Goanet Highlights (Jan 4, 2010)

Goanet Highlights (Jan 4, 2010)
By Selma Carvalho

There is an old Greek myth that when the Goddess Demeter had her daughter, Persephone, abducted by Hades, Lord of the Underworld, Demeter travelled to Hell itself to get her daughter back. No parent should ever have to bury their own child and no words can take away the pain the death of a child can bring. Dr Francisco Colaco has channeled his grief into a song and in sharing his grief he has given us Goans a timeless moment of pure artistic magic. Click here for the song. Read more...

Nandkumar Kamat shares his concerns about Goa’s disappearing fireflies, a sure sign that we are steadily upsetting Goa’s ecological balance and destroying its biodiversity. Read more...

Selma Carvalho takes a snapshot of Goa 2009 in her weekly column. Read more...

A collection of Alexyz cartoons that were published in local Goan newspapers in 2009. Read more...

A topic this week which gave rise to contradictory views was the release of a controversial CD tape, allegedly defaming a Catholic priest and a Minister. As a result of hurt sensibilities, some villagers in Colva imposed a bandh and attacked the house of the man who had made the CD. This case has very serious repercussions and brings to the fore questions about the role of the police and religious sensibilities in a secular democracy. The right of freedom of speech and expression is sacrosanct in a democracy. Cases of defamation are a civic matter and have to be decided upon by a responsible judge. The role of the police is only to uphold the law and provide protection to victims of violence. It is not to subvert the law according to the whims of a mob. Once again we see an unhealthy nexus between religion, police and polity acting in concert to make a mockery of democracy. Here are some of the views expressed.

Augusto Pinto: Read more...

Venantius Pinto: Read more...

Jesus Fernandes: Read more...

Peter Fernandes: Read more...


Rajan Parrikar provides us a wonderful picture of Ganesha of Khandola, Goa. Read more...

Carmen Miranda, based in London, has taken on the challenge of Goa’s environmental conservation. In an article which appeared on the Herald, she asks Goans “what are we waiting for?” Read more...

Antonia Gomes is about to release his debut novel titled, The Sting of Peppercorns. Doctor Basilio Monteiro writes us a review of the book, set in colonial Goa. Read more...

A poignant poem by H.O Nazareth, titled The Villagers. Read more...

Anthony, or Tony as he was known, de Mello, was one of the most influential personalities of the 1980s and indeed his book, Prayer of the Frog, was my constant companion. In keeping with the rich traditions of Jesuits, De Mello made one think about spirituality at a level which transcends religion. Here is more about this fascinating personality. Read more...

Tomazinho Cardozo writes a short biography of the tiatrist Lucazinho Ribeiro, who perhaps can rightly be called the father of Goan tiatre. Read more...

Lino Dourado brought us his Aitaracheo Katkutleo: Ailem Tum? Read more...

Father Ivo shares his views on abortion. Read more...

Doctor Santosh Helekar gives a rebuttal. Read more...


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