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DAYANAND MEMORIAL DEMOLISHED
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DAYANAND MEMORIAL DEMOLISHED

Aug 02-Aug 08, 2025, WEEKEND UPDATES August 1, 2025 , by

THE Dayanand Bandodkar memorial at  Miramar beach has been completely demolished. Even Goa’s first chief minister’s statue here has been either shifted and hopefully, not demolished. I hope the memorial will not suffer the same fate as that of the Bandodkar gold cup. This memorial marks the site of the funeral of the first chief minister of Goa, which was held on the beach front.  

Dayanand Bandodakar and Manohar Parrikar are the only two chief ministers to get a public cremation on the sands of Miramar beach (an old tradition in Goa). While the Manohar Parrikar memorial is now opened and closed for public, the older Dayanand Bandodkar memorial was always a locked and grim affair, not accessible to the general public or admirers of Dayanand Bandodkar except on special occasions when he is celebrated, this includes the birth anniversary. We hope a more public-friendly garden memorial comes up here without marring the carefree charms of Miramar beach, so that it is open for people to wander in and out freely. We hope it won’t pale in comparison to the Manohar Parrikar memorial but be much better.  

GOA’S CINEMATIC EXCELLENCE!

FOR Konkani film lovers there’s some good news! The Goa State Film Festival 2025 coming up is a 4-day festival showcasing Goa’s films. Speaking at a function to unveil the logo of the festival on July 31, 2025 Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said the festival will take place from August 14 to 17 and it will celebrate 75 years of Goan cinema.
Something like 19 feature films will be screened, along with four non-feature films and 43 short films. The festival logo symbolizes cinematic excellence and Goan culture. Konkani mogi can look forward to reviving Konkani cinema nostalgia.

GOA’S 14TH MARATHI FILM FESTIVAL FROM AUG 9-10

THE 2-day Goa Marathi Film Festival commences at the Maquinez Palace in Panjim from August 9 to 10, 2025. The festival showcases as many as 25 films, including unreleased titles, popular selections and films not previously screened in Goa. While Dr Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will be the chief guest the inaugural honors will reportedly be done by Hindi cinema star Aakshay Kumar, who is currently making a Marathi movie, at 9.30am on Aug 9 at the INOX complex.
Acclaimed actor Dr Mohan Agashe will be honored with the prestigious Krutadnyata Puruskar for his lifetime achievements. Films in a packed screening schedule include Jayant Somalkar’s “Sthal”, Chhatrapal Ninawe’s “Ghaath,” Navjyot Bandiwadekar’s “Gharat Ganpati,” unreleased in theatres films include “Kurla Te Vengurla,“Dharmasya,”“Snowflower,” and “Cineman”, also there is “Gulkand” and the critically acclaimed “April May 99’ by Kishore Arjun (which showcased at IFFI last year). Most films have not yet been seen on the big screen in Goa.
Speaking to media people festival director Sanjay Shetye said that GMFF has made a consistent effort to present the finest Marathi films across all genres for the pleasure of film enthusiasts in Goa, “Our initiative extends beyond merely screening films, we also provide audiences with the opportunity to engage with their favorite artists, which is what makes GMFF special.”
Reportedly, a considerable number of members of the Marathi film fraternity will be present at the festival. Registration for the festival has started online on burraa app and website and there are venues for in-person registration too at Panjim at Vinsan Graphics, 309, Gera Imperium 2, Patto; Vasco at Vinsan Graphics, near Hotel Ananthashram, Ponda at Mohak Designers, near Nutan Medical Store, Ponda and Margao at Maya Book Stores. Registration started from July 20.

SMART CITY BENEFITS!

WE do not know who should get the credit? But there seems to be some improvement in infrastructure in Panaji city. I have belatedly discovered the senior Citizens’ Park in Miramar, close to Panjim MLA Atanasio Babush Monserrate’s (or  his son’s) hotel called Varanda do Mar at Miramar beach. There’re just a handful of wooden benches and other decaying public furniture here amidst the monsoon’s verdant greenery, but seniors seek it out every evening for a social chit chat session.

Once a month the seniors engage in yesteryear sing song sessions called “antakshadi” and once in a way a sports person comes and puts them through a few moves to get their circulation moving. Nothing very strenuous although some seniors are very fit indeed walking to and back home from the mini park for seniors. 

A simple open gymnasium here would enable seniors to exercise and it would be a welcome addition. The concept of open air public gyms has not caught in Goa but it is a great boon for if these are scientifically designed. Really welcome in senior citizens’ parks popularly called  Nana-Nani parks in Mumbai.  The other day while passing by this Panjim park at Miramar beach in the evening, we saw only three elderly women sitting on one of the few benches. All of them looked grim,  not a smile on their face. I can understand this as old age is not a very happy experience.

A friend tells me every first Sunday of every month, this Nana Nani seniors park  comes alive with some lively karoake singing. Maybe I should go and do sing songs too. On the way back from Campal  promenade I also took a closer look at the river Mandovi riviera walking track, which my better half is very excited about. The walking/jogging track extends from Miramar beach all the way down the Campal riverside and it seems to have become very popular with children of all ages. There’s is enough car parking for people and ample space for seating or jogging or walking or just hanging around to breath in the river air and watch sunrise or sunset depending on whether you’re here early morning or evening time.

However, I was a little surprised to see benches outside the NIO at the Dona Paula circle. I understand that they are for tourists, who now have to park their vehicles at the circle and go walking wherever they wish. They seem to be used more by the drivers of buses who park their vehicles at the Dona Paula circle.

CASINO REVENUE FALLS

CHIEF Minister Pramod Sawant disclosed in the State assembly that revenue from offshore and onshore casinos have declined by 14% in the last 15 months. This refers not to the earnings of the casinos themselves but the revenue earned by the government from the casinos, which has apparently dropped from over Rs600 crore in 2023-2024 to Rs517 crore in 2025.

The fall in the government revenue from casinos can be attributed to the pending dues. The casinos apparently owe the state government Rs249.5 crore. There are as many land-based casinos that are the major defaulters. The six offshore casinos that are parked in the Mandovi river have a capacity of almost 2000 passengers. Among them casino Lucky 7 owes the government over Rs5 crores.

At least in theory, there is a gaming commission that is supposed to regulate the activities of casinos. Most of the employees in the casinos are from outside Goa. Casino employees are pushing up the rent for flats in Panjim since they are their companies can afford to pay larger amounts than others in Goa who cannot afford to buy a decent 2BHK in Goa today to live in peace.

DIGAMBAR KAMAT ACQUATIC HONOR

DIGAMBAR Kamat, former chief minister and Margao MLA, is a patron of aquatic sports like swimming in Goa. Digambar has been the president of the Goa Swimming Federation for over two decades. Digambar has now been elected as a member of the Bureau for the International Body for Aquatic Sports. Digambar will represent the Asian continent in the World Federation of Aquatics.

DISABLED CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

IT is not widely known that the World Chess Championship for the disabled is taking place at Dona Paula in Goa. Disabled chess players from all over the world have come to Goa to take part in the tournament. There is the case of a young person who is paralysed and moves chess pieces only through his eye movement.

Recently, a photograph was published of a young woman participating in the tournament from a hospital bed. It is unfortunate that not enough publicity is given to the world chess tournament for the disabled community.

Incidentally, India has won the bid to host the next world chess tournament. There is stiff competition between Ahmedabad and Delhi to host the world chess tournament. Recently, Divya Deshmukh from Nagpur, who is only 19 years young, was crowned the world women’s chess champion, beating 38-year-old Humphry,  an Indian grandmaster.

PREMIER FOOTBALL LEAGUES IN LIMBO

THE Indian Super League (ISL) which is owned by Neeta and Mukesh Ambani seems to be heading for collapse. The 2025 edition of the ISL has been indefinitely postponed. The ISL is the only totally professional football league in the country modeled on the lines of the English and European professional football tournaments.

The latest season of ISL were to start on September 14, 2025. The tournament is kept on hold due to a delay over the 15-year master rights agreement, which ended on December 8 last year. The All Indian Football Federation has to decide on the demand made by the Ambanis who own the rights to the ISL. The future of the football clubs that were created for the ISL seem to be in doubt. This includes FC Goa, which was originally owned by Dattaraj Salgaocar and Srinivas Dempo, and later acquired by Jaydev Mody of Deltin Casinos.

RS3 LAKH FINE FOR DUMPING WASTE

THE State government has decided to impose a stiff fine of Rs3 lakh on anyone dumping garbage in open public spaces. In large parts of Goa, particularly in rural areas, garbage is dumped on the side of the street or in fields. The biggest defaulters are tourist hotels. Now a bill has been passed to prohibit the dumping of garbage in not only public but also private places, including water bodies.

However, the problem is that most of the public bins have been removed even in places like Panaji, which has a door-to-door garbage collection system. The government has directed that garbage should only be dumped in the huge bins provided by the government. We can’t see the bins anywhere.

INDIAN FAVOURED BY MNCs

IN the wake of  Priya Nair taking over as managing director and chief executive officer of Surf Excel and Fair & Lovely, Hindustan Lever, another person of Indian origin, Bombay-born, Shailesh Jejurikar, has been appointed CEO of Procter & Gamble, popularly called PNG. PNG is a company that manufactures and markets a wide range of popular branded consumer products like Gillet blades, Old Spice shaving creams, Head & Shoulders shampoo, Oral B toothpaste, Olay, and other consumer products.

PNG is the main competitor of Hindustan Lever both in India and globally.  Jejurikar will be the first Indian CEO of PNG, he  started off as an assistant brand manager in 1989. The new PNG CEO was a classmate of Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.

NOVEL ON CUNCOLIM REVOLT

DR SUSHILA Fonseca, the veteran pathologist from Panaji, has come out with her latest book “When Faith Divides”— which is set against the Cuncolim revolt of July 1583. The group of Hindu chieftains in Cuncolim are reported to have rebelled against the Portuguese’s rule on July 15, 1983 and killed many Jesuit priests and civilians. This is the first novel on the Cuncolim revolt. Earlier, Dr Sushila Fonseca had written a novel on the Pinto Revolt. Dr Sushila Fonseca is the sister of Mario and Alex Sequeira. Find the book at Varsha and Broadway bookshops in Panaji.

THREAT TO CLAUDE ALVARES

THE Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral has threatened to drive Claude Alvares, chairman of the Goa Foundation, out of Goa. This is in view of the continued opposition by Claude Alvares to the reopening of the mines in Goa. In fact it was Claude Alvares’s petition that led to the shutdown of the mining industry for over two decades, causing a lot of loss of jobs and revenue to the government.  

ROHAN KHAUNTE CALLS FOR CURBS ON HOMESTAYS

TOURISM Minister Rohan A Khaunte has assured that the Department of Tourism is actively monitoring accommodation listed on Online Travel Agency (OTA) platforms, to ensure they are registered with the Tourism department. He said, “We have ensured that all inventory of hotel rooms, guesthouses and other stays linked with OTA platforms are registered with the Department of Tourism.”

Highlighting ongoing challenges, Khaunte noted that many second homes and residential buildings are being misused as homestays and these are unregistered with the authorities. “The people who come to these second homes and operate as tourist accommodation often do so without proper registration. This needs to be addressed on priority.”

Khaunte stressed the importance of collective responsibility, “The Registrar of Cooperative Societies should be taken into confidence. Societies must remain alert and are encouraged to call the Tourism Department’s toll-free number 1364 to report unregulated stays. The department is in continuous coordination with municipalities and panchayats to address this issue.” Recognizing

the seriousness of the matter, the minister said that the State government, along with the chief minister, will work towards finding a sustainable solution that protects the interests of both residents and the tourism sector.

The statement came in response to concerns raised by MLA Michael Lobo in the Goa Legislative Assembly, who flagged the growing inconvenience caused to locals by homestays operating within residential societies, often attracting unruly tourists and disturbing the neighborhood fabric.

DRAG FOR FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

DISABILITY Rights Association of Goa (DRAG), in association with Star Investments, will be organizing a session on Financial Planning & Property Management for parents of children with special needs on Saturday, August 2, 2025. The session will be held in Margao from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and in Panjim from 4 pm to 7pm the same day.

The session will cover important topics like estimating life time costs of child, creating safety net by purchasing life insurance, investment and retirement planning and What after us? That is will writing, trust and guardianship. The session will be conducted by Jitendra Solanki, CFP RIA, founder and director of Special Needs Estate Planning Pvt Ltd and author of the book “Financial Planning for Families Having Children With Special Needs.” He has conducted more than 100 sessions for families with children needing special attention, addressing more than 3000 families across the country. For registration contact DRAG/9326120903.

RAINFOREST CHALLENGE (RFC) INDIA GETS RECORD 77 TEAMS FROM 11 STATES!

 IT WAS July 28, 2025 and the 11th edition of India’s biggest and toughest off-road motorsport event — the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) India – which kicked off from Madgao. It marked the beginning of a high-octane battle among 77 competing teams from across the country.

The sporting adventure is organized by Delhi-based Cougar Motorsport, RFC India, which is the India Chapter of the internationally acclaimed Rainforest Challenge of Malaysia, ranked among the top 10 toughest motor races and top 5 toughest off-road races in the world.

Since its debut in 2014, RFC India has grown into the most prestigious off-road motorsport competition in the country. This year, RFC India expanded  to include two new categories — 4X4 Modified and 4X4 Stock — alongside the flagship 4X4 Extreme category. The additions aim to make the competition more inclusive and accessible to a broader segment of India’s growing 4X4 community.

Said founder of the Rainforest Challenge Luis JA Wee,  “Congratulations to all the participants for being winners at the start of Rainforest Challenge India 2025. You will be challenged in mind, body and machines in the coming days, which will surely uplift your experience in India’s premier 4×4 off-road event and be qualified as a 4×4 warrior in the international standard of RFC Global Series!”

The competition has attracted teams from 11 Indian states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Goa, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Karnataka and Maharashtra lead the charge with 24 and 18 teams respectively, while  9 teams from Goa are set to represent the host state. In a first for RFC India, a team from Meghalaya is also competing this year, participating in the newly introduced ‘4X4 Modified’ category. all three categories witness participation from women.

According to Founder-Director of Cougar Motorsport Ashish Gupta, “RFC India has always been about pushing boundaries — of vehicles and of human capability. With the introduction of new categories this year, we are excited to welcome a more diverse range of participants. The entry of teams from newer regions like Meghalaya is a sign that off-roading culture is growing deeper roots across the country. We look forward to an intense and inspiring week of competition.”

The 77 participating teams divide  across three categories based on the level of vehicle modification and off-road preparedness. A total of 25 teams compete in the 4X4 Extreme category, which features the most challenging terrain and technical requirements. The 4X4 Modified category see 22 teams in action, while the ‘4X4 Stock’ category, designed for near-factory-spec vehicles, has attracted the highest number of entries with 30 teams.

The competition runs till August 3, with each category facing a distinct set of challenges. The stakes are particularly high in the Extreme category as the top Indian driver will earn a free automatic entry to the Rainforest Challenge Global Grand Finale to be held in Malaysia later this year. Winners in all categories will be announced at the conclusion of the event on August 3, following what promises to be an adrenaline-filled contest set against the rugged, rain-drenched landscapes of Goa!

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