Tiracol is one of the
beautiful spots of Goa where there is a wonderful Fort facing the beautiful
sea. This land is gifted with different
types of fruits mainly the Caju and medicinal plants. It was in 1959 when I was a small boy I saw
this place first time, it was during our Portuguese School excursion trip to
this area. Three years back when I was
on my annual vacation from Kuwait I came to this area for the wedding of one of
our neighbours who got married to a girl related to the late Domnick de
Teracol. While raising the Toast he
rendered such a beautiful song especially composed on the subject that I had no
choice but to hug him and congratulate him. Then he asked me my name and when I
did so, he too hugged me recognizing me as a writer who wrote exhaustively on
Tiatros and songsters. He was a very
well-known singer during his earlier days, composing good songs and rendering
them with his mellifluent voice. Thru Tiatro and songs he showed his love for
Konkani, Goa and his locality Terakol.
Terakol is a small village comprising about 400 inhabitants residing in
about 100 houses. Almost all the
residents of Terakol are Catholics living as strong homogenous entity.
Today in the morning I
along with Dalvi visited Terakol to Domnick’s place to offer our condolences to
his family members, one of his sons who is a priest is scheduled to reach Goa
tomorrow morning from Rome for the funeral fixed at 3.00 PM tomorrow, 13th
inst. As per my information, on Thursday 9th inst. in the morning he
had a pain in his chest because of this he was taken to a private Hospital in
Mapusa, conducted all the necessary tests satisfactorily. However, by 5 PM his situation worsened and
late in the same evening he breathed his last.
In his life he was
always a fighter from the Konkani Stage singing songs against injustice in Goan
social life and of late he fought a strong battle against the Leading Hotels
that is snatching the land from his village Terakol thru fraudulent means. Before his death according my information he
told his son “I will rather prefer to cut my hands than to surrender my rights
to Leading Hotels Co.”. He even advised
his son never to surrender to the Leading Hotels Co.
As per my conversation
I found his son and others very sincere to their cause and they will never
surrender to the Leading Hotels Co. advances.
However, to fortify their hands it is also our duty as Goans spread not
only all over Goa and India but also all over the World to support the Terakol
villagers in their fight against the Leading Hotels. If it is for Terakol today then tomorrow it
can be for any other village in Goa. As
it is I have already seen with my own eyes how the Leading Hotels Company with
the help of the hired goondas and Bouncers forcibly made a road for their
vehicles, of course illegally. They have
even hired a Dada from Andra to threathen to locals from opposing their
project. We have to challenge this non
Goan now only by uniting all Goans from everywhere.
Goa based Goans must
support the Terkol locals by joining them physically in opposing this project
and Goans based in USA must use their contacts to approach the parent company
of Leading Hotels in USA and inform them
of the violations their subsidiary are conducting in Goa. Many Goans in USA are on high positions and
they must act now.
Next election is coming
now soon and every true Goan must make this Terakol issue as one of the main
election issues. We must not elect the
party that is responsible for the Terakol fiasco.
The late Domnick de
Terakol according to one source was deeply shocked when he got the news of Bouncers
taking possession of his village and this shock deteriorated his health
condition. He died in fighting for the
cause of Goa. Let us resolve to stand by
his wish to support the Terakol villagers against Leading Hotels and Goa
government by defeating it in the next election.
May the soul of Domnick
the Terakol rest in peace.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel:7507394349.
