The narrator finally returned to Tejo. How would he find her?

SIGH. EVERY time I come back from Mumbai-that-was-Bombay I feel like my life is boring and as dull as ditch water in Goa. When I’m in cold, dirty, dusty, polluted Mumbai, I pine with divine discontentment to return to Goa and when I’m in Goa I pine with divine discontentment to go back to Mumbai. Life is like that only. Back in golden Goa, I try not to see the garbage heaps along the highway and take a deep breath of Goa’s still clean air with gratitude…

VOVLLAM” is the name of a local flower commonly found in Goa that when blossoms gives a sweet fragrance. Aptly named after this flower is former bureaucrat Aravind Bhatikar’s book Vovllam, written in devnagiri Konkani published by Yugved Publications that provides an insight into some of the true-life experiences of the retired IAS officer.

THE 5th D D Kosambi Festival of Ideas will commence from February 7, 2012 at Kala Academy, Campal, Panaji-Goa. This year, the Directorate of Art & Culture has invited world renowned personalities from various fields for delivering lectures of substantial knowledge.

Will the Bharatiya Janata Party take advantage of Goans’ disillusionment with the Congress?

It appears that the members of the Committee of the Museum of Christian Art, which was robbed recently, have been negligent.

AND A few stray thoughts and a few stray observations for yet another Sunday. For a Sunday following the week when the irresponsibility of Fr Avinash Rebello, who heads the committee which manages the Museum of Sacred Christian Art attached to the Santa Monica Convent was exposed. For a Sunday following the week, when despite the directives of the Archbishop against parish priests endorsing candidates, many politicised priests continued to flout the directive. For a Sunday following the week when the Congress gave in to most of Babush Monserrate’s demands, but refused a ticket for his wife Jennifer to contest the St Cruz seat.

The Church in Goa has released guidelines for voters, on the basis of which they feel Goans should cast their vote in the forthcoming general elections. Key issues include RP 2021 and the medium of instruction. Reproduced here are the guidelines.

THE TISWADI taluka comprises five assembly constituencies. These include the Panaji assembly constituency, which has been represented by former chief minister and present leader of the opposition Manohar Parrikar. The other key constituencies in Tiswadi are Taleigao, which is the stronghold of Monster Rat Babush Monserrate, the St Cruz constituency where Victoria Fernandes warded off the challenge from Jennifer Monserrate in the last assembly elections, the Cumbarjua constituency represented by congenital defector Pandurang Madkaikar and the St Andre constituency represented by Francis Silveira.

ON SATURDAY, when I was in Margao for the release of Aravind Bhatikar’s autobiography called Vovllam, I asked the veteran politician and former Minister of State for external affairs, Eduardo Faleiro whether he was planning to contest the forthcoming assembly elections. His response was symbolic of the perception among both aspiring candidates and voters on the forthcoming Assembly elections. Eduardo Faleiro’s snappy fivel-word response to my question was “I am not a businessman.” Which is the bitter ground reality about the Assembly elections, which are scheduled for March 3, 2012. It is not ideology or issues or political labels which are going to determine the outcome of the elections to the Legislative Assembly of Goa being held in March, but money power.