Prutha Goa

The devastation caused by the recent flooding in Kerala has left many bereft of hearth and home and even life. The land of lush greenery, welcoming people and numerous historically significant and scenic sites has suffered the onslaught of the fury of nature with an increase of 41.44% rainfall this year. Recorded to be the worst flooding in a century, the crippling inundation has also been reported to be the cumulative result of unchecked mining, quarrying, development and construction, besides other alleged immediate factors. Many people now find themselves in relief camps faced with the long-drawn process of rebuilding their lives. The threat of disease is widespread and rehabilitation, which is a slow and exhausting process, will require a considerable amount of aid in the form of monetary funds, supplies related to daily life, food items, household fixtures and furniture, volunteers and so on to restore God’s own country to its former glory. NGOs, locals, the armed forces, national

Smitha Bhandare Kamat comes across as an unassuming person, and indeed, she does prefer the solace of home and hearth and bonding with family and pets to the constant spotlight. Her cartoons, many of which have featured in prominent magazines and won her awards, seep into your sensibility, packing a punch with humour. Her style is her own, evolving from years of doodling in numerous school notebooks. The messages Smitha communicates through her cartoons emerge from a psyche moulded by a strong and steadfast upbringing by her parents. Her father, Govindas Bhandare, was a self-made man who did not shy away from hard work and encouraged in Smitha an interest in political issues. An amateur cartoonist himself, his drawings were limited to his family for an audience. Fortunately, it is a talent he passed on to his daughter together with his values. ‘I was particularly close to my father, late Shri Govindas Bhandare. He was a very determined man with a rag to riches story to his credit. He w

It is a well-established fact that art transforms and contributes to society. Some artists take this responsibility more seriously than others. World renowned contemporary artist Hesham Malik is an excellent example of an artist who strives to make his art centred around human development. Hesham traces his roots to Cuncolim, Goa, where his maternal grandparents come from, and is presently celebrated as having sold the most expensive painting as an Indian artist. He presents to us his latest art exhibition Mukhâ-The Intimacy  which will be showing at Carpe Diem, Majorda, Goa, from the 7th of January to the 3rd of February. The inauguration of the exhibition will be marked by the auction of one of the paintings, with the entire proceeds going towards funding the Goa based not-for-profit organisation Sethu. Planet-Goa is the online media partner for this exhibition. Mukhâ comprises 20 artworks and has already been exhibited at Beijing and Prague before making its way to Goa. Mukhâ is

Artist Rubina De Souza and her partner artists in Artists for a Cause, are a happy reminder that where there is compassion, there is hope, and where there are artists, truth and reason make their appearance, acting as a conscience for the people. Artists for a Cause was started by Rubina De Souza with about 10-12 other artists in 2013. Since then the group has had four exhibitions with the aim of providing funds to give education to underprivileged children and youth in rural areas. Working in tandem with Don Bosco charities, the artists hope to provide this essential resource of education to bring value and a sense of purpose to the lives of these young ones. This year over 30 artists will be exhibiting works that will be sold to favour the Don Bosco charities with the resulting income. Rubina, whose brother, Fr Allwyn De Souza (Sulcorna), and son, Fr Royston De Souza (Kudal), are both Salesian priests, was inspired by the work done by the Salesians to change the lives of these rural

The idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in India, is not a new one. It existed in the form of philanthropy well before the Industrial Revolution made its impact in India. The 19th century saw India’s corporate giants take an active role in promoting social causes, but they did incorporate their biases and ulterior motives in a covert manner into whatever practices they chose to undertake. The Companies Act, 2013, which came into effect on 1 April, 2014 mandates companies having a net worth of Rs. 500 crores or a turnover of Rs. 1000 crores or a net profit of Rs. 5 crores, to spend 2 per cent of their average net profit of the previous three years on corporate social responsibility activities. Mr Manguirish Pai Raiker is a prominent business figure in Goa, who has in addition to his long list of credentials, the honour of being the erstwhile president of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the director of Goa Handicrafts Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corpor

by Savita Rao Helping disadvantaged children to bloom and blossom is at the heart and soul of The Mango Tree Trust. The Trust is based at Mango House, Karaswada in Goa. It works with around hundred and sixty children and families living in the slums around Karaswada as well as local children in need. The main objective of the Mango Tree is to help children to access school and to support and encourage them to remain there. The Trust hopes to help keep children away from child labour and to ensure they enjoy a safe and sound childhood by working with parents, who themselves are often uneducated. This is accomplished by providing the parents with counselling sessions about the importance of allowing their children to gain an education. Recently the Trust, headed by Miss Savita Rao, the managing trustee, took another successful step by opening a pre-primary school on their very own campus at Mango House. The fine inaugural function was held in June 2013. The pre-primary school has a tota

In Goa, Isabel de Santa Rita Vás is a name synonymous with English drama. Having written and directed numerous plays, this playwright of exceptional calibre, allowed us to partake of her vision of this art form. Her illustrious career as a college professor of English Literature has included becoming the head of the English department at Dhempe College of Arts and Science. Her position as an English Literature lecturer indubitably led to her acquaintance with other forms of literature. She was often entrusted with the duty of putting up performances to embellish regular college programmes or whenever occasion demanded it. Her passion for literature and the bond that she shared with her students enabled her to immerse herself wholly in drama and its nuances. In time, the challenge and charm of transmuting play scripts into stage performances encouraged a more adventurous endeavour. Along with a group of young people, she set out independently to stage a well-known American play in the t

  Xavier Centre of Historical Research launched an innovative venture in the world of cyberspace journalism on September 20, 2014. This endeavour, which is the brainchild of international consultant and MD of the NGO, Volunteering Goa Ltd., Mr. Richard Lees, is meant to function as an online resource that will tangibly create an environment of selflessness and generosity through inspiring stories and articles. The website, named Prutha (Goa), meaning 'daughter of the earth', will carry articles on a range of topics from the arts, the environment, culture, scientific breakthroughs to conventional social work.  The formal launch of Prutha Goa took place at Xavier Centre of Historical Research, beginning with an introduction by Fr. Savio Abreu SJ, the director of Xavier Centre of Historical Research. Fr. Savio Abreu spoke of the value of acting on new ideas that would lead to the betterment of society. He said, ‘Xavier Centre of Historical Research may be associated with history b

Initial diffidence is overpowered by the desire for expression. As found in most shy persons, thought processes function at an accelerated pace and the urgency to communicate the same soon brings in confidence. Had he not become a filmmaker, Joywin Fernandes would have surely taken up journalism as a profession. Such is his need to put forth his ideas. His love of films grew with him since he saw his first film as a young boy. The movies were rented by his father as a reward for doing well in school. He remembers fondly, ‘I remember my dad used to take me to a video cassette library every Sunday to hire a movie only if I would get ‘very good’ remark on my maths book.’ The passion for watching films soon transformed into a passion for making films which was an ideal outlet for his creativity. His intention is not just the making of films, but the making of good films. This is something that requires time and he says it takes at least a year to create good cinema. Joywin Fernandes Joywin

Situated in the scenic locale of Majorda, replete with old worldly charm that takes you back to the Portuguese era, is Carpe Diem-The Art and Learning Centre . It is far removed from other modern art galleries in the cities. The centre was the result of a thought process that sought to explore and gauge those talents and sense of adventure that often remain concealed in individuals, sometimes even for a lifetime. Daegal Godinho, who runs the centre, believes he is lucky to have been able to break out of the mould and take full advantage of his talents. He decided to institute a centre where people could engage in self-discovery and reach out to other talented persons too. He says, ‘Hence, Carpe Diem! Carpe diem, which popularly translates into “seize the day”, is exactly that. It is the place for those who need to discover, explore or exhibit their passion!’ Daegal Godinho comes from an educational background far removed from the arts. He holds a graduate  degree in microbiology and an

Stacy Rodrigues has come a long way in her life and has truly been through a trial by fire. She suffers from a congenital disease called heredomacular degeneration that leads to gradual bilateral decrease in vision starting in early childhood or the teenage years. Stacy realised that something was different about herself much before her parents did. But her attempts to convey this awareness to the people around her were met with scepticism. Teachers would berate her for not putting in an optimal performance. She was considered lazy and received physical punishment on occasion. Reading became arduous as it would take up to ten minutes to recognise each letter and often there would be confusion with letters that were similar like ‘a’ and ‘o’. Stacy’s other senses were strengthened while she focused on her auditory sense to deal with her educational hurdles. This became her best shot at learning and she managed to just barely pass her examinations in school. Her parents became convinced o