On our last vacation in India we managed to visit the beaches at Goa as well as Chennai. There was a huge difference in the lifeguad / beach patrol services at both places.

In Goa they patrol the beaches in jeeps equipped with surf boards and other life saving necessities. The lifeguards themselves wear sea-worthy wet uniforms. They do seem more prepared for an emergency. Of course non of that is of any help if the guy has fallen asleep under one of the palm trees at Anjuna or Vagator.

In Chennai, I like the idea of moving around on these smaller ATVs. Comes in very handy during the very crowded weekends. However, these guys are not really dressed for the job and will need to call for help in case of an emergency.

What do you think is the best option for these beach patrols?

What is happening in Goa? In most villages along the main roads you can see these “do not dump your garbage here” signs and people seem to dump their garbage only in those places.

Got this via email. Had to share it. Thanks Loreto.

Its a more realistic view of how “big” our planet really is. Take a look at the first image above and feel proud. Can see Kuwait and Goa as pixels.  Now take a look at the images below. Its a real eye opener. And where did these countries disappear to!!!

And just when you thought it could’nt get any bigger…

There were a few more images to show how tiny our solar system is but I think the last image above is enough. Now when I think about it, any aliens out there may never even notice us.

“Fishing in the river water by illegal methods such as using explosives with detonators is on the rise in Bicholim and Sattari taluka. The environment activist and chief of Animal Rescue Squad(ARS) Bicholim, Mr Amrut Singh on last Wednesday recovered about one kg of explosives with detonators near the bank of Vathadev Bicholim river at Vhavati. Mr Amrut Singh has lodged a police complaint in this regard.

The local youth, who were involved in the illegal activity however fled from the scene, informed the sources. Misuse of such crude material for fishing results in less fish and it also damage the riverine ecology and environment to a great extent. Mr Singh opined.
He has urged the government to act tough against this cruel method of fishing, which damages the ecology and environment.”

Now that I’ve compelted all major updates to Goan.name, its time to focus on rebuilding my favorite site, Goenkar.com. I took down the site a few months back since the scripts were not compatible with the new server. Work has kept me rather busy but I’m gonna try to have this site up and running this month.

Goenkar.com, like goan.name has been a free-for-all website, but the focus has been on open (unbiased) forums for all. It also has a rather large information section with content about Goa and its culture.

I need to come up with a nice clean design (UI) as well as plan out the new key features for this community site. Ideas / suggestions / comments are always welcome.

The fifth edition of the Monte Music Festival, where Indian classical music and dance meet with their western forms, will have an extra day this year, a day set aside for semi-classical Portuguese music and its encounter with Indian traditional instruments.

“Since they are not traditionally classical, we have a special day for them,” said Paulo Varella Gomes, delegate of the Fundacao Oriente, the main promoters of the festival. The four-day festival will feature Indian musicians like Prabhat Kumar on the Sarod, Anuradha Pal on the Tabla, the Calcutta Chamber Orchestra Quartet, The Chamber Singers, a 18-member ladies choir from Pune and soprano Joanne D’Mello with the Goa String Orchestra. There will also be a Bharat Natyam performance by Kshitija Barve from Goa.

From overseas will be the Reed Flute Duo from Macau and the Coro Alma de Coimbra a choral group from Portugal. A special performance, on the added extra day, will be a Portuguese guitar recital by Antonio Chainho and Tiago on guitars, along with Chhote Rahimat Khan on the sitar, Mayuresh on the tabla and Sonia Shirsat singing. They will be followed by the Portuguese choral group. The performances will all be held at the chapel of Our Lady of the Mount, Old Goa, with those at dusk being held in the courtyard, with the setting sun as a backdrop. The evening’s second and third performances will be held inside the 16th century chapel, where natural acoustics do not require the use of a sound system. Vehicles will not be allowed at the chapel, and will have to parked at the foot of the hill, from where a shuttle service will ferry the people to the chapel. “We take care not to harm the site and it’s a way to preserve the site and make it more enjoyable,” said Varella Gomes.

The fifth edition of The Grape Escape, a wine and cuisine festival will be held in Goa from February 5 to February 8, bringing together under one roof international wine makers and various stake-holders of the hospitality industry from India and overseas.

Organised by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (GTDC), the 4-day extravaganza in coastal Panjim aims to project Goa as a lifestyle destination. “The idea is to encapsulate the vivacity of Goan lifestyle by highlighting its multicultural influences and artistic passions, thus branding Goa as a lifestyle destination,” said GTDC vice-chairman Lyngdon Monteiro while talking to the media last Friday.

Chairman of the GTDC , Shyam Satardekar said, ‘as always, the festival promises to be a unique cultural experience as it brings together international wine makers and local patrons, hoteliers, restaurants and professionals from the entertainment, food and beverage and life style industries under one roof.’

Billed as the off-season promotional events, the festival would present culinary delights from across the globe, international fusion cuisine and exotic deserts apart from the wine tasting sessions.

Several wineries including Four Season Wine, Big Banyan, Diageo and Indage are reportedly taking part in the fiesta. Last year Sula, Indage, Nine Hills, Chateau de Banyan etc. had taken part.

‘ This festival is the biggest wine platform provided in Goa where not only expats and tourists but Indians rush to enjoy the cultural programmes, fashion shows, live music and to taste wines from various participating producers, all without charge. Of course, wines can be purchased at the spot too,’ informs Kawaljeet Singh, Head-Sales and Marketing of Big Banyan, the Goa based winery that is a regular participant in the festival. It is a big promotion for the Indian wineries by the tourism department, he says, adding that about 4-5,000 people come to have a good time.

The fiesta is organised at the huge courtyard of Inox Theatre in Panjim.

After much delay I’ve finally upgraded Goan.name. Its got a host of new features now, looks better and it works. I gotta work on the UI a bit more when I get some free time.

The best features are the decendancy and pedigree charts. Try them out.

In a sudden crackdown on beach-side rave parties Sunday night, the Goa police arrested four persons including a German and a Russian national. “We arrested a German and a Russian, who are notorious for holding such parties in the beach belt,” Mapusa Police Inspector C.L. Patil told IANS Monday.

The rave parties were being organised in the North Goa beach belt at Pernem, despite the ban on beach-side congregations following threats of a possible terror attack in Goa.

The police raided three such party sites in Junaswada at Mandrem beach, Vitthaldaswada and Gawdewala at Morjim beach following complaints by residents.

The police have also arrested rave party organizer Hitesh Gawde along with another local in connection with the case. While the police are unwilling to disclose names of the foreigners involved in the offence, the two will be brought before a magistrate Monday.

They have presently been booked for playing loud music beyond the stipulated hours which is 10 p.m. in Goa.

Police sources informed that 24-hour rave parties were the norm of the day even when the terror alert was at its peak and that the Pernem police were turning a blind eye to such parties, which are notorious for drug abuse.

This is how garbage is disposed of. All dumped into a large concrete bin and then set on fire. If you need to practice your smoke signals, get an oxygen mask along.