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LETTER TO THE EDITOR FOR THE ISSUE DATED NOVEMBER 14, 2026
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR FOR THE ISSUE DATED NOVEMBER 14, 2026

Letters To The Editor, Nov 14- Nov 20 2026 November 13, 2026 , by

LK ADVANI HITS A CENTURY
A great and much respected leader is LK Advani, he was India’s 7th deputy prime minister from 2002 to 2004 and has just celebrated his 100th birthday. I had the occasion to address alongside with him at several public meetings, he was very gentle and well-mannered.
Advaniji visited Goa way back in 1977 after the Emergency. He was earlier with the Jan Sangh which later merged along with 11 other parties and formed the Janata Party – which government in 1977 at the centre was headed by Prime Minister Morarji Desai. That experiment did not last for long.
The rest is history! Ironically, on September 22, 2009 at a BJP Convention in Goa the then veteran BJP leader LK Advani was dubbed and branded as an ageing pickle turned very rancid and whose political innings were more or less over. He must have been heartbroken.
But now even at his 100th birthday LK Advani comes across as energetic enough. He did his early schooling at St Patrick’s High School in Karachi, he definitely does not have the traits of spreading any communal venom as is the perception.
My last meeting with the very humble LK Advani was on January 24, 2019 at a restaurant in Porvorim and I am looking forward to meeting up with him on my next visit to Delhi soon, to personally commend him on hitting a century, which in today’s times is no easy task.
— Aires Rodrigues, London

57TH IFFI WILL BE ABOUT `SHANTI KA SANDESH’ :It is that time of year again as the little state of Goa gets set to host the 57th International Film Festival of India from November 20 to 28, 2026. The festival will run across 14 venues. Speaking at the IFFI curtain raiser press conference at the most razzmatazz premises of the super deluxe 7-starred Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon at Dona Paula in Panjim on Nov 13, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Swant apologised for the delay in setting up the much talked about Film City for IFFI. Despite this Goa will continue to be the permanent venue for the prestigious international film festival. The CM said that every November Goa opens its doors, rolls out the red carpet for the cinema of the world and this is “a matter of pride.” The festival offers many platforms for celebrating films and he remembered how Prime Minister Narendra Modi is firmly committed to “Vasudeva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family). India is the right place for sending out the message of “shanti ka sandesh” via films. Cine lovers from Goa and from around the world may look forward to viewing 150 international films from 86 countries this year. 57th IFFI’s theme is “Stories Without Borders” – the opening film is “Fatherland” mid-fest film is “I Matter” and concluding film is “We Are All Strangers.” According to this year’s festival director Ashutosh Gowarikar about 7,000 delegates have registered and according to the CM in response to a media query, Goa’s budget for this year’s IFFI is Rs30 crore. Also present for the press conference were Chanchal Kumar (Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India), Dheeraj Singh (Managing Director, NFDC), Krishna Kumar (Chairperson, NFDC), Madhur Bhandarkar (Chairperson, Feature Film Jury), Deepak Mandekar (CEO, ESG), Himanshu Shekhar Khatua, (Chairperson, Non-Feature Film Jury), Delilah Lobo (Vice Chairperson, ESG), Smita Vats Sharma (DG West Zone PIB) . This is to say happy viewing at IFFI 2026 this year, it promises to be an enthralling affair of cinema and other allied events in Goa as usual! This is Goa’s 23rd IFFI! (Pics by Tara Narayan)

MISCONDUCT AT TALEIGAO GRAM SABHA MEET
I WOULD like to highlight the grave misconduct that took place during the Taleigao Gram Sabha held on October 25, 2026. During the Gram Sabha, I was subjected to public harassment, gender discrimination and deliberate suppression of my voice by the Panchayat Secretary. Key issues are:

  1. Gender Discrimination & Public Harassment: Being mocked and laughed at in front of the entire Gram Sabha for raising a serious public health issue.
  2. Violation of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act: Stopping the official recording of the Gram Sabha proceedings while I was speaking.
  3. Suppression of Public Health Grievance: Refusal to address the issue of open defecation at Odxel beach, with video proof dated Oct 22, despite it being a major tourism and health hazard.
  4. Denial of Democratic Right: Imposing a time limit of only 2 minutes, refusing permission to raise other important issues, and stating my points would not be recorded, while male members were allowed to speak longer and were recorded.
    This is not just about me, but about the right of every woman and every villager to speak at the Gram Sabha without fear and humiliation. Will the media please highlight all this for the information of the residents of Taleigao for the common larger good of governance? Such injustice must be brought to light. Please uphold the dignity of women and in fact everyone present at Gram Sabha meetings.
    — Cecille Rodrigues, resident of Taleigao and social activist, Goa

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