2020Journalism

 Disabled boy makes a living selling newspapers in Goa By Armstrong Vaz     first printed in Dec 7, 2008 in Business It's 5:30 a.m. in India, a time when most people will still be lying in bed, but for 20-year-old Nilesh Shikre in Susegado (leisurely-paced) Goa, it's the start of another hectic day delivering newspapers from his bicycle to Goan households. + Add Image       1 of 2    His day will start with an excursion from his home in Panzorconi to Cuncolim bazaar -- a distance of one and a half kilometers -- to collect the newspapers from the Kunde Newspaper agent. From there, he will begin his deliveries with several households in Cuncolim. It's a job Nilesh must perform despite rain or cold and despite his deformity. When he was 11, Nilesh lost part of his left arm and his right arm stopped developing when he was electrocuted after meddling with the high-tension electricity wires that ran overhead of the two-room pal...

  Sharjah a perfect family holiday destination  SPECIAL LISTEN  |  PRINT BY  ARMSTRONG VAZ      FEB 6, 2010 IN  TRAVEL Sharjah, one of the seven Emirates which constitute the United Arab Emirates, is a place of fascinating contrasts, a distinctive blend of history and modernity with a timeless desert, the combination of the East and West, the old and the new.  1 of 10  This sunshine destination offers visitors a unique holiday experience and the opportunity to encounter Arabian hospitality and traditional heritage. Known in the region as the Cultural Capital, the city has over twenty museums. The emirate has something for everyone, as it is well equipped to cater to the diverse needs of individual travelers, families and groups, an attractive place for leisure, shopping and recreation. If you are looking for a family tourist destination offering visitors the ideal gateway, then Sharjah is definitely worth the visit. You encounter a ...

  SPECIAL LISTEN | PRINT BY ARMSTRONG VAZ     FEB 23, 2010 IN ENVIRONMENT Panjim - It was a cry in the wild, which has travelled much beyond the boundaries of Keri village situated near the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. Last year’s tiger killing in Goa, some 60 kilometers from the state capital Panaji, would have gone unnoticed, but for green journalist Rajendra Kerkar. One man ensured to give the killed tiger justice. Kerkar’ scoop of a tiger being killed in Goa, published in the Times of India, India’s largest selling newspaper, along with a photograph on April 13, 2009, which got the authorities cracking. But, the tiger killing continues to haunt Kerkar till this date. The messenger of the story has since been hounded. Kerkar has been made an abettor in the tiger killing case by the Goa Forest department and will faces his charges in court in the coming days. At stake for Kerkar, an environment campaigner is his stubbornness to defend his source as a journalist, from...

 Goa, India becoming epicenter of drug trade to foreign countries Ten year old article first published on Feb 27, 2010 BY ARMSTRONG VAZ     FEB 27, 2010 IN CRIME Panjim - The end of the Carnival, the four–day pre-Lenten festival effectively brings an end to all the parties for practicing Christians in the Indian state of Goa. Some say the suns never sets over the parties in Goa, rain or no rain. The party scene in Goa, which has been fuelled by drugs and more drugs. The state has gained a reputation for easily available drugs and a few drug-related deaths. It was no wonder that an Israeli drug dealer operated from the state for the last 12 years. He was arrested recently after allegedly operating a drug ring with the active support of Goa's police officers. The end of Carnival season effectively brings an end to the foreign tourist season. The small state in Western India, a former hippie paradise in the late '60s and '70s, welcomed some four million foreign tourists...

From a vagabond to mutli-lingual tour guide, tourism success story from Goa Note: this article was first published in NOV 25, 2008 BY ARMSTRONG VAZ       Can you fathom the idea of a vagabond, make the transition to a multi-lingual bird guide - in the rarest of rare cases that happens - and that holds true for thirty-nine year old Shiva Mandre, who speaks an astonishing twenty-five languages.  1 of 2 Can you fathom the idea of a vagabond, collecting scrap for a living and sleeping on the streets make the transition from a hopeless, helpless construction worker to a multi-lingual bird guide - in the rarest of rare cases that happens - and that holds true for thirty-nine year old Shiva Mandre, who speaks an astonishing twenty-five languages, as he dabbles in various tourism related trade in the beach-side resort state of Goa in India. Universally Newspapers serve the role of disseminating news and help in opinion making. But hold on, they serve yet another purpo...