Goan Voice UK: Newsletter. Issue 2005-22. June 02, 2005

From Eddie Fernandes: Please note that I will be in Kenya from 3-18 June and it is likely that the next issue of this newsletter will be published on 23 June 2005. Urgent messages should be e-mailed to Bernie Gracias, BERNIEGRACIAS@aol.com and if approved will be posted to the http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/ site.

Cognizant Rated Top US Outsourcing Firm
31 May. XTV World. Cognizant Technology Solutions, a leading provider of IT services announced that Business 2.0 magazine has ranked it among the top 100 fastest-growing technology companies…Francisco D'Souza, COO of Cognizant stated, "It is a great honor for Cognizant to be singled out by a magazine so much at the cutting edge of technology and free-enterprise. Business 2.0 is the voice of innovative companies especially in software and electronics, and it is gratifying to find our firm, though specializing in services rather than products, being singled out for its performance. For full text click here.

Hockey: Ireland 3; Canada 2
30 May: Irish Independent. Excerpts: Ireland beat Canada and the Tri-Nations trophy at Garryduff in Cork yesterday. The Irish trailed briefly when Ken Pereira drifted into the goalmouth to re-direct a drive by Wayne Fernandes past 'keeper Charlie Henderson after less than three minutes…

Victim seeks justice
29 May Sunday Times (Perth). The mother of bashing victim Paul de Souza is frustrated by the length of time it has taken to get her son's alleged attacker to court for extradition proceedings. Liz de Souza said it had been a drawn-out process. "There seem to be setbacks all the time and they prey on Paul as he tries to get on with his life, but we are prepared to see it through," she said. 280 words.

Grammy winner praises CD idea
27 May: Wiltshire Times. Leading Indian music star Vikku has given his seal of approval to the Turn on the Dreams album released by Trowbridge doctor and musician Joel Almeida to raise funds for the area devastated by the Asian tsunami. Vikku said: "Turn on the Dreams sounds unique, combining Celtic and South Indian music for the first time." All the royalties from the CD will go to the South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies relief fund. Pre-release copies are available online from www.DrJoelMusic.com 271 words. For full text click here.

Record price for Indian art in UK
1 June: Times of India. A recent sale in the UK made an amazing total of 1.7 million pounds. The sale was held in Bond Street, London, at auctioneers Bonham's, and the record-breaking prices surprised even the many hardened and experienced dealers who were present for the sale… "Red Portrait", a painting by Francis Newton Souza was expected to go for no more than £35,000 pounds but, in the end, was sold for an astonishing £74,000.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1127553,curpg-1.cms

Expert joins clinic team
2 June: Droitwich New Advertiser. A specialist surgeon has joined the team which is now putting Droitwich Spa on the world map for orthopaedic care. Melwyn Pereira, a foot and ankle surgeon, will add to the existing team of experts on all things bony at The Joint Clinic. Practice manager Susan Williams said: "The appointment of Melwyn Pereira will not only strengthen our team, but confirm that we are a quality and leading group based near the UK's second city." For full text click here.

2 Jun: Navelim, Goa. PEDRO ANTHONIO GOES. Husband of Germina Maria Goes. Father of Olezia/Raymond Braganza, Zachaareus/Carmen and Crammy/Arlindo Baretto. Info from Oscar Lobo (Mombasa).

26 May: Mitcham, Surrey, UK. MARTHA ALBUQUERQUE. (ex-Candolim and Kampala). Beloved Wife of Joaquim. Mother of Brian. Sister of Maria/late Jules Fernandes, late Palmira/late Vicente Dias, Antonio/Yvonne, Carmen/Servito Menezes Mesquita; sister-in-law of late Olinto/Melwyn, late Francisco/Melinda, late Amelia/late Vitorino, late Ayres/Eileen.
The Funeral Mass will be held at the Sacred Heart Church, Edgehill, Wimbledon on Wed 8 June at 10.00 am followed by burial at Merton and Sutton Cemetery, Garth Road, Morden. A reception will follow at the Sacred Heart Church Hall (Upper Hall). Joaquim & Brian request no flowers but if you wish to make a donation, please send your offering to Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Association, The Old Rectory, Rectory Works, Towcestor, Northamptonshire N12 8SQ. Please make cheques payable to “The PSP Association”. Condolences to BrianAlbuquerque@aol.com

25 May: Wood Green, London. ANTONIO (ANTU) GABRIEL DE FIGUEIREDO (ex-Loutolim, and East Africa). Beloved husband of Sarah. Loving father of Louise-Ann and Carl Peter.
Funeral on 10 June at 10:30 am. Requiem Mass at St Paul's R.C. Church, Station Road, Wood Green, London N22, and the burial at Wood Green Cemetery on Wolves Lane, N22. A reception will follow in St Paul's Church Hall ( adjacent to the church). Antu's family respectfully requests that no flowers be offered. You may wish to make an offering to a charity of your choice in his name, or to the British Heart Foundation. Condolences to: 6 Imperial Road, Wood Green, London N22 8DE.

24 May: Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK. BLANCHE HAWTIN (nee Nazareth, ex-Kampala). Wife of Robert. Mother of David.
Funeral at Woodbridge, 6 June 11.45. Enquiries to Martha Nazareth, tel. 020 8672 3737

24 May: Stockwell, London. ELVINO CECILIO PINTO (ex-Saligao & Mombasa) Husband of Maria Sequeira Pinto. Father of Philip, Zoe and Carlos.
The funeral will be held at St Francis de Sales Church, Larkhall Lane, Stockwell, London SW4 on Mon. 13 June at 12.30 p.m. The family asks that no flowers be sent - on Elvino's specific request any monetary donations will be sent to Sister Sylvia DeSa of Mae de Deus Old People's Home in Saligao. Condolences to zoe@desouzas.plus.com

SpiceJet starts flights to Goa
28 May. The Hindu. New no-frills private carrier SpiceJet today launched its flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Goa at a competitive price range with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft in an all-economy configuration. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200505272068.htm

Exotic adventure: India
29 May: Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne). Cost: 15 days from $5995 per person, twin share. Inquiries: Spice Safaris, 9390 6186; www.spicesafaris.com.au Guests will stay in a palace, learn to cook an Indian meal and enjoy culinary delights at regional specialty restaurants, relax on a Goan beach, shop in Mumbai and see the Taj Mahal. Included in the price are accommodation, transfers and excursions, monument entrance fees, international and domestic airfares and guide.

India To Have New System For Hassle-free Entry Of Air Passengers
29 May: Bernama (Malaysia). Long queues at the immigration counters in international airports in India could become a thing of the past when a new system is introduced later this year to provide hassle-free entry to foreign and Indian passengers coming from abroad. The 'Advanced Passenger Information System' (APIS) is to be introduced from Oct 1. Under the scheme, passenger manifest would be sent by the airlines to the immigration authorities in India as soon as a flight takes off for an Indian destination. This could help pre-checking of the passengers and their faster clearance even before the flight lands in the country. 435 words.
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=136748

Goa’s ready with plan for world-class airport
27 May: Indian Express. Excerpts: In 9 years: check-in under 3 minutes, immigration in one, runway for A-380. Goa has drawn up the contours of a state-of-the-art airport at Mopa by 2014. Currently, the existing Goa airport is one of the few AAI sites registering a profit. Close to 2 million passengers fly in to the place every year and officials point out that there is a beeline of charter operators for permission but the limited number of slots is a huge constraint. At present, there is parking place for just six aircraft at any given time…the projection is that Goa will get around 6.5 million passengers over the next two decades, the plan proposes to design an airport for 10 million passengers so as to avoid congestion in the future…the airport terminal at Mopa will be designed on the basis of international check-in process time which is about two-and-a-half minutes, then one minute for immigration clearance and 15 seconds for security…Mopa airport will have an exclusive business area of 15,000 sq. metres. This would be given out to duty free shops, malls and such facilities. Full text, 615 words at http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=71162

High Court sets aside election of 2 BJP MLAs
28 May: Navhind Times. In a significant judgment, the Bombay High Court at Goa today set aside the election of the two Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs — Mr Dayanand Mandrekar (Siolim) and Mr Rajendra Arlekar (Vasco-da-Gama) — by declaring their election as null and void on the ground that both were holding ‘office of profit’ under the state government during the time of the May 2002 assembly polls. http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=052837

Political number game in Goa again as HC scraps election of 2 BJP MLAs
28 May: Indian Express. In a judgment that could change the political arithmetic in Goa which is currently under Delhi’s rule, the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court today set aside the election of two BJP MLAs on the ground that they held ‘‘office of profit’’ during the May 2002 Assembly polls. http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=71225

Goa: CMM Group founder chief passes away
30 May: Navhind Times. The founder chairman of the CMM Group of Companies, Pascoal Jose Menezes died after a brief illness. He was 95 and is survived by three sons and three daughters. A pioneer in establishing industries, especially pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in Goa, Menezes joined his father’s trading company in 1926 at the age of 16. Before liberation, his father late Cosme Matias Menezes had established a business company trading in imported goods.
http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=053010

Goa election campaign set to be Bollywood potboiler
30 May. Indian Express. The campaign for Goa's forthcoming bypoll slated for June 2, has all the ingredients of a Bollywood potboiler-songs, dances, emotion, fights and street corner meetings and candidates are leaving no stone unturned to clinch the all-important victory. Both the major parties, Congress and BJP are making all out efforts to woo the voter and candidates are relying on the power of door-to-door canvassing, as also the more flamboyant methods of road shows, processions and street-theatre.
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=47634

BJP alleges model code violation in Goa
1 June: The Statesman (India). The BJP today alleged rampant violation of the model code of conduct in the elections to five Assembly segments in Goa.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=78584

Goa should start work on setting up a Special Economic Zone
1 Jun: Navhind Times. Goa has the potential for establishing the first largest Special Economic Zone in the country, Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said… “In the tourism sector, the first place that comes to one’s mind is Goa. And given the fact that the people of the state are sensible we could bring in investments to the state and make it India’s most prosperous state,” he remarked.
http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=053119

Stage set for Goa Assembly bypolls
1 Jun: Chennai Online. The stage is set for tomorrow's crucial bypolls to five assembly constituencies in Goa, under President's rule and where the legislature is kept in suspended animation, whose outcome could rekindle efforts to form a popular government in the state. The five vacancies-- Taleigao, Cambarjua, Benaulim, Margoa and Poinguinim-- resulted from the resignation of BJP MLAs, reducing the then Manohar Parrikar government to a minority. For full text click here

Campaigning in Goa ends 31 May.
1 June: Economic Times. Campaigning for the crucial June 2 by-polls for the five assembly seats in Goa will end on Tuesday evening. As many as 22 candidates are in the fray for the by-polls. The by-elections is crucial as the outcome would set the stage for the formation of a new government in the state ending the President's rule, which is in force since March 4. Currently, the legislature is under suspended animation. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1127152.cms

Brisk polling reported in Goa
2 Jun: MidDay. Brisk polling was reported today for the crucial by-polls to five assembly constituencies in Goa, amidst strict security measures.
http://web.mid-day.com/news/nation/2005/june/110692.htm

The Union Finance Minister, P. Chindambaram stated very recently, that Goa has the potential for establishing the largest Special Economic Zone in India. If this were to happen, there would be positive and negative impacts on Goa. Hopefully, GVUK readers will wish to find out more about this 'proposal' and will also have an important say in the matter.

A new issue has grabbed the news on Goanet. It is about the Gaunkaries/Communidades. This is to do with exactly who owns private and public land in Goa and what the implications are. Greater clarity on this issue should emerge soon on this very vexed question. The issue goes back historically for centuries past.

How many old forts, and in what stage of repair, are there in Goa? Thankfully, a substantial list is being compiled which should be helpful to intrepid GVUK readers/travellers when they next go adventurously to Goa.

The Inquisition in Goa, is as fascinating a topic as is the prevalence of caste among Catholic Goans. New material has been emerging on the Inquisition and is well worth following up.

Yoga retreat in Goa
22 May: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) Midtown Yoga teachers Kathy Fish and Margot McNeely enjoyed a yoga retreat in Goa, India with Sheila Cullen, a yoga instructor from Toronto. They also had the opportunity to study with Father Joe Pereira, a Catholic priest and Iyengar-trained yoga teacher who runs Mother Teresa's 28 Kripa Centers throughout India. For full text click here.

Ted's 82 and proving he's young at heart
26 May: Herald Express. Ted Moreman is 82 but he is young at heart and has just proved it by walking the 125 miles between Bristol and Newton Abbot to raise money for street children in Goa. It took him 14 days and, he calculates, 279,000 steps. Ted has been to Goa several times to visit a home for 70 children which is called House of Kathleen after his late wife. The octogenarian who can never keep still has raised £41,000 for this and other projects and has now set himself a further target of £10,000 to fund a house for teenagers from the slums who need somewhere to live while they study. For full text click here.

Goa dream holiday turned into a 'nightmare'
27 May: Reading Evening Post. Prudence Fenn hoped joining her daughter on a trip to Goa would be an idyllic start to her gap year travels. But the dream holiday turned into a nightmare. Mrs Fenn, from Kidmore Road, Caversham Heights, Reading thought the £6-a-night tariff for the hostel they were staying in included activities such as elephant washing and did not realise these were actually extras which cost around £12 each. The pair had to cut their three-day stay short by a day and on settling up faced a £150 bill. They were forced to write and read out a letter of apology to the hostel owner and promise to pay him the balance of the bill…Mrs Fenn said the experience has put her off returning to India. Photograph and text, 516 words, at
http://www.getreading.co.uk/story.asp?intid=12087

Toronto: Rafael Alfandary: Jeweller to the stars
29 May: Toronto Star. Rafael Alfandary was a jeweller whose bold pieces adorned flamboyant celebrities in the 1970s. He had been around the world and back but returned to Toronto in 2000 to die after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer. In the 1980s he moved to an ashram in Goa, India. He met Miyazawa at a meditation retreat in Pune, India, in 1999. The two married in Goa in 1999 but moved back to Toronto the following year when Alfandary was diagnosed with myeloma. He died on 24 May 2005. For full text click here.

Tracing the roots of Africa's lost children:-
29 May: WebIndia123.com. Two scholars have launched an effort to retrace the steps of Africans who reached India centuries ago. "Tadia - The African Diaspora In Asia" is a network spearheaded by academic Jean-Pierre Angenot of Brazil, now temporarily based in Goa, and Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya of Britain. The Siddis are known to be descendants of former slaves and still suffer from backwardness and poverty. For over a week in January 2006 -- between Jan 10 and 18 -- a series of events will highlight the coming of Africans to India, sometimes as victims of the slave trade. But Angenot admitted funding for the event remained a challenge. For full text click here.
India For the Tadia website visit http://www.aswadiaspora.org/tadia05.html

Jeremy Seabrook remembers the late Winin Pereira
29 May: The Statesman (India). Excerpts: I worked with Winin Pereira for a decade. I first met him in 1987, and visited him in Bandra, his unpretentious home, screened from the Arabian Sea by the mobile greenery of fish-tail palms, bougainvillea and neem. Winin had been a nuclear scientist, a whiz-kid in his day (a term difficult to reconcile with the khadi-clad figure of dignified simplicity I knew) and colleague of Homi Bhabha. When he realised the potentially destructive power of the programme of atomic research in India, he simply renounced his calling…We produced a book, Asking the Earth, published in Britain and in India, by Claude Alvarez's Other India Book Store. We wrote articles, monographs, and Winin produced two more books. For 1147 words click here.
Jeremy Seabrook has written plays for the stage, TV and radio, made TV documentaries, published more than 30 books and contributed to leading journals around the world.)
email: yrn63@dial.pipex.com

Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line
29 May: The Observer. Firms provide counselling to help staff insulted by British customers. Abuse from British and American customers is driving increasing numbers of Indian call centre workers from their jobs, defeated by the strain of handling persistent rudeness. Industry analysts have seen the phenomenon of racist clients grow in recent years. 840 words.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1494871,00.html

India opens huge new naval base
31 May: BBC. India has opened a new naval base at Karwar which it says will become one of the largest in Asia. The base will have space for 42 warships and deep water for an aircraft carrier and nuclear submarines to dock. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4596581.stm

TV

Mon.6/6: Sky Travel: 10.00pm(30mins) Tourist Police
Goa, India (repeat showing)

Wed.8/6: BBC 2: 9.00pm(90mins) The Secretary Who Stole £4million
The dramatisation of the modern immorality tale of Joyti De-Laurey . Meera Syal stars as Joyti , a PA at investment bankers, Goldman Sachs who was jailed for 7 years after she stole more than £4million from her employers. It's all immensely entertaining and Syal, watchable as always paints a believable picture of an accomplished and greedy liar with an extraordinary capacity for self-delusion.

Fri.10/6: BBC 1: 9.30pm(30mins) The Kumars at No. 42
Guests: Artist, Tracey Emin and actress, Jane Seymour.

Radio

Sat. 4/6: BBC Radio 4: 10.30am(30mins) Stand at East: New series 1st of 3:
Mark Tully presents an unique untapped testimony that recalls the almost forgotten role of the Indian Army during the Second World War. It was a remarkable fighting force from every caste and creed, serving under both British and Indian officers, that bore the brunt of the Japanese attack on Malaya and Burma. Tully begins the series with the transformation of the Indian Army into a force that became the world's largest volunteer army.

Mon. 6/6: BBC Radio 4: 11.00am (30mins) Plain Tales from the Commonwealth: New Series 1st of 4:
My Land is Kenya: Aidan Hartley finds out what happened to those British white farmers who after independence were moved form their prime agricultural land to less fertile grounds. He asks why they stayed and whether they have become true Kenyans or do they still look to Britain for their identity.

Sat. 4 Jun. Mid Summer Nights Dream - dancing to the sounds of Maz & Co at Archbishop Lanfranc School, Mitcham Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR9 3AS commencing at 6.30 p.m. This is a charity function and all proceeds will be donated to the Pilar Priests and the HIV Orphanage in Goa. Contact: Juliette or Jason 020 - 8765 0258 / 07958 537314.

Sun. 5 Jun. 3.00pm Special Holy Mass for the tsunami victims of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands will be celebrated by Bishop Alex Dias sfx, at St George's Cathedral, St George's Road, Southwark, London SE1 7HY, followed by an opportunity to meet him. More information from the Asian Chaplaincy 0208-563-9102

Sun. 19 Jun. Siolim Feast. For further details Contact: Edwin Athayde - 020 8679 5514

Sun. 26 Jun. G.O.A. Family Day/Junior Football Tournament - Archbishop Lanfranc School, Mitcham Rd Croydon CR9 3AS: Teams from Village Organisations welcome. £1.00 per player. Start time 9.30am. Closing date for entries 12/6/05. Entry forms & conditions available from Vincent.Fernandes@steria.co.uk 020-8764-8780 / 020-8251-2737; 020-7217-6330(Work). Ian.Remedios@lineone.net 020-8658-7769 or Lloydlobo07@hotmail.com 020-8856-6018
Family day – Health Sessions 12 noon to 1pm – Diabetic session by DSN Erica Figueira. 1pm to 2pm - Healthy Lifestyle by Dr Agnelo Fernandes MBE. Indoor activities – Carrom, Card Games. Entry: Free.

Sun. 26 Jun. Benaulim Feast at White Hart Lane School Hall, Wood Green. Mass at 12.30 sharp, followed by dancing to the lovely music from Breakthro'. Tickets: Members £7.00, Guest £8.00, Children 10-16 £2.00, Under 10 Free. For Tickets and further info contact Mary Alfonso 020 8803 9752, Felipe Dias 020 8368 9663 or Josephine Fernandes 020 8967 7471

Sun. 26 Jun. 5.00pm - The Asian Chaplaincy. Konkani Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady & St Christopher's Catholic Church, 32 High Street, Cranford, Middlesex

Sun 3rd July Aldona Association - Celebration of St Thomas' feast at White Hart Lane School, White Hart Lane N22. Mass 12pm. Music by Revival and Say One Do One. Tickets- Members £7, Non Members £8 and Children £5. Contact Alfred Louzado 020 8737 7786, Marilyn Moniz 020 8441 9075, Caroline Fernandes 020 8952 0435.

Sat 9 Jul. Swindon. 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 10 Jul. G.O.A OPEN 2005 - London Golf Tournament at Whitney Lakes near Oxford. GOA UK members £17.50, Overseas GOA Affiliations £30.00, Guests £35.00. Applications on a first come first served basis. Closing date for entries: 5th June 2005. Contact: Jacinto D'Silva 020 - 8723 1233, Menino Mascarenhas 01784 211832, Cedric D'Cruz 020 - 8954 1596

Sun 10 Jul. Tivim Feast "Taste of Africa" at Archbishop Lanfranc School, Mitcham Road Croydon. Mass at 12.30 p.m. Nite Life and Mellow Tones. Details from Norma Menezes-Rahim 020 8771 4457 tivimtickets@hotmail.com

Sun. 10 Jul. Copland Hall, Wembley. 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

Fri. 15 Jul. 7pm until midnight. Midsummer Fund Raising Dance @ Bottwell Hall, Botwell Lane, Hayes, Music by the band "Mustang" and disco by "Nite Life." Tickets advance only £10:00 children under 10 yrs £5:00. For tickets: Sean Almeida 07841 383709; George Hillier 020 8908 1039; Tony Lobo 020 8542 0528; Alison Braganza 07799 586793.