Finally time came to me to say Adeus to Kuwait and thru these lines I say Adeus to Kuwait where I
worked for over 3.5 decades.
When I first came to Kuwait my intention was to
work only for three and half years, make enough money and then return to my birth place
but fortunately or unfortunately and as destined, instead I had to work in
Kuwait for over three and half decades. It was not as simple as that to make enough money
to fulfill all your obligations in three and half years.
Whatever it may be, whether 3 and half years or 3.and half
decades, I must thank God with deep gratitude for keeping me healthy to work
and survive and secondly for keeping me alive till now to say Adeus to
Kuwait. Many of my friends who came to
Kuwait with me and after me as well are no more in this world while some others
gone from Kuwait crippled. Those who are no more in this world may God give
their souls eternal rest while those who are gone with physical deformities may
God help them to be okay. Thank God I am
still okay and alive inspite of attempts on my life by the Iraqi soldiers on
the day of the invasion of Kuwait on 2nd August, 1990 early in the
morning in Kuwait City.
When I came to Kuwait my intention was to
enhance my financial status which no doubt I did but in the bargain and in the
process I learnt also a lot by coming to Kuwait which otherwise I would not if I
had been in Goa only.
In this country you can get lot of opportunities to learn and to
gain because this is an international country where you come in contact with
different types of people from all around the globe and from whom one can learn
a lot. Fortunately for me due to my involvement in many activities I gained a
lot by interacting with different nationalities and societies with different
types of people.
I must accept the fact that I received total support
in few friends of mine to spend such a long time in Kuwait successfully; one of them
was the late Mr. Diogo A. D’Souza from Tivim who got me employed when others
rejected me and where I worked till the end; the second person was my “gaum bhau”
the late Messias Barreto who was a fatherly figure to me; the third person was
John Felix D’Souza from Anjuna who protected and supported me even in worst of
my crisis especially in my activities and movements and the 4th
person was Ignatius Fernandes from Calangute who took maximum care of me in my
needs.
Besides many other friends and colleagues of mine co-operated with me to
make my stay in Kuwait
comfortable. From the bottom of my heart
I thank them all for doing so much good to me. Without their support life for
me in Kuwait would not have been as smooth as it was.
I have voluntarily retired from my job by
submitting my resignation by giving a mandatory 3 Month’s Notice Period which
already expired and on 24th of this month I will quit Kuwait for good.
I know I owe nothing to anybody in Kuwait nor
do I have any obligation towards anyone to fulfill. However, if any one has to contradict this
statement he or she can contact me at any moment before I leave Kuwait for good.
During my last so many years of stay in Kuwait
I was directly and deeply involved myself in many activities and movements
either to initiate or to support as none among the Goans involved. In all these activities and movements if I
have attained success then I must rightly and loudly say thank you to my
colleagues and friends who stood by me in attaining that success. Without their
support and cooperation that success would not have been possible. I am grateful to them.
During my long inning in Kuwait I did many
movements on many issues and raised my voice and fought against injustice and
while doing so some perpetrators of injustice must have got hurt but I am not
responsible if anyone is hurt in the bargain. I was interested in delivering
justice especially for the downtrodden against the arrogant.
Almost all the major Goan movements from Kuwait
started after my coming to Kuwait either with my initiative or with my support
or thru my campaign, namely Goa Cancer Hospital, Konkani, Novem Goem Daily,
Kuwait-Goa Direct Flight, Competitive Goan/Indian Soccer Activities, Gulf Goans Hotels
Co., Kuwait Konknni Kendr, Konkani Heritage, Goan Welfare Society, Mando
Festivals, Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center and Freedom for Kuwait’s Prisoners of
War. In all these movements all the Kuwait Goans did not participate since many
remained just dormant, these Goans were just existing in Kuwait. Their utility for
the cause of Goa and Goans was Zero, they worked and lived in Kuwait for their
own benefits only.
When I came to Kuwait first time, I came with a
big smile on my face and by the grace of God while leaving Kuwait I am leaving
also with a big smile. I am grateful to God to help me to leave Kuwait
smilingly when many of my friends and colleagues left Kuwait with tears in
their eyes. May the same God help them to dry their tearful eyes.
While concluding, once again a “Big Thank You”
to all my friends and colleagues who helped me in my personal life as well as
public life during my long period in Kuwait and NOT FORGETTING KUWAIT AND MY
EMPLOYERS for affording me a lengthy opportunity to stay and work in Kuwait.
MAY GOD BLESS KUWAIT – MAY GOD BLESS MY
EMPLOYERS AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
