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WEEKEND UPDATES

April 18- April 24, 2026, WEEKEND UPDATES April 17, 2026 , by

GOA RECLAIMS CELEBS

ON Thursday, April 17 Goa reclaimed Dr Raghunath Anand Mashelkar. Though Dr Mashelkar was born in Marcel in Goa during Portuguese times on January 1, 1943 he grew up in Mumbai under very difficult financial conditions. Dr Mashelkar dedicated the Gomant Lifetime Achievement Award from the Maharashtra Institute of Technology to his mother, who brought him up and educated him single-handedly.   Dr Mashelkar studied chemical technology in Mumbai and reached the top in the science and technology ecosystem in India. He rose to become the director general of the CSIR which supervises 38 labs and 20,000 scientists. He converted the CSIR into a globally competitive organization. Ground reality is that Goa and Goans did not contribute much to the success for Dr Mashelkar. It was his janmabhoomi but not his karmabhoomi.

GOA NEWS OF EXPATS

THE anthology of short stories, poems and essays by the Goan Writers Club called “Appetite” seems to suggest that Goa is a muse for expats rather than Goans. The book published by Penguin has been put together by Shivranjana Rathore &  Tino De Sa who relocated in Goa, Tino De Sa  retired as the chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh. Most of the contributors in this anthology are Goan expats or those who have relocated in Goa.

Writer Vikram Seth also apparently has a home in Goa. The only Konkani writer represented in the book is Damodar Mauzo perhaps because he is the most translated Konkani writer in English. Goa does not serve as a muse for young people in the state with a few exceptions.

DELIMITATION BURDEN

A CONTROVERSY has broken out over the Women’s Reservation Bill. The bill seeks to reserve 33% of the seats in Parliament and the State Legislative Assembly for women. The catch is that it is linked to delimitation. This means that the present Parliamentary and Legislative seats will be increased on the basis of the last census which was held in 2011. Unfortunately, due to Covid, the 2021 census is going to begin only now. The southern states have been more effective in control of growth of population compared to the northern states,  since the number of seats depends on population the northern states, which seem to be obsessed with babies, benefit at the cost of the southern states. So the south will have fewer seats in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. This is driving south leaders like MK Stalin very angry.

Goa may see an increase from 40 seats in the assembly to 60 seats. Unfortunately, more only means more corruption. When the seats in Goa increased from 30 to 40 in Goa it became a state of corruption and corruption increased.

DEREK’S GRAPHIC NOVEL

THE former editor of “The Goan” — Derek Almeida — released his graphic novel at the Broadway Bookshop, recently. As cartoonist Alexis has pointed out the graphic novel is a comic book for adults. But more seriously the graphic novel highlights the importance of the visual element. Perhaps the most famous graphic novel is “The Little Prince” which explored the imagination of a child. There are also “The Ways of Seeing” and “The Seventh Man” by John Berger which are considered graphic book classics. The pioneer of the graphic book in Goa is Savia Viegas.

MILAGRES FESTIVAL

THE feast of our Lady of Milagres Church is coming up in Mapusa. In Goa, Mother Mary is popular and was merged with the Goan belief in female deity like Shanta Durga. So much so in Goa, Mother Mary is referred to as Saibinn. The Milagres church feast is perhaps the only Catholic feast where the image of Mother Mary is anointed with oil. It’s a ritual celebrated by both Catholics and Hindus in Goa with a special day reserved for the merchants of the Mapusa market. There is a heartwarming story associated with this Milagres church feast which is quintessentially Goan.

GOA INCLUSIVE TREKKERS DO MT EVEREST BASE CAMP!

GOA-based Tinkesh Ability Foundation has proudly announced the successful completion of India’s largest inclusive trek to Everest Base camp. This expedition comprised of a diverse group of participants, including for the first time from India – a wheelchair user in high-altitude Himalayan trekking. The group comprised of six persons with disabilities and seven others.

Goa was represented by Vishal D’costa from Cuncolim, an engineer in the Merchant Navy, cyclist and supporter of TAF as well as a familiar person, Talegao’s very own Cecille Rodrigues (who is an internationally recognised  dance artiste and founder of Encore Academy of Performing Arts as also a social activist dedicated to teaching seniors how to stay alive dancing). There were also TAF founders Tinkesh and Sydenstrica Gautam. The trekking was done in a spirit of collaboration and inclusion.  

Needless to say any trekking even in the foothills of the mighty mountains of the Himalayas is a formidable challenge as well as exhilarating adventure. This trek was led by   Tinkesh Kaushik (a national awardee, world record holder,  triple amputee and founder of TAF). He says the success  of such an expedition to the Mt Everest Base Camp is dedicated to empowering persons with disabilities through advocacy, inclusion driven initiatives and creating opportunities to re-define possibilities. Their success should get governments, organizations and communities re-imagining adventure tourism and beyond. What is heartwarming is that the amazing trekkers  performed a Konkani dance at the Mt Everest Base Camp in a bid to promote Konkani music in international adventures! Now can anything be more worth cheering than this?

RAJ KAMAL JHA: `FUTURE OF JOURNALISM’ AT ICG, APRIL 18

IF you think the Fourth Estate is facing formidable challenges in today’s world be sure to catch “Indian Express” editor Raj Kamal Jha  talk on the subject of “Future of Journalism, Potential Challenges” at the International Center Goa on April 18,2026 at 6.30 pm. Raj Kamal Jha apart from being chief editor of “The Indian Express” won the Vienna-based International Press Institute’s Award for Excellence in Journalism five times. He is the author of six novels, his most recent being “The Patient in Bed Number 12.” This talk has been organized by Anil Gupta of Bika Utsav and entry is free and open to the public.

SUYOG SHIGMOTSAV MANDAL: A 7-TIME LEGACY IN 11 YEARS

IT’S a real feather in the cap for the Suyog Shigmotsav Mandal, Adpai-Agapur. This mandal  achieved remarkable success in the Romtamel competitions of Shigmotsav 2026. This year, by participating in a total of 18 competitions across Goa, the mandal earned the distinction of taking part in the highest number of competitions compared to any other group. In some instances the mandal even participated in two competitions on the same day, presenting outstanding performances.

The mandal secured first prizes at Cortalim, Calangute, Curchorem, Mapusa, Sankhali, Porvorim, Cuncolim, Pernem and Ponda; second prizes at Panaji, Margao, Bicholim, Vasco, Mandrem and Sanguem. Additionally, a third prize at Dharbandora and fourth prizes at Shiroda and Valpoi. In toto: 9 first, 6 second, 1 third and 2 fourth prizes.  Truly, a grand achievement and the mandal has been honored with the title of Romtamel Champions 2026.

Over the past 11 years the mandal created  history by winning the champioinship title 7 times  including the years 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The attractive “Shigmyachi Jat” presented by the mandal every year has consistently captured the audience’s attention. Other mandals too have started incorporating their presentations.

Interestingly, the Tourism Department suggested more than 50 names for judges this year, some committees selected the same judges repeatedly, which led to several challenges for the mandal. Many competitions saw repetition of judges; however, overcoming these difficulties the mandal achieved its milestone. The credit goes to guide and master Vignesh Govind Naik. The mandal is dedicates its success to its beloved late members Brahmanand (Bhai) Naik and Saish Adpaikar. Its  success is the result of relentless efforts, dedication and unity of members of the mandal,  all artists, mandal committee and every individual who contributed to the achievement.

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