*Dear All,* *Internet bullies spring up by the minute and they think they can get away with anything. The latest kid on the block is one Stephen Dias from Dona Paula, whose address suggests he is a rich and privileged kid indeed! * *He wrote putting my name in the subject line in response to an email which I had sent where I mentioned him. The crassness, banality, and inanity of his response can only be understood if one reads my original post and then sees his abusive reply. So I will do just that. Here is my original post - Augusto:*
Subject: Criticize IFFI and ThinkFest if You Must but Please Be Sensible. Whenever an Arts, Literary or Intellectual festival is held in Goa, almost like a knee-jerk reaction there are some people who will begin to scream that it should be banned. One such knee-jerk artist is one Stephen Dias from Dona Paula who screams in capital letters on Goanet: "IFFI NEEDS TO BE ABANDONED FROM NEXT YEAR ONWARDS (Stephen Dias)" If one reads his letter it consists of much hysteria and little sense. Apparently simply falaring the Konkani saying, "MANDRI POUN PAEM SODPACHEM" justilfies his moral panic. This means incidentally 'One should stretch one's feet according to the length of the blanket' The logic beats me. There are others who scream at Think Fest organized by Tehelka. One of those is a bunch appropriately named Kractivist: see http://www.kractivist.org/press-release-tehelka-not-welcome-in-goa/ This year unfortunately for them, the misdemeanors committed by ThinkFest organizer Tarun Tejpal this year have become a convenient peg to hammer ThinkFest into the ground. I honestly feel that these hysterics are not a little, but completely misguided. It is clear by now that tourism is going to be a backbone of our economy. For years we have been worrying that the tourists we get are all the wrong class and that we should be seeking a better class of tourists to boost our economy. Obviously the people come for events like IFFI and ThinkFest are all middle and upper class tourists - and even the film students who come for IFFI are one day going to be intellectual leaders who will influence others as to whether they should visit Goa or not. Why are we trying to cheese them off? So although we do spend public money on IFFI the returns we get indirectly through what the delegates spend is high. And so too is the image boost we get from hosting such an event. Then think of the work experience which all those college students get by becoming volunteers at the event. And how could all the people interested in cinema in Goa have ever got the exposure to world cinema which they get at IFFI? I see people like Damodar Mauzo, Ramesh Veluskar, Pundalik Naik, Maria Aurora Couto, Rajendra Talak, Dnyaneshwar Moghe not to mention a host of others including many many simple Goans who just love movies and who easily get the IFFI passes for just Rs 300/. And as regards Think Fest I don't think any public money is spent as such - but just see the prestige we earn by getting celebrities of the order of Robert De Niro, Garry Kasparov, Nandan and Rohini Nilekani, Yogendra Yadav, Medha Patkar, Amitabh Bachchan among others here in Goa. True the organizers hype the event up to make out as if they will change the world but nobody in their senses really buys this argument: basically they are coming for a nice intellectually charged holiday. Next I expect that the upcoming Goa Arts and Literary Festival is going to be the new target because Govt puts some money into it. For the love of me I don't understand why do we want to chase away these upmarket people who really are the kind of tourists we should be inviting to Goa. Frankly I feel the likes of Stephen Dias of Dona Paula and the Kracktivists just like to see their names in print which is why they make all this fuss. Let them be invited to any of these events and we shall see how their tones change Regards Augusto (Disclaimer: I'm a regular at IFFI, but I wouldn't go to Think Fest even if invited as I'm simply not interested) *(Dear All, * *Now read Shri Stephen Dias's reply and as you do that note the cunning way he changes the subject line. Then try to find whether he has any argument to counter the economic, and pragmatic reasons for which I have defended the intellectual festivals that have benefitted Goa. **You will certainly find a whole lot of inanity, banality, and lack of wit; **and while abuse is abundant, I regret sense seems to be completely absent.** Don't you think t**hese are the characteristics of a bully? Read on and find out for yourself)*: Shri Stephen Dias of Dona Paula wrote: Quote - "Subject: CRITICIZE IFFI AND THINKFEST ON GOANET DIGEST Vol 8, Issue 812 : BY AUGUSTO PINTO OF NOVO PORTUGAL-MOIRA For; Augusto Pinto, For a Scientist, nature has provided us enough of challenging secrets for which one life time is so very limiting. One does not require the works of human imaginations in the form of films to enchant and regale most of us. The creations of nature in all its diversity is often beyond the understanding of Augusto Pinto and he being from Moira, I acknowledge his limitations and his craze for IFFI and Stinkfest where artificiality of creativity seem to be the source of entertainment. It was only Mr Bachan, De Niro, Kasparov or even Tendulkar who would saturate the intellect of Augusto Pinto ? were actors or players- aren?t it. How boring. Look beyond Mr Pinto nature has fascinating secrets to offer and delight. Thanks to Galileo, Newton, Einestein, Faradey at all whose discoveries and inventions have made it possible for you not to wile away your time in the imaginary world of films and of actors who have possibly given pleasure to the mediocre humanity without improving one?s quality of life. I live in the real world which is stupendous and not interested in the make believe artificially drugged world evolving out from the reels. Hope you do not take the real life too seriously or the ongoing Tarun Tejpal syndrome may play upon you. Think-fest is now a Sting- fest and IFFI for Goans is surely is International Fools Festival for Idiots. Keep enjoying IFFI for those of us there is enough of it in Nature to keep us happy. In regards to our old Konkanni saying; ?Mandri poun paem sordpachem?, it is a well known wording/phrase where all our elderly people were saying and may be you staying at NOVO PORTUGAL, you must be knowing only NOVO sayings. It is not your fault. You can go and ask your elderly people and learn these words from them, and then you may not utter the word ? THE LOGIC WILL BEATS ME.?" Unquote Best, Augusto: PS: Isn't it so sad that some Goans love to exhibit their stupidity? -- Augusto Pinto 40, Novo Portugal Moira, Bardez Goa, India E [email protected] P 0832-2470336 M 9881126350
