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Time of India
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Almost 90 young teams get taste of competitive b'ball
The organisers said their aim was to 'give children a taste of basketball and get coached to become skilled players later Panaji: The All-Goa Fr. Benedict Furtado basketball tournament in under-10, U-12, U-14, U-16 and U-17 age group categories, organised by Don Bosco Oratory, Panaji. was a major success with almost 90 teams from across the state taking part. This is for the first time that a five-a-side basketball tournament with league matches was held for under-10 and under-12 categories. The organisers said their aim was to 'give children a taste of basketball and get coached to become skilled players later.' Br. James Marcus, director of the Don Bosco Oratory, felicitated senior officials Olencio Dias and Luis Fernandes for their contribution to the sport. The tournament was named after Fr. Benedict Furtado, a priest who introduced basketball in Goa. He built the first basketball court in Panaji and was the first president of the Goa Basketball Association (GBA). Results: U-10 category (mixed): Winners: Loyola (A), Margao; runnersup: Loyola (B), Margao; best player: Varian Caeiro (Loyola A); most disciplined player: Ishanvi Chintis (Don Bosco, Panaji); U-12 girls: winners: Don Bosco, Fatorda; runnersup: Don Bosco Oratory, Panaji; best player: Eva Mascarenhas (DBO, Fatorda); most disciplined player: Elaine do Rosario (DBO, Panaji); U-12 boys: winners: Loyola, Margao; runnersup: Don Bosco, Fatorda; best player: Adriel Rosario (Loyola); most disciplined player: Tanay Rane; U-14 girls: winners: DBO, Fatorda; runnersup: DBO, Panaji: best player: Natalie Fernandes (DBO, Fatorda); U-14 boys: winners: Don Bosco HS, Panaji; runnersup: Loyola, Margao; best player: Fahim Shaikh (DBHS, Panaji); U-16 girls: Sonics A; runnersup: DBO, Fatorda A; best player: Kim D'Souza (Sonics A); under-16 boys: winners: DBO, Panaji; runnersup: DBO Fatorda; best player: Avner Mendonca (DBO, Panaji); U-17 girls: winners: Sonics A; runnersup: DBO, Panaji; best player: Enira Fernandes (Sonics A); U-17 boys: DBO, Fatorda; runnersup: DBO, Panaji; best player: Aaron Ponraj (DB0, Fatorda).
Gulf Weekly
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Weekly
Stories in sound
A sound, story and shape-shifting musical project by Bahrain-based creative Sean Aaron Fernandes has dropped three new tracks earlier this month. Sean, under his artist name 'Monsoon for Two' has released his side project Byculla Video Club's three newest tracks - Feel So Pt 1, Eat You Alive and Margao. Known for blurring the lines between genre, narrative and sound design, Sean treats each song as a self-contained 'videotape' in a growing library of sonic episodes. With this new drop, the Byculla Video Club (BVC) is making its boldest mission statement: storytelling through sound that refuses to stay still. 'Each track is its own short film, really,' the Indian creative architect behind the project, told GulfWeekly. 'A song isn't just a vibe – it's a scene, a memory, a moment. That's what the Video Club is for.' Emerging from the atmospheric, experimental leanings of Sean's project Monsoon for Two, Byculla Video Club has evolved into something less like a band and more like a creative ecosystem. The 'video club' in the name isn't just nostalgic kitsch; it's a structural metaphor. Each release functions like an old VHS cassette – distinct in tone and aesthetic, yet part of an ongoing archive. 'The idea was to keep making different music without being tied down to any single genre,' Sean explains. 'So every song becomes a tape, and the BVC is the library. That freedom to shift styles is baked into the concept.' Indeed, previous releases have bounced across indie, funk, folk, disco, and ambient electronica, with new tracks promising further sonic experimentation. Eat You Alive leans heavily into orchestral and electronic elements, and was written within a day, drawing inspiration from one of Sean's previous relationships. Meanwhile Margao explores lush cinematic textures, inspired by Sean's grandmother's home in Goa, India. Feel So was written when Sean was facing an existential crisis and the loss of his first job. The project is deeply collaborative, drawing in artists from across Bahrain and Saudi Arabia within an open door ethos. Frequent collaborators include local mainstays like Gofer, Pineapples, Sugar Rey, Neon Sfynx, Abhinaya and Ronald Shera, who also plays keys and sings in the live band. 'There's no gatekeeping here,' Sean added. 'If someone has a sound, a voice, or even just an idea - they're welcome. It can get chaotic, but that chaos is part of the magic.' The core live band includes Ryan James on bass, Ryan John on drums, Sunny Salis on guitars and Abhinaya on vocals – anchoring the project's swirling collaborations into something tangible for the stage. Their live debut at Over 338 during the Hive series flipped through a mixtape of eras and emotions. What sets Byculla Video Club apart isn't just the genre-bending sound but the immersive sense of storytelling embedded within each track. Songs don't merely express emotion. They frame it like scenes in a film, 'scoring the movie in your head'. This cinematic impulse is no accident. Sean grew up surrounded by stories – some inherited, some imagined. Even the name 'Byculla', a reference to his father's upbringing in a gritty Mumbai neighbourhood, serves as a kind of mythic anchor for the project. 'I've never even been there,' Sean admits, 'but the name just stuck with me. It's a memory I never had but still carry.' With more than 30 tracks already recorded, the most recent releases are just the next few shelves in an ever-expanding library. In the world of Byculla Video Club, every song is a story waiting to be played, and rewound.
Time of India
06-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
In 10 years, Goa loses a fifth of its tree cover
Margao: The state has lost over a fifth or 22% of its tree cover in recent years. Centre's data shows that Goa's tree cover peaked at 334sqkm in 2010-11, but fell to 258sqkm by 2021-22 — a loss of 76sqkm over a decade. This represents a 22.8% drop from the peak coverage. According to the latest data released by the Union ministry of statistics and programme implementation in the 'EnviStats India 2025: Environment Statistics' report, Goa's tree cover peaked at 334sqkm in 2010-11, but declined to just 258sqkm by 2021-22 — a loss of 76sqkm over a decade. This represents a 22.8% reduction from the peak coverage. The data shows a significant initial recovery period from 2000 to 2010-11, when tree cover expanded from a mere 62sqkm to 334sqkm — a more than five-fold increase. However, this positive trend reversed sharply after 2010-11, with consistent year-on-year losses. The steepest decline occurred between 2015-16 and 2017-18, when tree cover dropped from 323sqkm to 272sqkm — a loss of 51sqkm in just two years. Experts said this period coincides with increased development pressures and infrastructure expansion across the state. The current tree cover of 258sqkm represents approximately 7% of Goa's total area of 3,702sqkm. Activists have already been calling for immediate action to reverse this trend and protect the remaining green cover in the state. The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 released by the Union environment ministry in Dec showed that from 2021 to 2023, Goa's total forest cover came down by 1.50sqkm or 150ha. Goa's total forest cover now stands at 2, loss of forest cover was higher in North Goa at 90ha, besides a loss of 60ha of forest cover in South Goa. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
