Cruising down the Mandovi on the floating Casino Goa is the latest attraction.
Cartoonist MARIO MIRANDA, who's never gambled in his life,finds that Lady Luck has a different meaning here.

INDIA TODAY PLUS, July 2001 Pg 56-57.

LET ME BE BRUTALLY honest -- I have never gambled in my life except for the occasional game of rummy with a few friends.  But if passive watching can pass as any kind of expertise, I have plenty of it. As a kid, I remember
vividly, the 'poker' sessions my father organised regularly at our Goa house. I sat there, in a smoke-filled room, speechless and filled with awe as I watched this circle of distinguished gentlemen in deep concentration over their cards. The suave aroma of cigar smoke permeated the air, the conversation flowed smoothly, as did the Scotch and the Remy Martin.

As I grew up, my fascination with the gambling scene only grew, and I was very lucky indeed to have had the opportunity to visit most of the big casinos -- Monte Carlo, the casinos of Macao, Estoril in Lisbon, the Playboy Club in London, and the Mecca of the world of gambling, Las Vegas. The glamour and the glitter of this fascinating city left me spellbound.

There was someone else who reacted to Las Vegas as much the same same manner -- my confirmed gambler-friend Sunder Advani. He tells me that he was so inspired by the grand spectacle that he swore that some day he would own his
own casino. Finally, the lifelong dream became a reality -- and very often, a nightmare -- with the Casino Goa.

Inspite of all the objections and local protests, particularly from some Goan ladies who believed that casinos would lead their husbands to bankruptcy, the day dawned (or evening to be precise) when Advani's CasinoGoa was launched, installed on a ship with the romantic name of Caravela, which in Portuguese literally means a 'sailing ship'.

The first 'floating casino' of its kind in India, it drifts down the estuary of the beautiful Mandovi river. A slick, elegant ship, the immaculately white Caravela is large enough to have a sun-deck, swimming pool, various elegant suites (for those in need of a nest), a banquet room and a bar.

Above all, Caravela has class and naturally, being a casino, the main attraction is the gaming room. Sunder has taken care to design this room artistically: the glow of chandeliers and gold-embossed pillars, crimson velvet curtains and beautifully embroidered wall-to-wall carpets, everything that matches up to top-class casinos in the world. The gambling tables are
constantly surrounded with a bevy of bystanders hovering around to try their luck at roulette, black jack, stud poker and all the other games which are an integral part of a top-notch casino.

The Caravela and the Casino Goa is a joint venture which includes the Advani Pleasure Cruise Company and the Advani Hotels and Resorts (India) Ltd. These in turn are in partnership with the Casinos Austria International, a world
famous organisation which operates out of various countries and whose chairman is the charming Austrian Dr Leo Wallner. What's more, Advani is in pretty good company since the Vatican is, I believe, one of the shareholders of the company!

The inaugural launch evening was something to remember. Here I was back in the gaming room, and, as far as I was concerned, back to one of my favourite pastimes -- watching the gamblers do their thing. But this time I was in for
a surprise, a very pleasant surprise at that. This time round, the frowns of concentration were not furrowing masculine brows as in my childhood. Rather they were wedged between the well-plucked eyebrows of women who not only outnumbered the men but played with enthusiasm. Lovely, exuberant ladies dressed in their fineries, who filled the room with the fragrance of their
perfumes accompanied by squeals of delight and peal  of laughter, whenever Lady Luck displayed signs of smiling upon them.

THESE LADIES MIGHT NOT have broken the bank, but they did certainly steal the show. Compared to the exuberance of the female species of the gambler, the male species (the husbands mostly, actually) looked extremely staid and
showed no emotion whatsoever as they stood transfixed before the gaming tables, like my friend Shree who looked as inscrutable as an Egyptian sphinx. Or another friend Raj who with a smile on his face, puffed silently
on his expensive cigar, wit hout betraying signs of how he was faring at the gambling table. My wife headed for the one-arm 'bandits' and promptly lost.

But three cheers for the lovely ladies who added glamour and much 'joi de vivre' to the Caravela. May their tribe increase. I couldn't help wondering why a very vociferous group of women in Goa are doing their utmost to
scuttle Advani's ship and sink it to the bottom of the Mandovi. If these very upright and law-abiding ladies are so keen to abolish all forms of gambling, then why do they not just begin by putting an end to 'matka', Goa's favourite form of gambling?

The 'floating casino' is the best thing that has happened to Goa and it will be a great asset in the long run (and I hope the Caravela will have a very long run indeed) and in the process, boost tourism. It's perfect for those who wish to spend an evening doing something different and exciting. They can now try their luck at the tables, or lounge around on the upper deck and watch the sun set over Fort Aguada. It is expensive but it is a great experience. As I said, I am no gambler but if I did I would put my chips on the Caravela. []