* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 2008 Toronto International Goan Convention Theme: Goan Identity And Networking Today. http://2008goanconvention.com/index.php
Mario Miranda Festival, July 24-26, 2008 Old GMC Building http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2008-July/077732.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A lot of people on Goanet have had their own say on the raging chess controversy that has been going on for some time now. In the more recent posts that have appeared, I have found the tone a bit harsh and one-sided, unfair and based more on emotions rather than on facts or reason. Before I comment further on this, I shall take note of Mahatma Gandhi's words. He said before we do any act, we need to ask ourselves if it is the truth and if it is fair to all concerned. In this response, I shall therefore try to be as truthful as I can possibly be and fair to those concerned in this whole episode. I somehow got dragged into the whole chess controversy after I posted my response to one of Mr. Shrikant Barve's posts on Goanet. I initially threw my weight behind Mr. Barve lock, stock and barrel; primarily on the grounds that his rights under "Freedom of Expression" were being seriously vitiated. The deeper I got seeped into, the murkier this whole thing appeared. As many twists and turns as Dev Anand's "Jewel Thief". Equally entertaining stuff! Anonymous mails, impersonation, defamatory statements, conspiracies and here were all the ingredients of a Bollywood thriller. Man, it is said, is the maker of his own destiny and I wouldn't be too off the mark if I were to say that Mr. Barve scripted his own by deliberately choosing to fish in troubled waters. The whole controversy erupted after Mr. Barve aired his views on a particular "AICF circular", on a remote internet community. A "Yahoo Question-Answers" Forum that neither Mr. Salgaocar nor the other bigwigs in the "AICF" would have read in the first place, had not, strangely, Mr. Barve sounded them off about the same himself. In other words, this was the beginning of him digging his own grave. The Goa State Chess Association (GSCA) got into the act, organized a meeting to discuss this issue, and distanced themselves from Mr. Barve's comments, leaving it up to the "AICF" to take any action against Mr. Barve as they deemed fit. This issue would have been laid to rest then and there itself, but more twists and turns were yet to follow. In the next few days, through my discussions with the 'GSCA' President Samir Salgaocar and a few others involved in chess, all the other murky things - - hidden from public glare, and perceptions and issues that I was disconnected with - - began to surface. Mr. Samir Salgaocar had received a whole lot of anonymous unsavory mails, some taunting, yet others defamatory. In fact, a couple of mails were sent impersonating an office-bearer of the 'GSCA', clearly intended to trigger a fight between the two. Since Barve was the one who was making all the noises against the 'GSCA', the doubts of suspicion were placed on him. Barve denied his involvement when I confronted him on these. The sleuth in me got me to carry out my own undercover investigations, but we will leave that story for a different day. I tried my level best to get the two to bury the hatchet. Samir did not event know me, except for our limited interactions over email/ telephone, but I felt he was pretty reasonable and considerate. In fact, he even tried to go out of his way to try and iron out the differences, by offering to take Barve along with him by flight, entirely at his own cost, to attend an AICF meeting; so that whatever reservations Mr. Barve had vis-à-vis the said circular could be aired before the right authorities. Mr. Barve declined the offer but promised not to post anything more on the Internet forums. In the next few days, a meeting was organized where we were to sit together and discuss these issues logically and amicably, but just before that Mr. Barve went back on his word. The posts against the "AICF" continued, not before the right authorities but before the wrong ones, with Barve spraying his posts on various Internet forums, and e-mails marked to all and sundry in the chess world - -the Grandmasters, the International Masters, perhaps even to Vishwanathan Anand. It is pertinent to note that in these posts, defamatory statements were made against the 'AICF' Administrators, statements that have been referred to in Barve's "Life Ban letter". Hence, contrary to the picture that Mr. Barve has tried to present, he is hardly the tortured unfortunate victim of an orchestrated propaganda against him. It is Barve's stubborn postures; and silly nay foolish behavior that has got him to where he is now. And contrary to the picture that has been made out here on this forum, Mr. Samir Salgaocar is hardly the villain that he is made out to be. If Chess is on the upswing in the State today, the one person who can be credited with this is Samir Salgaocar. While Sports Administrators have indeed used various Associations as milking cows, Samir on the other hand is like the hen that has been laying golden eggs. His services to chess in the State are unparalleled, much more than all his predecessors put together. Incentive schemes to talented children. Pre Olympiad training camps. Sponsorships to clubs across Goa including Barve's own. About 15 lakhs of his personal wealth spent on the game and we know the enormity of his services. And here we are sitting in judgment, declaring him a villain! Every battle must have a meaning and a reason. I am yet to understand what Barve's is. Why is he, time and again, raking up the AICF Circular issue, as if his very life is at stake? When the AICF (the Employers) and the Grandmasters (the Employees) seem to be having no problems with it, what exactly is his purpose in fighting? For whom is he fighting? Are there any Grandmasters in Goa? For what is he fighting? Why has not one Chess Player from Goa come out in his support? Why has not one Grandmaster who may be affected by the said circular come out in his support or made a similar noise over it? A few thousand years back, a courageous 'Abhimanyu' charioted into the "Chakravyuh" without an exit strategy. A foolish Barve finds himself in a similar situation now. He should seriously introspect before trying to go on and on about something really very silly. I am writing all this not to demean or discredit Barve in any way. I am an avid follower of the game, an organizer and a player too and I know that his heart is in the game. Unfortunately, he finds himself in a quagmire now because he has allowed his mind to get diverted into needless issues. Even a couple of days back, I tried telling him that he could still try and sit to sort things out. But Barve continues with his foolish behavior. Barve has been a loyal soldier and Goan chess needs him. Goan chess needs Mr. Samir Salgaocar too as the "GSCA" is one of the best functioning Sports Associations today. Hopefully, things will be sorted out through talks and discussions but for that to happen, Barve should be willing to understand that he has gone wrong. He has recently initiated a series of seminars across Goa to promote Employment opportunities in Sports, aptly titled "The Right Move". Is he, at least now, willing to make the "Right Move" for himself? Cheers Sandeep Heble Panjim --------------------------------------------------------------------------- **** http://www.GOANET.org **** --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tri Continental Film Festival 2008 July 25 - 30, 2008 Goa, India http://www.moviesgoa.org/page/tri_continental/ http://www.moviesgoa.org/tricon/schedule_2008.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
