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JOIN THE `ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ REVOLUTION IN GOA
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JOIN THE `ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ REVOLUTION IN GOA

Jan 10- Jan 16, 2025, Life & Living, ON MY OWN January 9, 2026 , by

IT’S been quite a week of highs and lows after ushering in a most damp squib of a new year 2026. I’m sorry I was not for any kind of stupid merrymaking parties considering how the year ended on such a tragic note with the Arpora inferno tragedy at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, in which 25 employees were burnt to cinders. Utterly unpardonable. For than one reason it was like what’s there to celebrate for me and I’m not one for celebrations anymore, having seen too many of them, but then came some cheerful news.
First, with a mellow and good-humored now retired Justice Ferdino back in Goa finally, calling for a stocktaking of all that’s gone wrong in Goa while he was away in Mumbai, Allahabad in UP and so on, but he’s back in his home state worrying about one last wish and that is how to raise a movement, a revolution to rectify the wrongs – for the larger good of Goa! That was one awesome public meeting which happened at the Menezes Braganza Institute hall in Panjim on Jan 6, where he said Goa is still good enough and worth saving.
I was running late as usual to get anywhere and by 4pm the 1,000 plus seater hall was packed to the gills, all doorways jammed with standing room only for the Goa mogi (that is whoever loves Goa)! With not an seat empty I was advised to go to the Azad maidan nearby where an LED screen had been put up for latecomers to catch up with the goings-on at the main venue of the Institute Menezes Braganza hall. On the dais were seated old timers with Justice Rebello, freedom fighters, the centenarian Libby Lobo, Rohidas Desai (popularly “Daad”) and various speakers who in a nutshell said “Enough is Enough” — Goans have suffered enough, no suffering anymore! Either the government of the day cleans up its act or…get lost. Something along those lines.
Easier said than done of course; I don’t think the money-laundering casino boats are going to go anywhere, unless there’s a secret plan to move them out to a designer casino city near the MOPA airport (there’s some talk I hear about another Las Vegas in Goa), but until that happens the Mandovi river will continue to entertain gamblers real and unreal; the Mandovi river in any case is in under tremendous pressure – what with all kinds of luxury realty projects coming up near its banks near or not so near…there may be no river Mandovi or any river left in Goa soon. Not joking.
ANYWAYS there was some heartfelt straight talking by various activists from Rohidas Dessai (president, Swatanatra Sainik Association) to advocate Padmashri Norma Alvares, tribal leader Ravindra Velip, architect Tahir Noronha, actor Rajdeep Naik, Usman Khan Pathan, veteran tiatr wife and hubby couple Irene and Tomasin Cardoza singing their heart out in a a Konkani song composed by them. Journa TV anchor Sandesh Prabhudessai orchestrated the entire event with flair, although I hear wife Prashanti, also my dear friend, was the one who was super efficient behind the scenes.
FINALLY, Justice Rebello put it all together by saying what we want is a Gandhian-styled satyagraha movement to make the ruling party BJP realize that all development must take the people’s suffering into consideration, and Goans too must consider that Goa is now 50% non-Goan population and these settlers post-Liberation have to be taken into confidence too, so that desirable changes take place in the relevant Town & Country Planning Act for the larger good of village and urban Goa. There are no mega cities in the small state of Goa and we don’t want to become like mega polluted cities like Mumbai or Delhi, do we?
In this respect a 10-point charter of demands was drafted and this was read out by young Ashwini Kamat and Anant Agni, the charter of demands is now in the hands of Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant. Real fast work. Very reasonable demands if you’re asking me like the restoration of river Mandovi, mandatory village carrying capacity studies before permission is granted to mega realty projects seeking to cut down hills, plateaus, forests, flouting CRZ norms and so on and so forth…or do we want a repeat of what happened at the Arpora nightclub over the run up to the New Year?
Say this is a new or born-again revamped Goa Bachao Abhiyan seeking to right the wrongs taking place in Goa courtesy its politicians who do not see beyond their own grand ambitions of chasing power, profit and control to keep building up their family private coffers…with little or hypocritical thought of the long term larger consequences the small state of Goa will invite. We’ve got ample evidence now of what happens when low lying areas are filled up, water resources contaminated, bore wells going deeper and deeper to deplete water tables, poor or pathetic infrastructure in place and so on and so forth. Remember Goa flourishes as a tourism state and any kind of ecological and environmental damage – sins of omission and commission — by the ruthless mercenary politics of today, will backfire; and it is already backfiring many niz Goenkars will tell you. It was all out in the open at the public meeting with many asking for a limit to how mega industrial and real estate development the country’s smallest state can withstand?
Clearly Goans are ready to give a thumbs-up to Judge Ferdino Rebello in his humble attempts to sort out the mess that is Goa! The higher we go in life, he said, the more humble we should be; and made it clear that corruption is now in endemic proportion in his home state of Goa (he hails from Cuncolim), and even he is shocked. The good judge has supporters galore and this includes the Opposition leaders who were there on the front row at the meeting. For himself Justice Rebello reiterated that he is a happily retired person, seeks no political posts. But he would like to see a Goa developing along more sensitive, sensible lines, for a happier Goa in the long run. That’s all.
Who were there right up in the front row of the public meeting, a whole lot of familiar faces including the political ones, namely Opposition leaders Vijay Sardesai of Goa Forward, Yuri Alemao of the Congress, Member of Parliament Capt Viriato Fernandes and some more.
(Sigh) Of course I support this new peaceful revolution happening in Goa and wish it all the best, and may no one go to jail for protesting! Protesting is a fundamental right, endorsed the good judge, nobody should go to jail for just protesting against illegalities and corruption in the political fabric of the state and country, Goa is part of motherland India but please just don’t take it for granted!

WORLD PEACE UNIVERSITY FOR GOA

TO move on to another subject it is interesting to note that India’s Pune-based MIT World Peace University is getting ready to open its doors to students from near and far in Goa. At a press conference on January 7, 2026 Dr Rahul Karad (executive president) spoke eloquently of the need for higher education in the country, so that our students don’t have to go abroad and instead students from abroad come to India to study.
Mr Karad said that MIT’s World Peace University or WPU in Goa has a vision of higher education with “Five core ideas – transdisciplinarity, discovery-driven pedagogy, integrated research ecosystems, living-learning communities, and global immersion. These principles form the academic foundation of WPU Goa.”

At the MIT- World Peace University press conference to announce WPU Goa (R to L) Dr Shruti Nigadkar, Dr Hridaysh Deshpande, Dr Rahul V Karad and Dr Shiv Tripathi


The World Peace University Goa is undergoing finishing touches out at Thivim and will open its doors come August, they’re hoping to enroll 500 students. It’s an entirely residential university campus designed by internationally renowned architect Stephen Paumier. The university is located perfectly. Goa, Dr Rahul Karad said, offers a unique cultural, ecological and intellectual environment for education and also enjoys global reputation as a tourist destination, plus it is home to artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, thinkers and more from around the world.
Who doesn’t love Goa! Goa offers an ideal backdrop for educational institutions offering courses in engineering, design, management, film and media, liberal arts and other emerging interdisciplinary fields. The WPU Goa will be guided by visiting and residential faculty as per instructions from their admin at their Pune headquarters World Peace University. Final touches of streamlining is on currently, according to Dr Satish Tripathi, president of WPU Goa.
Central to WPU Goa is the vision of a purpose-built, fully residential campus, designed as an integrated ecosystem for learning and living, the campus will be a sustainable, net-zero environment harmonizing modern comfort with ecological responsibility.
All this and much more. Educational facilities are always welcome in Goa and WPU believes in societal transformation, it already has a presence in other states of India and enjoys a UNESCO chair. All in all the WPU Goa will be offering experiential education to its students, find out more if you’re interested. Queried about the cost of being educated at the university the answer was in the price range of about Rs7 lakh plus annually and this is less costly than places in the world! It will also depend on the educational courses students are seeking naturally. Goa is more affordable than going abroad.

A MEGA GOA BOOK FESTIVAL COMING UP IN GOA IN FEBRUARY 4-8… in the pic are ‘Mama’ Kiran Thakur at the centre along with Prasad Lolayekar, Sagar Javdekar, Vilas Satarkar, Sai Thakur


WE wish all educational ventures in Goa good-luck. But a bit of additional good news this week too. In fact, this is the best piece of news as far as I am concerned. The grand man of “Tarun Bharat” Group of Companies — popularly “mama” Kiran Thakur — declared at a press conference on Jan 8, 2026 that Goa is a state of festivals and so now Goans may look forward to a grand Goa Book Festival come February 4 to 8 at the Bandodkar grounds in Panaji.
This is going to be some kind of an “Ocean of Stories” mega mela of books with something like 300 book stalls/publishers from the country over, a real bonanza of a books festival. It’s going back to books, my dears, rejoice, I’m so happy! On that note it’s avjo, selamat datang, poite verem, au revoir, arrivedecci, hasta la vista and vachun yeta here for now. It’s New Year’s first month, January, make a few resolutions which count for something…like reading a book a month if not week this year at least.

—Tara Narayan

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