Prutha Goa

Artists for a Cause in collaboration with Don Bosco Konkan Development Society will be showcasing its members God-given talents for the fifth time at Different Strokes , an exhibition cum sale of drawings, paintings and photographs. This year Artists for a Cause is holding its exhibition cum sale at the Sanskruti Bhavan, (Central Library) Art Gallery, Patto, Panaji, from 8 to 10 December 2018 between 10am and 7pm. The Konkan Development Society (KDS), a registered NGO, is an initiative of the Salesian Province of Panaji. It has done much work in many spheres of social transformation, working with peripheral communities in the Konkan region (Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra). True to Don Bosco, its primary focus is children. These are mainly disadvantaged and marginalised children who are drawn into the educational process and taught to follow the principles of reason and kindness. Sensing the need of every community, the children are empowered with skills in different spheres. Some are o

Yolanda de Sousa has always been an awe-inspiring woman. Someone to look up to and attempt to emulate in her eternally positive attitude towards life. Known primarily for her prowess as a footballer, Yolanda has an equally extensive career as a well-known artist. These days Yolanda paints and runs the Art Chamber- Galeria de Belas Artes in Calangute along with her husband Rudolf Ludwig Kammermeier and her talented daughter Sarah Sousa Kammermeier, who has followed in her mother’s creative footsteps. Voted 'Player of the Decade' by the Women's' Football Federation, Yolanda has been captain of the Indian women’s football team. In Sultanpur in 1976, her 15 goals and two hat-tricks at the first ever National Football Championship games, proved her exemplary skill. 1977 saw Yolanda score 18 of the Goan team’s 49 goals at the National Football Championship held in Goa with the Goan team claiming the championship trophy. Yolanda made her international debut as part of the Indi

Art is not often an encouraged subject in most Goan or Indian schools, and sometimes exceptional talent is buried under academic and professional pursuits. The Pyde Pyper Academy in Goa is helping open up individuals from different walks of life to their own uniqueness and discover a wealth of artistic ability that is skilfully shaped to open artistic career opportunities to them. The Academy, which was established in 2010, has proficiently played the part of the legendary Pied Piper of Hamlin that it is named after by calling students to ‘find their own tune and follow it to their dreams’ as Deé Ayn Fernandes, who is a full-time teacher and assistant at the Academy, says. Some students have discovered their hitherto unknown gift for art here while others pursuing it as a hobby have taken it to a higher level of a career by itself. The Pyde Pyper Academy has optimally trained students, guided them in the option of taking up art in a professional capacity. This has resulted in individua

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

  The Giver is an art exhibition that will be held from the 16th to the 18th of March at Kala Academy, showcasing choice works by artists Clarice Vaz and Stacy Fernandes. The exhibition is a statement on the environmental exploitation that is rampant in these times, especially in Goa – we should be giving back to nature since she is the mother whose unconditional love nourishes us in a myriad ways. The paintings and charcoal sketches on display reflect the self-taught artists’ love for nature. The exhibition will be graced with the presence of cartoonist Alexyz as the guest of honour and Governor Mridula Sinha as the chief guest. Part of the proceeds will benefit the National Association for the Blind-Goa (NAB). Stacy Rodrigues has proved her mettle as an artist who has overcome her battle with Stargardt disease, or juvenile macular degeneration, which causes progressive vision loss, to achieve the status of Goa’s only visually impaired artist, and presently, after the demise of Binod

Vamona Navelcar – the first time I heard the name 4 years ago, it meant nothing to me and probably to many people in Goa too. It took a UK expatriate’s curiosity and fascination with the genius of this man for us to become aware of him. Anne Ketteringham, a retired aeronautical engineer, despite her lack of education in the area of fine arts, was mesmerised by the man and his paintings. She persevered in her quest to document his life, even travelling to Portugal to confirm facts, and the result was her insightful book Vamona Navelcar, An Artist of Three Continents , which was published in 2013. Vamona Navelcar is both an enigma and a role model to be emulated. His art shapes him as much as he shapes his art. In these modern times, where fame and money are hailed as the ultimate accomplishments, this octogenarian shuns them to epitomise integrity. He has lived by his principles all his life and no political duress or fear of loss could inspire reasons disregard them. Many artists cater