Tag: news

Events in Goa

Manoj Bajpayee to Join NoMoZo 7.0 as Porvorim Gears Up for Its People-Centric Street Festival

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Porvorim Rising is set to bring the community together once again with the seventh edition of NoMoZo, scheduled for January 11, 2026. Designed as a people-centric street festival, NoMoZo 7.0 celebrates shared public spaces by blending fitness, culture, creativity, and community engagement. Adding to the excitement this year, renowned actor Manoj Bajpayee will be joining residents at the festival.

NoMoZo encourages citizens of all ages to step out of their homes, connect with their neighbourhoods, and engage with public spaces in meaningful and inclusive ways. Families, youth, artists, innovators, and local community groups are expected to participate in a day-long programme that focuses on movement, learning, creativity, and cultural expression.

Speaking ahead of the event, Shri Rohan A. Khaunte, Minister for Tourism, IT, E&C, and Printing & Stationery, Government of Goa, reflected on the origins of the initiative. He shared that NoMoZo was inspired by childhood memories of streets as places to play, meet friends, and build neighbourhood connections. According to him, the festival recreates that sense of togetherness by encouraging people of all ages to interact, engage, and rediscover the joy of community life through people-first public spaces.

Expressing his excitement about participating, Manoj Bajpayee said that what draws him to NoMoZo is the simplicity with which it brings people together, adding that he is looking forward to being part of the celebration.

NoMoZo 7.0 will feature a wide range of interactive zones, including Kids, Art, Heritage, Astronomy, Fitness, Martial Arts, Boxing, Health, Youth, IT & Science, Performance & Dance, Influencer, and Karaoke zones. Free stalls will also be provided to local vendors and artisans, reinforcing the festival’s emphasis on inclusivity and community participation.

With growing public involvement year after year, NoMoZo continues to strengthen Porvorim’s community spirit by transforming everyday streets into vibrant spaces of connection, creativity, and collective celebration.

Business

Malabar Gold & Diamonds Announces Mine Diamond Festival with Up to 30% Off on Diamond Value

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral Business Desk

Diamond jewellery buying in India is witnessing a clear shift in mindset. Once largely associated with weddings and major family occasions, natural diamond jewellery is now increasingly being chosen for a wider range of moments — from milestone gifting and anniversaries to career achievements, self-purchases, and everyday styling.

With the season driving heightened consideration and comparison, this period presents a strong opportunity for customers to invest in certified natural diamonds, valued for their rarity, enduring worth, and timeless appeal. Responding to this evolving consumer behaviour, Malabar Gold & Diamonds has announced the Mine Diamond Festival, an in-store showcase of certified natural diamond jewellery from its exclusive brand, Mine Diamonds. As part of the festival, customers can avail up to 30% off on diamond value, making it a compelling opportunity to own authentic natural diamonds with added value. The Mine Diamond Festival will run from December 20, 2025, to January 26, 2026, across India.

The festival brings together an extensive selection from Mine Diamonds, featuring solitaires, celebration-ready designs, lightweight everyday jewellery, and bridal favourites. Customers can explore neckpieces, earrings, studs, rings, layered chains, and coordinated sets, with designs ranging from understated minimal styles to bold, statement-led silhouettes. The showcase caters to both first-time natural diamond buyers and those looking to upgrade or expand their collections.

Reinforcing the brand’s focus on assurance-led diamond buying, Mr. M. P. Ahammad, Chairman, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, noted that today’s customers seek natural diamonds that seamlessly fit into everyday life, supported by complete transparency in certification and pricing. He added that Mine Diamonds is built on this foundation of trust, offering certified natural diamonds, clear price break-ups, and a stringent quality process, while the festival extends additional value through attractive diamond discounts.

Customer confidence is further strengthened through Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ Malabar Promises. Every natural diamond jewellery piece is crafted using responsibly sourced diamonds and undergoes a meticulous 28-step quality check. Each product is accompanied by an IGI or GIA certification, ensuring quality, authenticity, and craftsmanship.

In addition to transparent pricing that clearly outlines total weight, stone weight, and making charges, customers benefit from value-added services such as lifetime maintenance, one-year free insurance, and a buyback guarantee. These measures enable informed and secure purchase decisions at every stage.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds continues to uphold ethical sourcing and compliance-led procurement practices. Gold is sourced exclusively through authorised channels, with a firm stance against gold smuggling, child labour, and tax evasion, while adhering to all applicable import, taxation, and fair wage standards. Through initiatives like the Mine Diamond Festival, the brand reaffirms its commitment to responsible luxury, transparency, and evolving consumer aspirations in India’s jewellery market.

TechPulse

10 Years of PhonePe: A Decade of Building for Bharat

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

PhonePe recently marked a significant milestone, completing ten years in India’s fintech ecosystem and celebrating a decade of innovation, growth and impact. Since its inception, the company has played a pivotal role in transforming the way India transacts and manages money, steadily expanding financial access across urban and rural Bharat alike.

In 2025, PhonePe crossed a major milestone by surpassing 600 million registered users, reinforcing its position as a cornerstone of India’s digital economy. The year focused strongly on deepening trust and improving accessibility with the introduction of features such as UPI Circle, which enables delegated payments for trusted contacts, and PhonePe Protect, a robust security framework designed to safeguard users against fraudulent transactions.

Strengthening its support for merchants, PhonePe introduced Made-in-India solutions like the SmartSpeaker and SmartPOD, helping small and medium businesses embrace digital payments with ease. Through the Udyam Assist initiative, launched in partnership with SIDBI, PhonePe became one of the first institutions to enable digital-first integration for MSMEs, streamlining their access to formal credit and financial services.

For consumers, the platform expanded beyond payments by launching affordable protection products such as Home Insurance and Health Insurance, aimed at India’s “Missing Middle.” PhonePe also unlocked liquidity through innovative lending solutions, including Loan Against Mutual Funds, ensuring essential financial services are accessible to a wider population.

Reflecting on the journey, Sameer Nigam, Founder and CEO of PhonePe, said that despite how far the company has come, the most exciting part is that the summit is still not in sight. He highlighted the passion of the teams behind PhonePe and noted that the journey continues to be meaningful and energising as the company builds for the future.

Rahul Chari, Founder and CTO, expressed pride in what PhonePe has built over the past decade, acknowledging the goodwill and support received from the industry and the wider ecosystem. He emphasised that building something people truly believe in is what turns an idea into real impact.

Over the years, PhonePe has consistently redefined the Indian fintech landscape through industry-first innovations. From Digital Gold and Mutual Funds to making Insurance and Stock Broking accessible to the masses, the platform has evolved into a comprehensive financial ecosystem. Key milestones include the PhonePe Business app for merchants, Merchant Lending, Credit Line on UPI, Cross-Border UPI, UPI Lite, and the 2024 launch of the Indus Appstore, Share.Market and secured lending platforms.

By relocating its domicile to India in 2022 and steadily expanding into credit and wealth management, PhonePe has moved beyond being a payments utility to becoming an integral part of India’s financial fabric, ensuring that access to protection, investment and credit continues to reach every citizen as it builds for Bharat.

Events in Goa

Design for Justice Programme at MOG Brings Goa’s Justice Stakeholders Together

Tanisha Cardozo

Justice-related work in Goa is often carried out in isolation, with communities, organisations and institutions addressing similar social issues without sufficient coordination. This observation emerged during the Design for Justice programme held at the Museum of Goa (MOG) in January 2026 as part of the MOG Sundays series. The two-day programme created a shared space for dialogue, reflection and collaboration among stakeholders working across Goa’s justice landscape.

Bringing together civil society organisations, students, designers, researchers and practitioners, the programme focused on how people-centred and design-led approaches can help shape more inclusive and accessible justice systems. Discussions centred on mapping existing justice-related efforts in the state, sharing community-led interventions and identifying opportunities for collaboration across sectors.

Aditi Nayak, research associate at Justice Adda, explained that the programme grew out of reflections following the 2023 Design for Justice Conference in Goa. While there is a significant amount of justice-related work happening across the state, the absence of shared platforms often leads to fragmented efforts. The aim, she said, was to slow down, bring these efforts into conversation with one another and begin identifying shared priorities rooted in lived community experiences.

Participants presented initiatives addressing a wide range of issues, including environmental protection, land rights, mental health, gender justice, tribal rights, governance and the social impact of emerging technologies. Although the focus areas varied, many initiatives were grounded in everyday realities — from coastal communities responding to ecological degradation to residents navigating governance and legal processes that directly affect their lives.

The programme featured voices from law, academia, human rights, environmental advocacy and technology. Speakers such as Asawari Nayak, advocate Aurobindo Gomes Pereira, human rights activist Cyril Fernandes, environmental lawyer Sreeja Chakraborty, technology practitioner Karn Malhotra, Maya de Souza and former Children’s Court judge Sayonara Tellis Laad shared insights drawn from their professional and community-based work. Their discussions examined how justice is encountered beyond courtrooms and policies, in daily interactions with systems and institutions.

Drawing from Justice Adda’s approach, Aditi highlighted the importance of focusing on how people experience justice in practice. Visual tools, storytelling and design methods, she noted, can help simplify complex legal information, making it more accessible and usable for communities, and bridging gaps between institutions and the people they are meant to serve.

A recurring theme throughout the sessions was the understanding of justice as an ecosystem rather than the responsibility of any single sector. Participants pointed to challenges such as limited resources, barriers within governance systems, difficulties in sustaining long-term work and insider–outsider dynamics. At the same time, the conversations underscored the need for better coordination, shared resources and sustained engagement among communities, civil society organisations, institutions and young practitioners.

Organisers said the programme aimed to lay the groundwork for future collaboration, with the relationships and ideas formed during the two days expected to inform more coordinated, inclusive and community-responsive approaches to justice in Goa.

EduConnect

Taare Zameen Par: Goa’s First Inter-School Science Fair 2026 Sparks Young Scientific Minds

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

To foster the integration of academics with research, Goa is set to host its first Inter-School Science Fair titled Taare Zameen Par 2026. Organised by the Board of Innovative Education Goa (BIE) in collaboration with A.J Academy for Research and Development, the two-day event will take place on Friday and Saturday, January 9 and 10, 2026, at Samrat Garden, Margao.

Designed for students from Class IV to X, the Science Fair is a research-driven initiative that encourages young learners to seek answers through the scientific method. The fair features multiple categories, including Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and Environmental Sciences, offering students a platform to engage in meaningful and original scientific exploration beyond routine classroom learning.

Addressing the media at a press conference held on January 7 at CSPH, Miramar, Muhammad Abdullah Javed, Director of A.J Academy for Research and Development, emphasised the long-term vision of the initiative. He said that inspiring young minds today could one day lead India to global recognition in science, possibly even a Nobel Prize. A key highlight of the fair, he noted, is the strong emphasis on parent–school partnerships, encouraging collaborative efforts to nurture future scientists. Unlike conventional science exhibitions, this fair prioritises originality and independent research, with students working on unique problems using their own procedures and techniques.

Approximately 220 students from schools across Goa will present 97 innovative projects, showcased in both individual and group categories. A distinguished panel of judges will evaluate the projects, with outstanding entries being honoured with titles such as Budding Scientist, Emerging Scientist and Young Scientist. All participating schools, students and guiding teachers will receive certificates of participation.

The Science Fair will be inaugurated by Prof. F. M. Nadaf, Principal of the Government of Goa’s Autonomous College of Multidisciplinary Studies and Research, Margao. The concluding programme will be graced by Dr. Sunil Kumar Singh, Director Headquarters, CSIR-NIO Goa, as the Chief Guest.

The exhibition will remain open to students, parents, educators, science enthusiasts and the general public on both days from 10:30 am to 6 pm. The event will conclude with an awards ceremony on January 10, scheduled from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, celebrating the innovation, curiosity and dedication of Goa’s next generation of scientists.