Announcements
 

55PGA -Goan Short Story Contest - invitation to participate http://www.goanvoice.ca/2009/issue19/Ref/55PGS_tips.pdf  It is often that we hear about people we know who are keen on ensuring that their stories are somehow captured so that these gems can be shared with friends and family over time. Now members of our community have an opportunity to do what they hoped to accomplish but did not have the resources to translate their desires into actionable next steps. Our Book Club leader, Rudi Rodrigues, is a gifted professional who has agreed to help those interested to participate in this interesting project. Full details are provided in the attachment. We would hope that those interested may be able to participate. I'm truly excited about this initiative and I'm sure that you will share my enthusiasm. This project is scheduled to proceed soon and we would hope that this provides a venue not only for creativity - capturing Goan culture for posterity. If you or others have any questions Rudi Rodrigues will be pleased to provide additional details. Click here for more details Rudy Fernandes President, 55Plus Goan Association -West GTA.

Travel Advisory Your Overseas Citizen Of India Card Is Not A Visa Substitute When coming to India always consider yourself a foreigner and bring your visa with you, there will be no exceptions. Your OCI card is not a visa substitute. Advice given to Canadian Passport holder with OCI Card: When I arrived at Mumbai airport this time, the Immigration Officer noticed that my Canadian Passport (with my OCI endorsement) expires in May 2010. He told me that when I renew my Canadian Passport, I should keep the old one (with the OCI endorsement) together with the OCI card; otherwise the OCI card on its own will not be valid. It pays to know the law. See Also http://www.cgitoronto.ca/ovrseasreg/ovrseasregocibenefits.htm Read Experience of Indian Professor My dual citizenship woes: my recent experience with the immigration department at the Kolkata Airport and the lessons i learnt My advice to all my friends who hold an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) Card and those who aspire to get one. I am an American citizen. I also carry an OCI card (Overseas Citizen of India) since 2007.  On Saturday, June 20, 2009, I arrived at the Kolkata Netaji Subhas Airport from Detroit via Singapore , by Singapore Airlines (SQ 516) at 10:30 P.M. I presented myself to an Immigration Officer ( Mr. Biswas ) for immigration clearance. I gave him my American passport and my OCI card. He demanded to see my visa from the Indian consular office. Unfortunately, that visa was attached to my old passport and I did not bring it with me. I explained to him that I am sorry I forgot to bring my old passport but since I do possess a valid OCI Card that would automatically mean that I do also possess a permanent (life long) visa for India and there are proofs that I have traveled multiple times to India after I had received my OCI card. Mr. Biswas detained me for two hours inside the airport and then he told me that he is going to allow me to stay in India for 72 hours and asked me to report to the Foreign Relations Regional Officer (FRRO) in the city within 72 hours. He kept my passport. During all that time I had no opportunity either to approach his OC (Officer in Charge) although I asked for it, or to contact my relatives who came to the airport to receive me and were waiting outside and had no idea why I was being held back or if I have even arrived. Forgetting to bring my old passport was my own fault but I 'forgot' to bring it partly because I knew I have my OCI Card with me and I thought, that means something, I really believed that I am a citizen of India too. Why would a citizen also need a visa to enter his own country? I thought I have a dual citizenship for both the USA and India . Other wise, what is the difference between an ordinary foreigner and the OCI Card holder? Next day was a Sunday, I called a friend in Ann Arbor who went into my house, got my old passport and sent me the scanned copy of my old passport and a copy of my permanent visa by e-mail. So, on Monday I went to see Mr. Bibhas Talukdar , the FRRO. He hardly looked at the documents (the scanned visa) that I had with me he simply asked me to get my old passport by courier mail within another seven days. He appeared gleeful telling me that it is only out of "pity" that he is allowing me to stay in India for seven more days. He was totally unimpressed by either my status as a Professor Emeritus of the University of Michigan or my age (70+) I called my friend in Ann Arbor again who then sent my old passport by FedEx. Three days later the passport arrived. Since I had to leave Kolkata for prescheduled visit to Bangalore , my niece took it to Mr. Talukdar . But due to lack of communication between the FRRO office and the airport immigration department my passport had not arrived at the city office even after 9 days. My niece had to go to the FRRO's office three times once waiting until 6 P.M. still they did not have my passport. They only promised: "it will come soon". At last, 12 days after my arrival, my niece got my passport. From this painful and anxiety provoking experience I have learned a few valuable lessons: The loud talk about "Dual Citizenship" for Indian Americans is just a political hoax. The OCI card just does not have any value. It is just a piece of expensive junk. You still need a visa every time you travel to India whether or not you possess an OCI card. Only difference is that for the high price of getting an OCI card you will get a "life long " visa. A 10-year visa is much cheaper. When coming to India always consider yourself a foreigner and bring your visa with you, there will be no exceptions. Your OCI card is not a visa substitute. In fact, you will probably be treated worse than an ordinary foreigner arriving without a valid visa. Because a foreigner especially a white Caucasian will at least be treated with courtesy and probably offered a temporary visa if there is no reason to deny it, but not you. Please feel free to forward this mail to any of your friends who may befit from my experience. Especially feel free to forward this to any influential politician or civil servant in India that you may know. Sujit K. Pandit M.D. Professor Emeritus Department of Anesthesiology University of Michigan Ann Arbor , MI 48109, USA sujitpandit@hotmail.com

Konkani Film at Toronto International Film Festival Posted: 08 Sep 2009 11:20 AM PDT | Source TIFF: Sent by goatoronto.com The Man Beyond the Bridge Paltadacho Munis by Laxmikant Shetgaonkar Drawing together a keen environmental sensitivity with a nuanced view of village dynamics, The Man Beyond the Bridge is a rare find from rural India. Unfolding in Konkani – a language with no unique script that almost never appears in films – this is a gentle romance set against the lovely forest setting of Goa's Western Ghats. Vinayak is a forest ranger. His wife has died, leaving him lonely as he patrols vast areas of protected landscape. One day, he finds a madwoman cowering behind his house. He offers her shelter, and slowly, a tentative relationship begins to form. Each night he leaves out food for her, and each night she returns to eat and sleep in his yard. Ignoring the gossip of the nearby village, which casts out anyone with a mental illness, Vinayak soon takes the woman into his home, and then into his bed. But when she becomes pregnant, it is he who risks becoming an outcast. Laxmikant Shetgaonkar was born in Goa, India. He studied theatre arts and began his career as an acting instructor at the National School of Drama in New Delhi. He has directed several theatre productions, as well as both documentary and fiction films. His films include A Seaside Story (05) and The Man Beyond the Bridge (09). PUBLIC SCREENINGS Monday September 14 06:30PM SCOTIABANK THEATRE 3 Wednesday September 16 08:45PM SCOTIABANK THEATRE 4 Saturday September 19 10:00AM VARSITY 1

Dr Ribeiro Goan School Ex-Students Announcements Sent: September 3, 2009 | From: Andrew George (dr.ribeiro.goan.school@gmail.com) 2009 Toronto Ex-students Reunion, September 23 –27 21 Days to go to the first Toronto Reunion event. If you have already purchased your tickets for the Reunion Gala Ball kindly ignore this, in the event you haven't.......you can find the latest reunion information here: http://sites.google.com/site/2009torontoreunion/   Dr. Ribeiro Goan School Sports Album Got any school sports photos to share? You can view the latest submissions here: http://sites.google.com/site/drgshome/home/photos-video We will be publishing any old school photos and 2009 reunion photos on October 5, 2009. Please scan and send your old school photos or digital reunion photos by September 30, 2009 to: dr.ribeiro.goan.school@gmail.com See you at the reunion!