NEW KONKANI FILM "PADRIK NAVN NA"? BY VALERIAN VAZ.

ON 16^th of this month at Panjim ESG theatre I saw the new Konkani Film “Padrik Navn Na?” . Though it was not a full house audience yet with the exception of few empty Chairs in the front segment, the rest of the Chairs were filled up. At an outset, the joint script writer and the director and also the main force behind producing this Cinema, Mr. Valerian Vaz from Agacaim Goa, along with the main artiste of this Film Pradeep Naik who played an sterling role of a Priest first and later on as an old and broken hearted man, the latter addressing the audience gave a brief history and background of this Cinema and requested the audience to speak good of this Cinema if they found it worthy of speaking good

                                                 Seen above are Vaz & Pradip

The script and direction is done jointly by Valerian Vaz and Viraj Salkar while the Line Producer is Gajanan Naik and co-producer is Andre Teixera. 

The two priests shown in this film namely Pradip Naik and Nitin Kavlekar surprisingly are both Hindus in their real life and yet they played their roles well.  However, they both failed to show to the audience their perfect “Padripon” by not walking  like genuine traditional “Padri”.  If this they had done well they would be still shining more. I am sure they  both missed to see the role of a Padri the renown and powerful artiste the late J.P. Souzalin was playing then.  I am sure even they have not seen Anthony D’Sa doing the role of a Padri so beautifully and their beauty of this role focused on the way they walk.  If nothing could they do then they should have approached Cyriaco Dias who is very much living now, he would have easily trained them.  The director of this Film carry the blame for not directing his artistes properly and even when they make the Sign of the Cross there is no genuineness in them and even the blessing they give is not full fledged genuine, it did not look like natural.  How many of us remember the controversy erupted when Shalini the main Actress of Nirmon Film committed the goof while doing the Sing of the Cross?  Then somebody asked “what is the knowledge of that director on Christianity?"

The story of the film is very good but I decline to elaborate it because I want this Film to be watched by more and more people so  that the producer and others who have invested so much in this Film will not be able to recover their investment.  So it is my request that all the Konkani lovers should make a point to see it when it is screened again.

It is very pathetic to see how the innocent “Padri” made to suffer innocently by the latest crop of Bastardised MLA’s who to fulfill  their ambition of getting elected  are ready to do anything.  The role here of the MLA Braganza played by Vinod Vernekar was wonderful, in this role he depicts himself exactly like the MLA’s from Bihar and other jungle like parts of India depicts.  To a certain extent in Goa also we see some glimpses of such nasty acts of our MLA’s. 

All said and done, the Film is worth seeing and I suggest everyone who has missed this time then they must go next time.

A.Veronica Fernandes.

WELCOME TO GOA - THE PRESIDENT OF PORTUGAL.

With all my love and affection,  I, on my behalf as well as on behalf of all the like minded “nizache Goenkar”, welcome the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Souza to Goa today for a two day State visit to Goa.  During his two day visit to Goa he will sign an MoU on Water and Sewerage Management between Portugal and the Public Works Department, Goa. I am sure Goa will surely gain a lot in this joint venture where Portuguese know how is vastly superior because our so called experts are lacking in the proper expertise in many of the fields because they passed their exams in those subjects they are especialised with less marks as they are given preferential treatment being the members of Backward class/caste.  These are the same Engineers and Geologists who planned the first Mandovi Bridge which within a few years collapsed.  It was planned and approved by some of the experts who passed their final exam with less marks because they were given grace marks because they belonged to the Backward class/caste.

   

When the Portuguese government made its decision to build this Bridge during their last years in Goa, a team of top experts in Bridge building came to Goa from Portugal and first they discarded the very same spot the Indian donkeys selected and where they finally built the Bridge which ultimately collapsed within 15 years.  The Portuguese Engineers told that the spot where the Indian Engineers built  later on and the same known as Mandovi Bridge was collapsed, will not withstand the fury of lower current and finally what  the Portuguese experts predicted and analysed correctly that only happened.  Viva Portugal for their system and discipline.  

I am sure even the Atomic device India manufactured must be having some defects because of weak and defective methods used by our scientists who are among the most corrupt experts becauae many of them must be coming from Backward class/caste who got their Engineering and professional degrees with grace marks for belonging to the lower caste/class.  They don’t have patriotism and if they had they would not sell Atomic secrets some years back for a Whiskey Bottle and other such gifts.  

     

My connection and affiliation to Portugal will never die down even though we were denied our freedom and independence by the Portuguese government for which I totally hold Portugal under Salazarist dictatorial regine responsible and not the visiting Portuguese President nor the current government in Portugal.   All the governments that came to power after the end of Salazar and Zalazarist system were equally the victims of Salazarist brutalities, most of the members of these governments were also fighting to overthrow the Salazarists in Portugal because they were democrats and to introduce this system they were fighting against the dictatorial regime.  If the Salazarists had to fall  before 1961 instead of in 1974, I am sure without any hassle they would give not only the suppressed liberation for Goa as we have now  but full fledged independence for Goa as they  gave to Mocambique, Angola and other Portuguese colonies where many of our Freedom Fighters would be holding  the top positions as Premier – President and so on.  But with the so called fake liberation they had to eat “kuslelim ghottam”.

I am also grateful to Portugal for giving us some identity as Goans, good governance system and good discipline physical and moral. They did not develop us unwanted Ghantees.

Many of the Goan freedom fighters in the past during the visits of Portuguese government emissaries to Goa indicated their dislike for these visits of Portuguese VIP’s but they failed to accept the hard fact that all those visitors from Portugal have also suffered brutalities of Salazar because they were also fighting for the liberation of Portugaal from the clutches of Salazar.  After the fall of Salazarist regime, the  first anti-Salazar personality to visit Goa was the last Governador of Goa Vassalo e Silva.  The greatest friend, lover and saviour of Goa and Goans was he and precisely because of his love and deep affection for Goa and Goans he refused to implement the plan Salazar gave him to destroy Goa, burn it and turn into ashes. But he refused this brute order of Salazar and because of this refusal he was punished severely  by Salazar after he returned from invaded Goa to Portugal. I think it is his monument Goans must have built after the invasion of Goa. Do we have marbles to do this even now?  

The current President is the product of democratic mind set of Portugal and his love and affection for Goans as per my information is great indeed.  It is time for all Goans to welcome the Portugal 's President with open arms by saying VIVA PORTUGAL – VIVA PRESIDENT MARCELO REBELO DE SOUZA and VIVA GOA-PORTUGAL FRIENDSHIP.

A.Veronica Fernandes.

      

    

EX KUWAIT GOAN ROYAL AGNELO DIED

 It is with deep regret  and sorrow I write this piece to express my sorrow over the death  of one of my friends and colleagues, Agnelo Fernandes who also was a great lover  of Goa and popularly known as Royal Agnelo as  they were known in the name of ROYAL  in their  in his village Agacaim.  The death came on him on the 10^th of this monyh at 5.25 PM at Apollo Hospital, Margao,  he was undergoing Dialysis and during the last days he was almost in Coma from where he never recovered.

A father of 4 children – 2 boys and 2 girls, he was very popular in Kuwait among the expatriate Goans because of his social work and sporting activities he used to organized, so too the Goan cultural. He has helped many Goans who were afflicted with many difficulties financial being on the top where he helped so many.  Those who  we  were not having proper residence permit facilities he helped them in overcoming this difficulty even by keeping at his foown reaidential place.

His love for Goa and Konkani was infinite as it was proved by his patronage, involvement in Konkani promotion associations especially in Kuwait Konknni Kendr, Konkan Heritage and in the activities done for promotion Konkani cause.  He was one of the Agxikars who was instrumental in going ahead with the project of the erection of Konkani Martyrs headed by Florian Vaz and the remaining all from Agacaim and surrounding areas. He never felt shy to render financial assistance for the Konkani cause.

To help support and promote our Cultural items, he organised Tiatros in Kuwait by bringing especial troop of Tiatro fromGoa, eg. Felcy’s. His continued financial support to the Tiatros and Mando Festivals  was the right step in the promotion of our Cultural items. When Mangalorean Konkani promote Eric Ozario came to Kuwait with his Bosni which means Eric Ozario with his musical troop of musicians would occupy their seats on the ground while audience would also remain seated in front of him  and he would give speeches on variety of subjects pertaining to Konkani.  After finishing his speech on each he would render a cultural and tradional song with the accompaniment  of the Misical score provided by his own musical troop,

His biggest activity was the formation in Kuwait of his foot-ball team named as Royal  XI which had wonderful players that  created a very good team of Royal Agnelo that won number of Trophies in soccer, as winners as well as rnners-up. Thru this team Royal Agnelo gained lot of goodwill and prominence in Kuwait among Goans.  Because they were playing for his team, he  was helping some of his players in obtaining Residence Permits for them, jobs and many other amenities.

His worst misery was on 2^nd August 1990 when in the early morning while going to work driving his own car and wearing the Boiler Suit,  was caught by the Bastardised Iraqi Millitary personnel headed by the polluted Muslim leadership based in Baghdad, then they took him along with others to Bashra where they kept him for about a month and about this whereabout of him was not known to his family members who were in Kuwait and desperately waiting for his news whether he is alive or dead, then they lost all their hopes of seeing alive.  For one month in Iraqi Prison as Prisoner of War his life the Muslim soldiers made miserable, they did not allow him even to change his Boiler Suit which was smelling filthy, no water to have bath and no food properly and sleeping on the floor.  What was his and of his likes mistake?  These Bastards Iraqis made disgrace of our Brother Royal Agnelo and proved to the Jews, Christians and others how filthy their Iraq is.  Iraq was functioning  on the basis of its principles, then is this Iraqi principle to harass the  innocent people?  If this is their then I dislike it, instead I would rather embrace Judaism where they would treat the innocent people humanely.

The funeral of the late Agnelo Fernandes will take place on Saturday 15^th of this month at 4.00 PM at the Sada Christian Cemetry.  The body will will be taken for the burial from his residence at Keserwal – Cortalim at 3.00 PM.

May his soul Rest In Peace and may the Heavenly father give courage to all his family members to bear this colossal loss.

A.Veronica Fernandes