Rural Celebrities

Goan for the Jocular
by Cecil Pinto
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Journalist ETHEL D'COSTA started the trend, in Goa, of
writing about celebrity parties using BOLD and CAPITAL
letters for people's names. Rather like shouting.
MARGARET MASCARENHAS took it a step further by naming
all her new-found neighbours in Madel, Tivim, in her
excellent column 'Urban Goenkar' in Goa Today. Can be
quite frustrating for common folk like me who:
(a) Don't ever get invited to these celebrity dos and
(b) Don't live in Madel, Tivim.

I'm going to write about one of the rare parties I got
invited to and hopefully many more invitations will
follow.

On 22nd February - there was just one party worth
going to in Goa - if you were invited, that is. The
wedding party of KENNETH RIBEIRO (ex-Ucassaim) and his
lovely Danish wife SOPHIE. Yes she's actually from
Denmark.
They met a few months back at a cybercafe in Panjim
and after a whirlwind romance got married in Denmark
and are now back holidaying in Goa.
Hopefully that last sentence should revive the sagging
cybercafe business in Panjim.

The small party was held at JOHNAS CORREIA's house in
Carona, Aldona. Built in the post colonial style of
pre-Portuguese architectural….. I can't do this! It's
just a nice big old Goan house. FRANKIE ALVARES was
one of the first guests to arrive who along with
Danish architecture student ANDREAS, a friend of
Sophie's, put up the series lights and some crepe
paper buntings. The party slowly swung into action by
about 9 p.m.

GORDON LOBO was his usual exuberant self, mixing
cocktails, which involved putting something, that
resembled cabbage leaves, in everyone's glasses.
His talkative wife FLAVIA was the self appointed
photographer for the evening and was all over the
place with her compact fixed focus Minolta.
Aldona's celebrated photographer HESTON SEQUEIRA was
present but without his camera. But his bald head
provided enough reflected light from Flavia's camera
flash. TONY FERNANDES compered the function with a
mike connected to the CD player. KENNEDY & TINA
PEREIRA were down from Kuwait with their lovely three
month old CHILD. It can be most embarrassing when you
can't remember a child's name, or whether it's a boy
or girl. "How's the little one?" is a safe bet in such
circumstances. Then play it by ear depending on the
response.
After enough drinks had been served an impromptu toast
was raised by JOHNAS CORREIA (I've highlighted his
name twice so far. He owes me big-time now).
This was the cue for STEVE RIBEIRO to sing one of his
operatic songs.
FORTUNATO & LIRA PINTO were present too but
fortunately there was no ballroom music playing and so
they could not give one of their dancing demos.
Fortunato sang a humorous ditty which paved the way
for a lot of lively, and suggestive Mandos and Party
songs which everyone joined in and Tony accompanied
with his box-guitar.

Kenneth's brother DJ YURI turned up later in the night
with his sensationally beautiful GIRLFRIEND (I was
introduced but was too awestruck at the time - plus
Gordon's cocktails were taking effect). Yuri was
cajoled into playing some of his CDs which were then
immediately rejected and the Mandos started again.
Sophie's tall, sexy Danish friend, CAN'T REMEMBER
HER NAME, sang a Danish love song which everyone
appreciated but nobody understood. With a figure like
that you don't need to sing to be appreciated. Just
be!

BRUNO FERNANDES was there with his WIFE. So was
GREGORY CARVALHO and WIFE with RITA their charming
daughter. ERIC & LYDIA D'SOUZA too seemed to be having
a good time with Gordon's concoctions. Delicious grub
was prepared by DIMI and his ASSISTANT (How does Ethel
remember all the names at the parties she attends?
Must be keeping sober and going around with a
notepad). Kenneth's mother MARGE and lovely sister
TANYA were present but not doing much interacting
(read drinking!). GORDON and FLAVIA LOBO were all over
the place. Mentioned them already? So what? I did say
it was a 'small' party.

Must say Kenneth has come a long way from throwing up
at parties to throwing a good party. Keep in mind that
I attended the party with my ever smiling wife
BEATRICE and sons DESMOND & FABIAN. We were given
extra special attention because we had carried along a
huge gift. REMO FERNANDES, MICHELLE, SANJEET
RODRIGUES (who lives close by in Carona), WENDELL
RODRICKS, JEROME, COLIN CURRY, DONNA, ETHEL D'COSTA &
MARGARET MASCARENHAS were not even invited! So there!

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The humour column above appeared in Goa Plus,
the Friday Magazine section of The Times of India,
on 7th March 2003.
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