Lorna, others denied US visa

PANAJI: Goan superstar Lorna Cordeiro was among a bunch of Goans denied a US visa on Tuesday. She, singer Sidhanath Buyao and other troupe members are likely to miss the tour of USA as they claimed the American consulate in Mumbai denied them the required documentation. The purpose of the tour was to entertain the Goan diaspora there.
The musicians and outgoing Konkani Bhasha Mandal president, Prashant Naik (as narrator), were to perform in Detroit on July 6, 7 and 8, along with tabla player Yatin Talaulikar and keyboardist Norman Cardozo.
"I was supposed to give a powerpoint presentation on 'Goa yesterday and today', while Lorna and Buyao were to perform at a musical concert with the other musicians," Naik said.
They had been invited to the US to perform at the 11th North American Goan convention held biennially. The event is organized by the Goan Organization of America (Goa) for three days.
The Goan diaspora's dream to watch a live performance by Goa's nightingale, Lorna, and the others is shattered for the moment," a team member said.
The reason given by Consulate authorities was that "the applicants could not satisfy the interviewing officer that they will depart the United States at the end of their temporary stay, and they also could not demonstrate strong social, economic and /or familial ties outside the United States."
However, Buyao said that no such information was sought from them by the Consulate authorities during the interview. "There is no question of staying back in the US since the group was visiting only for a performance," he said.