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PRASHANTI CAN BE GOAN THALAPATHY!
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PRASHANTI CAN BE GOAN THALAPATHY!

May 16- May 22, 2026, Stray Thoughts, Stray Thoughts May 15, 2026 , by

AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when the hunt was on for Thalapathy for Goa. For a Saturday following the week when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant insisting that Old Goa is a spiritual centre not only for Christians but for Hindus also. For a Saturday following the week when on cancellation of the National Entrance Eligibility Test for admission to medical colleges for the second time in two years. For a Saturday following the week when Goa returning to Covid times.

HUNT FOR THALAPATHY GOA
AND a few stray thoughts on when the hunt was on for Thalapathy for Goa. Ever since Joseph Vijay became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Goans are looking around for a charismatic commander-in-chief (Thalapathy) to provide secular social justice to Goa and Goans. The older leaders like Former chief justice Ferdino Rebello and Claude Alvaris have no appeal for youth and women. It was Gen Z both men and women who gave Joseph Vijay’s party the winning numbers in Tamil Nadu. The closest Goa has to a charismatic leader is perhaps Dr Oscar Rebello. Unfortunately, he is only a YouTube Thalapathy. All the local leaders like Govind Shirodkar who led the Chimbel agitation and Swapnesh Shirodkar who is fighting the Lodha project in Karapur, do not have a statewide following. Vijay Sardesai is seen as too greedy and power hungry. Goans still remember how he jumped to Manohar Parrikar cabinet. Chirag Datta Naik does not seem to have a vision for Goa. Chirag is only interested in defeating Digambar Kamat in Margao. His fast to save the Margao Garden lasted only for one day.
I am inclined to think that Prashanti Talpankar is best suited to become the Thalapathy or Thalapatni of Goa. Prashanti like Joseph Vijay as an actor. She has played a lead role in several films, including the popular Baga Beach. Prashanti has been an activist for over four decades. I recall that she went on an indefinite hunger strike when she was just 26 to demand the resignation of the then speaker Dayanad Narvekar, who was accused of molestation. Prashanti is a veteran of street plays to protest against injustice. Prashanti is a scholar and a teacher. She has a PHD in Commerce is an associate professor at the Dnyanprassarak Mandal’s College and Research Centre. Prashanti has always been passionate about Goa. Maybe we should have a new political party by women of women for all Goans.

SPIRITUAL CENTRE
AND a few stray thoughts on when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant insists that Old Goa is a spiritual centre not only for Christians but for Hindus also. Pramod Sawant seems to be promoting the Gautam Khattar agenda. Pramod Sawant is too smart to attack St Francis Xavier. The chief minister wants to create alternative spiritual attractions for Hindus in Old Goa to divert attention from the Bom Jesus Basilica. Recently, the chief minister celebrated the reconstruction of the Somnath temple by the Narendra Modi government. The celebration took place in a small temple in Baiginium, which was the original dump for all the waste from North Goa. The Somnath Temple has been a big project for the BJP and Narendra Modi. The BJP claims that the Somnath temple was repeatedly destroyed by the Muslim invaders. That Jawaharlal Nehru prevented the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple. After a successful launch of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Modi focused in building a Somnath temple in Gujarat. As in the case of the Ram Temple, Narendra Modi himself performed the opening puja at Somnath. Whatever Modi does, all the chief ministers faithfully echo in their own states.
At the Somnath temple celebration, Pramod Sawant insisted that the Portuguese had destroyed thousands of Hindu temples. Pramod Sawant is committed to building new Hindu temples. It may be recalled that the Mahalsa temple in Mardol and the Saptakkoteshwar temple in Diwar were rebuilt by the BJP government. Pramod Sawant has even found a godman from Ratnagiri called Narendra Maharaj to set up an Ashram in Old Goa close to the heritage church complex. The BJP is determined to impose Sanatan Dharma on Goa also.

NEET CANCEL
AND a few stray thoughts on cancellation of the National Entrance Eligibility Test for admission to medical colleges for the second time in two years. In 2024, several students went to Court when as many as 200 students got the perfect score out of 720 out of 720 in the NEET exam. In the recent NEET exam held on May 3, 2026 it was discovered that copies of the question paper and the answer paper have been leaked and distributed to all the coaching centre. In a PDF file which was sold at an average of Rs25lakh each as many as questions worth 600 of the 720 marks were similar to the trial question administered by the coaching classes in Kota in Rajasthan and all over the country from Nasik to Chennai to Bihar. A whistle blower forwarded the PDF file of leaked question to the national testing authority.
The consequence has been that for the first time the NEET results have been totally cancelled. Which mean the 22 lakh students spread over the country will have to take the exam again. This is the only exam for entry to all medical courses including MBBS, Dental, homeopathy, Ayurveda etc. AS many as 5000 plus students appeared for the NEET exam from Goa. Coaching classes are so shameless that for instance Akash which has the tie up with Mustifund has already started announcing fresh classes for the rescheduled NEET exam. Significantly, it is only exams conducted by the National Testing Authority, which is the government body which keeps leaking. Many other exams for recruitment to central government jobs including the Union Public Service exam got leaked and cancelled. The question is can we trust doctors who cheat to pass the entrance exam.

RETURNING COVID TIMES
AND a few stray thoughts on Goa returning to Covid times. The provocation is not a virus but the very serious foreign exchange crises. The crises has been triggered or deepened by the Gulf war. Consequent on the closer of the state of Hormuz the price of crude which is the basis for petrol, diesel and LPG has gone up to over a hundred dollar per barrel from an average of sixty to seventy dollars. Since India imports over 60% of its petrol and LPG requirements from the GULF countries the import cost have gone up hugely. It is not widely known that edible oils like palm oil and sunflower oil are also imported. Indeed 60% of our consumption of edible oil including dalda are based in imports. Which is why Modi is asking housewife to use less oil for the tadka. But you cannot stop Goas from frying fish. Modi is also asking us to stop buying gold for one year. Modi doesn’t realized that no Indian women trust the banks. Indian women believed that gold is the best insurance. Which is true because its only gold which in the long term continuous to give a return of more then 20% considering that fixed deposits now give only 8%. Even mutual funds do not give more than 10%. Among the most ridiculous suggestion is that school children should return to e-learning as during the covid. This will be disasters for mothers who look forward to a break from their kids atleast during school hours.

THIRST SQUENCHERS FOR HOT SUMMER
AND a last stray thoughts on thirst squenchers for a hot hot summer. Everyone in Panaji has a favorite nimbu soda seller. In Mapusa ofcourse the all-time favorite has been Hanuman soda. Historically, in Panaji there used to be cream centre at the entrance to the market which used to serve the best lasi and faloodas. For a long time now the Carasid restaurant in Miramar offering the best iced tea at a nominal Rs50. The Chart Street offers a wide range of juices, including fresh sugarcane juice at stiff prices. My discovery this summer has been the Amul range of cold drinks modestly priced at Rs25 for a small tetra pack. They are availbe in a wide range. From Kool Kafe to Kool Koko to various forms of Lassi including mango lassi, rose lassi and plain sweet lassi. In the days of Instamart and Blinkit, you don’t need to have a fridge. You can get them delivered in less than 10 minutes totally chilled.

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