Xit-Koddi - Sept-Oct 2015

On Our 5th Anniversary.

On this, the fifth anniversary of the publication of our newsletter Xit-Koddi, I would like to thank all those who have stood by us in our effort to keep alive the spirit of “Goykarponn” among the Goans in Bahrain. It has been an uphill struggle to bring out Xit-Koddi , but we have a sense of satisfaction in doing so for the last five years, as the Konkani saying goes 'Mog aslear un vodde ghanttar pavtat'.

We hope to be able to continue with our work in future also, and in fact seek to introduce new features, some of which we hope, will motivate our Goan youth to strive to new heights of excellence, not only within the community, but in a wider arena. 

After all, Goans, though a minuscule segment of the Indian population have contributed enormously to the national stage in diverse fields. We already have many role models for our youth and we hope to highlight some of them in coming issues. For example, few of them know of Francis Souza, the Goan artist whose paintings have fetched some US $ 2 million apiece in auctions in western countries!

And there are many others, in practically every sphere of human endeavor, that have done exceptionally well, be it in

sports, politics, religion, academics and so on. We feel that

such Goan success stories should be showcased so that the younger generation of Goans can be inspired to emulate their example in some way or the other.

We look forward to hearing from our readers their views on

this new initiative of ours – to mark our fifth anniversary.

Mog Asum !!!

= GR Crasto

Home Sweet Home: ‘Home Sweet Home' an admirable film with some witty and peppy dialogue, with a dose of humour, by Swapnil Shetkar, will be screened in Bahrain. The film has been running to packed houses in Goa since December 2014 and is currently being screened in Gulf States. The Konkani Community of the Sacred Heart Church has arranged two shows of this film at Our Lady of Arabia Auditorium. The shows are scheduled for October 8 at 7.30 p.m. and October 9 at 10 a.m. Invitation cards can be obtained at the Sacred Heart Church Compound or Young Goans Club. For further inquiries contact mobile nos. 39111223, 33778199, 36736383, 39659539, 33204141, 39694002, 39901147.

Bahrainche Goykar 2: Comedian Jr. Luis Anthony and Claude Farrier, under the patronage of Young Goans Club will host a galaxy of Konkani stage artistes in their musical show Bahrainche Goykar 2 on October 22, 2015 at the Baan Saeng Thai Restaurant Auditorium at 7.30 p.m. Among the top-billed Konkani singers taking part in this show are Francis De Tuem and Bushka from Goa, the Dubai Trio of Edwin, Anthony and Munxin and also Sanio Fernandes from Dubai, the Kuwait trio of Cajetan-Michael-Mario and Kenny Kenneth from Mumbai. The popular music maestro Shahu Almeida from Kuwait will form part of the musician’s team. The Bahrain based artistes will also render songs and comedy skits. Tickets for the show are available at the Young Goans Club and World Greetings or contact mobile nos.: 39280825, 39822516, 39123820 & 36474788.

Don Zhuzam: Ek Zoit - Ek Har: Bahrain based Konkani poet and writer, Pio Fernandes released his third book in Konkani, a novel entitled ‘Don Zhuzam: Ek Zoit-Ek Har' at a ceremony on August 29, at Dalgado Konknni Akademi, Panaji. Meanwhile his book of Konkani poems Tujea Moga Khatir, which bagged the literary award from the All India Konknni Writers Organisation in 2014, has been selected by Konknni Bhasha Mandal for the literary award of 2015. Xit-Koddi congratulates Pio on his achievement and wishes him continued success on the Konkani scene.

Goenchi Sanz: The Crab Entertainment put up a splendid show at the Papillion Restaurant in Manama on August 20.

The event titled Goenchi Sanz, featuring Goan culture and traditions, also marked Indian Independence Day. The event commenced with an Independence Day parade, with many of the guests in Indian attire, creating an atmosphere of Indian festivity. This was followed by singing of the Indian National Anthem. Among the many items held during the event was a fashion show, and prizes were awarded in children, women and men categories. Alvito combined with Marissa and presented a cultural dance during the evening. DJ Lucio spun the discs, while Ashwin Pinto and Abigail Mascarenhas compered the show. The Crab Team (Claude, Rockie and Bonnie) honoured their colleague Alvito Dias with a memento as he was leaving the island for good, soon after the show. The event was well attended. 

Book by Ex-resident of Bahrain: A former resident of Bahrain, Domnic P. F. Fernandes, will release his book 'Village Anjuna: Vignettes From Goa' on Sunday, 4th October 2015. The book release ceremony will be held at St. John's Chapel, Anjuna at 4.45 p.m. "Domnic's Goa" and "Mapusa: Yesterday and Today" are other books published by this writer. Domnic hails from Anjuna and his writings are a treasure trove of recollections of the Goan life style, customs and traditions of yesteryear. They evoke nostalgic and poignant memories of the past. Our best wishes to Domnic on his new book.

Edward Sequiera (Bahrain): Thanks to Bahrain Goans for the Veterans football tournament as it gave us an opportunity to meet and see most of our old players back in action; and thanks once again for keeping our children busy during their school vacation by conducting the summer camp.