Google Doodle celebrates Punjabi writer Amrita Pritam's 100th birthday

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/31/asia/amrita-pritam-google-doodle-trnd/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3unNw8fAjiZn_HJQfjt6EZOYYPjTSKaZNUxcrQVp9cVWO6oAEAcFZEDzM

Edna's Pickles - An Unique Blend of Delectable Goan Flavours - A True Taste of Goa.

www. ednaspickles.com

Nossa Senhora dosRemedios Portugal

Sanctuario de Nossa Senhora dos Remedios, Monte de Santo Estevão, Lamego, Portugal. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies, St. Stephen Hill.

Past Pupils - St. Anthony's High School - Monte de Guirim

http://godwin-lobo.tripod.com/pplist.htm

Aladdin Lamp

THE ALADDIN LAMP

Prior to the advent of electricity in the villages, the glass chimney lamp brightened the living rooms. However, the good old kerosene lamp still lit, albeit dimly, the pages of the books of my English, Geography, Science, Physics, Math, History and other subjects for sometime until the famous 'Aladdin Lamp' came on the scene. It brightened the hall with generous luminosity - until electricity came to our quaint and little  village of Cumbiem Morod in Guirim, bordering the villages of Canca and Parra in Bardez, Goa, in the  mid-1960's.This lamp was magical and compared almost to the light of apetromax. It used a round wick and a mantle. We had a Petromax too, but that was used only during special occasions like sung Litanies, parties and  weddings and other celebrations. I watched my Mom and Dad light it when I was young and lighting it was one of the chores for me in my teens at sunset. The Aladdin lamp was easier to light up and looked more elegant on a table. The tall chimney is essential as it controls the amount of fresh air drawn in a controlled manner creating a vacuum below the flame to bring in fresh unburned air. 

Kerosene Lamp

Open Wick

Kerosene Lamp

Creatively made by Goan tinsmiths

from used bottles of all shapes and sizes

and sold especially on Friday Market Day

in Mapusa., Bardez, Goa.

Tulsi

Tulsi
Line Artwork by Tony Fernandes

Tulsi or Tulasi (Holy basil) or Vrinda is a sacred
plant in Hindu belief. Hindus have tulsi plants growing

in front of or near their home, often in special pots

or a special masonry structure known as Tulsi Vrindavan

 as this is related to their culture.
Traditionally, Tulsi is planted in the center 

of the central courtyard of Hindu houses.
Daily Tulsi pooja (worship)
is done by members of a family. 

Sturgeon Full Moon

Meanwhile, in Mississauga, the Sturgeon Moon played hide and seek last night in the clouds just over the S/E horizon. The Full Moon in August is named after North America's largest fish, the lake sturgeon. Other names for this Full Moon include Grain Moon, Green Corn Moon, Fruit Moon, and Barley Moon. Camera: Canon / Setting: Manual / ISO 400 / Aper: 5.6/f:750 (in 35mm)

Marriages are made i heaven

They say marriages are made in Heaven.

But so again, are thunder and lightning.

Photographed from Earth.

This is not trick photography!

 It is a time lapse exposure - 18 lightning bolts on a single frame.

 Kodak film. Camera: Nikon 401X

Lens: Vivitar 2.8/21mm - October 1997.

First published on the First Page of Gulf News.

Carpenter's Tools - Goa

Waxing Gibbous Moon

The waxing gibbous Moon was shining last night along with planet Jupiter (seen lower right in the picture by Tony Fernandes). Date 9 Aug 2019 Time 23.17.52 Hrs

Goan Balcão

The Violin in Goan Culture

The Violin, Music & Goan Culture.

Music has been deeply rooted in Goan culture, be it western or Indian classical. The violin, in particular, has really made a place for itself in every Goan Mando, Dulpod, Deknni or even in modern Konkani folk and pop songs.  Goa is well known for its Mando internationally. Music has been like food of love for every Goan. 

Reflecting on the days gone by, it may be rightly said that we owe this talent to the old Parish schools where learning music was a must. These old catechism schools were attached to the churches, and it was in one of these churches that the first Goa ‘Mestir” was educated and taught music. Besides hymns, children also learnt to serve Mass in Latin, music notation and singing the Gregorian Chant. The art of violin playing reached its highest peak in the 16th century.
Since then, the ‘Mestir’ (Choir Master or Teacher) made his presence felt markedly at all public and private functions, from Solemn High Mass of any feast to the sung Litanies in homes, village chapels and at roadside crosses. The ‘mestir’ in turn strictly trained young musicians in the art of violin playing and singing. It was not unusual at times to see the violin bow landing sharply on the head of some young lads who sang ‘false’ or ‘desafinad’.

Many famous brands of violins made their way into Goa in the 16th century including big names such as Gasparo de Salo, Nicolaus Amatus, Joseph Guarnerius, Jacobus Stainer and Antonio Stradivarius. Violins were subsequently manufactured in Goa by the Rodrigues family of Santa Cruz and Jose Caetano Fernandes and his son Custodio Jose and grandson Antonio Baptista and Antonin Francisco at Varca.

The art of teaching the violin playing has greatly changed since the days of learning at the old local parish churches and of the age of Primeiro Grau’ or ‘Segundo Grau’ at the Escola Primaria level, as music is now taught in high schools as well as in private music schools. May this art be kept going by fostering the love of music and encouraging the talent for playing the violin in the children of the modern generation.

What the Stars foretell

What the Stars foretell 

Some common observations

1.  If you work hard, success is yours.

2.  If you follow you plan, you plan will work.

3.  All held-up money will be in your pocket.

4.  You can out-shine your competition if you proceed in the right direction.

5.  You will get rewarded for all good deeds.

6.  Do good things and all good things things will be done unto you.

7.  There is a chance of shower of wealth - may be through lottery,
     but not through gambling.

8.  Do not forget your relatives as there is a chance
     they might send you money.  So be good to them.

9.  Do not lend or borrow money.

10. Re-arrange your house furniture for good luck.

11. Good karma is on the way for all the good things you have done so far.

      So, if you have not started yet, now is the time to start. It's not too late.

12. Some unknown people, claiming to be you relatives, may contact you
      if win lottery. So be careful.

Black Moon

BLACK MOON

The so-called Black Moon is when a second New Moon occurs in a single calendar month. And it is interesting to note that we had such an occurrence in the last month - 2nd July and 31 July.

According to space.com:

 "At its 'new moon' phase, the moon is always black. It happens at that time of the month when the moon passes through the same part of the sky as the sun and as such, the moon's dark or un-illuminated side faces Earth."

As a black moon only ever occurs when there are two new moons in the same month, the unusual phenomenon only appears every 32 months. Depending on where you live in the world, the black moon can be witnessed at different times of the year. The second definition of black moons is when there's no new moon in February, the only month this can happen.

The Village Blacksmith, the Anvil, the Hammer (& Me)

THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH,

THE ANVIL, THE HAMMER

(& ME)

Back in the day in the 1950's in Goa - the nostalgic days of my childhood - passing through my village during the day, either on foot or bicycle, in the distance I would hear the distinct sound of a blacksmith beating on a piece of red hot iron with a hammer - the rhythmic staccato beat of the hammer on the anvil. The even and constant rhythm grew louder as I passed by the house of our village iron smith, hammering out the shapes of common household tools, in a hut attached to his house.. This type of forging was interesting to watch - from the first rough-outs to the finished work - the intended tool being given a shape with the hammer and the anvil. The best part was the blower which the hardy smith would kindly sometimes let me turn. It seemed to be the simplest type of forging, but I often wondered whether the blacksmith ever got tired, constantly striking a piece of hot metal to attain the final desired shape to his liking - until finally he would be satisfied with the result, and call a spade a spade! Here are some of my line-art drawings of the tools that I remember - the tools of the trade.