Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Monday, July 15, 2019
Pollution Control board Chairman Shetgaonkar Speaks In Cuncolim
Labels: #beach, #benaulim, #breakfastingoa, #cinnamonbenaulim, #cuncolim, #foodofgoa, #goa, #goafood, #goafoodblogger, #goafoodie, #goafoodweb, #goarestaurant, #goatourism, #india
The seasonal fishing ban will go on for 61 days, ending on July 31.
The annual monsoon trawling ban in Goa will come into effect from June 1. The ban will go on for 61 days, ending on July 31. The seasonal fishing holiday is meant to facilitate breeding of fish during the season.
The State Fisheries Department has issued an order banning trawling through mechanised boats during the period. However, the registered motorised canoes using gill nets have been exempted.
Nearly 1,500 trawlers in the coastal State would be anchored till July 31 as the annual trawling ban will be implemented along the western coast in Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
A notification from the State asserts that the government of Goa prohibits fishing by vessels fitted with mechanical means of propulsion and by means of trawl-net and purse-seine net.
“Except fishing by the registered motorised canoes using only gill nets and fitted with outboard or inboard motors of up to 10HP capacity, as a means of propulsion, along the coastal area and the territorial waters, with effect from June 1 to July 31 (both days inclusive),” the order states.
The fishing ban in Goa has been enforced since 1981. During the period of ban, the fish supply to the tourist State will go down. Considering the last year’s controversy, during the ban, about formalin-laced fish imported from some of the Southern States, the Goa government will ensure import of fish from States such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry after taking appropriate measures to ensure that licenses of importers are strictly monitored so that fish is not laced with formalin, said a senior official of State Food and Drugs authority here on Friday, requesting anonymity.
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Music is his passion and farming as a hobby give him kicks. He is all but eighty-one years in age, but yet not given up on the things he was most of fond of in life- cultivating his paddy field and rearing his she buffaloes for milk.
1 of 4
A decade back, his paddy fields yielded two crops in a season. But with the adjoining paddy fields converted into a housing project only one crop is possible per season now – a death knell for farming in the Indian state of Goa.
For the umpteen time Joao Santan Rebello cast his vote last month, to elect his representative to the 15th Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian parliament, since Goa got liberated from the Portuguese in 1962. Much has changed over the years with modernization in the tourist-resort state, the small state of India which welcomes some four millions foreign tourists every year. In the race to build mega housing projects to cater to the tourists many a paddy fields have fallen prey.
People like Rebello who hails from coastal village of Benaulim are becoming rarer and rarer to find in Goa , one who continue to cultivate their paddy fields in the face of many obstacles. All his life he has lived on the profits from his paddy fields and buffaloes rearing business - to take care of his family needs and to provide education to his five sons. Giving up on what he has been doing all his life is hard thing and that is what Rebello finds difficult.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/272627#ixzz51Y44YBzu
1 of 4
A decade back, his paddy fields yielded two crops in a season. But with the adjoining paddy fields converted into a housing project only one crop is possible per season now – a death knell for farming in the Indian state of Goa.
For the umpteen time Joao Santan Rebello cast his vote last month, to elect his representative to the 15th Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian parliament, since Goa got liberated from the Portuguese in 1962. Much has changed over the years with modernization in the tourist-resort state, the small state of India which welcomes some four millions foreign tourists every year. In the race to build mega housing projects to cater to the tourists many a paddy fields have fallen prey.
People like Rebello who hails from coastal village of Benaulim are becoming rarer and rarer to find in Goa , one who continue to cultivate their paddy fields in the face of many obstacles. All his life he has lived on the profits from his paddy fields and buffaloes rearing business - to take care of his family needs and to provide education to his five sons. Giving up on what he has been doing all his life is hard thing and that is what Rebello finds difficult.
Labels: #beach, #benaulim, #breakfastingoa, #cinnamonbenaulim, #foodofgoa, #goa, #goafood, #goafoodblogger, #goafoodie, #goafoodweb, #goarestaurant, #goatourism, #india, #southgoacafes, #tastegoa
Karate training on Benaulim beach by Agnelo Rodrigues in Indian state of Goa in April 2009
Labels: benaulim, cinnamonbenaulim, Goa, goafoodweb
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
oyster shells
Peek into Goa’s oyster-shell windows
Windows have several
significant roles to play. Primarily, they help in filtering air and sunlight
provide a passageway for them, however they remain an artistically explored
part of Goan Architecture. In some Goan houses the window screens are fashioned
out of nacre they remain characteristic of the traditional upper - classes. It
is unclear where or when exactly these type of windows originated. However,
thenacre of the mother-of-pearl shell was preferred over glass as it allowed
for a subdued filtered light to come into rooms of a house while affording
privacy. This gave windows in Goan homes a warm, translucent look from the
outside while cutting off the light's glare on the inside. While superior
quality timber was often reserved for the production of altars and fine pieces
of furniture in Goan houses, the timber used for windows was inferior in
comparison.
The nacre of the mother-of-pearl, which is otherwise a waste
material, was then cut into lozenge shapes and slid into wooden battens to give
windows added value and beauty. The Goan craftsman today makes miniaturized
replicas of these windows that can be sold as souvenir picture frames and can
be placed on walls to add a touch of interest. Mother-of-pearl shell windows
are often made for measurements in building sites but, they can also be
custom-made to specification by artisans. It requires the ingenuity and skill
of the old Goan craftsman to elevate the science of house construction to the
level of art. In spite of the ethnic beauty that they can add into urban
architecture, unfortunately there isn't much demand today for these windows;
the craftsmen who make the mare rarely found and mostly, out of business.
A common feature in Indo-Portuguese homes is wooden windows fitted
with oyster shells, or nacre. The shells are sourced from riverside beaches.
The flatter ones were cleaned, polished, shaped, and slipped between the
windows’ grooved wooden battens; this kept the rooms cool while allowing a
warm, filtered light to pass through and shielding the home from prying eyes.
There are still a few houses in
Goa that sport these windows. Take a walk through the old Latin quarter in
Panjim, Fontainhas, whose narrow streets are dotted with colored homes that
preserve their Indo-Portuguese architecture. Begin at the Fundação Oriente on
Filipe Neri Xavier Road.
The white bungalow has yellow skirting and long oyster-shell
windows on both floors. Head out, walk north on Rua 31 de Janeiro past the
graffiti-stained walls of Old Quarter Hostel, admiring the grill windows and
the bougainvillea-framed balconies.
Stop at the renovated Panjim Inn, with its dull brown color and
plant-laden sidewalk; its downstairs windows, though shut, are packed with
oyster shells. The next clearing will bring you to a quaint yellow house
shrouded by plants on Rua de Natal, the Afonso Guest House, whose windows
feature ornate grills. The curving road ends at a circular junction. There, on
one side, is a derelict maroon house, whose windows will show you what havoc
age and neglect can wreak on these delicate shells.
A detailed history about the
oyster-shell windows is on display at the Houses of Goa museum at Torda
Window-pane
Oysters on the verge of extinction in Goa
Harvesting window-pane oysters has been a traditional
livelihood for the fishing community in Zuari river estuary in Goa.
Besides a livelihood source, window-pane oysters were the basis of a
thriving cottage industry. Today due to indiscriminate marine infrastructure,
water pollution, overfishing and changing natural habitat, this precious marine
resource has almost become extinct in most of its traditional habitat areas,
except in a single bay at Chicalim, where indiscriminate exploitation is
threatening its very brooding stock.
Besides being a livelihood source for innumerable families of
the fishing community, window-pane oysters were the basis of a thriving cottage
industry in Goa. For more than 400 years during Portuguese in Goa,
window-pane oyster shells were exported to Brazil. The oyster shells were
extensively used in Goa as window-panes at a time when glass was not yet
popularly used. Later houses of aristocratic families and well-off families
typically used the shiny translucent oyster shells to decorate window panes
despite the availability of glass. Shells of these bivalves were also
used to make handicrafts like lampshades, jewellery, while the occasional
pearls found within the oysters were used in traditional medicine.
But all that is turning into history now. Says Dr. Baban
Ingole, senior marine scientist at Panaji-based National Institute of
Oceanography ” Mushrooming of shipyards, water pollution and unrestricted
fishing has changed the natural habitat of this bivalve. Despite being
declared as a Schedule IV species under the amended Protection of WilldLife
Act, 1972, and despite a ban on its commercial exploitation by the Ministry of
Environment & Forests, unrestricted harvesting continues at Chicalim,
its only habitat area, which threatens the very brooding stock of this
precious marine resource. Its limited occurance and
restricted distribution demands strict regulations on its harvesting”
Window-panes oysters take about 4-5 yrs to mature fully when their
muddy brown shells turn translucent white. The flat part of the shell is cut to
fit into wooden window pane frames traditionally used in Goan
homes. “Warmer waters due to global warming and increasing acidification
of the oceans due to increased carbon emissions may have contributed to
changing natural habitat and their proliferation. Increasing water
pollution and extensive marine infrastructure like shipyards and ports have
certainly affected their growth profile” says Dr. Ingole.
However there is a silver lining to the story – the Chicalim
Villagers Action Committee (CVAC) are demanding governmental action to
save the ‘manvi’ as the oysters are locally called. Says Rui
Araujo, Secretary, CVAC, ” We are not demanding a complete ban on harvesting
the oysters, but strict harvesting regulations and the declaration of Chicalim
Bay as a non-industrial area”
The strategy is likely to save the brooding stock at Chicalim
bay and also ensure sustainable harvesting, thus saving both the livelihood of
numerous families as well as this marine resource from extinction.
http://tonferns.blogspot.in/2012/05/
windows-of-another-era-goa-india.html
http://thequiltsofindia.wordpress.com/
2011/11/16/goan-windows/
http://wovensouls.org/2011/03
/27/goan-portugese-houses-art-in-architecture/
http://www.archgoa.org/oyster/oyster.h
tm
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=Sh
ell+Windows+in+Goa&biw=1920&bih=
947&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa
=X&ei=mOb4UpnMFca3r geRr4HoAg&ved=0CFAQsAQ
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/2041916946/?rb=1
House in Fontainhas, Panjim, Goa. Using no glass in the
window, one can find very fine and straight ster shells are used instead. They
are inserted into wooden frames, allowing the light to come in as if it is
passing through paper
Church of St Anne, Talaulim, South Goa. The use of shell of
oyster 'placuna placenta' which filters a soft and muted light was motivated by
the need to illuminate and at the same time preserve the interiors of the
Churches where social events could take place during the day
The house in Saligao, Goa. Oyster shells are undoubtedly one
of the most enigmatic elements of construction in Goa. Their usage within
architecture, has been synchronous to the arrival of the Portuguese in India
Heritage House, Shioli, North Goa. The nacre of the
mother-of-pearl shell is fixed into wooden battens and used to cover
windows.Some windows are also made with different opening mechanisms
Heritage House, Shioli, North Goa The indulgence of the
translucent, but functional nacre of the mother-of-pearl can be seen in this
shell window
Rebello Mansion in Anjuna, Goa. Artisticallyinstalled sea
shells in the window, create a little muted light onto the porches of the
otherwise boldly painted house
House in Saligao, North Goa. The nacre of the
mother-of-pearl shell is also used in making the wooden walls and balusters at
the entrance of this house,which also announces the high status of the owner
amongst society
Arpora, North Goa. One of the assertions of the local Goan
identity is the implementation of shells in the window
Old Heritage Inn, Loutulim, Goa. The overlapping nacre of
the mother-of-pearl shells creates an organic and eye pleasing pattern across
the wooden window
Heritage house converted into Commercial building at
Saligao, North Goa. These intricately made windows can find themselves a place
only in Heritage Goan houses. However, this is an example of how old
architecture can be used as a modern building
House in Shioli, North Goa. An example of the traditional
upper- class Goan housewhich has a beautifully made porchedentrance created by
using shell and stained glass windows on both sides
Weathered ruins inBraganza House, Chandor, South Goa. It is
almost 300 years old. Glass came to Goa as late as 1890 and remained an
expensive building material well into the 20th century. Today some of the
houses in Goa are decrepit and so are the windows
Mother-of-Pearl Shell Windows - Architecture of Goa
Windows
have several significant roles to play. Primarily, they help in filtering air
and sunlight provide a passageway for them, however they remain an artistically
explored part of Goan Architecture. In some Goan houses the window screens are
fashioned out of nacre they remain characteristic of the traditional upper -
classes. It is unclear where or when exactly these type of windows originated.
However, thenacre of the mother-of-pearl shell was preferred over glass as it
allowed for a subdued filtered light to come into rooms of a house while
affording privacy. This gave windows in Goan homes a warm, translucent look
from the outside while cutting off the light's glare on the inside. While
superior quality timber was often reserved for the production of altars and
fine pieces of furniture in Goan houses, the timber used for windows was
inferior in comparison.
The nacre of the
mother-of-pearl, which is otherwise a waste material, was then cut into lozenge
shapes and slid into wooden battens to give windows added value and beauty. The
Goan craftsman today makes miniaturized replicas of these windows that can be sold
as souvenir picture frames and can be placed on walls to add a touch of
interest. Mother-of-pearl shell windows are often made for measurements in
building sites but, they can also be custom-made to specification by artisans.
It requires the ingenuity and skill of the old Goan craftsman to elevate the
science of house construction to the level of art. In spite of the ethnic
beauty that they can add into urban architecture, unfortunately there isn't
much demand today for these windows; the craftsmen who make the mare rarely
found and mostly, out of business.
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Home / Gallery / Mother-of-Pearl Shell Windows
Design Gallery
Mother-of-Pearl Shell Windows
Architecture of Goa
by
Prof. Sumant RaoSunil Mahajan
IDC, IIT Bombay
Printer-friendly version Send by email PDF version
House in Shioli, North Goa. An example of the traditional
upper- class Goan housewhich has a beautifully made porchedentrance created by
using shell and stained glass windows on both sides
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Windows have several significant roles to play. Primarily,
they help in filtering air and sunlight provide a passageway for them, however
they remain an artistically explored part of Goan Architecture. In some Goan
houses the window screens are fashioned out of nacre they remain characteristic
of the traditional upper - classes. It is unclear where or when exactly these
type of windows originated.
However, thenacre of the mother-of-pearl shell was
preferred over glass as it allowed for a subdued filtered light to come into
rooms of a house while affording privacy. This gave windows in Goan homes a
warm, translucent look from the outside while cutting off the light's glare on
the inside. While superior quality timber was often reserved for the production
of altars and fine pieces of furniture in Goan houses, the timber used for
windows was inferior in comparison.
The nacre of the mother-of-pearl, which is otherwise a waste
material, was then cut into lozenge shapes and slid into wooden battens to give
windows added value and beauty. The Goan craftsman today makes miniaturized
replicas of these windows that can be sold as souvenir picture frames and can
be placed on walls to add a touch of interest. Mother-of-pearl shell windows
are often made for measurements in building sites but, they can also be
custom-made to specification by artisans. It requires the ingenuity and skill
of the old Goan craftsman to elevate the science of house construction to the
level of art. In spite of the ethnic beauty that they can add into urban
architecture, unfortunately there isn't much demand today for these windows;
the craftsmen who make the mare rarely found and mostly, out of business.
Peek into Goa’s oyster-shell windows
Peek into Goa’s oyster-shell windows
A common feature in Indo-Portuguese homes is wooden windows fitted with oyster shells, or nacre. The shells are sourced from riverside beaches. The flatter ones were cleaned, polished, shaped, and slipped between the windows’ grooved wooden battens; this kept the rooms cool while allowing a warm, filtered light to pass through and shielding the home from prying eyes.
There are still a few houses in Goa that sport these windows. Take a walk through the old Latin quarter in Panjim, Fontainhas, whose narrow streets are dotted with colored homes that preserve their Indo-Portuguese architecture. Begin at the Fundação Oriente on Filipe Neri Xavier Road. The white bungalow has yellow skirting and long oyster-shell windows on both floors. Head out, walk north on Rua 31 de Janeiro past the graffiti-stained walls of Old Quarter Hostel, admiring the grill windows and the bougainvillea-framed balconies. Stop at the renovated Panjim Inn, with its dull brown color and plant-laden sidewalk; its downstairs windows, though shut, are packed with oyster shells. The next clearing will bring you to a quaint yellow house shrouded by plants on Rua de Natal, the Afonso Guest House, whose windows feature ornate grills. The curving road ends at a circular junction. There, on one side, is a derelict maroon house, whose windows will show you what havoc age and neglect can wreak on these delicate shells.
A detailed history about the oyster-shell windows is on display at the Houses of Goa museum at Torda
A common feature in Indo-Portuguese homes is wooden windows fitted with oyster shells, or nacre. The shells are sourced from riverside beaches. The flatter ones were cleaned, polished, shaped, and slipped between the windows’ grooved wooden battens; this kept the rooms cool while allowing a warm, filtered light to pass through and shielding the home from prying eyes.
There are still a few houses in Goa that sport these windows. Take a walk through the old Latin quarter in Panjim, Fontainhas, whose narrow streets are dotted with colored homes that preserve their Indo-Portuguese architecture. Begin at the Fundação Oriente on Filipe Neri Xavier Road. The white bungalow has yellow skirting and long oyster-shell windows on both floors. Head out, walk north on Rua 31 de Janeiro past the graffiti-stained walls of Old Quarter Hostel, admiring the grill windows and the bougainvillea-framed balconies. Stop at the renovated Panjim Inn, with its dull brown color and plant-laden sidewalk; its downstairs windows, though shut, are packed with oyster shells. The next clearing will bring you to a quaint yellow house shrouded by plants on Rua de Natal, the Afonso Guest House, whose windows feature ornate grills. The curving road ends at a circular junction. There, on one side, is a derelict maroon house, whose windows will show you what havoc age and neglect can wreak on these delicate shells.
A detailed history about the oyster-shell windows is on display at the Houses of Goa museum at Torda
Window-pane Oysters on the verge of extinction in Goa
Window-pane Oysters on the verge of extinction in Goa
Harvesting window-pane oysters has been a traditional livelihood for the fishing community in Zuari river estuary in Goa. Besides a livelihood source, window-pane oysters were the basis of a thriving cottage industry. Today due to indiscriminate marine infrastructure, water pollution, overfishing and changing natural habitat, this precious marine resource has almost become extinct in most of its traditional habitat areas, except in a single bay at Chicalim, where indiscriminate exploitation is threatening its very brooding stock.
Besides being a livelihood source for innumerable families of the fishing community, window-pane oysters were the basis of a thriving cottage industry in Goa. For more than 400 years during Portuguese in Goa, window-pane oyster shells were exported to Brazil. The oyster shells were extensively used in Goa as window-panes at a time when glass was not yet popularly used. Later houses of aristocratic families and well-off families typically used the shiny translucent oyster shells to decorate window panes despite the availability of glass. Shells of these bivalves were also used to make handicrafts like lampshades, jewellery, while the occasional pearls found within the oysters were used in traditional medicine.
But all that is turning into history now. Says Dr. Baban Ingole, senior marine scientist at Panaji-based National Institute of Oceanography ” Mushrooming of shipyards, water pollution and unrestricted fishing has changed the natural habitat of this bivalve. Despite being declared as a Schedule IV species under the amended Protection of WilldLife Act, 1972, and despite a ban on its commercial exploitation by the Ministry of Environment & Forests, unrestricted harvesting continues at Chicalim, its only habitat area, which threatens the very brooding stock of this precious marine resource. Its limited occurance and restricted distribution demands strict regulations on its harvesting”
Window-panes oysters take about 4-5 yrs to mature fully when their muddy brown shells turn translucent white. The flat part of the shell is cut to fit into wooden window pane frames traditionally used in Goan homes. “Warmer waters due to global warming and increasing acidification of the oceans due to increased carbon emissions may have contributed to changing natural habitat and their proliferation. Increasing water pollution and extensive marine infrastructure like shipyards and ports have certainly affected their growth profile” says Dr. Ingole.
However there is a silver lining to the story – the Chicalim Villagers Action Committee (CVAC) are demanding governmental action to save the ‘manvi’ as the oysters are locally called. Says Rui Araujo, Secretary, CVAC, ” We are not demanding a complete ban on harvesting the oysters, but strict harvesting regulations and the declaration of Chicalim Bay as a non-industrial area”
The strategy is likely to save the brooding stock at Chicalim bay and also ensure sustainable harvesting, thus saving both the livelihood of numerous families as well as this marine resource from extinction.
Monday, July 1, 2019
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