Goa, Oct. 3 -- Vivek Menezes

India's smallest state is becoming rapidly buried in disinformation, propaganda, falsehoods and fraudulent marketing, so its true nature is rarely revealed to visitors, while increasingly scarce for Goans as well. That makes Natural Wonders of Goa by Rajendra Kerkar an important and timely intervention, with its wide-ranging list of 38 historical- ecological-cultural highlights spanning all spheres with admirable catholicity. Flora, fauna, artifacts, cultural practices: all of these are singled out and described by the noted environmentalist, and secretary of the Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan, who is a state treasure in himself (and long overdue an appropriate Padma award recognition). I loved his list of things to e...