REJECTING TIATROS BY THE AUDIENCE.

REJECTING TIATROS BY THE AUDIENCE.

In my long years in Kuwait and involving in local Tiatros either as an organizer or as an audience, I saw many incidents where audience got fed up of the Show and in disgust left the hall being unable to accept the nonsense dished out from the stage by the nonsensical artistes. Audience buy the tickets and expect good performance from the stage and peaceful atmosphere in the hall. Because of rowdies among the audience people many times left the hall in the middle of the show. This happened in 1975 August, in the big hall of Kuwait City Church. The Tiatro was of Benny de Aldona who then was a crowd puller and also a good singer. Suddenly in the beginning itself due to faulty arrangement of the chairs, there was an argument between two groups of the audience. Suddenly, to my surprise, one person hit the other leading the blood to flow all around. There was chaos in the hall. People felt afraid and in fear of more fights many people inspite of purchasing tickets @ KD 1/- left the hall in disgust. This was like a protest against poor hall management.

Somewhere in 1979 to raise funds for the establishment of NOVEM GOEM Daily in Goa, under Novem Goem Pratishthan Kuwait Somiti, we were organising in the same hall our first Tiatro written and directed by Alexinho de Maxem who was very prominent director of that time in Kuwait. The hall was packed and expectation of the audience was very high, Mendes Bros. and F.X. Pereira were much sought after artistes who were acting in this Tiatro free of charge like all other artistes for the cause of Konkani. Ultimately this Tiatro failed to rise up to the expectations of the audience and to make the matters worse the speeches during the interval bored the audience, especially that of Estanislaus Alemao the then Principal of New Indian School, Jabriya and also a member of NGPKS. Having no option, many persons in the hall booed at him and left the hall before the end of the Tiatro thereby giving a very sad image of this Show and also of the organizers.

Next day people started talking ill of this Show, of organizers and of me in particular, me more for being on forefront to organize this Show. I had no choice but to accept the criticism sportingly and I did it because after all truth is truth and people got all the rights to speak the truth however much it is hurting and biting. As a man of public life I am exposed to public criticism and debate, if not, I have no right to involve in public life. Even as a writer I must accept public criticism, otherwise I should stop involving in public life and stay at home with my wife or with a concubine, if I have one, beyond the gaze of my wife, as many so called prominents are doing by deceiving their wives, making their desperate and sincere wives to hunt here and there to track down the concubines of their husbands. ONE SUCH DESPERATE WIFE SOMETIME BACK EVEN APPROACHED ME FOR HELP TO TRACK DOWN HER HUSBAND’S CONCUBINE, but this is a separate topic to dwell separately in this forum later on but very interesting.

A few years back, about 6 years, at Hawally A/C Hall, Rafael de Majorda was staging his Tiatro with visiting and local artistes. Because of heavy publicity people came in big number but finally it turned out to be a big flop. Many Persons in anger and in disgust left the hall, some of them cursing Rafael de Majorda. It was very disgusting scene to see people leaving the Tiatro like this. Later on Rafael de Majorda on internet made a public apology for dishing out a very poor show and making many in the audience to leave the hall. Thru this apology he at least accepted his fault instead of justifying his mistake by citing nonsensical instances with lies, and Dr. Goebellian lies. Though he came to me pleading not to write badly of his show in my review yet I wrote what was truth even though it was not palatable for him and his group. By hiding facts and writing good of bad show is the job of tin pot writers, rogue writers, I am not such a one. I write facts and truth and because of this, liars and traitors accuse me for disclosing the truth and yet these liars and traitors pretend to be saints by performing their religious rites in the Church. These are the Judases who degrade our religion and spoil the sanctity of our Church when they associate in Church activities. Church activities are meant for decent and good people and not for the promoters of lies and betrayals. Applying fake ‘Mosko” by writing good of bad events thereby cheating the readers is like prostituting one’s pen. Such prostitute writers are plenty amongst us.

The recent KGTS organized Show was one of the worst I have ever seen in Kuwait. Lot of people who witnessed this Show debated on this and expressed their opinion. That many in the audience out of sheer disgust left the hall while the Show was still going on itself is a solid proof of the poor performance from the Stage. It was very pitiable to see people leaving the hall. This type of scenes affects badly the credibility of Tiatro in particular and of Konkani in general. Those who genuinely are on forefront to promote Konkani in Kuwait will surely feel sad. Performing badly on the Stage can be accepted but defending bad performance and justifying it on top of it is a worst crime. Those who did this crime are the real liars. It is these liars who disapprove of my attitude of exposing lies. Those who suppressed the true depiction of this Show have suppressed the truth and suppressing the truth and expressing of lies is against Christian doctrine. And yet these people claim to be Chrsitians and that too Catholics. They are a shame on Christinity and on Catholism. I don’t know why they are shy of accepting the truth. It is a pity that some of the prominent and decent people are also supporting the lies and liars.

This is the barometer of the community to judge the quality of our friends, enemies and the so called prominent figures. Good that they are in Kuwait otherwise in Goa what would be their fate? Would they survive in their current positions in Goa as they are surviving in Kuwait? One eyed persons are great among the blinds. Ultimately a blind will never be able to lead another blind, both will fall. In order to avoid a fall, we need sincere people among us who will depict the truth and not lies. And above all we need sincere and truth writer journalists to depict the genuine picture of the events and not fake journalists who fool the readers.

The quality of journalism depends upon the quality of the writings. By correctly assessing the situation and correctly writing the facts great writers brought bloodless revolutions in the world. By showing their genuine and true journalism, great journalists all around the globe awakened the conscience of the people and in the bargain educated the readers. A true journalist will always expose the truth. But how many among us have such journalists? It is for the readers to judge and express their opinions.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.

MEMORIES OF 12TH NOVEMBER 1990.

To magnify, click on the photos.

Today 12th November 1990, Goans evacuated from Iraq invaded Kuwait, gathered in the capital city of Goa,Panaji, in India, and organised a rally on the streets of Panaji, held open demonstration in support of Kuwait and also held a public meeting at Azad Maidan, Panaji. Some Kuwaitis have also attended the day long protest including a ranking officer from the Ministry of Interior - Kuwait, Col. Juma Al Kholifi. Col. Kholifi also addressed the public meeting along with other speakers.

Seen in the first picture, top, Goans preparing to start the public rally while in the second picture are seen Goans proceeding with the big public rally and the third picture shows the public meeting in progress.

Thru this pblic rally and public meeting, Goans are showing their strong support and gratitude to Kuwait.

By organising pulic rallies and public meetings and open demonstrations in Goa, we the Kuwait Goans showed our love and solidarity to Kuwait and its citizens during their hour of sufferings. I as a convenor and initiator of this movement went ahead in the formation of this movement in Goa under Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center with the consent of the people whom I invited with public announcement thru newspaper, at TB Cunha Hall, Panaji, for this purpose. This movement was not of mine alone, it was of all Kuwait Goan evacuees who associated with us in G-KSC and who loved Kuwait. By organising this movement nothing bad came to anyone, on the contrary everything good happened thru the enermous goodwill gained from Kuwaitis for Goa and Goans.

To organise this rally, close associates of G-KSC worked very hard by bringing people in especial buses from Verna, Navelim, Agacaim, Sanguem and other places in Goa. It was a sea of Kuwait evacuee Goans at Azad Maidan at the time of starting of this rally at 3.00 p.m., it looked we were all in Kuwait only, people were carrying the banners of Kuwait and posters and photograhps of Amir and Crown Prince of Kuwait. Never in the history of Goa such a massive rally was organised in Goa for the cause of a foreign country. My close colleagues in this movement namely Caetano Joao and Manuel Fernandes from M/s Boodai, Elvino Rodrigues from Alghanim, Evaristo Fernades from National Bank, the late Jack Santano Fernandes from Commercial Bank, Sheikh Agnelo and Mario Rebello and many others worked very hard to help organise this rally very successfully. The contribution and participation of every participant was worth admiring. It was they all who deserve the highest compliments. It was an unified effort of all, even financial contribution for the necessary expenses shared by all.

Though we were expecting more crowd than what attended yet none openly opposed this movement except one wretched, uncultured, uncivilised and ungrateful Kuwait Goan who is currently working in Kuwait as before the invasion of Kuwait. After meeting me in Kuwait following the liberation of Kuwait he threathened me with dire consequences for initiating this movement in Goa in support of Kuwait. Because he is a Goan I refrained from initiating legal action against him. He never associated with us in any of our activities in support of Kuwait. He wants Kuwait only to make money and not for anything. Such traitors do not deserve place for employment in Kuwait. Even the Kuwaitis working with him should be careful and Kuwaiti companies should not employ such traitors and anti-Kuwait people. He is the shame on Kuwait Goans.

Before the invasion of Kuwait many of our Kuwait Goans helped many of the Goan causes in Goa by donating lakhs of rupees but to our regret none of the recipients of our donations joined us, none of them supported us in our movement organised in support of Kuwait's liberation. The PDF Government of Dr. Proto Barbosa ruling at that time in Goa was totally away from us, not a single member of this Government joined us and never supported us openly, on the contrary some Ministers were accusing and threathening me for initiating this movement.

The current NRI Commissioner was in a Congress mode having pro-Iraq leaning. Goa based Tiatrists who are regularly coming to Kuwait and making lot of money never supported our movement, on the contrary some of them criticised us and Kuwait as well while all other Tiatrists watched silently their colleagues giving us "Zupattis"; the padris and madris who received our donations in lakhs of rupees totally forgot our movement; the recipients of our funds in lakhs of rupees for Goa Cancer Hospital and Konkani movement mainly "Novem Goem" did'nt even bother to openly show their solidarity with us. Why they only, even some families of Kuwait evacuees deserted their own people. Brother deserted brother, mother deserted father, sons and daughters deserted their parents and guardians. Through this missery we realised who was mine and who was not mine. It was a very good experience of life. When one person went with folded hands to his brother asking him to take care of me, he said "Am I My Brother's Keeper?" It was nothing but missery for many of us because we were evacuated from Kuwait empty handed. God alone helped us and the same God brought many of us back to Kuwait though all wanted to return but their wishes remained unfulfilled due to many factors.

Because of Kuwait many of us gained a lot though we are working very hard in Kuwait with lot of hardships and humiliations. Yet we love Kuwait and grateful to Kuwait and will always remain grateful to Kuwait for all the benefits we acquired from Kuwait though we may have difference of opinions in many respects.

May God protect Kuwait from where we earn our sustenance and thru this we maintin our people back at home.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.

MARGAO'S "SUFFOCATED" ROADS. By Valmiki Faleiro.

MARGAO'S "SUFFOCATED" ROADS.
By Valmiki Faleiro.

When this column began on Nov 13 four years ago, it did with a piece on Margao.May I wind it up with two more on my hometown: on the twin and acute problems of traffic congestion and parking. Both are inter-linked, not exclusive to Margao, but are endemic to all of Goa's major towns. Margao, though, is advantageously placed to address them. Its MLA is the State's Chief Minister. Digambar Kamat, despite what his critics may say, has done much for Margao, perhaps more than all her MLAs since 1963. If he can successfully tackle this major headache dogging Goa's "commercial capital," the strategy can be replicated elsewhere in the State.

In today's chaotic vehicular traffic scene, walking, riding and driving are becoming increasingly difficult in Goa's towns. It is no longer possible to cross a road, drive or park with any semblance of ease. We don't need consultants and no amount of Traffic Plans will help. Unless the elementary causes that warrant simple solutions are identified and implemented. (Kamat will recall that when he, 13 others and I constituted the Margao Municipal Council in June-1985, in a few months we managed to bring some semblance of order on Margao's roads. With free help from lecturers of Goa Engineering College and their enthusiastic students, who conducted traffic surveys at some crucial city traffic intersections, and the experience of then Goa Police Inspector-Traffic,Gurudas Zuwarkar.)

Any observant road user knows that private buses and off-street parking are the root causes of traffic congestion in downtown Margao. Let us consider the latter first. Parking on narrow lanes and double parking on slightly broader streets is the prime cause of daily traffic snarls. Off-street parking reduces the effective carriage way to a single lane for two-way traffic. And everybody's in a mighty hurry! The problem cannot be wished away overnight. Motorists also cannot be blamed for haphazard parking. They have no choice. With the public transport system in a mess(it takes an hour to get across a short distance, as say from Betul, Cavelossim, Cuncolim or Curchorem to Margao), people are forced to use their own vehicles. Once here, they find no place to park their two- or four-wheelers. Most places they need to visit, including schools and government offices, are concentrated in a small central area, with narrow lanes and streets. One could not expect people to park at the Konkan Railway parking lot and walk to central Margao.

People have no option but to be part of the parking mess. Margao fortunately has three State-owned sites in the downtown area: the old Tempost and, old fish market and old bus terminus. Develop multi-level parking lots at these three places and provide FREE parking in them. Then make off-street parking in the entire central commercial area steep-tariff PAID parking. Half the traffic congestion in downtown Margao will disappear overnight. Margao's parking needs for the next half century will also have been taken care of. The move to decongest downtown Margao in the mid-1980s was a good decision. The bus terminus and fish market were shifted away from the town centre, to the comunidade paddies near Old Market. In this market complex, a substantial area was acquired for parking, but is yet to be developed. A former Town Planning minister sought to commercialize it. With many public offices shifted to the SGPDA complex, there is an urgent need to develop the parking lot between Osia and NH-17. Several public complexes have come up in this area. District & Sessions Courts, Nehru Stadium, Swimming Pool & Indoor Stadium, Ravindra Bhavan. All have limited parking provision. Acquire the patches of paddies, uncultivated since the 1960s, between the Colva traffic isle and Ravindra Bhavan, esp. those on the south side, before they are converted and commercialized. These patches will serve as a buffer and provide future parking needs in the area. And when the Collectorate and Hospicio are shifted, ensure that no public offices that attract substantial volumes of visitors are brought in their place. For the heritage Hospicio edifice, an apt reuse would be a South Goa archives office, with facilities for preservation and digitization. (To conclude.)
(ENDS)