The death was reported of Dr Pradip N Maske, of Curti, Ponda, recently. Maske died on February 2, 2026, and his last rites were on Feb 3. His passing came barely a couple of days after his retirement. He had been a Reader in Political Science at the GVM's College of Commerce & Economics, Ponda had retired on Jan 31. A colleague said he passed away from heart-related complications.
Atharva, whose name comes from a Sanskrit word related to sacred knowledge, was a mix of sometimes useful articles on Goa's culture and society (houses of Goa, road accidents in Goa, cooperatives in Goa, tourism in Goa---is it sustainable?) along with issues with perspectives from the Hindutva Right (Ayodhya: partition or relocation?; the politics of polarisation and appeasement; the Arya forgery in world history, etc).
In the absence of any significant academically-focussed publication in Goa, Atharva contributed to the debate. His work will be remembered.
