BEIMAN PADRI.
In another few days time, that is, on 2nd August, we will be marking yet another invasion day of Kuwait because in 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait on that fateful Thursday. Kuwait was never colonized by any foreign power, neither by Ottoman Empire nor by the British though till 1960 Kuwait remained under British as British protectorate. According to available information soon after the end of II World War, Goans started coming to Kuwait for work either directly from Goa or from Bombay thru agencies, mainly Grey Mckenzie. By coming to Kuwait Goans have done lot of development in Goa, for them, for their families, relatives and to their surroundings. While they were working in Kuwait, Goans have also helped in giving donations in lakhs of rupees for the good causes, namely for the constructions of Churches and Chapels, Schools and Colleges, Community Halls in their villages, assistance to the political parties etc. But the biggest help Kuwait Goans gave was for the cause of Konkani and for Goa Cancer Hospital. The biggest beneficiaries of our help were priests and nuns for their Schools, Convents and Churches. By relying on our help many of the priests and Pe. Vigars did lot of developmental work in their areas and villages in Goa, so also in their Churches and Schools.
When Kuwait was unexpectedly invaded by Iraq, we came down to Goa and started our movement in support of Kuwait for the liberation of Kuwait. For this movement we expected all the priests and nuns, at least those who received financial assistance from us for the construction of their Churches and Schools and other business ventures to associate with us in their support for us and for the country from where we sent so much of donations to them. Thru our movement in Goa we did not actually liberate Kuwait but we only awakened the conscience of Indian Government to force it to support the liberation movement of Kuwait. We organized this movement to put pressure on Indian Government to condemn Iraq for invading Kuwait and to help in the process of liberation of Kuwait. Normally priests and nuns come on to the streets in hundreds in support of social and political justice but when we came on to the streets of Panjim to ask for justice for Kuwait, NOT A SINGLE PADRI AND MADRI came with us on to the streets of Panjim in our rallies and public meetings. Why they remained immune to our cause and our plight? What made them to distance from us during the hour of our crises? At Mapusa one priest said that “Kuwaitkarank butt laglo to boroch zalo”. Why they turned out to be so ungrateful for the good we did so much for them? I spoke over this ingratitude to many priests who did not receive a single pie from us as donation and all of them have felt very bad for the ingratitude shown by the priests and nuns who enjoyed our largesse.
Amongst all the priests, the late Fr. Freddy J. D’Costa was the biggest “Beiman”. He was the most helped by us amongst all the priests. I was on the forefront to help him so much financially. Even on one particular occasion we kept him about 8 days at the residence of our Alex Martins in Kuwait City taking care of his every need when he came to raise funds for Gulab. I have collected so many thousands of rupees for his Gulab by arranging one special Gulab Issue on “Goan Foot-ball in Kuwait”. Besides, I was regularly contributing articles and newsletters from Kuwait for Gulab. I don’t think any other person in Kuwait has done what I did for him and for his Gulab. Not only this, I was also pushing my other colleagues and friends to do the same and they were like me doing the same even by ignoring their personal and family needs. All these activities and help we Kuwaitkars did only to help his Konkani Magazine Gulab in which we had no financial stake though we should have asked for it before doling our financial assistance. New Goan Overseas Association with the assistance of Aggie Alcasoas, the late B.X. Rodrigues, Fidelis Fernandes, Rosary Ferns and others organized Fr. Freddy’s 2 Tiatros “Utt Goykara” and “Khata Pita Dev Dita” in Kuwait and raised huge amount for Gulab funds. Besides so many people gave hefty donations to strengthen his Gulab. The donations that we gave him from Kuwait itself was sufficient enough for his personal property, Gulab to survive till eternity. Not only this, I even pushed my friend Jerry Call and his wife Theresa in Abu Dhabi to help raise funds for Gulab and they in fact did a lot.
When we did so much for him, did he reciprocate at least a little bit of our love and help during the invasion of Kuwait? Leave aside other “Beiman Padri ani Madri” who showed their ingratitude to us but we were most hurt by the manner in which Fr. Freddy behaved during the invasion of Kuwait. He was mocking at us as many other priests. He was telling “Kuwait is gone and Kuwaitkars are finished”. Because Kuwaitkars were finished he had to close down his Daily Romi Konkani Paper. “Goycho Avaz”. He was telling sarcastically “what man, Veronica is come to organize movement in Goa to liberate Kuwait?”. This behaviour of Fr. Freddy was totally in bad taste especially at that particular time when we were passing thru bad days. And as a priest he should not have mocked at us, he should have shown his sympathy for us and for our sufferings. He should have supported us openly because he was more obligated to stand by us during the hour of our crises. He was the biggest beneficiary of Kuwait Goans financial assistance. But instead he proved to be the biggest enemy of Kuwait.
There is a group of Goans who are equally anti-Kuwait like Fr. Freddy and other Padris and Madris and because they are anti-Kuwait they refused to support our movement when Kuwait was under the seize of Iraq. These Goans were the chamchas of Fr. Freddy and supporting Fr. Freddy who was an anti-Kuwait, is yet another sign of these chamchas being anti-Kuwait too. These chamchas should be exposed so that they are reprimanded by the concerned authorities. Such people should not have place amidst us who are strong supporters of Kuwait. Pro Kuwait Goans must keep a distance from them. Fr. Freddy used Gulab many times to malign the donors and financiers of Gulab from Kuwait. He had dirty habit of being arrogant and ungrateful. Nobody knows the current financial standing of Gulab but it has its asset created thru our donations which should be sufficient enough for the survival of Gulab unless there is mismanagement done in which case public should be made aware. People in Kuwait must screen the credentials of any altu-faltu person approaching for fund collection without any proper authority and without any financial statement proving the health of the issue in question. If any one wants any funds to collect then the donors must ask for the right to be a part of the management.
There is a dirty habbit in Goa from the time of Novem Goem to ask for funds for Konkani publications but never to make the donors a part of the management team. We from Kuwait itself gave as donation to Novem Goem Daily approximately 5 lakhs of rupees when they wanted only one lakh but unfortunately we never asked them our right to a membership of the Trustees running Novem Goem Pratishan. For Goa Cancer Hospital we gave from Kuwait itself around 20 lakhs of rupees but never asked for the right to be in the board. They received our hard earned money and frittered away our donations. Where is Novem Goem Daily gone now? Dead finally. Because of mismanagement by all the misfit trustees headed by Gurunath Kelekar. Where is Cancer Hospital gone now? It is in whose hands now? Manipal. Where is our donations gone? Where is Dr. Vaidya gone now? We have been cheated by all. The same thing should not happen again. Unless the real financial health of Gulab is ascertained properly nobody should volunteer for anything. And those who are approaching for donation, their character and sincerity to Kuwait should be ascertained first. If they are anti-Kuwait like Fr. Freddy, they should be kicked out because I know who are the people who supported Kuwait’s cause during the invasion of Kuwait when we organized our public Meeting followed by public Rally in November 1990. Supporting Kuwait means also supporting our ownselves. Konkani cause and Konkani publications by all means should be supported but not to fritter away our aid in mismanagement. Konkani Magazines and Konkani publications by all means should be supported but not those which humiliated us after receiving our donations. Not those whose editors, publishers and owners mocked at Kuwait during the invasion of Kuwait.
Once at Alex Martins place, while having a dinner, in front of everyone, I asked Fr. Freddy this question: “Fr., God forbid, if anything bad happens to you, what will be the future of Gulab for which I in particular and others in general have done so much? Will it go into the hands of proper persons or to your family members to do the way they want even to the extent of selling it to Marathivadis for the greed of money? If it goes into the hands of your family members, then why? Gulab is not your baby only, you alone have not milked it as a baby, we also participated in milking this baby though your efforts are bigger but that does not mean our efforts are negligible”. When he heard this, his appearance changed but to put it diplomatically with a composed face, he said, “don’t worry, I have done everything right, it will not go into the hands of any of my family members, it will go into the right hands”. Now, the question is this: Is it in the right hands? Where is its asset created with our financial aid? These questions need to be answered.
While concluding, a good news for Romi Konkani readership. Under the Editorship of Tomazinho Cardoso, a new monthly magazine “Goykar” has been started in Goa which is a good sign. Besides this, there is already another Monthly Magazine circulating in Goa “Jivit” and they are not begging for any funds. Many time funds collected for Konkani are gone into the wrong hands for the wrong purposes. When any person approaches you for any fund collection for any magazine, first analyse his credentials, his character and his past and above all his love for Kuwait from where he earns his livelihood. His past will give an idea what he will do.
A. Veronica Fernandes.
Kuwait.
