It is with deep regret and chagrin here in Kuwait I received the sad news of the sad demise
of our dear the late Mr. Americo Viviano Remedios from Saligao, Bardez, Goa. He was a very good colleague of mine in many of the
activities we organised in Kuwait
for the causes of community development, Goa and Goan causes in general. It was a seer pleasure and honour personally
for me to work with him for the Goan causes because of his sincerity.
He was one of the highly respectable, highly reputed, highly dignified and highly
sincere men among Goans in Kuwait.
He was free of any type of scandal, vulgarity and chicanery. Being a long timer in Kuwait he
carved a special niche for him in the community for being the most sincere,
most truthful and most upright man.
Being a senior Goan among us in Kuwait and
holding a responsible job in a prestigious organisation – Kuwait Oil Company, at
Ahmadi, Kuwait where as per the KOC rules he was provided with all the
amenities including a posh apartment, he was a very good social worker. As a reputed and a responsible senior Goan,
he always participated in all the activities Goans did in Kuwait for the cause
of Goa and Kuwait.
For raising funds for the construction of Cancer Hospital
in Goa, he moved mountains in 1977. To raise
funds for the Konkani movement, he helped a lot especially for raising funds
for the families of Konkani Martyrs headed by the first martyr Florian
Vaz. His participation in uniting Goans
and collecting funds for the Goa-Kuwait direct flight movement was noteworthy.
For Goa-Kuwait Solidarity movement in Goa for the cause of Kuwait’s
liberation his association and contribution was praiseworthy. He also supported
the movement Goans did in Kuwait
for the freedom of Kuwait’s
POW’s.
When Gulf Goans Hotels Co. was formed from Kuwait, he was
always on forefront to promote it. Thru
his personal efforts he encouraged so many Goans to purchase its Shares and
himself purchased first saying "charity begins at home first". Being one of
the major Shareholders, in the beginning itself he was given the post of one of the
founding directors in which capacity he did his best to help the company.
Though he was the director, he never used
Hotel Goan Heritage’s facilities free of charge for him and for his family
members. Once he in the beginning stayed in the Hotel with his family but never
availed any facility as a director free of charge. For this reason I always
called him the most upright man among Goans in Kuwait not only among all the
directors.
As his long time colleague in the Board of Gulf
Goans Hotels Company, I always found his debates, discourses and arguments very
constructive. .It gave me lot of pleasure to work with him in the Board as
there was none in the Board like him and there was no selfishness on his part
for anything. He was not crazy for cheap prominence and cheap publicity.
He
always worked and spoke for the well-being of the Hotel Goan Heritage and never
shown anytime any sign of his selfishness. He was a rarity in the Board and fought
against any injustice done to any of his colleagues. He was a very good
unifying factor among board members and enjoying very good respect as none enjoyed. Because of his sincerity I always liked him
in the Board.
During a farewell party hosted by the Board in
Kuwait in his honour when he was leaving Kuwait for good approximately a decade
back, I concluded my speech saying “with his retiring from our midst,
truthfulness, uprightness and sincerity will also retire from our midst”. Such
pristine and genuine Goans are rarity among us now, not only in Kuwait but also
in Goa. He was the pride not only of
Saligaocars but also of Goans.
May his soul rest in peace and may God give
courage to his wife and children to bear this great loss.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
