Prutha Goa

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.

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

Vince Costa is a singer and songwriter, and now documentary filmmaker from Goa who has put Curtorim on the world map, specifically its rice fields. His documentary Saxtticho Koddo-The Granary of Salcete has won Best Short Documentary at the Asia Independent Film Award 2018 and has been shown at the Royal Anthropological Institute’s Film Festival in Bristol in March 2019 as well as the Ethnografilm Festival in Paris in April 2019. The founder of Red Mackerel communications company, Vince Costa is driven to research and document stories of Goa that encapsulate its culture and distinct identity and that are threatened into oblivion by development and indifference. Saxtticho Koddo is the commendable result of the efforts of Red Mackerel. Curtorim is a primarily agrarian village that is famous for its rice cultivation, a feature that defines its intrinsic character. This definition is extended to the rest of Goa while the documentary weighs the socio-economic implications of rice farming

There are times when non-fiction books read like fiction, only because of the incredible events that unfold in them. The House at 43, Hill Road , written by Brenda Rodrigues, is one such book that hits home with its forthright and visceral description of matters. It offers insight into the abyss of corruption that prevents India from progressing in any way. In Goa, it is difficult to find anyone who is not embroiled in a legal case dealing with property. As commonplace as property disputes are, the level of corruption exposed in The House at 43, Hill Road is astonishing and unspeakable. Brenda reveals an insidious rot within our legal system and the nexus between builders, the police and politicians without mincing her words. The first part, ‘Early Days’, takes us back to the history of the house at 43, Hill Road and traces the ancestry of Brenda’s husband, Joe Rodrigues, with family stories thrown in. The plot (number 36) that was originally purchased by the prosperous Braz R

It does take a special person to fulfil a challenge that might well lead to loss of life. Commander Dilip Donde, who resides in Goa, is one such individual who stands apart as the first Indian to circumnavigate the world on his own. In a continuation of the 'Leadership Lectures' at International Centre Goa, Cdr Dilip Donde spoke of his adventures on board his sailing boat, the Goan built Mhadei , regaling everyone with his humour infused anecdotes and honesty. The story begins when the Indian Navy approached Cdr Donde in 2006 to volunteer in its solo expedition project Sagar Parikrama-1 in circumnavigating the world. There were 170 solo circumnavigators and not one of them was an Indian. Cdr Donde jumped at the opportunity that his colleagues had declined. He was called a fool to venture into uncharted territory where his fate would be decided solely by the whims of the sea, but that did not deter his resolve. He recalls his mother’s reaction to his decision was one of support,

What are the qualities of a leader? Is leadership about wielding immense power and controlling people? Vijay Crishna gives us quite an interesting picture of a true leader, one that challenges preconceived notions and puts to rest ideas of demanding subservience. Vijay Crishna, at his talk 'Leading from Behind' at the International Centre Goa, Dona Paula, presented the audience with a story of courage and endurance to inspire and motivate. He did not lay down specific rules but recounted the life of a man. As Crishna says, ‘He failed every objective set in life, but when tested to the length of his endurance, he came up trumps. This is the greatest survival story of them all. Something we can all learn from.’ The man Vijay Crishna is talking about is Sir Ernest Shackleton. Antarctica, the world’s seventh continent, is not only as precarious and lonely as it was in Shackleton’s time; it has become significant in the climate change phenomenon with its capacity to hold 70 percent