Prutha Goa

The man engages his audience with candour and the humour that effortlessly emerges from it. Alexyz, the cartoonist and the fearless activist for any legitimate cause, will wake you up with his wit and a dash of laughter therapy should ennui impede your concentration. The Friday Balcao, an initiative that evolved in 1999 out of the need for information and discussions related to issues in Goa,  hosted Alexyz   on the first day of the Konkan Fruit Fest 2016. He spoke on the topic ‘Goa, Today and Tomorrow’ using the description of cartoons from his latest book O to be in Goa…Today as an insightful yet playful educative tool. Alexyz began with the monumental problem of alcoholism in Goa that shows no signs of abating. The cartoon declares that Goa is a government approved bar and restaurant. The chance for cheap liquor has tourists from other states heading in droves for Goa where the highest number of deaths are alcohol related. Goa Medical College records 300 deaths connected to alcohol

India is very fortunate to have talent galore. From time to time, this is a country that has gifted prodigies to the world. Marialena Fernandes is one of our shining examples in the sphere of music. Her fingers run effortlessly across the piano keys, evoking the classical masters as well as entertaining with improvisational compositions and fusion music. Needless to say, this native of Mangaluru (Mangalore), who has laid claim to her Goan roots, enthralled her audience at the Art Chamber in Calangute in the month of February, 2015. She was in India on tour with the folk group Hotel Palindrome. Though she was born and bred in Mumbai, she seems to have a strong affinity towards Goa and supports her Goan ancestry, citing her own research and history saying, ‘The Mangaloreans were Goans, who left Goa for several reasons in the late 16th century.’ Marialena’s talent was discovered at a very tender age. She says, ‘My mother reminds me that I dared to correct her wrong note on the piano, when

Music should be judged by the images, sensations and emotions it helps one conjure up rather than by purely technical standards. Jazz is one such genre of music that defies being straitjacketed by a particular definition. Seen as a universal unifier, jazz was conferred a privileged position by UNESCO by declaring April 30 as International Jazz Day in 2011. In December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly formalised the decision. The goal is to foster respect for human rights and freedom of expression, encourage intercommunity dialogue, promote peace and gender equality, and create a platform for the youth to be instrumental in the movement for social change. It draws the attention of various schools, artists, academicians, historians and communities to learn about the origins of jazz and appreciate the power it wields to impact the world. An entire month is devoted to the education of the public about jazz. April is Jazz Appreciation Month, which ends with International Jazz Day.

In January 2015, Goa was privileged to have Dr Eugene Alcalay perform at various places. It is rare treat to encounter a pianist of such excellence and one of considerable humility too. From the moment he stepped on to the performance stage, he had the audience enchanted, be it his humorous explanations of the pieces of music he was to play or his stupendous command over his art. The Institute Menezes Braganza had people who were taken up in rapt attention to call for encores at the conclusion of the recital. Presently a professor at University of Wisconsin—Platteville, USA, this native of Bucharest, Romania, proved he was of exceptional calibre when he began playing the piano at the age of two and composing at the age of eight. It is no wonder then that his genius, reminiscent of Mozart, brought him to the attention of Leonard Bernstein and in time caused him to be the first recipient of The Leonard Bernstein Scholarship at the Indiana University School of Music. Bernstein was a famed

When something precious is taken away from you, Divine Providence enables compensation of significant magnitude. However, it takes a resilient spirit to recognise and embrace this ‘gift’ in the throes of adversity. For Jolene Dias, her life could have fallen apart when she was confronted with a seemingly insurmountable catastrophe, but for the support of her mother and her reliance on the power of God. Jolene began life as normal as any human could relatively be. At the age of fourteen she was dealt a devastating blow: she was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Before this she was an avid sportsperson, participating in football, tennikoit, badminton. She was learning Bharatanatyam too. It was a shock to her parents who had seen her as an active child. ‘Who would expect a person who was into sports and dancing to be handicapped at a later stage?’ says Jolene, who also suffers from ADHD. She is very demanding of love and attention from her family, friends and others, because of her condi

By Fr Shannon Pereira, SJ A human person is not just a biological being. He or she also has a spiritual aspect which animates the body. This spiritual element, though it remains unseen, plays a pivotal role in shaping human life. It infuses the work we do, the relationships we build, the family and society we live in, with meaning. In order to be complete human persons, we have to satisfy both these elements that are engraved in us: the biological as well as the spiritual. Neglect of either of the two creates a crisis – a depression. More so, when the spiritual element is neglected, life becomes mechanical and depressive. We know of ways to nourish the body but often times are unaware of paths to nurture the spiritual element in us. This pathway to nourish our spiritual life is called ‘spirituality’. And just as there are many ways to look after our physical body, there are a number of 'spiritualties’ to take care of our spiritual life. We have to discover which one is best suited

The Hard Rock Heals Foundation, in partnership with Hard Rock Hotel Goa, announced a $5,000 grant to be awarded to Child’s Play India Foundation in 2019 as part of its commitment to improving the lives and resiliency of local communities. Child’s Play India Foundation is one of 50 local grant winners around the world to get support from Hard Rock International’s charitable arm. Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognised companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's most valuable collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. The Hard Rock Heals Foundation is a registered 501(c) (3) charitable organisation and oversees all philanthropic outreach for Hard Rock International. Music is energy; it stirs emotion, inspires, connects and restores. The Hard Rock Heals Foundation exists to improve lives through the power of music. Since its inception in 1971, Hard Rock International has brought p

In an age where CSR has become compulsory in India and most corporations find the easy way out by doing as little as possible, Hard Rock Hotel Goa, which is part of Hard Rock Inc, is making a difference in the area of philanthropy like no other. Why is Hard Rock, a chain of hotels, cafés, casinos, and restaurants more geared towards charity? Hard Rock Inc began as Hard Rock Café and was set up in 1971 by Isaac Burton Tigrett and his partner Peter Morton. In 1984, the enterprising Tigrett relaunched Hard Rock as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which showcased memorabilia from rock and roll, R&B and country music icons. Today Hard Rock has a presence all over the world, including North America, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Although Hard Rock is a celebration of music and its creators, Tigrett meant it to act as a promoter of the physical manifestation of the themes of love and peace heralded by the music that evolved in the

Lupin Limited is an excellent example of how CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities should be carried out to bring about the betterment of society. The multinational pharmaceutical company was founded by Dr Desh Bandu Gupta in 1968. Guided by the principle of charity and the ideology that one must give back to society in gratitude for what one has received, Dr Gupta, who is still chairman of Lupin Limited, established the Lupin Human Welfare and Research Foundation (LHWRF) in 1988. Moving on from working in 35 villages in Rajasthan, LHWRF now has an outreach in 3463 villages in 8 states of India. LHWRF’s holistic approach to rural progress encompasses economic, social, and infrastructural development. This includes agriculture, animal husbandry, and rural industries under economic development; women empowerment, education, and health under social development; and rural infrastructure and water resource development under infrastructural development. The winner of numerous awar

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

The differently abled and the elderly suffering from mobility issues in Goa now have the encouragement and facility needed to cast their valuable and defining vote in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Ezy Mov, India’s first wheelchair accessible taxi service which was launched in Goa recently, will provide free accessible transport for wheelchair users in the Panjim Assembly Constituency for the Lok Sabha 2019 elections which will be held on 23rd April 2019 in Goa. This free service will enable wheelchair users to travel to the polling stations to cast their vote with greater ease. This transport facility has been provided by the office of the Chief Electoral Office Goa as part of accessible Lok Sabha elections 2019. This is the first time that the Election Commission of India has provided a free transport facility for persons with disabilities and the elderly. This provision is in place to ensure that no one is left behind without casting their vote as it will allow the differently abled

The differently abled now have a safe and comfortable mode of transport through a company called Ezy Mov ( www.ezymov.com ), India’s first transport company that caters especially to the differently abled and the elderly. The company, which is based in Mumbai, was established in 2015 thanks to co-founders Rrajesh Patil, Romeo Ravva and Bennet D'Cunha. Rrajesh Patil has been involved for over 15 years in taxi fleet and driver management, Romeo Ravva has a background in volunteering, event management, branding and communication, and Bennet D’Cunha comes from the healthcare consulting sphere. These three men have been instrumental in providing a means of exploring the world to the differently abled who were once banished to the seclusion of their homes because of the difficulty in obtaining a means of transport that would accommodate their disability. The company operates on the mission of providing the differently abled who have mobility concerns with the chance to ‘Travel with digni