News Clips from Goa
 

Seeking Favors

A Hindu woman wishing for a grandchild purchases a wax replica of a baby outside the Our Lady of Miracles Church in Goa, India, on April 27. Devotees, including Hindus, converge on the church for the annual feast day. Courtesy: UCAN

Hindus Join Marian Feast In Western India http://www.indiancatholic.in/news/storydetails.php/11984-1-11-Hindus-join-Marian-feast PANAJI, India : Thousands of Hindus who believe that the Blessed Mother is a sister of a Hindu goddess have joined a Marian feast in a Goa village. The feast "is not limited to Catholics alone," remarks Irwin Fonseca, a journalist and parishioner of the Church of St. Jerome in Mapusa, where the feast of Our Lady of Miracles was celebrated on April 27. The number of Hindus coming for the event has led to the celebration being extended for two more days every year, he said. During those days, Hindus wait in serpentine queues to pay their respects to the Blessed Mother and pour oil over her statue, Fonseca said. The statue of Our Lady of Miracles is placed in a stall on the premises, managed by Handmaids of Christ Sister Doris D'Cunha. The statue is placed on a metal wire mesh so that oil poured over it collects in a vessel underneath. The oil is then resold to those waiting in line. Each devotee pays 25 rupees (US$0.50) for a teacup of oil. Sister D'Cunha said the custom of pouring oil is rooted in Hindu tradition. Catholics also follow this Hindu practice. "I don't know why I am doing it but other Catholics also pour oil," said Teresa Alcantro, a parishioner, soon after performing the ritual. The stall also sells miniature replicas of body parts. D'Cunha said people offer the replicas to the Blessed Mother to seek cures for ailments corresponding to those parts of the body. Chandrakant Chodenkar, a Hindu, said his people hold the Blessed Mother "in deep reverence" as they believe she is "one of the seven sisters of our goddess."After the ritual of oil pouring, Hindus also enter the church to kiss the feet of a larger Marian statue kept inside, and pray for favors. Hindus believe Our Lady of Miracles to be Mirabai, a sister of the Hindu goddess Lahirai, the presiding deity at a temple in Shirgao-Bicholim, about 15 kilometers north of Mapusa. The temple celebrates its feast on April 29. Fonseca says oil came to be used at the Catholic feast because of a belief that in ancient times, during the feast days of the church and temple, the temple would send oil to the church, while the church would send flowers in return. Father Feroz Fernandez, editor of "Vavraddencho Ixtt" (worker's friend), a Church weekly, said that such interreligious interaction has "helped maintain Hindu-Catholic unity." Father Fernandez said Catholics also visit the Hindu temple primarily to witness its rituals, which include barefoot devotes walking on fire as a mark of sacrifice and devotion. Courtesy : UCAN

Archbishop plea to walk faithfully in Christ's footsteps "This is what all of us, as disciples of Jesus, are called to do: to allow ourselves to be constantly touched by the love of Jesus, to walk faithfully in his footsteps and witness courageously to him, strengthened by prayer, nourished by the word of God and empowered by the sacraments, particularly by the eucharist" said the Archbishop-Patriarch Filipe Neri Ferrao to the delegates of the Western Region Mission Congress at Pilar on May 3. The Archbishop was delivering a homily at a mass in Pilar where 13 bishops and about 50 priests concelebrated with a choir from Taleigao. [TOI]

Prices of live fattened pigs plummet Alexyz Cartoon- www.goacom.com The live fattened pig, which traditionally commands a very high price during the summer season, has seen its worth plummet this time around, say pork vendors. Caution amidst the swine flu scare has been the cause of falling sales, say pork vendors. "The price of a live fattened pig - a local one - would be around Rs 3,000. Yorkshire pigs fetch even upto Rs 12,000," a butcher said, adding "This year, the demand has decreased and pig rearers are anxious to dispose off their stocks," he said. [TOI]

Significant drop in tourist arrival in Goa A significant drop in the number of chartered flights and tourists arriving in the state could perturb the tourism industry in the state. The sources at the Dabolim airport told "The Navhind Times" that the air passenger arrival in the state during 2007-08 was 25,79,730 which included 4,34,399 foreign tourists. In the year 2008-09, the tourists arriving in the state by air came down to 22,21,967 which included 3,89,667 foreign tourists. Subsequently, there was also a drop in the number of chartered flights with 660 arriving in 2008-09 as compared to that of 763 in 2007-08. [Sudesh Bhosle, NT]

Goans turn to Belgaum to beat the summer Goa may be the land of the sun and sand, but the searing heat has forced Goans to temporarily shun third land in favour of cooler places. Large numbers of Goans from all walks of life have been rushing to Belgaum, the green and cool city, especially during weekends. While temperatures in Belgaum have also risen to a year’s high of 38 degree Celsius in the afternoons, the comparatively cooler mornings and evening here are soothing the Goan gusts, who have combine their weekend either with shopping, a routine health check-up or entertainment. [H]

Tourists feel unsafe on Bardez beaches A huge rush is being witnessed these days on the beaches of Anjuna, Calangute, Vagator and Baga, with most of the people flocking the beaches including locals and Indian tourist. However, due to the careless attitude of the tourism department, these beaches seem to be lacking the necessary infrastructure to ensure safety of the tourists. [NT]

Despite odds, Russians rush to Goa Irrespective of the meltdown, job losses and wage cuts, for thousands of vacation-going Russians this season, the sun has continued to shine in Goa. Even as the coastal state with its palm-fringed coastline and sun-soaked beaches saw a drop in the number of tourists from other European countries, which form the bulk of its foreign visitors, it was the Russians are coming' buzz that kept tourism alive and kicking in coastal tourism pockets. From the nearly 2 lakh foreigners who visit Goa each tourist season from October to March, Russians rank second in the list of arrivals. [TOI]

Air conditioner sales shoot up as temperatures soar The sale of air conditioners has risen exponentially in the past month as citizens desperately try to beat the heat coupled with increased humidity, say shop owners. “We used to normally sell five air conditioners per month but now we are selling around 30 per month,” says Mr Jeetu Shirodkar of Maruti Sales, a consumer durable showroom in the city. “This year the sales have been more than the last year due to a reduction in the cost and also due to heat,” he added. [NT]

Tribute to Frank Fernand May 3, 2009, will mark the 90th birth anniversary of Frank Fernand, the legendary film producer and music director to whom Goans owe two immortal Konkani films "Amchem Noxib" and "Nirmonn". Popular Konkani writer/columnist Isidore Dantas will pay tributes to the eminent Goan on Asmita Channel of All India Radio, Mumbai (B) at 6.35 p.m. on May 3. Frank also produced two Hindi films "Priya" and "Ahat" besides providing the musical score to Konkani film "Mhoji Ghorkan’n" and to Hindi film "Chor Darwaja". [GoaNewsClips]

The Goan legacy… Living on in Uganda The first Goans arrived in the country (Uganda) by sea to Mombassa, used bullock-drawn carts or walked the 400 miles to Kisumu from where they canoed into Entebbe at Kigungu landing site. They were cooks, butlers, tailors, carpenters and a few were educated and ran businesses… Other accounts link the Goan migration into East Africa to the relationship with the British dating back to Lord Arthur Wellesley’s army during the Napoleonic era which had two companies composed of Goans. The Uganda Railway also brought in a fair number of Goans. [Esther Namugoji, Herald2day]

Tuskers return to haunt Pernem locals Two wild elephants have returned to haunt residents of Hankhane-Pernem. Workers at the banana and coconut plantations made futile efforts to drive away the wild elephants by beating drums and firing crackers. [H]

Woman dies of snake bite A 56-year-old woman, Concesao Pereira from Taleigao, died from a snake bite early May 1. A snake bit Mrs Pereira when she had gone to the toilet, just outside her house, in the wee hours of the day. She was rushed to the hospital but she breathed her last before she could be admitted. [H]