In his article in this forum on June 14, 2010, well-known Goan writer Freddy Agnelo Fernandes from Dubai, UAE, whose writings are admired by the readers all over the Goan world, writes the following:
QUOTE “In my earlier days in the Gulf I use to admire the unity and the efforts of our Kuwaiti Goans towards Goa's causes, they had strongly supported the Konkanni movement, among all the Goans in the Gulf, the Kuwaiti Goans were the ones who projected Goa in the Gulf with our culture and our mother tongue. Of late I have been very disappointed with them because even after witnessing the woes in Goa created by our corrupt politicians they still seem to have adulation for these monsters of corruption and depravity and are facilitating them at the drop of the hat, sometime back both Mickky and Churchill were given the honours and I have just heard that there is a football tournament in the name of the other Almeao, who is running illegal mining in Goa. I plead to you my dear UAE and Kuwaiti Goans, please stop this sacrilege towards Goa and Goans, boycott our present politicians, we should be out for their blood and not to facilitate them, they are the cause of all our misfortunes in Goa.
UAE Goans please for the love of Goa show our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Goa – Boycott this Tiatr if Churchill is invited as Chief Guest” UNQUOTE.
The contributions of Kuwait Goans for the cause of Goa and Goans was indeed great. No expatriate Goans has done as much as Kuwait Goans have done for the cause of Goa and Goans. The earlier Goans who came to Kuwait for employment came with a vision to do something for Goa and Goans and in that category of visionary Goans all my colleagues fall. We belonged to the category of intellectual Goans and precisely because of this gift we deprived so many facilities for us and for our families and instead devoted ourselves, our energy, our finance, our intelligence and our other resources more for the cause of Goa or Goans. Three decades back me and many of my colleagues in our activities landed in Kuwait and immediately we embarked on our movement for the cause of Goa. My first initiative was for Konkani in 1975 where I was fully supported by my colleagues and also by senior Goans who were in Kuwait much before me. Though they had no dynamism, motivation, capacity and know-how to initiate Konkani movement from Kuwait yet they had great hearts to support us in our movement and finally we succeeded because of the total support of all Kuwait Goans.
As a matter of interest, if Konkani movement gained strength and success in Goa it was only because of the strong financial support from Kuwait Goans. No individual person in Goa, however mighty he may be now, can claim sole credit for himself for the success of Konkani movement in Goa unless he is the robber robbing the credit of others. Many of the people involved in Konkani movement in Goa finally gained benefits thru political and other platforms while we Kuwait Goans having done so much for the cause of Konkani from outside Goa and in a difficult situation have not gained any such personal benefits and we never aspired for same either.
Novem Goem Daily was our first successful movement from Kuwait. Then there was our another initiative 26 years back when we formed KUWAIT KONKNNI KENDR to help the cause of Konkani. KKK is the only such organization formed by Goans anywhere in the expatriate Goan World. The work of KKK in the promotion of Konkani language, Goan Culture, Goan Tradition and Goan History was immense. It will require volumes to describe here the work of KKK. This success of KKK came only because of the total dedication with sincerity of all the KKK members.
Then came our strong support for KPA movement in Goa. All Konkani activities we supported from Kuwait were thru our financial assistance. Besides, we supported financially so many Konkani activities including Konkani Martyrs Fund Collection. We also organized activities for promoting and supporting Mando Festivals in Kuwait and in Goa, also other Konkani related movements including donations for Churches, Convents, Chapels including Fr. Freddy’s Gulab.
For the promotion of Tiatro in Kuwait, we did tremendously well and put a strong base for this great Konkani art. We did this not to make money for us personally but to keep this art alive and firm in Kuwait. Unfortunately, under the cunning leadership of Jose Rod and supported by all his cunning colleagues there appeared division among us, in Kuwait. Jose Rod and his colleague initiated destructive ideas of discriminating against their own Tiatrist colleague. The formation of Tiatristanchi Sonvstha was to destroy the art of Tiatro in Kuwait but finally it failed.
Then came Kuwait Goans financial support for Goa Cancer Hospital which is now shelved by the initiators in Goa making us regret for funding it to the tune of around 20 lakhs of Indian rupees, about 30 years back. We gave financial donation to have Cancer Hospital of Goans in Goa but when money went out from our hands as donation, the recipients did what they felt good for them by ignoring our wish.
The another dynamic initiative of Kuwait Goans was the establishment of Gulf Goans Hotels Company where as its monument we have constructed an ‘A’ grade Hotel ‘Goan Heritage’ on a huge plot at Calangute Ghauravaddo where so many Goans are working and gaining their livelihood there.
Then we started our campaign for the direct flight from Dabolim to Kuwait and vice versa. No doubt especial committee was selected to oversee its work under Vincente D’Souza the then president of Kuwait Goan Association yet I worked tirelessly along with others. In this work I organized a Tiatro of director Vincey to raise fund for the expenses for this work, all tiatrists acted free of charge. Later on I used my personal influence thru Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center to personally impress upon Ghulam Azad Nabi – Aviation Minister of India who finally made our direct flight a reality. Direct Flight from Kuwait to Goa was the first in the Gulf. The benefit of this success is now enjoyed by all Goans.
Then we formed Konkani Heritage Kuwait thru which we also helped repatriation of Goan and Konkani maids sheltered at Safe House in India Embassy by giving these maids free Air Tickets from Kuwait to back at their homes.
Earlier we worked very hard to start, promote and flourish our competitive soccer at Kuwait Sour Ground because of which we Goans got so many benefits. United Goans Football Center deserves full credit for establishing this activity in 1979 where directly and indirectly I played my role too in its promotion.
We also formed Kuwait Goan Welfare Society to help our needy Goans where lakhs of Indian rupees fund has been collected. The main aim of this Society was to help the needy Goans in Kuwait.
TO BE CONCLUDED.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
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