Associate Director: R Sarada Editor:Nirmal Chander Sound Editor: Boby John Additional Camera:Vineet Sabharwal, Sejal Shah, Puneet Gautam Additional Sound: Hari M Producer / Director / Photographed by: Ajay Noronha

Some chilled beer and fish curry rice is just the perfect antidote to the rat-race life in a big city like Bombay. And if you get to do it regularly, then you're getting to be a good Goan! Which I am by birth…Susegad – the Portuguese word which so succinctly describes the unhurried way of life in Goa. It’s unfortunate that I live in Mumbai and consequently such luxuries are hard to come by. But thanks to the new rail link with its comfortable reclining chairs, an overnight journey gets me to the shores of Goa, at a pretty good rate.

With siesta being so sacred, you can't possibly get a leaf to move in the afternoons… however the scene on the beaches is quite different. Besides seeking a tan, there are some tourists in search of young boys. One summer three years ago, I kept seeing very young boys teeming around elderly single white male tourists. I didn't bother at first, but soon I noticed that often these men would pick these boys up, fondle them and even kiss them. And this recurred intermittently as I walked along the beaches of North Goa - Anjuna, Baga, Calangute, Candolim. This sight disturbed me.

I got chatting with shack owners on the beach and their response upset me even more. They claimed that 'those' children weren't theirs (read Goan) and so it wasn't their problem. 'Those' were lamani (gypsy) children from neighbouring states. This got me all wound up and decided to make some more inquiries - with social workers, taxi drivers, beach shack owners, etc. It became clear that Goa was becoming an increasingly favoured destination for paedophiles. Local apathy at one end and denial by the State Government just seemed to make it so much easier for these men. The social workers that I spoke with said that their biggest problem was countering the local attitude.

This, then was the starting point of this film.

After several subsequent visits and tons of research, I put in a proposal to India's biggest child relief organisation. Promises of funding soon evaporated with them deciding against financing my film. This only heightened my resolve and I decided to go ahead and at least start shooting. Providentially, an old film-school buddy offered me his miniDV camera for starters. That opened the floodgates of support… a lapel mic from Mumbai's biggest equipment supplier for free, a bagful of batteries from a sound-recordist friend, a DAT from another filmmaker friend, tapes…I couldn't have asked for more.

Soon, help came from a friend who carried parts, literally parts of a DVCAM camcorder in his jacket pockets, and strolled nervously through the Green channel, all the way from Singapore. A 'godfather' from Canada gave me a Birthday-Christmas-NewYear-Easter whatever present of a lifetime - the Matrox RT2000 Edit software. If I say anymore I would be ranting off my credit list. Which I think is longer than the film itself! There was a secret underlying joy that this film was being made in this way. So putting in every penny I had saved, while continuing to shoot for the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Kaun Banega Karodpati, I set off to Goa on my own.

So here I was in Goa - shooting, doing sound, asking the questions…all on my own, never having done it before. It’s one thing to chat with people about paedophilia but quite something else to get them to speak on camera. The fear is real for them…especially for the beach shack guys who are eking a living out of serving their foreign clientele. But yes, it is remarkable how some of them stuck their neck out for me.

There's a lot of silence, unspoken bits that I hope the viewer sees through. This film brings together people in Goa and elsewhere, who feel strongly about this issue. Yes, it lacks a 'victim', a story many would have liked to see in the film. I did get close to meeting one of the boys abused in the famous Freddy Peat case. But I soon realised how traumatised his family was getting by my visits and I dropped the idea since I really needed him only so that my film would appear more convincing to my audience. The thought sickened me. However, getting Freddy Peat – the only paedophile to be convicted, I would consider my single biggest coup. So with my crew (this time my finances allowed me to tag along a sound recordist), tripod and camera, we get into the jail premises to meet the Superintendent of the Central Jail. After many meetings (not without difficulty) we did manage a shoot with Freddy Peat. Who as expected denied being paedophile and to this day wants justice. He’s almost blind, frail but retains a razor-sharp memory at 70. His one and only request after the interview was for me to take him to my house if he was ever released. Freddy Peat could be small guy in this whole multi-billion international racket. Could he be just a pawn?…one will never know!

On the other extreme is the officialdom. Government machinery – Chief Minister after Chief Minister on record has denied that Paedophilia exists in Goa. They maintain that Freddy Peat is an isolated case. During the one year of my filming for this film two paedophiles managed to escape the country, their Passports lying with the Goa Court. The Government not having the slightest idea! To such an extent that the Tourism Minister on my request for an interview, had the most amazing reply:

"Arre Baba, what you want to interview me for. There’s no Paedophilia activity in Goa."

And I say to her, "Ma’am you can say that for me on cam?". Which she did!!

So little wonder I wanted to make this film with Goa as a case in point. Which is not to say that tourism related paedophilia is not happening elsewhere in India, Rajasthan, Pondicherry, Manali, Kovalam, Bombay…but the increased tourist inflow and the prevailing attitude are helping this activity to flourish.

But there's some hope that one may be able to put an end to the abuse of young innocent children. At least after a few screenings in Goa, I feel this way. The response has been overwhelming. What I really liked that over 150 people turned up to see the film, a big number when you are a nobody. And that life after sunset is best reserved for a shot of Rum or Feni. For a change and pleasantly so, there was no discussion on cinematic techniques, but bursts of a need to alter the situation in Goa. And much surprise that I had done this on my own with no financial support. In fact a lady came up to me and asked if she could offer me some money as her contribution to the screening. That was a big moment for me. Sure, I said touched very deeply by this gesture.

Alongside, the NGOs have started a poster campaign against Paedophilia, and for a cleaner tourism. I’m hoping to travel to the many seaside villages and screen the film which hopefully stir a discussion and eventually lead to an increase in awareness and change in attitude. What with the tourism ministry planning to take tourist activity into the interiors of Goa to lessen the burden on the beaches, we need to be even more vigilant.

I always thought making a film was the hardest part, but getting it screened is much worse. But there’s hope - after a small screening in Goa, a guy came up to me and asked if I would be interested in shooting marriage videos!!! Like I said this is my first film!

Ajay Noronha is a graduate from St Xaviers College, Mumbai, who worked with Child Relief and You, a national organisation supporting underprivileged children before pursuing a course in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. He has since worked as a freelance cameraman on several documentary films and television programmes over the last six years. This is his first film as a director. And the first film on this issue in India.