February 2012 KHOBRO#.indd - Goan Voice, Canada

GAA
official newsletter of...
GOAN ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA
Contents:
Click on the titles below to
go to the pages you want:
(where Goans share their culture)
The Committee...
PRESIDENT: Raul Fernandes
V/PRESIDENT: Plino Cordeiro
SERCRETARY: Alvito Coutinho
TREASURER: Ebbie Brito
MEMBER: Edgar Fernandes
MEMBER: Joe Fernandes
MEMBER: Bernadette Fernandes
MEMBER: Salus Correia
Membership Fees...
A one time Entrance Fee of $5.00
applies to all members.
The following are the annual fees:
FAMILY: $15.00
SINGLE: $10.00
SENIORS*: $5.00
STUDENTS* 18+: $5.00
NEW MIGRANT* FAMILIES WILL BE
CHARGED A FLAT FEE OF $5.00 FOR
THEIR FIRST YEAR ON ARRIVAL INTO
AUSTRALIA.
* Evidence to be submitted on
request.
◊ From the editor’s desk 1
◊
◊ Before a single vote is cast 2
◊
◊ Focus... 3
◊
◊ Goan of the Year 4
◊
◊ The Rambles of the Rambling Reddo 5
◊
◊ Tangy Temptations 6
◊
◊ Goan Footprints on the sands of time 7
◊
◊ The Bard’s Corner 9
◊
◊ Helter Skelter before the Monsoons 13
◊
◊ Memories of our beloved Goa 14
◊
◊ Goan Recipies 15
◊
◊ The Sting Operator... 17

from the editor’s desk...
Another year has just gone by, and it has literally
fl own away right before our eyes. 2011 has been a
rather eventful year, with so many things happened,
things that will be remembered for generations to
come. Like for example, the devastating tsunami
which hit the shores of Japan, causing damage
to a nuclear reactor and loss of many precious
lives. And the roll back effect it had on the world
economy as the major car makers had to stop
production not just in Japan, but almost all over
the world.
Another event that will be remembered would be
the story of ultimate revenge: the capture and
killing of Osama Bin Laden. After causing untold
misery to so many families, and the United States
Government, and after being on the run for a long
time, his race was up when he was gunned down
in Pakistan.
With so much that has happened in the year just
gone by, we could go on and on reminiscing and
there would be no end to it. The year has been
special in so many ways, and different in different
ways too. We Goans in Melbourne remember
our celebrations of World Goa Day 2011, and the
accolades that came after from the many who
attended the great event. And very recent in our
memory is our grand celebration of the feast of
Goencho Saib, our very own Saint Francis Xavier.
With the coming in of 2012, we see another year
that will be an exciting one too, and keeping with
tradition, surely it will excel 2011. The mystery of not
knowing how things will pan out in the New Year
makes it all the more exciting. What we do know
however, is what each of us has planned for the
year, and the ways and means we are going to
opt to make them happen.
Among plans, would be the plan of Goans in Goa
to prepare for the coming Assembly elections. I
just hope and pray that the recent happenings in
Goa with the various scams that surfaced would
be an eye opener for the voters, helping them
exercise their votes with caution. Enough has
happened in the last few years. Goa has been
sold out right from under the noses of poor stupid
Goans who for whatever reasons they know best,
keep electing corrupt politicians repeatedly. And
Goa, our beloved Goa pays the price for their folly.
Very recently, an NRI activist Carmen Miranda
spearheaded a plea to the Government to put
a stop to mining in Goa. Everyone knows about
what the mining industry per se has done in and
for Goa. In the last few years, there has been
a great mining boom in Goa, and Goa is being
literally excavated out of existence. The curse
has not yet reached the cities and big towns, but
will in a very short span of time. Goa one of the
smallest states of India today boasts of exporting
over 50% of India’s total mining produce! Very
few people have actually stopped to ponder
about the consequences. And what does poor
Carmen get for her efforts Slurs and uncalled
for comments and questions, by none other
than Goans!!! Hello!! Wake up guys! You have
chosen to shoot the messenger instead of the real
culprits… Come election time, and the cheeky
politicians will once again do what they do best:
cheat the poor Goans out of Goa, the Goa that
is in our dreams. For the overseas Goans, once
again it will be a game of just wait and see!
In this issue of Khobro, we will feature our fi rst
commercial advertisement. We would like to
remind everybody that for Goan businesses in
Australia, we are happy to advertise for free,
For the rest of the world, Goan businesses will
have very economical rates. After all, it is our
endeavour to encourage our fellow Goans in
whatever they do, and this is only a small way
that we can show them our appreciation. We
are also happy to publish achievements, births
or even obituary notices for free. Our contact
details are on the last page.
1
Saude ani bolaiki tumkam sogleank…
Salus Correia

Before a single vote is cast...
The voter in Goa is fast losing control over the electoral
machine. At every election, a notional sense of power
is handed over to the citizen. But democracy surely
means more than punching a single electronic button
once every fi ve years.
Not only is the voter totally dis-empowered in between
elections, but his or her role even in deciding at
poll time is also reduced to the absolute minimum.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that many
election results are decided on before even a single
vote is cast.
Political parties completely lack inner-party
democracy. Their mode of selecting candidates is not
wholly transparent. Party leadership at the helm
decide everything, often sitting 2000 kilometres away.
At poll time, the leadership comes up with catchwords
such as “win-ability”, as if this is enough to justify
their controversial nominees. As it exists, the system
also disallows new parties from growing without access
to big money.
As if this is not enough, party tickets sometimes
get simply auctioned. Cases of this have come up
in the run-up to this year’s elections too. But it’s
not just money-power that decides. Elsewhere in the
electoral fi eld, factors like caste decide who contests
where. This is as bad as any form of inner-party
dictatorship.
Then, there is the issue of match-fi xing. Ironically,
such games have been repeatedly played, without
anyone even noticing them. “Third” candidates are
propped up in the race. Given the narrow margins
in many seats in Goa, it is not surprising that the
“alternative” candidate often plays no role other than
that of a spoiler in the race. These “candidates” put
on a mock fi ght for the sake of pushing the result in
a certain direction. For their ‘job’, they obviously do
not lose.
Now, such games are becoming more open.
Even before nominations can be fi led, politicians are
themselves raising the issue. Surendra Furtado has
also spoken about “match fi xing” in the context of
Panjim.
The smaller parties have proved to be little of
an option in Goa, with both their leaders and entire
parties swinging opportunistically while claiming to
work to fulfi l their “people’s decision”.
2
by Frederick Noronha
There are other forms of manipulation of the
electorate. Groups of voters -- often on the basis of
religion or caste are manipulated, and pushed into block
voting for one or the other candidate. It is easy to
manipulate the minority sentiment.
So far, the over-simplistic argument was that
minorities needed to vote against “communalism”. That
meant backing the Congress, or one of its splinter groups.
This of course helped the politicians concerned, but such
painted-into-a-corner groups could be easily taken for
granted for fi ve long years and more, term after term.
Today, the boot is on the other foot. After realising
how this game can be played, other parties (particularly
the BJP and its supporters) are targeting the Congress
by highlighting the single point agenda of “corruption”.
There is more than an element of truth in the
link between the ruling party and corruption. The
Congress is worse than the other parties because it is so
disorganised and decentralised in the manner in which
it allows corruption to grow under its roof. But none
of the other parties are lily white. Once the bogeyman
of corruption is made a single-point electoral issue, the
voter can similarly be assured of being again taken for
granted
Ṁoney-power, media-manipulation of public
sentiments, and the mischievous deletion of names from
electoral rolls are among the other serious concerns that
the voter needs to grapple with.
The alternative to the problematic reality we
have in place is not pessimism or cynicism. Each voter
needs to realise that democracy is not merely paying
darshan before an EVM once in half-a-decade. It is a
daily battle, to ensure our rights are protected, to make
sure that Goa goes into its tomorrow with a vision
and direction, and above all to fi rmly disallow one’s
sentiments being manipulated for the greater greed and
ambitions of any individual or party.
The author Frederick Noronha is a Free Lance Journalist
operating from Goa. He is also one of the moderators of
the internet forum, Goanet. He can be directly contacted
at: fn@goa-india.org

Focus...
This month’s focus is sent to us by Iggy
Tavares and it is about a new book by
Dr Stella Mascarenhas-Keyes entitled:
COLONIALISM, MIGRATION & THE
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC GOAN COMMUNITY
In places like London, Bahrain, to
Bombay and Karachi, Sydney, Nairobi,
Lisbon and Toronto and beyond, Goan
communities have set up base and retain a
complex relationship with home, suggests
Dr Stella Mascarenhas-Keyes in ‘Colonialism,
Migration & the International Catholic Goan
Community’.
Just published by Goa,1556, the 454
page book was released at the international
seminar held at the Goa University on the
weekend. It is based on Dr Mascarenhas-
Keyes’ PhD thesis, which was the first
doctoral study of Goan migration when first
done in the 1980s.
This books looks at who migrates and
why, the destination of migrants and the
organisation of migration, and the effects of
migration on the sending society. It studies
the wider setting of Goa, its Portuguese
colonial era, post-colonial times, and the
characteristics of the village that it focuses
on.
Besides this, it also looks at the
patterns of international migration in the
village. Dr Mascarenhas-Keyes focuses
on the Portuguese role in Goa, and how
this resulted in the emergence of a ‘Local
Catholic Goan Community’. She points to
the way in which colonial Goa deteriorated,
and the changes in the agrarian economy
while the region was under the Portuguese.
3
Says the book: “Deprived of the
means of earning a reasonable livelihood
from land, and unable to obtain alternative
employment in Goa because of the lack of
agricultural and industrial development, the
Local Catholic Goan Community increasingly
turned to job opportunities arising outside
Goa.”
The rise of European -- particularly
British colonialism, initially in India and
particularly in the vicinity of Goa, and later
in Africa and the Middle East, generated
a diversity of work opportunities. More
recently, this has shifted towards Europe,
Australia, and even distant North America.
Separate chapters of this book
look at migration from Goa, marriage
and kinship, and socio-economic links. In
particular, the book pays attention to the
remittance economy, house ownership in
Goa, and changing land rights in Goa and its
implications. It studies the “structure and
function” of voluntary associations in Goa,
and outside. The book points to the role
played by the Goan woman in enhancing
access to education for her children,
and how, together with their shifting
geographical location, the international
migrant from Goa also accessed better skills,
education and jobs over the generations.
Its author comments: “I was born and
brought up in Nairobi (Kenya), and although
continued on page ...16

The president of World Konkani Organisation
and chairman of Goa Tiatr Akademi, Mr
Tomazinho Cardozo has been declared ‘Goan
of the Year-2011’ by the Federation of Goan
Cultural Social and Literary Organisations
which include the Goan Poets’ Forum,
Janajagruti Manch of Margao, Saiyogam Kala
Sangh of Headland-Sada, Konkonn Kala
Vistar Kendra and ‘Swarashree’ of Vasco.
At a meeting presided over by the noted
Konkani poet, Mr Yusuf A Sheikh at a hotel,
it was resolved unanimously to confer this
coveted honour on Mr Cardozo in recognition
of his distinguished service to Goans in
different walks of life.
Mr Sheikh, in a press statement issued here
in Vasco on Friday, said that Mr Cardozo is
blessed with divine grace to work tirelessly
to serve Goans and to bring to the fore the
unsung heroes of Goa. But for his initiative,
the cherishing memories of the Goan artists,
specifically “kantorists” and “tiatrists” whose
remarkable contributions were ignored by
the government institutions would have been
erased forever; he said. He added that Mr
Cardozo spearheaded Konkani movement
in its totality whereas many others restricted
themselves to one sphere of work or two.
“Mr Cardozo’s area of work was extremely
wide as a playwright, an actor, a producer, a
director, a singer, a poet and a lyricist and he
is a shining example of boundless energy that
ultimately involved masses in the language
Tomazinho Cardozo declared
‘Goan of the Year’
4
movement,” added Mr Sheikh.
Senior journalist, Mr Clerencio alias Kelly
Furtado recalled Mr Cardozo’s involvement in
Konkani stage activities right from his school
days and further said that besides cultural
stratum, his contribution to social awakening
was notable.
“Precisely during the year 2011 he took up
the issues of Goan identity and the problems
of the Goans intensively through his articles
in several Konkani and English periodicals,”
added Mr Furtado.
Noted poet, Mr Ashok Raghuvir Chodankar
said that Mr Cardozo’s contribution was
recognised globally and he was rightly selected
during 2011 as the president of the ‘Jagatik
Konkanni Songhotton’. Mr Chodankar further
said that Mr Cardozo was a symbol of unity
who brought the writers belonging to Hindu,
Muslim and Christian communities together
and thus enlarged and encouraged development
of Konkani language and literature.
The president of Janajagruti Manch, Mr
Pandharinath Damodar Lotlikar said that Mr
Cardozo’s efforts in bringing hearts together,
was laudable and that his contribution towards
cultural renaissance in Goa was praiseworthy.
His initiative could satisfy souls that regaled
Goans for generations and, in turn, could
attract a large number of youth in the process
of preserving Goan identity, stated Mr Lotlikar.
Saiyogam Kala Sangh president, Mr Umesh
Fatji and the chairman of the Advisory
Board of the Sangh, Mr Vishwanath Sawant,
‘Swarashree Goa’ president, Mr Ramanand
Raikar, ‘Goan Poets’ Forum’ vice president and
poet, Mr Anil Kamat Shankhwalkar, poet, Mr
Cyril Fernandes and other members of the
cultural organisations attended the meeting
that favoured the resolution to declare Mr
Cardozo as the ‘Goan of the Year-2011’.

The Rambles of the
Rambling Reddo...
by Bostiao Xavier
The games have just begun in Goa, our
motherland. Yes, the games which take
place once every now and then, when
elections are declared. It is now over fifty
years since Goa was subdued, taken over
and made part and parcel of India. Fifty
long years which do not seem enough for
my Goan brothers to learn their lesson.
Instead, they are learning the lessons of
their conquerors. Very sad indeed.
I just sit back and try to remember the
good old times. Times when most
people did not even know what crime
was. A time when every body slept with
their doors and windows open on warm
summer nights. A time when windows
were real windows. Not the ‘prison cell’
slots they have now become with metal
bars welded across them for safety and
security. Those were indeed the ‘good
old days’, days that many of us still yearn
for.
Now we have the aspiring candidates
knock on our doors telling us how much
they care about us and our beloved Goa.
How can we let ourselves believe these
thieves Thieves who could not afford to
pay for their own cup of tea in the local
tea rooms, and who now flaunt the latest
of cars, money and other accumulated
wealth of dispropotionate means in
front of their so called constituents. I
am saddened by the sight of seeing our
youth making a beeline to the election
offices of these rascals, offering their
support. Support at a price of course.
A price in kind: permission to build an
illegal extension to a house, permission
to build a compound wall where it is not
right, etc etc. The list goes on and on.
If only our fellow Goans can wake up
for a change and see through the charade
5
presented before their eyes. If only
they can get their heads together and
decide on a unanimous candidate who
is willing to make the sacrifices for the
sake of his homeland.
A few days ago we heard the sad news
about the great museum robbery at Old
Goa. Where a poor guard who was
simply doing his job well, got killed in
the process. How sad for his family
who will miss their loved one.
The other set of news making the rounds
is about the protests against mining in
Goa. A good lady, Carmen Miranda
has been running a grand campaign
against mining in Goa, and she has
actually enlightened a lot of ‘bottes’
like me about the real curse of mining
and the reality of the harm it is doing to
our motherland, Goa. However, I just
wonder: Is anyone really listening Is
anybody going to do something about
it Or are we going to allow Carmen’s
work go down the drain because she is
not a resident Goan!!!
53 lucky Goans managed to escape
with their lives and mighty little else a
few days ago when their ‘workplace’
sank!!! I was surprised even though I
should not have been, that there were
so many Goans on the Costa Concordia
which recently went down off the coast
of Italy. What an elegant vessel, and
...continued on page: 8

Tangy Temptations...
by Melinda Pereira Kamat
Whether prepared as a pickle or a curry, the hot-and
sweet balchao is sure to tantalize taste buds...
Balchao is a tasty, popular dish prepared largely by
the Catholics in Goa. This dish shows the probable
influence of culinary traditions of Java in Indonesia,
Burma, Malaca and Macau since the Portuguese
conducted booming trade with these regions.
Balchao is recognized as balichao in Macau which
was an erstwhile Portuguese colony.
Many people mistake moll (molho) with balchao.
The Portuguese know galmyachi poli – a shrimp
preparation as balchao. So it is mandatory to use
galmyachi poli (shrimp cake) or shrimp powder or
balchao preserve in any balchao preparation.
Only when there are no dry shrimps available, dry
prawns powder is used as a substitute. Balchao
is made from pork, bimbli, bimbli-prawns, squids
(mankio), tiger prawns or kingfish.
Goans prepare balchao as a pickle to be preserved
for the monsoon, to be consumed when there is
scarcity of fish in the market. Balchao also finds a
prominent place on the plate when the food served
is tasteless.
Generally, fisherwomen from Loutolim, Ambora and
Benaulim sell galmy - achi poli. Fresh shrimps ( galmo
) are washed thoroughly in water to remove any dirt
or sand particles. These are mixed with rock salt and
then ground on a grinding stone into a fine paste.
This paste is then dried in the sun just like sausages
to get galmyachi poli.
In Tiswadi and Bardez people prepare balchao
preserve by grinding dried shrimps with garlic,
peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and red chillies in
palm feni.
To prepare top quality balchao, the best quality
palm feni available at Siolim is recommended. A
good balchao should have a taste that is similar to
schezwan sauce. It should be thick, hot and sour
with a slight sweet tinge. When balchao is prepared
as a pickle, no water or tomatoes are used in the
preparation, but if it is prepared for parties, then
water or broth is used to increase the quantity.
Fish, prawns or squids when used in balchao pickle
should be fried properly in oil with salt or else it could
spoil. In the same oil, fry very finely chopped onions
6
till brown, then add vinegar, balchao preserve,
salt to taste and fried fish.
The masala is ground in vinegar with cloves,
cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin seeds, turmeric,
garlic, ginger, tamarind and Aldonechi gaunti kali
Kashmiri mirsang (red chillies). The amount of
onions used should always be slightly more than
the quantity of fish or prawns used.
In restaurants the gravy is prepared on the
previous day and kept to mature overnight.
The next day, fried fish is added.
Balchao should have strong taste of ginger, garlic,
onions and spices. Bimbli balchao is prepared in
the same manner. Pork and bimbli are not fried
but cooked in the gravy.
Balchao prepared for parties is a slight variation
of the above pickle. Roast dry prawns and then
powder them. Heat a lot of oil and then add
ginger, garlic, finely chopped shallots, 4-5 whole
cardamoms and cloves and fry till brownish in
colour.
Thereafter, add finely chopped tomatoes, vinegar
masala, tomato ketchup, sugar, palm feni, dry
prawns powder, salt and strained vegetable stock.
Add 1 tbsp of oil and shallow fried fish.
Cook till oil starts floating on top. Another variation
is prepared by frying very finely chopped onion
till brown. Then add blanched finely chopped
tomatoes without seeds, pounded ginger, garlic,
cloves and pounded cinnamon.
This is cooked on slow fire by adding balchao preserve,
vinegar masala, powder of 3-4 cardamom
seeds, sugar and shallow fried prawns. Cook by
covering it with a lid containing water. Bimbli balchao
is always prepared in a cundle (mud pot)
and consumed within a week.
Some Hindu families have begun preparing a dish
with prawns, kingfish and eggs, which they have
named as balchao. But it is completely different
from the original balchao preparation.
Balchao is to be relished with steaming hot ukdo
rice and prawn curry or with local unddo or pav.
It is one of the most popular dishes during Goa’s
tourist season.

Goan Footprints on
the sands of time... ...
Entebbe Goan Institute: A Historical Perspective
by Armand Rodrigues
History shows that economic necessity is what led many a Goan to the unquantified shores
of the African continent. To understand how they then reached the hinterland, we have to
take a journey back in time.
HEADING INTO THE UNKNOWN
The ubiquitous and hardy Goan trekked hundreds of miles and crossed the hippo- and
crocodile-infested waters of Lake Victoria, in native canoes, arriving in Entebbe at the turn
of the 19th century. The fragile canoes were made of roughly-hewn planks bound together
by flexible jungle vines.
Most colonial European Government officers lived in grass-thatched houses made of mud
and wattle at the time. Everything was surrounded by wilderness and miles and miles of
trackless country. If the denizens of the deep did not get you, there were their wild and
hungry counterparts on land ready and waiting. If you managed to evade the insatiable
appetite of all these, there was still the omnipresent mosquito to contend with. Malaria,
Blackwater fever, Sleeping sickness and Yellow fever were the order of the day. In other
words, it was survival of the fittest. The unyielding Goan struggled through it all and
emerged still on his feet.
PUTTING DOWN ROOTS
In those primitive conditions, our stalwart predecessors carved a niche that will remain
forever Goa. On Monday, April 24, 1905 the community of thirty (30) souls got together
and unanimously resolved to form a club. It was resolved that every member would pay
one half of his month’s income as Entrance Fee. Most paid on the spot; some paid more
than called for.
Goans scattered all over Uganda, and even as far as Kisumu in Kenya, immediately enrolled.
Entebbe (meaning seat) understandably became the home port for all Goans in Uganda.
By September 11.1905 our enterprising pioneers had acquired a lot on a 49-year lease,
at peppercorn rent of one rupee per annum (about four Cdn. cents today). They then
addressed themselves to the question of collecting funds for a clubhouse.
In those days, all building materials -- including timber but excluding bricks -- had to be
imported from Mombasa (Kenya) 860 miles away. The railway had just started. Those
were the days when the man-eating lions of Tsavo had their heyday, dragging their human
diet out of moving trains!
7 ...continued on page 10...

continued from page: 5 ... Ramblings of the rambling reddo !!
what a disastrous end! The Goan sailors got together to thank God at a special
mass offered in thanksgiving at the Bambolim Shrine.
Which brings us to the reality about hundreds of young Goan lads and lasses
working on the high seas, away from their families and loved ones. Lives always
at risk, with no safety net to provide for their future. I think election time is
a good time for all our Goan Tarvottis to meet their local candidates and talk
to them about introducing some benefits for Goan sailors, specially in times of
tragedy like the Costa Concordia case. These young people spend a lot of their
lives on board these vessels doing different sorts of jobs and yet they do not have
any sort of security in times of need.
And talking about elections, have you heard the news about a Goan priest, Fr
Bismarque Dias’ plans to contest the elections A well known social and public
worker, Fr Bismarque seems to have already ruffled some feathers in the process.
A few days ago, his house was attacked and yes, you have guessed right: the
police are ‘investigating’ if you know what that term means in Goa!!! I hope
Fr Bismarque and that hardworking dentist from Benaulim both win their seats
this elections. It will be nice to see some new faces for a change. Enough of the
dynasties of Alemao’s, Pacheco’s, Monseratte’s, Rane’s, Naik, Sardinia etc!!! Yes,
that is what we all say, yet come election time, they somehow get elected...
Time will tell in a couple of months. Goans will surely get the government they
deserve! Till then, mog asundi, fogan, fog!!
8
Bostiao Xavier

Unable to make sense of it all...
By: KURKUM
In this heartless creation
It is hard to understand
Why some souls choose to wander; forgetting
Yet I am lost without wandering
My love is a ghost, ancient; with wisdom
Vital; with tears; not able to move on
Unable to let go!
It’s hard to remember a love; you don’t recognize in this life
Yet the memory is without thought
Agony; without knowledge
This love is without mercy
Passing through eternity; Life to the next
Forever searching; in a maze of whispers
For a blissful love; lost!
Longing for the touch; I’ll sense when I feel
Whispering to my heart; Comforting this stoned soul
Our love burns within me; But I am lost in the shadows
This entity of dreams; Forever killing me!
I believe this love is eternal; The flame will not relinquish
Forever circling me; The very matter of my existence
But for now I simply breath; Awaiting your rescue
Music; bonding our souls; Pain; stirring the memories
While silence shouts out it’s own melody!
9

continued from page... 7
On Easter Sunday, March 31, 1907, the
clubhouse -- a 30’ x 18’ single room, with
veranda fore and aft -- was formally opened.
It cost Rs.6,000 (about $200 today). It was
a triumph for our brothers and equallydetermined
sisters.
The club was originally named “The Goa-
Portuguese Institute”. But this was found to
be misleading and somewhat incongruous.
On January 1, 1912 the name was changed
to Goan Institute, a nomenclature common
to similar Goan clubs that had since sprung
up in East Africa.
It is noteworthy that half a month’s
income remained the Entrance Fee from
April 24, 1905 to May 1, 1926. From 1911
until Independence in 1962, the British
Governors in office were Patrons of the
Entebbe Goan Institute.
THE CLUBHOUSE GROWS
The tiny original clubhouse was extended
in 1922 and again in 1929, with major
improvements in 1947. In 1947, the old
“bucket system”, basin and stand, were
relegated to oblivion and replaced by
“modern” plumbing and fixtures.
In 1960, a totally new structure was erected
on the existing main foundation. Unlike
other sister institutions, no outside funds
were borrowed for the purpose
A HIVE OF ACTIVITY
The Institute’s social, sporting and moral activities were legendary. Other than dances,
sundowners, whist drives, “trook” sessions, and housie-housie (bingo), there were
concerts from time to time. Of course, all Goan weddings were held at the club.
From 1949, Mass was celebrated in the E.G.I. on one Sunday each month, as was midnight
Mass at Christmas. (Who can forget the serenades that followed midnight Mass) In the
month of October, it was customary to have nightly recitation of the rosary at the club.
Goans got on well with other communities and, in sports, E.G.I. interacted with all.
10
...continued on the next page...

continued from the previous page...
Ordinary membership was open to anybody, and a handful of non-Goans became members
and frequented the club on a regular basis. A few Africans joined after Independence in
1962; the liberal constitution needed no change to accommodate them.
Some of the non-Goan members represented the club in cricket, tennis, volleyball and
bridge tournaments.
STARTING POINTS
The following milestones cannot pass mention:
Activity Commenced:
• Tennis 1907
• Soccer 1907 (fizzled out)
• Badminton 1908
• Concerts 1908
• Bar 1909
• Soccer (revived) 1913
• Field Hockey 1916
• Cricket 1917
• Spirits at bar 1918
• EGI Hockey Cup 1922
It must be noted that the EGI Hockey Cup was the equivalent of the Gold Cup in Nairobi
and that, later, it became the catalyst for Uganda’s Olympic Hockey Team.
11 continued on the next page...

continued from the previous page...
THE SAD FINALE
With the forced exodus of Goans in 1972, an unforgettable era in Entebbe came to an
abrupt and unexpected end. The abandoned clubhouse fittingly became a parting gift
to the true sons of the soil. For the immeasurable benefits received by members, the
consensus has to be that on a relative basis only a pittance was left behind in repayment.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that the club boys, like Sabakaki, Toontoonu, Luka,
and those before them, deserve our undying gratitude for serving us so well over the
years.
(Acknowledgement: Historical data was researched by the late Mr. Antu Rodrigues,
M.B.E., a high-ranking civil servant with access to the public archives in Uganda)
Copyright © arodrigues, 2003
12

HELTER SKELTER BEFORE THE
MONSOONS IN GOA By Armand Rodrigues
In Goa, monsoons provide a welcome respite
from the opulent heat and stifling dust of
summer. From June to September, torrential
rain, ferocious winds, thunder and lightning
are a constant. The dust settles, the air is
cleansed, the parched land becomes a huge
sponge, the drying wells, river-beds and
ponds are replenished, the life-giving waters
are garnered in rice paddy fields. The thunder
and lightning chase away evil spirits lurking
in the shadows, and are the stuff for spooky
grandmothers’ tales for kids. Other than
inescapable work in the paddy fields, a sense
of semi-hibernation envelops the populace,
as outdoor pursuits become subject to the
vagaries of the weather, or as occupations
linked to tourism come to a seasonal ebb.
Take a walk back in time to appreciate what
people had to go through before the advent of
the drenching downpours. Remember that it
rains in the same measure on the lands of the
poor as the rich. So, all stripes of Goans had
to girth their loins and scramble. Imagine life
without electricity: No refrigerator to store
food, no stoves, and no electrical appliances.
Paraffin lamps and open cooking fires, were
the order of the day.
One of the first things that had to be
attended to was waterproofing the house.
Broken Mangalore or Sanvordem tiles that
had succumbed to errant coconuts, had
to be replaced. Roman tiles had to be rearranged
after leaves and other debris had
been cleared from the “gutters” between the
tiles. The roofs of out-houses, chicken coops
and the pig’s sty, had to be re-thatched with
palm fronds. Since most homes were built of
clay, the exposed walls had to be protected
on the outside, with upright or plaited palm
leaves fastened to a bamboo frame leaning
against the walls. Drains had to be made to
divert water away from the house. Coconut
leaves, -shells, -husks and any firewood had
to be piled up in a dry place. It was not
13
uncommon for people to hang coconut
leaves, in pairs, astride a horizontal tree
branch. With one layer upon another, the
outer layers kept the ones below dry, for use
in the kitchen.
Provisions had to receive critical attention.
Coconut kernels had to be dried in the
scorching sun, to make copra which was
expressed for oil. Large batches of paddy
had to be boiled in huge copper pots, and
then dried on a bamboo mat, before being
taken to a mill, in a basket on a person’s
head, for de-husking. The copra residue
and the rice husks were saved for adding
to the pig’s daily ration of swill. Kerosene
(paraffin) for lighting, in six-litre tin cans, was
a must Rice was stored in large clay urns
or copper pots and rat-proofed. Plenty of
sea-salt was always on hand. Sugar was kept
in an earthenware vessel placed in a small
moat to keep ants at bay. A good supply
of home-made sausages was suspended from
the rafters in the kitchen, alongside onions
and chillies.
Pickled mangoes, berries and fish, plus an
assortment of dried fish, were necessary
staples. Coconuts and a slew of spices,
including dried sour-mango slivers, were
must-have items. Salted pork was stored
in thick clay pails, with a weighted wooden
cover as a precaution against rats. Stored
blankets were examined for moth holes. A
supply of cashew nuts in the shell, or jackfruit
seeds, was useful for roasting and exuding
warmth on cold and dreary nights.
Finally, umbrellas were checked for broken
ribs, followed by a triumphant shout of:
“Bring on the rain”!

Memories of our beloved Goa...
Rice fi elds at Quepem. See the strip in
the middle - More and more fi elds are
left fallow now a days as labour is hard
to get and expensive. Many owners
have also left Goa for greener pastures.
It is coming to that time of the year
in Goa, when the locals make a
beeline to their local beaches
for their annual ‘sea bath’ to
recharge their batteries. The elders
believe that the annual sea bath is
benefi cial for those suffering from
Arthritis and other problems. And
the kids just have a good time!!!
The annual lenten procession
“Santos Passos” with a life size plus
statue of Jesus carrying the cross
is taken out in procession by most
parishes in Goa. Pictured is the
procession at Panjim last year
Thanks to Rohan, the man from “Exotic Goa” for sharing these
pictures with us. Young Rohan has Goa in his heart and we are
proud of the good work he does to propagate Goa.
14

Goan
Recipes...
by Joyce
BOLO DE CAMARAO - Prawn Cake
Prawn Filling:
2 cups prawns (shelled, boiled and minced)
3 onions (sliced fine)
1 tomato (sliced fine)
1 inch piece ginger (sliced fine)
6 flakes of garlic (sliced- fine)
1 teaspoon mixed spice powder (3 cloves, 12 peppercorns, a pinch of cummin
seeds, a few coriander seeds and half inch turmeric)
Take a pan and fry the onions, tomato, ginger and garlic in a little oil, till onion turns
brown. Add minced prawns, fry a little then mix in the spice powder. Add a little water,
cook till dry. Remove from fire and keep aside.
For the cake:
6 eggs
salt and pepper to paste
oil for frying
1 bottle mayonnaise
a few green peas and a beetroot
Potato chips (optional)
Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the whites first then fold in the yolks and
beat well. Stir in salt and pepper. Heat a small frying pan and with a fork pierced into the
sliced head of a skinned onion, smear the pan with oil. Spoon a little of the beaten egg into
the pan and tilt all round to form a nice pancake on a large, round, flat dish. Spread a little
of the prawn filling on the pancake. Make another pancake and sandwich the first one.
Continue making as many pancakes as possible and spread filling as necessary. When the
layering is complete it will look like a cake.
Now spread mayonnaise all over the top and sides. Cut strips of boiled beetroot and
decorate the cake using a few boiled peas as well. Garnish with crisp potato chips. Slice
like a cake when serving.
15

continued from page... 3
I had only visited Goa twice before the
research, at the ages of 4 and 18, I was not
a stranger to the people living in Goa.” She
says that when she did the study as a young
researcher (1979-81), India was already well
known for its diversity “but relatively little
was known about Christians and the Roman
Catholics in particular.” The study also
reflected her own search for “roots” and an
identity -- “to locate an autobiography within
a cultural biography”.
Once she shifted to the UK from East
Africa, where she had sent two decades
“cocooned within a close-knit Goan
community”, the author had to face repeated
questions over why she did not have an Indian
first name and surname, did not ware a sari,
could not speak an Indian language, and why
her parents came to live in Kenya and then
had returned to Goa. “I had no convincing
answer,” she notes. She says she knew more
about the Tudors and Stuarts (though being
educated in the Goan community school, the
Dr Ribeiro Goan School) than Goan history,
and more about Western culture than
Indian. “I realised that as a Catholic Goan I
was not alone in this state of ignorance,” she
comments.
She then did one of the early social
anthropological studies on Goa, and spent
22 months in Goa. Mascarenhas-Keyes,
who traces her roots to Saligao, stayed and
worked mostly in the village of Amora (a
pseudonym), lived in Pernem in the hinterland
of Goa and also in Salcete with the families of
Kunbis working in Amora. She spent several
weeks gathering data on repatriates, who
were the main population of Mira Mar, the
suburb of Panjim. Dr Mascarenhas-Keyes also
conducted interviews with Catholic and Hindu
Goans living in Bombay, Bangalore, Poona
and Delhi. Her book draws not only from
her ethnographic research and experiential
16
knowledge but also on historical sources.
The book contains a foreword by
prominent Indo-Portuguese historian Dr
Teotonio R de Souza. It has an annex in
the form of Dr Mascarenhas-Keyes’ essay
titled ‘The Native Anthropologist’, an
interesting comment on the “constraints”
and “strategies” she faced or had to
deploy in the course of her research in Goa.
This work also contains some 28 pages of
useful biographical references, which give
an interesting insight into other research
done worldwide that is of relevance to
the Goan community worldwide and at
home. The book is priced at Rs 395 in Goa,
Rs 450 in the rest of India, and UKP 19.95
overseas. It is available at local bookshops
in Goa, and via goa1556@gmail.com

THE STING OPERATOR
WHO GAVE UP ANONYMITY
THE STING OPERATOR
WHO GAVE UP ANONYMITY
by Aimee Ginsburg
By Aimee Ginsburg
The multiple exploits of Mayabhushan
Nagvenkar, the the journalist journalist who who exposed exposed Goa’s
paid Goa’s news paid racket, news pulled racket, off a prank pulled by planting off a
a prank fake Nazi by story planting several a well-read fake Nazi dailies, story and in
has several held up well-read a mirror to dailies, the media and in other has ways held
up a mirror to the media in other ways.
The ambience at Clube at Clube Nacional Nacional is perfect, is perfect,
immediately and one envisions immediately the film version envisions of
and
one
this the story: fi lm lone version journalist, of this snubbed story: lone by (many journalist,
peers snubbed for his by collegial (many exposés, of) his sits peers at a table for
of)
his
in his a collegial dimly-lit tavern, exposés, sipping sits his at glass a table of milky in a
feni. dimly-lit He stares tavern, out the sipping second his storey glass window, of milky
past feni. the He oldest stares building out in the Panjim, second to where storey the
Mandovi window, river past twinkles the oldest in the building rainbow in lights Panjim,
yachts to where and stars. the Below, Mandovi the river streets twinkles of this
of
business the rainbow quarter are lights quiet. of yachts Most people and stars. have
gone Below, home the by streets now, certainly of this business all the women quarter
children; are quiet. dogs Most are looking people for have dinner gone in the
and
gutters. home by now, certainly all the women
and children; dogs are looking for dinner
in man, the slightly gutters. burly in a plain sweater,
The
is The reading man, a slightly piece of burly paper. in Is a it plain a document sweater,
is reading his claims a of piece corruption of paper. against one Is it of a
proving
Goa’s document premier proving daily newspapers his claims Is of it a corruption
criminal against defamation one of Goa’s suit filed premier against daily him
copy of
the
last newspapers week Just Is then, it a copy the proprietor of the criminal comes
over, defamation looking like suit the fi led Portuguese against have him never last
left, week and Just puts a then, plate the of Chicken proprietor Cafreal comes and
hot over, fresh looking pao on like the the table. Portuguese “I saw you on have TV,
man,” never he left, tells and the puts journalist, a plate whose of Chicken name is
Mayabhushan Cafreal and Nagvenkar hot fresh pao and on is obviously the table. a
regular, “I saw “I you saw on you TV, on man,” TV!” As he turns tells the to go, journalist,
his hand, whose ever name so briefly, is on Mayabhushan
the journalist’s
he
rests
shoulder. Nagvenkar and is obviously a regular, “I
17
saw “Normally you on there TV!” would As he be turns more journalists to go, he here, rests
his for hand, their after-work ever so briefl drinks,” y, on says the Nagvenkar, journalist’s
shoulder. known in Goan media circles as Bhushan, or
“Normally The Bush, “but there at election would time, be more they are journalists
with here, all kinds for of their extras.” after-work One of the drinks,” extras says for
busy
Nagvenkar, journalists in known the past in week Goan was media a meeting circles
as with Bhushan, the chief or electoral The Bush, officer “but on the at topic election
of paid time, news. they In the are course busy with of the all tutorial, kinds it of
extras.” was explained One politely of the and extras with for simple, journalists easyto-understand
the past week charts was that a it meeting is not allowed with for the
in
chief journalists, electoral editors offi or cer management on the topic to of paid take
news. money In or the favours course from of political the tutorial, candidates. it was (“It
explained is absolutely politely normal,” and says with Nagvenkar, simple, “to easyto-understand
a press conference charts for that political is not candidates allowed
go
for and journalists, be handed editors press releases or management with Rs 500 or to
take Rs 1,000 money notes or attached. favours from Many, political if not most, candidates.
of these guys (“It pocket is absolutely the notes normal,” as if nothing says
Nagvenkar, happened. I have “to go never to a heard press of conference
a journalist
for being political disciplined candidates for it, or for and any be other handed similar
press transactions.”) releases with Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 notes
attached. Many, if not most, of these guys
pocket One of the topics notes mentioned as if nothing at the happened. paid-news
I tutorial have was never a complaint heard of filed a journalist by Nagvenkar, being
disciplined veteran investigative for it, or journalist, for any to other similar Press
transactions.”)
Council of India and Election Commission,
One against of Herald, the topics one mentioned of Goa’s leading at the English paidnews
dailies. Nagvenkar, tutorial was in an a elegant complaint sting operation, fi led by
Nagvenkar, seemingly showed veteran that investigative Herald is open to journalistfor,
to self-promoting the Press Council interviews of India with and political Elec-
paidtion
candidates Commission, that appear against print Herald, as authentic one of
Goa’s editorial leading content. English Nagvenkar dailies. is not Nagvenkar,
new to sting
in journalism—in an elegant 2005, sting he operation, and partner seemingly Jamshed
showed Khan had that stung Herald six MPs, is Shakshi open Maharaj to paid-for, and
self-promoting Paras Nath Yadav interviews among them, with showing political that
continued on the next page...
continued on the next page...

continued from the previous page...
they were taking kickbacks.
All six were suspended from a session of
Parliament as a result. In this current sting,
Nagvenkar pretended to be the fictional
Bernard D’Costa, a first-time candidate for
Parliament. Over the course of four phone calls,
he negotiated a deal with the paper’s marketing
manager, Tulsidas Desai. It was agreed in the
end that D’Costa (alias Nagvenkar) would pay
Rs 86,400 for an interview, 15 inches x eight
columns long, and that there would be no
label marking it as an advertisement—the crux
of the matter.
D’Costa was invited to submit the questions he
would like asked. For another Rs 50,000, three
similar interviews would be broadcast on the
newspaper’s TV channel. Nagvenkar asked if
this is how it had been done with an interview
of another candidate, published several days
earlier (without any advertorial label), and
if that candidate had paid the same fee. The
manager said, “Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya.” Nagvenkar’s
account on his blog is a darkly amusing,
strangely satisfying read. All conversations were
recorded by Nagvenkar and published here:
paidnewsingoa.blogspot.com/2011/10/goaspaid-piper-paid-political.html.
With the publication, all hell broke loose. For
a moment, at least. Then, everything went
back to normal.The complaints with the PCI
are pending; no one has lost a job; the paper
comes out every day as usual (Sujay Gupta,
editor-in-chief of Herald, declined answering
any questions for this story). One thing that has
come out of the sting so far: Desai, the paper’s
marketing manager, has sued Nagvenkar for
criminal defamation. Nagvenkar, whose day job
is with one of India’s national news agencies, is
well prepared for the battle.
“It’s not as if paid news only happens at Herald,”
says Nagvenkar,“it happens everywhere. There
is as much corruption in the media as in any of
18
the institutions it covers. In the big metros, you
can cover your tracks. In a small place like Goa,
it is very easy to identify who did what, from the
senior journalist who freely uses the politician’s
credit card, to the top editor who sells drugs to
his colleagues in the metros, let alone the plain
old cash for stories. Everyone knows what’s
going on.” He downs the rest of his feni and
adds, “Someone ought to be writing about it,
getting it out into the public domain, no That’s
all I am saying.”
“In his personal life, he is such a shy guy,” says
SK, an ex-journalist and government employee
who has joined Nagvenkar at his table at the
Clube Nacional, debunking the myth that
no one sits next to Bhushan in public, “but in
front of the authorities, he is a lion.” SK, a sweet
looking young man, looks at Nagvenkar with
obvious admiration. “Bhushan gives the home
minister too much tension,” he says, “He gives
the chief of police too much tension as well. He
is too straightforward.”
“The shock absorbing qualities of a small place
are very limited,” says Nagvenkar, “anything
unusual stands out.”
SK, born and raised in a village inland from here,
has been living in Panjim, learning the ways of
the metropolis, for the past 15 years. “I told Bush
many times—it will not work for you, you will
never get ahead,” says SK. “Here in Goa, people
don’t like those who speak straight or act real.”
+++
Nagvenkar, 34, lives with his mother in a
picturesque, slightly dilapidated house on the
hill road out of Anjuna. One morning, as we sit
in the living room, rays of soft light streaming
through the windows, he treats me to some
shira (semolina pudding) he made earlier. We
are discussing the pros and cons of acting as
a media watchdog while being employed by
the media itself. One of the obvious cons is a
continued on the next page...

low hireability factor, a commonsensical fact
learnt the hard way, which has left him slightly
bewildered. Nagvenkar enjoys laughing, but
returns at the end of most sentences to his
native state of sombre.
“I was a very dumb kid,” he says. “I woke up late
in life. I have no fond memories of childhood—
no fun, no interests, no dreams of grandeur,
no wild spots at all. I had no idea I had this
edge.” He lost his father two months before
graduation, so after a short time in Mumbai
(with The Asian Age), he felt the need to come
back home. He was asked to resign after four
months at his first job, after writing a story on
how the police act slower when the accused
are journalists. He left his next job after three
years and many fights with his editor about
stories being “killed” for the wrong reasons.
Finally, in 2001, Mayabhushan fell in love, moved
to Delhi, and later joined the investigative team
at Tehelka. “I was happy for the first time,” he
says, “Love was great, the work was intense,
the stories hardcore.” But when the Congress
came back to power, he and three of the other
investigative reporters left Tehelka ‘on dissent’.
“It was sad,” he says, “It had become the only
magazine in India that was digging up more
stories on the opposition than on the ruling
party.”
It was around this time that he started his famous/
notorious blog, a Goan mediawatch called Pen
Pricks, which received an average of 500 hits
a day. The sassy attitude and truths exposed
excited his loyal fans, but antagonised many
colleagues. Pen Pricks, written anonymously
(“had to be careful of obvious retribution and
lynching”), had a few big successes, including
a sting on a newspaper taking money for
editorials, and a prank known as Nazi Gate, in
which Nagvenkar invented a German agency
called the PerusNarpk (super prank) and sent
out a press release with a preposterous story:
an ex-Nazi by the name of Johann Bach had
19
been apprehended on the Goa-Karnataka
border, after trying to sell a stolen piano and
confessing his crimes to an Israeli couple at a
rave party, and whisked back to Germany.
The release was packed with ridiculous details
and many clues. “I was sickened by how the
media had recently reported on the Scarlett
Keeling and Arushi Talwar murders, using any
rumour that came their way,” he says, “I wanted
to see if anyone out there did any fact checking
at all.” The prank succeeded beyond his most
bizarre expectations: the story was picked up by
almost all (English) national dailies. Some even
put in facts of their own invention, improving the
drama of the original. “I was actually amazed,”
says Nagvenkar. Although still anonymous at
that point, most people were sure the blogger
was none other than ‘The Bush’.
“It would be fair to say that Bhushan, while
widely admired, has not made as many friends
as he might have if he’d just learn to keep
quiet sometimes,” says a local journalist—off the
record, of course. “It’s not that what he does is
wrong, he is actually correct and we all know it.
But colleagues do tend to keep him at an arm’s
length.” Even the Goa Writers Group did not to
invite him for membership, allegedly because
his blog had been anonymous. “I feel it right
here,” he says, thumping his heart, when asked
if he minds the snubs. “But it’s okay, I’m not so
used to having friends anyway. Besides, my
issues were more existential, like where is my
next meal going to come from.” It was around
that time, by the way, that his engagement
broke off.
“No one in Goa would hire me. I was down
in the dumps, depressed, and so broke that I
saw the rust at the bottom of my petrol tank,”
he says. He found himself reviewing porn
for Craig’s List, at $1.50 for 300 words. “Very,
very low, man,” he admits. It was through the
generosity of a friend who stepped aside that
Mayabhushan found his current employment
continued on the next page...

continued from the previous page...
at the news agency. “They like it fast and accurate,” he says, “and that is how I deliver it.”
Back at the Clube Nacional, it is time to place our final drink orders; with elections approaching,
no booze is served after 9:30 pm. Anyway, it is a work night, time to wrap it up.
AIMEE GINSBURG
A graduate in International Relations and Mass Media from
Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, Aimee Ginsburg has
been calling India home for the past 10 years. Ginsburg has
been with the media for the past 20 years and has worked
as an editor and interviewer, and made critically-acclaimed
documentaries for Israel’s foremost radio channel, Galei
Tzahal. She has also been the first-ever award winning
feminist columnist in Israel’s leading business magazine,
Asakim Maariv. Ginsburg has been writing magazine and
newspaper columns on a wide range of subjects, including
ecology, spirituality, and peace since1987.
News from Goa...
Goa is in the midst of a frenzy, yes an election frenzy which is taking things to
new heights! After news of Padre Bismark throwing his hat in the fray, and after
his residence was attacked, we now hear of an attack by the income tax officials
on the residence of another priest - Fr Romano Dias, parish priest of Velim. Our
sources tell us that it was retaliation because of advice the padre gave his flock
about voting!!! Wonders never really end. One would think those income
tax blokes would concentrate on the ‘challis chors’ who have as is common
knowledge, amassed wealth dispropotionate to their incomes in just the last five
years. But then, that is India for you, and those Income Tax wallas are at the beck
and call of the powers that be.
Another bit of news that hit the headlines outside Goa was about the grand
robbery at the Museum of Christian Art, Old Goa, where the thieves killed one of
the guards, and made good their escape with a lot of artifacts and jewelry. Initial
investigations reveal that it was an inside job, with other guards involved. The
security alarm was in fact disabled because it was too loud!!! Just crazy...
The River Princess which was sitting on the Candolim beach is finally in its last
stages of removal. at last! What a sigh of relief for Goa!!! However, we wonder
if the scrap is just going to sit at Betim where it is being dumped, and for how
long again. Will it take another agitation to clear that site Time will surely tell.
Let us keep our fingers and toes crossed and pray that Goans in Goa will do the
right thing this time and elect honest MLA’s who care for Goa and Goans.
20

GAA
Published by Raul Fernandes for Goan Association of Australia, Inc.
Editor: Salus Correia
Articles of interest may be sent for publication to the editor at:
goenchekhobro@gmail.com
The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not the opinions
and view of the Goan Association, but of the concerned authors
themselves. The Editor reserves the right to refuse publication of
some articles and no explanations will be offered.