving gran to 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Survived by her sisters Evelyn, Clara, and Iris. Predeceased by her 4 sisters and 6 brothers. Funeral was on August 4. For details, click here.

Tide May Turn On Cheap Goa
5 Aug: Travel Trade Gazette (UK). Goa’s reputation as a bargain-basement destination could be nearing an end according to Platon Loizou of Jewel in the Crown Holidays. Rising fuel prices and the value of the pound to the dollar will affect Goa prices, he says.

Rain-soaked Goa — nature at its best
7 Aug: The Hindu. To see Nature at its best during the monsoon one has to be in Goa. Blessed with a charming coastline on its west and the Western Ghats on its east, it presents a beautiful blend of coastal beauty and the wilderness. For full text click here.

A Goan carnival
10 Aug: Business Standard. Every year, two million domestic and foreign tourists land in Goa, but there’s little the coastal holiday town has to offer. The idea is to create a Disneyland-style entertainment centre in Goa, to be called “Aldeia De Rio”. The 35-acre makeover paradise on the hilly banks of Mandovi river near the Reis Magos fort will have artificial lagoons, water slides and sports. The project will be completed by 2007 end. The company will also develop 125 river-front holiday homes. A four-room duplex house, targeted at non-resident Indians, will cost Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.25 crore …Nearly 680 charter flights arrived in Goa last year, a jump of over 40 per cent over the previous year. This year, nearly 750 flights are expected to touch down. For full text click here.

International airport in Goa proposed with private participation
4 Aug: New Kerala.com. Goa Government plans to invite tenders towards the end of the year for building a state-of-the-art Rs 900-crore international airport at Mopa in North Goa through public-private partnership to decongest Mumbai airport. The proposed airport is to have a 4-km runway and will be linked with a rail route and a 4-lane highway. For full text click here.

Goa govt sets pre-condition on holding IFFI
5 Aug: Navhind Times. The Chief Minister, Mr Pratapsingh Rane has set a pre-condition for the central government to declare Goa as permanent venue of the International Film Festival of India for giving state’s consent to hold the next IFFI. For full text click here.

Supreme Court bans fishing in monsoon
6 Aug: NDTV. …The move followed a writ petition filed by an NGO - Goa Environment Federation - seeking a uniform ban on fishing by mechanised boats and trawlers from June 10 to August 15 every year … [This year the Goa Govt. has permitted fishing from 1st Aug. For full text click here.

Tata plans cheapest-ever car for Indian market
7 Aug: The Independent. Tata, the Indian conglomerate and one-time MG Rover partner, is developing plans for what will be the world's cheapest car. To be launched in 2008, the "people's car" will cost just 100,000 rupees (£1,300) and is set to become the Model T Ford for the 21st century.
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article304200.ece

Cricketers: Goa’s new export
7 Aug: Herald. When the going gets tough, the tough get going — abroad. This seems to have been the predicament of a number of promising Goan cricketers. http://oheraldo.in/node/2678

India government seeking stricter controls on foreign donations
8 Aug: Asia News (Italy). A new bill plans to strengthen government control over foreign donations to Indian NGOs and associations. Christians fear it is an additional move by Hindu fundamentalists against the Churches. For India’s Catholic Church, the bill on foreign funding for local organisations, parties and volunteer associations will strongly limit activities. For this reason, “this new bill is cause for anxiety and the Bishops’ Conference is examining it,” said Archbishop Oswald Gracias.
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=3877

Goa: Tension runs high as Panjim seeks to dump its garbage in Verna.
9 Aug: Herald. Around 150 residents assembled inside the estate at around 8.30 pm on Monday as news spread that a convoy of garbage-laden trucks was on its way to dump the waste in the area. The situation was diffused at around 11 pm after the police decided to arrest the vehicle drivers.
http://oheraldo.in/node/2750

Environmentalist blames public for garbage woes
9 Aug: Herald. Noted environmental activist Dr Claude Alvares has blamed the public for being by and large responsible for growing garbage problem, which has generated concern all over the State.
http://oheraldo.in/node/2766

Internet Access to films about Goa – 1960s to 80s
Fred Noronha’s 5 Aug. posting on GoaNet regarding The Film Division of India – for text click here, prompted me to check out the website, www.filmsdivision.org I was pleasantly surprised to discover a treasure trove of films of films relating to Goa – for a listing check out the Search facility on the home page using the term “Goa”. Some of the highlights:
Title: Folk Dances of Goa. Duration: 35 mins Year: 1980
Title: Crafts of Goa. Duration: 10 mins Year: 1981
Title: On To Goa. Duration: 24 mins Year: 1983
These films are viewable both in Real Player and Windows Media Player formats. For example, to see Folk Dances of Goa in Real Player, click here. If this does not work, click here.

Goan cheer: feni now to cost less
10 Aug: The Hindu. Feni and urrak, will cost less now. The State Government has reduced the tax on them from 20% to 4%. The reduction is expected to give a boost to the industry, including in terms of exports. http://www.hindu.com/2005/08/10/stories/2005081004622200.htm

Peter D'Souza forwarded an article titled "Why I'm an anti-ant-American" authored by Dinesh D'Souza in June 2003. The flurry of debate that followed was indicative of some members own apprehensions regarding the political divide in the USA. Dinesh, who once served in the Reagan administration is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College and has authored many books with a pro-conservative edge.

Jorge Noronha, the resident expert historian was quick to indicate some historical inaccuracies that were posted by Antonio re the Portuguese arrival in Goa, the creation of the Mormugoa taluka and the Idalcao Palace.

Rene Barretto was on hand in the past week to update everybody on the World Goa Day celebrations around the world from New Jersey, Montreal, Brisbane to Toronto, Holland, New York and beyond. World Goa Day is celebrated on August 20 of every year and is an opportunity for Goans to come together for Goa and Goans.

The new dictat in the city of New Delhi where citizens are being offered Rs. 2000/- per head of cattle that they can capture and drag off the streets of New Delhi raised eyebrows all over India with some suggesting Goa should do the same.

Please visit Goanet www.goanet.org To subscribe to Goanet send an email to subscribe@goanet.org

India: Cash Cow
5 Aug: BBC. An Indian court has issued an order telling authorities in Delhi to offer a reward for people catching stray cows roaming the capital's streets. The Delhi High Court ordered southern Delhi authorities to pay 2,000 rupees ($45) to anyone delivering a stray cow to them.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4749891.stm

Tracking the trippers from Gaza to Goa
5 Aug: Jerusalem Post. For documentary filmmaker Yoav Shamir, the distance between the sand dunes of Gaza and the beaches of Goa is not as great as it seems. His new documentary, whose working title is Flipping Out is about a small group of young Israeli men who, following their military service, set off for the Far East. This is cut short by a bad "trip" following the ingestion of hallucinogenic drugs. For full text click here.

USA: Arrests of Indian immigrants.
6 Aug. Houston Chronicle. 794 words. Excerpts: The FBI and immigration authorities are keeping mum about Romeo Fernandes, an illegal immigrant from India, arrested a month ago for overstaying his visa after trying to ship $29,000 in cash by UPS to South Carolina. Nick, a second immigrant from India who did not have proper documentation and was Fernandes' roommate also was taken into custody. The two worked as clerks at Sunrise Grocery in Anahuac, Fernandes for two years and Nick for two months. Two guns were found in the house they lived in. Fernandes and his roommate were friendly, nice, polite “and did things for the community, like give to the local charities.”

Curry clown free to reclaim crown
6 Aug: Herald-Sun (Melbourne). Dethroned curry king Larry Mendonca vowed yesterday to reopen his restaurant after the Supreme Court found that he was wrongly convicted of dodgy food handling. Mr Mendonca and his family company were convicted and fined $40,000 over ageing pickles and insect-ridden food found in restaurant in 2003. Mick Jagger, Serena Williams, Elton John, Cher and John McEnroe all dined at his once-famous restaurant. Mendonca said, "I've had offers from England, India, Pakistan and Fiji to open a restaurant but I want to do it in Melbourne." He is also penning his memoirs -- Cricket, Curries and Carryings On. For full text, 310 words, click here.
For his home page click here.
Check out the Goan Voice UK Larry Mendonca supplement here.
http://goanvoice.org.uk/supplement/Larrymendonca.html [The newspaper later reported that, years ago, after a Pakistani cricket team failed to reach Australia's modest total on the final day of a Test match in Melbourne, Mendonca said, "The team ate in my restaurant last night. But they still didn't get the runs."]

My holidays; Interview; Claire Sweeney
7 Aug. The Sunday Times. Actress Claire Sweeney, star of Brookside, Celebrity Big Brother, hit musical, Chicago etc. talks about her favourite holidays. “I really began travelling properly when I started working on the cruise ships … The cruises stopped off in Goa before it became a popular package- holiday destination, and it was still very rural. A friend who I was working with took me to his house to meet all his family. I was quite surprised when a pig walked through the front door, closely followed by a line of chickens. But our hosts' hospitality was wonderful and they made me feel incredibly welcome. The Claire Sweeney website is at www.clairesweeney.com/

UK majority back multiculturalism
10 Aug: BBC. The majority of British people think multiculturalism makes the country a better place, a BBC poll suggests.
But 32% think it "threatens the British way of life" and 54% think "parts of the country don't feel like Britain any more because of immigration". The Mori poll for the BBC also suggests the 7 July bomb attacks have not led to an upsurge in racial intolerance. Results Summary:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4137990.stm
Full results:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/multiculturalism_poll_10_08_05.pdf

Kenya 'losing battle against corruption'
11 Aug: The Telegraph (UK). A Kenyan cabinet minister admitted yesterday that his government was losing its battle against corruption, less than three years after promising to wipe it out. For full text click here.

Sun: 14/8: ITV1: 01.00am. (95 mins). Film: The Ghost and the Darkness. 1996.
Adventure drama about the confrontation between two Europeans and a pair of lions that are obstructing the progress of a railway line in East Africa during the 1890s. When the labourers become so frightened by recurring lion attacks at their campsite that they are reluctant to continue to work, an engineer and a big-game hunter join forces in an attempt to outwit the predators Starring Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer (as Col. John Henry Patterson) and Om Puri. More about the film at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116409/

Sun.14/8: BBC 1: 10.15pm (45mins) Panorama Special
In this special report of the London bombings of 7/7, reporter John Ware asks the leaders of Britain’s Muslim communities what makes young men commit such appalling atrocities and how they plan to tackle the growth of extremism in their midst.

Wed. 17/8: UK Food: 8.00pm (30 mins). Cookery: Rick Stein's Fruits of the Sea
Seafood cuisine. Rick makes a spicy Goan seafood curry for all his staff. Repeat. Last shown Dec. 2003.

Thu. 18/8: TCM: 10:45am. (125 mins). Film: Something of Value. 1957.
Powerful drama, based on Robert Ruark's novel, about boyhood friends who grow up with opposite views about the colonisation of Kenya. Starring Rock Hudson and Sidney Poitier. More at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050993/

Fri. 19/8: Bollywood 4U: 12:00 (210 mins). Film: Josh. 2000.
A Goan reworking of the Romeo and Juliet story, with senseless violence and rival gang warfare making sure the path of true love is less than smooth. Starring Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. More at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151150/

Fri.19/8: Channel 4: 9.30pm (30mins) Meet the Magoons
New series 1/6. Stairway to Havan. Wacky comedy set in a Glasgow curry house. If the idea of a Glaswegian/Welsh/Asian version of the Marx brothers appeals, then you might enjoy this daft comedy series penned and directed by Hardeep Singh Kohli.

Fri.19/8: Nat Geographic: 9.00pm (60mins) The Great Indian Witch Hunt
In Western India, misfortunes are widely attributed to the work of supposed witches, which has led to angry mobs, murder and even beheadings in recent years. Journalist Sohaila Kapur examines how fear drives this scapegoating of women and how superstition has created a thriving cottage industry.

Thurs. 11/8: BBC Radio 4: 11:30pm (30 mins). Documentary. Breaking Ground
Liz Carney tells the story of a remarkable collaboration between a West Yorkshire farmer and a group of Asian allotment holders. They lived in the same town but their lives were worlds apart until they found a mutual interest in growing coriander

Thurs.18/8: BBC Radio 4: 2.15pm (45mins) Afternoon Play: Behind Closed Doors
In the course of one night three women reel from the shock of the sudden death of six month old Rosie. Tara, Rosie’s mother shuts herself away having formally accused her mother-in-law Savita, of being responsible. Terrified of the future Savita awaits questioning at the police station while her daughter Neela paces the corridors outside. By Lekha Desai Morrison.

Sun. 14 Aug. Archbishop Lanfranc School, Mitcham Road, Croydon. Konkani Dramatic Association, UK presents a Konkani Musical Show "Goencho Avaz". Top Comedians and Singers from Goa will be touring UK, Canada, France, Portugal and USA. For further information contact Domacian Moniz: 0208 376 1609 / 07940 501196. Or email at: kdauk2003@yahoo.co.uk

Sun. 21 Aug. G.O.A. Six-A-Side Football Tournament from 9.30am at Coldharbour Leisure Centre, Chapel Farm Road, New Eltham, London SE9 3LX. £44 per team. Draw will take place on 15th August 2005. Contact: Val Nunes 01322 445743; Darren Fernandes 07956 117703.

Sun. 28 Aug. 5.00pm - The Asian Chaplaincy. Konkani Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady & St Christopher's Catholic Church, 32 High Street, Cranford, Middlesex

Sun. 28 Aug. G. O.A. SPORTS DAY at Archbishop Lanfranc School. Contact: Peter Rodrigues 020 - 8399 4883. For stall applications: Norma Menezes-Rahim 020 - 8771 4457

Sat. 10 Sep. G.O.A. EXCURSION TO BRUGES. Sightseeing and shopping trip to this lovely Belgian town. Planned pick-up points – Greenford, Tooting Broadway and Norbury. Further details from - Norma Menezes-Rahim 020 - 8771 4457, Bernie Gracias 020 - 8723 1322

Sun. 18 Sep. G.O.A. Trook Tournament at the ATC Hall, South Wimbledon. Contacts: Jacinto Fernandes 020 - 8542 5427. Diego Pinto 020 - 8767 0663, Lazarus Rato 020 – 8767 0342.

Sun. 25 Sep. 5.00pm - The Asian Chaplaincy. Konkani Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady & St Christopher's Catholic Church, 32 High Street, Cranford, Middlesex

Sat 1 Oct. HELP A POOR CHILD. 25th Anniversary Gala Ball - Harrow Leisure Centre, 7.00p.m. to 3.00a.m. Music by Mustang, Dark Star, Say One Do One and other entertaining artists. Visit the HAPC web site www.helpapoorchild.com for more details