Selma Carvalho's Book 'Into the Diaspora Wilderness' Launched at the UK Goan Festival
Based on Article by Venkata Vemuri
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100724/884/twl-book-on-goan-diaspora-readies-for-br.html
Ordering details at : http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/

Pic shows Selma Carvalho, with Mervyn Maciel, author of “Bwana Karani”

The Goan Festival in London saw the launch of a book on Goan diaspora experiences. And first-time author Selma Carvalho, who has lived in Dubai, the US and now Britain, insists she is simply 'a Goan'.

The 290-page 'Into the Diaspora Wilderness' throws light, perhaps for the first time, on the ties between the Goans and Britons, right from the times of the British Empire to the modern day and in locations spanning East Africa, the Middle East and Britain itself. Carvalho, who has family in Nuvem and Vasco in the Indian state of Goa, says she 'grew up in Dubai when the place was just an arid patch of land with a few houses huddled around the Creek'. She has been based in the US and then in Britain with her husband Savio and young daughter Lauren.

But at heart, she's simply a Goan.

She told IANS: 'I've lived in Dubai, the US and now the UK. I am a Goan. I kind of know about the lives of Goans in the diaspora across the continents. I thought of putting this wealth of information together to let people know how Goans have balanced their identity in the global diaspora. 'It's a kind of combination of a memoir, family history, taking stories from the community. It's about nostalgia. But I have also given an economic and political backdrop to the stories the book takes up.'

The book, published by Broadway Publishing House, tells little-known stories of Goans who ventured out to far-off lands to make their name and begin a new life. Drawing on their experiences, one such focus is on the lives and adventures of the Goan 'tarvottis' (ship staff) whose earnings, as they coursed the waters right up to East Africa, propped up their home economy in the early 20th century.

The book tells the story of independent Kenya's first martyr Pio Gama Pinto, the expulsion of Goans from Malawi, the bombing of the ship M.V. Dara in Dubai in 1961, in which many Goans, including crew, died, the Gulf War which unsetttled the large Goan comminity living in the Gulf countries, and Goans of Swindon in Britain.

It brings to the fore the behind-the-scenes experiences of Goan 'lads' who worked for the famous explorer Sir Richard Burton. It relives the turbulent times when Goans from East Africa began to re-settle in the US and Britain.

Says Carvalho: 'People generally know about the relationship of the Goans and the Portuguese. But there is an equally strong relationship the Goans have had with the British, particularly in East Africa and the Middle East.

'Today there are many Goans in the UK and the current generation of them clearly says they're British. They have been assimilated into society to a large extent.'

She says she is naturally excited that her book is being launched in Britain and that too at a Goan festival. It is the country's premier Goan annual event held in Croydon in south London. The book will be launched in Goa next month.

(Venkata Vemuri can be contacted at venkata.v@...)

The Goan Michelangelo
http://www.navhindtimes.in/iexplore/goan-michelangelo
Published on: July 21, 2010 - 22:22 | By Vivek Menezes

The Goan monsoon arrives heaven-sent, a blessing from the divine. This year there’s more reason for gratitude - the rains have brought the return of Dr Jose Pereira to his homeland, carrying a stunningly beautiful new suite of artworks.

‘Epiphanies of the Hindu Gods’ will be on view at the XCHR in Porvorim from July 24. It is another singular contribution to our culture from a man who has given us his all for so many decades. Jose Pereira’s life confounds every stereotype and pigeonhole. He is a conservative Catholic, but also a world-renowned Sanskrit scholar and Indologist. He’s written dozens of books on theology, history, architecture, language and music, but also steadily carved out a place for himself alongside our most significant iconographers. This is the artist responsible for the only contemporary example of fresco buono in India, a magnificent tableau painted on fresh plaster, a la Michelangelo, on a groined vault of the chapel at Borda. It is simply a masterpiece.

But it is these ‘Epiphanies of the Hindu Gods’ that permanently underline Dr Pereira’s worth as an artist. The beautiful pastels have been painted by a man on the cusp of his ninetieth decade, despite ongoing health problems caused by Parkinson’s disease. We would have understood if our tireless polymath now sat back to appreciate the plaudits he’s earned in his prodigious, peerless scholarly career - but Dr Pereira is not like that. He’s unstoppable, and his genius cannot be shackled. And so we come to reckon with these lush, epiphanic pastels, painted by this toweringly great Catholic theologian, in sincere, devotional tribute to his Hindu patrimony.

In a way, these paintings represent a closing of the great circle opened when Jose Pereira (b 1931) embarked on his studies in Bombay. Already aware of his exceptional capacities, he spent his mornings studying Sanskrit at Siddarth College, and the rest of the day immersed in the J J School of Art alongside contemporaries like Tyeb Mehta.

Circumstances led to a stellar scholarly career, but it is interesting to note that his art practice never went away altogether. Alongside this historic suite rendered in 2010, there are other hitherto unknown canvases by Dr Pereira on display at the XCHR. Among them is a superb nude self-portrait from 1946, which predates the notorious nude self-portrait by another Goan, Francis Newton Souza, which kick-started the new wave in modern Indian art. In fact, the entire body of work on display in Porvorim after July 24 makes an undeniable case for Dr Pereira to be included alongside the great artists of his generation, much less known but no less important than Souza, Vasudeo Gaitonde and Laxman Pai.

‘Epiphanies of the Hindu Gods’ are rendered in a realistic idiom, which Pereira says “frees the drama in the themes from the constriction of iconographic formulas.” There is monumental scholarship backing each image. ‘Nrttaganapati’ is derived from a quotation from Somadeva, the 11th century saint-poet. The ‘Sesasayi Visnu’ is based on a verse by Visakhadatta, the Gupta-era Sanskrit dramatist, and the ‘Dasavatarasamuha’ on a description by Vedantadesika, the 13th century Vaishnava guru. Some paintings are based on Chola sculpture and Thanjavur temple carvings, and others depict scenes as described in the Ramayana, the Bhagavata Purana and Gitagovinda.

In his curatorial essay, written for the paradigm-shifting exhibition ‘Aparanta’ (Panaji, 2007) the extraordinary art critic and poet Ranjit Hoskote wrote about finding in Goa “inspired individuals who defy the apathy of India and the defeatism of their peers”, who work in the context of “compelling psychic and historical contents that spur them on to artistic exploration.” Though his paintings were largely unknown at the time Hoskote curated Aparanta to unprecedented national acclaim, Dr Pereira’s art fits that description perfectly.

When you consider that these stirring, unforgettable images have been rendered by a great polymathic scholar at the summation of a magnificent career devoted to classical India, the work takes on a transcendent aspect that is ideally suited to the subject matter. We are lucky to be able to see these instant classics in ideal conditions at the XCHR, where they are juxtaposed with Dr Pereira’s previous work. And thus we begin to get the measure of this remarkable artistic career, with its strands encompassing both India and the West, the past and the present.

Escape from Uganda
www.cbc.ca/promisedland  
Promised Land with host Natasha Fatah.

In 1972, Ugandan Dictator Idi Amin announced that all Asians, regardless of their citizenship had to pack up and leave the country - and he gave them only ninety days to get out. Thousands of those of Asian Ugandans found refuge in Canada, including Anwer Omar. This year, nearly four decades, later Anwer and hundreds of other exiled Ugandans gather for a reunion picnic. Hear their stories on Escape from Uganda.

Right click to Download Escape from Uganda
[mp3 file: runs 27:54]

On the Victoria Day long weekend, at a park outside Toronto, there was a gathering of hundreds of Asian Ugandans. They had all been expelled from their native country in 1972. They had been ordered to leave by the Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin. And he had given them only 90 days to get out. Here are some of the voices from the reunion picnic.

http://www.cbc.ca/promisedland/natashas-blog/2010/06/23/escape-from-uganda-preview/
Towards the end of the tape, the voice heard is that of Nina Fernandes of Mississauga.

Get Podcast of July 26, 2010 broadcast

Uganda Justice –
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2010/07/july-21-2010.html

The atrocities committed in Uganda during Idi Amin's 8-year reign of terror have gone largely unpunished. But Duncan Laki couldn't let his father's killers off that easily. We talk about one man's quest to bring a brutal regime to justice. (Read More)

Download Podcast and listen.
Right click to Download 21/07/10: Pt 2 - Uganda Justice
[mp3 file: runs 22:48]

Top UN posting of Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt ‘proves’ Church’s universality
http://www.ucanews.com/2010/07/19/top-un-posting-proves-churchs-universality/print/
Posted By editor On July 19, 2010 @ 5:54 pm In Countries, Daily Service, India, News

Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, the Vatican’s new Permanent Observer to the UN. Photo courtesy of www.cochindiocesanbulletin.org

Church officials in Kerala have hailed the appointment of an Indian as the Vatican’s top envoy to the United Nations, saying it demonstrates the Church’s multi-national character. The appointment of Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt as the Vatican’s Permanent Observer to the UN is a “great recognition” of the Indian Church, said Syro-Malabar Church spokesperson Father Paul Thelakat.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed the 57-year-old former apostolic nuncio to Iraq  Church officials in Kerala have hailed the appointment of an Indian as the Vatican’s top envoy to the United Nations, saying it demonstrates the Church’s multi-national character.

The appointment of Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt as the Vatican’s Permanent Observer to the UN is a “great recognition” of the Indian Church, said Syro-Malabar Church spokesperson Father Paul Thelakat.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed the 57-year-old former apostolic nuncio to Iraq and Jordan on July 17. He became the first non-Italian to hold the post and succeeds Archbishop Celestino Migliore, who is now apostolic nuncio to Poland. Archbishop Chullikatt’s appointment reflects the Church’s intention to include all races, nationalities and cultures rather than being a European reality, said Father Thelakat. “The assembly of nations is hearing the voice of the Catholic Church, which includes all nationalities. We Indians can be proud that the Church’s voice will get an Indian hue and flavor in the UN,” he said.

“It is a very important and prestigious post as far as the Church is concerned. I pray God helps him carry out his duties to his full capacity,” said Father Stephen Alathara from the southern Indian Kerala state’s Latin-rite Church.

Archbishop Chullikatt, from the Latin-rite Verapoly archdiocese in Kerala, was ordained a priest in 1978 and holds a doctorate in canon law. He joined the Vatican’s diplomatic service in 1988 and speaks French and Spanish as well as English and Italian. He has served in the Honduras, in various countries in southern Africa, in the Philippines and at the United Nations in New York. He also served in the Secretariat of State at the Vatican.

Related report
Syro-Malankara Church gets new US diocese
IB10469.16011
Article printed from ucanews.com

Confessional can't become sauna, church rules
http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/life/article/582881--confessional-can-t-become-rules
The Associated Press | 20 July 2010 03:26

VIENNA - Some Catholics may well sweat in the confessional as they admit to things they shouldn't have done. But Vienna's archdiocese has ruled that the box-like structure where believers confess their sins cannot be turned into a sauna.

Bidding on a confessional described on eBay as ideal for conversion into a one-person sauna, a small bar or a children's playhouse was ended when the archdiocese stepped in. Archdiocese spokesman Erich Leitenberger told the daily Salzburger Nachrichten that auctioning "objects that were used for dispensing the sacraments is not acceptable."

Confessionals "should not be converted into saunas or bars," he was quoted Tuesday as saying. Leitenberger did not return calls to the AP. The confessional was offered for auction by a Vienna church undergoing renovations. Curiously, the highest reported amount offered by one of the 40 bidders before the item was yanked from the internet Monday was 666.66 euros.

The number 666 is commonly associated with the Antichrist — or the devil.

Genelia D'Souza to play Portuguese princess in next movie titled Urumi!
http://www.filmicafe.com/news_detail.php?news_id=15248
By Webmaster, 12 July, 2010

Is Genelia D'Souza's childhood dream coming true? She is all set to play a Portuguese princess in Santosh Sivan's directorial venture tentatively titled Urumi, reports Mid-Day. Malayalam actor Prithviraj will star opposite Genelia. Urumi, which means a flexible sword, is the story of a young man in 15th century who sets out to kill Vasco Da Gama.

Urumi will be shot in Malshej Ghat from this August.