By Stray Thoughts

AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when war broke out between south and the north India. For a Saturday following the week when illegal encroachments on land owned by the IT department at Dona Paula were demolished. For a Saturday following the week when a neuroscientist of Goan origin, Dr Santosh Helekar, has developed wearable electronic micro machines that can assist in restoring brain cell connections in patients who have suffered a stroke.
AND a few stray thoughts on the war that has broken out between south and north India. The number of seats every state is allotted in Parliament depends on the population of the state. At present for instance Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, have the largest number of seats in Parliament.
The rate of growth of population is much higher in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, than in the southern states. The growth rate of population is on an average is 3 plus in the northern states. In the southern states including Goa the rate of growth of population has fallen to less than 1.5%. The minimum rate of growth needed for replacement is 2 percent, which means every family unit of husband and wife have to produce at least two children to maintain a stable population.
The result of a sharp drop in population growth in the south in contrast to high population rates in the north, is giving the north an unfair advantage over down south India. Since the number of seats in Parliament depends on the population of the states, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has raised an alarm that the north will soon dominate the south.
The alarm comes on the eve of the new delimitation exercise which will be undertaken after the forthcoming census. The estimate is that the projected population in the north will be 2/3rds as against the 1/3rd population in the south. The number of parliamentary seats in the south of India comprising the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu will be much lower then in the northern states witnessing high population rates.
The southern states are paying a price for their family planning policies which directed citizens to have fewer children. Fewer children means lower population growth. This in turn means not only a smaller voice in Parliament but also central financial assistance. This is because even financial assistance from the Centre is proportionate to the population.
Now MK Stalin has asked couples in Tamil Nadu to have more children. This will not help as the delimitation is due next year and it will change the political balance in favour of the north. As it is there is great resentment over the imposition of Hindi over the southern states.

DONA PAULA DEMOLITIONS
AND a few stray thoughts on the demolition of the illegal encroachments on land owned by the IT department in Dona Paula. On Monday, March 3 the IT department demolished illegal structures including the compound wall built by Raul Fernandes, the owner of the daily newspaper OHeraldo. The IT department had acquired 25,000 sqmts of land in Dona Paula adjacent to the bungalow of Raul Fernandes.
Rohan Khaunte, the IT minister, has revealed that Raul Fernandes had placed heavy machinery on the land and was trying to create a garden. Apparently, he had also built rooms for his Nepali staff. Rohan Khaunte has noted that the government had demolished the illegal structures to clear the 25,000 sq mts plot of all illegal structures. Khaunte insists that the government has followed all legal procedures. Notice was sent first and only then an order was issued.
All illegal encroachments need to be cleansed irrespective of who has built the illegal structures. Raul Fernandes apparently ignored all the notices served presuming that nobody would dare to demolish illegal encroachments of the owner of OHeraldo. In fact, Rohan Khaunte referred to the fact that while the OHeraldo reports on illegal structures by everyone else, it remains silent on encroachments by its owner.
It is claimed by Raul Fernandes that this is retaliation by Rohan Khaunte for reports in OHeraldo on illegal structures in Porvorim which is the tourism minister Rohan Khaunte’s constituency. Significantly, The Times of India was the only daily newspaper that reported on the demolition of the illegal encroachments in Dona Paula. However, even the TOI did not reveal that the illegal structures were those of Raul Fernandes, the owner of OHeraldo. Local newspapers, including The Navhind Times and The Goan Everyday did not report the demolition at all.

CHIP TO RESTORE BRAINS
AND a few stray thoughts on neuroscientist of Goan origin Dr Santosh Helekar, who has developed wearable electronic micro machines, that can assist in restoring brain cell connections in patients who have suffered a stroke. Dr Santosh Helekar, a US-based Goan neuroscientist, has developed three medical micro machines.
The Transcranial Rotating Permanent Magnet Stimulator (TRPMS) can restore brain cell connection. The oncomagnetic device uses magnetic stimulation to destroy cancerous brain tumors and other cancers. The third device, sentiometer, monitors unconsciousness triggered by brain damage.
In many cases, when the brain is damaged, the patient goes into a coma. The sentiometer can access recovery prospects along with mental health changes in unresponsive patients lying in coma in the ICU. Dr Helekar recalls that his interest in the loss of consciousness began at a very early age when he was a student at the Goa Medical College & Hospital.
Dr Helekar went on to do research in the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. Dr Helekar developed the micro machines in the United States. These machines are like smartwatches that are used to monitor blood pressure and other health parameters. The difference is that Dr Helekar’s machines will monitor brain activity and will be useful for stroke patients. Dr Helekar is planning to make his discoveries available in Goa and set up training facilities for young doctors in scientific research using the latest technology.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT
AND a few stray thoughts on the Goa Police managing to arrest 27-year-old Gloan Pednekar, a resident of Tonca-Caranzalem, who was involved in a number of sexual harassment cases against women. It may be recalled that last week, Pednekar was reported to have chased a woman on a motorcycle.
Pednekar is reported to have exposed himself to the young lady who was with her boyfriend. The young lady filed a complaint with the Panaji police of sexual harassment, stalking, and outraging to modesty. The incident is reported to have taken place on February 23, 2025 at 10.20 pm near the Citizen Credit Co-operative Bank in Panaji. The accused Pednekar was traced and arrested from Belgavi. It is now learned that Pednekar is a serial offender and many complaints of sexual harassment are pending against him.

CARNIVAL AT SAMBA SQUARE
AND a few stray thoughts on the ongoing carnival 2025 which concluded on Tuesday, March 4 with the famous traditional Black & Red dance at Samba Square adjoining the Garcia de Orta near Club Nacional in Panaji. Panaji residents were not really very happy about the Carnival being held in Panaji given the terrible state of the roads in the capital city. The government seems to have pulled all stops to promote the Carnival as a major tourism event.
Surprisingly, for the first time even the Naval Band participated in the carnival parade. The Carnival parade also had some floats on TB prevention in honour of newly appointed Varsha Usgaokar as brand ambassador for the DOT program in Goa. It may be noted that at national level it is Amitabh Bachchan who is the brand ambassador for creating awareness about TB and the need to eradicate it. Few know that the much loved popular superstar himself was diagnosed with TB of the spine, soon after he started the Kaun Banega Crorepati reality show, which recently completed 25 years. Though there is a lot of money provided by the central government for treatment and prevention of TB there are no facilities for the rehabilitation of TB patients in remission.
The Carnival this year also saw a clash between Vijai Sardesai, the Fatorda MLA, and Digambar Kamat, the Margao MLA. While the official Carnival parade was held in Margao, Vijai Sardesai held a parallel Carnival event in his Fatorda constituency. In Panaji a 4-day cultural event was held at the Panaji Municipal garden grounds which was specially decorated for the occasion. The Carnival has become very commercialised over the years and has lost its traditional charm.

STOCK
EXCHANGE BLOOD BATH
AND a few stray thoughts on the blood bath in the stock exchanges in the country. Over the last one week there is been a steep fall in the prices of shares on Dalal Street. It is been estimated that the Sensex has dipped 2,73,086 points, which is much lower than the 8,000 plus figure it had struck before Donald Trump became the president of USA.
Even very reputed stocks like Reliance and HDFC banks fell very sharply. The worst affected were small investors. Foreign investors have been selling major Indian shares to invest in China. The stock market has also been affected by the imposition of high tariffs by Donald Trump. It is feared that the present bearish trend may continue for a long time as Trump is promoting Make in America and is imposing heavy duties on imports from all countries, including India.
In the context of the melt down of the stock markets gold and real estate have emerged as a favourite investment options.