“VOCE TEM SACOLA?” Nao Senhor Governador. Em da ca (Venha aqui) and Governador took me aside and asked our Professor Oliveira from Calangute, to bring 12 students from the class (Primeiro Grau) coming from financially poor background and keep them along with me. “Voce tem Sakola” was the question posed to me by the then Goa’s Governador Vassalo e Silva who happened to be the last Portuguese Governor of Goa. He was very kind hearted man. He went to Aguada early in the morning on that day and while returning back to Panjim he halted in front of our School named after the great Goan genius and Hypnotist Abade de Faria who was born in my place Candolim and also in my Vaddo, Pintos Vaddo.
Faria’s ancestral house was 50 metres from our Portuguese School known as “Escola Primaria - Abade de Faria. It was in dilapidated condition though intact with cracks in the walls but decorated with huge big pillars. As young boys very often we were going to this house during the interval and used to embrace the big pillars and kiss the walls like mad just to get some inspiration of that great soul of Abade de Faria. Incidentally some of my colleagues doing this finally in their life achieved great laurels in diverse fields though none reached nearer to Abade de Faria. However, inspite of my embracing and kissing the walls of his ancestral house where Abade de Faria was born, I remained non-entity and most stupid amongst all while many others doing what I was doing reached very far.
On that most memorable day of my life, while our class was on – the subject going on at that time was “Historia de Portugal”, I suddenly saw one ordinary Jeep like Tata Sumo stopped in front of our school. Seeing that Jeep nobody would think such a highest official dignitary of Goa was sitting in that Jeep. But yes, it was the Governor of Goa. Governador was sitting on rear Seat and next to him his personal Paklo Secretary in “khaki” military uniform. Driver was also a Paklo in military uniform like the other one and next to the driver was his body guard a Paklo too similarly dressed as others. Only Governador was wearing neat and tidy Suit having handsome looks. His affectionate smile made him more handsome and attractive though he had a huge physical stature. Three persons in his jeep was the only entourage of the Govenor of Goa then. There was no pompousness nor “tamasha” as we see nowadays in Goa with our ministers. There were no Pilot Cars in front of his Jeep or behind. There were no police escort carrying big Riles, Guns and Machine Guns. He was just like any other ordinary citizen with only one bodyguard. That was the simplicity of the Governador Vassalo e Silva.
When our Professor Oliveira saw him getting down from his Jeep, he immediately hid under the Platform his big sticks thru which he was lashing us as if we were animals though according to the newly enacted decree by the Governador, corporal punishment to the students was prohibited. Hence, Professor Oliveira’s fear leading to hiding the big sticks under the Platform. When Governador reached to the main door of our Class, he stood there erect and asked our professor permission to enter inside. What a wonderful sense of discipline!!
When professor Oliveira said “most willingly your are welcome”, then Governador, his personal Secretary and one bodyguard entered in our class. While entering he gave a broad and fabulous spontaneous smile to all of us. Meantime we were all in readiness to welcome him with a big “BOM DIA SENHOR GOVERNADOR”, for which Governador replied smilingly “Bom Dia. Then he came walking straight to me where I was sitting on the first bench. When he reached next to my bench, he stopped and stood there and looking at me smilingly with the father’s look posed me that most memorable poser of my life: “VOCE TEM SACOLA?”. Instead of of answering him rightly “Nao Senhor Governador”, I was nervous knowing not how to answer to the highest authority of Goa at that young age. I was nervous because Governador surprised me, me an unknown entity coming from unknown background.
I could not believe how such a highest dignitary of Goa can condescend to my level and talk to me, me a small boy coming from small parents, me an ordinary creature of ordinary family in my village when in my class there were students coming from top echelon of the society whose parents even wined and dined with the same Governador in his Palace. Then seeing me nervous, Governador smiled and put his right hand in my desk and he himself checked whether I have a school bag (Sacola). Then he realized that my family background was not financially affluent. Hence he himself called me aside and told professor Oliveira to select another 11 students having no School Bags and coming from financially lower strata of the society. Incidentally and in tune with that time of Bhattkarshahi and Bamonshahi, our professor Oliveira selected all the 11 students boys and girls from the affluent parents and all from the top Bamon class.
It was not the Portuguese and its Governadors who kept us backward but our own Goan Bamon Bhattkars mainly the Christao. Portugese Governadors and Portuguese Government in Lisbon wanted advancement and development of Goa and Goans but our own Bhatkars and Bamons who had exploited us and kept us backward.
Governador Vassalo e Silva was sent by the Portuguese Government of Salazar with specific instruction to elevate the standard of Goan masses. In view of this Governador Vassalo was doing his best to elevate and develop the masses. If Goa’s invasion was not executed with the best of Chicanery of Nehru’s Congress Government with the connivance of Russia and lies of Malyali Krishna Menon, the then Defence Minister of India, Goa would have been a golden place for Goans. Now since December 1961, Goa is become “Kuslolem” due to the influx of “kuslole” Bharati descended on Goa from all over “kuslolem” Bharat who have been “kusoing” Goa very systematically.
17th of this month, Herald brought a nice photograph of Governador Vassalo e Silva during his last private and friendly visit to Goa on June 18th 1980. Governador Vassalo e Silva was a very kind hearted person and a great lover of Goa and Goans. It was thru his personal decision that he defied the orders of Salazar to bomb and destroy Goa instead of handing it peacefully on silver platter to Bharat. If he had to follow the instructions of Salazar, today Goa and Goans would not be existing. If Goa and Goans are still surviving it was only because of the wise decision of Governador Vassalo e Silva. In view of this, we Goans owe our gratitude to this Portuguese Governador. To keep his memory alive and fresh and for posterity to know how benevolent he was for Goa and Goans, it will be very appropriate for all Goans irrespective of caste and credd to join together and erect his Monument in Panjim. If in Goan history anybody deserves this privilege of Monument then it is none other than the last and late Portuguese Governador of Goa – Vassalo e Silva. May his Goa Loving Soul Rest in Peace.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
