Prutha Goa

Heta Pandit reproduces poignant tales connected with the process of using a grinding stone, still alive in many a Goan village. As these village women grind away, they sing songs that tell stories. Since this is usually a solitary job, the ladies have only these songs to make light their work.  Heta, a heritage conservationist and writer, says, ‘Welcome to the world of songs from Goa. Songs that are not sung in any pub, club or café, but songs that are sung in people’s homes, kitchens and backyards.’ These are songs that are composed entirely by Goan women and were collected over the course of a year and a half. These are not new songs. They have been a part of Goa’s culture for eons. Discovering this sub-culture in a land that has been ruled by the different dynasties such as the Kadambas, the Adil Shahs of Bijapur, the Portuguese and so on, aside from being culturally and historically influenced by the empires with whom Goa had trade relations and travellers of other regions; has bee

Inclusivity has become the mantra for today, and individuals like Avelino de Sa and Frederika Menezes prove its significance by the heights they have achieved in spite of their disabilities. Avelino de Sa has already made a name for himself as the president of the Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG), constantly championing causes and programmes that will benefit the differently abled. Avelino was born with cerebral palsy but has surmounted his difficulty in walking by leading a relatively normal life. A Commerce graduate from Dempo College, Panaji, Avelino is also a certified investment and tax consultant with his own firm in Panaji. Under his presidency, DRAG has won the Godfrey Phillips Bravery Award for the year 2004-05 for Exceptional Act of Social Courage, and the Goa State Award 2007 for the Best NGO for the Welfare of the Disabled in Goa. Much of the changes in terms of accessibility for the differently abled that one sees in Goa have been brought about through the effor

The 7th to the 9th of May saw the celebration of children at the Our Lady of Divar School on Divar Island. Bhurgeanchem Fest , or ‘children’s festival’, was held in association with Uzwaad-The Rays of Hope, a group that focuses on furthering the conservation of Goa’s socio-cultural heritage. The three-day festival had a number of activities for young children that included talks on the history and heritage of Divar by social activist and college professor Prajal Sakhardande, who encouraged the children to learn from history and do their best to preserve and take pride in the heritage that has been passed down to them. Agriculturist Miguel Braganza spoke on gardening and plants to enthuse the youngsters to continue to keep alive the plants and trees that are endemic to Goa, and Sangeeta Naik instructed the young people in using their mobiles and the internet to help them in their studies. There were workshops held in dance, art, street plays, football, singing, tiatr and so on to engag

All over Goa we see heritage houses, a testament to the Portuguese rule in this tiny state. Usually they are abandoned, empty with the owners living in another country, or in a dilapidated condition. The occasional well-maintained Portuguese-Goan style house is preserved at considerable cost. Even so, the preservation of ancestral Goan houses is essential to the Goan identity which carries with it stories of families and their legacies. There are many Goans who cut costs and try to use modern methods and materials such as ceramic tiles, etc. The best way to maintain these ancestral homes is to use age old architectural techniques which, although expensive, retain the integrity and structural harmony of the house. Ketak Nachinolkar is a conservation architect who has made an example of his own ancestral house by maintaining it the old fashioned way. Ketak, who has been practicing for the last sixteen years, found opposition to his ideas of conservation when he started out but more recen

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 9 th of February 2019 saw a flurry of joyous activity at  Nirmala Institute of Education. It was time again to celebrate that vibrant flower that is endemic to Goa, the abolim , or firecracker flower, with the Abolianchem Fest . The concept of using the flower as a symbol was integrated into  Nirmala Institute’s own Project Goa, which highlights Goa’s socio-cultural features with a variety of  typical Goan music, games, songs, dances, food, art, craft, etc that existed before 1975. The campus of Nirmala Institute of Education was alive with the abolim abounding in great clusters in one section. Missing in action was Goemcho Festakar Marius Fernandes, the man who suggested the use of the symbolic abolim and has in recent times been a great promoter of Goan culture. His absence was sorely felt. Project Goa was first developed on the basis of ex-English Methodology lecturer Ms Sharmila Veloso’s own English project. The goal of this project, which evolved into Project Goa, was to re

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