THE LAST PORTUGUESE GOVERNADOR WAS THE ARCHITECHT OF THE SPREAD OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN GOA AND NOT THAT ANTI-GOAN/GOA BANDODCAR.

This is in reply  to the news  item appeared in the Goan media on 16^th of this month saying that Goa’s Chief Minister “vows to provide corrupt free governance”. What a rubbish statement is it of rubbish Pramod Sawant? Since  it is rubbish  I refuse to accept this statement and moving a step forward would like to say that even if another  hundred more Pramod Sawants come in the form of 100 Chief Ministers and try to implement  this policy, nothing will change in our so corrupt system where it is accepted  by every citizen that almost every elected member is a corrupt. It is going to be impossible for any earthly creature from Goa to eradicate the corruption existing in Goa so deeply. 

First of all it is almost impossible for any candidate to get elected without performing corruption either by bribing his voters or gifting them with certain things or threatening his opponents directly or indirectly or spying on his opponents and many more such corrupt practices. Using corrupt practices and corrupt activities is the must  for every candidate to get himself elected. If these lawmakers themselves are corrupt and getting elected thru corrupt practices then how these candidates support corruption free society? When corruption is their oxygen which they inhale every second of the day, how can they discard corruption?

 

Once the candidate is elected, either he as an MLA or MP or a Minister, he has to kill his conscience if he has one and be a party to the whole system which is become absolutely corrupt.  Can CM Sawant confront this without getting “clean bowled” by his own opponents in his own Government and party? He may have good intention but it is practically not possible because being still a kid on Chief Minister’s Chair, Pramod Sawant the current Chief Minister of Goa still has to go a long way to  get that magnetic type of allegiance from his  colleagues as earlier got by Dayananda Bandodcar and Manohar Parrikar.  And as a matter of fact, how clean Pramod Sawant is?  He issued this statement as if he is the most clean man!!  How can a person by being a member of the BJP that is controlled by the RSS and involved  in creating communalism besides committing most corrupt practice of accepting 10 “fotting” congress MLA’s into his BJP fold, can remain corruption free?  In this case by virtue of being an active member of corrupt RSS, will Pramod Sawant be able to provide corruption free governance in Goa?

Secondly, our Chief Minister said in the same news item that “Bandodcar took elementary education to rural Goa”. I disagree with this statement. Much before Bandodcar came to power in Goa, it was somewhere in 1958 the newly arrived Portuguese Governador Vassalo e Silva introduced compulsory and free primary education in Portuguese for every Goan child attaining the age of 6. Thru this ordinance Governador Vassalo e Silva attained the status of the architecht of the introduction of compulsory primary education in Goa and not Dayananda Bandodcar who was the most rubbish, most communal, and the most anti Goan Chief Minister of Goa.  The construction of the New Primary Schools were already initiated by the Goa Governador and all these schools were of the same pattern all over Goa; two of such schools were already built in our areas, one in Candolim at Dando and the other in Calangute at  Sauntavaddo.

Besides, the Portuguese Governador when he was passing thru Candolim road while returning from Aguada in the mornings approximately at about 7.30 to 8.00 AM, many times he used to halt his simple vehicle without any display of pomp – namely no red Beacon light, no police escort jeep neither in front nor behind, no posse of heavily armed body guards -  in fact  there were only 3 security personnel each carrying a small Revolver fixed to their short Pant, one of them was the Goan driver, the other who was the Paklo sitting in the front seat next to the driver and the last one yet another Paklo sitting next to the Governador in the middle row, entered our Portuguese School and also Marathi Xalla and distributed the School Bags to the poor students.

As a matter of interest I would like to share one episode to prove how good the Portuguese Governador was and how bad our Goan casteist teachers were.  Once, in the morning when Governador Vassalo e Silva returning from Aguada at 8.00 AM, abruptly stopped his vehicle next to our Portuguese Primary School, wearing a nice Suit bluish in colour and along with one of the security officers carrying a Bag filled with something which we did not know till it was opened.  The Governador  stood at the entrance door to draw the attention of our professor and asked the professor, in a very humble manner as if he is dependent on our Professor, “ CAN I COME IN?”  Then Professor got up from his chair and we all the students got up in unison and wished him in one voice saying “Bom Dia Senhor Governador!! He nodded his head answering our greeting in the same manner saying BOM DIA – BOM DIA, all with his smiling face.  Then he walked right up to the front Bench where I was sitting, stood still there for a few seconds, looked at me and coming closer to me, bending his head to reach to my ears and asked me “ Tem Sakola”? Seeing the Governador was speaking to me a  simple commoner boy with simple and  common background, wearing torn uniform and in barefoot, I suddenly lost my mental balance and became  dumb and turned into a totally nervous boy.  Seeing my uneasy situation, Governador gave a very charismatic broad smile and condescended himself and put his right hand in my drawer and checked for himself whether I have a Bag to carry my books.  When he found no bag there, he called me out and told me in Portuguese ‘come here and stand up there at one corner”. Then he told our Professor to select another 11 students coming from the poor family background and having no School Bag and to keep them standing where I too was standing”. Then he asked his Paklo officer to take out 12 Bags and distribute 1 each to all the 12 students.  But the rascal Professor of ours who was the big “Bhattkar” and casteist, when told by the Governador to select all the 11 students from the poor background, he selected all the 11 students boys and girls  from the rich and affluent family background and all from upper caste background.  Governador was happy that he did a nice job of projecting himself and his Portuguese government a Secular but poor guy what he knew that he was made a fool by this Goan Christian Professor thereby denying the privilege given to the poor Goan students by the most kind and benevolent Portuguese Goverador of Goa, Vassalo e Silva who indicated his great love and affection for Goans? From here, who can say who was fooling Goans in the name of Portuguese?  Were the Portuguese really our enemies or our own Goan Portuguese like my Professor our worst enemies?

The same excersice was performed by the same Governador a little away from our School in the Marathi Xallah where the Marathi Xalla Mastor selected all the 12 students from top and rich Hindu Brahmin boys and girls.  While going back, they the Hindus who were at the Tinto when  got this news immediately, they shouted slogans so vociferously in praise of Governador and Portugal that its sound was reverberating even in our School which was 200 metres away from Tinto.

A.Veronica Fernandes.

       

SANGODD IN CANDOLIM AT XUIMER.

On 15^th of this month at Candolim Ximer, near the beach, the annual SANGODD was held at 4.00 pm with lot of people coming to watch it, not only from Candolim and ambient areas but also from elsewhere. 

All 3 local attractive girls sing an attractive Trio with their attractive voices.

Normally since my childhood Sangodd was held at Orda, Candolim  to mark the feast of St. Peter.  Sangodd is a musical display where solos, duos, trios and choral songs are rendered by the popular local singers. During my younger days, Orda Sangodd was very popular as it is now. The Stage setting is done on the cluster of country boats – Voddim – around 6 - all these Voddim tied and secured to each other very tightly and on these the Stage is made where artistes and musicians perform. 

Both the Congottkars  Salvador & Pascoal sing their duo

                                       John de Silva & his partner performing a comedy role
                                             

The Candolim Ximer Sangodd is performed  from one place where the Stage is set on the Voddim and opposite side facing the Stage people seated on the Chairs watch it with rapt attention just like they watch the Tiatro with very powerful Mike  system having all the Hi-FI Electronic gadgets.

One of the local girls seen rendering her solo

As earlier, the local gentleman and businessman, an  ex member of the Local Panchayat, Mr. Lawry Fernandes  wielding lot of influence in the locality as he is involved in organising activities in Candolim, came forward to organize this year’s Sangodd too putting in lot of efforts, energy and money as well.  However, as an added booster two businessmen one is Lakhanpal and the other Hotel Silver Sand were kind enough to Sponsor this year’s  Sangodd,  in addition to Lawry Fernandes as the third Sponsor.

Benny de Aldona sings his solo on generation gap

In all there were 26 songs in this Sangodd comprising solos, Duets, Duos, Trios and choral; 13 of these songs as per my information were composed by Salvador Silveira from Calangute and rendered them by the locals who trained by Salvadior only.

Suchin Candolkkar singing his solo "Laddu & Pedde"

In addition to the locals and amateurs, some professional artistes also participated in this Sangodd thereby increasing its interest in the audience.

Huge crowd seen watching the SANGODD

The professionals who performed in this Sangodd are all paid handsomely but from their dress code they failed at least a few them when they used the same dress for their different items. The greatness of Stage artiste lies on his dress code too that gets him attracted to the audience and thereby  enhancing the quality of his performance that gives an added booster to the whole Show. Going to participate in the Sangodd is not like going for swimming in the Candolim Sea.  Sangod has great attraction and importance culturalwise and those people who attend this great cultural item they only know its greatness and importance of Sangodd and not those ignorantly belittle its greatness.  So, those artistes mainly the professionals who thinks it is the function of hoi-polloi then they are mistaken.  In this case I feel these very artistes are from hoi-polloi background.   I  pity their their 'NENNARPONN'.

Seen above is Lawry Fernandes the dynamic man behind organizing this SANGODD

The musical score provided by Roy and his troupe was excellent. The compeering of the proceedings  was done by Anil Pednekar and Salvador Silveira.

                  Seen seated at  right with mike in his hand is compere Anil Pednekar

While concluding, I congratulate Lawry Fernandes to take the initiative to organise this Sangodd that gave limelight to so many singers and entertainment to many more who watched this Sangodd even without caring for the incessant rain.  

The music provided by Roy and his jolly musicians as seen above. 

                       Seen  below is the youngest artiste singing a song "BANDRA FESTAK

A. Veronica Fernandes. 

SAD DEMISE OF EX-KUWAIT GOAN ANTONIO LAWRENCE FERNANDES.

Reading the Obituary column of Herald dated 11.08.19, I was hurt to see the photograph of one well-kown ex-Kuwait Goan, the late Antonio Lawrence Fernandes who died in Siolim, Bardez, on 11.08.19 and interred on the next day at 4.00 pm, at Siolim Soddiem Church Cemetery where the Church was so packed with his friends and relatives and also his well wishers that there was no room available even to stand, in fact it was neither in the Church nor in the Cemetery. Rarely I witnessed such an enormous attendance of any Kuwait returnee. This proves  his popularity in his locality and elsewhere too because I saw people attending his funeral coming from all over Goa. 

He was the once renowned Goan footballer,  who in the late fifties donned the colours of Goa’s mighty outfit “LUBE”. Because of his attractive soccer skill he was selected to play for Bardez XI in the stiff competition from Portuguese “Pakles & Khapris” towards the end of fifties. He mastered the beautiful art of playing beautiful soccer at St. Joseph’s High School, Arpora which was then like the renown soccer Academy of Goa producing talented players with whom he blossomed into a perfect footballer. During those days Antonio  Lawrence maintained a very good personal relationship with all his team mates.  His best colleague players on the field were all from Candolim playing along with him for Arpora School namely the Machado Bros. - the defender Andrew and the ace dribbler and forward Babazinho and the best medio playing as centre half who was excellent in the aerial duels,  Jose Marie, all of them   used to play havoc with their opponents.

Then he migrated to Kuwait where he got opportunity to play “A” grade soccer along with the top British and other European footballers at Ahmadi in the KOC Oil Sector where he was employed. Because of his soccer prowess he acquired name and fame for him leading him to wield vast influence in the community.

His main achievement in Kuwait as the president of the United Goans Football Center was to initiate and start  the  competitive soccer tournament for the first time in the history not only of Goans but also of Indians too, at Sour Grounds, Kuwait City. No doubt he was immensely helped in this very tough activity  by his colleagues Tony Gonsalves from Divar, Joe F. X. Desouza from Assagao, Diogo Gomes from Bastora and many others because in a country like Kuwait where as a foreigner from Asia you encounter lot of hurdles and discriminations. Moreover there was no government support directly because for Kuwaitis, Indians playing soccer means a big joke.  However, it was thru this tournament initiated by UGFC under the leadership of the late Antonio Lawrenco Fernandes that gave an indication not only to the Kuwaitis but also to other nationalities including the FIFA that for Goans from India soccer is the staple diet.  By organising this soccer he and his colleague helped the  Goans to build a very good friendly relationship among themselves and excellent opportunities for many of our young boys to get employment because of their prowess in soccer. 

I think the local stalwarts in his locality and also in Goa who are on the job of promoting soccer they should honour him even if it is too late, let this be done posthumously.  Thru soccer he helped to internationalise not only the soccer image of Goa and Goans but otherwise too.  It is a pity that so many of our Goans while working in the foreign countries create wonderful activities which are not only ignored in Goa but also neglected. It is a pity even our Church leaders after receiving so much of help from Goans abroad for their  activities forget them. There is no appreciation in Goa for the good work that our Goans perform in the foreign countries. In his homily during the  funeral Mass the local priest lauded the good work Antonio Lawrence did even for his Church but if something concrete has been done in his honour that would give some satisfaction for him.

 A.Veronica Fernandes.