Which South Asian country attracts proportionately highest density of Russian immigration?

[N.Siddiqui]

Russian woman severely injured in acid attack in Varanasi

...this is very unlikely to happen in Pakistan...they will hurt own people but least likely to do this with tourists and visitors. Mehmaans are treated with generosity and extra hospitality....

Reason Varanasi is called very nasty....???

 

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And what do Russians do in Goa?

 

[PaklovesTurkiye]

@xyxmt @fitpOsitive @PaklovesTurkiye @django

Do you know anything about this?

@naveedullahkhankhattak @Imran Khan

No idea...

 

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[Kamikaze Pilot]

What's Going on in Goa?

By Olga ChildsOct. 13 2010 00:00

Goa is a very small state in a very large country, as well as one of the top seaside holiday destinations in the world. Thousands of Russians and Brits call it home between November and March. Recent media reports describing local government allegedly “squeezing out” Russians in some sort of orchestrated campaign have done little to change that.

Considering that both Russians and Brits need visas to visit India, it is next to impossible to ever receive a long-term residence, and property ownership for foreign residents is prohibited, many true Goa fanatics go to considerable lengths to keep coming back and hanging around.

Those who manage continue to enjoy all of the local mod cons, such as horrible roads and chaotic traffic, full of wandering cows and often not-so-sober fellow expats, most of whom had never ridden a motorcycle before they arrived; markets full of street beggars and bright, Nepal-made clothes that hardly ever survive one wash; packs of stray dogs that bark all night and attack your pets during the day; one western-quality supermarket and one cinema in the entire state, to which you will never get unless you are willing to spend two hours driving 20 kilometers. The list goes on.

Despite all of this, thousands of foreigners have chosen Goa as their home and remain content. The real estate market here is going strong, and prices are quite comparable to many places in Europe.

“Many people fail to realize that real estate ownership in Goa is not cheap. People come here, they see that a kilo of tomatoes is pretty cheap, and they assume that properties are just as cheap, compared to their home countries, but they aren’t,” says Anna Rogovskaya, owner of Ananta, a Goa-based real estate agency. A Russian expat herself, Rogovskaya says her business was originally intended to serve primarily Russians but, in reality, locals, many of whom are quite well to do, comprise most of the clientele.

“A Russian can come and see an 800 square meter plot of land offered for $50,000 and say, “Wow, this is way too expensive,” and then the next day an Indian buyer will come and see the same plot, and say, “Wow, great land, $48,000, I am buying it,” she says.

Many westerners are able to survive comfortably in Goa on a few hundred dollars a month, but Rogovskaya warns that home ownership will not be such a giveaway.

“This is not a market for people who have limited resources,” she insists. “It’s a place for those who have the money.” She says that older, second-hand properties, which you can buy from $25,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, are often cheap for a reason.

“Most Indian buyers prefer to build themselves, or at least buy a property built within the last two to three years. Ten years is a very, very long life for a property in Goa,” she says.

Masha and Andrei built their house themselves on a tiny plot of land that is legally registered in the name of their Indian acquaintance, a member of the family they befriended when they first came to India a number of years ago. They insist they see no risk. They do not go back to Russia much, preferring to travel to other countries, or, as many Russian Goans do, go to Nepal for the summer, where visas for re-entry to India can be obtained. The house overlooks a river delta in a remote spot near Goa’s northern border, and bars on the windows remind of local dangers. Water is stored in a plastic tank on the roof, on which there is also an obligatory roof terrace, a must-have feature of all Goan housing. Bananas grow on a palm tree outside, but local wild monkeys have something to say about it. Trash is burned, somewhat unfriendly to the environment, in a specially built concrete-laced hole using gasoline brought in a plastic bottle.

Paradise comes at a price — and, if you want to live according to European standards, as do most British expats in Goa, the price is higher. According to Anna Rogovskaya, in the more developed Southern Goa, a one-bedroom apartment in a modern newly built complex one kilometer from the sea costs $35,000, while a three-bedroom townhouse built to European standards on a 600 square meter plot a few hundred meters away from the sea in Anjuna, a famous seaside town in Central Goa known for its market and once-raging beach rave parties, on which the plug has been now pulled by the authorities, can cost up to $170,000 and more.

Real estate ownership among Russian expats in Goa remains scarce. The infamous restriction on ownership for foreigners is a deterrent for some, although many of those who are determined enough to be willing to accept all of the other local inconveniences circumvent it by setting up an Indian-based business and registering the company as an owner. The market itself drives away some others.

“Russian buyers come to Goa to live on the shore, and they do not even consider buying anything more than a kilometer away, while, at the same time, the British buy property in developments as far as five kilometers inland and more, where prices are cheaper, infrastructure is more suitable for permanent living rather than a short holiday, and land ownership is less complex than on the shoreline, where it is full of restrictions and land disputes,” Rogovskaya says.

Yet rental prices remain cheap, with nice two-bedroom properties a stone’s throw from the sea going for few hundred dollars a month, meaning that it is quite possible to rent full-time for 30 years and not spend anywhere near what you would need to buy or build, and then maintain, a house that would stand that long. Rental prices are expected to fall in the upcoming season because the Indian government, in an attempt to flush out the semi-permanent residents on tourist visas, announced that those will no longer be issued for more than one month.

Anton Nossik, the former managing director of Rambler and one of Russia’s best-known Internet personalities, is one of the devoted seasonal residents of Goa and has done a lot to popularize the destination through his blog. He told REC that he did not buy any real estate there and does not intend to.

“If you only live there four months a year, it would make no economic sense to buy anything because it’s much cheaper to rent — and even if it wasn’t, the Indian government’s policy to constantly change visa rules basically means that you can buy a house, but have no guarantee that next year you will be allowed to have access to it. This is a factor in many people’s decision not to buy,” he said. He added that many people, in his view, would not be comfortable setting up fake companies or cutting corners in order to buy, exposing their investment to potential risk.

In Nossik’s opinion, the country’s policy that prohibits real estate ownership for foreigners creates an artificially regulated property market in Goa that cuts out the majority of potential buyers who have money, a record of buying properties thousands of kilometers from their main place of residence, and a tradition of buying real estate for investment purposes.

“I do not see a lot of Indian buyers there buying second homes or investment properties,” he told REC. “All I see is people who are moving to Goa from other regions of India, and that means it is not a healthy property market.”

Nossik says he will keep coming to Goa, all these hurdles aside, as he sees no alternative that would match its appeal, which comes from a combination of culture, climate and geographic location. “It is not so far from Russia, almost universally English-speaking, has an appealing climate and is not expensive — in my mind, there is no real alternative to Goa,” he said.

Rogovskaya believes that Northern Goa, where until now a lack of western infrastructure has kept prices lower than in the South, will be developed to the same standard within a few years, and presents a nice investment opportunity. “The prices in the North now are three times lower than they are in the South, and there is no any real reason for them not to level out when the infrastructure is built,” she says. “It makes no sense whatsoever to try and buy to rent out, because of how cheap rentals are, but you can make money on the appreciation over time.”

She insists that many scare stories about fraud, evictions and such like usually have their root in the victim’s own obvious mistakes, even though some are true.

“The same people who, in Russia, would never give a large sum of money to a total stranger without so much as a receipt, come to Goa and often get misled by the sunshine, the relaxed atmosphere and the friendly locals, who smile all the time,” Rogovskaya says. She believes that the common sense and due diligence that one would apply elsewhere should help one avoid many problems with business dealings in Goa as well. The rest, according to her, is usually due to a failure to learn local laws, a desire to cut corners or a lack of cultural sensitivity to local traditions and customs. “This is India,” she says, “It only makes sense to buy here if you love India.”

http://old.themoscowtimes.com/realestate/catalog/article/418741.html/

 

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[Neptune_]

Unique thread. Why isn't anyone replying here ?

 

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Russia on my mind

by Crespo D'Souza 08/08/2014

even during the ‘off-season’

like it or not, order it’s the future

(did you know the Lamani tribals along the beach speak fluent Russian?)

It may be the middle of the ‘off season’ in Goa, store the rain performing its annual purge. Sure, the coastline is more or less bereft of ‘whites,’ and yet below the surface, there’s a revolution taking place.

Small groups of Goan entrepreneurs huddle every evening. The reason? To learn Russian through classes being organized by the Russian Information Centre, which set up shop in Goa last year. The entrepreneurs – mostly men – are comprised of shack owners, hoteliers and restaurateurs along the state’s coastline. For them, learning Russian is more than just a pastime, but something of an economic imperative.

It’s not hard to guess why. About 1.62 lakh Russian tourists arrived in Goa during this past year as compared to approximately 1.45 lakh tourists from Britain. The tribal lamani women who sell trinkets on the beaches now speak fluent Russian, as do many vegetable vendors in the local markets along the beach belt. It is the hoteliers and larger businessmen who are late to the party.

Besides offering Russian-language courses held at various locations across the state, the Russian Information Centre operates a 24-hour helpline for Russians, and also publishes a bi-monthly magazine in Russian called Krasta Goa (Colours of Goa), which is probably the first Russian magazine in India. It is distributed free at hotels, restaurants and other venues.

Diplomatic relations between Russia and India remain strong despite a slew of bad press for Russia in the wake of the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 by a surface-to-air missile allegedly provided by Russia. India remains one of the largest customers of Russian defence equipment, and a new direct flight from Goa to Moscow with a stop at Delhi can only mean good news for the tourism industry.

But industry insiders admit that the focus on Russians comes not from any great desire to lure this particular crowd, but rather because of an inability to attract anyone else.

“The Russian agencies themselves admit that the Russians who are coming to Goa are the extremely low end ones. The uneducated, the ones who don’t have much to spend, and the like,” said Engelbert D’Mello, a tourism industry stakeholder.

One restaurateur who asked not to be named, added,

“When they come to a restaurant, they do things one wouldn’t normally expect of a tourist like asking if they could bring their own bottle of booze.”

To be sure, this is a point that can be debated. Many restaurants along the coastal belt are actually quite pleased with the spending of Russians, many of whom don’t mind splurging on delicacies like lobster and cognac. And judging from the Russian-language menus at places like the Grand Hyatt Goa in Bambolim, there’s certainly a decent number of high-spending Russians arriving in Goa.

And while it’s clear the majority stay in smaller guest houses, lodges and budget hotels, businesses throughout the beach belts of Goa are preparing menus and brochures in Russian language, hiring Russian translators and coming up with marketing strategies to bring in Russian clients. Often this is done through tie-ups with the big tour operators, like Sita, who specialize in bringing Russians to Goa.

Not long ago, all this was the exclusive purview of North Goa. Not so anymore. Russians tourists have now fanned out across the state, both North and South – with a number even foraying into previously unknown territory, such as Shiroda in South Maharashtra.

Many of these tourists, especially those who speak no English, keep to themselves. Others, however, are quite adept at making friends with locals, keeping in touch throughout the year.

“They find out things like the weather, the political situation, new happenings, places to visit etc,” D’Mello said, adding that the next time they come they have a better planned trip.

The Russian influx has led to quite a few tensions in recent months, including several incidents of violence. This past season, much of the troubles revolved around the monopolistic practices of tour operators who provided their own transportation to Russian tourists, often shutting out local drivers. The tensions peaked with the last-minute cancellation of an Indo-Russian rock concert, which caused a minor diplomatic crisis at both the local and national levels.

Russians and their supporters in the tourism industry argue that their presence in such large numbers clearly brings benefits to Goa. Alexey Mzareulov, a senior Russian diplomat in Mumbai, explained it this way: “If Russian tourists decide to move out, the silent majority of many families dependent on the inflow of cash brought in by the tourism industry would suffer.”

And others argue that the commonly held notion among Goans that Russians are involved in crime syndicates is overblown.

“It’s just 27 out of tens of thousands of Russian tourists who come to Goa. It’s a negligible crime rate,” Ekaterina Belyakova of Tara Travel, which works the Russian Information Centre, said when controversy last arose.

Going by the dozens of Goans wishing to learn Russian in the first year of the RIC’s classes, it seems clear not only that the Russians are here to stay, but that Goans know it.

http://goastreets.com/russian-mind/

Russian Information Centre launched in Goa

DEC 16, 2013 ALEXANDRA KATZ SPECIALLY FOR RIR

Russian tourists travelling to Goa for a short vacation and those living there during can now get round-clock information and assistance in Russian language.

The idea to establish a place where thousands of Russians coming to Goa every tourist season can get simple tourist guidance and more extended assistance in difficult situations, be it medical emergency or frequently happening passport losses, was a lingering dream both for Russian tourists and local businessmen.

Indeed the services like ‘Goa Help’ (which now has branches in Kerala and Cambodia too), an agency that helps Russians to rent a room or a bike, get a cab, have been working in Goa for quite some time. However, it’s quite unlikely that these kinds of agencies would help a tourist, particularly for free, to deal with a lost passport or a suddenly aching tooth.

The Russian Information Centre in Goa was launched over the weekend under the auspices of Russian Consulate in Mumbai is planning to provide round-clock free help, in the Russian language, with general tourist-related inquiries as well as give true and reliable information to Russian citizens facing visa and passport related issues.

“Though we are not an official organization that can provide any legal help, we can help tourists with consulate numbers and contacts of lawyers. We hope to be really helpful for Russian tourists,” Ekaterina Belyakova, managing partner of tour operator Tara, the founder of Russian information centre in Goa said.

She explained that a lot of tourists with expired visas or even lost passport entrust friendly locals who promise them to solve the visa or passport issue for a small (or sometimes large) amount of money. “Russian tourists should understand that no one except the Russian Consulate and trusted advocates can help in such situations,” Belyakova added.

The centre’s founders believe it will become a heart of Russian-speaking community in Goa and a single-window solution for tourists looking for accurate information on places to stay and dine, shop and party, explore culture heritage and enjoy the nature of Goa.

The centre is also planning to promote Russian culture and traditions and help Indians explore Russia’s known and unknown travel destinations. It is planning to conduct various cultural events. For example, on the day of Russian Orthodox Christmas, January 7, the centre is organizing a special programme.

Lavish opening ceremony

The opening ceremony itself had a Russian traditional feast. Indian guests were offered Russian traditional bread and salt, blini (pankaces), olivie salad, dressed herring and other Russian starters along with freshly-made kvass.

The Russian Information Centre has also started publishing a Russian language magazine called Kraski Goa (Colours of Goa) the first issue of which was presented at the opening ceremony.

“It is not at all the first attempt to establish a Russian language publication in Goa, but all the previous publications were emerging and disappearing at once. Our magazine is going to stay there for long,” Anastasya Gritsay, magazine Editor-in-Chief said.

Colours of Goa published monthly with circulation of 10,000 will be distributed both in Goa and in Russia and will be the only permanent publication in Goa completely in Russian language. The editorial team is planning to add articles featuring Russia in English too.

“When I first came to India in 2008, it was like a different planet for me. Though it is very interesting and challenging to learn and perceive India, it took me five years. Indeed I am still learning,” Gritsay said. “Those who come here for a vacation have often only one or two weeks. That’s why we created a magazine that will be focusing on Goa’s culture, history, traditions, even norms and regulations apart from diverse tourism infrastructure, nightlife, shopping and fashion.”

“They often say Russians in Goa are only drinking and taking drugs,” said Victor Albuquerque, honorary consul of Russia in Goa. “It is wrong. There different tourists, of course, but it is a very small percentage of such tourists that spoil the image of the nation. Russia is a country which has great history and culture.”

He promised he will try his best to help Russian tourists in Goa with whatever problems they face and will help promoting the centre that should play the major role in reaching out to Russians in Goa.

Last season (from November 2012 to March 2013) among 996 charter flights that landed in Goa 742 were from Russia. This season, according to Russian Consulate in Mumbai and Government of Goa’s tourism department expectations, the number of Russian tourists will cross 200 000.

All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

https://www.rbth.com/economics/2013/12/16/russian_information_centre_launched_in_goa_31669

Unique thread. Why isn't anyone replying here ?

Hasi ke hungamey!

 

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India beckons the young and restless

LIFESTYLE MAR 24, 2010 RBTH ANNA NEMTSOVA, SPECIAL TO RUSSIA NOW

Russians who have had it with upward mobility are heading to Goa for peace of mind. India appears underwhelmed by the Russians who put out a shingle and sit in lotus on the beach.
Five years ago, Yulia Solovyeva’s life did not differ much from the life of any other young professional woman coming from the provinces to Moscow in search of a career. Mornings began with a quick cup of coffee in a tiny rented room, the rush through slushy streets to the metro, packed with tired and gloomy faces, and on to her office where Solovyeva worked as an interpreter.

“I felt like I lived in a cage,” said Solovyeva, relaxing in her Goa home, her legs folded into the lotus position. “We smoked cigarette after cigarette in constant stress; I couldn’t imagine raising children in that aggressive Moscow environment.”

And like thousands of other restless Russians disillusioned with the new corporate world, she headed to the Indian state of Goa in search of shanti, the result of balancing internal and external states. She followed a path that lured generations of young Westerners before her. She made her trek to India, and never came home. The Russian exodus to India—some seem to be setting up a life permanently in Goa—is revealing itself as a trend. Whether they are discovering enlightenment or escaping Russia’s stress, India has mixed feelings about their new permanent guests.

The new lifestyle trend intoxicated Russians with its promise of a tranquil life, where short work days, massages and yoga on the beach replace the hassle of Russia's big cities.
Cheap daily charter flights are now carrying thousands of Russians to Goa, a former Portuguese colony famous for its beaches and laid-back mood. The allure of India has spawned a bestseller in Russia, “The Goa Syndrome,” a book about living and working in Goa by Alexander Suhochev, also known as DJ Sa Shanti, a resident of the Indian state since 2003.

Solovyeva’s husband, Timofei, prefers to describe the drift of the Russian movement to Goa as a movement of uplifters rather than downshifters, the term known in the West. The Solovyevas’ two children were born in Goa. Their son's name is Om and their daughter's name is Uma, after the Hindu god Shiva's wife. There are already two Umas in the growing Russian community. More could be coming, as the community has celebrated a baby boom in the last few years.

Like many other Russians, the couple set up their own business in Goa. “When we started a Russian yoga retreat center five years ago, it was a new concept in Goa. Many of our friends, and then their friends, followed us here,” said Timofei Rakin during a tour of his neighborhood in Arambol. “Now many Russians run small businesses in Goa.”

Fliers in Russian pinned to palm tree trunks that advertise yoga, massages, traditional Indian music and dance classes for visitors point to the growing Russian community in and around Arambol.

Ilya Demenkov, 27, said he grew tired of his work as a programmer at a Moscow IT company. Demenkov flew to Goa last year to realize his dream of opening a kitesurfing school.

“I came here to begin my own business and find a girlfriend,” said Demenkov.

Alla Duhl, a painter from St. Petersburg, found that she could live on $500 a month in Goa, including rent for an art studio and a room in a house with a tropical garden.

“Maybe a French lady would find this environment lacking comfort, but we are used to crowded buses and dirty streets, so Goa feels like home to us,” Duhl said.

Duhl, who paints portraits of local people on pieces of antique dark wood, said she planned to exhibit and sell her art pieces this summer during one of her short visits to Russia.

Last year, 80,000 Russians flew into Goa. But the influx has also raised some concerns in India. An increasing number of Russians are overstaying their visas. Beginning Feb. 1, the Indian authorities limited tourist visas for Russians to one month, not three or six months, as in the past.

According to the embassy of India in Moscow, 1,400 Russians did not return home last year before their visas expired.

“Some tourists decide to stay to live in India permanently,” said the embassy’s secretary in a phone interview. “Some, we hear, even burn their Russian passports to break off all the connections with home.”

Sanjeet Jha, president of the Association of Indians in Russia, noted that India has shortened the visa terms for Western Europeans as well. He added that some individuals linked to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai used tourist visas to spend extended periods in the country.

“The rules have been changed for everybody, not just for Russians,” he said. But Russians still feel singled out.


Some Russians have burned their passports and made a home in Goa



The president of Bharatiya Janata Party, Laxmikant Parsenkar, said that Russians should "stay for two months, have fun, spend money and go back" rather than start Russian businesses. The highly popular city of Morjim seeks a ban on Russian businesses after a taxi driver was killed in a scuffle with a Russian citizen.

Moscow is known as a stressful city. Upon their return to the cold of Russia, some fans of India try to preserve their shanti, the state of inner and outer peace and harmony.

Increasingly, Russian cities have yoga clubs, and practice of the physical and mental discipline has taken off after being barely visible in the country just a few years ago. A new chain of Indian stores, The Way to Yourself, offers everything from Indian tea to little tin kettles good for washing nasal energy channels or watering flowers.

On a recent night, fans of India gathered at Gazgolder, a hip Moscow night club, for a “Goa Memories” party. Visitors in Ali Baba baggy pants and Shiva shirts, sun glasses and flip flops, with third eyes painted on their foreheads, danced to tam-tam music under a big video screen featuring scenes from the Indian state: Indian women in bright saris on motor bikes, enormous palm trees and golden sunshine.

https://www.rbth.com/articles/2010/03/24/240310_downsh.html

 

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Goans Angry on The Foreigners Running Business In the State on Tourist Visa, But Who Is Responsible For This?

January 25, 2018 by Goa Prism News Reporter

This is not the new story, and the business has been carried out by the tourists (foreigners) for several decades in the state but, now it is becoming an issue for the locals, and they are coming out in a protest of the same. With the time, more and more foreigners have started looking at Goa as a potential place for having fun and doing the business at same time. There are several hundreds of foreigners visit Goa every year on the tourist visa and many of them end up getting either employed here or start their own business…

Goa is one of the most sought-after tourism destinations, the tourists from all over the world travel to this tiny state. According to Goa Tourism statistics, every year around 6 million tourists, from all over the world. flock to Goa, and that makes this place even more potential for generating the huge revenue. The Russians are traveling to Goa more in numbers, compared to any other tourists, from across the world.

In the due course of time, looking at the opportunity, the foreigners had started setting up their base, into this tiny state, and the north Goa beach belt has become the major attraction of the foreigners. Morjim is a famous beach, situated in the extreme north of Goa, and due to the Russian population, this place becomes famous as Mini Russia in Goa.

The foreigners Started working at various positions, while on their vacation, on a tourist visa, and slowly they started getting into various businesses. But, all these become possible only due to the greed of local people, who are now blaming the foreigners. According to the sources, the locals had started letting out their places, and businesses to the foreigners, for the greed of making more money.

The news published in various newspapers, claims that locals are now irked over the foreigners running the business in Goa, while on their tourist visa. According to the reports, the locals are worried about their bread and butter, as most of the businesses have been captured by foreigners, in the North Goa Coastal Belts, like Morjim, Ashvem, Mandrem, and Pernem. Locals say that, due to foreigners conducting business here, they are losing business.

According to reports, out of three foreigners that have been nabbed by the police at Arambol and Morjim, two of them were a husband and wife duo fined Rs. 5000 each while the third was fined Rs. 20,000. The sources have revealed that the quantum of fines has been levied on the tourists deepening on the gravity of the violations.

The Pernem area in North Goa and Palolem in South Goa had been in the limelight for such activities for decades. In the year 2009 the then Home Minister of Goa, Shri Ravi Naik had brought this issue to the notice of BJP MLA and Laxmikant Parsekar abut the foreigners doing the business in the state. Mr. Ravi Naik was replying to the unstarred question of Mr. Parsekar. “They run businesses like hotels, guest houses, bars, coffee shops, fabrication, and welding, selling laser items, cloth shops, export of wooden furniture besides real estate,” Ravi Naik said.

According to the sources, police keeps catching the foreigners for the violations but it is not even the tip of an iceberg. Here the latest news talks about the 3 foreigners while in 2014 around 4 were caught for working in the state on a tourist visa with the fines of Rs. 2000 each, which is peanut for them, as each of them works in Goa for a huge amount of money.

The quantum of violators is almost 50 fold compared to the detection. According to the locals, there is a high number of foreigners doing business in Goa, but authorities are unable to keep a tab on them. Most cases that are booked are from the coastal belt of Pernem. The Arambol and Morjim beaches have a high concentration of Russian and Kazakh tourists.

The locals are worried about their bread and butter as most of the businesses have been captured by the foreigners in the North Goa Coastal Belts like Morjim, Ashvem, Mandrem, and Pernem. Locals say that due to foreigners conducting business here, they are losing business.

Meanwhile, the Pernem PI Sandesh Chodankar said that the cops have investigated complaints as and when they received them. “We write to the FRRO whenever foreigners are arrested for violations of visa conditions,” he said.

According go the Pernem Police station Incharge, the most common complaint by Pernem taxi operators is that some Russians operate illegal taxi services. Chodankar said that it is not easy to prove such cases as there is no ban on either driving or riding by foreigners. “The complaints received, nonetheless, are investigated,” he said.

Some locals also complain that Russian tourists in Arambol and Morjim operate guesthouses. “Russian tourists function in that fashion. It is an open secret,” said a local.

All the Concerns raised by the locals is correct and fair. It is very much evident that the foreigners are involved in many businesses, that are run by locals but, not without the support of locals. For example, if the foreigners run a guest house, or runs a cab business, that means, they are running these businesses in association with locals, and hence even the locals are responsible for this. What are your views on this, please share it in the comments section.

https://www.goaprism.com/goans-angry-foreigners-running-business-state-tourist-visa/

 

[RPK]

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nat...ps-help-russian-begging-in-kanchi-temple.html

 

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https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nat...ps-help-russian-begging-in-kanchi-temple.html

Copy-paste the content instead of simply posting the link.

It’s Moscow! No, it’s Morjim!

Thousands of Russians have made Morjim, in northern Goa, their home as they find the place more hospitable than their native land. Reena Martins on India’s little Russia

It’s the eve of the Russian Christmas and Igor — a strapping, vest-clad Russian hotel owner — races around hairpin bends at a bone-rattling speed to reach his beachside shack in Morjim, along Goa’s northern coast. In the back of his open jeep sits a cake, atop a week’s supply of vegetables and beef.

For Igor (he doesn’t use a surname), Goa is home. And he is among thousands of Russians who would rather bask in sunny Goa than live in freezing Russia. The number of Russians in Morjim has risen “from less than a thousand six years ago to 45,000 last year,” says Vikram Varma, the Goa-based counsel for the Russian consulate. About 200 Russians and their spouses are on business visas, while the rest are tourists.

RUSSIA HOUSE: Dima Smirnov (below), owner of the shack Bora Bora, is among the many Russians who have settled in Morjim to enjoy Goa’s sun and sand.

Morjim today has at least 10 restaurants run by Russians, says Igor, whose 13-room beachside hotel Casablanca caters mainly to Russian guests. Behind fluttering chiffon curtains in Bora Bora, a shack run by Russian Dima Smirnov, is an open space where several serious looking Russian guests sit glued to their laptops at low tables. There is even a kindergarten run by a Russian that the visitors send their children to.

Russians constitute a small part of tourists in Goa — less than two per cent of the 25 lakh who visit annually — but Morjim is like a mini Moscow. Young Russian women straddling babies are a common sight. “Often, the women stay back with their children, while their husbands return to work in Moscow,” says Smirnov, who spends six months in Moscow working in a restaurant, while his girlfriend, Tanya, stays back in Goa.

Twenty-something Sasha (she doesn’t use a surname) is happy to be in Goa. “Last year there were hardly three children here. This year, there are about 15 and some pregnant women too,” says Sasha, cuddling and swinging her six-month-old baby, Alicia, who was born in Goa. “India is Alicia’s motherland,” she declares.

Women like Sasha and her Russian housemate Anna say they stay back in Goa for the sun, sand, fresh food and air. “In Moscow the vegetables are pesticide laden, there are traffic jams and the air is polluted and cold for nine months a year,” says Sasha.

Life is also cheaper in Goa. Igor points out that he does good business in Goa, which would have been “very difficult to do, legally” in his own motherland. Sasha can afford to spend all day outside her rented Goan villa or simply amble across to Casablanca, where babies frolic in a bright yellow and red inflatable tub.

The global economic downturn hasn’t affected many visiting Russians. “The older Russian would prefer keeping his money on him or with a smaller local co-operative bank, instead of investing it in the stock market or with international banking firms,” says Varma. The rich and old Russian finds Goa a good place for holidaying, and puts up in five-stars. For the young Russian backpacker, there are hundreds of cheaper options.

The Russian presence means business, but the locals are not very happy with them. Many believe that the Russian mafia — which took over the country after the collapse of Communism — has entrenched itself in Goa by buying up property. Varma hastens to add that only about 200 Russians have bought property in Goa.

Ask Igor about the Russian mafia’s presence in Goa and he says, “90 per cent of Russia is filled with the mafia, which includes the police and politicians. But the Russian mafia would rather go to the Gulf countries where they can spend big money. What money can they spend in this garbage collecting place?”

Bosco George, the north Goa superintendent of police, says it would be an exaggeration to talk of a Russian mafia in Goa, though there have been Russians who have hidden facts about themselves from both the Goa government and the home country. Staying without a valid visa is a problem, and last September the police visited Igor’s shack eight times, asking to inspect his passport and visa. “I eventually told them to just leave,” he says.

Goa police figures reveal that Russians have been charged mainly with overstaying, rash driving and rowdy acts. The number of Russians booked in the state rose from six in 2006 to 11 in 2007 and 14 in 2008.

But life is mostly peaceful for the Goan Russians. In the Bora Bora kitchen, Nepali cooks rustle up traditional Russian fare — mostly popular beef stews. The peanut cream for the scones and cottage cheese are made from buffalo milk, in house. The beef is farm raised, as the “cows in the neighbourhood eat paper and plastic,” says Smirnov.

Not everyone is as finicky. Igor has no idea about the origin of the beef that goes into the traditional Russian borscht or beetroot soup with shredded beef and boiled egg, topped with fresh cream, served hot or cold, in his shack. Live like a Russian, but Goan style seems to be his mantra. Da da, say the rest.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/1090125/jsp/7days/story_10437122.jsp