Picturesque Goa

Picturesque Goa
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TONFERNS CREATIONS

TONFERNS CREATIONS
TONFERNS CREATIONS - Tony's Art & Hobbies

Friday, January 31, 2014

CHASING A SHADOW OF DOUBT

WILL THE GROUND HOG SEE HIS SHADOW?
LET'S HOPE HE WON'T. WHY?
BECAUSE WE WILL THEN HAVE EARLY SPRING.

Shadow? What shadow? Does he not have a shadowy past anyway. So, is there a shadow of doubt that he will not see his shadow? But shadow or no shadow let's hope spring will come early.




Tuesday, January 28, 2014

WILL WILLIE SEE HIS SHADOW?

WILL THE GROUND HOG SEE HIS SHADOW?
I REALLY HOPE HE WON'T
WHY?
BECAUSE WE WILL THEN HAVE OUR SPRING EARLY

DIARY OF A GROUND HOG

Thursday February 2, 2006


"No, although I have a shadowy past
I still did not see my shadow".

According to what tradition holds is that if a ground-hog casts a shadow on February 2 then winter is here to stay for another 6 weeks, but if there's no shadow spring will come early.

Funny, how this groundhog has so to much to do about how long the winter is going to last or cut short. Who put him in charge of predicting the weather for me in the first place? Have I lost faith in earth weather satellites? I feel the poor guy may be bored to death down below and happens to come up for a breath of fresh air. Still funny is how serious the guy is to make a prediction for humans. I think in reality he is probably the chosen one sent up to ground level by his soul mates and report back whether it is safe to surface.

Today I rose before dawn. It was cloudy. Went back to sleep. Got up again, dressed and went out. I did not see my shadow, so I went into the house and slept again. Did not go to work. Lost a day's pay.


Lucky groundhog. He can go back into his hole if he doesn't like it up here on ground zero. He can hibernate. Or chase his furry crooked shadow if he has to when he comes out next for all I care. I have to bloody got to go to work whether I see my shadow or not.


Friday February 3, 2006

Yesterday I must have played havoc with the lives of a million (on a rough count) folks up there on ground zero. Are they so dumb and gullible to fall for this one? I merely went up to have some fun. Shadow? What shadow? Never have I said anything about a shadow to anyone. They are simply making this up. It is dark as hell down here 24/7 and I was blinded by the cloudy brightness as I boldly ventured out of the earth to have a quick peep to see what's going on in the neighbourhood and check out the surroundings. But I swear that I saw no shadow.

Thursday February 4, 2006

Beating a hasty retreat back to my den yesterday has made me look back on the brighter side of my little adventure. Sorry folks I did not mean to be mean! Hey! How’s that for a vocab from down under? I just realized that perhaps, I make them forget the usual humdrum and monotonous life they lead in the human rat-race as I entice them with my tactics and cool strategy while they wait in anticipation for my grand annual appearance, or so they seem to think. In fact I was up there 2 weeks ago. Only thing was that none of the folks knew that. No one noticed. Any way the point I am trying to make about the good side is that tiny and insignificant that I am the remaining 364 days of the year I manage to steal at least one day of their attention and bask in glory and fame, successfully diverting their minds away from the usual fare of daily news – reports of strife, war, floods, downpours, snowstorms, blizzards and dirty politics going on all over the world. And gossip and rumours about celebrities.


Friday, January 24, 2014

RUMBLINGS ABOUT KONKANI SONGS v/s HINDI SONGS

 RUMBLINGS ABOUT 
KONKANI SONGS
v/s
HINDI SONG TUNE

I have, on some occasions before this, come across a comment, when some disgruntled soul has blurted out to me: "Oh, this Konkani song tune is taken from a Hindi song you know?" On hearing such rather petty comments I had in the past immediately jumped to the Konkani song's defence, enlightening these musically unschooled souls that Hindi song tunes are very often lifted entirely from Western tunes, and in many instances from Goan folk songs like mandos and durpods as well - blatantly, without batting an eyelid. And yet I have never called a radio station asking as to why they are playing Hindi songs that bear Konkani tunes right down to their core.


 Perfect example:
 Film: 'Bobby' 
Song: 'Naa Chahoon Sona Chandi Naa Mangoon'.

Now, take for instance the latest incident during last weekend. The first Konkani song played on Radio Mango Toronto was based on an old Hindi song tune ' Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan'. Someone, who in all probability does not understand neither Hindi nor Konkani, had immediately called the station querying why Hindi music was played on a Konkani Station. 

My answer to this uninformed caller is this: The tune of the Hindi song 'Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan' in the first place is borrowed from the classic American Western Folk Ballad 'Oh My Darling Clementine'. So in all probability we could argue that the Konkani song tune could not have been taken from the Hindi song, but from the original American Country ballad. There!

The one above is just one prime example. We could go on and on, and compile an extensive list, running in volumes. But just to make a point, remember the age-old song 'Dil Deke Dekho' (1959) from the Hindi movie of the same name? Well, this tune was taken in its entirety from a very popular hit song 'Sugartime' (of Sugar in the Morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at the supper-time fame, sung by the famous American trio, The McGuire Sisters) in 1958. Then there was direct lift-off of Jim Reeves' 1956 hit song 'My lips are sealed' and they called it 'Kahaan Shuru Kahaan Khatam. They are many more direct picks they made the public believe were Hindi originals. The list could go on and on, but I believe this is enough to prove my point.



Please take some time and click on the links below to songs
mentioned above, not only for listening pleasure
but also for comparison:

Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan


Oh My Darling Clementine

Dil Deke Dekho

Sugartime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92iVi1tqdME

They are many more classic rip-offs. The ones mentioned above are just a few.

In the meantime let's be cool, and enjoy and appreciate
all types of music around the world!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Ode to ABBA

ODE TO ABBA
Image result for abba dancing queen album cover


(A Garland of ABBA Songs)
(by TōnFerns)

When I first met her,
She was a Nina,
Pretty Ballerina,
a Chiquitita, a Dancing Queen,
with Angel Eyes,
I sure thought she was
'My Kind of Girl'
She said ‘Take A Chance On Me’
'Gimme, gimme, gimme'
And I wondered:
'Why Did It Have To Be Me?'

'Knowing Me,
Knowing You'
‘Does Your Mother Know’ ‘I asked
She said, no, 'It’s The Name Of The Game’
‘I’m a One Man, One Woman’ you know? I replied,

She said, 'I Have A Dream' Tony 'Fernando'
‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ she added
I’ve a dream too,
And some also call me Felicio I confided.

It was just like 'Head Over Heels'
And we both then said 
"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"
'Super Trouper', she went on,
‘Andante, Andante’ she cried,
And with no hesitation, I complied.

I sent her an 'S.O.S.'
'The Way Old Friends Do'
I said 'When All Is Said And Done'
'I Let The Music Speak'.

And then we both
joined in chorus
and sang 'Mamma Mia
here I go again'
'My my, just how much I've missed ya'.

And then came 'Our Last Summer'
I was like a 'Man in the Middle'
In the end the Winner Took It All
She Thanked Me For The Music
Saying Honey Honey,
Taking all my Money, Money, Money,
Hasta Mañana until then.

Tony Fernandes

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

But Now We Hardly Talk Anymore

TALKING TERMS

When I was a 'Bachelor Boy'
 living among 'The Young Ones'
I often went on a 'Summer Holiday'
'Travelling Light'.

I thought 'Constantly' that
 she was like a 'Living Doll'
with 'Lucky Lips' -
a perfect 'Theme For a Dream'
'A Human Work of Art'.

When she sang
she sounded like
'A Voice in the Wilderness'
She sure was
'Wired for Sound'

When we met,
We were like 'Silhouettes'
in ' Spanish Harlem'
But when I asked her
'Do You Wanna Dance'
She replied: 'Move it'
See you 'The Next Time'.

'I'm your Puppet' I said
'My Heart is an Open Book' I pleaded'It was all in the Game', she said
but I still 'Miss You Nights'
with love "Ocean Deep' she added.

But now
it's like 'The Twelfth of Never';
like 'When Two Hearts Drift Apart'
and 'Nine times out of Ten'
'We Don't Talk Anymore'!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

LISTEN TO THE RADIO & 'RADIO MANGO'

WELCOME TO RADIO MANGO
Konkani FM 101.3

To listen to
  a recorded version
 of the entire Konkani Program
 of the
 69th Radio Mango Show  Show of
 18th January2014
 please click on the following link:


In particular if you wish
 to listen only to the Interview with
Edna of Ednas Pickles
and 
Tony Fernandes 
of Tonferns Creations
then please fast forward
into the 15th minute
from the Start of the Show.

and keep on listening to the radio

Sunday, January 19, 2014

The Live Radio Interview - Radio Mango Toronto

THE LIVE INTERVIEW
  Saturday 18th January 2014




I was very flattered when I was first asked to appear for a live interview for a radio broadcast by Host Milena Marques-Zachariah of Radio Mango Toronto. The initial 'unexpected expectations' gradually had me in slightly jittery and nervous mode about the very word of going 'live' to thousands of listeners worldwide. And I was not alone to go 'live' for the very first time in my life. I would be also interviewed along with my wife. A live life/wife-support of sorts! And it was also the first time that a husband-wife duo that was going to be interviewed on Radio Mango Toronto.

The first experience of varied thoughts running through my mind was to wait for the unexpected - to be ready for a slew of questions that could be thrown at me. And I momentarily started to get my life back together - the first one being to get my 'bio' ready - something that I have neither seen nor sent to any one in a very very long time.


So I paid a visit to the archives to look for my bio - that had gone to over four pages over the years. To shorten this bio to about a 7-minute interview, in such a short time, proved to be quite a task - a self-examination of sorts in the process and a soul-searching scrutiny in delving into my own past, and the realization of what the heck have I've been up to over the last so many years.


After reading and re-reading I managed to make a concise bio. On reading it to myself, I timed it, clocking it to a 10-minute duration, but that was still 3 minutes too long. So I had to still shorten it. And in doing so, had to slice off a good amount of precious experiences of my life! It was not an easy task.


Finally, the day (Saturday the 18th of January) for the 'live interview' arrived. We drove to the Studios in North Toronto well in advance. Prior to going into the studio, we were met by professional Hosts Milena & Wilson who, with their suave reassuring calm, immediately put my nerves to rest.


Five, Four, Three, Two, One......we were 'Live-on-Air' with the beacon flashing. The interview went well as far as I am concerned. My only hope is that the listeners enjoyed it.


The main focus of the interview was primarily a wife-husband association in a small business:

and


The informal atmosphere and the 'make-you-feel-at-home' feeling and warm welcome accorded to us by our hosts bolstered our confidence in making it a very successful interview. I must mention that my greatest moment was to go 'live with my harmonica' on the radio. I was very happy that they let me play my favourite, famous and timeless classic 'mando' of Goan song and folklore - 'Gupit Mog', and I thank Radio Host Milena for giving me this golden chance. I will treasure this moment always.

There were 3 prizes to be won for listeners who phoned in with the answers to the questions that had something to do with the interview. 


It was also great to watch through the glass window from the outside of the studio how the professionals do their job as well - with so much ease, expertise, dedication and competence - all for the love, and in the name of Konkani. Kudos to the Hosts - Milena and Wilson of RADIO MANGO TORONTO. Thank you both for having us on the Radio Show and making it a successful and stress-less one.


Those of you who missed listening to the live broadcast, do not despair, you can listen to the recorded version on the website of RADIO MANGO TORONTO. Please wait until Tuesday the 21st of January 2014, for the upload of the entire radio program to their web-site, and then just click on the following link.


http://www.radiomango.ca

And hey, I almost forgot,
I've now got one more thing
to add to that 'Bio' - 
about live radio
on RADIO MANGO!

Viva!

Saturday, January 18, 2014

KONKANI RADIO MANGO TORONTO


PLEASE TUNE IN TO


Saturday 18th January, 2014 at 7.00 p.m.

for a live interview by hosts

Milena Marques-Zachariah & Wilson D'Souza



The interview will be in our mother tongue Konkani.


Friday, January 17, 2014

BLESSED JOSEPH VAZ




Today is

The 303rd Death Anniversary

 of Blessed Joseph Vaz,

Patron of

  The Archdiocese of Goa, India,
and
Apostle of Kanara and Sri Lanka



Thursday, January 16, 2014

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Sunday, January 12, 2014

RADIO MANGO TORONTO

PLEASE TUNE IN TO


Saturday 18th January, 2014 at 7.00 p.m.

for a live interview by hosts

Milena Marques-Zachariah & Wilson D'Souza



The interview will be in our mother tongue Konkani.


Friday, January 10, 2014

TōnFerns Motor-boat

Sketch of

'TōnFerns' Motor Boat

fully hand-crafted by

Tony Fernandes

(and with a little help from my friends)

Goa - Circa 1963


The first hand-made miniature motor-boat

 ever to sail the rivulets of the village

of Cumbiem Morod, Guirim, Bardez, Goa.

In order to have mechanical handicraft as a hobby is not easy especially when only limited resources are at one's disposal.

So, if one had in mind to devise something like the above, it would be with whatever was available around the house and in the neighbourhood. Now, I'm talking about the 1960's, when I was in my early teens.

Of all things conceivable, to build a miniature boat was quite a stretch by any means in putting parts together in the old days and it posed a real challenge. In order to see one's humble concept come to fruition or realization was a difficult task.

However, the basic requirement to make a self-propelled miniature motor-boat would be the acquirement of the motor itself. One could buy this main part, and the on/off mini switch, from Auto Popular in the nearby market town of Mapusa. The carpenter at Canca - Parra was kind in cutting out the basic 15 in. x 6 in. flat piece, and helping me in making a battery compartment more or less according to my specifications! Luckily, the carpenter's son happened to be my good pal.

The motor was glued to another small angled piece of wood, thus raising it up a bit. The sides (about 2" high) all around were cut from an old tea-chest and nailed to the basic shape. Candle wax or red sealing lacquer was used to seal the gaps. A swing contraption was made into, something if at all one would call it, a rudder - fitted to the bottom. A metal rib from an old broken umbrella served as a motor shaft. Connection to the propeller was made by means of a sleeve from electrical wire. The propeller was cut out from a lid of an used condensed milk tin and slid over a small piece vinyl sleeve from electrical wire. Power to the motor, at most times, was supplied by old batteries with hardly any gumption left in them, salvaged from our portable radio. Pocket money, to buy and use new batteries in a gadget of any sort, was hard to come by.

Now, the boat is ready, but where's the water? The boat had to be taken and put to the water. It was about a kilometer away - a small rivulet that passed through our village behind our house. The best time to see the boat was during the onset of the monsoon season when the fields opposite my house were flooded. It was fun as many other young kids and village folks gathered around to watch the first hand-made ever to sail the rivulets of Cumbiem Morod.


When the wireless ruled: radio gaga from the Goa of the Sixties

When the wireless ruled:
radio gaga from the Goa of the Sixties
By Tony Fernandes Mississauga, Ontario, Canada tonferns@hotmail.com "This is the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon," came the announcement over the radio as Felicio sat in the front balcao (balcony) of his house early in the morning. It was the usual routine, rising early to study. Then after a cup of tea, Felicio would pick up the Philips portable transistor radio from the showcase, carry it outside, and place it on the 'sopo' (a mud-cement combination of blocks of seats on either side of main door of houses in Goa). The radio was quite new to Felicio's house then. Only two other families had a radio in the entire village. Felicio's mother had stitched and fitted a custom-made cloth cover for it to keep the dust away. It had a flap that exposed only the dial. Flip the cloth cover over the handle of the radio, pull up and adjust its aerial, and it would then be time to tune to his favourite station Radio Ceylon, as it was known then. Searching for the station on the dial was quite easy once one got the hang of it. Switching to Short Wave, turning the knob and aligning the needle precisely to its position on the 31 Meter Band, and with a little bit of fine tuning it came on loud and clear -- the magic of Radio Ceylon. At times certain orientation of the set would be required for a better reception. Through the clutter of other stations in that particular region of the radio dial, it was immediately recognizable by its crispness and clarity. Felicio shuffled and zipped through the static and clatter along the radio dial. Various other broadcasts like Voice of America, Vividh Bharati and Radio Moscow popped out clear and sharp too. Atmospheric conditions were more favourable for an optimum reception of these broadcasts in early mornings and late evenings. Popular programs could be received and heard crystal-clear during these times. The instrumentals played from 7 am to 7.30 am were a real treat. From The Jumping Jewels with 'Zambezi' and The Shadows with 'The Foot Tapper' were raging hits. Radio Ceylon also relayed BBC News from London at 7.30 am Indian Standard Time everyday. The news began at the end of the familiar six distinct pips of Greenwich Time Signal. This was also the time when family members automatically turned towards their clocks and check watches to check their accuracy. It would have been precisely 02.00 hrs GMT, in London. The announcement 'This is BBC World Service' preceded the news. It was good news and bad news from the Western world that was often heard relayed through those years. Included in the news were reports about Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin orbiting earth, the assassination of President Kennedy, and the death of Marilyn Monroe, the Air India crash on Mont Blanc, the tragedy of the Vietnam War and the deaths of three astronauts in the launch pad fire at the start of the first manned Apollo mission. As Felicio and his brother walked to school they would pass on the news they heard on the radio to other boys they met along the way. But what this station of Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) was probably most renowned for was its 'Binaca Hit Parade' on Sundays, playing the latest English vocal top tunes that played a part in greatly influencing that generation with Western (English) music. Another popular broadcast was 'Binaca Geetmala' hosted by golden-voiced celebrity Ameen Sayani. In the evenings, its daily two-hour long listeners' choice program was exciting to look forward to. The suave voices of disc jockeys Vijaya Correa and Eric Fernando reverberated through the air. Then, the world's most popular hits ruled the waves -- from Elvis Presley to the Beatles. 'Happy Birthday to Me' by Hank Locklin, 'May the Good Lord bless and keep you' by Connie Francis were frequently heard, but the solemn narration of the 'The Deck of Cards' by T. Texas Tyler as the sun went down sent a chilling tingle down Felicio's spine. Sometimes, as he walked home from a football match, or as he bicycled after having a bag of wheat ground into flour at the flour-mill in the neighbouring village, just a little after sundown, it was not unusual to hear these songs from the Radio Ceylon's listeners' choice program coming out from road-side houses. Hank Locklin's 'Send me the pillow that you dream on' and Paul Anka's 'Diana' were popular and often-requested songs. Songs by Ricky Nelson, Nat King Cole, Peter & Gordon, Everly Brothers, Doris Day, Bobby Darin, Brian Hyland, and Bobby Vinton would definitely be remembered by kids of those days till the present day. Pat Boone's 'Speedy Gonzales' was quite a hit then with "the plaintive cry of the young Mexican girl" piercing through the stillness of the evening air. Felicio always wondered if he had missed out on any of his favourite songs when the radio was temporarily switched off just before the recitation of the Angelus. Tracks by Dutch Swing College Band and Acker Bilk were often aired on special Jazz and Swing quarter-hour programs. By 9 a.m. a lot of chirp, clatter and other radio disturbances were audible as the signal got weak. LOVE FOR KONKANI, ENGLISH AND PORTUGUESE Another broadcasting station that developed and shaped Felicio's love for Konkani, English and Portuguese music was Emissora de Goa from the late fifties up to the morning of 18th December 1961. (See some history from the All India Radio site at http://www.airpanaji.gov.in/history.htm ) Portuguese songs 'Encosta tua cabecinha', 'Sonho' and 'Vem, vem minha flor' were often heard on the air-waves. (See http://youtube.com/watch?v=B2ZI9VC1234&feature=related for a rendering of Encosta a Cabecinha.) The studios were located at Altinho, Panjim, and the transmitters at Bambolim, Goa. It was silenced temporarily by the bombs dropped by Indian air force jets at the time of Goa's take-over by the Indian Government. Happy days were there again when after a respite of about two months broadcasting resumed with transmission ID as All India Radio, Panjim, three times a day, on Medium Wave. During the Portuguese era transmission began at 7 am with the Portuguese national anthem. After the take-over it was replaced by Vande Mataram followed by Christian and Hindu devotional hymns, news in Konkani, Konkani songs and Marathi programs. Second transmission began at noon again with English vocal and instrumental music, news in English at 1.30 pm relayed from All India Radio, Delhi, followed by English classical music up to 2.30 pm. It was on the air again at 6 pm with a line-up of Konkani songs, Marathi songs, bhajans and plays. Weekly late night Konkani plays were regular features. Sunday morning children's programme was a real treat to the young children. The station, after it became a part of the net-work known as All India Radio, Panjim, also relayed from A.I.R. Bombay, songs by Alfred Rose, songs from Konkani films 'Amchem Noxib' and 'Nirmon', songs by Anthony Mendes and Miguel Road in a 30 minute program starting at 8.20 pm, immediately after the news in Marathi (Bathmi). A.I.R. News relays began with the word 'Akashwani'. The most popular broadcast listened to in many Goan homes was probably the listeners' request program of Konkani songs broadcast at 6 pm on Sunday evenings. Alfred Rose's Konkani songs 'Deu Nidonk Nam' and 'Sui, Sut, Cator' were major hits. Young Menezes's lightning-speed singing was a sensation, moral woes were well-depicted by Alexinho de Candolim and Souza Giao yodelled his way into the hearts of listeners of all ages. Those were the melodious days of Felicio's childhood -- the days when a group of village boys sat down and wrote words of the songs as they were played on the radio. English and Konkani songbooks were compiled by the village boys that initially contained some misheard lyrics which were later corrected! Among the English fare of songs that were given air-time those days were hits by Jim Reeves, Cliff Richard and the Shadows and Elvis Presley. Big Band Sound of instrumental music by Billy Vaughn, Latin rhythms by Edmundo Ros and a wide range of dance music played by Victor Sylvester were often heard too. Johnny Tillotson's song 'True True Happiness' in particular was a big hit. Announcer par excellence of that era was the prominent announcer and newsreader, Imelda Dias, with her pleasant and clear voice gracing the radio airwaves. She was a disc jockey on an afternoon program called: 'Your favourites and mine', besides presenting the ever-popular Sunday listeners' choice of Western music and songs. Billy Vaughn's 'Sail along silvery moon' and 'Summer Place' were soothing preferences, while the hilarious vocal 'Que la la, que la la' (and the giggle) must have enthused many. It was believed that the Short Wave transmission of Emissora de Goa was so powerful that it could be received and heard in places as far away as the Portuguese colonies in Africa. OUT OF RANGE During the time of Felicio's college days in Bombay in mid-sixties, Radio Goa was of course out of range there, and he missed it terribly, but Radio Ceylon would still make its presence with its "most powerful transmitter and first broadcasting station in Asia" at the time. But Saturday would be one day that Felicio would long for. Many eagerly looked forward to listen to the English program broadcast by All India Radio, Bombay, called Saturday Date airing the latest hits of the time. 'White on white, lace on satin' by Danny Williams, 'He'll have to go' by Jim Reeves, 'Edelweiss' and other hits from 'Sound of Music', and 'Lara's Theme' (Somewhere my Love) from 'Dr. Zhivago' and 'Baby Elephant walk' by Lawrence Welk & his orchestra were popular tunes heard then, not forgetting Nat King Cole's 'Cat Ballou'. IN ABU DHABI The furthest place that I have picked up the SW signal from Radio Ceylon was in Abu Dhabi (then a sheikdom of the Trucial States of Oman, and a British Protectorate) in 1969 on a Philips portable transistor radio. Radio Ceylon has probably influenced and contributed the most in broadcasting a huge variety of Western music to countries in South East Asia. One popular artist and everyone's favourite was Jim Reeves with a huge range of romantic songs. He was well-known to many listeners in Goa, Bombay and in the Indian sub-continent in general. Many singers tried to emulate his vocal style. There was one particular guy from Byculla in Bombay who sang at various Goan functions and sounded exactly like Jim Reeves. He was known as 'Bombay Jim Reeves'. In fact I think Jim Reeves was more popular in India and Ceylon for his sentimental songs than any other Western singer besides Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Ricky Nelson or the Everly Brothers. The radio literally played a significant and influential role in our lives in Goa those days when we were young. It gave us some enjoyment and formed part of our growing up. Singing was a part of our social upbringing, be it at Laudainhas at the chapel, at the house of a family member or at a neighbour's place before his departure for Bombay or Africa, or at the singing-session on the evening of San Joã in the balcao of the house near the well. The very clear reception received by a German-made Grundig valve radio that used a long external wire antennae, near the village chapel in the adjacent village, was admirable. We held the radio in awesome wonder and considered it as part of our life-style. I still remember commuting to Mapusa to purchase batteries for the radio from Auto Popular, the stores at the side of Casa Bela. They were the glorious days of Medium and Short Wave radio. There may not have been many radios, but there were certainly lot of listeners. The youngsters of that era were also held spellbound when the first pocket transistor radio made its debut. People who had radios in the villages always welcomed their neighbours to listen to interesting programs. Music, besides being a listening pastime in the comfort of the 'balcao' in the evenings during the long monsoon season, was also pursued by many Goans as part or full-time careers in Bombay and Goa. They studied music notation, composing, sang in bands and played a wide range of musical instruments, from the violin and cello to the saxophone and piccolo. It was no wonder then and it is no wonder now, that there must be some truth after all in the saying that "music is in the Goan blood". Many Goans have composed and played various musical instruments on the soundtracks of India cinema. Today when I mention the names of 1950's and 1960's singers, or just happen to sing or hum those old tunes impromptu in the Western world, people are surprised and turn their heads almost in disbelief. I have often been asked how I know or remember those old tunes and words so well, and in key. That gives me an excellent opportunity, and pleasure, to introduce myself and give them a little info about Goa.

Goanet Reader goanetreader at gmail.com 
Mon Jun 9 14:19:35 PDT 2008

Sunday, January 05, 2014

Artaban, the Fourth King

Who was the fourth wise man?

There is a legend, however, that there was a ‘Fourth Wise Man’, whose name was Artaban. 

It tells about a "fourth" wise man (accepting the tradition that the Magi numbered three), a priest of the Magi named Artaban, one of the Medes from Persia. Like the other Magi, he sees signs in the heavens proclaiming that a King had been born.

Artaban was a Persian King whose study of the planets and the stars led him to predict the birth of the King of kings. It is said that he sold everything he possessed and purchased ‘a large sapphire blue as a fragment of the night sky, a flawless ruby redder than a ray of sunrise, and a lustrous pearl as pure as the peak of a snow mountain at twilight’ which he intended to carry as tribute to this King of kings. He then set out for Jerusalem, where he had arranged to meet up with the three other Wise Men, or Magi, to find this newborn King.

Saturday, January 04, 2014

MUSIC OF MY TEENAGE YEARS

R.I.P.
 Phil Everly
 of the fabulous EVERLY BOTHERS
 One of the finest legendary duos
 of harmonizing singers of our time.


 One half of the great duo
- Phil Everly - 
 - of the EVERLY BROTHERS -
passed away yesterday,
3rd January 2014, at age 74.

To listen to one of Phil Everly's songs
please click on the link below:

Who's To Be The One Phil Everly demo


            In the song above Phil Everly's voice sounds remarkably very clear and as one of a very young person's tone. It no wonder, that is so, because it was recorded in 1960, and Phil was only 21 years old at the time.

            Sometimes coincidences happen, and strangely and remarkably so. In fact just two days ago my daughter sent me a link to 'Why Worry' and saying that this Art Garfunkel Mark Knofler written classic will always remind her of me, quoting the lyrics: "There should be laughter after pain. There should be sunshine after rain. These things have always been the same. So Why Worry, now?"



 Then, in the same breath my daughter said that she likes the same song sung by the Everly Brothers as well. So I sent her the Everly Brothers version which I have on CD.



            I was fortunate to hear the Everly Brothers with my children, live at the Air Canada Center in Toronto, along with Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, a few years ago, courtesy tickets a la my daughters as a gift.

            I'm happy that my children enjoy the music that I played at home when they were young and remember those days.

            I remember my friends Adolf & Jerry singing in voices just like the Everly Brothers in Bombay in the 1960's. They were called 'Amin's Aspirations'
and had cut a 45 RPM vinyl record. I was in college then, when they were very popular and also known as the Everly Brothers of Bombay. Many years later in the early 1970's) as my good fortune and privilege would have it, I met Adolf and Hetty in Dubai and later Jerry. They sang an apt song 'Devoted to You' beautifully for our wedding in 1975. Last night my wife Edna and I remembered all of them. Those were the days, and the music of our times.

           I remember when we sang and played all the Everly Brothers songs with our friends in the days gone by in Goa, Bombay and the United Arab Emirates, for parties, picnics, dances and weddings. Unforgettable.

           Phil Everly, I'm sure you'll continue singing up there in heaven, while your music here on earth lives on. Rest in Peace.

Thursday, January 02, 2014

FEAST OF HOLY NAME OF JESUS - PAST BLASTER MOMENT




PAST BLASTER
2nd January 1966
Guirim, Cumbiem Morod.

Feast of Holy Name of Jesus

HAPPY FEAST TO ALL!

(Picture reproduced from an old slide) 
Kodachrome 64 ASA KR135 35mm
colour diapositive slide film)


Wednesday, January 01, 2014

GOOD-BYE 2013 - WELCOME 2014

GOOD-BYE 2013


WELCOME 2014

          As we bid adieu to each year on the last day of every year, 2013 has definitely had its fair share of good and bad. 
         
          There’s been happiness and sorrow in our lives, strife, turmoil, crime, wars, and natural disasters of floods, tornadoes, storms, hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes, as people lost their lives and next of kin. War and hatred between nations have continued unabated in many places in the world.

          We cannot change the past, but we can definitely wish, hope and pray for a better 2014 and still better years beyond. 

          As we usher in the New Year 2014, let us hope for love, not hatred, and pray for Peace throughout the world, for those affected by war and natural disasters; pray for the sick, the bereaved, the injured, the afflicted and the poor.

          We remember our folks who are far away from us; consider ourselves lucky to have our friends and family near us, and pray for those folks who are no longer with us today.


          I am thankful for having had better life than the less fortunate than myself. I hope to cherish the happy memories I have had with my dear ones, and think of the good times we have shared in the happy times of yesteryear, and hope for a better 2014.