Superintendent Cyril Fernandes – Toronto Police,
Site Commander G20 Summit, Featured on Desi-News
http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/Desi-News-Corp/desi-news---june-2010/2010060201/
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As site commander for the G20 summit this month, Toronto police superintendent Cyril Fernandes was busy with training at the airport at the time of this interview.

The senior- most officer of South Asian origin with the Toronto Police - soon to be promoted to staff superintendent - Fernandes heads the Operational Systems Support Group, and is working to make the service more effective and efficient in areas of technology and reporting systems, overseeing a capital budget of $25 million.

This includes effecting change through analyzing, recommending, evaluating and implementing processes and systems, and liaising between operational units, justice and technology partners and the community to ensure highest level of service.

Life has an interesting way of connecting us to the communities our parents left behind many years ago. Born in Nairobi to parents of Goan origin and schooled in England, Fernandes came to Canada in 1974 when his parents immigrated.

A new article about a career in law enforcement gave shape to a young boy's dreams and he signed up in 1976. In a class of 90, there were two women and Fernandes was the only person from a visible minority.

David Castelino Achieves Gold Level in Duke of Edinburgh Awards
http://www.engineering.utoronto.ca/About/Engineering_in_the_News/07_09_2010a.htm

David Castelino, a second-year University of Toronto, Chemical Engineering student, was honoured with a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award of Achievement on July 5th, 2010, along with 199 other young people from across Canada. On a visit to Canada, the Duke of Edinburgh handed out the awards before leaving Toronto the following day.

Castelino, who was interviewed along with another award winner on CBC Radio One’s Metro Morning on the day the award was received, said he was “very humbled” by the ceremony and by meeting the Duke of Edinburgh in person. The awards recognize youth for their volunteerism, physical activity, developing practical and social skills, participating in an expedition and completing a residential experience in which the recipient engaged in an activity away from home. Earlier this summer, Castelino was named one of Canada’s Top 20 Under 20.

Click here to listen to the CBC Radio interview.

Kampala Goan Institute celebrates Centenary of the founding of the Kampala Goan Institute (KGI)
By: Al Mathias

A year in the planning, but over in what seemed to be no time at all, the three days of the KGI centenary celebrations were much anticipated and looked forward to, and absolutely thoroughly enjoyable!

Members of the KGI from around the globe gathered in Toronto - they came from Australia, USA, UK ,Germany, Switzerland, Uganda and other Provinces of Canada - to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the KGI in 1910, and it was wonderful to meet and greet them and hear their comments on recognition (or not!). The 3-day celebrations included a 3-hour cruise around the Toronto harbour, a Gala Dance and Holy Mass followed by the Closing Ceremonies. About 450 people attended each function and it was a great delight to see and meet the seniors who came to the Closing celebrations on the Sunday, to meet old friends and reminisce about "them good ol' days"! All the action over the three days was caught on video by Uvy Lopes of Shooting Stars and a copy will be made available Free of Charge to (each couple) members requesting a copy. Extra copies of the video will be available at $15 per copy, plus shipping and handling charges.

Harbour Cruise: The Celebrations kicked off with a Cruise aboard the 3-deck Northern Spirit which steamed around the Toronto harbour on Thursday June 24th, and luckily all the hype and anxiety of getting to Queens Quay due to the G20 Summit that was scheduled to start the next day, did not disrupt our travel plans. The KGI Banner was prominently displayed on the ship and people enjoyed meeting friends they hadn't met for 38 years...some had difficulty recognizing each other - no need to mention why! As members came aboard they were treated to a glass of punch - alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and while some members socialized, others sat down to the first sitting of a very tasty hot dinner consisting of grilled chicken, salad, pasta, vegetable, dinner rolls, tea and coffee, followed by dessert and fresh fruit, while the Rhythm Nation Band and DJ, led by (Ugandan) Chris Lobo, played the old and new favourites for their dancing pleasure. The music started off with the theme song, "KGI Forever", lyrics, composed by Tom and Joan Francis, to the the old tune "Forever and Ever", and sung by Tom, Joan, Errol, and Delphine Francis and accompanied on the piano by that very popular and talented pianist, our own William Fernandes. The weather for the cruise couldn't have been better; and laughter and shouts of joy could be heard throughout the ship! Coming in to dock at around 10.15 PM members caught an extraordinary sight of the beautifully-lit Toronto downtown and shoreline and the lights on the several high rise buildings in the area gave all aboard a grand view of Toronto by night - a city of fun and entertainment!

As people disembarked the Northern Spirit they were handed a copy of the "action"- packed Souvenir Brochure painstakingly put together by John Nazareth and Al Mathias and edited by John Nazareth.   Those who came in on specially arranged buses had to hurry to get back on, but many others who drove down seemed reluctant to leave and hung around chatting and catching up with the intervening years!

Gala Ball: The Grand Gala Ball was held at the Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton....a huge and beautiful venue and well-suited for such a special occasion!

People started gathering in the foyer at 5.45 PM. What fashion! What glamour! What glitz! Everyone - men and women alike - dressed up and looked resplendent and in fitting style for this once-in-a-hundred-years event! With the help of some alcoholic and non-alcoholic punch and appetizers, continued their meetings with friends of yore , and with those who weren't able to make it to the boat cruise, until 7.00 PM when the doors opened and members entered the hall to the sounds of the Dixie Land Brass Quartet. Although the wait in the foyer was a little crowded, once in the hall, members were very impressed and were heard to comment on the ambiance as being awesome!

The anniversary cake, in the form of the KGI building, was crafted by Osbert Remedios and decorated by Eurema Colaco and Greta Dias. As soon as the Champagne was poured, Chairman Antonio Mascarenhas, in his speech, recognized and thanked all the members of his committee-Denis Pereira, Greta Dias, Eurema Colaco, Seira Furtado, Bertilla De Souza, Almir D”Cunha, Norman D’Souza, Nick D’Mello, Al Lobo and Al Mathias who all worked hard to ensure the success of the three days events and then raised the toast to the occasion. This was followed by a heartwarming speech by Mr Rajni Tailor, Secretary to the KGI in Kampala -unfortunately, the current President of the KGI, Mr Sudhir Ruparelia, could not attend. Three former Presidents of the KGI - Neru Rodrigues, Mark Vaz and Al Lobo - joined Antonio and Ruby in the cutting of the cake. Eurema Colaco said the grace and after that, people were treated to a sumptuous meal of Surf and Turf - Shrimp and New York Steak - with all the vegetables and trimmings and every table was provided with complimentary Red and White wine. At midnight we were treated to a table of delicious late night snacks and refreshments. Dancing, to the multi-lingual band of Goa Amigos and DJ Logan, continued until 1.30 AM and again, there were lots of photographs taken especially with the KGI Banner/Building photograph in the Hall as a backdrop, and lots of catching up with old friends. Once again, some found it hard to recognize old friends after so many years but were visibly happy when they were identified! Perhaps name tags would have been a good idea but would also have detracted from the " wow" element of eventual recognition!

Mass & Closing Ceremonies: The following day, this event was also held at the Pearson Convention Centre and about 450 people attended. We were honoured that many of our seniors graced the event. Holy Mass was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Joe Rodrigues assisted by (Ugandan) Deacon Dr. Terry Da Silva (son of Remy and Mabel Da Silva). The Mass and Choir were extremely well organized by Delphine Francis and Elma D'Costa who made sure that non-Torontonians participated in the readings, offertory gifts and collection baskets, and Michelle Coutinho, who designed and made the beautiful candle holders in the Uganda flag colours. A fine and eloquent reminiscence by a grandson of one of the Founder members, Mr. E A Pinto, was delivered by the Deacon, Dr Terry Da Silva. In remembrance of our founders who sang the Konkani Blessing 100 years ago at their first meeting, the choir sang the same Goan Blessing, Uddon Guellem, with enthusiastic participation by all the attendees!

After Mass there was another sumptuous lunch catering to vegetarian and non-vegatarian needs, followed by dancing and the Closing celebrations. One senior - probably the oldest attending - was that great and popular sportsman and international hockey and cricket player, Michael Teixeira, who completed 92 years a few days later - on June 30th.

Thank you Speeches by Chairman Antonio, and ex-tempore speeches by former KGI President Neru Rodrigues and by Dolly Braganza, all of whom recognized and applauded the three wonderful occasions and thanked all those who worked hard towards the 3-day celebrations. In her comments Dolly Braganza very clearly made the point (loudly cheered by the attendees!) that, regrettably, the women were not featured at the podium! Point well taken and noted for the future! And a final speech by Al Lobo (the executive member responsible for the website) who, on behalf of the Organizing Committee, thanked Denis Pereira for the fine job he had done as emcee for all the three events, and also thanked all the Committee members and their spouses . A special thank you to the Chairman, Antonio Mascarenhas, for all his hard work over the year that it look to plan the celebrations and his 24 hour, seven day a week commitment to the "project; he also thanked Antonio's wife, Ruby and their daughter Maria Renata, for all the support they provided our Chairman. Secretary, Bertilla D'Souza, then presented a lovely bouquet to Ruby on behalf of the Organizing Committee.

All in all, several people who were not initially keen to attend were very glad that they changed their minds and came. By a consensus this was acclaimed to be an absolutely wonderful celebration of the KGI's centenary, and one that will be remembered for a long long time!!

P. S. Brochures & Video:
Those seeking additional copies of the Brochure ( at $5.00 each) , should contact Antonio Mascarenhas or Al Mathias. Those wanting copies of the Video should complete the Form posted on the website and send them in to either of the above two gentlemen. One copy will be given Free of Charge to every couple who attended...extra copies may be purchased at $15 each plus the cost of mailing.

Click here for Kampala Goan Institute Brochure

Goan Swindon Association’s Third Annual Goan Summer Festival boosts community building fund
http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/8266179.print/
11:00am Monday 12th July 2010 | By David Wiles

THOUSANDS of revellers turned up to the third Goan Summer Festival at the County Ground athletics track on Saturday. About 3,000 people came along to the event – organised by Goan Swindon Association – to enjoy attractions, including singing, plays and traditional food.  Association president Santana Souza said: “The aim was to get together to show our culture to our neighbours.

“It was a very good day. At the end there were about 3,000 people.”  The festival saw the athletics track transformed into a festival ground with a large stage and a range of stalls selling Goan food. Several singers performed Goan traditional folk songs in English, Portuguese and Konkani – the native language of Goa.

Tony Rock, a professional singer from Goa, delighted the crowd when he performed songs in all three languages with his band. There were Goan bands and a violin ensemble. Everyone joined in to sing the Mando, the folk songs of Goa, which have been sung in the country for centuries. Children of Goan origin, who attend Swindon schools, performed Bollywood and Indian classical dances. The festival also featured bolkavant gozali, which are short skits or plays.

The chief guest was Francisco Silveira, a member of the Goan Legislative Assembly, who was in Europe for a pilgrimage to Rome, Portugal and Lourdes.  He spoke from the stage, explaining how happy he was to see all the Goan people united as a community in Swindon. The festival raised about £2,000 towards the construction of a community building.

Yodeling King Yodels Canadians - Canara Kala Saanz 2010
http://canaraworld.com/nsite/htdocs/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5789

Toronto Jul 11: On a sweltering July afternoon music fans from across some provinces of Canada and neighbouring states of America gathered at the Meadowvale Theatre to witness the first ever musical nite of Melwyn Peris in Canara Kala Saanz 2010.

The musical show started bang on time with the singing of the National anthem of India and Canada by the little children. Flavian Pinto in his opening address welcomed the guests and gave a precursor of the 6 years of the musical journey of Canara World Foundation, right from its inception. He was filled with pride when he mentioned that Canara World Foundation was the only Organisation outside India and gulf countries, who had succeeded in bringing so many Mangloarean performing artists to North America. He also introduced the Anchor Host of the evening’s show Mr. Donald Alva, who ably conducted the show in a gracious manner.

The curtain raiser was the famous song "Konkani Kalakaram" sung by Melwyn and the local talented singers Gerry D'Mello, Wilson D'Souza, Lara Rebello, Sonia Monteiro, Lawrence Pinto & Manorah, they were well complemented by Joyson D'Souza's music. The songs "Jane" "Chintham" "Dabazo" "Konn Tho Xolo""Mhataro Ghov" "Sobith Xoli" "Mogachem Mol" " Soro Koincho" "Ek free" "Sophia" "Dadbad Naach" & "Hein Mangler Amche" went on rolling by and so did the time. The fans did not want to leave the auditorium as they were looking forward to more songs and jokes. The Yodelling king yodelled his way into the hearts of all Mangalorean's in Canada. As the fans departed from the theatre there was nostalgic feeling in the hearts of all the audience that had either heard him before or were there to hear him first time.

Click here to read more...

Indian Lady Is Trinidad's Prime Minister Trinidad's PM
www.dilsedesi.org
24 June 2010 | By Nazma Muller (BBC) | Sent by Rudy Fernandes

Barely 24 hours after she was sworn in as the first woman prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar donned a life jacket and waded into the flood waters to tour areas affected by torrential rains sweeping across the Caribbean.

A devout Hindu, she swore on the Bhagavad Gita - the Hindu holy book - to do her duty to her people. Even as congratulations poured in from around the world, she remained focused on "dealing with the people's business".

It was the most important task at hand, she told her 1.3m citizens during the live televised address of her historic swearing-in ceremony. A descendant of Indian indentured labourers who came to Trinidad to work the sugar plantations from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between 1845 and 1917, Ms Persad-Bissessar grew up with traditional Indian values and strong religious ties.

The landslide victory of the coalition led by her United National Congress (UNC) party in last month's election has brought a sense of euphoria and feeling of hope to this incredibly wealthy republic. Trinidad and Tobago has sailed smoothly through the global recession, cushioned by a sea of oil and natural gas.