A scenic part of Goa is going under the builder's axe. Jason Keith Fernandes, a National Law School-educated lawyer and campaigner, explains what are the issues there.
On the fourth Saturday of each month, a group of volunteer-techies meets at the Goa Science Centre (Miramar), to share knowledge and ideas. Strangely, this free-to-join, non-profit group has been effective over the last eight years in building skills, sharing talent, and keeping it going. More details at http://groups.yahoo. com/group/ilug-goa
Bismark Dias, a Catholic priest from Goa, who takes a bold stance in supporting the villagers' movements in various parts of the fast-urbanising (and land-speculating driven) central coast, explains what are the issues involved, and why more concrete won't help the villagers there.
Journalist Joel D'Souza has been linking Goa and cyberspace for over a decade now. He talks about his experiences there, and the pressures too. Joel is best known for his Newsclips.
Roque Lazarus, musician and music-teacher from Goa, talks of the field here, and why there's no reason to be pessimistic. ROque has done his eighth grade in plectrum guitar. He's also done it in classical guitar and rock singing, besides his seventh grade in opera singing. More of him at http://www.youtube.c om/user/roquelazarus
Dr Pramod Kale is perhaps the first scholar to focus on the traditional Konkani theatre form (the tiatr) in such detail. Here, the scholar, now retired, talks to FN about his views of the same....
A five-year-in-a-row prizewinning horticulturist tells of his success in keeping his garden green and colourful, and how this could offer new opportunities to others willing to work with the soil in Goa.
The Goa State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Prof Ulf Klausenitzer performs in Panjim's Kala Academy on March 4, 2008. Here, it's Allegretto Grazioso (3rd movement from Sinfonia Concertante) by Vanraj Bhatia.
Bonaventura d'Pietro, Konkani writer from Anjuna, has come out with 18 books. He earned the sobriquet of the James Hardley Chase of Konkani for his tales of suspense and murder. The writer from Anjuna talks to FN about his work and difficulies, and smiles thinking back of how he faced them in those tough times.
At the August 2008 GNU/LUG (GNU/Linux Users' Group) meet in Miramar, Goa, participants share knowledge and ideas about Stellarium, the astronomical free software product. An example of how teaching and learning, and the sharing of useful knowledge, happens at a Free/Libre and Open Source Software network. Check it out.
Out there, a set of committed software coders are creating games and tools for young minds. So are our kids taking to them? You bet... hear the story from two kids in whose home FN lives at Goa, India.
"Adeus Korchea Vellar" (The Time To Say Goodbye) is a very, very emotional song from the Konkani-region of Goa, an emigration-oriented area for generations, that has know the price of departure from a scenic, attractive yet poor-employing province. Played here by engineer-guitarist (IITian) Rui Lobo loborui at hotmail.com
Lionel Messias, long-time journo in Goa and elsewhere, explains his experiences in deploying the Right to Information Act in Goa, to dig up the dirt...
The Xavier Centre of Historical Research, whose founder-director was Dr Teotonio R de Souza in the 1970s, is now looking to grow and expand. Meet current director, Jesuit priest Dr Delio de Mendonca sj, who introduces us to the campus and elaborates on their dreams and plans that hopefully will come true one day. Video: FN
Former Goa Speaker, dramatist and writer Tomazinho Cardozo makes a case of why Romi (Roman-script) Konkani needs recognition and acceptance in in today's Goa. Interview by Frederick Noronha.
In a noisy cafe, Leroy of Moira (Goa) talks about what it means to understand a village in Goa. He talks about the past and present of Moira, and what makes it special ... and the traditional clans (vangors) of the village.
![Why are Goa\](http://img.youtube.com/vi/SX8I7KY5O0w/2.jpg "Why are Goa\")
![Joel D\](http://img.youtube.com/vi/36gXXVWJS2k/2.jpg "Joel D\")
![Who says musicians can\](http://img.youtube.com/vi/votdSF8L-2k/2.jpg "Who says musicians can\")
![Nicholas Sequeira\](http://img.youtube.com/vi/3GVNiWChzhQ/2.jpg "Nicholas Sequeira\")
![Understanding history, looking at Goa\](http://img.youtube.com/vi/YtPcvE9m6IY/2.jpg "Understanding history, looking at Goa\")
