Prutha Goa

German anthropologist Alexander Henn spoke at the Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Porvorim, about his fascination with the existence of a cross cultural climate in Goa and its depiction in his book Hindu-Catholic Encounters in Goa: Religion, Colonialism, and Modernity . As a cultural anthropologist, his interest in the effects of the cultural differences, how they can be constructive and how they can be challenging, how they work between people and so on, is completely satisfied by the cultural diversity that is present in Goa. With its historical and cultural connections with Portugal and other European countries, and the presence of Hinduism and Catholicism existing side by side, Goa is an extremely potent region for anthropological studies. Henn’s focus while researching his book was the effect of religion on cultural diversity. He says, ‘One of my findings in the book is that I discovered over the years I was studying something surprisingly unexpected, in the sense that commo

By his countenance alone, one could easily mistake Karl Antao for a gruff, highly disciplined, military  personality. His twirling moustaches, which could send Hercule Poirot into a tizzy, give an impression that is far from the truth. Mild mannered and extremely sensitive, his art is the best medium for recognising both his genius as well as his true persona. Born in 1966, Karl grew up and received all his academic education in Mumbai. He resides in Ahmedabad presently, but has a close connection with Goa. He tells the romantic story of how his Hindu grandfather fell in love with his Catholic grandmother and decided to stay on in Goa, even converting to Catholicism. For that very reason Goa remains close to his heart. Karl Antao is the alumnus of J.J. Institute of Applied Arts. Pursuing an artistic course seemed the most natural thing to do as Karl was drawn to painting and drawing right from his school days. He obtained his BFA in Applied Arts in 1991. Unlike many others, Karl opted