I
Iave just completed 4 years in Goa since I returned from Kuwait for good. With all my humility I can rightly say that what work I have done for the cause of
Goa and Goans especially for Konkani from Kuwait none else has done, not only
from among Kuwait Goans but also none from the expatriate Goan World. For this gigantic
achievement, no doubt I took the initiative and
shouldered the major responsibilities yet it was the combined work of
every colleague and supporter of our movement.
The
first and the biggest Goan movement of mine from Kuwait was the Novem Goem
Pratishthan movement for the starting of two Konkani Dailies, one in Roman
script and the other in Nagri sript. The initiator of this project was the well
known Konkani literary figure cum journalist and also a renowned Freedom Fighter, Gurunath Kelekar. He collected 7
prominent Goans who though not well versed in the Newspaper and Printing
business yet externally they looked like having love for Goa and Konkani. Though all were unknown entities in the line
they came to fight for the cause of Konkani yet a few of them gained name and
fame only after involving themselves in NGP. The major beneficiary of NGP
according to information available then was Christopher Fonseca because NGP
helped him very much to build his image for his involvement in trade union
movement.
ACCORDING
TO the NGP which was formed on 9th April 1980 and later on registered
as a Trust, they will ask donation from Goans spread all over Goa starting with
two month of walk on foot (Padyatra) all over Goa to create an awareness of
Konkani and also of granting of Statehood for Goa and simultaneously to ask
donation for starting of 2 people’s Konkani Dailies. This Padyatra began on 26th
October 1980 and lasted for 77 days. The NGP promised to Konkani people from Goa to start first the Romi script Konkani
Daily once they collect 1 Lakh of Rupees and once they succeed in collecting 5
Lakhs of Rupees they promised to start the Devanagri Script Konkani Daily too.
Among
all the donors, Kuwait Goans sent more
money approximately 5 Lakhs of Rupees or a little less than 5 Lakhs of
Rupees. Besides a good amount of money
came from Abu Dhabi, so also from Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain and Muscat and elsewhere.
Thru this campaign not only NGP’s Kitty was filled to the brim but also the
awakening for Konkani was done which was very essential to support the
recognition of Konkani for the ultimate goal of establishing of Statehood for Goa. Indian States are formed on the basis of
Languages and since to get Statehood it was imperative for us to get Goan
language Konkani recognised.
Now,
NGP, a Trust manned by all the learned and prominent personalities namely Sara
Machado (Chairman), Dr. Francisco Rebello as Deputy Chair. Cum Treasurer,
Gurunath Kelekar, Adv. Bosoco Lobo, Adv. Clovis D’Costa, Adv. Mulgaocar and
Adv. Christoher Fonseca yet it was very hurting to know that how they all
failed to fulfil their obligation to perform their job properly and thus put us
into out of track. By putting us out of
track, all the learned Trustees not only put us into shame in front of our
supporters and donors in Kuwait but they also put themselves into total
disgrace in front of the entire Goan community. It was like a betrayal of the
trust we had in them because of which we
are ashamed in Kuwait but those who run the affairs of this trust looks least
bothered. There is a saying in Konkani which says “Khapurleak khuim Kulei sarke
ani Thanaim sarkim”, we are not such Khapurlim because we know what is shame
and what is trust but our brothers in Goa who accepted the challenge to fight
for the cause of Konkani thru the formation of 2 Konkani Dailies have failed us
and also Konkani miserably.
NGP
was formed on 9th Aprill in 1980 and later on in the second week of May 1982 the inaugural issue of Novem Goem in
Roman script was issued even though NGP already got in its kitty the required
amount of 5 Lakhs of Rupees. However, before Nagri Daily could come into
existence, the Romi daily edited by Gurunath Kelekar started showing some
indications of collapsing which finally collapsed. We in Kuwait who collected
such a big amount by begging from the Konkani lover Goans and also by
organising Tiatros and other activities, were totally shocked and embarrassed
in front of our supporters. The inefficiency
of the Trustees of NGP to perform their accepted duties made us not only
robbers in front of our donors for robbing of the trust they posed in us but also
made us as traitors when we are innocent and sincere.
Why
did this tragic collapse of NGP occurred?
Because none of the Trustees of NGP was sincere to the Konkani cause nor
faithful to the principles of NGP and because of this they started quarrelling with
each other, the main culprits were Dr.Rebello and Kelekar. The contents of
their letters I received in Kuwait indicated that both were abnormal persons
interested only in gaining name and fame for them while the rest looked like dormant forcibly inducted into NGP and hence
they opted in the NGP like Ladrus and Pedrus. Because they possessed the level of
Ladrus and Pedrus coming from hoi-polloi background they all not only failed in
NGP but they have committed a sort of a crime less on Konkani and more on us mainly the Kuwait Goans. Our character was spotless but the NGP
Trustees brought a heavy black mark on our character which we find very
difficult to carry because we are the
sons of our real fathers. If we were the bastardised sons then we
would accept anything like the “Kapurlim” but we are not and just because we
are not we feel the pinch of robbery of our trust by all the USELESS, STUPID AND TRAITOR TRUSTEES OF NGP. They are not even
ashamed of this failure, if they were then they would all jump into the Mandovi River and commit a mass suicide. I pray to God never to give birth in Goan Konkani community to such irresponsible
persons.
We
know how hard we struggled to collect funds for this NGP and we know how much
and what sort of sacrifices we made to
achieve our goal for NGP. Only those who saw us working so hard in all the
difficult situations in Kuwait they only give the testimony of our efforts we
put in to collect such a huge amount at that particular time.
While
concluding, where is the last asset of NGP gone? Who took its possession? Where are the Konknni Mogui gone now? Are
they dead or alive? This was the greatest tragedy of Konkani movement in the
last century.
A.VERONICA
FERNANDES.
