Goa News Clips
 

Goa Bans Beach Parties From Dec 23 To Jan 5 Panaji, Dec 19 (IANS) In a move which could send wrong signals to Goa-bound vacationers, the state government Thursday banned parties and celebrations on beaches and other open areas from Dec 23 to Jan 5 citing 'safety reasons'. Home minister Ravi Naik told reporters after a Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting that parties and celebrations inside hotels and other closed areas would be permitted. He further said that the ban was ordered following a recommendation by the CLP, which is headed by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat. "The CLP has recommended that the beach parties should not be allowed between December 23 and January 5 due to safety reasons and to avoid crowding on the beaches and open spaces," Naik said. "The hotels can hold their parties. The ban is on those events which are organised on beaches and open spaces," Naik said. "The Collectors have been asked to draw up formal orders about the ban, which should be done by tomorrow," an official told IANS. The CLP's decision comes on the heels of an extremely lean patch for the Goan tourism industry, which is reeling under the effects of global recession and the Mumbai terror strikes. According to a recently circulated cabinet note and other intelligence inputs, Goa is also reported to be on the Al Qaeda radar. The Goa Police have upped the security in the state by several degrees following the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes. During the festive week starting from Christmas to New Year, Goa is popular for beach parties which are a huge draw for tourists, as well as dances and jam sessions that are a rage with the Goan youth. These essentially open air events during the latter part of the year, also form the backbone of the Goan entertainment industry, which will be severely affected by the decision. Goa, which in the past saw nearly two million tourists flocking to its shore each tourist season, is witnessing its worst tourism season yet. IANS

CHRISTMAS IN GOA - 1573 The account below is that of Francois Pyrard, who visited Goa and the East, is taken from a book of’ his travels published in Paris,1615. Reprinted from the December 1973 Newsletter of the G.O.A.-UK On Christmas Day in all the churches are represented the mysteries of the Nativity, with divers characters and animals introduced speaking; also marionettes and large rocks, and men within who make these figures act and speak as they will; everyone goes to see it. Even in most of the houses and at the cross streets they do the same; all along the streets, throughout the squares and wards, are tables laid with fine white napery, and covered with all manner of sugar—plums, dry comfits, marzipan, fashioned in a thousand ways, whereof everyone buys to give away in presents. It is like a fair and lasts until after Twelfth Night. By night they go and affix large bills inscribed with an Ano Bom, that is to say “Happy New Year“, accompanying the same with instruments of music.

Christmas in Goa- 1973 Written by: Monte De Souza – Portavaddo – Siolim Goa Reprinted from the December 1973 Newsletter of the G.O.A.-UK In Goa today the approach of Christmas is heralded months in advance when villagers start white washing their homes in and out. Here and there a lone shoemaker and tailor gather advance X’mas orders and the village pig is being fattened. The Post Office depicts posters for people to send their Christmas cards more economically by sea mail. Gradually brighter articles appear in Cities, buntings, white kite paper; flickering bulbs; crackers, presentable articles and last-minute greeting cards. A day or two prior to the 25th day of December, every village hears the sound of barking dogs, which are drowned by the continuous crying of a pig. For the last night of existence, the fatted-pig is bound hand and feet, only to be relieved of breathing at daybreak. Rationing of grain is no barrier for the requirements of Christmas day food preparations. Every Christian home and locality is decorated with a white home- made star hanging near the main entrance door. Thus every Catholic is awaiting for the midnight bell to peal. To Goa and the rest of the Christian world, the 24th night is a sleepless night. People crowd the churches, till the Church Ministers announce the birth of Christ, or suddenly the image of Infant Baby is exposed, and immediately every bell sounds with joy, crackers burst, and Gloria-In-Excel sis -Deo—Deo is in the air. Prostrating themselves, all pay their humble respect while. Senior men take an extra dose at the bar, to warm themselves for the homeward march. Most women are engrossed in the day’s thoughts. By daybreak, few groups are hanging here and there, most take a couple of hours sleep. The bright sun of the 25th is up, and the best is every house is shining, a smile, interior— decorations, bottle and glass on the table, the kitchen is the busiest. All waiting to welcome one another. A visit by a Goan coming from overseas to one of these houses, could crown the day’s extra joy. You will be greeted with “Boss Festas de Natal” or “Joyful Christmas” if you happen to return from Portuguese or British territories. ‘Neurea, cal-cal’ and a variety of home made sweets and cake with ‘Cajel & Mardel’ will be served to you. If you happen to stay for the afternoon, the dishes on the table will be appetizing, ‘Sarne & Vore’ ‘Sorpatel, buch, baked—leitao’ and pulao rich with plantains will be some of the rich delicacies. The heavy meal will be followed by ease and 40—winks. The younger generation will be getting ready to get to the dancer hall, where finally they will tune to “good—morning, good—morning......” Some, on the street will be softly singing “Holy Night” thus the Christmas day will vanish. The festive feeling will linger on for a week or two, till the seasoned sorpatel is completely wiped—off the touli and New Year makes its appearance. The white star will now be dismantled from its hangings, indicating the end of the festive season.

Christmas in Goa – 2008 Excerpts from: http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Goa/Benaulim/blog-236093.html By: Laurie and Viv Birch In the run up to Christmas an air of excitement prevails. Local markets are filled with special foods and Christmas decorations. Churches and houses are strung with coloured lights and complex nativity scenes are built to illustrate the Christmas story. Many of these scenes were large and elaborate with a beautifully painted cast of plaster characters. As the big day loomed, hastily cobbled together groups of carol singers toured the restaurants in the hope of earning a few Rupees. Santa - complete in red outfit and white beard - was driven slowly through the streets of Benaulim in the back of a pick-up truck as he shook hands and dispensed sweets to local children. While the story of the nativity and the true meaning of Christmas was strongly upheld, it was nevertheless interesting to see that, even here, 'Santa Claus' had filtered his way into and become a part of the local Christmas culture. Not to be outdone by what was happening around us, we decorated our room with tinsel and a string of cheap fairy lights from the market in Margao. Cards from friends and relatives hung from the line supporting our mosquito net. Bottles of Goan port and brandy added the final touch to our supply of festive cheer. On Christmas Eve, with excitement reaching fever pitch, we joined crowds of Goans attending Midnight Mass at the Holy Trinity church in Benaulim. We went along more or less out of curiousity and a desire to experience all that a Goan Christmas had to offer. After all, this was one of the holiest nights of the Christian calendar and we had come to Goa - not simply to relax but also to experience its culture. Everyone had turned out for the service in their smartest clothes. We had done the best we could with our limited wardrobes but still felt decidedly 'underdressed' among all the sharp suits, shiny leather shoes and sequined dresses. The church itself was huge, which was just as well. By our conservative estimates, there were more than 2000 people thronging the pews and upper balconies of its high-ceilinged interior. The Roman Catholic mission to Goa had obviously been extremely successful, for the Goans had adopted all the pomp and ceremony of the Catholic religion and practised it with vigour. The service lasted 1½ hours, though it was longer for many of the other church-goers since they had gone early to take confession before they attended Mass. The entire service was conducted in the local language, Konkani - even the hymns. We recognised old favourites like "Come All Ye Faithfull" but most of the hymns were unfamiliar to us. It soon became obvious that staying for the entire service was going to be something of a challenge but leaving early was not an option. We were in the middle row of the first floor balcony and hemmed in on all sides. Not willing to fight our way through the closely packed seats or endure the disapproving stares, we sat tight and watched proceedings unfold. There was much genuflecting and burning of incense, as you would expect from a Catholic service. There were hymns and bible readings, and a sermon - the real meat of the service - delivered by a bespectacled priest. It was a sermon of the "Fire and Brimstone" variety and although we did not understand the words, we certainly understood its meaning. "It is supposed to be a Silent Night, a Holy Night," the priest intoned in English before lapsing back into Konkani. Down at the beach, the many Christmas parties were already underway and we could hear the occasional burst of fireworks being let off. The priest raised his voice ominously and produced a copy of the "Panjim Herald", waving it accusingly at the congregation. Two pages of the Herald were devoted to advertisements for beachside Christmas parties. The implication was clear. This was meant to be a holy night and such behaviour was sacrilegious. It was also clear that many - if not most of the congregation - were heading straight to the beach to 'party 'til dawn' just as soon as Mass was over. It was obvious from the way many coughed nervously, shuffled their feet or picked at imaginary pieces of lint during the priest's tirade. As the final prayer was offered and everyone bowed their heads in silence, I imagined that many were praying for forgiveness.... and that the party would not be over by the time they got to the beach.

Goa lagging in total sanitation campaign 16 Dec 2008, 0238 hrs IST, Joaquim Fernandes, TNN http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-3843267,prtpage-1.cms PANAJI: Although 2008 has been declared as the International Year of Sanitation and the central government set a target for all states to provide 100 per cent sanitation coverage by 2012, Goa is lagging behind its sanitation coverage, knowledgeable sources said. While states like Sikkim and Maharashtra are winning the Nirmal Gram Puraskar for good sanitation coverage and Kerala is doing very well, Goa has only achieved 75 per cent sanitation coverage, sources said. The chances of meeting the 2012 target of providing 100 per cent sanitation cover in Goa seem bleak. Goa needs to build over 40,000 Sulabh toilets to meet the target by 2012. But the state’s budget allocation for sanitation is only Rs 4 crore. Each Sulabh toilet now costs around Rs 13,000. Unlike in other states, the Sulabh toilets in Goa are fully subsidised. Also, the cost of each toilet is expected to rise to Rs 20,000. At that rate and the size of the budget allocation, Goa will not be able to meet the target, sources said. But its not really an issue of money. The central government launched the Total Sanitation campaign across India including the two district of Goa. It also sanctioned funds but these are of not sizable, sources said. The problem is that while the campaign is run in other states by bodies like the rural district agencies and the zilla panchayats under the direct supervision of the collectorate, in Goa, the state government has “dumped” the responsibility of this campaign on the PWD. Sources said the PWD simply does not have the means to run this campaign which calls for a lot of participation by the people and non-governmental organisations. Sources said running this campaign that involves educating the people is not a PWD domain. Since this campaign began in 1984, around 80,000 Sulabh toilets have been built in Goa. But there is no survey to identify the names and addresses of Goan households that do not have Sulabh toilet. In the absence of an organised campaign, Goan MLAs are giving Sulabh toilets as per their whims and fancies and more like a sop to their voters. That is why, Goan politicians are unlikely to let go off the campaign and give it to some other agency to run in Goa, sources said.

Goa's party season low-key after Mumbai attacks http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gCj87N 2 days ago PANAJI, India (AFP) — The Mumbai attacks have cast a shadow over the Indian resort state of Goa, with its famous end-of-year party season likely to be hit as foreigners stay away and security is tightened. Some 400,000 overseas tourists flock to the former Portuguese colony every year, particularly for Christmas and New Year's Eve, escaping colder climes to soak up the sun and then dance until dawn on its long sandy beaches. But there are concerns about the sharp dip in visitors at what is normally the busiest time of year for the hoteliers, restaurateurs and beach hut owners. "There has been a 20 percent decrease in tourist arrivals," said Ralf D'Souza, president of the Tour and Travel Association of Goa. Some are domestic travellers, including the well-heeled from Mumbai 600 kilometres to the north, who head to the western Indian state for weekend breaks. Others are big-spending foreigners. "There have been cancellations from Russia and the United Kingdom, which make up much of the foreign clientele," D'Souza told AFP. A number of foreign governments, including Britain, Australia and the United States, amended their travel advice for India after the November attacks, which left 172 people dead, including nine gunmen, and injured nearly 300. Israel has warned that year-end celebrations in Goa "could be the target of attacks by Islamist extremists" and urged its citizens to stay away. Russia issued a similar warning to its nationals last week. Yet even before the Mumbai attacks, Goa, made famous as a stop-off on the hippie trail in the 1960s and 1970s and whose party culture is still a big draw, was suffering from a damaged reputation. In February, the body of a 15-year-old British girl, Scarlett Keeling, was discovered on a Goa beach. She was later found to have taken a cocktail of drink and drugs before her death, sparking concerns about the easy availability of illegal substances and the safety of foreign travellers. Tourist authorities and police launched a crackdown when the season began in October, but were then hit by allegations that the son of a state government minister raped a German teenager. The case was later dropped, with the alleged victim's mother claiming she was pressured into doing so by the authorities. State tourism minister Francisco Pacheco said that any attack on Goa would be the final nail in its image as a carefree paradise destination. "We don't mind tourists not coming for this season if they are wary of security but we don't want a terror attack to happen. That will entirely finish Goa's image," he added. With that in mind -- and a recent warning in a leaked memo from the chief minister that the resort could be targeted by Al-Qaeda -- government officials have been busy tightening defences. State police have enlisted the help of the Indian navy, coastguard and marine police to patrol the shores, mindful that the 10 Islamist extremists who attacked Mumbai arrived by sea. Bunkers have been constructed on beaches and the popular night-time tourist markets have been told to increase vigilance and install closed-circuit television cameras as they may be targeted. Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations have not been cancelled but revellers are being told to expect rigid security, and officials are yet to decide on whether to allow beach parties.

Draft report on Goan migration being scrutinised, says Faleiro The Commissioner for NRI Affairs, Mr Eduardo Faleiro has said that the Draft Report on Goan Migration abroad was submitted to his office and is being scrutinised. The Department of NRI Affairs had commissioned this comprehensive survey to the Centre for Development Studies, a government-India organisation. The final report will be released early next year. Mr Faleiro said that his office will also initiate a comprehensive survey next year on migration into Goa both of people from other states of India as well as foreigners and will identify their activities and different aspects of their stay in Goa. [TOI]

Goan hinterland on the brink! En route to Sanvordem via Tilamol is an enticing stretch. It's the Goa of yore, one feels, as one traverses the swathes of this part of the state. Until one is awakened by the rude jerk of reality. The rattle of mining trucks being a grim reminder of the spawning of an industry, the very means of survival of villagers here in Sanguem taluka. Behind the veneer or facade of the 'all-is-well scenario', however, lies encapsulated a sordid saga - a saga of an industry on the brink. An industry pushed to the wall, crying to be saved and given a helping hand, to save Goans in this part of the state from a sure shot of disaster. [Nilesh Khandeparkar and Kevin mascarenhas, WE-GT]

Aldona villagers to create ideal development plan Aldona villagers on December 14 decided to work out what the ideal pattern of development of their village should be, and ask for time for the public feedback to be extended till march 31, 2009. This was decided at a meeting organised by the Aldona Bachao Abhiyan at the Parish Centre, at 4.30 pm, to discuss the draft Regional Plan 2021, with specific focus on how it affects Aldona. A memorandum too is being drafted to express the collective views of the people of Aldona. [NT]

Mando on the banks of the Mandovi! The Goan tradition of singing and dancing the Mando is actually a documentation of the history of our culture, migrations and assimilations. Whether it is the advent of the Europeans in India, the conversions of convenience, the troubles of getting married under colonial rule, the migrations, the wiles of the landed gentry, the cast conflicts, the power struggle between the Ranes and the Portuguese, the Inquisition, Indian liberation and post-liberation realignments, they all find space in the mando, and the dulpods that invariably accompany the mando. The 42nd Mando Festival held at Kala Academy this week bore testimony to this tradition. [Miguel Braganza]

Convention on Konkani literature Dalgado Konknni Akademi (DKA), an organization working for the promotion and development of Konkani in the Roman script, will be organizing the first ever Konkani (Roman script) literature and culture convention on December 20 and 21 at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. Chief minister Digambar Kamat will inaugurate the two-day convention on December 20 at 4.30 pm in the presence of deputy speaker Mauvin Godinho. Eminent personalities from the field of literature and culture will be felicitated on the occasion. Public work department minister Churchill Alemao will be the chief guest for the concluding ceremony. The concluding ceremony will be followed by a tiatr ‘Tandallachem Kestanv’ written by Pai tiatrist Joao Agostinho Fernandes and directed by Anil Kumar. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, working president of the event, Vincy Quadros, said that the convention aims at enhancing the prospects of Konkani literature and culture by offering an opportunity to all those involved in these fields to interact with their fellowmen. “For decades, Roman script Konkani has been struggling to get its due recognition,” Quadros said. [TOI]

Vazra Sakhala waterfalls need urgent attention Water gushing down from a great height always mesmerizes true nature lovers which takes them to a totally different world where they become one with the enchanting beauty of mother nature. Although Goa is well known nationally and internationally as a tourist destination famous for its beaches having silver sands, blue sky and blue water, tourists are not aware about the chain of mountain ranges of the Western Ghats that pass through Goa. [Rajendra P Kerkar, TOI]

Agassaim man booked for threatening to kill priest Agassaim villagers and church council members are assembling after the second service on Sunday morning to deliberate on ways to contain a man who has been attempting to assault the parish priest, Fr Cristovao Caldeira. The notorious man, Francis alias Pakul Gonsalves from Baixo de Igreja, was on December 13 afternoon detained by the Agassaim police for questioning, and later arrested after the priest filed a complaint against him. [H]

Migrants beat Fatorda man to death In a murder that sent shock waves across Fatorda, a resident of Chandravaddo, Paulo Faleiro (56), was beaten to death by a group of migrants on the road leading to his house on December 14 morning. The migrants also assaulted the daughter of the deceased, Sharon Faleiro, after she along with her mother came to the rescue of her father. The Margao police nabbed the main accused Krishna Yadav, a native of Siwan district of Bihar, and four other suspects, from their hideout at Kirbhatt-Nuvem. [H]