------------------------------------------------------- CONVENTION OF THE GOAN DIASPORA FROM GOA INTO THE WORLD Lisbon, Portugal June 15-17, 2007 Details at: http://www.goacom.org/casa-de-goa/noticias.html -------------------------------------------------------
It is with disgust and horror one watched the hijacking of our basic freedom on May 09, by a group of hooligans of the extreme right in the Fine Arts faculty of the MS University of Baroda. Almost every law was broken as the hooligans marched into the examination hall and outraged the sanctity of the educational institution, trampling in the process our right to express freely and our creative impulse.Immediately, reactions poured in from every strata of society, with many persons and institutions publicly going on record against this shameful act. Teachers, artists and others from various walks of life in Mumbai and elsewhere protested and expressed their solidarity and the India Foundation for the Arts too condemned the incident in the strongest terms. Which makes me wonder why the Goa College of Art has not reacted to the incident (and to my knowledge it still hasn't). Are we to presume that this incident which crucifies the freedom of expression of an art student is something they cannot be bothered about? If such a shocking incident can take place in one of the premier art institutes of the country, how far away is the day when such atrocities become common place in Goa? After all, a few days ago an incident of eve teasing was sought to be communalised by forces which have raised their heads and are bent on polarising us every which way. A public condemnation of the event in Baroda by the Goa College of Art could take the form of an exhibition or a solidarity march. And the condemnation should be done at the earliest, because what is at stake is the future of the freedom of expression. Apurva Kulkarni ========= ------------------------------------------------------- Goanet recommends, and is proud to be associated with, 'Domnic's Goa' - A nostalgic romp through a bygone era. This book is the perfect gift for any Goan, or anyone wanting to understand Goa. Distributed locally by Broadway, near Caculo Island, Panjim & internationally by OtherIndiaBookStore.Com. For trade enquiries contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------------------------------------
