MANY YEARS ago, it used to be said that “cricket is a game where eleven fools play and eleven thousand fools watch”. That is now a cliché from a bygone era. Today, it’s the same eleven fools, but it’s probably a million odd fools who watch on the grounds and on television. And the eleven fools who play do so for a million bucks compared to the hundred odd bucks that players from the bygone era earned.

THE BJP in Goa is on one of its largest recruitment drives. It has managed to get numerous local politicians, mostly from the Catholic community, which is a very positive sign for it. Matanhy Saldanha is the largest catch of the season. Matanhy is a man with upright values and dignity. He has done loads of good things for the local non-motorised fishing boat owners (ramponkars).

THE GOAN Seamen’s Association of India (GSAI), which is a newly formed body of seafarers in Goa, comprises young seamen who are eager and keen to fight for the rights of seafarers. They have been in the news since the last few days for 1demanding benefits from the government and from NUSI. We have seen that a New Year dance was organised by this young and enthusiastic group under the banner of GSAI and apparently, judging by the advertisements of the dance, most of them work on cruise ships.

MY DAUGHTER Sharon booked a flight for us to spend our wedding anniversary in Barcelona, Spain and spent £ 800 for a three-day stay. We flew from London Heathrow where a police officer told me to be careful in Barcelona as thefts were common. We arrived in Barcelona and caught a bus to the city and asked a lady and her daughter directions to our hotel. Here, too, we were warned about pickpockets. She claimed her daughter had been robbed seven times!

DURING HIS recent pastoral visit to the prison of Rebbiba in Northern Rome, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, said that prisoners should be treated with dignity. There is a need for people to understand that many prisoners are victims of situations and they need to be understood and taught some skills which will help them make a decent living.

THE UNPRECEDENTED rush witnessed at the employment exchange for the past few months with candidates making a beeline for registering their names in view of the deluge of vacancies announced in various government departments served to remind one that the elections to the state legislative assembly was just around the corner. Of all the sops offered, the lure of a government service more than anything else is one concession that will entice voters to cast their lot with the political benefactor.

Nine eminent personalities in the field of ‘tiatr’ were felicitated recently by Tiatr Academy of Goa for their lifetime achievement with a shawl, memento, citation and cheque of Rs 20,000. The Academy must be complimented for recognising their services, but it is unfortunate that their lifetime achievement is weighed in terms of a paltry sum which cannot even fetch ten grams of gold.

DEVELOPMENT IS an ugly and explosive word in the Goan lexicon; and for good reason too. Among the various meanings the most popular is - scam! But it is time to smoothen the rough edges and come up with a checklist for development for our villages and towns. Whenever someone proposes a development project, he […]

CHIEF MINISTER of Goa, Digamber Kamat, must resign by taking moral responsibility for illegal mining in Goa. Goa has 336 valid mining leases, out of which around 90 mines are operational. Last year, Goa exported 54 million tonnes of iron ore. The Chief Minister has been minister of mines for around a decade. The Department of Mines and the government of Goa have not taken adequate steps to control illegal mining. In the name of development, Goa was sacrificed to illegal mining.

As a person who lives in England with a British passport and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI), a document which gives me the right to live in India with a Visa for life and a right to vote.
As a business man, I own a restaurant, motel rooms, a Monginis cake shop, a Retirement Home, […]