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Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment
and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further
environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa
http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php
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Russians in search of Indian paradise in Goa
Tired of city life, Russians are increasingly taking time out in Goa – and some
aren't going home. But now India has increased visa restrictions in an attempt
to curb the influx
Five years ago, Yulia Solovyeva's life was like that of any other young
professional coming from the provinces to Moscow in search of a career.
Mornings began with a quick cup of coffee in a tiny rented room, a walk through
slushy streets to the metro, carriages packed with tired faces, and on to the
office where she worked as an interpreter.
"I felt like I lived in a cage," says Solovyeva, relaxing in her Goa home, legs
folded into the lotus position. "We smoked cigarette after cigarette in
constant stress; I could never imagine raising children in that aggressive
Moscow environment."
And so, like thousands of other restless young Russians unhappy with city life,
she headed to the Indian state of Goa in search of shanti – inner peace. The
Russian exodus to Goa has become a trend, and many are moving there for good.
Cheap daily charter flights are now carrying thousands of Russians to the
former Portuguese colony famous for its beaches and laid-back mood that have
been popular with British ravers and drop-outs for decades.
The allure of India has even spawned a best-seller in Russia, The Goa Syndrome,
a book about living and working in Goa by Alexander Sukhochev – also known as
DJ Sa Shanti, a resident of the Indian state since 2003.
Solovyeva's husband Timofei prefers to describe the drift of Russians to Goa as
a movement of "up-lifters" rather then "down-shifters", the term used in the
West. The Solovyevas' two children were born in Goa. Their son's name is Om and
their daughter's name is Uma after the Hindu god Shiva's wife. There are
already two Umas in the growing Russian community and more could be on the way:
the community has celebrated a baby boom in the last few years.
Like many other Russians, the couple set up their own business in Goa. "Our
yoga resort was the first business on this street five years ago, and now we
have dozens of businesses along this shore," says Timofei during a tour of his
neighbourhood in Arambol in northern Goa.
Flyers in Russian are pinned to palm trees advertising yoga, massage,
traditional Indian music and dance classes for visitors.
Ilya Demenkov, 27, grew tired of his work as a computer programmer at a Moscow
IT company. He flew to Goa last year to realise his dream of opening a
kitesurfing school. "I came here to begin my own business and find a
girlfriend," he says.
Alla Duhl, a St Petersburg painter, found that she could live on just over £300
a month in Goa, including rent for a studio and a room in a house with a
tropical garden. "Maybe a British lady would find this environment lacking
comfort, but we are used to crowded buses and dirty streets," she says, "so Goa
feels like home to us."
Duhl, who paints portraits of local people on pieces of antique dark wood, says
she planned to exhibit and sell her art pieces this summer, during one of her
short visits to Russia.
But the influx has also raised some concerns in India. Last year, 80,000
Russians flew into Goa, and, according to the Indian embassy in Moscow, 1,400
did not return home before their visas expired.
"Some tourists decide to stay and live in India permanently," says the
embassy's secretary.
"Some, we hear, even burn their Russian passports to break off all the
connections with home."
However, as of February this year visa rules have been tightened for Russians
and Western Europeans visiting India. After certain individuals linked to the
terrorist attacks in Mumbai used tourist visas to spend extended periods in the
country, now they are only issued for a month at a time. Even though the rules
have been changed for everybody, the Russians still feel singled out.
The president of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa, Laxmikant Parsenkar, said
that Russians should "have fun, spend money and go back" rather than start
businesses. Indeed, the highly popular city of Morjim seeks a ban on Russian
businesses after a taxi driver was killed in a scuffle with a Russian citizen.
On their return to the cold of Russia, some fans of India try to preserve their
state of shanti. Increasingly, Russian cities have yoga clubs, and practice of
the physical and mental discipline has taken off after being barely visible
just a few years ago. A new chain of Indian stores, The Way to Yourself, offers
everything from Indian tea to little tin kettles – good for washing nasal
energy channels or watering flowers.
Recently, fans of India gathered at Gazgolder, a hip Moscow night club, for a
"Goa Memories" party. Clubbers in Ali Baba baggy pants and Shiva shirts, sun
glasses and flip flops, with third eyes painted on their foreheads, danced to
tam-tam music under a big video screen featuring Goan scenes: Indian women in
bright saris on motor bikes, enormous palm trees, and golden sunshine.
Meanwhile, outside, the traffic was at a standstill on gridlocked Moscow roads
after the latest snowfall.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/russianow/features/7540820/Russians-in-search-of-Indian-paradise-in-Goa.html
~(^^)~
Avelino
