Prutha Goa

In his talk about STADS, or Sewage Treatment and Dispersal System, at The New Earth Summit in Goa, Capt Joseph Lobo explained that the philosophy behind the system is based on a statement made by US engineer and inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller ie ‘Waste is nothing but resources that we are not harvesting, because it did not strike us of its immense value’. This erstwhile naval officer presents us with the technology of converting sewage water, a resource with substantial potential, into replenishment for plants.  The procedure, which is performed in a completely environmentally friendly way, is devoid of residue, sludge or side effects detrimental to human life. This technology of STADS was designed right here in Goa, India by Capt Lobo and has been registered in India under patent No 292993 on the 17 th of July 2016. It has been operational since 2010 with the approval of the Goa Pollution Control Board. ‘Sixty percent of water is used to flush just two percent of human waste

Yashodan Heblekar and his wife Dr Jyoti Heblekar are unusual in their repudiation of the fast paced city life that most associate with money and ease. Jyoti is a practicing Homeopath and Yashodan an insurance salesman with an engineering and an MBA degree. Eccentric and innovative in their approach to life, the husband and wife team, along with their son and daughter, Tanmaye and Shrusti, who are also the resident butterfly experts, have created a butterfly conservatory around their house called Mystic Woods. The flight from the city prompted the couple to build a house in Pisgal, Ponda (Goa), which is unique in its construction in that it supports a garden on its roof and is built on huge rainwater harvesting tanks. The roof garden has come under fire for its apparent infeasibility. Prophets of gloom and doom have predicted roots growing through the roof, leakage and erosion of soil in the monsoon season. Fortunately, science and a bit of luck have rescued the house from any such cala

Some days ago Ramesh Ghadi and Mario Cordeiro led around 35 young men to clear and revive the spring at Aquem, Mollembhat, Saligao. This is a story of likeminded people coming together and making a positive change. It clearly shows the power of unified action in the pursuit of truth, justice and protecting our ever fragile environment in Goa. The spring, which is called Akhenchi Zhor , used to be one of the many lifelines of aqua hidden in villages that bring pure water with medicinal properties to the people. However, years of apathy and neglect took its toll; and it has been seven years since the spring ran dry, ending with it a thriving ecosystem of flora and fauna. Ramesh Ghadi, a well-known poet, heritage lover, fitness consultant and managing director of Ghadi Fitness, says, ‘In the last few years a lot of illegal constructions came up in this hilly orchard area. Even access to the spring was blocked. People stopped visiting the spring for the last decade. A month ago I visit

A walk around Panjim city with Vishal Rawlley revealed the city in a different light, one never envisioned. As a citizen, one can become jaded in the approach to one’s own heritage, only because it is what we see on a daily basis. We walk through the city without taking in the subtle signs of Goa’s past dispersed all over. Vishal Rawlley is a man of versatility: a graphic and web designer, documentary filmmaker, illustrator, storyboard artist for feature films and so on. He says, ‘I grew up in a small town in Orissa, and cities were a fascinating place. You know, everyone wants to go to the big city… I studied filmmaking and made a lot of documentaries on urban culture, cities and city communities.’ Vishal, who spent 15 years in Mumbai, was involved in a project called TyPoCiTy, documenting and categorising typefaces in the city of Mumbai in view of graphic design and social importance. This project was the result of a research fellowship received by Vishal Rawlley and Kurnal Rawat f

The book Public History of Goa – Evolving Politics, Culture and Identity edited by Fr Savio Abreu SJ, Fr Anthony da Silva SJ and Fr Rinald D'Souza SJ was released on 10th of April 2019, at Xavier Centre, Porvorim by the Vice Chancellor of Goa University Dr Varun Sahni. Public History of Goa is a collection of selected History Hour lectures held at the Xavier Centre of Historical Research (XCHR). XCHR is a renowned research institution established in 1977 that holds a vast treasure house of historical manuscripts from the 18 th and 19 th centuries, some even older. Of particular significance are the manuscripts from the House of Mhamai in Panjim. One of the Centre’s main aims is to draw scholars as well as the common man to open democratic discussions on various topics. The History Hour at XCHR, which is one such avenue for intellectual discussions, was introduced by former director Fr Délio Mendonça SJ with the support of Goan journalist Frederick Noronha. This was meant for

Marian art carries hidden symbolisms that most people have no knowledge of. Fr José Silveira SJ, in his talk at Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr, Porvorim, elucidated the reasons for the changing artistic form of Mary through the ages, in keeping with the historical context and the societal attitudes towards women during various periods. While appreciating Marian art, we must bear in mind two facts about Mary: there are no physical relics of her present and Mary is considered the link between the divine and the human. The Roman Catholic perception of Mary has always been one of the spotless virgin; one whose image is not to be worshipped but venerated. Mary’s images seem to depict that intimate relationship with heaven, reflected onto earth, with that tenderness of a mother that appeals and draws people to her. The images, in fact, supply messages through symbolisms for those who have little or no education and are unable to read. ‘It is a book of communication for the unlettered,’ says

For years Prof Prajal Sakhardande has been idolised by his students and admired for his activism. The college professor is famous for his ability to pull out historical facts at the drop of a hat and has indeed inspired many of his students to take up history as a subject of study. This associate professor of history at Dhempe College of Arts and Science at Miramar, Panjim, has been lecturing there since 1993. Prof Sakhardande is also the vice chairman of the Goa Heritage Action Group, a non-profit involved in the preservation of Goa’s heritage, and the convenor of the History-History Forum that organises history-related activities under his guidance.  Goa Gold Goa Silver: Her History, Her Heritage from Earliest Times to 2019 is the third book written by Prof Sakhardande. The first two are Muslim History and Heritage of Goa and Matanhy Saldanha, the Legend: Hero of the Subaltern , which was written with Santosh S Sawant Wadkar. Prof Sakhardande talks about his love for history, w