WOOING CATHOLICS
BESIDE the Christmas ads, recently Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant payed tribute at the Pinto revolution memorial near the Secretariat. The Pinto Revolt was reportedly led by the Luso-Goan Catholic monk Abbe Faria (Portuguese Abade Faria) whose image towers besides the old Secretariat in Panaji. The Pinto revolt marks the rebellion of a section of the clergy against the Portuguese administration. It is widely believed that Abbe Faria who migrated to France founded the art of hypnotism and was the model for the hero of the Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novel `The Count of Monte Cristo.’
HINDU RASHTRA
UNLIKE in the past the Department of Culture of the Goa State government is funding and participating in all the minor and major Hindu Jatras in Goa. Though the latest is the Zagor (meaning nocturnal vigil in Konkani) celebrated in Siolim, the CM has also taken part in the Gulal jatra at Zambaulim. The highlight of this festival the splashing of colored powders in the entire temple here by devotees who also color themselves on the festive occasion, focusing especially on the red gulal powder. It’s a most colorful festival and we have had the privilege of visiting Zambaulim on gulal jatra day with the famous Konkani writer Uday Bhembre who was also the editor of Konkani daily `Sunaprant.’
LIBBY’S GIFT TO GOA
ONE of the highlights of the Liberation of Goa was the secret underground radio service station set up by Libia Lobo and Vaman Sardesai and Nicolau Menezes at Londa. Libby dropped freedom messages against the Portuguese government and countered the propaganda of the times in 1930s. Londa is just on the Amboli ghatland forested borderland Goa and used to be the assembly point for the Satyagrahis from Pune who tried to storm Goa. On Liberation day Libby and Vaman had the privilege of riding on an Indian army helicopter broadcasting that Goa was now free. Vaman Sardesai was the first director of tourism of a liberated Goa. Libby has gifted the transcript of the Voice of Freedom tapes of the original broadcasts to the Archives department and we think one of these days the feisty and charming Libby Lobo is going to celebrate her birthday century!
CENTRE CLEARS MHADEI DIVERSION!
The BJP government in Karnataka has received clearance from the Central government to divert the Mhadei waters from the Kalasa-Bhandura canal. Though the BJP chief minister of Goa Pramod Sawant has strongly opposed the diversion, the BJP seems to have decided that Goa is less important to its election prospects than Goa. The permission to divert the Mhadei waters is a gift to Karnataka BJP as the state is going to the polls soon. The treatment of Goa by the Centre shows that even though Goa as the BJP government it is not considered important and can be taken for granted.
CHINA LINK TO NEW ZUARI BRIDGE
The new Zuari Bridge which was inaugurated on December 29th 2022, by Nitin Gadkari by Union Minister for transport is part of an eight-lane cable-stayed bridge expected to ease traffic and link up for the Atal Sethu bridge. The curious part about the Zuari bridge is that the design proof check consultant is a Chinese nationalism, Dewei Chan. This is curious as there is a ongoing clashes between China and India on the line of actual control in Ladakh.