GOA'S INVASION WITH RAPES.

This is to share from my memory of what I noticed in December 1961, a few days after the ouster by Indian Military of Portuguese from Goa.

On 17^th we got the news in our local Portuguese school where I was studying that Indian Military has illegally already started its march over Goa entering the Goan territory by force, using its Military might.  The resolution brought into Security Council directing India to withdraw its troop back to India was vetoed by the Soviet Russia.  Later on India's permanent representative to the UN Mr. Jhah said "even if that resolution was passed, India would never withdraw its Troop from Goa" thus legalizing illegal act.  And this is the same India now clamouring for a permanent Seat in the Security Council.  Will any one trust India to do justice for other nations if by chance India got a Seat in the Security Council?  That India will not get this Seat is a forgone conclusion because Pakistan will lobby hard to deny this Seat to India and China the arch rival of India will use its Veto Power to deny India of a Permanent Seat in the Security Council. The Security Council is meant for matured countries and not fickle minded countries like India that is on grabbing spree of others' territories by using its might Military arsenals. 

 

On 18^th December  India grabbed Goa physically and on 19^th Goa became officially a part of Bharat.

On 20^th of December news started pouring in that Indian Military began raping Goan females here and there. In my village a beautiful Portuguuese “Paklin” staying at  Vaddi Vaddo escaped from the clutches of Indian Military personnel going to Aguada when she ran away to her neighbouring house.  In Pilerne one young Goan female while walking on one deserted road was grabbed by the Military personnel and raped in their Military vehicle.  In Sancoale when one lady “Dukornkarn” refused to surrender one Militry personnel, he fired at her house.

In my village in Candolim because of the heavy Indian Military traffic flow on the road to and fro Aguada, fear gripped the minds of the females and their parents because what Portuguese soldiers did not dare to do the ugly Indian Military will do for our local females. And that they are ugly in this matter was proved later on in Bangladesh when so many Bengali females were raped by the Indian Military personnel. 

 

Exactly during this period annual novenas (salve) were going on in the evenings in our Church from 5.00 PM to 7.30 PM for the celebration of feast of Nossa Senhora de Esperanca on the last Sunday of that month.  Hearing the news of rapings of Goan females by the Indian Military personnel, our Church Pe. Vigar, Pe. Nicholau Noronha, a staunch anti-Portuguese, declared suspension of Salves in the evenings till he was convinced of normalcy.

How tragic were those days for us having females in our families?  Now again the Novenas for the same feast are going on but without any fear of rapings by Indian Military but by the Ghanttis, Migrants and unwanted dirty Indian tourists who think Goan females are cheap. Even the commercial girls now available are from outside Goa.  It is this non-Goan dirt that is creating dirty image of our clean females and clean Goa.  

 

May God bless our Village and Goa  and protect our females from all evils, Amen.

A.Veronica Fernandes,

Candolim, Goa.

Tel:7507394349.

2ND DAY OF 49TH MANDO FESTIVAL IN GOA.

 

On 11^th of this month at Kala Academy Panjim, I attended the 2^nd day of Mando Festival at 5.20 PM.  Though not house full yet this audience was much higher than on the first day.  It was compeered like on first day by the 4 Compeers;  two males and two females, among them one male Dr.Bhikaji Ghanecar was the oldest.  

 

All the four Compeers

Dr. Ganecar started from the inception date 49 years back and since then he is continuously uninterrupted compeering this festival with an extra ordinary class even though he is ageing but not losing his control over his physique and mind. During the last so many years he entertained the Mando Festival crowd with much enthusiasm and lovely jokes. Some of the attendees earlier attended Mando Festivals only to listen to his Jokes.  That was the class and quality of his Jokes. May God give him good health to entertain the Mando enthusiasts for many more years.    

 

Youngsters

 

I was in Kuwait since mid seventies but I used to come to Goa on vacation to coincide my vacation with the date of Mando Festivals and like this I maintained my link with Mando Festivals after I left Goa for greener pastures.  According to me from the time of its inception in 1966 till the end of Nineties, the quality of Mandos  with dulpods in every category was superb having almost all the ingredients of the originality of this folk song. 

 

Beautifully dressed singers

But gradually during the last two decades persons having no Mando culture and tradition involved in this Mando Festivals thus lowering the body and soul of the Mando/Dulpods in traditional and original categories.   

One of the Adults group

 

However, to my total surprise, this year on both the days, I found the quality of the Mandos with Dulpods in all the categories vastly improved leading us back to the periods of Sixties, Seventies and Eighties. This is the good sign for better days ahead for the improvement of Mandos.

 

VIP seen with Souvenirs

The seniors in Original and Trditional categories excelled very well in all respects namely in presentation, costumes, music and of course in singing.  They not only sang but they sang in style.

 

Singing original Mando

 

The Teenagers also performed very well  by depicting their extraordinary talent at this young age, their musicians also performed very well especially the youngsters and girls.

 

 

During the interval, a special Souvenir was released from the hands of VIP guests, namely Dilip Parulenkar and Nilesh Cabral as seen in the photo above while other dignitaries are also seen in the same photograph.

 

I applaud the organisers and participants of this year’s Mando Festival for dishing out a very good performance.

 

                                                   Youngsters seen playing Music
                                 

A.Veronica Fernandes,

Candolim, Goa.

Tel:7507394349

MOUNT CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE FOR FR. BISMARK.

It is over a month now since Fr. Bismark was allegedly murdered with the ALLEGED approval of the most powerful higher-ups in Goa including the government machinery.  If government machinery is supporting the liquidation oF Fr. Bismark then is it easy to get justice in this matter? It is this same government machinery that liquidated all the traces of testimony they found at the site where Fr. Bismark was last seen. 

 

 

In the latest horrific revelations by Sudeep Dalvi in one of the Websites based in UK, some of the top people involved in this alleged murder are exposed.  In view of this the onus is on government now to go for further investigation with the sufficient clues Dalvi has provided.

 

 

Meantime, social activists must keep  mounting pressure on government to get justice for Fr. Bismark.  If yesterday their target was Fr. Bismark then today it can be me and tomorrow it may be you, he or she.  Hence everyone should participate in this campaign until government is relented.

 

 

It is surprising that the individual members of the BJP & BJP MLA’s who came to limelight and to power and were voicing their opinion on justice earlier are themselves silent on this issue.  In my constituency I expected from both the elected representatives of BJP, one MLA and the other Zilla Parishad, their voice on this matter to get justice for Fr. Bismark but their silence is intriguing. In view of this, I request the most popular figure in Calangute Mr. Joseph Sequeira to start a campaign in our constituency to demand justice for Fr. Bismark.

 

 

All those elected representatives who talk of justice at the time of their elections must know that to fight for justice you must be first just and thus  I conclude by quoting Mohammed Prophet who when asked when there will be justice in this world, replied, “when everyone of us will gather courage to fight against the injustice committed on to others as if that injustice is committed on to us only.  Then only there will be justice in this world". 

 

 

A.Veronica Fernandes,

Candolim, Goa.

Tel: 7507394349.