GOAN FOOTBALL - IN GOA & KUWAIT ... VI
Now in few months time a new committee will be elected to run the KIFF. What type of representatives each club will send in KIFF? Knowledgeable in soccer or idiots and revengeful persons? Will they send as their representatives persons who know about soccer and who played competitive soccer in their life time or just idiots who does not know anything of soccer? My regret is this that any Altu-Faltu shamelessly volunteers to join KIFF without knowing much of soccer. These idiots Altu-Faltu don’t even feel ashamed to come forward when they lack basic knowledge of soccer laws. How can a carpenter fit into a group of masons? Or is it the craze for cheap publicity to be an office bearer of the organization? Or is it a craze for cheap publicity in the local press with photographs? There are sayings in Konkani “Kharveank Nhoi Khuim Ghorvam ani Rendrank Nhoim Tarvam”. "Har Nachta Mhontlear Ghaindoi Nachlear Zaina". When cheap people go for cheap publicity thru cheap photographs, they look like cheap cartons. In fact they are cartons only and will remain as such because this is a good place for getting cheap publicity for cheap people.
The biggest contributory factor in the promotion of our soccer was the enermous publicity we get in the local media. Also in Goan media and on Internet. Thanks to both the local Arab Times and Kuwait Times, I made use of local media to maximise the publicity of our soccer from the beginning itself and from there it got a strong base for others to follow. I dont think anywhere in the Goan world such a vast publicity is given for our Goan soccer and also for any of our other Goan activities. This has happened because A. Veronica Fernandes is only one and that too he is in Kuwait only. Kuwait Press is unique and very co-operative in this aspect. In Goa West Coast Times, Herald, Goa Post, Novem Goem, Goycho Mog, Gulab, Goa Today, Konkan Mail, Bombay's Goa Times, Cine Times and Goan Review were all very supportive in pemirtting me to give exhaustive coverage for our soccer and other activities. Unfortunately recently undeserving people are getting publicity because publicity seekers have penetrated into our activities and to get their photographs and other type of publicity they will do anything, some of them will even dole their wives to the writers. So shameless are these people. They want to prove especially in Goa and for Goan community that they are prominent people amongst Goans. Beyond Goan community nobody looks at their photos, they are the Monarchs only of what they survey within their four wall. Otherwise in reality they are cheap coming from cheap background back home and to display their cheap background they go for cheap publicity. This cheap publicity itself identifies their cheap background. Actually they are not capable of doing anything worthwhile for the cause of community or society as a whole. Good that they are in Kuwait to get everything cheaply for their cheap promotion. Back home in the local Press they are not worth an inch of a publicity and who cares for them in Goa and back home?
We have innumerable Organisations in Kuwait in the fields of Soccer and Social activities. These Organisations are manned by Presidents and other office bearers. By looking at their peers in their Organisations you will wonder that they are somebody who can think and act great especially for the cause of Goa. But in reality it is not so. With the exception of few whom you can count on your finger tips, the rest are impotent to work for the cause of community and Goa. In the history of Goans in Kuwait, Vincente D'Souza did play a very good role for the promotion of Goan causes. He was not a member of any football club. The issues and the initiiatives that he took for the cause of Goa and community were indeed great and what these initiatives are already disclosed by me earlier in this seris. When I came to Kuwait first time, he was a well established, well settled and a senior member of our community. Though he had his colleagues yet they were just dummies compared to his excellence.
Now coming back to my era in Kuwait, I got myself involved in all the main movements started and initiated in Kuwait for the cause of Goa and Goans. I was involved in the campaign for the promotion of Goa Cancer Hospital at Dona Paula, Direct Flight from Kuwait to Dabolim and Gulf Goans Hotels Company - all were the initiatives of Vincente D'Souza. I took very active part in Gulf Goan Hotels Co. and Direct Flight. I am the only person who on my own went to Delhi and campaigned for the cause of Direct Flight. My efforts surely were also responsible for getting Direct Flight for us and to prove this I have in my possession a letter from Indian Aviation Minister. While for Gulf Goans Hotels Co., I have contributed a lot and did the pushing within my capacity, I am its share holder and was founder Director. Konkani Movement in Kuwait was totally my initiative backed by almost all. Novem Goem Pratishthan Kuwait Somiti was purely my baby backed by our supporters. Formation of Kuwait Konknni Kendr was purely my initiative supported by my collaegues. Konkani Heritage Kuwait I co-oauthored. Goa - Kuwait Solidarity Centre was purely my initiative supported by the lovers of Kuwait. When I was involved in so many activities as partner, member or as initiator, most of the people who are now on forefront as office bearers of so many of our organisations were nowhere even though many of them were here during those days and they are still in Kuwait. To be a part of my activities one has to have real calibre, real character, real dedication, real unselfishness. In my activities there is transparency and no cheating. In my activites there is no room for "Chors" to rob money. In my activities there is no self promotion at the cost of others. In my activities there is no cheap publicity. In my activities there is ample room for intellectually advanced people. And only because of these attributes all my movements gained success, namely, Konkani Movement - resulting in getting recognition for Konkani and Statehood for Goa; Novem Goem Pratishthan resulting in starting of Novem Goem Daily; Kuwait Konknni Kendr - resulting in maintaining Konkani's Voice loudly and forcefully amongst the expatriates Goans, there is not a single organisation of this type anywhere in the world amongst Goans; Goa - Kuwait Solidarity Center resulting in gaining maximum benefits for Goans from Kuwait and Kuwaitis. Besides, by my partnership co-operation we gained the benefit of Direct Flight from Kuwait - Goa and vice versa; realisation of the construction of Hotel Goan Heritage; realisation of Konkani Heritage Kuwait thru which abundant help for the suffering maids was rendered; realisation of the formation of Goan Welfare Society.
Currently do we have people in our community to rise to the occasion and give leadership and direction to do something worthwhile for Goans and for Goa? Are our current Goans associated in their respective organisations capable of doing something great or they will think of running away to the West especially to Canada? First of all do the current peers of our Associations have love for Goa, its language, its history, its tradition and its culture? Are our Social Organisations really serving our social and charitable causes? Sometimes one is getting afraid to mix up for our Socials because they depict and display all vulgarity and "soro". One case to cite: Last KIFF Social. Another case: Drunkerdness and Vulgarity for Goa Day functions. These are only two examples. For these functions you see nothing but unGoan activities and regretfully these unGoan activities are organised in the name of Goa and Goans. The name of Goa is become very tasty to promote unGoanness. When such activities are promoted and when people accept them blindly then how one could get upright and good stalwarts to guide our community in right direction? How such organisations will create right person to fight for the right causes of the community? Arent we aware of the scandal of famous Goan Society's 30 thousand Dinars duping scandal by 3 persons? That they are "chors" even a case was filed by one of their partners against them and yet they move in society as full fledged human beings without any shame. And incidentally the same "Chors" are again brought back on their previous chairs by the "chori" loving members because "Chors" like "Chors". Again incidentally these "chori" loving Goans are also shameless. They want support of "chors" to get something for their personal benefits from the "Chors" leaders otherwise upright and good persons will never support "Chors". Only the "Chors" will support "Chors". Hence, in my view Kuwait Goan community will not be able to produce great men with great heart and with great mind to fight for the future causes of Goa. This is the tragedy. Unless Sunami type of situation takes place in our midst and all the "Chors" and "Bamttes" are uprooted from our midst and their places are totally filled by the new crop. Otherwise some miraculous changes should take place. Amongst the current so called fake leaders in our community the attitude is like this: "Mojem Makam Meulea Puro", the rest go to hell.
Coming back to KIFF election, let it be know to everyone, I am not an official member of any current soccer clubs and as such I am not allowed to be in KIFF. Yet some people blame me for influencing the elections of KIFF thru my writings. This is not correct. KIFF is too small an organisation for me to meddle with thru remote control. Its members and office bearers are too tiny to challenge my intellctual capacity. I have much better things to do. But I support its activities because it is required to run our soccer. I have worked for its formation, I have worked for its initiative and as such I want it to run smoothly. Let it run without anybody blaming me as the below mentioned incident discloses.
Once, the Bebdo President was defeated in the election for KIFF presidency. Immediately he came home and took up the Battli and started drinking till he finished it. Then he dialed my number at night time and started abusing me for not helping him to get elected. I said “how can I get you elected and how can I elect you when I myself is nobody in KIFF?” Then he said “all your friends in the KIFF voted against me”. Then I said “Am I responsible for them?” And by the way, I went further " Who said in KIFF I have friends? It is lowering my integrity to have friends in those who got no integrity and human quality". Then his wife took the phone from his hands and profusely apologized to me for her Bebdo husband’s misbehaviour. This is to cite an example how Bebdes are ruling our organizations.
Concluded.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
