MY INTERACTION WITH RAVINDRA KELEKAR.

The Late Ravindra Kelekar.

The sad news of the death of Ravindra Kelekar last week was received with shock. A great lover of Konkani he fought vigorously for its cause. His involvement in Konkani agitation movement in eighties was a great support for the agitationists. A highly literate man with majestic physique his writings were of very high quality.

I first time came in contact with him about 25 years back at his majestic Priol House. It was Gurunath Kelekar who took me to his house on one fine afternoon. Gurunath Kelekar was editing his Weekly “Goycho Mog” and I was from Kuwait contributing regularly for it. Ravindra Kelekar was reading my articles with deep interest and when he showed his interest in meeting me and discussing some interesting points on Konkani movement, Gurunath Kelekar during my vacation at that time took me to his place. Earlier I heard of him a lot and read some of his writings written in Romi Konkani but never met him personally.

When I met him first time and when he shook his hand with me, I had electrifying effect on me. I felt elevated to know that such a mighty figure is so deeply impressed by the writings and activities of such a small figure from Kuwait in support of Konkani.

He started with complimenting me in the presence of Gurunath Kelekar saying ‘what you express now from Kuwait, I was expressing some years back when I was of your youthful age’. Then he went a step further and said ‘Veronica, you are like a spokesman of Kuwait Goans, Gulf Goans and expatriate Goans. I am very proud of you because you are fighting for the cause of Konkani’.

After a gap of some years again I met him at Panjim during the Konkani agitation meetings at Azad Maidan and in the rallies we used to organise under Konkani Porjecho Avaz. When he came to know that I also joined in the Hunger Strike along with Eng. Datta Naik, Prof. Dilip Borker and Dioniz Diniz in support of Konkani, he was overwhelmed with my action and personally came and patted me saying ‘you are really a man of guts’.

He admired Kuwait Goans contribution for the cause of Konkani and while financially supporting Konkani movement in Goa, he told me to take care of our personal and family needs financially and otherwise as well. He had strong conviction that Konkani will attain success and this success came while he was alive only for him to enjoy it. He appreciated Kuwait Goans for establishing Kuwait Konknni Kendr – Kuwait.

His love for Konkani was infinite but his bias against Romi Konkani was a big slap on Konkani lovers and Konkani promoters like me. Somehow or the other, Nagri Konknnivadis like Ravindra Kelekar never supported Romi Konkani. Including Ravindra Kelekar, Nagri Konknnivadis downgraded Romivadis but accepted Romivadis’ support for the cause of Konkani voluntarily. Nagrivadis including Ravindra Kelekar created a sort of apartheid in Konkani by treating Romivadis as second class Konknnivadis.

As a freedom fighter he worked for the cause of Goa but once at his place when I asked him ‘dont you regret to see such a miserable state of liberated Goa?, he answered, it is very sad. Then I asked him ‘did you involve in Goa’s freedom movement to dole Goa on silver platter to the Delhi Babus and Goan ‘Chor’ politicians, he had no answer.

Never to talk ill of dead goes the Roman proverb. Let me talk good of this great Konkani stalwart and pray for eternal rest for his soul. May God Bless you Ravindra Kelekar. In your death Konkani lost a great personality and Goa lost a great Goan. Such a man comes in our midst only once in centuries.

A. Veronica Fernandes,

Kuwait.

NISHA PEREIRA AGAIN ON CANSAULIM 'CHOR'

Nisha Pereira has left a new comment on your post "NISHA PEREIRA ON 'CANSAULIM UNDER SEIZE'":

The political pressure as well as direct intervention from MLA Mauvin Godinho in the Gonsalves-Dias Gates Project at Cansaulim is shocking and is a direct misuse of Government Machinery. The Minister's PA Ligorio Monteiro is directly involved in contacting Cansaulim villagers who are opposing the Project with all sorts of give-aways to quieten the opposition to the Project.

Aboobakr Shaikh and cousin Aggie Alcacoas of Queeny Realty Estate can have their way with Cansaulim village and make it a concrete jungle . if you look at the Queeny Nagar area developed by the Minister's cousin Aggie Alcacoas at the Birla stretch you'll know hat I'm talking about - it doesn't matter if Cansaulim's name is changed to Aboobakr Nagar to honour the new Shah-en-shah of Cansaulim village like the Mughal Emperors of yore or is Aggie-Queeny Ganv? After all if a Rathod is Sarpanch of Sancoale, can Cansaulim be left far behind – so much for vote banks, scam bags and slum dens they make a nice cocktail when you have this all thrown together to create your vote-banks.

After all the Minister has already asked for 100 lakhs square metres of precious Goan land to clean up the garbage from 6 villages in his Constituency! Once the land is acquired and sanctioned you can always give that to cousin Aggie and Aboobakr for development and beautifying purposes. The High Court has said that the Panchayats should not be granting licences for construction of mega-projects without providing infrastructure for garbage facilities - so with one blow the clever Minister has taken care of that issue too!

Incidentally the Minister is now in the process of constructing a Hotel near Queeny Nagar as you drive down the road to Velcao built on the hill slope that is spilling onto the road!
Overnight a spanking new bridge was built next to the old culvert very close to Mauvin Godinho's maternal grand-father's house in Cansaulim ie . next to “Bar Leangracia” that his grand-father had built. Of course that new bridge would be a nice safety net to have all the bebdes not to fall in the pond and specially when you have quenched the thirst of all the goons after sending them to hammer, heckle and harass the villagers even if it has to be done in the broad daylight at the Gram Sabha or under the cover of darkness. So what - the Minister can sanction a free road for his staunch female supporter in the village overnight in the village through somebody else's property and even have it tarred and all done in record breaking time on a public Holiday literally from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday earlier this year? No marks for guessing her name!

As mentioned, litigation has been filed by the siblings duped by Stuart Gonsalves-Dias and Fr. Valmiki Gonsalves-Dias to stop the sale or development of their ancestral properties. This litigation has been filed against Aboobakr Shaikh, Aggie Alcacoas and Stuart Gonsalves-Dias & his wife Lorna and Fr Valmiki Gonsalves-Dias. Along with these crooks, they should also have named Mauvin Godinho, Sarpanch Members Martha Saldanha, Ferwin Saldanha and that chicken-hearted Sarpanch Jose Manuel Fernandes for directly abetting in this crime. Mauvin Godinho fully knowing what his cousin Aggie Alocacoas and Aboobakr Shaikh were up to chose to support them in their nefarious schemes and literally gave the villagers an ultimatum not to interfere in Aboobakr’s development of Cansaulim village!

Power corrupts absolutely whether it is a corrupt Minister Mauvin Godinho or a Sarpanch like Jose Manuel Fernandes or the likes of devious hags like Martha Saldanha or bonkan botts like Ferwin Saldanha in the Panchayat. So what if we destroy a village like Cansaulim – who cares? We have to back our cousins Aggie Alcacoas and Aboobake Shaikh and their chamchas, goons, and supporters!

Time to get ready for the next elections ,no? Who will otherwise foot the bills for the biryani, daru and other gifts that we have to give so that we get those votes?