Murder Mystery Theatre in Mississauga , Ontario (near Toronto), Canada Like I always say, we always feel at home as Goans in Toronto, Canada at any Goan event. Just last month we had a nice Konkani Tiatro with over 500 people. On August 24th, 55PGA (55 Plus Goan Association) hosted a Murder Mystery Theatre in Mississauga, Ontario at Cawthra Senior Centre. This is the first time I attended such an event at 55PGA and I just loved it. It was a perfect evening with nice Goan seniors enjoying the nice dinner and witnessing a beautiful play created and written and directed by the talented Goan writer Joan Do Rosario. The play was beautifully enacted by a talented group of local artistes in English but interspersed with some Konkani which enlivened the event giving it a shade of comfort and familiarity of a Goan ambience in this part of the world. The play was set somewhere on the beautiful south shores of Goa, the hotbed of Goan Bhattkars who ruled it with an iron hand in the days gone by. This is the second year of the Murder Mystery Theatre, entitled “DIS AMCHEA JIVITACHE” (Days of our Lives) There were five characters in this murder mystery play. Marcus Pinto – The Eldest Son, played by Rudy Fernandes Jacinthe Pinto – The Youngest Son, p.b. Rudy Rodrigues Maria Pirez-nee-Pinto Wife of the deceased (Elias Pinto) inheritor, p.b. Juliet Rebello Tanjya Petrov – Russian girlfriend partner of Eldest Son, p.b. Christine Rodrigues Mathilde – Pregnant daughter of murderer Sotiwant & possible mother to Pinto heir, p.b. by Theo Fernandes. Ti-Ancinth – Distant relative to Pinto family and property claimant, p.b. Connie D’Souza. Detective- Raja Belgaunkar p.b. Norman Da Costa Narrator: Alick Alfonso. The play is based on the plot that every one connected, is out to grab the valuable property left behind by the Bhattkar Edwin Pinto who passed away soon after his favourite son, Elias was murdered by Sotiwant, the toddy-topper, whose daughter, Mathilde is believed to be carrying Elias Pinto’s child. Elias’s wife Maria is expecting to receive the property, and so also Jacinthe, the younger son, and also the eldest son Marcus and his Russian girlfriend are after the property. And since Mathilde is carrying Elias’s child she too is a possible claimant to this huge property. The play beautifully depicts the bickering going on among these characters and in the end Mathilde is shot dead. Now who did it? Detective Raju Belagaumkar interrogates all characters and solves the murder mystery. There were 2 prizes given out including a Caju Fenni bottle to 2 winners of the contest for naming the murderer. The whole event was co-ordinated by the Cultural Secretary Joan Do Rosario with great help from Ida Gomes, Joe Lobo, Frank D’Souza, Alick, Clement and Romeo and the rest of the Committee and numerous volunteers. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening especially the creative play and the dinner and the overall Goan ambience. We thank 55PGA for hosting this great event and hope we get more of the same in the near future.Silviano Barbosa, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jgS6wT7khE Toronto VIVA GOA! August 24, 2011 WISHING GOANET A HAPPY 17th ANNIVERSARY!Thanks to all Goanet Volunteers including Frederick and Bosco!