And surely the US Navy could lose friends in Goa among its supporters, who might get upset by this statement: "Goan. Having been ruled as a Portuguese colony for more than 450 years, Goa has a culture distinctly different from most of India." Anyway, what is the "culture... (of) most of India"? I thought every part of India was distinct in its own way. Except when viewed with the every-Chinaman-looks-the-same kind of ignorance. FN
Goa COMREL Marks End of Malabar '05 Story Number: NNS051005-08 Release Date: 10/5/2005 12:23:00 PM By Photographer's Mate 1st Class (AW) Shane T. McCoy, Navy News Service GOA, India (NNS) -- Exercise Malabar ended Oct. 3 with a community relations (COMREL) project in Panjim, Goa, India. Malabar is an annual exercise intended to enhance interoperability between the U.S. and Indian navies for future combined operations. USS Higgins (DDG 76), USS Chaffee (DDG 90) and USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) pulled into port in Goa Oct. 2, completing the at-sea phase of the exercise, and participated in an international sports day called the 'Malabar Cup.' After good-spirited games of volleyball, soccer and basketball, a reception was held aboard Higgins to celebrate the exercise's successful completion. Chaffee was unable to participate in the day's community relations project due to operational commitments, but some of the crew of Higgins and Santa Fe were bused to downtown Panjim to a children’s art and culture center to repaint the theater. One of the volunteers was Santa Fe's Storekeeper 3rd Class Victor Mesa. "We were told on the sub that we could help out some local kids with some painting, and I wanted to be a part of it," he said. All the volunteers were taken aback at the warm reception they received at the center. "We walked in and two women and two little girls greeted us with burning candles and marked our foreheads with red power to welcome us," said Operations Specialist Seaman Andrea Annis from Higgins. "They said it was a traditional welcome." The work was hard in the small non-air conditioned theatre. Indian paint, thicker than paint in the U.S., had to be mixed with water for more than an hour before the painting could begin. According to the Sailors, the work was well worth the effort. "The kids in the center put on a show for us," said Mesa. "They brought us into a room after lunch, and kids came out singing and dancing." The children, dressed in traditional Indian clothes, performed songs and dances both Indian and Goan. Having been ruled as a Portuguese colony for more than 450 years, Goa has a culture distinctly different from most of India. "This is the first time I have ever done a COMREL," said Operations Specialist 2nd Class Deltria Hines. "After seeing these kids and how adorable the dancing was, I’m hooked. I'll make sure I’m on every one from now on." For more news from around the fleet, visit www.navy.mil. [Thanks to goanvoice.org.uk for pointing to this link. -FN]
