2020Journalism

  Goan professor at the forefront in organising Future Energy Carriers workshop in Germany   Dr. Levinson J Martins, Managing Director, Goa Waste Management Corporation along Pranay Morajkar, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Goa University, two delegates from Goa attended the meet in Germany   BY Armstrong Vaz   When like-minded people come together amazing things happen, wrote Goa-born German-based Professor Ravi Xavier Fernandes on his LinkedIn page.   He was referring to the Indo-German Workshop on Future Energy Carriers, a two-day workshop held at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) Braunschweig, Germany recently.   The Indo-German Bilateral Workshop on Future Energy Carriers: Advancing Bio-circular Economy for Clean Energy saw delegates from both India and German deliberate on various topics centered around Future Energy, Circular Economy, Clean Energy and Circular Bioeconomy.   For the unknown Circular Bioeconomy ...

    10th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival begins, brings alive tradition and culture   Captivating and full of enthusiasm as always, the 10th Katara Traditional Dhow Festival got off to a sedate but colourful start on a cloudy yet breezy afternoon by the beach of Cultural Village Foundation – Katara on Tuesday. HE Minister of State and President of the Qatar National Library Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Former Minister of Energy and Industry HE Dr Mohamed bin Saleh Al-Sada, HE Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, General Manager, Cultural Village Foundation — Katara, Ambassadors, and other dignitaries marked the opening by taking a ride in a traditional dhow boat. Expressing pleasure at the launch of the 10th edition of the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival -- which now is renowned for reviving maritime heritage and history besides culture and folk tradition -- His Excellency Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, General Manager of the Cultural Village Foundat...

 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...

  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...

Goa the new destination for rich Russians LISTEN  |  PRINT BY  ARMSTRONG VAZ      NOV 26, 2008 IN  TRAVEL The Russia-India connection is not just one-way. With the Russian economy opening up, more and more Russians are traveling to India, with Goa as their favorite haunt. A couple of days back the red carpet was rolled out to Russian film actors and directors, delegates at the India International Film Festival (IFFI) which is being held in the Indian state of Goa in the capital city of Panjim. On Tuesday, yet another group of Russians had a different experience – a brush with the law enforcing agencies, in another city Mapusa. The Hare Krishna disciplines from Russia got into a scuffle with the local police and eight of them have been booked for rioting and assault on the men in khaki, while two of them were assaulted by the local mob. Goa’s USB has been tourism for the last several decades after it got it was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961. Th...