Goa's Christian sects upset with Panjim mayors comments

The pleas of various Christian sects seeking space for burial grounds in the city of Panjim which was rejected by the Corporation of the city of Panjim (CCP) last Friday, with its mayor Carolina Po telling the media that the feeling among the corporators was that the people who have converted to other sects should ask those people who led them to convert, to provide burial grounds, came in for scathing criticism from leaders of various Christian sects across Goa.

Some Christian sects such as the Syrian and Methodist Christian sects had reportedly applied  for burial grounds from the CCP which was rejected by the Panjim corporators under the fear that these sects have their numbers scattered all over Goa and granting them a burial ground would therefore result in all their dead being brought from all over Goa, to Panjim to be buried. This was in pursuance of the CCP's resolve under a resolution passed by the CCP last year banning burial of persons not living in the jurisdiction of Panjim city. The cemeteries in the city of Panjim are being run by the Municipal body.

However various leaders of different Christian sects from Goa took strong exception to the Mayors comments and termed it undemocratic and a violation of human rights. At a meeting held by the various Christian sects in Margao, the members and pastors of such sects lamented the lack of democracy in the comments and urged people in public positions not to make such strong statements which could lead to a flare-up.

The pastors belonging to New life fellowship church of Panjim, Margao and Vasco, Parakletos Church, Margao, Corner stone church Margao, Mount Zion Church, Good News Church, River of Life Church Panjim, Good Hope Church and Methodist Church were present at the meeting.

A pastor of a River of Life Church Panjim criticised the comments of the mayor saying that there is no question of anybody converting them and that they have chosen to be members of a certain sect out of their own free will and asked the government to look after the interest of all citizens irrespective of their religious backgrounds.

Another pastor pointed out that it is the constitutional right of every citizen to be buried after death and said that burial cannot be denied on any grounds leave alone the religious ground

Goa panchayats get together to spit fire on amendment

The controversy ridden amendment bill to the Panchayat raj act added another dimension with a new forum formed to battle against the draconian bill when the panchayats from Goa announced the formation of the All Goa panchayat Democratic Forum(AGPDF) which warned the government of a full blown agitation in the state if the bill wasn't reverted in a time frame of three weeks.

The forum which met in Panjim , exhorted Goans and the people from South Goa to attend a big public rally in Salcete, to oppose the damaging bill in full force. The date for the rally is expected to be fixed somewhere after the Ganesh festival.

Speaking at he meeting, the President of the forum, Mr Joseph Sequeira said that if the government failed to take cognizance of its demand, then there will be a full fledged agitation which the government of Goa will find difficult to resist. Mr Sequeira also lambasted the various MLAs for making baseless statements against the Sarpanchas, as a means to push in the amendment bill

Other speakers who spoke on the occasion were Soter Dsouza who called for unity among the panchayats and compared the government to the British who tried to play the game of divide and rule.Thalmann Pereira revealed how a select committee and ad-hoc committee reports differed on the rights of the panchayats and urged the panchayats to pass resolutions opposing the amendment. Former convenor of Goa Bachao Abhiyan(GBA) , Mr Oscar rebello recollected the victories of the Goan people in fighting issues such as the Regional Plan 2011, SEZs etc and said that it is time the gram sabhas of Goa took this issue also to be defeated through an unified action.

Prajal Sakhardande, the well known historian reminded the people about the day August 20 2009 as being the birthday of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi whose vision of panchayati raj in Goa was being strangulated by this amendment. Also speaking on the occasion were convenor of GBA Sabina Martins, Cansaulim Sarpanch Basil Fernandes, Rachol Sarpanch Joseph vaz and others.

Its "patolleo" time in Goa - Goan Cuisine

Its the 15th of August 2009. Independence day. However for Goans, the independence day of our country is looked forward to for yet another steaming reason. It is simply time for the Goan delicacy at this time of the year when most Goan homes especially the catholic homes of Goa are busy preparing the hot favourite of Goans in the monsoons. The "Goan Patolleo". Patolleo or Patoleo are known to command a nostalgic feeling among Goans for centuries and are a very aromatic and simple preparation of a delicacy that Goans faithfully root for, year after year.

So how do Goans prepare patolleos? Firstly, the Goan sweet patolleos are intrinsically connected to the use of turmeric leaves in which they are baked or steamed leaving a distinct aromatic flavour which is in itself a big draw to the taste buds. Other variations of the Patolleos are the "Kholle"  or "Dhonne" which are cone shaped patolleos made with jackfruit leaves instead of turmeric leaves and have a similar following when it comes to its distinct taste. In some places of Goa such as Santo Estevam in the North, there is a tradition of preparing patolleos in the shape of tortoises which seems to be a faithful tradition living to this day.

The turmeric leaves are available in plenty inside Goa and the vegetable markets are full of such leaves at this time of the year. Turmeric has always been used in Goa as is all over India for its medicinal properties and the oil in the leaf is considered to be excellent for purifying the blood and as such the Patolleos which are baked in these leaves help the oil to be sucked into the sweet dish thereby adding to the health value of the patolleo. The mild tantalising aroma of the leaves is of course very very nostalgic and delightfully pleasant.

The Goan patolleo is probably an unique preparation of such sweets probably identified with Goa along with a host of other dishes which decorate the Goan cuisine books.To prepare patolleos, the procedure is pretty simple and involves the use of the following ingredients

Turmeric leaves ( Cucuma Longa)
Goan rice
Salt
Coconuts
Jaggery ( Palm jaggery - black colour)
Cardamom Powder

The Method of preparing patolleos: Soak the rice in water preferably overnight. Grind the rice with a little water and some salt to form into a paste.

Separately grate Goan coconuts finely and add palm jaggery ( black jagery)to this grated mix with some cardamom powder and mix thoroughly.( some also add chana dal along with the jaggery for added flavour to the stuffing)

Take fresh turmeric leaves and trim the edges with a scissor, wash the leaves and apply the rice paste thinly and evenly to cover the inside of the turmeric leaf. Then stuff the leaf with the jaggery paste in the centre and fold the leaf from one side to another while pressing the edges firmly.

Now place the patolleos in a vessel ( normally a "Kompfro") suitable for steaming the patolleos. Steam the patolleos for around 20 minutes untill the colour of the turmeric leaves begin to change colour from the fresh green to a dull green.

Serve hot without removing the leaves . The aroma, the taste and the flavour have kept Goans asking for more and more over the years.

Happy feasting!

By Goacom

Goans bracing for big battle against "panchayat hijack"

The brewing anger stemming amongst Goans against the draconian panchayat raj amendment bill 2009, which seeks to snatch away the powers of the panchayat body and vest them in the bureaucracy, is slowly gathering momentum and various individuals, organisations and village bodies are slowly mustering collective support in a bid to converge in a mass agitation movement to compel the government to do a rethink on the ridiculous amendment to the law. If the citizens galvanize in full force against the amendment, Goa could witness a repeat of the agitation which forced the government to scrap the regional plan 2011 in 2007.

Among the various forums which have been scathingly vocal about the unjust amendment which seeks to do away with the voice of the village bodies, the newly baptised "panchayat democratic forum" has vowed to launch an agitation to protest the amendment untill it is withdrawn.

The "panchayat democratic forum", a body which comprises of sarpanchas, panch members and activists from all over Goa has conducted its first meeting on Tuesday, August 11 2009 and has first decided to approach the office of the governor to impress upon him not to give his assent to the draconian amendment. All the speakers at the meeting unleashed a vitriolic attack on the government which they said would nullify the powers if the panchayats of Goa.

the director for the Centre of panchayati raj Mr Soter D'Souza pointed out  that the amendment is an effort to usurp the powers of the panchayat and termed the move as unconstitutional. He also blamed the opposition to be part of the plot to facilitate the amendment during the recent assembly session. Mr D'souza said that the government does not want to follow the model Panchayati raj act because it is not interested in devolving powers to the panchayat.

Advocate Thalmann Pereira lambasted the government saying that benevolent dictatorship is not acceptable and sought the democracy to be in the hands of the people who should decide about their representatives depending upon their performance.

The various speakers lamented that the panchayats and over 189 sarpanchas have been ignored and not taken into confidence regarding the bill and that the powers of the panchayat were being taken away and given to the panchayat secretaries which would encourage manipulation by vested interests.

Goa government buckles to vernacular theory

The current medium of instruction as an issue which has been plaguing Goan parents, who have been arguing for the cause of English as a medium of choice in Goan schools has taken a hit for the moment.The Goa assembly proceedings on Friday July 24 2009 when the issue was expected to be a hot topic on the agenda was quietly subdued as the two MLAs who were vociferously supporting the cause of English as a medium of instruction aimed at empowering parents to choose for their children, withdrew their resolutions aimed at giving English education as a medium in the primary aided schools in Goa

The two congress MLAs Agnelo Fernandes and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco were however apparently assured of a change in the policy and have appeared to have set the tone for the government to do a serious rethink on the issue. Meanwhile the education Minister Mr Babush Monserrate felt that the local Konkani language needs to be protected and suggested  an enforcement of Konkani as a subject  from class I to X.

Mr Monserrate also dwelled on the fees structure of private unaided schools in Goa and indicated that taking control of these fee structures was also an option before the government and quoted that the Goa School Education Act and Rules prohibit exorbitant fees and expressed the need to implement these rules.

However the latest backtracking of the two congress MLAs over the issue is seen as a move by the congress party to avoid any controversies regarding the issue while silently endeavouring to bring about the necessary change in keeping with the aspirations of the Goan people .

GTDC to float Goa's own cruise ship

The Goa Tourism Development corporation will soon float a tender for a cruise ship with the latest state of the art facilities and a 250 person seating capacity to float in Goa's rivers which is expected to benefit tourism in Goa in a big way. The tender will be open to shipyards in Goa who will also be eligible to bid for the same. The Cruise ship is expected to be incorporated with emerging features such as GSM, satellite services, latest sound systems, total air-conditioning, LCD televisions, Wi-fi systems and a full fledged restaurant with smaller food courts.

The cruise which will be around 50 metres long and 11 metres wide, will have a capacity to seat 250 people and will be running on a powerful engine and high speeds. In its ambitious plans the department of tourism wants to offer tourists bound for Goa, a thrilling opportunity of experiencing the entire stretch of the Mandovi river region in Goa within one journey through the cruise ship.The cruise will not be limited to shallow waters and will be able to venture out into the deep sea.

The ship is also expected to be leased out to the Corporates for private gatherings, conferences and late night parties, deep in the sea with music at full-blast with no disturbances to the local people of Goa.

Goan land Protection - Shantaram introduces bill

A private members bill was introduced in the Rajhya sabha on Friday July 3 2009, seeking to add article 371 to the Constitution of India, in a bid to authorise the Goa Legislature to enact a legislation to monitor and regulate the transfer of land in the state of Goa in public interest and in the interest based on grounds of duration of residence in the state, social , economic and environmental needs etc.

Also with respect to the current resources such as land, water, power, environmental aspects etc, the bill also provides to authorise the Goa Legislature to enact a suitable legislation to regulate the influx of migrants into the state. The bill also seeks to empower the Goa Legislature to enact a legislation to opt for any of the two types of panchayat for villages - intermediate and district level.

In a statement attached to the bill, Mr Naik said that the rights of citizens under the constitution should bot be so boundless that they contribute to changing the economic scenario of a smaller state like Goa particularly its villages, much to the bitterness and disadvantage of the local people which only adds to the anti-social elements which become a strong part of such uncontrolled transactions thereby proving disastrous for Goa.

While justifying the need to control the influx of migrants into Goa, Mr Shantaram Naik pointed out to the state of Goa which hardly encompassed only 3,702 sq kilometres of land with a population of around 14 lakh. Compared to this, the increase in migrant population has reached unmanageable proportions. While it is the fundamental right of every citizen of India to move freely within the territory of India, Mr Naik pointed out that it is also the fundamental right of others to live a decent life with basic amenities provide by the state.

From this viewpoint Mr Naik has argued that in order to safeguard the basic rights of Goans and non-Goans settled here for a long time, the further inflow of people into Goa needs to be regulated immediately to avoid a virtual chaotic situation in the near future.

DSSS for Goans! Domicile comes under scanner.

With the aim of ensuring that only genuine Goans benefit from the Goa governments' much touted Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS) the state administration is mulling to increase the period of stay in the state from a mere 15 years to a more realistic 25 years to prevent migrants from other states from availing the benefit which was actually mooted for Goans.

The suggestion was part of many such suggestions put forth on Friday July 3 2009, when the ad-hoc committee on health and social welfare met for the second time. There members of the committee pointed out to the blatant misuse of the DSSS scheme by pensioners, migrants and by those availing the benefit of other schemes.

The committee was of the view that an immediate survey of the beneficiaries under DSSS was necessary to weed out undeserving persons to prevent its misuse since the number of claimants for the DSSS benefit was steadily on the rise and the government could find itself unable to sustain the scheme if bonafide Goan people are not verified immediately.

The committee was also critical of misuse of government schemes by producing a caste certificate issued by "samaj' presidents. Also coming under the committees's notice was the rampant private businesses indulged in by employees of government run hospitals at Goa medical college and Hospicio, where such employees were involved in private businesses such as running of canteens, restaurants and money lending which the committee felt should be stopped forthwith.