Recently I was in Goa on my annual vacation. Suddenly on 27th of June 2008 I was informed that my friend Domnick Correia from Nagoa Bardez and a prominent ex Kuwait Goan has expired on the very day when he returned home from a Doctor with his medical report giving him clean chit of all his medical tests. Medical science decided one thing and God decided something else. The decision of God always takes precedence over all other decisions taken by human beings even on the basis of scientific evidence.In front of God’s decision, science failed and it will always fail. In front of God’s judgment scientific judgments failed resulting in the death of Dominick Martin Correia. A week before his death on one Sunday I met him at Mapusa attending Konkani Tiatro along with his kind hearted and ailing wife due to her limping leg. We exchanged lot of pleasantries outside the hall and both of us we embraced each other. Earlier three years back when I went to his house with my wife to invite him for my Silver Wedding anniversary since he was witness to my wedding in Kuwait 25 years earlier along with his wife and children, he showed his dislike for me for not inducting my son into G.O.A. Maroons soccer team in Kuwait when in his own words he said to me: “you being the founder of G.O.A. (Maroons) you should not have done this. Your son plays so well and since Goa Maroons is your baby you should have inducted your son in Maroons”. This was his regret he showed to me. But my answer to him was this:
“Correia, how can I force my son to play for the team of my liking? It is his decision to play for whichever team he likes. He is a matured boy and knows what is good for him. Besides, how he will play for Maroons if Maroons is not showing any interest openly and expressly in him? He will not go like a beggar to Maroons to plead them to enroll him in their team. My son has his own dignity and prestige since he is the prestigious player being one of the best amongst us in Kuwait”. For this my friend Correia had no answer. I withdrew from Maroons because I realized it allowed in its fold people with cowboy mentality and not soccer development mentally. My coming out of Maroons was the result of my disapproval of the questionable and weak leadership of the organization where I could not do much to bring about the change. Hence, I withdrew with the consent of few respectable colleagues of mine in the organization who totally accepted my decision. Though I played a major role in the formation of G.O.A. (Maroons) in 1980 yet I was not the only person in founding G.O.A. Peter D’Souza and Domnick Correia were equally responsible for forming G.O.A.
The late Domnick Martin Correia came to Kuwait from Bombay somewhere in 1954 brought by his father and immediately got employed in one of the British contracting companies, M/s Kuwait Development Company. After working there for some time, he then left that job and joined the then prestigious Behbehanis in Carrier Air-conditioning Division and from here finally he joined Mercedes where he held a good post in the supervisory capacity and worked there till his retirement. In Mercedes, owned by Al Bisher & Zaid Al Kazemi he was highly respected by his top management for his work efficiency, sincerity and dedication, so also by the staff not only working under him but even others in the company and also the community members. Having close contact with the top management he used his influence to employ many Goans there, thought them the basics of the jobs and made them fit not only on the job but even in life. Many of the Goans who are till today working there it is only because of the goodwill of Domnick Martin Correia.
Because of his job, he created very good rapport with some of the top locals thru whom he helped many of the community members. Even people arrested for some minor and major misdemeaneours he got them released from Police Lock-up thru his influence. He was like a saviour for many of the rejected and distressed people. In Kuwait, we cannot forget two Goans who have done so much for Goans getting released from the Police Lock-up: one is Sheikh Agnelo now residing in Agacaim, Goa, and the second our late Domnick Martin Correia. They proved to be like Biblical “Bom Samaritans” during the critical times of many of the Goans. But inspite of doing so much for the good of the community members he once told me when I interviewed him for “Goycho Mog” Weekly in eighties; that he regretted the majority of those who received his help finally turned out to be ungrateful and betrayed him with a Judas Kiss. This is the main fault of our Goans because of which many time a good Goan is reluctant to help another Goan. And which are these Goans? Mainly Christians coming from “Ladru – Pedru” type of family background. Without proper basic family discipline at home under the good parental guidance nobody can acquire good habits. Now-a-days good discipline is not taught in schools and in colleges, they have their syllabus to complete and hence no time to discipline the students in good mannerism. Good discipline is not thought now by “Padris & Madris” because they have their own priorities. Good discipline is not taught now by unties, uncles and neighbours, they have their own things to take care first. And there is a saying in Konkani “Sezareani tor burgeank sambaulelim zalear mae ani pai kiteak zai also?”
Domnick Martin Correia was a great lover of sports and extra curricular activities, soccer being his forte in which he excelled extremely well as a player first and as an organizer secondly. While in Bombay he played as a stalwart in the forward line scoring innumerable goals for his village team in the Inter-village Goan tournaments conducted in Bombay. Then he played for the then mighty soccer team in Bombay “Pe. Agnelo” where he made a strong impact of his skill in dribbling and powerful shooting prowess due to which the then powerful Bombay outfit “Kohinoor Mill” spotted him. With this team he made a name and fame for him at Cooperage ground where great footballers of India played.
After coming to Kuwait as a young, energetic and bustling man, he joined “Blue Wizard” for which team he played at Ahmadi KOC Grounds and finally shifted to the gigantic Goan team “Young Goans” which even terrified Europeans teams at Ahmadi. The Young Goans of that time had great players in its fold, one of them was the late Stanley from Siolim who was while in Goa a regular for GOA XI along with topmost Portuguese Pakle players in a very stiff competition.
Amongst all his four sons, the eldest Tony emulated his father’s feat in soccer. Though Tony and I played together for many years for G.O.A. Maroons at Sour Grounds in Kuwait City and also at KOC grounds in Ahmadi, I found him extremely good yet those who witnessed the games and playing styles of both the son and the father, they say that father rates much higher than the son. This is a big credit to the late Domnick Martin Correia for his football playing skill. And according to one person who observed Domnick Correia minutely during his hey days as a footballer, if he had not come to Kuwait then, surely he would fit in any of the top Indian teams. Unfortunately lack of financial opportunities have destroyed natural talents in many of us in our home countries. Talking to his son Tony, when he came to Kuwait fresh from School, he was in such a top form that even the British players showed their admiration to his playing skills. I am yet to see another Tony Correia amongst us in Kuwait. His shooting power was just fantastic, his running skill with the ball was extremely well and his positioning himself on the ground to receive the ball was admirable. If he had not to come to Kuwait at that tender age, I am sure he would have been spotted by any of the top Goan teams.
Domnick Martin Correia since the inception of our competitive soccer in Kuwait 1979 was involved in the promotion of football at Sour grounds first by supporting Blue Razors (Blue Wings?) and then by being one of the founders of G.O.A. Maroons. His contribution for G.O.A. was great as a founder, organizer, financier and helper to some players in getting jobs. Such kind hearted and helpful people are not existing in our midst now. He was the genuine Goan having all the attributes of pristine Goan. He supported many of our activities for the cause of Goa and Konkani. A soft spoken and decent man with cool temperament but once lost his temper it was very difficult to control him. Though I was very much junior to him in age and in many other respects yet he valued my association and friendship. When I met him last month in Goa, his loving hug once again proved his liking for me. His death when he was still active and healthy was a great loss for us and for our soccer in Kuwait. As a befitting tribute to his enormous contribution for the promotion of our soccer in Kuwait a memorial soccer tournament should be organized or the tournament that G.O.A. Maroons orginses annually should be renamed as Dominick Martin Memorial football tournament. And as a befitting tribute to him for the inception and promotion of G.O.A. Maroons, a condolence meeting to mourn his death should be called immediately by the G.O.A.. Some of the new entrants in G.O.A. are surely not aware of the contribution of Correia to the formation, development and promotion of G.O.A. Maroons. His memory should be kept alive.
May His Soul Rest in Peace and may God give courage to all his family members especially his loving and devoted wife to bear this colossal loss. He was a very dedicated and responsible father to his children, a faithful and devoted husband to his equally faithful and devoted wife and above all he was a man of character having compassion for the weak and downtrodden. He was the only person in the midst of his colleagues having pure genuine Goan character. It is sad that such genuine Goans are coming to an end. Once again, May His Soul Rest In Peace. Domnick Martin Correia, you played your game very well and you entertained the spectators also very well. You have won the victories on and off the soccer grounds and your final victory will be surely in Heaven because you have done good for others.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
