I cross the BITS Goa campus along the airport road and see another road kill further ahead, this time, what looks like a dog. That is common I say to myself as I pass the dead dog by the road side with a pool of dried blood by its head and some coagulated around the nostril. After going beyond, I wonder if I actually saw a dog or was it something else. Parking ahead I walk back only see my worst fears becoming true, it’s a female Jackal (Canis aureus indicus) hit by, I am sure, an over-speeding vehicle. That the individual is a suckling female, evident from her enlarged tits, adds to my disgust. This one accidental death, means slow but sure death to the pups housed somewhere in a den of hunger or predation.

Female Jackal on the Airport Road

Road kills of wildlife are a common sight on Goan roads, especially snakes in the monsoons, birds which fly low, civet cats and the occasional leopard. Frogs and snakes get “butchered” in the rains. I use the word butchered with deliberate emphasis since they actually die in hundreds. Low flying birds like the Greater Crow-pheasant or Coucal (Centropus sinensis), the Bulbuls also meet this fate. I & Pankaj Lad reported the Slaty-legged Banded Crake (Rallina eurizonoides) as a new record for the State of Goa to a Journal and the paper is under review. That the proof of its presence is in the form of a dead specimen found on the road is not a very pleasing fact. I shudder at the thought of the fate of these animals after the proposed road widening in the State.

The picture says it all

That the larger mammals and birds might suddenly get on to the road and get hit before the vehicle can be controlled is understandable and can be excused but not over-speeding. Over-speeding is what kills. An animal colliding with a slow moving vehicle can get hurt but need not get killed. I do drive fast at times but have on many occasions sighted animals further on the road giving me enough time to slow down or stop. I have lost count of the number of occasions when I have alighted from the vehicle to pick up a snake and release it safely by the road side. Also animal behavior gives away its intents. One needs to be careful when a dog is behaving fidgety…..It is sure to cross the road. A Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphrodites) can be very unpredictable. But being nocturnal it is very easily sighted at a distance by glowing eyes and one get enough time to slow down to avoid it. And finally do not forget the horn. It works wonders on animals. Also keeping your eyes on the road at all times will go a long way in reducing animal kills on the roads.

I personally feel it is a matter of being sensitive towards these creatures which will automatically put brakes on our wheels

Wonder why a tree as graceful and elegant as the Alstonia scholaris is called the Devil Tree. The local name Saton, probably a reference to the leaves which appear in whorls of around 7, is an apt term.

The flowering at dusk is by no means an accident. The scent is meant to attract insects which pollinate the plant. This very scent informed me last year that the trees along the NH-17, on my way home, flowered in the month of November & later in January. This year they flowered in October and now again during Christmas. Does the early flowering this year indicate a change due to the prolonged monsoons? Do we know how these plants behave in the face of eminent climatic change? Do we know how many of these trees are actually present in the first place? Maybe a little bit of citizen science can help us in collecting this ecological information.

I have already begun. You can too

Sunday, December 12th, 2010

10:00 am
Inaugural session with U R Ananthamurthy

11:30 am
Goa Writers Showcase: Celebrating 100 years of Bakibab Borkar
Hosted by Dr. Kiran Budkuley

2:00 pm
Panel Discussion: Independent Publishing in the Internet Age
Urvashi Butalia [Zubaan], Frederick Noronha [Goa 1556] and Leonard Fernandes [Cinammon Teal]

3:30 pm
Goa Artist Showcase: Pioneering Land Installation Art in India
A presentation by Subodh Kerkar

4:30 pm
Abbe Faria and Hypnotism in India
(Including live demonstration of Hypnotism)
Lee Siegel

5:30 pm
Who is the Outsider?
U R Ananthamurthy in conversation with Damodar Mauzo
Hosted by Jose Lourenco

6:30 pm
North East Showcase
Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih in conversation with Jerry Pinto

7:30 pm
Book release: The Avenue of Kings by Sudeep Chakravarti
In conversation with Aniruddha Bahal

Followed by Concert from Heritage Jazz

Monday, 13th December 2010

10:00
Goa Artist Showcase: Where Photography Goes Next
Alex Fernandes, P. Madhavan and Edson Dias
In conversation with Georgina Maddox

11:00 am
Goa Writers Showcase: Konkani Katha – is it Mature?
Damodar Mauzo, Pundalik Naik, Mahableshwar Sail and others

12:30 pm
Panel Discussion: Is this a Golden Age for Regional Literature?
U. R. Ananthamurthy, Mridula Garg and Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih
Hosted by Jose Lourenco

2:30
Panel Discussion: Media Ethics post-Radia Tapes (co-hosted by GUJ)
Dilip D’Souza, Aniruddha Bahal, Sandesh Prabhudesai, Prakash Kamat & others
Hosted by Ashley do Rozario

4:00
Poetry Reading: Co-hosted by Alliance Française, CLP Instituto Camões
Poems by Manohar Rai Sardessai, Paulino Dias, Fernando Leal, Carlos Eugenio Ferreira, Leopold Sedar Senghor
Readers: Dr Anuradha Wagle, Dr Edith Furtado, Joanne De Cunha, Claire Chaize, Priya Tadkodkar, Natacha Gomes

5:00 pm
Outside/In: A Life in Photography
Pablo Bartholemew in conversation with Georgina Maddox
Hosted by Goa Centre for Alternate Photography

6:30 pm
Readings:
Samanth Subramanian [Following Fish] (winner of 2010 Shakti Bhatt First Book Award), with Dilip D’Souza [Roadrunner]

7:30 pm
Book Release: Leela: A Patchwork Life by Jerry Pinto
In conversation with Rahul Srivastava

8:00 pm  Concert by C-TAG String Quartet

Tuesday, 14th December 2010

10:00
North East Showcase
Manikuntala Bhattacharya in conversation with Savia Viegas

11:00 am
Goa Writers Showcase: Konkani and Marathi Poetry
Hosted by Vishnu Surya Wagh

2:00 pm
A Critic’s Eye: Richard Bartholemew
Pablo Bartholemew in conversation with Roselyn D’Mello

3:00 pm
Book Release: Personal Effects by Manohar Shetty
In conversation with Jerry Pinto

4:00 pm
Creativity versus Commerce
Venita Coelho in conversation with Saeed Mirza

5:00 pm
Goa Art Showcase: Tradition of Goan Gold Jewellery
A presentation by Wendell Rodricks
Introduced by Jose Lourenco

6:00 pm
Beyond the Singer-Songwriter: A Pioneer’s Journey
Remo Fernandes in conversation with Samanth Subramanian

7:30 pm
Book release: A Place in the Shade by Charles Correa
With Padma Bhushan Maria Aurora Couto

And

Panel Discussion: Goa in the 21st Century
Charles Correa, Dr. Oscar Rebello, Rahul Deshpande, Edgar Ribeiro and Sanjit Rodrigues

Followed by an open-air concert by Sonia Sirsat

Dear friends,

Thank you for making tambdimati: the Goa review a runaway success.

Though we are still in development – you are viewing a Beta version of the site – all of us have been deeply gratified and encouraged by your support. Our brand-new website has averaged just under 10 posts, and almost 1000 unique visitors per day over the past fortnight. Those are unprecedented numbers for our kind of venture, in our part of the world. And we look forward to much, much more.

However, consistent problems with the navigation and commenting systems, as well as the Diwali holidays (which have taken several of us out of Goa and away from regular access to the Internet) have led us to a decision to slow down our pace considerably for the next two weeks in order to give our overworked site developer and all-volunteer content team some breathing space.

You can expect a much-improved site and service from the last week of November. Please bear with us until then.

She is all excited about her new book as it is not only her first non-fiction work but also a product born out of five year’s of research.

While speaking about the book she confesses that it was the journalist within her that made this book possible. “I thought of writing on bar girls when the Maharashtra government banned around 1500 bars. The result was that 75,000 bar dancers were left unemployed. In those days I used to work for the Tehelka magazine in Mumbai” states Sonia who believes this ban was uncalled for, under the name of morality.

Sonia’s book is a narrative non-fiction about a charismatic bar dancer named Leela and many like her. Sonia spent three years visiting these places and two years writing about them. She confirmed that by banning these bars the state government took away the economic freedom and safety of these bar dancers.

She also confirmed that the main and primary source of income for these bar dancers was dancing. “I observed at these dance bars the guys were not allowed to talk or interact with these dancers. These young girls, dressed like Bollywood stars, only danced. If any of them worked as sex workers, it was out of their own choice. The percentage of dance bar girls working as sex workers was small,” confirms Sonia.

When asked whether it was difficult for her to interact with these girls, Sonia explains that they accepted her quite easily – “They were aware that I was writing about them. But, they still allowed me into their world because I am non-judgmental, honest.”

Sonia also had to maintain balance as she made a point without getting carried away. “Yes, I had to maintain that balance as sometimes I used to feel helpless and couldn’t change anything. But, then it is a common problem journalists’ face. There is a huge gap between our lives and that of the people we interact with or interview,” laments Sonia who has fulfilled her role and now also hopes that her writing will help bridge this gap.

Read the rest of this article at NT.

Fireworks were a gift from the Chinese to Goa. There is a little-understood Chinese and Arab connection behind it.

Fireworks did not reach Goa from British India or Europe. The Portuguese who introduced western warcraft, guns and cannons in India called the fireworks – “fogos de artificio”. It was only after they had contacts with mainland China and Japan that the Portuguese also learnt about Chinese pyrotechnology.

Then their colony at Macao became an important trade centre which exported various goods to Goa including novelties from mainland China.

The traditional Goan pyrotechnicians are known as Fogeris – who manufactured “fogo de artificio” for rituals and festivals. Only a few families of Fogeris are now left in Goa. Fireworks are based on self igniting, self sustaining production of fire – the pyrotechnological principles.

From time immemorial Indians have worshipped light, radiance and fire.

Fire has been used to clear vast tracts of forests in ancient India. The Adi parva of Mahabharata has a strange story of master archer Arjuna and Lord Krishna helping the lord of fire – Agni to burn down the Khandava forest where incidentally Indraprastha was built and where the capital – New Delhi stands today.

Environmentalists and animal rights activists need to ponder over this story. Basically it tells about the foundation of urbanism in north India. The burning of Lanka by Lord Hanuman is another mythological example of the use of fire in ancient India. Zoroastrians worship fire. They built fire temples in India. Sacred rituals need sacred fire – the ‘homas’.

The small state of Goa hides many mysteries of the Indian subcontinent. Fireworks were never a novelty in Goa. Medieval Goa had the first credit in India (with possible but yet unproven exception of Cochin and Calicut) of introducing the fireworks of Chinese origin.

The proof of ancient Chinese contacts is found in the objects displayed at the modest museum of major seminary of Pilar. The documentation of these valuable cultural artefacts has been done in Fr Cosme Jose Costa’s illustrated colour monograph – ‘The Heritage of Govapuri’ (2002).

The discovery of a piece of glazed Sancai pottery from the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) was astonishing because it indicated very old contacts with China. Gunpowder was discovered in China during this dynasty.

The Ming pottery found at Pilar from Ming dynasty (1368-1644) which had sent seven large fleets between 1405 and 1430 in the Indian Ocean under the famous navigator Zheng He (1371-1435) leaves no doubt about a booming maritime trade between Goa and China.

Govapuri or Gopaka – the area around Pilar-Goa Velha was an international port for at least 300 years having trade with the east African coast, the Persian Gulf region, Maldives to China.

Various Saivaite and tantric rituals in Govapuri demanded heavy consumption of camphor and aromatic Frankincense – items which had to be imported -camphor from Borneo and Frankincense from Dhofar province of Oman. The word ‘Dhoop” for frankincense originates from Dhofar province famous for its’ monopoly over natural frankincense production. The Arab traders in Govapuri monopolised the trade in both these commodities.

Obviously they depended on Chinese suppliers to transport camphor from Borneo to Goa. Camphor is also used because of its’ high flammability in fireworks. The first fireworks displays in Goa could have taken place in Govapuri under the Chinese influence, probably during the 11th century.

Goans were already familiar with Chinese rockets used in fireworks. Govapuri was a cosmopolitan centre during this period. It is a practice in Goa to make announcement of the commencement of religious functions or village feasts and festivals by exploding –garnal a crude country explosive. It creates an ear shattering sound which can be heard at large distances.

Such signals were used in Goa even before the arrival of the Portuguese guns and cannons. The feasts of major churches in Goa begin and end with dazzling fireworks – a tradition perhaps retained by the Gaunkaris from the days of forgotten Chinese encounters and later accepted by the Portuguese.

Fogeris of Goa use terracotta containers for manufacturing the fireworks which clearly indicates the original Chinese influence. But they have a limited range of fireworks displays to offer due to difficulty in sourcing the pyrotechnical chemicals. To generate various colours and effects, various chemicals and powders need to be used. But this is a modern improvement which the Goan fogeris could not adopt. Their art was limited to use of salts of sulphur, nitrates, potassium, sodium, calcium, iron, copper and phosphorus.

After the Portuguese permitted import of firework items like fire crackers, the art and science of local fireworks production received a setback.

After Goa’s liberation, the markets were flooded with fireworks from Sivakasi and other places. Today one sees a mind boggling range of items of recreational fireworks on display in markets.

Divali is the major festival in India which sees popularity of recreational fireworks. It is a festival of radiance and the nights are filled with dazzling fireworks display.

Besides there is a practical dimension of using fireworks after the end of monsoon. There is a huge spurt in obnoxious insect population which is controlled by the strong fumes of burning sulphur and phosphorus. Phototropic insects burn themselves in the flames.

Most of the fireworks are hazardous for children. The gases could cause respiratory distress. There are fire hazards and burn injuries. So safety comes first when lighting fireworks.

That’s why the Gaunkars of Goa never used fireworks without engaging the traditional fogeris. People used to assemble on a sacred open spot in the village to witness the foger’s pyrotechnical displays. A safe distance was maintained between the display site and the crowds. This tradition is still seen in the feast of Panaji church.

Today Taleigao is the most discussed place in Goa for public fireworks display thanks to sponsorship from the pyrotechnophile local MLA. Firework displays over the Mandovi River during International film festival have become popular with tourists. But we have forgotten Goa’s thousand years old Chinese connection to fireworks. Let it be recalled during the Divali festival.

This article was also published today in the NT.

Francis Newton Souza: Still Life

1967. Oil on board, 12 x 18 inches.

On display at Goa State Museum, Patto

One great virtue of the Goans seems to be that they are always open to collaborate, be it with God or with the Devil, or probably even without caring to know who seeks their collaboration.

This could provide some food for thought, even if that may not radically change our  Goan style of functioning.

Goans will continue to be divided over who is a Goan. The identity issue is the root-cause of the tragedies that permitted many newcomers to `invent’ Goa all along its distant and recent past.

One guarantee the Goans can always have is that fresh inventors will arrive to replace the older ones. Far from looking at it as any black humour, Goa has its progress assured, without having to worry much about it. Konn tori ietolo ani amcho fuddar poitolo.

Be that as it may, if we are to believe some authoritative historians, Afonso de Albuquerque first arrived in the Indian Ocean, or rather approached the coast of Kan´nur (Cananore) on 11 September 1503. The first expedition returned to Portugal early next year with some spice cargo.

Albuquerque had to wait for some more years and play subordinate roles under Tristão da Cunha and Francisco de Almeida. Prior to taking Goa, Albuquerque had shown his mettle by subjecting Oman to iron blade and blood bath. The Mosque of Muscat had been attacked. Ormuz was not yet conquered, but had a taste of what was to come.

Albuquerque described his success in the Gulf to the then viceroy of India as a `divine miracle’. He sent some veiled captive women to Portugal. The operation was concluded again on 11 September 1507, but not without experiencing unpleasant disobedience of some of his captains who were angered by Albuquerque’s style of rigid command.

The dissentions were known to rulers of Ormuz and provoked the Turks to expand towards Egypt and towards Iran. Could there be some linkage of date which Al Quaeda chose for its attack upon the twin towers?

Following his take-over as the governor of the Estado da Índia in November 1509, his priority was to stop the Sultan of Egypt from constructing a fleet at Suez to challenge the Portuguese. As part of this plan, he also thought of conquering Goa, an important base that was used by the Rumis for horse-trade and for refitting their vessels.

It was defended by mercenary soldiers from Iran, in service of Adil Shah. Albuquerque had gained an important ally in the person of Timayya, who had been in touch with Albuquerque as a strategic informer and had advised him to act swiftly, since the Adil Shah had died recently and the military command in Goa could be unprepared for an attack. Timayya assisted with his forces and probably hoped to be named jagirdar by the new rulers of Goa.

Albuquerque reported to his king after an encounter with Timayya that he saw in him a messenger of the Holy Spirit. But he got soon tired of him after he saw him exceeding his powers as thanedar of Portuguese occupied Goa.

The Portuguese chronicler of the XVI century, João de Barros tells us that the Portuguese discovered that Timayya was of low origin, meaning probably that he was not of Brahmin caste, and that he had no respectable standing in Goan society.

After Albuquerque conquered Goa a second time and definitely on 25 November 1510, he promised that the native Hindu population would not be harmed and could continue making its living normally. They would retain their lands and continue paying their dues to the Portuguese authorities as they did earlier to the Muslims.

However, he wrote to his king on April 1, 1512 that if more Portuguese would marry local women and settle down as they were already doing with enthusiasm, the native inhabitants could be driven out, “because the land belonged to the king and to no one else.”  On this understanding, King Manuel of Portugal ordered in March 1518 that lands could be distributed among the Portuguese settlers, excepting those that belonged to native Christians before the conquest.

Were there Goan Christians before the Portuguese conquest? Or was that part of the so-called Portuguese invention?

We can guess that the native reaction through the village communities was certainly quick. There followed a new proclamation of the Portuguese crown in 1519 revising the earlier stand and declaring that only the lands that belonged to the Muslims could be given to the Portuguese settlers and that none of the lands that had always belonged to the native landowners would be taken away from them.

There is also another letter from the king of Portugal to the Portuguese settlers in Goa. It was a reply to complaints from them:

You have written to me about an order issued by the revenue administrator Afonso Mexia and confirmed by the chief-captain of the city and my governor Lopo Vas to the effect that no Portuguese city-dweller may buy any lands or palm-groves that belong to any Hindu inhabitant of the land, even if such properties are said to be belonging to the crown. [Medieval Goa, 2009, pp. 33-34]

As we can gather from the payment receipts issued by the treasurer of Afonso de Albuquerque, when he recruited personnel for his first military band in Goa, he got native candidates who knew to play brass and percussion instruments.

Hence, the musical talent of the Goans preceded the Portuguese arrival and invention of Goa.  When the Portuguese administration started collecting the revenues, one of the important revenues was derived from consumption of palm arrack. Yet another Goan skill and collective habit that did not wait for the arrival of the Portuguese. I shall leave it to future researchers interested and based in Goa and elsewhere to look out for more pre-colonial skills of the Goans.

Even if there was `liberal politics’ in Goa since 1821, it certainly did not benefit much the Goan native elites as the Pinto Conspiracy and its implications reveal.

The Hindus had to wait till the Republic of 1910 for any civic rights. Modern democracy is certainly a post-1961 invention in Goa, a decade or so before 1974, when the Portuguese liberated themselves from the dictatorial regime at home.

The same regime had earlier reduced Goans to second class citizenship through its Colonial Act, which was reformulated in mid-50s by changing the designation of `colonies’ to `overseas provinces’, as a way to evade the demands of UN for self-determination of the colonies.

To conclude, it is interesting to note that the life-size portraits of the first viceroy and the first governor of Goa are missing from the gallery of the viceroys in the Old Goa museum.

One can glean from the published memoirs of the Portuguese Minister of Overseas in 1961 that he got them out with connivance or `good will’ of the Indian authorities, through his diplomatic trickster Jorge Jardim, who was negotiating the repatriation of the Portuguese POWs in Goa.  They are preserved in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, in Lisbon, while the portrait of Salazar continues exposed in the Goan museum.

This article previously appeared in the Herald.

For the first time, noise level in India’s cities will be monitored by a national tracking agency. By year-end, monitoring stations will have been set up in seven cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai , Hyderabad , Bangalore and Lucknow. Over the next two years, 18 other cities, mainly state capitals, will follow suit.

So what exactly is all the fuss about? How do we define noise in the first place?

It has been defined by experts as as “acoustic signals which can negatively affect the physiological or psychological well-being of an individual.” (Handbook of Hearing and the Effects of Noise, K.D. Kryter, New York Academic Press)

In simple language, noise is unwanted sound.

It is interesting to note the origin of the word “noise”. It derives from the Latin word nausea meaning seasickness.

However one man’s noise may well be another’s music, and here lies the dilemma. What is unacceptable to one may be perfectly acceptable, or even desirable, to another.

Be that as it may, it is a scientifically proven fact that noise levels above specific thresholds are physically and pyschologically injurious to health. This is measured in decibels (dB). The higher the decibel level, the louder the noise.

The chart below gives you an idea of decibel levels for commonplace sounds around you:

Painful

150 dB = rock music peak

140 dB = firearms, air raid siren, jet engine

120 dB = jet plane take-off, amplified rock music at 4-6 ft., car stereo, band practice

Extremely Loud

110 dB = rock music, noisy firecrackers

106 dB = timpani and bass drum rolls

100 dB = chain saw, pneumatic drill

90 dB = lawnmower, power tools, trucks & other heavy vehicular traffic

Very Loud

80 dB = alarm clock, busy street

70 dB = busy traffic, vacuum cleaner

60 dB = conversation

Moderate

50 dB = moderate rainfall

40 dB = quiet room

Faint

30 dB = whisper, quiet library

The permissible noise level in residential areas according to Indian law is 55 dB. Most of us however live in areas with noise levels upto 20-25% beyond this.

Small wonder then, that noise is slowly inching up the political agenda.

Sounds louder than 80 dB are considered considered potentially hazardous. Warning signs that you are being exposed to hazardous noise include:

1. You must raise your voice to be heard.

2. You cannot hear someone two feet away from you.

3. Speech around you sounds muffled or dull after leaving a noise area.

4. You have pain or ringing in your ears (tinnitus) after the exposure.

According to WHO (World Health Organisation), upto 120 million people worldwide suffer from noise-induced hearing disability.

Activists compare the anti-noise pollution movement to the campaign against secondhand smoke a decade ago. Like secondhand smoke, they say, noise is not just an annoyance; it causes serious health problems. The air into which noise is emitted is a “commons”, a public good or resource which nobody owns, but in which everyone has a stake.

Both the amount of noise and the length of time you are exposed to the noise determine its ability to damage your hearing.  Beyond a critical mass point, the damage eventually becomes irreversible. Sustained exposure to noise above 85 dB has been proven to cause permanent hearing loss.

If you think you have “gotten used to” the noise you are routinely exposed to, then most likely you have already suffered damage and have acquired a permanent hearing loss.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is usually gradual and painless, but, unfortunately, permanent. Once destroyed, the hearing nerve and its sensory nerve cells do NOT regenerate. A sobering piece of news indeed. Noise affects both perpetrator and victim without discrimination.

So those of us who persist in blaring music or using high-decibel vehicle horns are causing damage first and foremost to ouselves and to our own loved ones.

Ambient noise leads to an upward spiral. The noisier the surroundings, the louder one has to speak to be heard above it, contributing even further to the noise.

Apart from the obvious effect on hearing, are there other health hazards from noise? Most certainly!

• Noise makes it difficult to sleep, even after the noise stops, leading to insomnia
• Noise-related feeling of helplessness is a major contributor to depression and panic attacks.
• Noise can increase blood pressure
• It increases the probability of having a heart attack or stroke.
• It disturbs digestion, and can contribute to ulcers
• It can negatively impact a developing fetus, possibly contributing to premature birth
• Noise can also hamper performance of daily tasks, increase fatigue, and cause irritability.
• Noise can reduce efficiency in performing daily tasks by reducing attention to tasks. This is a concern of employers when it comes to assuring workers’ safety. It is also a concern to a growing number of educators interested in human learning
• Noise contributes to memory loss.
• Noise triggers the release of stress hormones, which have a cascade effect on the immune system and metabolism.

Noise adversely affects humanitarian interactions in society. In an experiment in the US, while a noisy lawnmower was running, a woman with a broken arm dropped some books and tried to pick them up.

No one stopped to help her. When the lawnmower was turned off and the scene repeated, several people stopped to help her retrieve the books.

Parents of school-going children and college students, take note: In scientific studies, scholastic performance in academic institutions in quiet environs far surpassed those in noisy surroundings, other factors being equal.

Significantly, the Noise Pollution Rules stipulate a 100-metre zone of silence around schools, hospitals, courts etc. The latest amendment empowers local police to take tough measures against noise polluters. They can now take action against offenders without waiting for a complaint.

The effect of noise pollution on wildlife and the environment is a whole other subject beyond the scope of this article.

All this evidence is changing the old way the world regards the problem of noise. No longer is there a ‘live and let live’ approach, and the attitude that “only fussy old people complain about noise” is long gone.

The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is transportation systems, including motor vehicle, aircraft and rail noise. In India, this is compounded by high-decibel horns, vehicle-reversing warning indicators, and loud vehicular stereo systems. Our own state is no exception. Indeed, the menace is evergrowing, and it is increasingly difficult to find a quiet zone anywhere, even in areas previously noted for this.

Those of us who happen to live on either bank of the picturesque Mandovi are subjected to a daily barrage from the pleasure cruises that ply every evening, throughout the year, from 5.30 pm, often beyond the 10 pm limit, and with decibel levels far higher than the prescribed 55 dB.

To the list can be added ministerial sirens, mobile phone ringtones and music devices.

Festivity-related noise is another menace. The new amendment casts upon each State the duty to notify in advance “the number and particulars of days, not exceeding fifteen in a year”, on which a 2-hour exemption (10 pm- 12 midnight, not beyond) would be allowed. It is significant to observe that there is no laxity in decibel levels on these occasions.

So what can we do about noise pollution?

1. Well, one very important piece of information is that the law is actually on your side. Take a look at just two of the several cases that ruled in favour of the individual:

a) On the use of multi-toned electric horns which produce a shrill discomforting sound, the Calcutta High Court held that the State authorities should strictly implement the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 and ban the use of such horns and impose fine wherever necessary [Rabin Mukherjee v. West Bengal, AIR 1985 Cal 222].

b) In Sayeed Maqsood Ali v The State of M.P. [Air 2001 M.P. 220], it was held that even a single individual can maintain a writ petition against noise pollution. A dharamsala operating near the residence of a cardiac patient was ordered to limit noise levels resulting from its operations.

2. Taking control of the situation, whether it is giving vent to your feelings through a verbal request or a written complaint, can help decrease the sense of helplessness you may feel.

3. Spend quality time in quiet places. This is getting increasingly difficult to do, as safe havens from noise shrink in area.

4. Protect yourself. For your own health and that of your loved ones, pump down the volume. Here’s a piece of news for party animals: Mixing loud music with smoking and drinking alcohol compounds the damage to your hearing mechanism.

5. Spread awareness about the problem. This can take the shape of writing about it in the local press, on websites such as tambdimati, blogging about it, etc. I am keen to join, or help form, an organisation that tackles noise pollution in a non-confrontational manner, with education being the keyword.

6. Other measures that can help you cope include relaxation techniques, or involving yourself in something absorbing and enjoyable, such as a hobby, or reading or watching something gripping.

A heartening development was the recent initiative of Mumbai Police to observe No Honking Week beginning on World Health Day (April 7). In the very first year of this initiative, Mumbai Police fined over 6000 motorists for indiscriminate and unnecessary honking. The city was noticeably quieter.

It would be a blessing if our own Traffic Police took up such an initiative. Horn NOT OK Please!

They come from around the world and are thick on the ground. Between my village and the next, if you chuck a stone, you are likely to hit a Booker nominee, another writer who is a Padma Shri, two published novelists, a published poet, a respected abstract artist, an innovative industrial designer, several columnists, a studio potter, many architects —and possibly Amitabh Bachchan, who recently bought a house here.

I moved to Goa with the firm resolve of writing the Great Indian Novel.

That continues to be a work-in-progress, but the writing has just got better over the years. As many creative people from around the world are discovering, Goa makes the perfect setting for creativity.

Stuck for an idea, I take long meandering walks by the river, with gulmohar flowers turning the path red in the summer, and loads of little frogs keeping me company in the monsoon. You can rest your eyes on a hundred shades of green in the paddy fields, or turn them to where smoke rises from evening fires and shrouds the trees. There is always the beach to lie on and think up stories in the sun.

During the many hectic years I spent in Mumbai, I rarely, if ever, knew when there was a full moon. Urbanites don’t raise their eyes to the sky too often. And if they do, they don’t see stars but the orange haze that hangs over big cities.

But in Goa everyone knows when a full moon is around the corner. The dogs howl all night.The cats stay out late. The crickets yell their heads off. Even the crabs grow fat. And writers find themselves sitting late at their computers madly trying to get down all that their frenzied brain is seething with.

I understood the link between the moon and creativity only when it was demonstrated for me cycle after cycle. Now I fit the full moon into my writing schedule.

Having chucked it all to become a hermit in Goa, you find that you are actually at a great creative intersection. This came home to me when I found myself at a dinner with Amitav Ghosh, Orhan Pamuk, Kiran Desai, Maria Aurora Couto, Mario Miranda and half the writers in town.

Two Booker-nominated novels were written in Goa (Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies and Damon Galgut’s The Good Doctor). I wouldn’t be surprised if more were in progress right now. A very supportive community exists and there are regular meetings, interactions and discussions.

This community draws on an established and vibrant tradition of literature.

The first printing press in Asia was set up here by the Portuguese. Goan literature spans 13 languages. The main language, Konkani, has four different scripts, and Goan writers are known for their contribution to Portuguese literature.

For such a tiny state, the literary output is tremendous. Now the Goan writer finds himself having genial discussions about the art of writing with counterparts from around the world. Over a measure of feni, of course.

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