Thursday, August 26, 2010

Goa Blog

Goa Blog

South Asian Film Festival in Goa next month

Posted: 26 Aug 2010 05:23 AM PDT

Afghanistan will be in focus at the next edition of South Asian Film Festival to be held in Goa next month and “An Apple from Paradise” set in the strife-torn country and depicting distortion of religion is going be the opening film.

Over 50 films–feature, documentary and short–from all the SAARC countries will be screened at the festival. Prakash Jha’’s “Rajneeti” and Assamese film “Basundhara”, about man-elephant conflict, directed by debutant Hiren Borawill be among 10-12 films from India to be screened at the festival to be held from September 17 to 20.

Seven to eight films from Pakistan, including “Yeh Pakistan Woh Hindustan” and “Gurmukh Singhki Wasihat” and Kala Pul”, will also feature in the festival with the theme “Dissolving Boundaries”. Besides “An Apple From Paradise”, two other films from Afghanistan “Lala Hindu” and “Neighbour” will be screened at the four-day festival beginning on September 17, Foundation Director Rahul Barua told PTI.

“An Apple From Paradise”, directed by Homayun Morowat who has been living in Sweden since 1998 after his debut feature film “Green Ashes” was banned in 1990, is a story about a father?s search for his son, a student at a religious school in Kabul who stops attending classes and goes on a suicide bomb mission. The film was shot in Kabul in the winter of 2007. An Apple From Paradise won the best feature film awards at international festivals in Tajikistan and Afghanistan last year.

Bangladesh will be represented by five films including “Noi Number Sanket” (Signal No 9) directed by that country’’s most popular writer Humayun Ahmed and “Priyotomeshu” by eminent art filmmaker Morshedul Islam.

There will be a blend of South Asia in all the films to be shown at the festival, Barua said, adding some directors and actors from SAARC countries are expected to attend the event whose co-sponsors are Indian Council For Cultural Relations and Goa government.

Courtesy: msn

Goa loses engineering quota in regional colleges

Posted: 26 Aug 2010 05:14 AM PDT

The wait for around 40 students from Goa seeking admission for 13 innovative engineering degree courses, such as bio-medical engineering and chemical engineering in institutes across the country, has just got longer. The Union ministry of human resource development (HRD) has distributed Goa’s quota of 24 seats in such institutes to students from other states and Union territories this year.

State directorate of technical education ( DTE) sources said, “This year Goa has got a National Institute of Technology and the feeling is that Goa is not backward as far as engineering education is concerned. The Union government has focused this year on providing such quota of seats to north eastern states and Union territories such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep that are lacking far more as far as technical education is concerned. Therefore, almost all relatively better off states have lost their quota.”

Technical education deputy director Pradip Kusnur, speaking to TOI, said, “The matter is being taken up with the HRD ministry by Goa.”  The HRD ministry’s department of technical education reserves seats for states in engineering institutes for degree and diploma courses approved by the All India Council for Technical Education ( AICTE) in other parts of the country and such allocation of seats is generally reviewed every two years.

Courtesy: TOI

Students from XIMB helps orphan and mentally challenged kids of Ashraya

Posted: 26 Aug 2010 05:09 AM PDT

For those who think management lessons are taught only inside the air conditioned classrooms, Xavier Institute Of Management, Bhubaneswar has a different approach. It has a tradition of reaching out and contributing to the weaker sections of the society and thus creating management graduates who are sensitive towards society.

A group of students from XIMB have once again done a commendable job of bringing smiles and motivation in the lives of orphan and mentally challenged kids of Ashraya in Dumduma, Bhubaneswar.

Distribution of stationeries, first aid kits, food items were done for the children. Several meals and outings were arranged for the children at Ashraya. A drawing competition and movie screening event were organized to celebrate Independence day.

To make the effort sustainable the students of XIM B managed to collect enough funds to provide Ashraya with 12 big mattresses and cushions, so that the children need not sleep on the rough and hard floor. A 20lt. filter was donated to ensure that the children get clean drinking water. Some funding was also provided to meet the needs for wiring the place to provide electricity.

'Management education is incomplete unless it teaches you to contribute to the society' says Amit Kaundinya a first year PGDM student of XIMB. The students used social media as an effective platform for collection of funds by using blogging, social networks and youtube.

Goa: Tradition and enthusiasm fuse together at Salvador do Mundo’s Patoleanchem fest

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 11:30 AM PDT

Patoleanchem fest held at the Paitona chapel, Salvador do Mundo was a colourful celebration, full of festive vibes. It was reaffirmation of the villager's zeal to continue a tradition and culture. The villagers participated with full gusto. The celebration was totally eco-friendly and everyone volunteered with their support.

Goa Festivals

Traditional Goan games that are rarely played by the young were played here with enthusiasm by both the old and the young. Games generally played in the monsoons such as 'Katodieo', 'Koindabal', 'Godde' (marbles) and 'Gontamni' (hopscotch) were all fun to watch.

Enthusiasts had come from far away places like Agassaim and even Kuwait o witness this festival. Mr Joaquim D'Souza from Kuwait expressed his feelings, "I was astonished to see this culture revived from a point of being lost. I am very happy for my children. They can experience these traditions." Mr D'Souza further noted, "Most of the time, people see tiatrs being performed in their village but there is hardly any one from the village acting in them. He suggested, "Parents should encourage their children to participate in tiatrs so that more village tiatrs come about." In Kuwait though they celebrate such festivals by preparing all sorts of sweets, their taste does not remind us of Goan dishes. This is because the variety of ingredients available there differs, says Mr D'Souza.

Socorro Gonsalves from Agassaim said, "I enjoyed coming to this festival, especially as I sing my own composition. My songs like 'Mogan Podon' and 'Kani Chorachi' have a Hindi music background but the lyrics are written by me." He suggested another traditional game that could also be played. He called it the 'rope game'. "This is played with players in multiples of five. These players hold a rope at the back and at the sound of whistle each one has to bend to pick up bottles kept behind them. The one who picks the bottle first is declared as the winner.

Children grooved to 'kunbi' dances and the recent rage 'waka waka'. Later patoleos, pez, sanna, pudde, etc were served much to the delight of those gathered.

Courtesy: Navhind Times
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)