Pioneering Tiatrist Prem Kumar Honoured

PANJIM, May 8: He was born in Chandor and christened Peter, a 'rock'. Smitten by acting, he acquired the name Prem, 'love'. Peter D'Costa alias Prem Kumar has been known for having laid a rock-steady foundation for the proper growth of the Konkani tiatr, which he loves immensely. Dalgado Konknni Akademi did well by honouring him with its third "Dalgado Puroskar 2007" at the hands of former vice-chancellor of Goa University, Dr Olivinho Gomes, at the Black Box of the Kala Academy this evening.

GRASSROOTS ARE ALIVE

The huge voter turn out of over 72 per cent for the just concluded panchayat elections is a blow for democracy. In Pernem, nearly 85 per cent of the electorate turned out to cast their votes while in Sattari taluka the figures touched the 90 per cent mark. This is incredible! It is a demonstration that the people of Goa still have faith in Panchayati Raj and see these grassroot level organisations as harbingers of change and development. The large turn out also proves a few things. Firstly, that people are more serious about their panchayats than they are about the state government. Secondly, that the people are in touch with what is happening in the panchayat and the village.Thirdly, and most importantly, that the people believe they can make a change. And fourthly, that they are not affected by the round-robin played by panchas. The large turn out is definitely and expression of confidence in the democratic system, despite its shortcomings. [Edit, GT]

In Chimbel, Mummy Is Queen Of Hearts

PANJIM: Total voters in Santa Cruz constituency: 28,643. Total voters in Chimbel: 12,000 and they vote "mummy" Victoria Fernandes' panels to power in the panchayat elections ensuring that the goodwill of Victoria prevails over the famed money power of Babush Monserrate. Even the 4,556 "ghattis" from Indiranagar slums, whose votes it is alleged can be easily bought with money, are supporting Victoria's humaneness over Monserrate's thick packets. [Preetu Nair, GT]

Most outgoing sarpanchas get re-elected in Bardez

DULER, May 7: Most of the outgoing sarpanchas in Bardez got re-elected on Sunday. Prominent amongst the outgoing sarpanchas, who hade made it back to the panchayat are Joseph Sequeira (Calangute), Nilkant Harlankar (Colvale), Victor D'Souza (Assagao), Ms Carmelina Menezes (Guirim), Agnelo D'Souza (Arpora-Nagoa) and Premanand Prabhu (Aldona). [H]

KONKNNI BASIC COURSE

PORVORIM: Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK) will conduct the Konknni Basic Course in Devanagari script from Friday 1st June 2007 to Friday 29th June 2007 (both days inclusive) at TSKK premises at Alto Porvorim. Classes will be held from Monday to Friday from 2.30 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. TSKK will conduct this course mainly for those who wish to learn Basic Konknni. This Course uses a modern linguistic approach to teach Konknni to beginners. Though spoken Konknni will get primary stress, reading Konknni in Devanagari script will also get the importance. Hence this course is open to those who have a sufficient knowledge of Devanagari script. This would mean that the student must know either Hindi or Marathi or Sanskrit to read sufficiently well. Admissions are based on first come first served basis. For details contact TSKK during office hours 2415864, 2415857. [GoaNewsClips]

Verna resident commits suicide

VASCO, May 7: A 40-year-old woman, Guilherme Caiado, a resident of Amblore, Verna, committed suicide by consuming some PVC solution. The incident was reported on Sunday afternoon when the woman had a quarrel with her husband. [NT]

Goan Students Can Now Study Medicine In Russia
BY HERALD REPORTER
http://oheraldo.in/node/24424

PANJIM, MAY 1 - Russia's Stavropol State Medical Academy has thrown open its doors in a big way for Goan students aspiring to pursue medical studies.

The A J Trust, a Bangalore-based Educational Consultancy, which is engaged in consultancy and admissions for the SSMA is in the process of selecting between 70-90 students from Goa in a session scheduled in Panjim and Margao on May 2.
Addressing the media today, the Director of the Trust Dr A N Ameen, MD stated that the SSMA Chancellor and Vice Chancellor who visited Goa earlier this year had made a promise to provide opportunities for Goans students, which is being fulfilled for the forthcoming academic year commencing in October 2007.
The SSMA specialised in the medical faculty numbering about seven, offers courses in MBBS-MD of six years duration and a master's degree course of two years duration.
The director of the A J Trust pointed out that admissions to the course does not require entrance tests and the degrees are recognized by the Medical Council of India.
SSMA Dean Prof Z V Stoyana who is also in Goa, said that the University was ideally located for students where weather conditions are favourable. The SSMA, she said also has some of the best facilities for students and caters to all needs of Indian students particularly food and above all safety and security.
The SSMA team along with the A J Trust is conducting an enrollment session tomorrow at Hotel Mandovi in Panjim from 10 am to 1 pm and at Hotel Nanutel in Margao from 3 pm to 7 pm.

Lulu Fortes Re-creates Chris-Lorna Magic at Kalaangann
by Richie Lasrado Daijiworld.com Mangalore

Pics Praveen Tauro Kulshekar
Mangalore, May 7:

The combination of the Goan Nightingale Lorna and the late music maestro Chris Perry has cast its spell over Konkani music-lovers in Goa, Mangalore, Mumbai and the world over not only over the past years, but it will continue to do so for many years to come.

The magic was re-created in the Kalaangann amphitheatre at Shaktinagar in the city on Sunday evening by young and talented singer Lulu Fortes from Goa, joined by her husband Philip on the bass guitar and Safflo on the keyboards and vocals. It was the 65th edition of the monthly theatre ('Moinealli Manch') presented by Mandd Sobhann on the first of Sunday of every month.
Mandd Sobhann 'pirjent' Eric Ozario welcomed the gathering. Amphitheatre donor Ronald Mendonca and Gracy Ganga Naik auditorium donor Fr Ramesh Naik Bandodkar, who were specially present on the occasion, were honoured by president Louis J Pinto.

The mood for the evening was set with the first song 'Lisboa' and then on it was a long string of memorable Chris Perry numbers, most of them originally rendered by Lorna. Lulu did her best to be faithful to the original renditions.
'Red Rose', 'Sacrament Zoddlo', 'Tuzo Mog', 'Chup Chup', 'Pisso', 'Meera Meera', 'Paka Paka', 'Cu-cu-ru-cu', 'Zila-Lila', 'Aikat mhozo tallo', 'Bebdo', 'Marie Marie' - and more, each of them won the hearts of the audience, which was enjoying the songs with rapt attention.

Goan For A Walk
April 29, 2007

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=3432a82a-b36d-4412-bacc-c04d8fdb9182#

Goa. The moment you think of this former Portuguese colony, what comes to mind is sunny beaches, nude sun bathing, carnivals, drinking and dancing ...all night.
But that, says Savia Viegas, 49, is not really Goa. Not the real Goa, at least. "That is the tourism-driven image of the state," says Viegas. "The government cashed in on the hippie culture of the '60s and '70s to promote this feast-and-fiesta kind of image of Goa. But the people here are more melancholic, more serious, more rooted in their culture."
That which is their true culture. An agrarian one at the base, with large sprinklings of Arab, Aryan and Hindu customs, traditions and perhaps blood, too, that has been assimilated into the later Christian practices imposed on the Goans by the Portuguese.
Viegas, an art historian, who formulated an entire syllabus in Heritage Management for the Bombay University in 2004, is now attempting to return Goa to its original moorings. She is making a start from Carmona, her own village, and will, later this year, deliver to the Union Ministry of Culture an entire photographic history of her home state. She has received a fellowship from the Ministry to study Goa through its photographs and over the past two years, has collected veritable treasures in family photographs from all over the state, dating back to 1881.
She's done so by literally barging into homes, demanding to see family albums. "The photographs show how the homes really were, the furniture, the artifacts, the family gatherings; they bring the culture and tradition alive," she explains. Viegas has just written a book called Tales from the Attic, a slim hived-off version of a larger one called In the Hour of Eclipse. Expectedly, the book is not about drinking, dancing, feasts and fiestas. Instead, it takes off from the culture depicted in a thousand photographs.
Viegas even does a 'walk the book' tour, accosting unsuspecting tourists on the beaches, selling them the book in which she has deliberately and purposefully retained Goan idioms and definitions without explanation. So people come in to see what an osrear really is - not a verandah as is popularly thought, but an inward-looking room in the house.
"They just love it," says Viegas, "they're getting to know more of Goa than just its beaches." Getting to meet the author of Tales from the Attic also tickles them pink. A British tourist Joan Counsel says, "The book was enchanting and the walk was a refreshing change from the usual tourist experience. We got to see the inside of the village, the real lives of the people as against just the ones on the beaches."

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=3432a82a-b36d-4412-bacc-c04d8fdb9182