Sewage release in Mandovi and insensitive CCP

Very soon thousands of people will visit Goa at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) site at Campal Panjim. However what often goes amiss every year is the city outlet that channelizes City sewage directly into Mandovi river through St.Inez Nallah.

This release of Panjim sewage in Mandovi river waters contributes towards keeping Mandovi river perennially polluted endangering marine ecology to an enormous extent. This is one of the major sources of pollution Mandovi river along with release of sewage from Casino floating vessels in Mandovi river that spins commers of immortality known as gambling and ancillary vices.

Clam fishers of Panjim who park their canoes at Campal are amongst directly affected people due to City sewage release in Mandovi waters. It is important that this reality of Goa be brought to the attention and put on agenda of public debate.

We wonder when the Corporation of City of Panjim (CCP) will develop enough sensitivity for right now it's headed by insensitive elements and release of sewage in Mandovi waters is impeccable evidence of CCP insensitivity.

Sebastian Rodrigues 

When feelings remains without expressions

Book Review: Before I Knew I Loved You

Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Series: Before the Coffee Gets Cold #6

Published: 2024

Publishers: Pan Macmillan

The Concept

We are back in the small Tokyo cafe, Funiculi Funicula. There is one special seat there. If you sit in it and drink coffee, you can travel to the past or the future.

But the rules never change:

- You cannot change the present

- You cannot leave your seat

- You must return before the coffee gets cold

So this is not a time travel adventure. It is about closure, about saying what was left unsaid.

The Four Stories

- The Runaway: Azami ran away from home at 14. She could never bring herself to call her stepmother Yumiko "Mum." She goes back to finally say it.

- The Patient Man: Tomokazu has come to the same cafe every White Day for 7 years, waiting for a reply from the woman he loves. It is a story about love as patience.

- The Woman Afraid of Her Future: Rikako has just been diagnosed with cancer. She wants to travel forward to see what her future will look like. This is the heaviest story in the book, but also the most hopeful.

- The Student Who Misses His Father: Tsuguo lost his father when he was young. He goes back just to see him one more time.

And in between, we also get more of Kazu Tokita's story. She has blamed herself for her mother's fate as the ghost in the white dress, and she finally starts to let herself be happy.

My Take

This is not a fast thriller. It is slow, warm, and quietly heartbreaking.

Kawaguchi writes in very simple words, but the feelings are deep. Every story says the same thing in a different way:

We cannot change the past, but we can change how our heart carries it.

Read it if you:

- Have unsaid feelings for someone

- Feel like you were too late to say sorry, thank you, or I love you

- Want a quiet, cozy, emotional read

My Rating: 4.2 / 5

You can read it as a standalone, but if you start from Book 1, Kazu, Nagare, and the ghost lady will mean so much more to you.

Content Warning: Death, grief, cancer, and a car accident are mentioned. It will make your heart heavy, but it ends with hope.

Apeksha R. Tandel 

Save Water! Save Fish! Save Fishers!

Water is life. Without water, no living being can survive on this earth. Fish live in water, and fishermen live by catching fish. So if we save water, we automatically save fish and fishermen too. All three are connected to each other.

Today, water is getting polluted day by day. Factories throw dirty chemicals into rivers, people throw plastic and garbage into lakes and seas because of which the water becomes dirty and poisonous. Fish cannot live in dirty water. They die. When fish die, fishermen have no work. Their families suffer from hunger.

If we want to save fish, we must first save water. We should not throw plastic, garbage, or chemicals into rivers and seas. We should keep our lakes and ponds clean.

Saving fish is also very important. We should not catch small baby fish. We should let them grow. We should not use harmful methods like dynamite or poison to catch fish. This kills many fish at once and destroys their homes.

When we save water and fish, we save the fisherman. A fisherman depends on the sea for his living. If there are no fish, he cannot earn money. His children cannot go to school. His family cannot live happily.

So, let us all take a pledge:

Save Water, Save Fish, Save Fishers.

If we keep our water clean, fish will live happily, and fishermen will also live happily. Saving them means saving our future.

Apeksha R. Tandel

On why reading club matters

A reading club is one of the simplest and most powerful ideas in the world.

A group of people decide to read. Not for exams, not for marks, but for joy. They meet regularly, sit together, and share the love of books.

What happens in a reading club?

Usually, the format is very simple. Everyone brings their own book or they all decide to read one common book. They read silently for some time. Then they talk about what they read — what they liked, what confused them, what touched their heart.

There is no teacher, no compulsion, no judgement.

Why are reading clubs becoming popular again?

People are tired of endless scrolling. A reading club offers three things that phones cannot:

1. Focus: For one hour, your mind is with one book, not with a hundred notifications.

2. Community: You meet people you would never meet otherwise — different ages, different jobs, different thoughts — all connected by books.

3. Habit: Many people want to read but cannot stay consistent alone. When you read with others, you stay regular.

Who can join a reading club?

Anyone. A student who reads comics, a retired person who reads poetry, a young professional who reads self-help, a homemaker who reads novels. You don't need to be a fast reader or speak good English. You just need curiosity.

What does a reading club give you?

It improves your language and thinking without you even noticing. It makes you a better listener. It gives you a quiet space in a noisy week. And most importantly, it reminds you that stories still bring us together.

In every town, there should be a reading club. Because a town that reads together, grows together.

A reading club is not about finishing books. It is about not finishing the habit of reading.

Apeksha R. Tandel

Where stories meet the shore

In Honnavar, there is a sacred confluence. At Tonka, the Sharavathi River — after journeying through the Western Ghats and falling 253 meters at Jog Falls — finally meets the Arabian Sea. It is where two worlds become one.

From that very soil comes a new confluence of stories, people, and hope. Its name is Apeksha Reading Club.

Why 'Apeksha'?

Apeksha means hope, expectation, aspiration. It is the hope that in a world of endless scrolling, we can still sit together, open a book, and truly listen. The hope that our coastal town, known for its estuary, mangroves, turtles, and Yakshagana, can also be known for its readers.

Rooted in Honnavar Tonka

This club is born from Honnavar's own lessons based on reading club idea seed sowed by Loretti Pinto.

At Kasarkod Tonka beach, Olive Ridley turtles swim thousands of kilometers to return to the exact beach where they were born to lay their eggs. Fishermen like Rajesh Tandel protect them. The Forest Department and locals work together. It teaches us that stories also travel far and need a safe shore to return to.

Apeksha Reading Club wants to be that safe shore.

From Honnavar Tonka, where the river meets the sea, Apeksha Reading Club brings together different people, languages, and stories — just like the Sharavathi meets the Arabian Sea.

1. Silent Reading at Tonka: We meet near the beach, in parks, or under trees.  We read together in silence for an hour — with the sound of waves in the background.

2. Story Circles: After reading, we share. A line we loved. A folk tale from Honnavar. A memory of Idagunji or Apsarakonda.

3. Kannada First, All Languages Welcome: We celebrate Kannada — from Da Ra Bendre to Kayyara Kinhanna Rai, from Karavali folklore to modern writers — but all languages are welcome.

4. For Everyone: No fees. No age bar. No formalities. Students, fishermen,  homemakers, children — if you love a story, you belong.

Our Dream

Honnavar has always been called “untouched heaven” — for its Eco Beach, its mangroves, its Konkan Railway bridge, its temples. We dream that it will also be known as a town that reads together.

Apeksha is not just a club. It is our small promise to the next generation of Honnavar that they will have stories, beaches, and turtles; all protected together.

Apeksha Reading Club, Honnavar Tonka.

Where Stories Meet. Where River Meets Sea.

Apeksha R. Tandel

Tenure rights for SSF is the need of the hour

Raigad traditional small-scale fishers provide inputs at community led consultation; provide insights on key challenges to and reforms required to safeguard livelihoods 

Raigad district’s small-scale and traditional fishing community held the first consultation in Maharashtra for the development of the national plan of action (NPOA) to secure sustainable small-scale fisheries. Held at Sakav-Pen Praklap-Raigad on 1st of November 2026, the consultation convened small-scale fishers from fishing villages and societies in Uran (Hanuman koilwada, Uran koliwada, Kondegoan, Vindhane, Dighode) and Panvel (Belpada-Jasai, Gavhan, Diwale, Taloja, Vaghiwali, Belpada-Kopra, Kharaghar, Motha-khanda, Roadpali, Peth) block of Raigad district. 

Fishers who primarily fish in the sea using gillnets, cast net, stake net, doll-net from non-motorised and motorised boats were the main participants of the consultation. Fisherwomen involved in fishing, fish drying and fish vending also participated. This consultation is one of the most important steps in developing the national plan to secure livelihoods rights and security for small-scale fishers. This consultation is part of the process to implement the Voluntary Guidelines for Small Scale Fishers (VG-SSF) which began in 2014, as a bottom-up process by fishers to implement regionally sensitive policies and rules to protect fish resources and livelihoods. 

The consultation was divided into three thematic sessions. Session 1 focussed on defining who is a small-scale fisher, that is, to include community views on who should be included in the development plan. This would determine whose livelihoods would be protected under the NPOA. In this session, there was unanimous opinion that mechanised boats like trawlers and purse-seiners should not be included in the small-scale category. It was also clear that primarily those who were engaged in the direct act of fishing and allied activities from traditional fishing communities and members of fishing societies should be the ones included in the scope of the NPOA. 

Session 2 focussed on identifying key issues affecting fish resources and livelihoods and suggesting ways to resolve them.  A first theme focussed on the right of small-scale fishers to have legally defined secure access to fisheries resources and legal protections to prevent ongoing and future displacement. The second theme focussed on resolving conflicts in resource management, instituting community-based fisheries management plans and in turn, restoring the environment and fisheries habitats. There were two key findings that emerged from this session: the first is the near total absence of land titles to private and community lands for homesteads, recreation and fishing and allied activities. 

Second, the large-scale displacement caused by the establishment of JNPT, CIDCO, and other development projects forced fishers to relocate from their ancestral lands to unfamiliar areas, severely impacting their livelihoods, housing rights, and traditional occupational rights. Consequently, fishers demand prioritized access to the sea, strict enforcement of fishing regulations—including bans on destructive fishing practices—and a formal process for the demarcation and legal recognition of their traditional fishing territories.

Session 3 was subdivided into four themes focussed on: social development, value chain, gender and climate crisis impacts. Social development focussed on health, education, housing, social protection and occupational safety of small-scale fishers. Market linkages focussed on ways to improve the freshness of fish to provide economic boost to fishers’ livelihoods, including a focus on finance and organisations. The gender theme focussed on bringing the invisbilised labour and crucial roles of women in fishing, and inside households to the forefront, in order to improve access to schemes and finance and strengthen their participation in leadership. Finally, climate crisis focussed on tackling the impacts of and improving the ability of small-scale fishers to cope with climate events. 

The discussions once again provide insights from fishers that show the importance of the VG-SSF process since they call for a paradigm shift away from the way fisheries are currently managed. 

Due to large-scale displacement 40 years ago, small-scale fishers continue to suffer from insecure fisheries tenure, housing instability, disrupted livelihoods, and declining fish stocks caused by industrial pollution. During the last session, stakeholders emphasized that secure tenure and sustainable resource management must be prioritized. Only by securing these foundational rights can fishers harvest effectively and access markets, underscoring the deeply interconnected nature of SSF livelihood issues.

Here the fishers were clear that there was a need for securing livelihood, reducing pollution in estuaries, rights over fishing grounds, fish breeding sites in mangroves areas.

The women provided their views on a series of challenges and solutions: improving working conditions in post-harvest activities, access to healthcare, ensuring nutritional security within households, creating leadership opportunities within organisations, strengthening women’s SHGs by providing them various skills. There is also an urgent need to sensitise and change the views of society which stigmatise fisherwomen when they commute on public transport. 

Finally, climate crisis related changes call for an urgent range of interventions. While fishers provided inputs on early warning systems, on board radio and satellite communication systems and appropriate insurance schemes, they were firmly of the opinion that protection and restoration of the ecology takes precedence as the first line of action. There was also a novel suggestion made by the fishers to train fishers as climate-responders to be able to utilise local expertise while generating livelihood options.

The consultation was jointly organised by the Maharashtra Small Scale Traditional Fish Workers Union (MSSTFWU), National Federation of Small Scale Fishworkers (NFSF) and Dakshin Foundation with support from the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) BOBP (Bay of Bengal Program) and ICAR-CIFE (Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Central Institute of Fisheries Education) institutions. 

Oppressed must not become new oppressors

 

Book: Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

Originally published in 1968. Latest Indian Edition (paperback) published by Penguin Books Ltd in 2017

This book says - education should not be like putting knowledge into empty pots. Real education is a dialogue.

Freire explains two types:

1. Banking Education - Teacher knows everything, student knows nothing. Teacher deposits knowledge. This makes people silent and obedient.

2. Problem-Posing Education - Teacher and students learn together. They ask questions about their own life, their oppression, and find solutions together.

Main idea: Oppressed people must not become new oppressors. They must liberate themselves AND their oppressors through love, dialogue, and critical thinking. No one liberates anyone else, people liberate together.

Why I like it: It connects directly to small-scale fishers, children, and village work. It teaches us to not just give help, but to sit with people and think together.

Rating: 5/5 - A must-read for anyone who works with community.

Apeksha R. Tandel

Why Reading Clubs Matter More Than Just Books?

In a world full of fast videos, short messages, and endless scrolling, sitting down with a book feels like a quiet revolution. And when you do that together with others -in a reading club - it becomes even more powerful.

A reading club is not just a group of people reading the same book. It is a small community built on curiosity. Every person brings their own life experience to the same page. For example, when five people read the same story, you will get five different meanings. One person experience love, another feel loss, another sense hope. This is the magic of a reading club – it teaches us that there is never only one way to look at life.

1. Reading Makes Us Think Better

When we read regularly, our mind becomes sharper. We learn new words without trying to memorize them. We learn how to form better sentences and better thoughts. Reading for just 20 minutes a day can reduce stress, improve focus, and help us sleep better. It is like exercise for the brain. A reading club keeps this habit alive because your friends are waiting to discuss the book with you. You don't want to miss it.

2. It Builds Confidence to Speak

Many of us are shy to speak in front of others. In a reading club, everyone gets a chance to speak. There is no right or wrong answer. You can say, "I liked this character" or "I did not understand this part." Slowly, you start speaking more clearly and confidently. You learn to listen to others and respect different opinions, even if you don't agree with them.

3. It Connects People

In schools and colleges, we often stay in our own small groups. A reading club breaks those walls. Seniors, juniors, teachers, and students can all sit together as equal readers. You start friendships based on ideas, not just on age or class. In many villages and towns, reading clubs have become a place where people come together to learn about health, farming, jobs, and life skills through books.

4. How to Run a Good Reading Club

You don't need a big library or a lot of money. You just need 4-5 interested friends and one book. Here is a simple plan that works:

First, choose one book for two weeks. It can be a story, a biography, or even a newspaper article.

Second, fix one day and time every week – like Saturday evening for one hour.

Third, everyone reads at home. In the meeting, each person shares one favourite line and one question from the book.

Fourth, write down the best thoughts in a small notebook. That notebook will become your club's memory.

If you don't have books, start with free e-books, local library books, or old magazines. The important thing is to start.

In the end, a reading club does not just make you a better reader. It makes you a better thinker, a better listener, and a better friend. One book can change a day, but a reading club can change your whole way of thinking.

So, pick a book today, invite two friends, and start your own reading club. Your journey of a thousand stories begins with a single page.

Apeksha R. Tandel

SSF Consultation calls for increase in SSF fishing Zone as preferential access

Goa small-scale and traditional fishers engage in fisheries community consultation; provides vital inputs towards finalising the national plan of action to secure livelihoods

Goa’s small-scale and traditional fishing community held the second consultation in the state for the development of the national plan of action (NPOA) to secure sustainable fisheries. Held in Odxel, Tiswadi on the 24th of October, the consultation convened small-scale fishers from in North Goa district. Fishing communities whose livelihoods are engaged in estuarine and marine waters participated with representation from fishers using rampons (shore seines), gill-nets, stake nets, oyster and shell fish collection as well as those involved in fish vending and auctioning. A few fisherwomen involved in fishing, fish processing and fish vending also participated. This consultation is one of the most important steps in developing the national plan to secure livelihoods rights and security for small-scale fishers. This consultation is part of the process to implement the Voluntary Guidelines for Small Scale Fishers (VG-SSF) which began in 2014, as a bottom-up process by fishers to implement regionally sensitive policies and rules to protect fish resources and livelihoods. 

The consultation was divided into three thematic sessions. Session 1 focussed on defining who is a small-scale fisher, that is, to include community views on who should be included in the development plan. This would determine whose livelihoods would be protected under the NPOA. In this session, there was unanimous opinion that mechanised boats like trawlers and purse-seiners should not be included in the small-scale category. It was also clear that primarily those who were engaged in the direct act of fishing and allied activities should be the ones included in the scope of the NPOA. Goa specific traditional methods of fishing like cast nets, futtani, Kumle, cholonni, oyster and shellfish collection were highlighted as small - scale, sustainable fisheries practices.

Session 2 focussed on identifying key issues affecting fish resources and livelihoods and suggesting ways to resolve them. A first theme focussed on the right of small-scale fishers to have legally defined secure access to fisheries resources and legal protections to prevent ongoing and future displacement. The second theme focussed on resolving conflicts in resource management, instituting community-based fisheries management plans and in turn, restoring the environment and fisheries habitats. In this session, fishers were vocal that violations of the Coastal Regulation Zone notification (CRZ) and the non-finalisation of the CZMPs were the two primary reasons for displacement and threats to livelihoods. As a result, the expansion of tourism, development projects and ports on the shore is squeezing fishers on land, while bottom trawling in no-go zones, dredging, water sport boats and effluent discharge is affecting fish resources at sea. Lack of proactive support and training from authorities was highlighted as a cause for concern. The discussion during the day provides a clear path to achieve livelihood security: rolling back the dilutions of the CRZ process, curbs on destructive mechanised fishing, regulation of tourist boats, enforcement of fisheries regulations, preferential access to resources at sea, extension of exclusive small scale fishing zones from 5km to 15km, protection fishing breeding sites and demarcation of post-harvest spaces on land. Together these point to an urgent need to implement a ‘Fishers Rights Act’ to achieve the aims and objectives of the SSF guidelines. A clear demand that all  fisher related issues (especially those operating 18-20ft boats) to be handled by the Fisheries department was raised. Fishers demanded that subsidies should match inflation rates and actual expenses. The licensing regime for different sectors should give preference to Goa’s traditional fishers first. Participants unanimously stressed on the need for experiential learning opportunities for students and young adults to understand the ecosystems and traditional fisher occupations. 

Session 3 was subdivided into four themes focussed on: social development, value chain, gender and climate crisis impacts. Social development focussed on health, education, housing, social protection and occupational safety of small-scale fishers. Market linkages focussed on ways to improve the freshness of fish to provide economic boost to fishers livelihoods, including a focus on finance and organisations. The gender theme focussed on bringing the invisibilised labour and crucial roles of women in fishing and inside households to the forefront, in order to improve access to schemes and finance and strengthen their participation in leadership. Finally, the climate crisis focussed on tackling the impacts of and improving the ability of small-scale fishers to cope with climate events. 

The discussions once again provided insights from fishers that show the importance of the VG-SSF process since they call for a paradigm shift away from the way fisheries are currently managed. At fish landing centres, fish markets and in net making and fish processing areas, access to hygienic and sanitation facilities is urgently needed, especially for women. To be able to access markets appropriately, issues of resource management and secure tenure must be ensured first. It is only after securing these that fishers will be able to catch the appropriate fish and sell them in markets, bringing into spotlight the interconnectedness of SSF livelihoods issues. The women provided their views on a series of challenges and solutions: improving working conditions in post-harvest activities, ensuring nutritional security within households, creating leadership opportunities within organisations, crafting new women' s collectives and upskilling in value-addition and marketing skills. There is also an urgent need to acknowledge the value of the role of women in the household and to support fisherwomen’s mental health needs. Finally, climate crisis related changes call for an urgent range of interventions. While fishers provided inputs on early warning systems and insurance schemes, they were firmly of the opinion that protection and restoration of the ecology takes precedence as the first line of action. They sought timely weather warnings and comprehensive insurance. 

The consultation was locally facilitated by the National Federation of Small Scale Fishworkers on behalf of the Bay Of Bay Program-Inter Governmental Organization (BOBP-IGO). Representatives from the Goa state Department of Fisheries were present at the consultation. Goa’s traditional fishworkers union representatives from All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) participated in the consultation. The previous consultation for South Goa district was held on the 17th of October 2026. 

A Little Book About Art

This book is from the Orange Hippo! "Little Books" series. The idea of the series is simple - take a big topic like Art, Philosophy, Love, and make it small, beautiful and giftable. It's a 2025 publication by OH an imprint of headline publishing group limited

 

1. What is this book really about?

It's not a history of art. It will not teach you when Picasso was born or how to mix colors.

 

It is a collection of wisdom. The editor has collected 100+ best thoughts about art from the last 500 years - from painters, writers, photographers, designers.

 

The central question is: What is art? Why do we need it?

 

You will find answers like:

> "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." - Edgar Degas

> "Every artist was first an amateur." - Emerson

> "Creativity is contagious, pass it on." - Einstein

 

2. How is it made?

- Size: Very small, palm-sized. You can carry it in your bus bag.

- Design: Hardcover. Your cover photo with Winsor & Newton GRIFFIN paint tubes is the best part. Inside, each quote is on a separate page with a different color background.

- Language: Very easy English. Most quotes are 10-15 words only. Perfect for your daily English practice that you mentioned.

 

3. Detailed Review

Point Rating Comment

Look & Feel  5/5 Looks like a piece of art on your shelf

Content 4/5 Inspiring, but some quotes are repeated from the internet

For Learning 5/5 Best for English learners and beginners in art

Value for Money 4/5 Small book for ~Rs. 400-500, but worth it as a gift

Pros:

- You can open any page and start reading. No need to read from page one.

- It gives you confidence. It tells you art is for everyone, not just for professionals.

- It is a great conversation starter. If guests come to your home and see this book scattered on the table, they will pick it up.

 

Cons:

- If you are looking for deep knowledge or techniques of painting, this book has nothing.

- No pictures of famous paintings inside, only text.

 

4. Final Verdict

This is a tea-time book. Keep it where your books and pens get scattered when you are not at home. Read one quote with your tea. Think about it for 2 minutes.

 

It will slowly make you an aesthete - a person who loves beauty.

 

My Overall Score: 4.3 / 5 Stars

 

Apeksha R. Tandel