REVOLT IN GOA
IN Goa also there is a revolt within the BJP. BJP loyalists are upset about the induction of two more former Congress MLAs into the Cabinet. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is being forced to induct Digambar Kamat into the Cabinet now along with one more MLA. The loyalists were opposed to even the inclusion of Alexio Sequeira in the Cabinet. Now the MLAs elected on the BJP ticket are opposing the inclusion of rebel Congress MLAs.
SHRIPAD BEING MARGINALIZED
SHRIPAD Naik is being marginalized in the BJP. He is amongst the oldest BJP members of the Lok Sabha but he may not get the ticket for the south Goa parliamentary seat this time. The BJP president Sadanand Tanavade has publicly asked Shripad bab to take rest and make way for a new face. Shripad is protesting against the move to retire him. It was the late Manohar Parrikar who kept Shripad out of state politics. This will send a bad message out to party veterans. When Narendra Modi became prime minister he side-lined senior leaders like LK Advani, the late Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi.
WANNA BE BJP CHIEF MINISTERS!
THE BJP is now finding it difficult to choose the chief ministers of the three states in the north. BJP won the three states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh on December 2, 2023. It looks like there are too many general and not many loyalist party workers. Besides the contenders from the states, 10 BJP members of parliament have resigned to stake their claim to be chief minister in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. The BJP is realizing the problems of open door policy.
`CHICAL KALO’ TO DRIVE TOURISM!
CLEARLY religious and cultural tourism is all set to thrive in Goa. Do you know that beautiful Goa recently won the title of being the “Best Fairs and Festival State” at The Economic Times Travel & Tourism Annual Conclave & Awards? It highlighted the state’s diverse festival calendar, showcasing its rich culture.
Needless to say this is in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to promote “Dekho Apna Desh” tourism along with cultural and spiritual tourism. This has also sparked Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and he been taking a keen interest, zeroing in on the “Chikhal Kalo” festival of Marcel in North Goa. The festival happens on the 11th day of the Hindu month of Ashadha, which is also called Aashadhi Ekadashi – this day is considered very important for devotees of Vitthal Rakhumai. Chikhal Kalo is simply put a mud bath festival which remembers and pays homage to Lord Krishna and his friends. The mud bath festival symbolizes the deep bond between the farming community and Mother Earth.
Tourism Minister Rohan A Khaunte turned the festival of Chikhal Kalo festival into a three-day celebration combining both devotion and something to see for tourists. The festival was hosted at the Devki Krishna temple in Marcel featuring classical and traditional Indian and Goan music, ending with a day-long sports and play event on December 7, 2023. Both Rohan Khaunte and Sports Minister Govind Gawade led by example, participating enthusiastically in the Chical Kalo or mud bath.
The festival will now be a major attraction for tourists. Goa’s commitment to preserving and promoting its history is evident in the grand 350th Coronation Year celebrations of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the upcoming Shiv Jayanti festival in February 2024 which will span over six places in Goa.
The Narkasur Vadh, now Shree Krishna Vijayotsav, is a noteworthy transformation appreciated by many. Shree Krishna Vijayostav Spardha received widespread participation, as did the Tripurari Poornima Utsav which concluded the Deepotsav.
Look forward to more spiritual and cultural tourism folks coming to Goa! Goa’s festival calendar features NoMoZo, Carnival, Veerbhadra festival, Shigmo festival and many more to come which will not only preserve heritage but also boost economic growth through tourism.
WELCOME UZBEKISTAN CHARTER
GOA welcomed its first charter flight fromUzbekistan, marking a significant milestone in collaborative efforts between the two nations. The historic flight, Centrum Air Q6 5545, operated by Elaine Avia in Uzbekistan and Goa’s operating agent Concord Exotic Voyages landed at Mopa Airport on December 7, 2023 at 12.30 pm. This historic journey sets the stage for weekly charter flights, connecting Taskent, Uzbekistan, to Goa until March 21, 2024. Goa Tourism welcomed the charter tourists with brass band playing and roses. Present were Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, representatives from GMR Kanwarbir Singh Kalra, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Kamlesh Poonia, Commandant (CISF), Ministry of Home Affairs, K C Rajagopal, Chief Immigration Officer, Srikant Bhandarkar and Shiv Kumar S, Bekzod Karimov, Owner of Elaine Avia & Travel, Sheik Ismail, Sr. Vice President, Concord Exotic Voyages and Deepak Narvekar (dy GM, Goa Tourism) and tourism officials.
JAMAT E ISLAMI DONATES BLOOD
BASHIR Naik, in-charge of a blood donation camp in Mapusa on December 3, 2023 while addressing media people said, “Saving of lives is highly valued in Islam.
Qur’an says saving of one innocent life is like saving the whole humanity.”
The camp was organized in the background of multiple cases of accidents and increased need for blood as requests indicate daily on social media. Bashir Naik thanked the doctors and staff of Mapusa Hospital who supported the cause and granted all necessary help.
THUMBS DOWN FOR IRONMAN 70.3 GOA!
We are happy to note that the Goa police have filed an FIR against the organizers of Ironman 70.3 race for the death of participant Kamakhya Siddharth in its last triathlon held in October earlier this year held in Panaji in October. The FIR is being filed on behalf of the 26-year-old participant’s father who hails from Ranchi. Kamakhya collapsed during the triathlon’s marathon race just 500 metres ahead of the finish line. His father now accuses the organizers for not getting timely medical aid to his son to save him, plus a watch on his son’s wrist was stolen. Also, there is clear case of destruction of evidence on CCTV camera covering the event. The organizers have even deleted his record from the race event, something shameful, indeed. A father may not get his son back but some justice surely is in order in memory of his son? The organizers of Ironman will be better organized next time anytime, anywhere in the world, when it comes to something as crucial as prompt medical assistance and security of information about a participant’s death for any reason. Why delete evidence!
SAYS DR LENNY DA COSTA….
Says functional and geriatrics medicine Dr Lenny Da Costa in his book “Is Your Doctor Keeping You Sick?” The book was out recently and deserves to be read by all those who care about being fit for life instead of fit for death only! He says: “Our genetic make-up shaped through millions of years of evolution, determines our nutritional and activity needs. Although the human genome has remained primarily unchanged since the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago, our diet and lifestyle have become progressively more divergent from those of our ancient ancestors. Accumulating evidence suggests that this mismatch between our modern diet and lifestyle and our Paleolithic genome is playing a substantial role in the ongoing epidemics of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Until 500 generations ago, all humans consumed only wild and unprocessed foods and foraged and hunted from their environment. These circumstances provided a diet high in lean protein, polyunsaturated fats (especially Omega-3 acids), monounsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial phytochemicals. Historical and anthropological studies show hunter-gatherers generally to be healthy, fit, and largely free of the degenerative cardiovascular diseases common in modern societies…”
All this and much more you may want to read up if you care about the quality of fitness for life at all! Knowledge is half the battle won, the rest is action please! Go buy the book and read up. Reading is back in fashion for the larger causes of the world.