Asia's first artificial Sea World to come up in Konkan

Maharashtra could set itself apart from others, thanks to the state government’s announcementto set up Asia’s first ever Artificial sea world by next year. The sea world will have marine life in the artificial sea.

The state’s tourism minister stated that the feasibility report for the Sea World should be out in 6 months and that the actual work on the project will start in another six months.

As per the initial feelers, it would cost Rs150 crore to set up the artificial sea world on a 150-acre land. The plan is to urge the central government for funds once the feasibility report gives it a go-ahead. If the centre denies funds, the state would take it up with Public-Private partnership to complete it in 2 years.

The feasibility report work is entrusted to the Pune-based Science and Technology Park which signed an MoU with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in the same regard.

The report, estimated to cost the exchequer Rs27.83 lakh, will recommend Konkan as the project location. It will be between Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg to get the sea world.

Konkani Lokved Kala Sambhram at Suratkal on Apr 25

The Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy along with Catholic Sabha Mangalore Pradesh, Suratkal will conduct ‘Konkani Lokved Kala Sambram’ on Sunday April 25 at the Sacred Heart parish, Suratkal, premises.

Vittal Prabhu, former municipal councilor from Suratkal will flag-off the proceedings while Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy president Kundapur Narayan Karvi will preside over the function.

Kundapur Narayan Karvi will hold a seminar on Lokved from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm after the inaugural ceremony. Lokved arts of Konkani flavor will be performed between 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm. Krishna J Palemar, the district in-charge minister and the city mayor Rajani Dugganna will be the chief guest.

The array of performances includes Gumta singing by Charles D’Souza and group, Managalore. We also have Kudmi dance by Gopal Gowda and group and Yedapadav based Kudubi Janapad Kala Vedike. And then there is Suggi (Khareef) dance and stick performance by Narayana Vasu Marathi and group along with Fire Gymnastics by Chandrashekhar Karvi and group.

Book on Vibrant Konkani Theatre by Dr Andre Fernandes published

Tiatr Academy of Goa provided financial support to Dr André Rafael Fernandes so that his book, ‘When the curtains rise, understanding Goa's vibrant Konkani theatre’ got published.

The book is based on a PhD thesis and delves into the diverse origins of the tiatr ( also called tiatro ) and proceeds to talk about its growth. References to the early Portuguese plays are also provided. The book helps you understand the theatre scene in Goa, the cultural history of the region and the role played by the Konkani Diaspora in keeping the language vibrant.

Some rare examples are provided in the book. The front cover shows a handbill for the performance of Batcara in 1904. The characters list confirms that women participated in tiatr, even a century ago though such practice was not prevalent in other Indian theatre forms.

TAG sponsored the printing costs in full as a part of its scheme to publish tiatr related books. The book is priced reasonably so as to allow easy access to everybody.

A distinct feature of the book is that the author has published it under a Creative Commons 3.0, non-commercial license thus making it available for reproduction of the work for non-commercial purposes. The book can thus be accessible over the net also for free.