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June 13- June 19, 2026, WEEKEND UPDATES June 12, 2026 , by

GOA REVOLUTION DAY

RAM Manohar Lohia asked the Portuguese to quit Goa at a public meeting held at the Lohia maidan in Margao on June 18, 1946. This was soon after Mahatma Gandhi asked the British to quit India. However, the Portuguese dictator Salazar brutally suppressed the freedom movement in Goa. Indeed, life became harder for Goans following a crackdown on freedom fighters.

It may be recalled that India had to use armed force to get the Portuguese to leave. The 18 June road, which forms the shopping hub of Panjim with landmark buildings, like the Junta building commemorates the Goa revolution. You can read about the last phase of the Goa revolution in Rajan Narayan’s book “Sampoorna Swaraj” published by the Department of Art & Culture of the government of Goa. Incidentally, there is a film on the Goa revolution and liberation by KA Abbas called “Saat Hindustani” featuring Amitabh Bachchan.

ONE BALL, ONE WORLD

THIS is the slogan of the World Cup Football Tournament which kicked off in Mexico on Thursday, June 11, 2026. The World Cup unlike cricket features 48 countries. The 2026 World Cup held every four years is being played across three venues, namely Mexico, United States and Canada. The theme song of the 2026 World Cup was composed and sung by the Colombian singer Shakira. Brazil and Argentina have been the favorites of the football world. Brazil has produced football legends like Zico and Kaka, while Argentina produced Diego Maradona of the Hand of God fame. This is the most expensive World Cup with the cheapest tickets being priced at US$4,000. Amongst the biggest football fans in Goa who attended every world cup was the late Jimmy Viegas of famous villa restaurant “O’Coqueiro,” Vilas Sardesai of the daily newspaper The Navhind Times. Dattaraj Salgaocar and son Vikram also are great football fans and attend every World Cup.        

ALL THE PRIME MINISTERS

THE NDA and the BJP recently celebrated the fact that Narendra Modi is the longest serving prime minister. Apparently, he has broken Jawaharlal Nehru’s record of 12 years in office. I recall having had dinner with three prime ministers. I had dinner with Rajiv Gandhi when he came to Goa to celebrate the first Statehood Day on May 30, 1987 which was followed by dinner.

I also had dinner with Atal Behari Vajpayee during the national BJP Convention at the Marriott Resort in Goa. This was the day when Narendra Modi almost got sacked into 2002, just after the Godhra riots in Gujarat. Atal Behari Vajpayee clearly disapproved of Narendra Modi who may be pointed out violated the “raj dharma.” There was a dinner for Atal Behari Vajpayee at the Raj Bhavan Goa.

And I spend over ten days with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Air India One on a tour of Brazil and Cuba. I recall that the media joined Dr Manmohan Singh in celebrating his birthday which was on board the plane.

(Contributed by Rajan Narayan)

TRAGEDY AT HAWAII BEACH

THE small and tranquil Hawaii Beach, located down a narrow lane behind the Dona Paula police station, is no stranger to tragedies. Siddharth Bandodkar, the son of the first chief minister of Goa, had a bungalow at Hawaii beach. Siddharth was reportedly shot dead at the bungalow soon after he married Bollywood actor Leena Chandavarkar. Siddharth Bandodkar’s samadhi marks this Hawaii beach, the adjoining Vaigini beach has been privatized by Cidade de Goa.

The beach is once again in the news because an intern from the Ortho department of the GMC reportedly committed suicide here on Monday morning. The 22-years-old intern from Kerala, whose parents are doctors, allegedly injected herself with some lethal drug. Her dead body was found on the beach. Details are yet to be released but may never be released fully.

AI POWERED FRAUD RESEARCH

IT has been recently revealed that researchers have been abusing artificial intelligence to present fake research papers and got them published in reputed journals. Apparently, even the citations which appear at the end of research papers to prove their validity were also faked.  

It is disconcerting that MacIntosh the computer moghuls have announced an artificial intelligence M chip which will power the new range of MacIntosh laptops.

HOUSEWORK VALUED AT RS30,000

THE Supreme Court has fixed a notional value of Rs30,000 per month on housework done by housewives. This is only the minimum amount and which can go up depending on the size of the family and the house. This establishes a benchmark for compensation awarded to housewives who suffer from injury due to a motor vehicle accident injuries or the death of a housewife.

Incidentally, the Supreme Court fixed the monthly salary to compensate a husband for the loss of his wife in an accident. Calculated at the rate of Rs30,000 a month, the husband was awarded damages of almost Rs1crore.

MARRIOTT INDIA COMMITTED TO GREENER FUTURE


MARRIOTT India  proudly announced on June 9, 2026 the successful achievement of its World Environment Day 2026 commitment — to plant 1,25,000 trees. This takes into consideration the Marriott Group’s  extensive portfolio of over 200 hotels nationwide, further strengthening its long-standing commitment to sustainability, environmental stewardship and community engagement.
Building upon the landmark success of 2025, when Marriott India achieved the milestone of planting 100,000 trees, this year’s initiative was anchored in an enhanced “Four Trees Per Room” commitment, reflecting the company’s continued efforts to create a meaningful and measurable environmental impact. The initiative witnessed enthusiastic participation from associates across the country, with 7,713 associates volunteering over 21,000 hours towards tree plantation and environmental conservation activities. Collectively, Marriott India’s portfolio of over 30,000 rooms contributed towards this ambitious goal, reinforcing the organization’s belief that meaningful change is driven through collective action.
In collaboration with local authorities, environmental organizations, NGOs, and community partners, tree plantation drives were conducted across multiple cities and regions in India. The initiative focused on restoring green cover, supporting biodiversity, enhancing local ecosystems, and contributing towards long-term climate resilience.
“At Marriott India, sustainability is not simply an initiative — it is a responsibility that is deeply embedded in how we operate and engage with our communities. Following the achievement of planting 100,000 trees last year, we challenged ourselves to go even further through our Four Trees Per Room commitment. The enthusiastic participation of our associates and hotels across the country reflects our collective commitment to environmental stewardship. Together, we are creating a greener future while contributing meaningfully to the wellbeing of our communities and the planet,” said Sanjay Gupta, Chairman, Marriott India Business Council.
As part of its ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement, JW Marriott Goa, together with other Marriott International hotels across North Goa, commemorated World Environment Day 2026 through a collaborative tree plantation initiative in partnership with Kripa Foundation, a drug rehabilitation center in Anjuna. Associates from the participating Marriott hotels came together to plant saplings on the Foundation’s premises, contributing to the enhancement of the local ecosystem while fostering meaningful community partnerships. The initiative supports environmental conservation efforts and promotes the well-being of Kripa Foundation’s residents, reflecting Marriott International’s commitment to creating a positive and lasting impact in the communities it serves.
Marriott India’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond tree plantation initiatives. Across its hotels, the company continues to champion responsible practices including energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, sustainable sourcing, and community-led environmental programs, creating a positive and lasting impact for future generations.

Two Goan Films Shine at National Smartphone Film Festival

Films by young Goan filmmakers made a strong mark at the Chalchitra Film Festival, a national smartphone film festival organised by the School of Liberal Studies and Humanities at UPES and held at its Experience Centre in Dehradun. Illuminate and Her Unfinished Chapters emerged among the top three films in India under the 15-minute category. Illuminate secured the Runner-Up position, while Her Unfinished Chapters won Third Place.

Directed by Numair Khan, Illuminate explores the emotional and social importance of eye donation. The story follows a young man who initially struggles to accept his mother’s decision to donate her organs after death. However, an unexpected encounter with a blind child gradually changes his perspective, ultimately leading him to understand and embrace the value of organ donation.

The film stars Rameez Shaikh as the protagonist alongside Falak Fatima Siddiqui as his wife. Sakshi Kittur and Sarah Cabral portray the pivotal roles of the mother and the blind child respectively, while Lenin Rodrigues and Abigail Picardo appear in supporting roles. The film was edited by Varun Kashyap, with voiceover by Sharvi Dhond. Rameez Shaikh also served as the assistant director for the project.

Her Unfinished Chapters, created by Sharvi Dhond and Poonam Bind, was originally developed for submission to Cannes 2025. Though it was not selected, the film later gained recognition at Chalchitra. Written and directed by Sharvi Dhond, who also plays the lead role, the film reflects on memory, trust, and emotional vulnerability. Poonam Bind handled the cinematography and editing.

The story centres on a young woman with a passion for writing who finds comfort in documenting the people who pass through her life. Her mind becomes a library of memories filled with fleeting encounters, deep relationships, and painful betrayals, each preserved like unfinished stories. Hidden among them is one particularly heavy volume titled The Ones Who Broke My Trust, containing the wounds left behind by people who vanished without closure. Despite the heartbreak, she continues writing, holding onto hope that one day someone will understand her as deeply as she understands others and choose to preserve her story too.

Launched in 2022, the Chalchitra Film Festival has rapidly emerged as one of India’s leading student-led smartphone film festivals and is recognised as South Asia’s only competitive mobile filmmaking festival.

This year’s edition focused on the theme “Society, Politics, Psychology, and Cinema for Sustainable Futures,” reinforcing the festival’s commitment to using storytelling as a medium for meaningful social dialogue and change.

The festival champions the democratisation of creative expression by empowering filmmakers to create compelling fiction and non-fiction narratives entirely on smartphones. Through screenings, workshops, and discussions, Chalchitra provides a vibrant platform for emerging and established storytellers to experiment with digital-first filmmaking while highlighting cinema’s potential in addressing sustainability and social issues.

The achievements of Illuminate and Her Unfinished Chapters at the Chalchitra Film Festival reflect the growing presence of young Goan storytellers in India’s evolving smartphone filmmaking movement. By combining meaningful narratives with accessible technology, these filmmakers continue to prove that powerful cinema can be created with creativity, vision, and passion, regardless of budget or scale.

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