Goa, Dec. 24 -- Pio Esteves

When sheer passion turns into a reality, its continuity over the years is a clear proof of perseverance and hard labour. Anthony Rodrigues from Dexibhatt, Agassaim, popularly known as 'Starman of Agassaim' has been into the practice of preparing stars out of bamboo and its number has been mounting annually in leaps and bounds. Anthony picks up this tedious exercise of painstakingly cutting the bamboo into sticks, joining them to give the shape of a star and finally dressing the entire skeleton with scrap paper, giving it a festive look. This assignment begins in the month of June and continues throughout till November-end. When young as a teenager," Anthony reminisces, "it was merely looking at the preparation...