O B I T U A R Y

George Mathew Rodrigues

Born: 16.9.1956                 Died: 22.3.2012 (Kuwait)

Beloved Son of Late Paul J. Rodrigues & Agnes Paul Rodrigues,

Loving Husband of Monica Rodrigues (Alghanim),

Father of Michelle Rodrigues & Graham Rodrigues,

Son in law of Felix Fernandes, Brother in law of Jane/Joseph, Charles/Sunita,

Francis/Rehna, Edward/Anitha, Brother of Alice/late Domnic D'Souza & Flory/Allwyn D'Souza.

The mortal remains will be flown to Mumbai for final rites.

Contact Nos: Kuwait 66273122 Charles/66752947 Edward,

India: +919892248005 Jane/+912223896360 Janet.

May his soul rest in peace.

 

THE MATHANAY SALDANHA THAT I KNOW.

With deep grief I received the sad news of the sad and untimely demise of Mathanay Saldanha today at 4.30 AM in Kuwait from my friend in Goa and ex Kuwaitkar Elvino Rodrigues, thru SMS. It was unbelievable when I read the message but it was reality. It was a pity that he could not enjoy his ministerial position nor he could perform his ministerial duties from the portfolios he opted against the offer of Speakership which he declined.

I and Mathanay we both were colleagues in different movements, Konkani movement was the top on our list. As a staunch supporter of Konkani he always appreciated my move to unite Kuwaitkars in support of Novem Goem movement. During those days once when I was on vacation in Goa, Christopher Fonseca the then general secretary of "Novem Goem Prathisthan" introduced me to Mathanay Saldanha at Jesuit House in Panjim where both of them were staying. Much of my time in the evenings I used to spend with him and Fonseca and in our discussions he always talked in support of Goa and Goan causes thereby giving me an impression that he is a real Goa lover Goan.

He once in our discussion suggested to me to motivate the Kuwaitkars as I motivated for the Novem Goem movement and collect from every Goan Kuwaitkar One KD. With this amount he wanted to purchase Goan land and properties for Goans only. Likewise he had intention to do in other places in the Gulf and elsewhere. But for some reasons this idea of Mathanay Saldanha never moved ahead. He wanted to purchase Goan properties and hold the ownership of Goan land into the hands of Goans only instead of allowing outsiders to purchase our land and thereby surrender the ownership of our land to outsiders who are mushrooming now.

Being the leader of Ramponkar movement sometimes he used to ask me the details of their lives since he knew I was very close to this community in Candolim and Calangute. Sometimes he used to come to Candolim during my vacation and used to move on to the Candolim Beach to meet the people there. He had great ambition to alleviate the problems faced by this community. He gave excellent leadership to Ramponkar movement in Goa and they in turn had very high regard for him.

Later on we interacted with each other in the movement "Konkani Porjecho Avaz", our meeting place was at Azad Maidan Panjim from where we used to move in Rallies to Altinho at the residences of Ministers to make our voice heard to them and then return back at Azad Maidan for public meetings which he used to address among others. He was a very good orator capable of speaking on any topic related to Goa. It was pleasure to listen to his oratory especially fiery. I also attended as a special invitee from Kuwait, KPA’s Executive Body meetings at Keni Hotel where I noticed him speaking very boldly in support of KPA principles. Having shared the same dais with him in public meeting I always liked his oratory and as he confessed he in turn liked my oratory. I also moved with him for the meetings of Gomant Lokh Pokx some of whose members were exceptionally talented. Because of their high intellectual calibre and high political ideals I was more attracted to GLP.

When Kuwait was invaded by Iraq on 2nd August 1990, he was the first Goan in Goa to raise his voice loudly in support of the security of Goan community in Kuwait. Later on when we Kuwait returnees organised our movement on behalf of Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center in Goa, he was the first person to assure his total support for our movement in favour of the liberation of Kuwait.

His students who studied under him at Dom Bosco Panjim epeaking to me personally in Kuwait today showed lot of sorrows over the death of their loving teacher who taught them Physics, General Science and other subjects. His every ex student working in Kuwait has something or the other to tell in praise of his late teacher Mathanay Saldanha.

We both of us maintained a very good relationship and friendship till his defection to BJP when Parrikar plotted a coup to overthrow defector Sardinha’s government and take the reins of the government into his hands. Thru my writings and even personally I showed my disapproval to him of his move to join Parrikar without the consent of his voters who overthrew Mauwin Godinho in support of Mathanay Saldanha. As a Minister in Parrikar’s Cabinet I found in him lot of pride as if he came from outer planet. As a minister, he was not his original humble self Mathanay Saldanha, power had gone to his head. A man eating “Pao – Bhaji” with me at Panjim in a Restaurant near Jesuit House finally after becoming minister started acting with me like a Bhattkar to a Munddkar with artificial “Mijeas”.

My final dislike for him erupted when he remained a silent observer for Parrikar’s decree cancelling the official Good Friday Holiday for Christians. As a real son of his real Christian parents and himself as a practicing Catholic, if not, then at least as a secular minded man in the name of secularism which he preached openly, he should have stopped Parrikar from implementing this anti-Christian move. Otherwise, he should have resigned from Parrikar’s communal Cabinet as a mark of protest. This he failed to do and thus he showed his lust for power. From here the original Mathanay Saldanha was no more for me.

Now he is already dead but dead at a wrong time when he would be more productive, Goa will miss his absence. He had lot to do as a great lover of Goa for Goa and Goans but death snatched him from this planet. He was not a “Chor” nor corrupt like many of the earlier and current politicians and ministers. It is something like irony that God took a decent man from Goan political arena but kept intact all the “Chor” and corrupt politicians who sucked the blood of Goans by extorting heavy bribes for the governmet services.

May his Soul Rest In Peace and May Heavenly Father give courage to his family to bear this colossal loss.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.

WELL DONE SACHIN TENDULKAR.

History has been created on Friday, 16th March 2012 on Bangladeshi soil by an Indian son whose elders 4 decades back sacrificed their precious lives to give birth to Bangladesh. It is just a coincidence that in a country brought into existence by India whose own celebrated son the great cricket star Sachin Tendulkar scored his 100th hundred and created a history in the cricketing world. This unique record should be kept written in the history book in golden letters.

On the very first day of his birth 39 years back, the elders in his family as I was told, noticed that this child while growing-up itself will turn out to be a wizard and this prophecy finally came to be true from the records he created in the sport called cricket. India gave birth to many wizards in different fields but in cricket Tendulkar stands tall not only in India but in the world. This record he created will last for a long time and I doubt it can be broken by any other cricketer in this century, It was a painstaking and laborious job acquired by Tendulkar by torturing his body on the field for about 3 decades.

For a sportsman to acquire a majestic feat he should also have luck and Tendulkar has it. It is not that of his type world has not seen earlier, in fact in the past world has produced finest batsmen, some of them much better than him. But unfortunately they were unlucky not to get opportunities as Tendulkar got. Earlier there were no IPL, no 50 0vers and no T20 as they are during Tendulkar era. More the tournaments and more the frequency more the opportunities to score more centuries and that’s where Tendulkar is lucky.

A God fearing man with very good character, Tendulkar maintained a very good discipline on the field, in victory he was happy and in loss he showed no resentment and anger thru disapproval, always ungrudgingly accepting “Out” decision by the referee. In scoring centuries he did not jumped in the air with pride as many did but looked up in the sky in humility and praised God. Even acquiring the greatest feat of scoring 100th 100 he showed a low profile gesture without any show of pride.

BEFITTING HIS UNIQUE ACHIEVEMENT AND THE HONOUR HE BROUGHT TO THE NATION BY SCORING one 100 HUNDREDS, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA TO COMMEMORATE THIS FEAT MUST RELEASE A POSTAL STAMP DEPICTING HIM SCORING HIS 100TH 100.

When Brazilian Pele scored his 1000th professional goal in Brazil, Brazilian government issued a special commemorative Postal Stamp in honour of this extraordinary feat which the then president of Brazil said “brought honour not only to Pele personally but more than that to the nation Brazil”. For Pele 2 professional matches evaded him of scoring this goal but finally in the third match he succeeded in scoring this memorable 1000th goal while Tendulkar had to wait for one year to achieve his feat of scoring one hundredth century.

What Pele did in soccer Tendulkar did in cricket. While Pele with his right foot could make the ball do anything he wanted except talk, Tendulkar could make the cricket ball do anything by holding the cricket bat in his right hand. While one skill of Pele, that is, “play the ball off an opponent’s leg” was done by Pele only with perfectness so also Tendulkar performed his speciality of “Effortless Wristy Flick Through Square Leg” as no other cricketer did.

Will such sportsmen come again in our midst? God alone knows.

On behalf of myself and on behalf of all my likeminded friends and colleagues I say “WELL DONE” Sachin Tendulkar.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.