Its a dry day and a holiday every full moon day in Sri Lanka and for some reason the supermarkets don`t sell fresh meat on this day either!

Buddhist population control - full moon is a traditional holiday when the locals like to let their hair down - nothing like booze, red meat, and hair down to upset the ascendancy!

AndyD 8-)#

Anyone know of a hatha yoga school/ workshop in N. Goa?

thx - AndyD 8-)#

I know of an excellent personal yoga trainer (female) in North Goa

Dread - x

I don't know if this is the right thread for it, but I just found this interesting 'blog' By Sandesh Prabhudesai in GoaNews 2010

(At least for those interested in Goan history)


Should Karwar-Sindhudurg be Goa

But is it possible? Do we need it? Why people of Karwar and Sindhudurg want to merge into Goa? Is it a cultural suffocation? The mega debate indicated clearly that it is not an urge but a solution they are seeking since they are neglected by their respective state governments. Goa is a safety valve for them, not an issue of loss of their cultural identity, at least at this stage.

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On the occasion of the fourth anniversary of our Prudent TV channel, I had moderated Mahasangram, a mega debate, on the issue of extending Goa’s boundaries – Sindhudurg from Maharashtra as well as Karwar and Joida from Karnataka – the border areas. It is not an issue in Goa, but definitely a matter of concern in these border districts of our neighbouring states. Having been neglected by their respective state governments, people from all these three districts appear desperate for ‘separation’.

Principal Mahendra Natekar is the president of Samyukta Konkan Sangharsh Samiti. Their effort is receiving quite a good response to make Konkan a separate state. Goa is not on their prime list, though they argue that the whole Konkan coast includes areas from Mumbai to Sindhudurg to Goa to Karwar. They call themselves Konkani (or Malwani), but consider Marathi as their mother tongue.

B B Rane, of the Goa Konkani Rajya Ekikaran Manch from Karwar, however firmly states that Konkani is their mother tongue. The culture is similar and the geographical contiguity, besides historical factors, makes it a stronger case under the criteria laid down for state reorganisation.

Goans from different strata do not deny this fact. But they differ on making it a practical reality. PWD minister Churchill Alemao, during the debate, kept on stressing that we will get 2622 sq kms of land, which has six times more forest area than Goa’s existing forest. BJP MLA Damu Naik however eyes for around two lakh population, which would be 15 per cent addition to Goa’s population.

One has his eye on the virgin land while another one perhaps hopes that it would be a potential vote bank to make the saffron party stronger.

Leaders like Matanhy Saldhana and Adv Radharao Gracias have strongly opposed the idea. “We don’t want to be expansionists when we ourselves had opposed expansionism of Maharashtra to merge Goa”, they opine.

Arguments may be many, but it is a fact that Christians in Goa have already reduced from 35 per cent in 1961 to 27 per cent in 2001 census, primarily due to huge amount of Hindu migration from outside Goa. If Karwar and Joida are included, this percentage may slip down further to 23 per cent. Ultimately, Christian is a strong political force in Goa today, especially due to its predominance in thickly populated coastal areas of Salcete, Tiswadi and Bardez talukas.

Does that mean the idea should be outrightly rejected, or considered positively on scientific grounds? What should be the criteria while rejecting or promoting it? Social? Cultural? Historical? Economic? Or simply Political?

And what’s the reality?

Sindhudurg is the smallest district of Maharashtra. Goa is smaller than this smallest district of our neighbouring state. Compared to our area of 3702 sq kms, Sindhudurg is 5207 sq kms long and wide. Comparatively, however, its population is less – only 8.69 lakh, but enough to shoot up Goa’s population to 22 lakh, with much larger area, almost 1.4 times larger than Goa.

However, more than half of Sindhudurg population is already living in Mumbai. They are totally integrated with Maharashtra, in terms of language, culture, social behaviour and even the economy.

On face value, thus, it appears to be a mismatch.

But not Karwar and Joida. It’s an area of 2622 sq kms for hardly two lakh population. It has more forest than human habitation. The areas have lots of dams on river Kali. It has its own power generating units, including the Atomic Energy plant at Kaiga. Karwar is equally a well-developed commercial centre. Its language and culture is also synonymous to Goa.

Our veteran writer Damodar Mauzo, during the debate, raised a doubt. “What is the amount of penetration of Kannadigas in Karwar in recent years?”

A valid question indeed. Because the Goa Konkani Rajya Ekikaran Manch activists were recently beaten up by the Kannadigas when they demanded merger into Goa. It however cannot be considered an indication that Kannadigas have over numbered Konkanis in Karwar city. The attackers had the government support while the protesters were few. It was a clear indication that the Konkanis are not mobilised enough to make it a strong and visible people’s movement.

As far as the argument regarding Kannadigas in Karwar is concerned, like in another disputed town of Belgaum, the Karnataka government has consciously appointed Kannadiga staff in all the government establishments in the district of Karwar, including the police force. Compared to this Kannadigas in Karwar, however, Goa may have more Kannadigas in the towns like Vasco, Ponda and Margao alone.

Sitaram Tengse, a veteran journalist, while supporting the demand of merger of Karwar-Joida into Goa, raised a valid issue. Portuguese did not rule ‘whole’ Goa for 450 years. It was only in three talukas of Old Conquests – Bardez, Tiswadi and Salcete (later split into Mormugao). The rest of the seven talukas – the New Conquests - were under Portuguese rule for only 150 years. The southern side like Ponda, Quepem, Sanguem and Canacona were ruled by Sondekar. The northern areas like Sattari, Bicholim and Pedne were under the siege of Khemraj Sawant Bhosle of Sawantwadi.

His question was simple: If Sondekar and Bhosle had not surrendered to Portuguese till Goa was liberated, would Goa have been a “state” consisting of only four talukas of the Old Conquests – Salcete, Mormugao, Tiswadi and Bardez?

]But what is Goa? The state defined by the Portuguese and ruled by them alone? Or also the area which did not become part of Goa but was a part of the same language, culture and geographical part historically?
[/B]
I come from Canacona. The name of this taluka itself comes from the ancient word called Konn, some historians say. Karwar is also historically one of the five Konn. The other Konn, they say, are Malle Konn, Kathin Konn and Han Konn, situated today in Karwar district.

The original settlers of Goa are Gawada, Kunbi and Velip communities. In Canacona (Kaad Konn?), their main temple is Shri Mallikarjun (called Mallkhajan in ancient days) at Shristhal. Shisha Ranni is the most famous feast of this temple. The Tarangam of this feast, traditionally, go up to its border and come. This border is called Taranga Mett, which falls beyond Karwar city, at Baithakol, almost on the border of today’s Karwar taluka.

Historical facts thus prove beyond doubt that Karwar was part of pre-Portuguese Goa.

While Goa was liberated in 1961, a border dispute had emerged in Belgaum as well as Karwar, Joida (called Supa which was submerged due to Kali dam) and Haliyal. While Belgaum was Marathi-speaking area, the language of education in Karwar-Supa-Haliyal was also Marathi, just like Goa. They were thus demanding detachment of these areas from Karnataka and its merger into Maharashtra.

Soon after reorganisation of Maharashtra and Gujarat states in 1960, the agitation of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti to merge Belgaum, Khanapur, Karwar, Supa and Haliyal into Maharashtra heated up. Government of India then appointed a commission under country’s third Chief Justice of India Meher Chand Mahajan.

The Mahajan Commission report, submitted in 1967, clearly stated that Belgaum and surrounding disputed areas are Marathi-speaking while the areas of Karwar-Supa-Haliyal are Konkani-speaking. Konkani was officially not recognised as a language by any official body till then. But the movement to establish it as a literary language and to unite all Konkani people in the country had started from Karwar, by hosting the first ever Akhil Bharatiya Konkani Sahitya Parishad in 1939.

It was initially a proposal of Konkan Rajya, mooted by veteran Gandhian Kakasaheb Kalelkar. Gyanpeeth awardee Ravindra-bab Kelekar kept on echoing it throughout his life. “My ultimate dream is to see complete Konkani state by extending Goa’s boundaries”, he was saying.

During pre-liberation era, Karwar, Belgaum and Mumbai were three educational centres for Goans. After liberation, educated people from Karwar got the leverage to take up government jobs in Goa, especially in the educational sector. Since the administrative powers remained in the hands of Karwaris for almost three decades since then, over half of Karwar is already settled in Goa today. The rest of the Karwar is now demanding its geographical merger into Goa.

But is it possible? Do we need it? Why people of Karwar and Sindhudurg want to merge into Goa? Is it a cultural suffocation? The mega debate indicated clearly that it is not an urge but a solution they are seeking since they are neglected by their respective state governments. Goa is a safety valve for them, not an issue of loss of their cultural identity, at least at this stage.

Perhaps that is the reason Damodar Mauzo supported the long-echoed proposal of a Konkani ‘cultural state’ of all the Konkani areas in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala, along with Goa, without disturbing its geographical and political boundaries. It’s a new concept of running a ‘cultural state’ with its headquarters in Goa, while physically being in their respective states for all practical purposes. This could be the most practical ground to study the realities and judge how much cultural integration still exists among the Konkanis spread all over India.

Secondly, this is a proposal to detach some parts of the state and merge it into another. There have been state divisions, like Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Chattisgarh etc but not otherwise. There is neither a strong case nor enough number in both the Houses of Parliament to get this amendments passed to merge Sindhudurg or Karwar into Goa.

It’s definitely not a case for Goa to fight, though Goans may support the proposal in principle. Secondly, it’s definitely a case for the Malwanis and Karwaris to build it as a ‘people’s movement’ in their respective areas. They may have to also build it as a political movement and seeking voter’s mandate by contesting elections. Unless that happens, no political support would be mobilised. And unless this political support is mobilised, no amendment would be even considered in the Parliament. And unless the amendment comes, no lobbying for or against it could be worked upon.

The ball is thus in the courts of Sindhudurg and Karwar....

When the house in the UK was sold a couple of years ago and I started using my mothers address for all my mail and my UK base etc I stupidly forgot to register at her Drs.
I`m not a sickly or ill person so I didn`t really occur to me until a couple of days ago when I seriously needed to see a Dr..I had to fill in a temporary resident form.......I had to be honest and admit that I didn`t have another UK address and that I lived abroad.
I was told by The Practice manager that if I permanently lived abroad I`m not entitled to free NHS treatment !!!!!
Fortunately I saw a very nice Dr. who didn`t charge me even though she could have done. I find this disgraceful.I have a National Health Service number, have paid National Insurance all my life!
So how do all the immigrants that turn up here get free NHS treatment???????????

When I am next back in the UK I will be sure to register !

I think you should have given your previous surgery address, and that you were just staying with your Mother, your previous Doctor of course still drawing payment for you registered on his books.

I`d have done that if i`d known or thought that living abroad wiped out your NHS entitlement!

Ha,ha friend of mine the other day cleared his garage and decided to collect a few friends scrap metal not so much, to take into the metal scrap yard get some money on it,few old bikes and bits and pieces. Put in his van, on the way lady police officer stopped him, all polite told her he was taking it to yard get a few bob on it. He was arrested, his van impounded his insurance social domestic and pleasure, not business. What we say innocently can have huge consequences. Even travelling to work can end up in this situation, most cars not insured for commuting

that is - unbelievable.

AndyD 8-)#

Which part?


.

From what i have been reading in the local rags it would seem Pariker means business in reforming the Bureaucratic mess left behind by Congress and its partners in crime.Reforming the Social Security System,warning all Government employees that the Bungocrassy of Congress has to finish now.But no witch hunt though, which is a pity......I would love to read a that Long Gone Silver Churchill Alameo is back in Fort Aguada peeling coconuts...!MInd you i would love to read Mikki( only Gandhi's please ) Pacheco was with him stitching mail bags too.

# that he was arrested (in the circumstances described).
# that carrying your own/ your friends' goods to a scrapyard invalidates SDP insurance.
# since several years insurance co's have been asking if you regularly use your car to commute to work, it's stupid to lie and invalidate your insurance - anyway the last time that applied to me the difference was trivial (caveat - there are areas of the country where most cars are not insured - period).
## - that the police stopped a transit full of scrap - yes I believe that (surprised though!)

AndyD 8-)#

I believe most private car insurance includes travel to and from your place of employment. It certainly used to be the case and in fact my insurance certificate states that it covers 'Social, Domestic and Pleasure - including commuting and business use by Insured and Spouse or Civil \partner - excluding commercial travelling'.

Correct - exactly my understanding for 25 years plus of the terminology "social domestic & pleasure".

H.