Shoe Flinging Academy
Putting your best boot forward
By Cecil Pinto
This week Professor T Patel, principal of the newly opened Shoe
Flinging Academy (SFA), takes us on a walking tour of his institute.
Based in Caranzalem, the SFA is spread over a ten acre property with a
small cluster
references, some photographs and documents)
Simple White Sins
Introspection on the nature of sinning
By Cecil Pinto
Despite being a certified lapsed Catholic the season of Lent always
gets me thinking about the nature of Sin
references, some photographs and documents)
Kontemporary Kashti
Getting a grip on designer loin cloths
By Cecil Pinto
Cecil: Congratulations on the good showing at Lakme India Fashion Week
Wendell: Thanks!
Cecil: Now tell
Nanophilia
Learning to love the dwarf car
By Cecil Pinto
Michael, Francis and Ubaldo are standing at the Gates of Heaven being
interviewed by St. Peter.
“Ok you, Michael, how many times did you cheat on your wife?”
“Let me be honest Peter. I’ve been seeing at least two or three
different
As children when we used to play Hide-and-Seek, the designated seeker
('it' in Western terminolgy) would be referred to as as the 'den'.
I've asked around and nobody seems to know why the term 'den' is used,
and if it is a term specifically used only in the South Asian
sub-continent.
Does anyone
I've been receiving quite a few polite e-mails from vigilant readers
pointing out to me that it was Englebert Humperdinck and not Jim
Reeves who sang the song Release Me.
Now let's check.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Release_Me_(1946_song)
- quote --
Release Me is a popular song by Eddie
Here’s the Answer - by Jim Reeves
When two worlds collide, over an Ordinance
By Cecil Pinto
The seething saga that led to what is popularly known as the Cidade de
Goa Ordinance has thrown up a lot of names. Auduth Anju Timblo,
Gustavo Renato Pinto, Claude and Norma Alvares, Rozendo Mendonca
The Catechists of the Aldona Parish have rendered yeoman service to
the community by imparting doctrinal knowledge to our children in:
- Preparing them for First Holy Communion
- Preparing them for Confirmation
- Post Confirmation instructions
A need is now felt of acquiring an LCD Projector
Ever since I expanded my study of 'Picnic Songs of Catholic Goans' to
include bawdy songs by other religious communities and regions along
the Konkan, I have come across many folk songs that bear an eerie
similarity to Goan Konkani folks songs.
For example check out this link:
Choosing a Goan son-in-law
An update on folk knowledge regarding alcohol
By Cecil Pinto
Olga Aunty dropped by again today with her daughter. For the past four
years she has been searching for a suitable boy for Succorine. Every
few months Olga Aunty will meet me to relate her woes - invariably
From: Ulrike Rodrigues m...@ulrike.ca
Date: 2009/3/9
Subject: POSTED: More than a holiday in the sun?
Hi - this may be of particular interest to you
Please post and distribute to those who might be interested. It's
about the Know Goa Program that invites twelve offspring of Goan
parents to
The Joy of Snogging
Private and Public Displays of Affection
By Cecil Pinto
Lisa Monteiro (LM) speaks to Cecil Pinto (CP) about his new
bestselling book ‘The Joy of Snogging’.
LM: The Sri Ram Sena and Shiv Sena have objected to Public Displays of
Affection or PDAs. The Pub-Going, Loose
Wot couture?
By: Wendell Rodricks
Date: 2009-03-03
Delhi: Wendell Rodricks the fashion designer decodes high style at the
Oscars, and explains why Rahman would've looked better in a lungi on
the red carpet.
NOW that the Oscars are done with, India should rejoice wildly. I was
teary when
Excerpt from:
Risque Goan Jokes (pp 170, Rs. 290/- softcover)
Compiled and translated by Cecil Pinto
-
Actual Events Section
-
Ninoshka Cardoso was seated in the front seat of the Dona Paula to
Panjim city bus
My friend Eddie Verdes forwarded me a mail he had received. With his
permission I am posting the request here with the name and address of
the (female) sender edited out.
-
Subject: goan picnic songs
Hi Eddie,
This is Xxoxoxox from Bombay. Was just browsing the webstie and got
yr
I am not an expert on art but there is, in my opinion, a marked
similarity between the work of Norman Rockwell and the earlier work
(specially the diaries) of our very own Mario Miranda. If you check
through Mario's work chronologically you will find he moved from being
realistic to doing extreme
From: Savio Figueiredo rende...@yahoo.com
Dear All
Dr/Mr Joe D'souza ex Goa University wrote his Contrarian views in the Herald
and I gave my opinion in the opiniated column ofthe Herald on 24.02.09
I reproduce my opinion first followed by Dr Joe'opinion
OPINIATED HERALD 24TH FEBRUARY 209
Selma wrote:
My only fear is that someone centuries from now will google poders and
it will spin out the made-up stories of some writers on Goanet. Not
only will it give us the wrong idea of Goa, it will also tell us all
about the penal code of Canada, the Presidents of America, the smells
of
( Published in The Navhind Times - 21st Feb)
The 81st Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscar's are less than
48 hours away. There is a considerable buzz this time thanks to
Slumdog Millionaire's Indian connection and of course music maestro
A.R. Rahman's three nominations (although he can
Selma Carvalho wrote:
This shows a lack of knowledge about Goa. Bakers, known as poders,
were predominantly if not exclusively male in Goa. Their wives might
have helped them with the firing of the fornun, kneading of the dough,
etc but it was a male dominated industry.
Poders were held in high
It is written, in the slums
Precarious explanations in darkened halls
By Cecil Pinto
Last week I watched the award winning Slumdog Millionaire with my
wife. Not from a pirated DVD but in an air-conditioned cinema with
surround sound. At Intermission time I turned to Beatrice to find she
had
Ulrike Rodrigues playfully and candidly examines her options for sex in Goa.
Read the whole article at:
http://girlgonegoa.wordpress.com/
Excerpt:
Sex is a part of a traveller's experience, even when you're not having
any. I'll keep my ears open for other people's stories, but
Black is back
Jumping skin-deep into politics
By Cecil Pinto
In a stunning declaration at a crowded press conference today
columnist Cecil Pinto declared his candidacy for the North Goa
Parliament seat. A huge banner in the backdrop has the campaign
slogan, Dark brown is the new black
housewife
One day in the words of a mother
By Cecil Pinto
A very popular video on YouTube has comedienne Anita Renfroe singing,
to the tune of the William Tell Overture, a condensed version of what
a typical mom would say in the course of a day. This Goan version
below has to be sung out loud
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Maidan
Obama's speech inspires new Goa CM
By Cecil Pinto
Chief Minister Rosy Sundorem D'Souza Naik was seated at the dais. For
the first time in the history of Goa a common woman with no business
or political family background had swung the polls to the Legislative
Assembly, and from
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taste
Goa Police Guidelines to identify terrorists
By Cecil Pinto
On its website the Goa Police Department has a colourful new page
titled Let's fight Together To Keep Goa Terror free!
The first part deals with 'Identifying a Terrorist. I am quoting
verbatim, typos and all.
By clothes unsuited
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Writer and early Goanetter (now based here!) VM in Goa;
Sethu's Dr Nandita de Souza; ex-Sesa's chartered accountant
Dinesh Dias; agri expert Miguel Braganza; humour writer
Cecil Pinto; early Goanetter (formerly with the World Bank
and the Goa Computers in Schools Project) Emmanuel
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guide to vegetarian restaurants
By Cecil Pinto
Whenever our kids get bored with home food, which is once every two
days on an average, we go into town to have a vegetarian snack or a
meal. The long explanation for this choice of cuisine is that the food
is fresher, better for the health
Hartman de Souza wrote:
However when Sandeep Heble casts aspersions against my old friend, comrade
and colleague at Patriot newspaper, New Delhi, I am afraid I must ignore my
distaste for fundamentalists and jump into the fray.
...
...
...
One could go on and on with unmasking Heble's obvious Jan
A MINE BALANCE
By Wendell Rodricks
Ever since the protest of the arrogant and intrusive treatment of the
villagers protesting at Colamb village over the mining issue, there
has been, on another level a rather unjust emotion from activists and
reporters keen to sound the death knell for all
Goliath versus David
Among the many stories in the Bible is one of David versus Goliath in
which David a puny youth slays the Philistine giant with a sling
stone. David goes on to become King of Israel. In far away Colamb, a
similar battle is underway. A wiry Green is making life difficult for
a
MINING NEEDS TO BE PHASED OUT:
In a tête-à-tête with Onilda Fernandes, Wendell Rodricks voices his
protest against mining companies, which are ravaging the distant
village of Colamb in search of wealth, and tells her that he has not
crossed swords with all mine owners.
You publicly announced
* * * * * * * * * ANNUAL GOANETTERS MEET * * * * * * * * *
Goanetters in Goa and visiting meet Jan 6, 2009 at 3.30 pm at Hotel
Mandovi
Contemporary Christmas Carols
Songs about the past year, for and by Goans
By Cecil Pinto
- Deck the Halls
Choke the land with mega-projects,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Swamp the fields with mining rejects,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Bribe the Sarpanch, screw the village,
Fa la la, la la la
Can mine owners be the new heroes?
He who drinks, throws up solution - Confucius
By Cecil Pinto
Last week, at a press conference to express solidarity with the
villagers of Colamb in their battle against the marauding mining
companies, fashion designer, writer and activist Wendell Rodricks
http://www.ecke.com/HTML/h_corp/corp_legend.html
The legend of the Poinsettia
A charming story is told of Pepita, a poor Mexican girl who had no
gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita
walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was
filled
Customary first haircuts
Bad hair days like no other
By Cecil Pinto
Many cultures place a lot of significance on a child's first haircut,
treating it as a sort of rite of passage. Some Native American Indians
commemorate it with a ritualistic song and dance. The Goan Catholic
tradition actually
at:
http://www.goa-world.com/goa/expressions/xmas/
(only flower arrangement option)
Last date for captions:
16th December 2008
Prize Announcement:
18th December 2008
Jury decision is final.
Jury:
Beatrice Cecil Pinto
Photo by:
Nishita Zachariah
Models:
Anubhav, Desmond, Klavett, Fabian
Source:
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=1id=260139usrsess=1
--
Don't shoot the pianist...
50-year old Schubert Vaz, pianist at the Oberoi-Trident, Mumbai,
narrates his nightmarish night of 26 November when terrorists seized
the hotel:
I was playing the piano as usual
(Please forward this mail to everyone in your address book who has
loved ones in Goa)
Spread the Christmas Cheer, even when you're not here!
Send classic greetings to your loved ones in Goa.
A simple Christmas Flower Arrangement
of red roses and greens
delivered anywhere in Goa
for an
India's 9/11? Not Exactly
By AMITAV GHOSH
Published: December 2, 2008
SINCE the terrorist assaults began in Mumbai last week, the metaphor
of the World Trade Center attacks has been repeatedly invoked. From
New Delhi to New York, pundits and TV commentators have insisted that
this is India's
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Oct32008/state2008100293322.asp
Alert mail proves a big headache for helpline
From Sibanthi Padmanabha,DHNS,Mangalore:
In the name of terror, pranksters seem to be taking people for a ride.
The ones facing the music are those manning round-the clock toll free
The information is unavailable to the common man
By Cecil Pinto
I write this at 5 am on Saturday, 29th November 2008, because I woke
up with tears in my eyes and could not get back to sleep. I was crying
for Boris do Rego.
I do not know Boris do Rego personally. I hear he was a polite, well
The Da Costa Code
Review of a controversial Goan book
By Cecil Pinto
Disclaimer: The column below is a work of pure fiction. Children,
religious fundamentalists, and the belligerent South Goa Tourist Taxi
Drivers should not read this column, as their myopic minds cannot see
beyond the ends
Video
Ain't Goin' to Goa
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=Smyn5zYX46g
Lyrics:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/aint-goin-to-goa-lyrics-a3-alabama-3.html
I believe I'm gonna
Shut down my chakras, shift Shiva offa my shelf
Take down my tie dyes, my Tibetan bells
Cool down my carma with a can of O.P.T.
Blood, sweat, tears - and celluloid
We are the movies we watched, and how
By Cecil Pinto
'We are what we read' is a phrase often enough bandied around to
ensure that young children read the correct books that will result in
proper character formation. In this day and age, when small kids read
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Renew your wedding vows in Goa,
or gift a
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Renew your wedding vows in Goa,
or gift a
trying to choke
off any criticism of Goa by overseas Goans and of their negative
experiences there. I am not talking of the likes of Frederick Noronha
who have in most circumstances always kept a balanced view.
Cecil Pinto:
1) I was wondering when Don Quixote would rush in to the aid of the
foot
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Renew your wedding vows in Goa,
or gift a
Goa
By Cecil Pinto
Language is a good place to begin when attempting to appreciate any
culture. Goan-Portuguese though similar to the language spoken in
Portugal is also vastly different in many ways. After all the
Portuguese language, and entire culture for that matter, continued
evolving
of NRI
contributions to Goa. Goans in Goa think they have acquired martyr
status for staying on in Goa, and the oft repeated question is, what
have you NRIs who ran away to foreign countries done?
Cecil Pinto:
Kindly show substantial proof of your allegation above about
'perpetual questioning
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http://www.navhindtimes.com/story.php?story=2008110948
Navhind Times dated 9th November 2008
-
Goa Portugal Looking Ahead
By Maria Aurora Couto
It is disappointing to note that Goa, which has always prided itself
on being a model of pluralisms and cultural homogeneity, open to
Name dropping for beginners
In accepting this non-award I would like to mention…
By Cecil Pinto
This week marks three years of writing this column. Of course I did
take a three month break earlier this year, but then who's really
bothered. There was no drop in circulation, nor letters
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/week-and-worn/377126/
26th Oct 2008 - Indian Express
--
WEEK AND WORN
By Wendell Rodricks
There's a snowstorm before my eyes. Between me and the green room.
Must stop doing those parties. I mean, really. Like my mouth feels
like an entire Kabootar Khanna of
Below is the link for the online petition to protest what happened at
the Moira Gram Sabha.
Please do forward this to as many people as you can.
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/siamgs1/petition.html
Thanks for all the support and help. Do feel free to add an
explanatory note before you send out
Adultery for children
Should sex education begin at home?
By Cecil Pinto
Dada, what means adultery?
I tried not to look too shocked as I turned away from my computer
monitor and faced my eight year old son Desmond. Where did you hear
that word? Desmond picks up a lot of words from watching
Let the villagers decide
Mobocracy then and democracy now
By Cecil Pinto
I do not have the gift of prophecy. Forget 25 years, I can't even
predict tomorrow's matka number. But I can look into the past. Join me
in my Past-Time-Pass Machine as we shuttle between 15th century Goa
and the present
Hartman de Souza writes, among other things:
Barely a few years back, a young girl (of Sri Lankan origin adopted by a
German woman) studying at the Goa College of Art, was gang-raped in the
canteen after being drugged but conscious of the ordeal and pain.
-
I guess Hartman knows
The Animator on Animations
By Odette Mascarenhas
Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse…our old childhood favorites of
Disneyworld have evolved to meet the tastes of our 'Z' Generation. And
today it is The Shrek, Happy Feet, the penguin and magical creatures
in the Oscar winning movies of the Lord
StyleSpeak – For GOA TODAY
By Wendell Rodricks
WAITING TO EXPLODE!
These bombs in Delhi.
Again!
This time though the Indian public is not brushing it away like in the
past. In Bombay, twenty minutes after the train blasts, commuters were
back on the trains. Jaipur went about business the next
http://www.firstcitydelhi.com/
FEEL FLOWS
How different are early mornings in Goa, from early mornings in Delhi?
FIRST CITY finds out the answer in the unlikeliest of places; in our
exclusive fashion feature, in an interview with Wendell Rodricks.
Where there's talk of darzis, Coco Chanel, the
We shall overcome
Beyond T-shirts, celebrating real-life heroes
By Cecil Pinto
My friend Michael D'Costa continues showing me around his T-shirt
printing unit. We move from the warehouse section to the Chintop
Department where the creative ideas are generated, and designs drawn
up using
Videoclip from Vivek at:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=-PX7ykbM_LU
A protest rally is planned tomorrow, 15th October, evening at Panjim.
Details will be announced soon.
Cheers!
Cecil
==
I heart Aparanta
Been there, bought the Goan T-shirt
By Cecil Pinto
Once again I met up with my entrepreneur friend Michael D'Costa who
insisted that I accompany him to his workshop and warehouse in Moira.
The signboard said - APARANTA T-SHIRTS. The slogan below read 'For
Goans, with love
Sunday, September 28, 2008
A test for genuine secularism
The Wise Old Man on the Hill told me that there are two kinds of
secularism – genuine and pseudo and that most of us are pseudo. This
annoyed me, I am secular, I said.
Are you truly secular, he asked, would you like to do a little test?
Mamma Mia, here I go again
Politicians, activists and the language of song
By Cecil Pinto
Bamboos, bamboos, bamboos!, sings Irene at one end of the stage
while at the other end Tomazinho translates into Roman Konkani,
Maani, maani, maani!. With a crash of cymbals Prince Jacob emerges
from
Where are Goans headed?
Directionless at the mukhar crossroads
By Cecil Pinto
Sossegado is a word that non-Goans will never truly comprehend or
appreciate. Simlarly there is a Konkani word 'mukhar', used largely in
South Goa, the nuances of which North Goans have difficulty in fully
fathoming
Eugene Correia wrote:
Wasn't Nehru obliquely called an Englishman before he came joined
the Indian freedom struggle and donned the cap (now called the Nehru
cap) and the vest (now called the Nehru vest).
---
Dear Eugene,
As an amateur but keen student of fashion your statement above
Excerpt from:
Risque Goan Jokes (pp 170, Rs. 290/- softcover)
Compiled and translated by Cecil Pinto
-
Actual Events Section
-
The Velim Colacos from all over the world had gathered for the grand
family reunion
http://savegoa.com/Downloads/Interim%20Report%20Task%20Force%20April%202008.pdf
For an article I am writing I need to watch the movie Konkani movie
Boglant. Can someone tell me where I can buy/rent a copy on VCD/DVD?
The original songs are legally available along with the songs from
Sukhachem Sopon (RPG-Sare Gama - Rs. 199/-). One person tells me
that the 'rights' to the
Arundhati Roy's essay on the Sardar Sarovar dam, The Greater Common
Good, was published by Outlook and Frontline magazines in May 1999.
http://www.narmada.org/gcg/gcg.html
In November 2000, environmental historian Ramachandra Guha wrote a
critique of Arundhati Roy's writing and her brand of
It's raining 'men'!
My Goan heart bleeds for Calcutta
By Cecil Pinto
Columnist Sudeep Chakravarti interviews journalist turned author Cecil
Pinto on his latest book Once Upon A Time In Kalikata.
Sudeep: The blurb on your book says that you evoke the essence of a
city on the verge of losing its
ROCK ON
By Patricia Ann Alvares
Immersed in a myriad cultures and traditions, India is a land that
reverberates to the sound of its festivals. Every month and
particularly every season the vibrant tapestry of the Indian landscape
plays host to a variety of fairs, fetes and feasts. In Goa it's no
For StyleSpeak – GOA TODAY
By Wendell Rodricks
A Walk in Clouds
Last Sunday, I get on SMS from Clinton Vaz (to listen to his favorite
play list on Indigo FM). It was 9 am. I dialled back and got a
whispering Clinton at the other end. I can't talk now. Trekking in
Relatives, measures and relative measurements
Of ice cruts, cycles and Bey Blades
By Cecil Pinto
My eight year old son Desmond likes to quantify everything.
Dada how many more days for my birthday? Which I can correctly
answer, and from then on, with a little help from the inbuilt
calculator
Augusto Pinto wrote:
When addressing large audiences in letters to newspapers or Internet
mailing-lists, what should the salutation be? Should it be 'Dear
Messieurs and Mesdames' or 'Dear Ladies and Gentlemen' or 'Dear
Readers? I find these too archaic and stilted.
--
Maybe:
Brethren
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/lg/lg_table_of_contents.html
Every time a religious festival is celebrated we find members of other
religions making public statements greeting their 'brethren'. For
example at Ganesh Chaturti time you will find prominent Christians
publicly greeting their 'Hindu brethren' or for Eid you will find
Hindus wishing their Muslim
Kindling Young Minds
By Lisa Monteiro
Nestled in the backyard of a 200-year-old house in Carmona, is a
preprimary school that breaks away from the norms. Dr Savia Viegas,
writer, social activist and the brain behind a new age nursery school
talks to Lisa Monteiro about the importance of
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/world/europe/24crete.html?_r=2oref=loginref=todayspaperpagewanted=alloref=slogin
-
Some Britons Too Unruly for Resorts in Europe
By SARAH LYALL
Published: August 23, 2008
MALIA, Greece — Even in a sea of tourists, it is easy to spot the
Britons
Settlers, settlers and more settlers
Who decides who is good for Goa?
By Cecil Pinto
I bumped into Mukesh Mehta after a long time. A decent sort of chap. I
had first encountered Mukesh some nine years back when he purchased a
row house in Dona Paula and was setting up a branch of his family's
StyleSpeak-Goa Today
By Wendell Rodricks
MOTHER EARTH
It is not the best weather in Toronto. And the air conditioning is
chilly in our workshop classroom. But a special Goan vibe has warmed
the University of Toronto. Venue for the Goan Convention 2008, I
overhear local students at summer study
I notice the debates regarding the Toronto Convention taking a strange twist.
The GNAT President himself, Francis Rodrigues, continues to post his
haikus/grooks but is totally silent regarding the Convention in
contrast to all the publicity he used to do earlier. Whereas all the
other organisers
The column below appeared in
OPinionatED - Herald, Goa
on 8th August 2008
--
NGOs: Where do you get your money from?
By Sujay Gupta
The fallout of the Ahmedabad and Bangalore blasts and the upping the
ante on strengthening our defences against terrorism and terrorists,
has had
The Toronto Convention website
http://www.2008goanconvention.com/
has this text scrolling across the screen
NEXT TORONTO INTERNATIONAL GOAN CONVENTION: 28th - 31st JULY, 2010.
EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION CLOSES 31st DECEMBER, 2009. TODAY IS 13th
AUGUST, 2008 - THERE ARE 714 DAYS LEFT FOR THE
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