YEAR 2024 & 3L MISSION

EVERY year, every day and every moment is unique in our lives. We cannot take for granted people and events which shape and mould our existence. We must thank God and people who collaborate, cooperate, support, care and pray for us.
The year 2024 was really a year of grace to 3L Mission in its 50 years of service to the least, last, lost students and their families. Instead of enumerating what we did in this year, we prefer to thank God for his infinite mercy, love, and protection to us. We are his stewards and instruments in his hands. We cannot claim credit for the success. What we achieved was possible due to the grace of God and generous support of Friends of 3L who were like Cherubim, Seraphim, archangels, and angels throughout this year. They were the backbone of this mission and silent artisans worked selflessly behind the screen.
May God bless and protect them. May their tribe increase in the coming New Year 2025. We also thank those who supported us through their prayers and wishes.
On behalf of 3L students and their illiterate or semi-literate parents or guardians, I wish you and your family a joyful New Year 2025. May God bless you with health and strength to live a dedicated meaningful life. May our bond of friendship and unity grow and flow like a river.
May our loving God grant eternal peace and rest to those who left this world in the year 2024. May he give strength and courage to the family members to accept the pain and physical absence of their departed persons.
Let us begin the New Year 2025 with new hope and determination to reach out to others, especially the less privileged and marginalized people. Let 2025 be a year of grace and blessing for all of us!
—Pratapananda Naik, Goa

ATTACKED BY BULLS

I WOULD like to recount an incident which happened to me while  holidaying in Goa for your readers. I am Anna, 41 years and while holidaying in Goa was attacked by bulls in Saligao. This incident took place in Muddavadi in Saligao and the attack had no provocation at all.  I was walking down a lane at 10.30 am on Thursday, November 28, last year in 2024 and while turning a sharp corner I saw  three to four bulls who looked at me and suddently charged me and dragged me across ground, boring me with their horns.

My left chest skin was cut up and so was my back, I sustained painful bruises across my for which did not heal for several weeks. I also suffered a sprained wrist as I was pushed to the ground by the attack by the bulls. My t-shirt was torn as also my  trousers and jacket were ripped apart. My steel water bottle as crushed.  

I lived only because there was no large open wounds or injuries or breakage of any bones. I was treated by a nurse and doctor at the Saligao Medical Centre who prescribed antibiotics and painkillers. The superficial cuts were thoroughly cleaned and bandaged.

In February 2024 another tourist was gored by a bull, this time a British tourist in  Benaulim, and also a French woman in Palolem. As a result of these attacks I am now too scared of walking when in Goa for here animals roam freely on the streets and there is nobody with them. Sometimes there is nowhere to run for safety either in narrow lanes. In this letter I just want to warn tourists going to Goa to be very careful and to keep distance from cattle or bulls on the streets. Bulls, especially, are strong animals and an attack can kill even the owner. Such animals should not be permitted on public roads and streets or lanes. It does not look good for tourism if tourists cannot be safe in public from wild or domestic animals. Cattle should be banned because they are a public health hazard and owners should be held accountable if any incidents take place.

–Anna De Souza, London

THANK YOU DATTA DAMODAR NAIK!
WE need to commend our very own Goan writer and thinker Datta Damodar Naik for having generously provided funding of a crore to Konkani Bhasha Mandal, towards the very worthy cause of promoting and protecting our Konkani language.
Our language is a symbol of our identity and everything possible needs to be done to ensure that the coming generations are assimilated in the process of keeping the spirit of our language alive.
I can recollect the names of some Konkani protagonists in Goa. To name just a few, Uday Bhembre, late Chandrakant Keni, Damodar Mauzo, Prashant Naik, Anant Agni, Prakash Paryekar, Raju Nayak, Hema Naik, Pundalik Naik, Jayanti Naik, Vincy Quadros, Michael Gracias, Jose Salvador Fernandes, Uday Mhambro, Dilip Borkar, Jyoti Kuncalienkar, Jose Lourenco, Kamlakar Mhalshi, Madhav Borkar, Antonio Piedade Moraes and of course our dear son-in-law of Ribandar Tomazinho Cardozo. All their contribution towards the promotion of Konkani has been enormous. For the sake of Goa and Konkani may this tribe grow.
The grim reality is that Goa today is sadly at a crossroads. It is anguishing that not much is being done in Goa to promote and preserve our Konkani. Ironically, more Konkani is spoken at Hounslow and Southhall in London than in the Panjim market in Goa. Alarming signs of the times. Have we long passed the wakeup call time?
—Aires Rodrigues, London