Casa da Moeda – Goa’s Mint House literally means House of Coins

The Panjim Post Office Square in the Bairro do São Tomé is home to a bunch of lovely old houses. Among these is the Casa da Moeda (The Mint House). Translated literally, the words mean ‘House of Coins’. Casa da Moeda functioned as the Mint of Goa from 1834 – 1841. This is one of […]
Mining dependents warn they will continue to agitate over mining ban

Yesterday, the news media reported what looked to be chaos reigning supreme in the capital city of Panjim. Mining dependents came out in large numbers to protest the Supreme Court order passed in February that effectively shut down all mining operations in the state. This mining ban has affected hundreds and thousands and the mining areas […]
Mining community protests against Supreme Court order

Goa has a long history with the mining industry. There were hushed whispers that Jains living in Cudnem used to extract gold in Goa. The existence of iron ore mines was known to the Portuguese from the early 1700s, but it was hushed up for fear of invasion by others. However, iron ore was extracted […]
Goa Heritage Action Group- protecting Goa’s heritage everyday

If one looks on the Internet and reads history books, there is a lot of Goa, the smallest state in India. Goa was known by many names in the past. Ancient texts list some of these names for us. They are Gomanchala, Gopakapattana, Gopakapattam, Gopakapuri, Govapuri, Govem, and Gomantak. Other historical names for Goa are […]
Bakealish from Bombay brings you fondant workshops in time for Easter

Everyone’s got a sweet tooth. Even the ones that insist they don’t, will still pop a sweet or a chocolate into their mouth just for some delicious goodness after a meal. Different countries and cultures make all kinds of melt-in-the-mouth desserts, each with a taste of their own. In India, we not only have sweets […]
Dona Paula jetty vendors worry about losing business

A month ago, a joint decision was taken by a number of government agencies, to close Panjim’s iconic Dona Paula Jetty. This decision was taken after a structural analysis of the entire jetty was done. The report showed that it was unstable and would need to be closed for repairs. A final decision was to […]
Shigmotsav is celebrated to herald the arrival of the spring season

Starting from the 3rd of March, Goa will see the biggest celebration of a Hindu festival spanning the next two weeks. Shigmo or Śigmō is celebrated across Goa to mark the return of men who went to war to fight against those who invaded Goa. The festival gets its name from the Prakrit word Suggimaho […]
Welcome to La La Land Goa – a two day festival of happiness and music

The festival of Holi bursts upon us this weekend in an explosion of brilliant colors and fun. Everyone enjoys it just like they enjoy the ‘assalto’ at the time of Carnival. But, if you’re not up for all that and want to do something different, head on up to the Museum of Goa in Saligao. […]
Welcome to the Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival 2018

It’s that time of the year again. The Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival is back to give you music to woo all the five senses. The festival, which takes place in Old Goa every year, combines music traditions from the East and West inspired by the life of St. Ketevan, Queen of Georgia. It is […]
The Big Fat Fatorda Carnival Blast 2018 is all set to begin today

Just like Panjim has a Samba Square during the days of Carnival, Fatorda will also have a similar set up called the Big Fat Fatorda Carnival Blast 2018. Organised by ‘We For Fatorda” (A Vijai Sardesai Initiative), the Big Fat Fatorda Carnival Blast 2018 takes place at the Opinion Poll Square from 7 pm onwards. […]