anOTHERgoa

2022-01-18T19:40:00.073+05:30

Wedding On A Budget: a 250 guest wedding for less than £100

blogged by Cleona Lira, on 2nd January 2017

Muriel and Mario - M&M - two serious activists who lived in my village, Saligao, in Goa (India) dramatically inspired and informed my views on wedding budgets.

They rode their own 50 cc 'limousine' to church...

Understanding their values-based spending also gave me true insight, very early on, into a conscious relationship with money, the focus of many of my blogs.

Although I was only a child, 9 years old or so, I remember it vividly both from inside the small chapel and later, at the reception. The weddings I had attended until then had the usual run of the mill offerings; unlimited soft drinks, a huge food buffet, a wedding hall that could host a football game, a live band, hundreds of people and in Goa, the wedding couple arriving at least 2 hours late. Yawn.

This one was unique.

Years later, talking to the couple, as an adult, I learned other details about this unusual wedding and want to share how M&M planned it - keeping in mind their values, their work as social activists and the community that was important to them.

Dress local

Their attire was simple. The bride wore a plain, cotton saree, with ethnic, hand dyed, bandhani - tie-and-dye - motifs in red and green: traditional wedding colours in Goa. The groom wore a cream, traditional Indian kurta-churidar, made from khadi, a local fabric hand woven from hand spun, cotton thread.

Begining with this walk down the aisle, 'they have walked their talk,' as a team couple, for the last 30 years and will continue for the next 30...

At the time, the usual custom in Goa was to wear Western outfits - a weighty, lacy, flowing, gown-styled white wedding dress for the woman; for the man, a dark suit was standard. This western influence was due to the Portuguese colonial presence in Goa, and of course, such costuming was wholly inappropriate for the weather. A hot and humid summer wedding, left the bride 'glowing' profusely, while the long sleeved groom sweated silently under his often double-breasted jacket and trousers, always tailored from heavy polyester or nylon blended fabrics.

Exchanging vows

M&M's outfits were different. They dressed local.

There was no fancy service or orchestrated Mass. They invited everyone they knew: family and all friends, as well as the people from an entire hutment colony, with whom they worked. Most of the hutment dwellers had never witnessed a Catholic wedding before. There was no scarcity mindset with the guest list - like I said, they invited everyone they knew.

Inclusive and Warm

The small chapel was packed and heaving with people from all sections of society. I really enjoyed seeing how inclusive M&M were; and the warmth and diversity in the room. As is conventionally done, M&M did not sit directly in front of the altar. Instead, to emphasise that this was a community celebration, they sat on the side, close to their family.

The couple sat with their families, instead of apart and in the middle of the chapel

Many of the hutment dwellers entered the chapel late. They were embarrassed to enter a church full of 'well-dressed' invitees and so, stood at the doors and windows, peering inside, curiously. Seeing this, the bridal couple did the unthinkable: they stopped the service!

The groom went to the door and ushered the crowd in, right up to the front. There was no place for them to sit, so most of them crowded near the communion rails, just in front of the altar. Others sat in the pews that some of the couple's friends thoughtfully vacated for the new guests.

Hutment friends, poured in from the side door and crowded out the guests who had come in earlier

During the ceremony, the hutment dwellers walked up to the couple and tried to give gifts. The bridal couple seemed to handle all of this with ease; I remember feeling very amused, never having witnessed these sorts of interruptions in a church or chapel (be solemn!) ever before.

The congregation watched this crazy move in hushed amazement, some in utter disbelief.

More hutment friends at the side door

This poor (financially only), apparently non-Christian group, sporting home clothes, worn daily in their hutment colony, now occupied seats with the best view in the chapel.

The couple insisted that a Muslim woman friend from the hutment colony, sign as one of their witnesses

Chai and biscuits for all.

With rich and poor mixing, the reception looked like a 'village fair!'

After the ceremony, the guests were invited to an empty space behind the chapel where tea (chai) and coconut flavoured biscuits were served.

No seating, so their hutment friends, made themselves at home on bare ground

There was no seating, so people huddled together in small groups, thus encouraging interacting with the bridal couple and between families. The couple's more middle-class friends did the serving while their hutment friends made themselves comfortable.

A senior citizen friend serves biscuits to their hutment friends

The older folk from among the poor, squatted on the bare, stony ground, and their children ran around and played merrily. It was so simple.

Family and friends help serve 'chai' and Coconut Crunchee biscuits

I had never seen anything like it! I could also eat as many biscuits as I wanted guilt-free - and I know now, it didn't hurt their pockets too much.

The tea-stall owner, kept the urn topped up with piping hot 'chai!'

They also encouraged a 'no gift' policy which was unusual for that time. Weddings and parties were definitely about receiving gifts back then.

A 250 guest wedding for less than £100!

The wedding budget and spend for the entire event was as ordinary and simple as the ceremony: the couple spent not a paisa (like a penny but in Indian Rupees) more than Rs. 1,000/- on everything. Inflation and currency adjusted, this
would be £97.38 in today's money (or less than Rs. 8,000/-). This is still unbelievable for the cost of a wedding!

So, lets breakdown this wedding budget. While Muriel's saree cost Rs. 125/-, Mario's full outfit was considerably less at Rs. 80/-.

Traditional Goan 'mangalsutra,' made from family silver

The mangala sutra - a traditional necklace worn by Indian women, after marriage, the 2 wedding rings and the bride's 4 bangles were intentionally made of silver. Gold was symbolically shunned. And because the white metal came from silverware that the family already owned, only making costs were paid for.

Exchanging silver rings

To match her saree colours, the bride wore common, red and green glass bangles with the silver ones bordering them. The leather slippers they wore, were old pairs used on occasions. And the trademark, shoulder bag the groom carried, was made from waste pieces of leather, hand stitched by himself.

Invitations were basic, they were typed out in red on yellow paper and posted.

Likewise, instead of the fancy wedding limousine, the couple pillion-rode themselves to church on their trusty little, 50 cc, scooter.

Shop local, helps wedding budget

The tea for the reception was ordered from a roadside tea-stall opposite the chapel and served by the couple's friends in the ordinary, small, ribbed glass tumblers that tea is traditionally served in, at all roadside tea shops. 'Coconut Crunchee' biscuits - a slightly tastier variety, for the special occasion - were bought at wholesale rates in bulk packs, so that everyone could have as many as they wanted.

M&M were thrilled to see the hutment children eat as much as they could and stuff their pockets to take back to their siblings and friends left at home!

Their major expense was photography. The couple decided that photo documentation was important, so they 'splurged' on the 4 rolls of film that a priest friend covered the event with. The film, development and printing cost nearly 50% of the whole budget!

And oh yes, the couple had a bouquet of fresh flowers. No artificial, plastic flowers for them. But as tradition would have it, the flowers did not come at the beginning of the ceremony.

The author of the blog, 9 year old, Cleona Lira with her mother, leads the "3 little angels" to wish the couple. Their spontaneous gift: fresh flowers from the chapel compound

In M&M's own words, "3 little angels" (my younger sisters and I), dressed in pretty lemon dresses with red sashes and socks to match, presented them with an assortment of freshly picked, wild flowers and bougainvillea from the chapel compound.

It was the perfect, heart-warming way to end a wedding ceremony, they confessed 30 years later.

Poor hutment friends, insisted on giving presents, even though they were told not to. The couple were in tears. 3 decades later, they still gratefully use the gifts.

Enlist the help of family and friends

Some of Muriel's wider family

As you have seen, a couple planned a cost-efficient wedding and with the help of family and friends, executed it perfectly.

Hutment friends insisted the couple carry their babies, as a good omen for the future

So for me, this invitation to a simple wedding, celebrated love, simplicity, community and inclusion - the experience of it informed my own values and opinions on wedding budgets.

Some of Mario's wider family

So much so, that I planned my own wedding, keeping this simplicity in mind.

A few friends

When I emailed Muriel and Mario recently and might I add 29 years later, writing to them about my idea for a blog and everything I remembered, they happily agreed to cooperate. Also, their main intention is to spread their idea of spending consciously, including on weddings. Although they shun publicity, they were willing to share even private wedding pictures with the world - fuelled by this beautiful longing to contribute. For this, I am so grateful to them again.

Some hutment friends

"Really the only security, is to be found in community: the gratitude, connections, and support of the people around you. If you have wealth now, I recommend, as your investment adviser, that you use it to enrich the people around you in lasting ways" - Charles Eisenstein

My own wedding budget

In turn, when I got married, in 2012, it was a simple affair and a simple wedding budget. All in, I spent less than £1,200 on the actual event. It was a beach wedding in Goa - a casual affair just like I dreamed.

My family and friends helped me execute the details. Family members helped to make a little sand shaped heart, from the abundant beach sand, in which we stood to make our vows in the evening sunset. We didn't pay for the venue - the restaurant just gave a section of it to us after my aunt managed to sweet talk the owner into this. Although I was happy to pay more for the food, she kicked me under the table when negotiating, so I decided to keep out of it.

I bought a second-hand dress on Ebay by Forever Unique, a luxury fashion brand. Post wedding, I sold it for the same price I bought it for (all of £50).

I invited 35 guests which is unusual for an Indian wedding. My mother was instructed not to invite anybody - she found this incredibly hard and yet, for the most part, obeyed instructions. And a friend of mine who has a successful alcohol business provided the cocktails; I later found out when I tried to pay for it, this was a gift!

I had one bouquet of flowers which were bought from the local flower market by my sister. And the delicious cake was baked with love by Alisha, my cousin, friend and cake goddess. It didn't break the bank. Not one bit.

And from the great feedback from the guests, they all had fun. Fun was important to me.

Extravagant weddings - not a fan

Often, I get asked, "Ah, you are Indian - so did you have a 3- day wedding?"

Well, not all of us do, although we love celebrating for sure. Some weddings are grander than others including a £15 million wedding by Sanjay Hinduja, complete with Jennifer Lopez performing and no expense spared. Wedding trousseaus, traditions, spending to keep up with the Joneses or well, D'Souza's in this case and inviting people (because they invited us or what would they say?) does not feel authentic to me.

And yet, everyone is entitled to spend and celebrate as they wish, in line with their own values.

My only wish is for people to really be conscious and spend with financial integrity; choosing to spend based on what is important to them, not what society dictates or to keep up with 'looking good'.

When I read about extravagant weddings, like the Hinduja £15 million wedding, my thoughts go to how that money could have been better utilised. A quick search on Google reveals that the average English wedding costs about £24,000. I would rather save that towards something more useful.

I worked with a colleague who was heavily in debt and yet took a large personal loan to give his girlfriend the marriage of her dreams – I thought it was most unromantic to start a marriage in debt.

Thank you, M&M

I chose a modest wedding budget when I dreamed up my own wedding and the joy in organising this with some creativity and the help of family and community was worth it.

Warmth and fun weren't compromised; money was spent with care.

Thank you to Muriel and Mario for this early inspiration to me, on this journey of being conscious with money. And for hopefully inspiring many, many others with the beautiful story of your wedding.

****************************

Read Cleona's original blog here:

https://www.cleonalira.co.uk/blog/weddingonbudget

----------------------------------------------------------

About the author

Cleona Lira, IFA
is a professional investment guide
and financial planning consultant in the UK.

In her own words:

“My personal mission is to ensure that I bring heart, honesty and
wholeheartedness into my work. I really enjoy what I do; I am grateful
that this is the way I get to make a living. Money can be a heavy topic
and I aim to make the financial planning process as engaging and easy
as possible.

“My educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. I am a Chartered Financial Planner and a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

“I am a member of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance
Association-UKSIF.org. You can also find me on the FCA register if you
search for me by name.”

More about Cleona and her services:
https://www.cleonalira.co.uk/about-1
(Services available only in the UK...unfortunately! 😞)

SAVE Saligao: An URGENT Appeal

2014-07-20T23:21:00.000+05:30

Dear Saligaokars, Saligao lovers and well wishers,

Garbage has been killing Saligao, Goa from 1987.
For 27 years, coastal and hotel garbage has been dumped in a huge, 60 ft. deep, quarry on our hill. Our Salmona spring and wells and those in Calangute and Candolim are polluted.

The SCCC has decided to file a Writ Petition and appeal for funds. Please be generous with Saligao...Goa...the planet.

Warm regards and solidarity. - Muriel & Mario.

Saligao Waste Treatment Plant Unviable: Experts

2014-07-19T02:12:00.000+05:30

What we in the Saligao Civic & Consumer Cell and others in the village have been saying for a long time now, has finally been borne out by experts in the field.

The Goa Government's proposed Solid Waste Treatment Facility (SWTF) is a formula for disaster: financially, technologically, logistically, environmentally. Read on:

This video says it all:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p99HhVZPIS0

Would You Celebrate World Health Day At Goa Medical College?

2013-04-07T13:38:00.013+05:30

Today, 7 April, is World Health Day.

Video Volunteers' North Goa Community Correspondent Sulochana Pednekar brings you a 3 and a 1/2 minute, video peep into the nursing care, in only one ward at Goa Medical College (GMC).

Sulochana Pednekar interviews the Matron of GMC

After viewing it here, decide whether you would like to celebrate World Health Day there, or put your Right to Life in GMC'S hands.

Saligao's Illegal Piggery & Slaughter House - 2: complaint+video prompt joint site inspection

2013-04-07T00:56:00.001+05:30

A combination of this complaint - signed by 240 residents of Donvaddo and Sonarbhatt - and the Video Volunteers film on the problem, led to a 3-way joint site inspection by the Health Officer, Primary Health Centre, Candolim; the Dept. of Animal Husbandry and the Sarpanch, VP Saligao. Copies of the film were given to the Health Officer, Sarpanch, VP Saligao and local MLA.

The usual game of passing the buck stopped at the Sarpanch and it now rests with him to stop the illegal activity and implement the relevant laws and rules governing the keeping and slaughter of pigs in residential areas. He will also have to implement the law governing garbage dumps and the burning of garbage, especially plastics in a residential area.

The Health Officer cannot escape the immediate removal of all the health hazards connected with this illegal activity, and the burning of plastic garbage.

The Pollution Control Board will have to stop the burning of plastic garbage with its resultant air pollution as well as the seepage into the underground water table of the infected, putrefying and stinking blood, that rots in a pool along with the the urine, dung and entrails of the slaughtered pigs.65

The communities of Donvaddo and Sonarbhatt have suffered enough. We hope that the 2 communities along with Sarpanch Eknath will work towards a win-win situation for them as well as the pig-rearing families.

Saligao's Illegal Piggery & Slaughter House - 1

2013-04-04T11:22:00.000+05:30

Remember Sulochana Pednekar the grassroots Community Correspondent from Video Volunteers who came in and did a short video documentary on the illegal piggery and slaughter house in Donvaddo, Saligao?

Her video is now up here...

More on the devastation caused by this dangerous community nuisance and health hazard as the community responds. Stay tuned.

EARTH HOUR 2013: Saligao

2013-03-25T21:47:00.000+05:30

Dean D'Cruz to Aaren Noronha: the flame to GenNext

Tarika Kiran

from the Saligao Earth Hour team

shares her Face Book album of the event.

Photography:

Gabriella D'Cruz

Diogo Fernandes

EARTH HOUR Is Today!

2013-03-23T10:09:00.001+05:30

Bring a CANDLE and if possible, a musical instrument.

Invitation From Alexyz...

2013-03-23T01:56:00.001+05:30

Now Alexyz extends an invitation in his own unique style...

Earth Hour: 1 Day Left To Switch Off

2013-03-23T01:39:00.001+05:30

Saturday, 23 March 2013
8:30-9:30 pm

Lourdes Convent Open Air Courts

Saligao. Goa.

(Bring a candle and a musical instrument, if possible)

Earth Hour in India

The Journey so far

India joined the Earth Hour movement in 2009, where 5 million Indians across 56 cities showed their support by switching off non essential lights and saving approximately 1000 MW of power in that one hour. Hundreds on educational institutions, 100 top public and private sector organizations, and governments of various cities participated.

In the last three years, the campaign has grown into a national movement supported by individuals, local governments, private and public sector organizations, and institutions. In 2011, individuals across 130 Indian cities participated and committed to a better lifestyle, adhering to the new phase of the campaign going beyond the hour. Over 1,000,000 students joined the movement as young environmentalists. Earth Hour penetrated beyond the urban and educated masses alone, witnessing participation from tier II and III cities, and villages with no access to basic energy requirements.

Local governments and state and city officials inspired citizens to observe Earth Hour leading by example, and switching off lights in State Chief Ministers residents and important landmarks across the state. Reiterating India’s sincere commitment towards environment conservation, the Rashtrapati Bhawan also switched off lights, so did the Prime Ministers’ residence.

In 2012, Earth Hour reached more than 150 Indian cities, and touched important milestones. For the first time ever, the iconic Mysore palace observed Earth Hour by reducing the duration of illumination of the Palace on weekends from 15 minutes to 5 minutes. This symbolic gesture sent out a powerful message not only to the citizens of the city and country, but to the thousands of international tourists who visit the Palace to witness this magnificent illumination.

The campaign has been endorsed by well known celebrities such as Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Sachin Tendulkar, Rana Dagubatti, the Royal Challengers cricket team, Chennai film actor and singer Dhanush, Kolkota film actor Rituparna Sengupta, who all helped increase outreach by appealing to their fans and followers to participate.

In Goa, from 2010, this is the 4th year running, Earth Hour is being organised in Saligao.

And finally...
All you ever wanted to know about Earth Hour and did not whom to ask: http://earthhour.in/faq.aspx

Be there!

Earth Hour Team
Saligao.

Dear Chief Minister, Saligao MLA & Sarpanch...

2013-03-23T00:57:00.000+05:30

Dear Manoharbhav, Dilip and Eknath,

As a team who are all in the same party and on the same page, we in Saligao expect much from the 3 of you for Earth Hour 2013 and towards establishing Renewable Energy solutions to our problematic power supply.

For a start you can switch off all non-essential lights, from 8:30-9:30 pm in the state...beginning with Saligao's church and temple exterior illumination. Surely, a combination of the 3 of you can ensure this tiny measure.

Second...slowly phase out Saligao's connection to the grid. Make this a FIRST in Goa! Starting with the Panchayat building, all street lighting and finally public illumination switch Saligao totally to Renewable Energy using a combination of solar, biomass and wind energy:

- Do away with the garbage dump on our hill that is destroying our village and use all our hills for wind turbines (windmills).
- Use all our biodegradable waste in a biomass plant to create additional power.
- Use Saligao's solar energy to complete our electricity needs.
A combination of these 3 Renewable Energy measures will first supply all our public and later private energy needs.

Unless we make efforts to transform our energy production systems to 100% renewable, we may do irreversible damage to our planet.

Earth Hour 2013

How our government can help...

Mae de Deus Church, Saligao.

Switch off

Lead by example! Make sure you switch off lights in your Chief Ministers house, local leaders, and all government office buildings on Saturday, 23rd March from 8:30 - 9:30 PM. Send out communication to ensure all important landmarks in our state switch off for Earth Hour.
Spread the message

Write to all utilities, market associations, schools and other stakeholders informing them about your support to Earth Hour and asking them to spread the message through their mediums.

Join hands
Our teams are present across India, working to spread the message of Earth Hour. Join hands with our local Earth Hour team in your state and jointly organize events and press conferences, appealing to the citizens to participate.

Advertise
Send out a public appeal and advertisement in the leading newspapers of your city, asking citizens to switch off lights for Earth Hour. Put up hoardings in bus shelters and other prominent places in the city about Earth Hour.

Switch On to Renewable Energy
Contribute towards achieving India’s Renewable Energy targets!

Adopt policies favorable to production of Renewable Energy to meet the power demands of Goa.
Direct all government owned buildings and city monuments to adopt renewable energy solutions.
Adopt Renewable Energy solutions and interlink renewable energy technologies such as waste to energy for all city infrastructures such as solar street lighting.
Secure finances through the central government to implement renewable energy projects our state. Alternately, you can also secure international funding by generating carbon credits through implementing Renewable Energy projects.

Light up a monument in Goa using Renewable Energy...begin with Mae de Deus Church, Saligao.

You can send out a strong message of your commitment towards building a sustainable future for your citizens, by organizing an Earth Hour event around an iconic monument in your city, using only Renewable Energy to power and light the venue. As a symbolic show of support, light up part of the monument after the switch off, using Renewable Energy powered products such as solar lanterns, and use this public event to announce a commitment towards adopting measures which would benefit the environment.
Warm regards and solidarity.

The Earth Hour Team in Saligao.

EARTH HOUR: 2 Days To Go.

2013-03-22T20:01:00.000+05:30

How you can help:

With your friends and neighbours, join others at:

Lourdes Convent Open Air Courts, Saligao
on 23 March from 8:30-9:30 pm.

From the Earth Hour website...

Switch off!
On Saturday, 23rd March 2013, wherever you are, switch off lights for Earth Hour from 8:30 – 9:30 PM, and stand united with millions of others across the globe! Make sure your participation counts, by signing up

Spread the word
Help us reach out to your friends and families by talking about Earth Hour, and encouraging them to participate! Join our communities to keep up with latest news, events and activities, and make sure you share them with others.

Talk about it
If you write a blog, or own a website, tell others what you are doing for Earth Hour this year, and why you believe your actions can make a different to this planet! Through your actions, you can inspire many others to follow in your footsteps, and start a movement right where you are!

Become an organizer:
Don’t stop at just switching off lights at home! You can organize Earth Hour events to encourage your friends, family, and neighbours to participate. Start a signature campaign asking people to pledge their support, organize awareness marches around your locality, and distribute Earth Hour collaterals to your nearby market place. Encourage individuals to come together on the Earth Hour night to switch off collective, and celebrate with the world.

Write to earthhour@wwfindia.net for more ideas and assistance.

Know more

Volunteer
You can get in touch with the local WWF team in your city, and help them promote the campaign in your city. We are always looking for young and enthusiastic individuals to help us raise awareness and spread the message!

Switch On to Renewable Energy
This year, go one step further! Little things you do can go a long way in reducing your impact on the environment. Opt for easy and practical Renewable Energy solutions!

Adopt solar powered household products to not only reduce your footprint on the environment, but also bring down your electricity bills! From simple products such as solar powered batteries, solar calculators, solar lanterns to outdoor solar lighting for pathways and gardens, and solar water heaters and fans, there are a range of products now available in the Indian market!
You can install Photovoltaic (PV) panels on the rooftop of your house which convert solar radiations directly into electricity, and can support part of your energy needs.
Use your kitchen organic waste to produce biogas that can be used for cooking in the kitchen. Creating mini biogas plants at home can be easy and safe!
Constructing a new house or renovating? This could be your chance to use renewable energy to the maximum! Get your architect, landscape designer, and electrician, plumber, and energy consultants together, and ask for a design of a green building. The construction and operation of green buildings minimizes demand on non-renewable resources and maximizes the use of renewable sources such as solar and solar thermal, as well as reuse and recycle available resources. Green buildings may be expensive to construct, however, that cost is recovered in the long run due to much lower operation costs.

Warm regards and solidarity.

M&M.

Illegal Slaughter House Endangers Saligao Community

2013-03-21T10:51:00.000+05:30

by Community Correspondent Sulochana Pednekar
with Lara Chandni

(Saligao's sordid piggy story unfolds as a grassroots community correspondent investigates the problem with her video camera...)

In Saligao village at Donvaddo, there is a drain alongside the road which lies clogged with the blood and entrails of slaughtered pigs. For many years now, the area’s local piggery has been a source of serious emotional and material distress to its neighbours.

Aside from the insupportable stench of excreta, rotting offal and the flamboyant disregard for any considerations of hygiene, the squeals of dying pigs at odd hours during the day are traumatising the entire community. This is especially disturbing in light of the slaughterhouse’s proximity to a school. Situated only 100 metres away is Lourdes Convent, and everyday its 1,600 young students have to jeopardise their physical and mental wellbeing in order to attend class.

Sulochana was shocked by the very experience of filming: “Even when I was moving around the area to record my video, the smell was unbearable. The owners themselves live in extremely unhygienic conditions. The drain is a breeding ground for mosquitoes; the organic waste used to feed the pigs attracts hoards of flies and cockroaches. Rodents also infest the area. To makes this worse, crows and eagles pick up rotting pig entrails and spread them all over the village, putting the whole community at risk.” Needless to say, this entire operation is illegal.

The Goa Animal Preservation Act of 1995 lays down some very stringent regulations for the meatpacking industry. In section 4 of the Act it is stipulated that, "no person shall slaughter or cause to be slaughtered any scheduled animal in any place in the state of Goa, unless he has obtained in respect of such animal, a certificate in writing from the competent authority that the animal is fit for slaughter". With its qualified staff and equipment, the Goa Meat Complex is the sole establishment which satisfies all requisites for the scientific and hygienic slaughter of animals. It charges private meat vendors a total of Rs. 400 for outsourcing their work.

Notwithstanding, there are at least 20–30 illicit abattoirs to be found in the state. In January of this year, authorities intercepted a truck transporting 42 pigs from Belgaum to Goa, and 8–10 animals are killed daily at the slaughterhouse in Saligao. The number can rise to 25 on weekends. This routine massacre has exposed the entire neighbourhood to various health hazards. While the worst affected are women and children who stay home during the day or attend school at Lourdes Convent, the situation is bad enough to trouble even a passersby.

Apart from the unsanitary and often imaginary disposal of animal offal, the locality is plagued by other unsavoury by-products of the business. Hotel garbage is brought in by the truckload to feed the pigs and then left to fester and decompose before being burnt. This residual waste often contains a lot of plastic, and the fumes emitted from its incineration pollute the entire atmosphere. The inferno then plays itself out to the grizzly soundtrack of pigs screaming from being shifted or slaughtered, from 5:00am to 8:00am and then again at night.

There have been several initiatives taken up by the community to request the owners to follow official guidelines in operating their business. The residents even tried to enlist the help of the parish priest in maintaining some semblance of hygiene in the area. All pleas have, however, fallen on deaf ears. The family remains staunch in its refusal to acknowledge its toxic effect on the environs. Through this video we hope to attract the attention of the Health Department, so that it can take appropriate action against the owners and put an end to their illegal and unsanitary activities.

The demands of the residents are fairly straightforward:

- The Health Department should conduct regular inspections of the piggery and enforce a strict adherence to government regulations. The import and slaughter of pigs and the burning of waste must be in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules of 2000.

- The Panchayat or Village Council should also inspect the compound on a regular basis and ensure an observance of protocol through its Garbage Sub-Committee.

- The local Panch member, Sarpanch (Headman) and MLA of the region should ascertain that these inspections and enforcements are carried out smoothly. Action needs to be taken immediately and effectively at the level of the Health Ministry and the Cabinet.

(ends)

42 Pigs Rescued In Daring Night Chase

Watch the Official Earth Hour Video...Now!

2013-03-21T01:22:00.000+05:30

Dear Earth Lovers, Carers, Savers!

Earth Hour 2013, 8:30 PM Saturday 23 March.

Earth Hour has grown from a one-city initiative in 2007 to the world's largest campaign for the planet, uniting hundreds of millions of people across 7001 cities and towns in 152 countries and territories.

Saligao, Goa, India is one of them.

For the last 3 years, people from other villages have joined local Saligaokars to celebrate Earth Hour at the Lourdes Convent Open Air Courts.

The official 2013 video features the track "Without You" by David Guetta and Usher, providing an upbeat soundtrack to match the celebration of this year's event across the world.

Earth Hour's mission is to unite people to protect the planet, so go beyond the hour and upload your I Will If You Will challenge to www.YouTube.com/EarthHour. Dare the World to Save the Planet.

See you there on Saturday!

M&M.

EARTH HOUR 2013

2013-03-17T00:43:00.000+05:30

To all you 'Earth Lovers' out there...

Across the globe, at the same time each year, people switch off lights for 60 minutes, and celebrate EARTH HOUR. We have been meeting at Lourdes Convent Open Air Courts in Saligao for the past 3 years to celebrate Earth Hour and "unite with people around the globe, to protect the planet."

The tradition continues in 2013:
- 23 March.
- Same place.
- Same time...8:30-9:30 pm.

Poster

Switch off your lights at home and be at Lourdes Convent at 8:30 sharp! Bring a candle, solar powered lamp and musical instrument if possible.

Earth Hour At Lourdes Convent Open Air Courts

Spend an hour with earth lovers worldwide.

Spend 60 minutes with the earth you love so much.
Spend 3600 seconds caring for it; loving it; protecting it; saving it.
Spend quality time...just celebrating our Earth!

See you there!

Tarika Kiran
Suhail Kiran
Saligao.

42 Pigs Rescued In Daring Night Chase

2013-03-15T14:33:00.001+05:30

Beginning with this post, we are going to chronicle anOTHERside of Saligao...

In January this year, the Times of India took Saligao by surprise with this alarming report. It betrayed the fact that the demand for pork far outweighs the supply from local piggeries.

So, pigs from the neighbouring states grunt their last journey into Saligao in conditions you would not even raise a pig in! Stinking and forced to wallow in their own urine and excreta, these condemned animals are packed worse than sardines leaving some of them dead even before their throats are slit at the slaughter house in Saligao.

Read the full report:

42 Pigs Rescued In Daring Night Chase

TNN Jan 12, 2013, 03.21AM IST

MAPUSA: About 42 pigs being illegally transported to Goa from Belgaum in a pickup were rescued near Mapusa by two animal welfare activists in a daring mission at 1.30am on Thursday.

Having received a tip-off, John Fernandes and Mahadev Mestri of the Animal Rescue Squad set off on a motorbike for the 'Goa-Mumbai' NH 17, looking for a Karnataka-registered vehicle.

Near Hotel Green Park they saw the pickup heading towards Panaji and heard the grunting of pigs. Following the vehicle, they got it to stop by stopping their own motorbike right in front of it.

"We asked the driver for the permit to transport the pigs. He didn't have one and instead offered us a bribe," claimed Fernandes.

The duo called the police who arrested the driver and the two helpers-all Karnataka natives-and rescued the pigs. Sources said the pigs were headed to a slaughterhouse in Saligao.

Describing the "horrid" conditions under which the pigs were being transported, Fernandes said, "The pickup was divided into two sections and the upper section alone had 25 pigs. The condition was unhygienic and so crammed that one pig had died during the journey."

He stressed that the law does not permit the carrying of so many pigs in such constrained conditions.

Police sources corroborated this, saying the transportation was in violation of provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Transport of Animals Rules, 1978, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"The law requires that those transporting pigs should have a licence to do so. It is also illegal to transport pigs in a vehicle that has not been properly constructed to carry them," an animal activist later explained.

The arrested trio are under police custody.

(ends)

Urgent Information Needed!

2007-09-13T11:18:00.000+05:30

Mahalaxmi Bhobe, the social worker from the government run Institute Of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB) in Bambolim has asked us to enlist the help of netters from Goa to try and locate the sister of a patient in the institute.

The patient's name is Lucy Fernandes and is around 60 years old.
Her parents were Caitan & Marie Therese Fernandes.
Her present caretaker, Francis Fernandes lives in Reis Magos.

**Lucy's sister Juliet and her husband Bernard D'Souza now live in Canada.**

They used to live in Saligao's, market area (Tinto/Khotla).

Bernard's father was a professional cook.

***Urgently needed: Lucy and Bernard's contact details in Canada.***

Kindly leave any relevant information in the comment link below.

Thanks in advance for your concern.

anOTHERclip

2007-08-22T23:48:00.000+05:30

This is anOTHERvideo clip....

It is called 'Save Goa From Destruction', a 40 second, silent movie by a publisher named 'GoaClips'.

Says the producer: "It is a video depicting the destruction of Goa's natural surroundings if the wrong people come to power...."

This clip was made before that fateful electoral day on 2 June 2007...

It leaves you speechless to know how powerfully you can say something in just 40 seconds...without uttering a word!

Let this 40 second video scream at you!

Well, well, well...so going by the current, dysenteric 'tamasha' in the sewers of power (that is what those hallowed corridors have been reduced to) do we have the wrong people in power once again, or do we have the wrong people in power?!

Thanks GoaClip for a brilliant plea!

HIROSHIMA-NAGASAKI DAY OBSERVATION

2007-08-16T23:21:00.000+05:30

The Department of Geography of Smt. Parvatibai Chowgule College, Margao, Goa, in collaboration with Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), Goa and Nature, Environment, Society & Transformation (NEST), Goa, will observe Hiroshima-Nagasaki Day on Thursday, 9th August 2007.

The programme for the day is given below.

All are requested to participate and show your solidarity.

Dr N N Sawant,
Co-ordinator.

Smt. Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts & Science. Margao. Goa.
Department of Geography

Programme

HIROSHIMA-NAGASAKI DAY OBSERVATION
Thursday, 9th August 2007

Chief Guest:
Adv. Bernard D’Souza

Guest of Honour:
Shri. Prasanna Utagi

Special Invitees:
Tarika & Suhail Kiran
(Save The Planet Club, Saligao.)

Venue: Smt. Parvatibai Hall
Time: 10.00 am - 1.00 pm.

All staff and students please join and show your solidarity.

-------------------------------------

Schedule for the day:

Inauguration: 10.15-10.30

Talk by the guest of honour: 10.30-11.00

Description, story and song
by Special Invitees: 11.00-11.30

Talk by the chief guest: 11.30-11.45
Film Screening: 11.45-12.15
Discussion: Till 12.45
LUNCH
Panel discussion: 2.00-3.15 pm
Panelists: Dr. Dasgupta,
Sebastian Rodrigues and Prassana Utagi

As a part of Hiroshima-Nagasaki Day observation, the GLOBE (Geographers Loving Our Beautiful Environment) Goa, of Geography Department is organising an essay writing competition on the following topic:

*Nuclear Development v/s Environment & Humanity*

-------------------------------------

New Feature: anOTHERviewpoint

2007-08-03T23:18:00.000+05:30

One of the regular features at anOTHERgoa will be *anOTHERviewpoint*.

This time we carry an interestingly new political analysis of the latest 'tamasha' in Goa.

It is titled: Tyranny Of the Representatives.

"In Goa, the political economy of land is distorting the institutions and practices of democracy..." says the author, Delhi based Prof. Peter Ronald deSouza.

While in Goa, many knew him simply as Peter Ronnie when he taught at Goa University till a few years ago. He always was a good political analyst, in touch with grassroots democracy in Goa.

Check out his viewpoint: click on the link anOTHERviewpoint in the list on your right.

But before that, read a little more about this gentle Goan who has made a name for himself in political academia:

Peter Ronald deSouza is Visiting Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. He is Co-director of the Lokniti programme and is currently coordinating the State of Democracy in South Asia (SDSA) project. He is working on two components of the SDSA project: the Case studies and the Dialogues.

Professor deSouza taught in the Political Science Department at Goa University for 16 years. He was head of the Department from 1996 to 2002.

He was a member of the International Political Science Association's Research Committees on Political Philosophy and Political Sociology and was a member to the University Grants Commission's expert panel in political science from 1997 to 2000.

Professor deSouza was awarded the British Council Visitorship to the U.K. where he made presentations at LSE, SOAS, Warwick and Sussex University in 1992. In March 2000 he was a Visiting Professor at Birkbeck College, London University, and in May 2001 he was a Visiting scholar at the Taubman Centre, KennedyProfessor Peter Ronald deSouza is a Senior Fellow the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in Delhi School of Government, Harvard University.

He is a member of the Editorial Committee for Indian Council for Social Science Research Survey on trends in Political Science and on the of Indian Journal of Social Science Review. He was part of the team that did a review of Social Science Research Capacity in South Asia for the Social Science Research Council, New York.

Professor deSouza has worked as a consultant to the World Bank on Rural Decentralisation, to the Ford Foundation on Local government in India, and to the International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International-IDEA) in preparing their handbook on Democracy Assessment.

Impressed?

Now read him @ anOTHERviewpoint, near the top of the list of links on your right...

anOTHERchuckle With Alexyz

2007-08-01T15:41:00.000+05:30

After over 10 years of www activity in Goa, someone at last realised that Alexyz needed to make the scene in cyberspace. It took Goa Sudharop - Goa's out-of-town, expat NGO - with one lone representative in the state, to recognise that Alexyz should have a website to showcase his work on the global stage.

Goa Sudharop, thanks for your sensitivity to the communication needs of those of us who are not yet IT savvy.

Alexyz is Goa's cartoonist. He really is anOTHERcartoonist in Goa. No glitz, glamour or slick high brow humour for him.

Alexyz is an earthy cartoonist. His humour is down-to-the-red-earth of Goa. It is straight out of the village and its vaddos. No subtlety. No truth hiding around the corner waiting to suddenly spring on you. No mental strain to read between the lines.

(click pic to enlarge)

Alexyz pokes fun up front. His message hits you between the eyes. He makes his point strongly and leaves nothing to the immagination. That is why the common person in the vaddo can identify with his creations.

(click pic to enlarge)

From today we carry Alexyz's "Cartoon Of The Day" as a separate link to his well designed site. 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday, you can get anOTHERchuckle for today...and much more.

Get it NOW...click on the first link right on top of the list to your right.

Savio Jolted By Underground Cabling!

2007-07-10T01:05:00.000+05:30

Savio Fernandes (Nigvaddo, Saligao/UAE) was sufficiently jolted to get his creative, cartooning juices flowing with the following post:

Dear M&M,

Your report on the "Underground Cabling" issue realy gave me a jolt and I thought of writing on the issue.

Well, I have not written this time but have edited your website photos with bubble quotes alongside. You may use them online if you are fine with it. Apologies for not taking your permission before using the photographs :-(

I have been a freelancer cartoonist for the Times of India (Goaplus) and Herald, but I have been on the back burner of late due to my hectic work...I need to devote more time to my hobby again and would cherish the opportunity of contributing to your website on a freelancing basis if permitted..

Would also like to appreciate and thank you for the great work done by you and all Saligaonetters by keeping Saligao alive through the web.

Thanks & Brgds,

Savio.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

M&M's reply:

No need for permission to use any of the material on anOTHERgoa. It is all in the public domain; as long as you acknowledge the source (if possible), you are free to do anything you want with them for Saligao's and Goa's sake.

You are most welcome to contribute to anOTHERgoa. Just send us your creations and we will put them up if they are broadly within our mission statement. The only thing is they will not fetch you any income on our blog as it is unsponsored and done purely in the public interest. We believe that, "Information is power and it must be shared equitably." The idea is to empower people with information so that they can take the action they see fit.

You could also get back to cartooning for Herald and Gomantak Times as these are papers that would encourage your kind of humour. This way you could also earn from your hobby. With everything done online, sending them your work is really easy. Drop Rico/Fred a line and he will guide you.

We are sending you the original pictures so that you have more space for your blurbs. Please blurb as many of them as you want and send them back to us. We will put them up @ anOTHERgoa immediately.

Thanks for your appreciation, but what we do in Saligao is just part of being villagers in Goa...

Solidarity.

M&M.

Future Shock: GED, L&T And PGCIL Keep An Entire Village In Suspense!

2007-06-25T17:14:00.000+05:30

Anytime after their new underground electricity cables are charged, residents from Saligao, Goa, may well be in for a surprise. And it will not be pleasant, because it could shock them into an Intensive Care Unit if not straight into the next world. Instead of cool, life-giving water gushing from Saligao’s taps, villagers do not know when 11,000 volts (11 KVA) of raw, electric power will zap and toast them to a crisp. The suspense itself is shocking!

There is a running feud between Larsen & Toubro (L&T) the company that bagged the prestigious contract for the underground cabling in Goa and their sub-contractors who are actually digging and installing the cables here in Saligao. The dispute ensured that the 11 KVA cable criss-crossed water pipelines in Tabravaddo, while in neighbouring Donvaddo, residents claimed they were laid squarely on top of a network of 4 water pipes under a narrow road. No one has a clue where the cables are being laid in the rest of the village, least of all the local Public Works Department-Water (PWD) that maintains the water pipes in Saligao.

In this high suspense drama, where the main players are the
Goa Electricity Department (GED) as the owner of the project, L&T as contractors, with the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL) as consultants, no one, especially the GED know what is happening.

There is no one from GED on site to ensure safe procedures. When we talked to one engineer from GED, he was shocked to hear of the safety measures employed and asked us to write a complaint to the engineer looking after the 11 KVA lines in this area.

There also is no coordination between L&T and the Telephone (BSNL), PWD-Water and PWD-Roads departments. For instance, when the digging was started on our road opposite St. Anne's chapel, the local PWD-Water supervisor was not called in to point out the exact location of the water pipes.

L&T have instructed the digging contractors to maintain a minimum of 300 mm or 1 foot distance between the cable and the nearest water pipeline. "If the distance is not available, a partition of loose bricks will be constructed by the side of the pipeline to separate the 11 KVA cable", says Jayshanker, L&T's engineer in charge of the Saligao project (see Jayshanker's diagram of the 300 mm distance).

We insisted that Santosh Mandrekar, the supervisor in charge of PWD's water department in Saligao, meet Jayshanker at the site outside our house a few days ago. Mandrekar pointed out the future danger of local PWD staff working on a damaged pipeline next to the 11 KVA power cable. "If by mistake my worker's pick axe digs into the power cable, in a trench filled with water, can you imagine what will happen? Not only will my worker be electrocuted instantly, but every pipeline and tap in the village will immediately be charged with 11,000 volts of electricity!" (see pics showing leak caused by cable digging and emptying of trench after valves were shut)

Jayshanker assured Mandrekar that adequate precautions will be taken and that wherever the11 KVA cable crosses water lines, the cable will be put under the pipeline at a safe distance. This however does not seem to be happening at all places, as the digging contractors are refusing to dig deeper or broader to maintain the 300 mm safe distance when they come across a water pipeline. It was only when we insisted that they reluctantly installed the cables under the pipelines outside our house.

This means that if local citizens do not supervise and insist on the 11 KVA cable being laid below the water pipes, or a safe 300 mm away, we may just have the cable lazily laid above them or too close to them. There they will lie in wait, like a mass death trap for unsuspecting Saligaokars in future (see pictures of cables laid on, side-by-side or just below the water pipe).

Opposite our house we had decided to jump into the trench and physically stop the work if better sense did not prevail on L&T and its local digging contractors. Some safety measures were employed like laying the cables under the pipe instead of over, as had been planned. But the safety measures are far from adequate as can be seen from the accompanying pics. We actually have a potential 'gramicide' (extermination of a whole village, where 'gram' means village!).

We spent 4 entire days to ensure that at least some semblance of safety was maintained on the cables being laid from St. Anne's Chapel to the transformer by the side of our house. Time and time again we have had to liaise between and call for common meetings between local PWD staff, digging contractors, panchayat member and L&T. And then to the extent humanly possible, we actually supervised that the maximum safe distance is maintained between the power and water lines.

Dr. Wilfred D'Souza , our previous MLA and Deputy Chief Minister who brought the underground cabling to Saligao has been informed. Bhola Ghadi, the local panchayat member is aware of this dangerous situation and is with the villagers to avert any potential danger to lives in future. We raised the issue at the Gram Sabha yesterday and asked for a Panchayat member to oversee the entire operation in the village. Last evening, we also met the new MLA, Dilip Parulekar who has promised to take up the matter at higher levels.

We hope the madness will end somewhere…sometime!

Maybe when the High Court appoints a Friend Of The Court to investigate...??

~~~~~~~~~~

Besides following the links in the above report,
one can also tackle this potential, shocking danger
by contacting these officials:

Shri. K. P. Nambiar
Principal Chief Engineer (PWD)
Tel: 0832-2224984, 2422901, 2226443,
2226342, 2222607, 2225515.
~~~~~
Shri. Nirmal Braganza
Chief Electrical Engineer (Elect. Dept.):
Tel: 0832-2224680, 2426986, 2426421.
~~~~~
S C Jamir
Governor of Goa
Tel: 0832-2453506, 2453507, 2453508
Fax: 0832-2453510
~~~~~
Digambar Kamat
Chief Minister
~~~~~
Shri. J P Singh, IAS
Chief Secretary
Government of Goa
Tel: 0832-2419402
Fax: 0832-2415201
~~~~~
Registrar - High Court of Mumbai at Goa
~~~~~
Jack Coelho
Sarpanch - Saligao
Tel. (Panchayat Ghar): 0832-2278374
********************

*anOTHERgoa*

Wedding On A Budget: a 250 guest wedding for less than £100

Dress local

Inclusive and Warm

Chai and biscuits for all.

A 250 guest wedding for less than £100!

Shop local, helps wedding budget

Enlist the help of family and friends

My own wedding budget

Extravagant weddings - not a fan

Thank you, M&M

SAVE Saligao: An URGENT Appeal

Saligao Waste Treatment Plant Unviable: Experts

Would You Celebrate World Health Day At Goa Medical College?

Saligao's Illegal Piggery & Slaughter House - 2: complaint+video prompt joint site inspection

Saligao's Illegal Piggery & Slaughter House - 1

EARTH HOUR 2013: Saligao

EARTH HOUR Is Today!

Invitation From Alexyz...

Earth Hour: 1 Day Left To Switch Off

Dear Chief Minister, Saligao MLA & Sarpanch...

Earth Hour 2013

How our government can help...

EARTH HOUR: 2 Days To Go.

Illegal Slaughter House Endangers Saligao Community

Watch the Official Earth Hour Video...Now!

EARTH HOUR 2013

42 Pigs Rescued In Daring Night Chase

Beginning with this post, we are going to chronicle anOTHERside of Saligao...

In January this year, the Times of India took Saligao by surprise with this alarming report. It betrayed the fact that the demand for pork far outweighs the supply from local piggeries.

Read the full report:

42 Pigs Rescued In Daring Night Chase

Urgent Information Needed!

anOTHERclip

HIROSHIMA-NAGASAKI DAY OBSERVATION

New Feature: *anOTHERviewpoint*

anOTHERchuckle With Alexyz

Savio Jolted By Underground Cabling!

Future Shock: GED, L&T And PGCIL Keep An Entire Village In Suspense!

anOTHERgoa

New Feature: anOTHERviewpoint