THE LATE VINCENTE D’SOUZA.
THE FOGOTTEN HERO
It was on 14th
of this month at about 8.00 AM while I was going to the Hospital to see the
ailing Vincente D’Souza, I received a phone call from his daughter Gloria that
her dad has been expired already. Hearing
this news, I felt an empire has been collapsed, such a mighty man he was among
Kuwait Goans during his most productive period in Kuwait, from mid sixties to
the eighties.
A Veronica on funeral oration
Nobody in Kuwait nor
anywhere in the Gulf and probably in the entire expatriate Goan world has done
what he has done for the cause of Goa and Goans. He was the visionary man and thinking far
ahead of his time. He knew what was the need of the Goan community and
accordingly he acted thus. It was he who
formed the then Goan Association called “Kuwait Goans”, then he formed the
other association called “Goan Arts
Circle” to raise funds for Goa Cancer Hospital where lakhs of Rupees were
sent. After that he initiated the movement
for the “Direct Flight” from Kuwait to Goa. The next move of his was the
initiative of the formation of “Gulf Goans Hotels Co. Ltd” that built the Hotel
Goan Heritage at Calangute. Then came the initiative for the establishment of
New Indian School at Jabriya Kuwaiti and finally the formation of “Goan Welfare Society
Kuwait.”
The might of this man
lies in his sterling qualities to help the Goan community in alleviating their
hardships in whatever way he can especially when there was no Godfather for Goan
community. It was he who first
introduced and made Goan community known to the outside world from
Kuwait. With his mighty pen of an
accredited journalist in Kuwait (being the only one Goan in Kuwait), he opened
the eyes of the authorities that were neglecting the needs of our community.
Once when he pointed out openly in “Goa Today” Montly Magazine the flaws of Indian
Embassy in dealing wrongly the affairs of Goan maids, he was heavily
reprimanded by the Embassy even by warning him of impounding his Passport if he
writes again such writings affecting the smooth functioning of the Indian
Embassy.
Both the daughters of late Vincente desouza
His greatness lies in
his hunger and lust for doing good for the downtrodden and those who were
undergoing traumatic time in the absence of Jobs. Once in his company at Kuwait Customs, a new
department was opened needing about 15 new employees. When this task of arranging this manpower was
given to him by his Boss, he frantically called for Goans to send to him if
there is anybody jobless and like this he filled that new department with all
Goans only. But unfortunately, none of
these was seen for his funeral nor most of the others who enjoyed his benefits,
his influence, his power and his might.
It was a pity to see in the St. Rita’s Church, Camurlim, hardly about 50
persons attending his funeral. Was he
our forgotten hero? Are we Kuwait Goans
so hard hearted against our own people who have done so much for our community? Are we gone blind to see the great work done
by our people for our causes? Where is
our traditional Goanness gone?
I pity my Kuwait Goan
community and also those politicians who were coming to Kuwait and enjoying
benefits from him. When Eduard Faleiro
first time came to Kuwait on his way to Delhi from an official trip to South
America, the late Vincente D’Souza accommodated him at Sahara Hotel by contributing money from the Goans in Kuwait. Besides, so many other visitors from Goa he
helped them to come and stay in Kuwait.
While concluding I wish
the late Vincente D’Souza’s Soul Heavenly Bliss and his immediate family
members courage and grace to bear this colossal loss.
A.Veronica
Fernandes.
