6 The Lowdown The Lowdown On the face of it at least, it seems like a good idea. A jacket that stuns would-be attackers. The big issue, of course, is what if it stuns nice people, too. The creators of the anti-rape stun jacket ‘Touch Me Not’ tell Streets in this edition that they have all those issues under control – and that this can be a wonderful tool for women braving the dangerous streets of India. Read our cover story, and decide for yourself. On these pages, as always we bring you stories about food and nightlife and music and art – accompanied by all you need to know to have a terrific time in Goa during the rains. Don’t miss our piece on unusual monsoon destinations with breathtaking views, or our story on some wonderful Konkani films, both old and new, or our article on how animals are being used to cure ills of all kinds. We also tell you about some amazing young people who are walking a ‘road less travelled’ by exploring many career options before settling on any particular one. Also be sure to read about what happened when our photographer headed to the funky house of Goan cartoon guru Alexyz. We’d also like to bring your attention to our story on Art Escape’s Live Music Project and their efforts to bring the local music scene to a new level. These are beautiful green days in Goa, even if they’re also wet. We hope you enjoy our offerings in Streets this week and every week! The Goa Streets Team From page 5 Art Escape, which organised the event, is a back-to-basics Eco Art Resort, an arts hub, an innovation centre and a knowledge sharing and ‘experiential’ platform, run by a highly innovative set of people. It’s an initiative driven by experienced professionals who have a passion for all forms of creative arts and believe in bringing interesting people together to collaborate, learn and then share with individuals and communities. The Art Escape venue in South Goa is closed during the monsoons, but they hold events elsewhere – including this marvellous evening at Baywatch. The team is made up of Darryl (graphic designer, branding expert and artist), Vinesh (architect and researcher), Deepak (Industrial Designer and Innovator), Carol (a graduate of hospitality management). All have come together to create something unique in Goa. The June 21 event was one of some 400 shows they’ve hosted so far. On this World Music Day, I managed to have a word with Vinesh Iyer as he moved around the tables
and greeted old friends. “This is what it is about,” he said, “not about any specific genres, not about any specific style. It’s just music at its best.” More people kept pouring into the restaurant and just about then there was a beautiful addition. Yograj Naik, sitar maestro from Goa, jammed up with the band, and immediately commanded attention from every soul present. Elvis, with his funky licks, and Yograj, with his contemporary ragas, did a little musical face-off which was very groovy. The evening had one more treat in store. Edwin Fernandes, a well-known guitarist from Goa now based in Delhi, played with Elvis Lobo for the first time in 10 years. The two maestros played some awesome licks from jazz to blues and rock’n’roll. Joe Ferrao did an unbelievable job on the bass guitar, keeping up with Yograj and then Edwin. Being a drummer myself, I couldn’t help but just stare at Dennis Coelho on drums and admire the versatility of his drumming. Look out for the Live Music Project Events every Saturday at Baywatch!
Goa Streets invites everyone to a ‘Tweet-Up’ this Friday, July 12th, from 6 pm to 7 pm at our office on Chogm Road, Sangolda.
See you there!
To save on water bills, some take monsoon showers literally