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BEING A JOURNALIST with only a cyber-existence (and hardly a real-life) is accompanied by a very real job-hazard... meeting up with all kinds of interesting people. Kalpna Desai sent in that email, and after phone calls, we meet sometime in 2000. During her current visit to Goa, she dropped in again, and it's always nice keeping in contact with people from diverse backgrounds with many different ideas. Her name could easily pass for Goan (Desai is a common name around some areas, for example, Cuncolim and nearby). But she's Gujarathi. The mother of two, she grew up in Kenya and currently does work on the lottery-funded Health Living in Battersea projects in the UK. Among other things, this set of projects tries to build community among isolated elder citizens unable to use the public transport (through a "healthy cooking and eating with friends" plan), offer info about citizens' rights and entitlements, and encourage youngsters to fight lonliness and stress by getting involved with the music and arts.... There are also projects called 'get fitter-stay fitter', meant for those who need this to keep out of sickness, and counselling for young adults to cope with emotional or relationship problems. Kalpna will be back in the UK sometime after March 8, and can be contacted on phone 020 7585 0977. On email, she's [EMAIL PROTECTED] She's one of those who "loves any warm climate" and dreams of one day settling down in part in Goa. Unlike the current dominant-thinking that judges people on their ethnicity, my view is that anyone with useful skills is more than welcome in Goa... provided those skills are harnessed to benefit, at least in some way, those who could do with more opportunities and infrastructure here. It's not a zero-sum game after all... -FN PS: Kalpna has been a Goanetter for quite some time now, and has been actively following the discussions on this list... -- Frederick Noronha : http://www.bytesforall.org : When we speak of free Freelance Journalist : Goa India 403511 : software we refer to Ph 0091.832.409490 : Cell 0 9822 122436 : freedom, not price. _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.goanet.org/mailman/listinfo/goanet
