Happy Birthday Mangalorean.com!
Like a strong citadel that needs sturdy and dependable building blocks, Mangalorean.com owes all its strength to its readers, contributors, supporters and team members. Theirs are the hands that work and at times some of those voices are more often than not, either muffled or not heard. For a change, this time we sent out e-mails closer to home and asked many of our regular readers and writers to express their feelings about Mangalorean.com. What attracted them to this site, what made them send in their contributions, what made them remain committed contributors and team members? Simply put, what made Mangalorean.com so special to them?
The responses we received have made us even more aware of the responsibility that lies on our shoulders. We welcome the suggestions for improvement and thank you all for the well wishes and words of encouragement. There are many of our supporters out there who may not have written here, but who have always been with us throughout the inception of Mangalorean.com. We thank all of you for your constant support. Please do continue to be our building blocks and we promise to raise our citadel even higher with your help. — Roshan D’Souza and Queenie Mendonca
In Alphabetical order
Agnel Pereira, Bahrain – The journey of a thousand miles that began with a step!
How special is Mangalorean.com for me? To examine this, I would like to tell you a small story.
Sam was born in, and lived with, a small family in a small town, in his happy-go-lucky neighbourhood and in a religiously active community. He had no access to any electronic gadgets or media at his childhood and all that he did was to read local newspaper to get some knowledge. As television era set in, he was naturally attracted to it, for his wants of entertainment and information. Then the time came for him to stand on his feet, to earn his livelihood and to bring up a new family similar to the family to which he had belonged. As he found his small town not growing enough to meet his needs, he left his cozy & quiet hometown, and settled down in a big city of an alien country and in alien surroundings among people from multi cultural background.
The electronic revolution grew, the electronic media marched ahead, but all of this barely managed to satisfy his ultimate needs. He wanted to be involved in every contentious issue by commenting and expressing his views. He wanted to put his education and abilities to good use by involving himself on his passions. He wanted to earn a little comfort for his kids, but not forget the sweet smell of soil of his hometown. All those glorious moments spent in his childhood were in his mind – the ethnic dishes, the abundance of nature following a windfall of monsoons and a variety of juicy tropical fruits – which would make him homesick at every instance. Through all this, he just wondered how he could balance his desires with the comforts of the family, without having to leave his country of current residence, nor having to be away from his own hometown.
Until one day, Sam stumbled upon a website that represented his hometown, Mangalore. . A moment that took him back to those very same magical moments all at once. Here was a website that aimed at fulfilling his desires, yet enable him to live happily in his workplace. A website which will unite all those who had left their hometown for more or less the same reasons, but wanted to be reunited for precisely that one reason! Of belonging to a community. And at no cost! Something that no invention or discovery could achieve in the past! The chain of events at Mangalorean.com continues from Australia & New Zealand as the day starts there, even before the sun has set on the Americas bringing an end to the previous day, and in between, everything that concerns our everyday life gets featured on this tiny place called mangalorean.com.
I am in no way different than this Sam and I guess most of you would feel similar. I just can’t find enough words to state how special and how important this website has been for me. It has provided me an opportunity to know so many individuals and families, to meet them and to establish a close knit contact with them, which was not possible by staying back in Mangalore. It has also helped me to improve my knowledge and abilities by reading and reviewing the thoughts expressed by people from multiple skill-set, religions, caste & creed and culture, though all hailing from one community called Mangaloreans. It has also provided me an opportunity to utilize my childhood ambition of writing, albeit on an amateur basis. However, I only have one problem with this website – a good problem to have – the problem of plenty! The load full of rich content on the website has been too much for me to digest and sadly, I haven’t managed to keep pace with it. Fortunately, thanks to the archiving capability of this website, I can just sit and relax in front of the website when I find a little extra time.
There have been two individuals who are responsible for all of this and I don’t need to mention their names. While we thought of getting connected to fellow Mangaloreans distributed over the globe, these two individuals thought a little deeper than that. They thought of keeping a few of their community people together by starting this website – if one may ask, did they know what it will grow to be just in 4 years? Overwhelming answer would be ‘No’. They have a livelihood of their own, a family to take care and full time jobs to handle, yet they have not ceased their efforts despite the exponential growth of readers, contributors and after all, the rich material. The two of them, ably encouraged by their families, did not stop improvising and reaching almost the pinnacle of quality standards, despite their work overload. Thousands of people around the globe are visitors of this website on a daily basis. It’s not a secret at all to say that some even start their day with this website and go to sleep with mangalorean.com open, and then wake up in the middle of the night to see fresh updates.
And the two webmasters satisfy them all the time, because they never sleep!
Thank you and God bless you dear webmasters, happy birthday mangalorean.com and long live Mangalorean flair.
Austin Prabhu, USA – All that’s beautiful is definitely M.com!
I love nature and art and also I am an artist. Flowers, stars, beautiful people attracts me because they make me happy!
Four years ago when Queenie told me that there will be a new website from Mangaloreans, I was thrilled to hear her say. She said she met one guy through Internet and now they want to come up with a new portal for Mangaloreans worldwide. First I did not believe her what she was talking about! Then when she showed me the trial page, I was stunned to see and I just promised her that whatever way I can help them, my help will be there.
When I saw this site – for the first time, I was very much attracted to this site because of its design, display and various contents to read and enjoy. Gradually this portal became part of my life just like having a breakfast early in the morning. I couldn’t miss visiting this site several times a day even at work.
Due to Roshan – our webmaster’s web design experience and knowledge he is able to make this site like a bride – attractive. Many experienced writers started contributing to this site and now this site has become very popular worldwide.
Roshan knows how to encourage people to write and take active part to make this site palatable to all sorts of people throughout the world. Because of him I started writing Kannada and Tulu poems for the first time on this site. So far Roshan published almost 140 of my poems and I am very thankful to him for this gesture.
Any news – Mangalorean, Indian or Worldwide, it comes with beautiful photographs with the help of Team Mangalorean writers and photographers. R. K. Bhat in Mangalore has become magnificent in his day to day reporting. He had brought new spices to this site with his powerful photographs.
Even though I am busy with my work, lions activities, etc., without visiting this site I cannot relax. Actually my relaxation is just visiting this site and reading and sometimes replying to EYT Column, which recently become very popular with hot issues. Now idea of having ClubMangalorean.Com worldwide is really an excellent idea by our popular Vox Populi – Rajanikanth Shenoy – a born writer and a creative artist.
I cannot name all great contributors who make this site so popular and attractive. I just tell them with my sincere heart – Thank You for making my day wonderful every time I visit this site.
And finally, Roshan and Queenie – you guys are great people in our Mangalorean Community to provide us with this beautiful Mangalorean.Com. We all owe you a lot!
Bert Naik, Australia – Making global networking possible!
Internet has changed the way we interact with the world, and has brought enormous benefits to people everywhere.
But Internet by itself does not mean much. It is the dedicated people behind the websites, especially those websites that can be described as community websites, that have made global networking among people possible.
Roshan, assisted by Queenie in editing, has provided such a website to Mangaloreans scattered around the globe.
My sincere thanks to both for spending so much of their personal time and resources to bring joy to many. Mangalorean.Com, through its EYT section, has helped me express my thoughts on various matters. I have been fortunate through Mangalorean.Com to read the contributions of so many people.
Here’s wishing Mangalorean.Com many more years of community building!
Brian Santhumayor, USA – Re-connecting to Mangalore and how!
Today, Mangalorean.com completes a very important milestone – its 4th year Anniversary. This is a big achievement for Mangalorean.com, which started off modestly in May 2003, but has grown by leaps and bounds in its 4 years of existence. The portal now has a very large and loyal base of readers from all around the world who devour all the wonderful news and features.
As an avid reader and a news contributor, Mangalorean.com is special to me cause it gives me a very holistic view of Mangalore and our dynamic community who live around the world. As I read the portal, it evokes nostalgia and I reminisce of the wonderful days I spent growing up in Mangalore. Today, living far away from Mangalore among the 1.7 million Indians living in America, I always yearn to read news about Mangalore and also sharing information with the broader audience. The portal covers a broad spectrum of topics that includes news, subhashai, entertainment, matrimonial etc. Hence it has become a strong cultural bridge and a common news platform for Mangaloreans worldwide.
Through the Mangalorean.com portal, I have re-connected with a lot of my friends from college and Mangalore who are living in different parts of the world. It is wonderful to read about the achievements of Mangaloreans in so many diverse fields. As Mangalorean.com enters its 5th year since inception, I encourage more readers to contribute to the portal and also connect with fellow Mangaloreans around the world in a true spirit of community. A big congratulation to the Mangalorean.com team who have worked real hard each day to bring us the news and topics that our readers are passionate about. I wish the team success moving forward and I look forward to connecting with fellow Mangaloreans around the world.
Chris Rego, UAE – Lonely no more!
Why is Mangalorean.com special to me? Well, that’s an easy one I reckon, as to me, being stuck bang in the middle of the sea, I wouldn’t be far away from the truth to say it’s my virtual umbilicus with what transpires in the place of my roots.
Moreover, it goes a stride beyond just that in the sense that it is synonymous with vibrancy & fosters a sense of belonging no matter how vast the expanse of sea between me and home. I have oft perceived a feeling of d?j? vu as I’ve browsed through the various snippets and pictures of events from back-home.
The unique features of Voices, Travelogue and Pots n Paints are ideal platforms for outstanding people to showcase and nurture their talents, budding or established, to a larger audience by and large. And the feather in the M.com cap – EYT, the veritable pulse of M.com, where all and sundry can vent some steam and have their say about any issues or almost anything under the sun with nary a worry!
To recapitulate, M.com is down-to-earth and grounded firm in reality – an epitome of ‘vox populi vox Dei’. No self-praise and worship site, this! To me, it speaks volumes by giving its all while asking for nothing in return. No wonder that it has had the wannabe’s and Great Pretenders ducking for cover! There is something in it for everyone and you don’t even have to be from Mangalore to have your say! Now, isn’t that something?
On the joyous juncture of the 4th year since inception, my congratulations to the brains behind Mangalorean.com – those indefatigable people who toil behind the scenes to maintain this site ticking over smooth as precision clockwork. I wish M.com all the very best in all their future endeavours and on behalf of all on M.com convey well-deserved accolades via this small ode:
Just a vision of four years ago
Emerging from a mere thoughts shadow
And amidst all odds proudly standing tall
The fruit of that thought is now our windfall
‘Voices’ echo – they carry loud and far
And EYT – the place to learn some savoir
With Travelogue to hold us forever in enthrall
Viva La M.com – THE site for one and all
Deepak Pereira, Oman – Unbeatable picture quality on M.com
Mangalorean.com is very special to me as it is a platform to showcase my talents as a photographer. Photography started as a hobby with me and I have sent my pictures to other websites as well. However I prefer to be associated with M.com as there is a lot of appreciation and encouragement from the readers and the keyword on this website is quality. For this we have to thank Roshan and Queenie who work hard to maintain that high standard on the site. It is a joy to see high quality photographs when they are attached to high quality write ups. We work as a team in Oman and help out each other and its great to see other team members in other places like Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar etc also supporting each other.
I think Mangalorean.com will rise to even greater heights in the years to come. Every year I see new features, new columns and many more talents joining the site. I wish our webmaster and his team all the very best on this great day and assure him of my support always. Three cheers for M.com.
Diana M. Lewis, USA – Nurturing Mangalorean identity and culture!
As a US born daughter of Mangalorean immigrants, the crisis of identity is often far more complex than most parents can imagine. Transitioning from childhood to young adulthood often becomes a grueling test of allegiance. As we mature, we are constantly asking ourselves: "To whom de we owe our allegiance?"
What makes this question so difficult to answer is that we embody so many disparate schools of thought: the liberalism of our parents’ chosen country of residence contrasted with the conservatism of our Indian ancestors. Our anglicized surnames and belief in a monotheistic deity deeply contrasted with the sepia tone of our eyes and skin.
We are burdened by trying to bridge the chasm between these diverse ideologies and so, we stretch our boundaries across fathomless oceans that prevent us from diving too deep for answers; if we ever arrive at the ocean floor, our lungs will collapse and if we stay afloat, our bodies will fail to ever be immersed by the truth.
Throughout this identity crisis, there are two basic needs that we all try to fulfill and that is to speak and to be heard. Often, the second-generation voice is not heard at all, and if it is, the words are muffled and misunderstood under a critical Indian lens. As we seek to be understood, we desperately look for ways to speak out so that the world listens and takes note.
For many of us, offers a chance to be heard. In a world in which so many Indian voices are heard with fervent passion, the Punjabi voice, the Gujurati voice, the Bengali voice, etc, the Mangalorean voice has historically been stifled. Many of our ancestors fought long and hard to practice a faith that was not acknowledged by the majority. We have a history of oppression and suppression, of unheard voices that have surrendered into obscurity through a number of things, including conquest, illiteracy and discrimination. We cannot afford to repeat history.
As globalization and the Mangalorean diaspora becomes normalized, the urgency of a worldwide cultural forum takes utmost priority, particularly for the next generation. Every great civilization has carved out a space to be heard and for the Mangalorean voice to be heard and preserved; we too, must carve out such a space. We require a platform that allows any Mangalorean, whether living in Mangalore itself or Dubai, Sydney, New York or London to speak out loudly and powerfully. The virtual carving out of this web space, , literally makes us the master of our domain. And, for those so us who belong to the second-generation, it is of special comfort to know that we can be nourished and healed through freedom of expression.
Mangalorean.com offers unlimited possibilities for its members to take part in the worldwide cultural forum; this website’s importance lies in the power of user-generated content. This website allows people like me, the granddaughter of Mangalorean coconut and rice farmers, now living thousands of miles away from the point where my lineage started to engage in the world-at-large and to seek to understand my ancestor’s culture as well as to be understood by my elders. By reading and participating in this forum, the identity crisis that can often times be so overwhelming is somehow suddenly pacified as crisis transforms into cultural consciousness and celebration.
Divakar Shenoy, Mangalore – Variety on M.com has become the spice of his life
Mangalorean.Com is a TONIC for me. It attracts me with latest news much before I read local newspapers.
It is like an INTOXICATION. I started EYTing during the last week of October last year. Since then, it has become a part of my daily life.
Mangalorean.Com brought in for me very good friends, generous thoughts, wonderful poems, special Konkani ones, jokes, travelogues, cricket, viewpoints, scientific thinking and a good store of them.
Whenever I am free, I just go to the EYT pages of yester years and find different view points on different issues. Morals apart, the right and the wrong, charities, golden days of yester years, films, songs, poems, social issues, civilian issues, roads, street dogs, cats and pets, traffic and police, international issues of war and peace and the list goes on.
If I am tired or bored, I just open the jokes section and go back and look in the stores. We have a wonderful collection of jokes. I read and laugh all alone first and then I tell the joke with some more masala and action to my wife and children to keep them in good humour. How nice it is to laugh and get laughed at! My friends too get the pleasure of laughter.
The easy and best way to greet someone special is provided in Subhashai. To cook we have the kitchen.
Mangalorean.Com is the best of sites I have come across. Everything under one roof. I sincerely thank the creator for giving us wonderful books, dictionary, encyclopaedia and people for reference.
If there is GOD, I wish He gives eternal life to Mangalorean.Com for the good of mankind. Let me also wish Team Mangalorean the high steam and spirit to maintain the site and to always be at the TOP.
Donald D’Silva, Mumbai – In true Bollywood style!
I have my reasons which I hold close to my heart. I totally agree with the Konkani speaking populace that Managaloren.com is a new age portal. Indeed! Still, the old and the graceful are totally in awe of it! It has all the ingredients: Breaking news, soft news items. Routine affairs, fun, current happenings, poetry, various articles in Konkani, Tulu, Kannada languages. The portal’s quality is very impressive. I am totally surprised, how 4 years passed so fast! Still! With all my intelligence, I am not ready to believe that a young and bright M.com has turned into a veteran. Me thinks, time passes fast.
It’s just yesterday that a young and intelligent entrepreneur, Roshan D’ Souza saw a beautiful dream in his sleep. He woke up and created M.Com. Little did anyone realize that this very Konkani portal he created will be so popular one day all over the world, that he will be an icon! Yes, a reluctant one indeed. Without the fanfare! He has been strengthened by his better half, who is an ace in writing travelogues. We definitely should not forget the Editor, who happens to be a world renowned carving artiste ?will never leave any vegetables from the garden of Eden?! Carve and present the fruits and melons in a beautiful way is the slogan?she seems to be following all along!! Keep it up! We are all fidaa over the mind blowing carvings!! The recipes?.umm?.delicious?.just the Manna from Heaven?!!
Today, the fan following is immense. I am proud and consider myself privileged that I have been associated with M.com since 3 years. Hats off to all the Konkani stalwarts starting from Austin Prabhu , Edwin D’ Souza, Bert Naik, Donny Mukamar, again?the contributors in EYT?Rajnikant who is the leader…..who keeps it busy and makes it interesting!. And the others..Mel Tau, Shaly. Chelli, K. Balkrishna, Amarnath, DP, Susan, Souzami, Dots Rego?..err ?please forgive me guys if I have forgotten anyone’s names. Do not hold me to ransom! I am totally besotted by this portal. My only concern is there should be advertisement revenue so that our good old Roshan Bhai breathes easier with his investments!! Can someone up there instil some sense in him!! Yes! Its time to wind up!!
Long Live Konkani! Long Live Mangalorean.Com
Rtn. Edwin JF DSouza, Mangalore – A Website For All Seasons!
I am apprehensive about any new website launched by anyone especially if it claims to aim at Mangalore, Konkani language and literature etc in particular. What is there to fill a website with these subjects, I have wondered.
But many such websites have proved me wrong.
Mangalorean.com is one of them. This is the third website I click on after I check my two email boxes early in the morning.
I have said this to Roshan and Queenie in our personal correspondence and I repeat, that Mangalorean.com has professionalism in its presentation. Of course, there are some aspects and columns which need to be honed and polished to make them less detailed and less irritating, if I make bold to say so. I do not have to name them!
The point which makes Mangalorean.com special to me is that it is NOBODY’s Website and at the same time, it is EVERYBODY’s.
I have found an outlet for my stories which are in Konkani translated in English and published in Mangalorean.com. The idea is that the non-Konkani speaking, reading visitors should know what literature is being generated by writers, writing in Konkani. I wish more and more Konkani stories get translated and published on this website and perhaps Mangalorean.com may consider publishing an anthology of these in the future.
Bravo Roshan and Queenie!
Gopinath Rao, UAE – Next best option I have?
Out of the country for quite a few years now, the fragrance and aroma of our locality and our place spices up my life naturally. I believe, we all left our native places because of the pressure of ground realities overtook the love and comfort of our native place could offer. I am no exception to that.
Mangalorean.com offers me the semblance of living in my own native place – something which is the next best to ‘living in Mangalore’.
I used to enjoy the company of my friends while I was in Mangalore. My witty and funny wild thoughts were part and parcel of the life there. Mangalorean.com has provided me the comfort of the same platform although invisible; and it is much bigger than what I had. I am grateful to you both – Mangalorean.com and worldwide Mangaloreans; I feel I am still in Mangalore!
Happy birthday!!
Harsha Raj, Mangalore – Eternally grateful for the first break!
Under any condition I could never miss an opportunity to compliment Mangalorean.com on the celebration of its 4th anniversary. This is the website which gave me my first break to prove my writing skills in front of the world audience.
Even though I started writing since the 9th standard, I never had the courage to project it even in the local dailies. So the people who are into writing, just like me can just imagine the leap or the biggest break which I received when my article was published in mangalorean.com.
Moreover it is just a great thing to know that so many people bother to read your articles and have patience enough to leave a comment for it. It’s a nice experience altogether. I just hope that any person no matter what he is or where he is, he/she should take a little time to chalk down their thoughts or feelings in websites like mangalorean.com and public forums like EYT. Roshan and Queenie congratulations on completing four years of your journey at mangalorean.com. And I know many such anniversaries are ahead of us with the strength of our Mangalorean family growing day by day.
Iqbal Manna, Qatar – A Secular Website!
It gives me immense pleasure to express my best wishes and compliments to Mr. Roshan and his team for completing its 4th Anniversary.
Though I am new to this team representing from State of Qatar, I was the regular reader of this website. Since I was designated to Udayavani from the last 18 years to report from State of Qatar and offered my service even to other websites, I never thought that I would be a part of .
What actually impressed me to extend my service to this team was none other than the "Secular Image" of this website. I had no second thoughts and just started sending news coverage of Qatar. Mr. Roshan, the brain behind this website encouraged me and extended his fully support and today by the Grace of God has become the talk of the town in and around State of Qatar.
Being a "non-commercial" website, I experience a homely atmosphere within the team members. The leadership quality, enthusiasm, dedication, and total devotion for the Mangalorean community by Mr. Roshan has boasted the routes of taking birth of several reporters who are doing honorary job for this website within Gulf and other countries.
To conclude with, I wish Mr. Roshan D’ Souza, his family and the entire team my sincere wishes and Pray God Almighty to give him more strength and energy to serve the entire Mangalorean community (Amin)
Irwin Rego, Bahrain – Blending the old with the new!
So if you ask me what made Mangalorean.com a regular feature in my staple reading diet? On the site, I believe it is the weaving of great content with style and vibrancy eliciting a kind of homely warmth, knowledge and youthful exuberance. There is a perfect blend of tradition with contemporariness, astutely getting under the skin of the local news whilst keeping the international flavor fresh and appealing – empathizing with the reader on all fronts (both young and old).
All I can say is You Guys Rock. Keep it up. Happy 4th Birthday, Keep up the momentum.
Jay Bhandary, USA – Participation is the key!
Mangalorean.com is a great website with interesting current news and pictures covering Mangalore and the surrounding areas. It offers a forum to publish on a variety of topics as well as to read on a variety of quality articles from contributors living in various parts of the world. It has a highly participatory group of core supporters, who offer constructive responses on most of the published articles. The webmaster, our own Roshan D’Souza is very creative in designing the vast variety and great depth of the website and keeps it a dynamic, innovative place. Mostly Mangaloreans are a forward looking group of people who are proud and happy about their heritage from Mangalore and the larger Mangalore area, that is the coastal Kanaras. Mangalorean.com offers a daily place to stay connected to that home area. All the best to the readers, writers and to team Mangalorean on this anniversary.
Jaya Ramesh, Oman – Me and my coffee and M.com!
Mangalorean.com is and will always be special to me. When I sip and enjoy the aroma of my morning coffee, I wait to log in and browse through M.com. It is highly informative and crisp. When I go through its various columns, I feel close to whatever is occurring back home and all parts of the world. My expedition through all flavours of M.Com is highly satisfying.
Many times I wish I could contribute more. I am extremely proud to be a member of this vibrant Family. My best wishes to the continued success of Mangalorean.com, Roshan and Queenie and all the team members around the globe.
On this 5th year of the M.com anniversary, I thank you all for appreciating my writing and prodding me on to write more. M.com is my treasure vault, wherein I safely deposit my thoughts. Five Cheers to M.com!
Jossie Pinto, Kuwait – The world is much smaller with M.com!
Congratulations mangalorean.com on successful completion of Four Years. Hats off to you Roshan & Queenie, your dedication and hard work has truly paid off. Mangalorean.com today stands among the best portals and has become a favorite meeting place and e-source for mangaloreans around the globe.
Everything is great about mangalorean.com. The news, event coverage, articles, poems, EYT etc. have been simply outstanding. While the accomplishments in past four years has been marvelous, m.com has triumphed in bridging relationships and making the world look smaller. Good job team Mangalorean, keep going?..
Joyce Alvares, Qatar – Rekindling that inner spirit!
Why is Mangalorean.Com special to me? Well, how does one dissect the impact of something on one’s life? Maybe sit back and review the pros and cons of the whole experience or evaluate the brickbats and bouquets that came your way? M.com is so close to my heart that anything I say would dilute the experience.
It has just been two years since I came to know of Mangalorean.com. Don’t they say the first impression is the best? Well, in this case it has been a lasting impression too. What appealed to me at first was the camaraderie shared by the EYTians and the Subhashai column. The news content was good but Qatar seemed to be left out inadvertently. An email to Queenie enquiring about this set the ball rolling and thus began my tryst with Mangalorean.com. It was an opportunity for me to walk in my father’s footsteps as a writer and a journalist.
M.com has been a journey and I am an apprentice. I had once read that in everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It then bursts into flames by an encounter with something that rekindles our inner spirit. In my life M.com came as a savior for rejuvenation. It has helped me reinvent myself and be aware of my surroundings. My introspection would not be complete if I did not mention Roshan D’Souza, the webmaster of this wonderful website for his relentless support to Team Mangalorean. With him at the helm of Mangalorean.com, the sky is the limit.
I quote from Albert Einstein, "Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received." For me Mangalorean.com has helped fulfill this mission of both receiving and giving in my own little way to so many people with whom I have formed a bond. Some of them are names to which I have a face and the others from the big wide world of ‘www’ but surely friends in the real sense. Mcom will remain dear to me and it helps me retain that bond with Mangaloreans the world over. We must spare no effort to see that our tribe multiplies.
Judith Serrao, UAE – Lifelong Treasures on M.com!
Congratulations Mangalorean.com on your big day. Mangalorean.com is my own ‘Little World’. I’ve always felt a sense of belonging here ever since I became a member in the year 2003. It is with pride that I see it growing and soaring to new heights.
M.Com is and will always be extra-special to me because it is here that I found some treasures. And before anyone starts downloading a treasure hunting kit, let me say that it is here that I’ve found treasures in the form of friends, treasures that I’ll cherish for life. Thank you M.Com.
Lawrence Mascarenhas, USA – Promoting Mangalorean culture!
Any website that promotes one’s mother tongue, culture and heritage is certainly important to him/her. Mangalorean.com is one of the popular websites that provides a link to my hometown (Mangalore) by focusing mainly on local news, cultural activities, religious events, matrimonial alliances, food recipes and most importantly a platform for discussion by expressing your thoughts. The beauty of this website is that it promotes not only Konkani culture but also the cultures of Mangalore!
Five years back when Queenie told me about launching of Mangalorean.com, I was skeptical about the success of it. There were several Konkani websites already in existence. I advised Queenie that it may not be an easy job as it takes lot of time, dedication and commitments and that too Roshan living hundreds of miles away from Chicago. As years pass by, they both have proved that I was wrong. The popularity speaks the truth. But I was still right in one thing ? It is not an easy job!
On this fifth anniversary, I wish Mangalorean.com and its team members every success in their future endeavors. May these two "Mangalorean Stars" (Roshan & Queenie) shine brighter and brighter in the years to come. Congratulations!!!!
Mira, Australia – A trend setter and not a trend follower!
Mangalorean.com has become an everyday affair for me. From sharpening my culinary and language skills – in Konkani, Kannada and English (to be precise) to blogging with like – minded individuals, Mangalorean.com has set the right tone within (me) of being that True Mangalorean that I always wanted to be associated as.
I never visit any other site, the number of times I look at M.com in one single day, so much so that M.com is my default home-page now. I’ve made some very good friends with other Mangaloreans from across the globe and can easily share with them the feelings of being away from the homeland that I so much love and cherish.
I’m a strong believer that one needs to be a Trend Setter and not a Trend Follower and for me M.com has been just that! Not just a typical website but The WebSite where Mangaloreans like me, can feel at home. The web-masters are doing a great job to keep this going. Kudos to them! I wish many more years of success to M.com and team.
Prakash Kamath, Mangalore – M.com readers are great supporters!
First of all the word "Mangalorean" itself makes me proud and when some article or pictures come in M.com it really makes us delightful, as far as this site is concerned, I got involved in it because of Kudpimam (Rajnikant Shenoy). Whenever I happen to see something interesting I feel like providing it to this website. I don’t know what actually makes me to do so, but its mainly the readers support which makes me proud. I always receive complete support and advice from Kudpimam.
The interesting news especially from Mangalore, good pictures by R.K. Bhat, Travelogues, EYT and good and interesting discussions really encourages us to open the site when we connect to Internet. I would definitely say that "Mangalorean. Com" will shine like a star forever. Thanks a lot Roshan for giving me an opportunity to say some beautiful words about Mangalorean.com. I wish you all the best for the future.
Preeti Furtado, USA – Hooked to M.com for life!
First of all I would like to congratulate team Mangalorean.com on completing 4 glorious years of service to the community.
It has been 2 ? yrs since I chanced upon this website. To say it simply – I have been hooked ever since.
Mangalore is where I grew up and lived until I got married and moved to the USA. Being so far away from home, I am always looking for news and happenings there. Mangalorean.com has given me the feeling of being home away from home. Of special interest to me are the top stories and articles of the day, "Subhashai", "Kitchen" and "Express Your Thoughts". "Subhashai" makes it convenient for me to send greeting and wishes to family and friends all over the world. "Kids Corner" is a great plaftform for budding talent.
I have the privilege of knowing Roshan and his wife Rosanne who are actively involved in the Mangalorean association of Washington D.C. Due to this website, our association has been able to attract more members and publicity.
Thank you Mangalorean.com for being there for the community.
Rajanikanth Shenoy, Kudpi – This addiction has put him on top of the world!
Ever since I started browsing through internet, my urge to find websites on Mangalorean culture and heritage went on scaling and one day, I searched through google with the word Mangalorean. The matching results were mostly showing the links to mangalorean.com.
I browsed through and the home page looked interestingly different than some other Mangalorean sites that I had been browsing till then! The graphics, the placement of news, articles, humour blogs, archives, the search window and most of all, the scrolling welcome message took me by surprise and I started to fall in love with this site!
I explored most of the link buttons and the most unique feature was Express Your Thoughts (EYT). I had never seen such a tremendous exchange of ideas, jokes and experiences among the users of any other Mangalorean forum before!
I tried my luck with my first post in EYT on August 18, 2005 on the problems Mangalore city is facing with the incessant growth of concrete structures and the deterioration in infrastructure. I hardly got one response for that! I got disheartened and wrote one more on June 7, 2006, on seeing similar thoughts by one more user. This also didn’t work.
Most of the EYTians were in the process of sharing their good experiences and happiness! I was an observer for a few days and I saw many people greeting nears and dears in Shubhashai and nothing but happiness was being spread in mangalorean.com!
I decided to follow suit and posted my first recipe in m.com, which was greatly appreciated by many, including our webmaster Roshan and our chief editor Queenie, who at that time, started to recognize my posts on EYT!
I had already started to feel the pulse of Mangaloreans the world over, and I too felt a great feeling of belonging to this great movement!
Many posts in EYT, many pictures in captured moments, few articles on Mangalorean feature, a couple of humour articles, a couple of articles in Mangalorean Voices, few poems from my crazy mind, many recipes and one post in Food Fashion that are well accepted and appreciated by many of my friends in mangalorean.com.
Most of my posts in EYT are also well accepted and I remain gratified for the status I have gained not only on this great website but also in my social life.
This addiction to mangalorean.com was not only good, but it also made me feel on ‘Top of the world’!
I have met a few of the members of mangalorean.com personally over a short period of 8 months and a few of us have met for social functions and informal get-togethers.
I have introduced a few friends and they have been actively associated with mangalorean.com by now.
One year from August 2005 to August 2006 had been a great time for observation, and each day, I found a common truth in life from mangalorean.com and EYT – ‘Living happily and spreading happiness!’
That’s how I changed my attitude and became friendly and adjustable!
My first post in EYT was not accepted well, but my first recipe definitely did!
Today, many of my friends and relatives associate me with mangalorean.com more than with my own profession!
Mangalorean.com has become an inseparable part of my life today for the simple reason that I have earned many friends emotionally associated with me more than my own relatives and friends that existed in my life!
It has helped me to improve myself to be a better writer, a better journalist and most of all, a better human being with tolerance for other individuals around me!
Most of all, when I feel down, when I feel lonely and sad, when nobody understands me better, there’s always mangalorean.com for me!
Mangalorean.com has also made me forget that song by Santana, (which used to be my favorite till I first browsed the website) – ‘No one to depend on’!
Now, can anyone give me one good reason why mangalorean.com is not special to me?!
Rama Krishna Bhat, Mangalore – Clicking his way to fame!
M.com is special because it is a secular website. It gives equal importance to all religions and also opportunities for all. For me it is a place to display my photos and talents on internet through this media. Nowadays internet media is getting more and more popular day by day. For those people who were born in Mangalore but are not living there anymore, it is easy to learn what is happening in Mangalore. They don’t have to lose touch with Mangalore culture and their contacts. This is an easy way for them to build up relationships and by building relationship with mangalorean.com they build relationships with everything that is related to Mangalore. I sincerely thank mangalorean.com and wish the team all the best on its Anniversary.
Ramesh Lalwani, New Delhi – M.com covers more news than National Dailies!
Though I am not a Mangalorean, still I find myself attracted to Mangalorean.com everyday. The Captured moments, the Travelogues and Articles contributed by Mangloreans are my favourites. The news items covering national and international happenings besides local items relating to Mangalore provide me with reports, which at times, don’t find coverage in National dailies. I have been visiting this site regularly for more than two years now. I must congratulate Roshan for bringing about significant improvement in content and presentation. The increased advertisements are indicator of its popularity.
On completion of four years of service, I wish to convey my best wishes to Roshan and the entire team for greater progress in years to come.
Richard D Souza, Qatar – From Coffee and Newspaper to Coffee and Keyboard!
There was a time when the morning Coffee never tasted so good without a Udayavani newspaper in one hand. Since daily buying a newspaper was not good for my financial wellbeing, the easiest way was to go to City lunch restaurant or Durga Prasad, and the steaming coffee always came with a right to read the already worn out news paper circulating in the restaurant among customers.
However the news paper served several purposes apart from giving the daily news. Once inside the restaurant, I would normally choose a safe location with a view ??., close to a ceiling fan, away from flies and any potential customers who could barge in with a cough and cold , sneezing or, a leaking umbrella or stinking clothes. Then I would conveniently hide behind the news paper and listen to all conversation, ‘good, bad and ugly’ without getting involved.
The newspaper slightly came down at the sound of high heels or high pitch voices and fully went up the moment my arch enemy Thomas came in. When Shetty and Abutam started heated arguments the paper hid me totally from the unpleasant and explosive situations.
The paper also served as a protective shield from creditors, curious on lookers, beggars, rain, sun , gossip mongers, or any of those hundreds of daily perils you encountered on a daily basis in Mangalore.
Now as an NRI the things have changed drastically. The coffee is the same, but the flavor changes from day to day depending on what comes on Mangalorea.com. It is true, none of the advantages of a news paper are available anymore, but none of those perils exist anymore either. No flies, no beggars, no rain, no creditors, no need to hide or peep from behind a news paper.
Sometimes I really feel Roshan has put a bug in the website that makes people addicted to this site. Checking M.Com for daily news has become a daily ritual for me, almost like my daily prayer. The day does not go well without an initial dose of M.Com. One of the greatest advantage of M.Com is its variety. Whatever a Mangy is in search of, be it a son in law, a recipe for ‘Kube’ or a house to rent?.its all there. Even when that itch to gossip or pick up a fight with someone comes haunting you because of those Mangy genes, you just have to go to EYT and you can have your fill!!
It is only when the discussion turns a bit nasty on EYT that I unconsciously try to lift up the news paper to hide myself out of old habit?. And end up lifting my key board off the computer.
I congratulate Roshan and the entire editorial team which has shown to the world what Mangaloreans can achieve.
Mangalore is disappearing?.culture is dying, population is shifting ?landscape is changing. M.Com is all we have to express, recall, preserve and cling to our sweet memories that mean so much to us.
Long Live M.Com, Roshan and his Team.
Sandhya D’Souza, Mangalore – Unforgettable Debut with M.com!
Congratulations to u and all the members of mangalorean.com for completing 4 years of excellence in "E-publishing" and now as we all step in the 5th year lets hope for the best and pray that this website will touch millions of lives……
Being a member of this family I feel privileged to share my thoughts about this website which has inspired me and encouraged me to sharpen my writing skills, and rewarded me with the views of people worldwide.
Manglorean.com is very special to me since this was the first website which published my article and I owe the beginning of my journalistic career to it as it became a voice to a budding journalist like me. This website instilled confidence in me and encouraged me to write more. This website is a lovely forum to express and interact and it makes Mangaloreans feel at home wherever they are.
I wish this website a very happy anniversary and pray….that they may have many more?.
Shaly Pereira, Oman – No place for mediocrity here!
Why is Mangalorean.com special to me? That’s quite an easy one to answer especially since there’s no word limit:)
Over the past few years I have accessed quite a few community websites and not all of them solely Mangalorean. However, I’ve ended up being addicted to only one, no prizes for guessing which one. I bonded with M.com right from the beginning for two reasons. Firstly, the interactive feel to it is irresistible and begins right from the uncluttered user friendly home page. Secondly, there’s no place for mediocrity here and even the simplest report is edited to perfection which makes reading an absolute pleasure. The site also has some of the best writers many of whom have become my favourites and I look forward to seeing their articles, travelogues and fiction write-ups posted.
Apart from all this, one of the main reasons M.com seems special to me is because of the two head honchos up there – Queenie and Roshan. Simple, uncomplicated persons who concentrate on maintaining the high standards of this site and give minimal importance to everything else. I commend the team members of this site who pitch in and contribute their time, talents and energy to churn out top quality reports and articles, many times compromising on their own personal schedules. Since all the M.com team members in USA, UK, Gulf and India have their own M.com email id’s, we generally keep in touch with each other and exchange ideas and suggestions. This has tremendously boosted the team spirit which has always been unbeatable.
As long as M.com maintains the high standards it already possesses, it will always remain special to a whole lot of people. I take this opportunity to wish Mangalorean.com more and more success on its 4th anniversary. For a four year old, you’ve come a long way M.com. Sure proud of you:)
Stany D’Souza, USA – One website under God with liberty and justice for all!
It is amazing to note that Mangalorean.com is just 4 years old! With my limited memory it seems like m.com was there since decades! I am very well aware when the issue of developing a website came, my younger sister Queenie was all excited and Roshan was like an Energizer battery, bubbling with unvented feelings of cultural diversity of Mangaloreans around the world. His mission was to unite them and when I see now, he has done a marvelous job.
Here the famous quote we find in any constitution that: "Of the people, by the people and for the people" makes very much sense, as to the approach of Team Mangaloreans in uplifting this website to this esteemed one, which is recognized as one of the best websites of our Indian sub-continent. Team Mangalorean has shown strong commitment to showcase the diverse cultural heritage that Mangaloreans enjoy, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, language, nationality or cultural heritage.
Mangaolorean.com team has shown such resilience to withstand any and all adverse winds from every direction, some of them seemed like tornadoes and some like, hurricanes but it has effectively overcome all of these adversities with determination and has inspired all of us to believe that "If there is a will, there is a way". Mangalorean.com with its diverse fields has withstood the test of time and their relentless efforts on day-to-day and hour-to-hour basis are commendable. Only four other names in this direction first, R. K. Bhat, who is really a wonderful person with unique instincts of investigative journalism and the others worth mentioning here who work very hard "behind the scene" directly or indirectly, in supporting this website are: Rosanne D’Souza, Dorothy Rego and Jossie Mendonca.
Finally, I remember the pledge the Americans take especially during the initiation of Lions Club meetings, the last sentence of which states "One nation under God with Liberty and Justice for All". Here I would modify that a little and will say, "One website under God with Liberty and Justice for All".
Congratulations, Team Mangalorean and Happy 4th Anniversary! We wish you all the best in all your endeavors!!
Sylvia D’Souza, UAE – A dreamland that beckons!
A small saga of two enterprising persons who started this community website… We all know it was their creativity and passion to express themselves that these enthusiasts made it into a household name. They are a dedicated team almost to the point of obsession. Both talk, act and breathe portals. They are pioneers of a dot.com with a difference. They provide us the space and invite people to contribute thus giving us a platform to display our influences. I am talking about the portal – – and its founders, Roshan D’Souza and Queenie Mendonca.
"Mangalorean.com helping millions of Mangaloreans stay connected with those who matter most, no matter where they are?. bringing them closer?"
How else can I sum this feeling that I have for Mcom as it is fondly called, and me thinks Mcom ROCKETHS!
Yes. This is my ode to the fantastic land of wonder that has kept me enthralled for the last 3 years. This is my dedication to that one place that’s first on my mind as I wake up each morning, ?. A breath of fresh air.
I have found Mcom to be a haven of seamless ideas, of authors pouring in from diverse backgrounds, who share their creative inputs in varied fields of knowledge. From creative, to politics, to art and to sports; It’s diversity is its life blood. The various sections, viz; travelogue, voices, kids corner, food fashion, giving the readers ample choice to select their exact category of interest. This website boosts the morale of many an amateur/closet writer who can watch his/her stuff being displayed as a feature or a voice and boast about it!
M.com is the place I want to be?..Especially the section where one expresses their thoughts, you would get immersed, neck deep into a tickling comment-drama that’s unfolds every minute. From debates on issues of national/international importance to easy time pass banter. A place where each one of us has a virtual identity, and not as who you are, that one could be in their real lives. And while at that, we have chanced upon individuals who you wouldn’t have dreamed of meeting in real lives and made some elusive friendships.
M.com is that diverse place where ideas come to life, stories pine to be told, it is that dreamland which calls me to come??.
Tanya Pinto, Canada – Connecting to Mangalorean heritage thru’ M.com!
The other day during a seminar, the speaker started with an intriguing Native American saying. She said, "An individual is the product of seven generations". The point that she was making was that people need to understand that there are multiple factors behind our raison d’?tre in life and we must never forget the importance of history in our genesis. History of course has many meanings, but certain aspects of our history are reflected in our cultural roots. Today, life in the 21st century is closest to science fiction, like never before. We can hop time zones in a matter of hours, we can instant message our relatives hundreds of miles apart and we can eat Thai food without ever stepping foot in Thailand. No matter how fast life changes, one basic truth will always remain, we will always continue to be the product of seven generations. Seven generations of culture, heritage and history. In a busy life like that we have today, a website like Mangalorean.com provides a connection for me to my history and a site to reflect on my heritage and on our future. It is why Mangalorean.com is special to me.
Tina Miranda, Kuwait – Materializing dreams through M.com!
Whoever said dreams cannot be achieved, but of course every dream materializes through a medium, and for me the medium has been Mangalorean.Com, whether it is to convey wishes across oceans??.or to hear my father say that he is the happiest parent in the world, all thanks to Mangalorean.com. Always skeptical of what people would say, the team and the readers (critics & fans likewise) have made me feel comfortable to be part of Mangalorean.com. Is it any wonder that Mangalorean.com is so special to me and my loved ones. I am sure there are many other grateful amateur writers out there, who owe it to this website????Here’s wishing the wonderful team, especially my webmaster friend ROSHAN, the very best, and may there be many more to come.
Vijay D’Souza, UK – The Sky is the limit for M.com!
I am delighted that Mangalorean.com is celebrating its 4th anniversary and looking at its popularity it is hard to believe it has been just 4 years since its inception. I congratulate Roshan and the entire team working in unison for making this site not only informative but also entertaining. It may not be over the top to think that the rise of many associations and web portals associated with Mangalore in the last couple of years have been partly inspired and passively encouraged by Mangalorean.com. Slowly but surely Mangaloreans are forming a kind of alliance hitherto unprecedented in the country. The spirit of community is quite visible and above all it is promoting our rich cultural heritage. Personally, I am indebted to Mangalorean.com for allowing me to share my views on issues that I feel strongly about.
Although most of the things associated with this site are near perfect, the evolution of community news could help us move on to next phase. Although it is good to have periodic get-togethers, our potential and community spirit should not be restricted only to cultural activities. Mangalorean society is unique and for Mangaloreans there is no place on earth quite like it. Through Mangalorean.com we have a perfect platform to discuss and get things done for our community. Then why not entrepreneurs, artists and creative minds amongst us collaborate now through Mangalorean.com to build something constructive? Like-minded Mangaloreans interacting through this site could pitch plans to set up business ventures or services aimed at generating economic activity and improving the quality of life of Mangaloreans. Likewise, students and youth could get career guidance from professionally established Mangaloreans, we could spread awareness about our rights and form pressure groups to build a progressive and just society. Mangalorean.com has been exceptional in setting up a foundation to bring all Mangaloreans together. I wish the name "Mangalorean.com" becomes synonymous with Mangalorean success story.
Violet Pereira, UAE – M.com connects people around the world!
First of all let me congratulate Roshan & Queenie who are the founders of this website. Mangalorean.com is a unique website having a variety of literary collections like featured articles, travelogue, news around the world, poems in different languages like Tulu, Kannada, Konkani and English. EYT is another medium which has made many writers active in sharing their thoughts on this website. The ?Mangalorean Star? column is yet another interesting section which gives exposure to the hidden talents and achievers. Subhashai gives that personal touch by allowing readers to greet their loved ones from around the world. Overall mangalorean.com ?connects people around the world?. Let mangalorean.com live longer and stronger. Three cheers to Roshan & Queenie.
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