CONGRESS NEEDS STRONG LEADERSHIP.

Referring to the latest results of the Election in Kanataka, I admire the BJP for winning the greater number of seats in this election over the Congress. Though it was a hard fact that BJP won more seats yet BJP must not feel that everywhere in India it will be a BJP wave.  Karnataka is not India though Congress is not flawless.  If today and yesterday BJP gained the foothold in some parts of India including in the otherwise citadels of Congress, it was not because of the plus points of BJP but because of the extremely minus points of Congress.  And if this trend is not stopped by Congress and take the corrective steps to revive its prospects in the coming elections, I am sure Congress will be totally wiped out of India.

The major defect of the Congress is its weak leadership. Rahul Gandhi is not Nehru nor Indira, he cannot withstand the fury of Modi on the public platform. The Congressmen if they still feel that the name of Gandhi should be a prefix or suffix to the Congress leadership then they are sadly mistaken.  Without the prefix and suffix of Gandhi, the Janata Party ruled India and BJP is still ruling since last so many years.  The myth of Nehru and Gandhi names has lost its value, Congress ruled India for so many years after the independence but never eradicated poverty, caste system and communalism.

In Goa under the new leadership, Congress must now only take the stock of their situation and be ready to face the coming election even by preparing the likely election contestants. Otherwise posterity will hold Congress responsible for giving Goa on silver platter to Communal and corrupt forces to destroy Goa totally. As it is the current politicians especially from the ruling faction are on hunt to use maximum benefits for them to loot and rob Goa, they have no shame because they are shameless, they have no self respect nor dignity, some of them are so stupid that they will come to you only once before the election to beg for your vote or to purchase your vote because they have ample of money which they accumulated thru unfair means.

It is a long time now since Goa’s administration is run by ghosts without the regular Chief Minister. He is treated like Pele the Brazilian soccer wizard that is, during his hey days it was said that Pele has no replacement because Pele was the genius which could not be replaced by any other player. It looks Parricar is also reached to that stage of a genius but in reality Parricar is a fake genius. 

      

A.Veronica Fernandes.

THE LATE VINCENTE DE SOUZA-INTERRED.

THE LATE VINCENTE  D’SOUZA.  THE FOGOTTEN HERO

It was on 14^th 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.   

                             

VULGARITY IN TIATROS.

The yearlong celebrations to mark the 125th birth anniversary of the  Konkani Tiatro is in progress and I compliment all who are involved in this activity.

According to some Tiatrologists, during the second 25 years of Tiatro this beautiful art went into the hands of undisciplined and third grade Tiatrists  who made bad use of this Stage, vulgarity and personal “Zupattis” became top priority of many of such Tiatrists for whom the Pai Tiatrist Joao Agostinho Fernandes with tears in his eyes at Cross Maidan in Bombay, called “ROSTAD TIATRISTS”. He said “I feel sorry for this beautiful art created by Lucazinho Ribeiro and developed  by him and me, is gone into the hands of Rostad Tiatrists”.

Again after 125 years we still see this vulgarity carried forward by some comedian Tiatrists who are encouraged in this direction by their directors to make the audience laugh.  Those who patronize these vulgar comedians mainly the illiterate ones,  are equally vulgar. 

Very few people may have seen what I have seen about Tiatros and Tiatrists and hence  I can rightly say that the yesteryear Tiatirsts were far better than the current ones.  Some of these  young comedians alone will be responsible to drive away the qualitative audience from attending the Tiatros because this audience  will never like the vulgarity. These days after seeing the Tiatros of the so called topmost directors I noticed how cheaply they have mortgaged their leadership to the vulgar comedian Tiatrists. 

As it is, the younger generation is not keen to watch Tiatros and due to their dislike, I am sure in 10-15 years the Tiatros importance will diminish.  Unless there is total revolution to bring back the lost glory of Tiatro, I am afraid and God forbid, Tiatro may see its end. 

A.Veronica Fernandes.