FAREWELL FELICITATION FOR MR. A. VERONICA FERNANDES IN KUWAIT

Below is the text of speech by KIFF PRESIDENT Mr. Fidelis Fernandes at the felicitation ceremony conducted by Kuwait Indian Football Federation on 13/12/2013 at the MOH Ground for Mr. Anthony Veronica Fernandes who will be leaving Kuwait for good, shortly.

GENTLEMEN.

WE STAND HERE TO BID FAREWELL TO OUR DEAR FRIEND AND LONG TIME COLLEAGUE MR. VERONICA FERNANDES, SINCE HE IS LEAVING KUWAIT FOR GOOD AFTER 38 YEARS.

MR. VERONICA FERNANDES, A FOOTBALLER, A JOURNALIST, OUR LONG TIME ASSOCIATE HELPING FOOTBALL FEDERATION ETC AND LIST GOES ON.

FIRST WE SHALL TOUCH HIS FOOTBALL ACTIVITIES WHERE HE WAS A PLAYER, IN GOA HE CAPTAINED THE CANDOLIM FOOTBALL TEAM, PLAYED FOR ARPORA SCHOOL, ST. XAVIER COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM, CHWGULE CFOOTBALL TEAM, HE ALSO PLAYED FOR THE THEN MIGHTY CHAMPION OF GOA " SESA GOA FOOTBALL TEAM" IN MANY PARTS OF INDIA INCLUDING ROVERS CUB IN BOMBAY. HE CAME TO KUWAIT IN 1975 AND HE PLAYED AS CAPTAIN FOR SALMIYA YOUTH CLUB IN THE INAUGURAL TOURNAMENT IN  1979 AT SOUR GROUND. HE WAS THE CO FOUNDER OF GOA MAROONS AND PLAYED FOR THEM. HE WAS THE BEST DEFENDER AMONG INDIANS DURING HIS HEY DAYS.

MR. VERONICA WAS ONE OF THE PROMOTERS OF KUWAIT INDIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION, HE WAS AN AD HOC COMMITTEE MEMBER OF KIFF AND LATER A TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEMBER.

HE WAS WRITING ABOUT THE FOOTBALL ACTIVITIES ON THE SOUR GROUNDS AT THE TIME WHEN THERE WAS NO INTERNET AND THE PRINT MEDIA WAS THE ONLY SOURCE AVAILABLE FOR THE FOOTBALL LOVERS IN KUWAIT.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE A CRITIC IN ANY TYPE OF SPORTS WHICH HELPS THE COTROLLING BODY TO CORRECT ITSELF. HIS REPORTINGS WERE VERY HELPFUL AND INFORMATIVE.

HIS JOURNALIST STATURE WAS ALSO VERY IMPRESSIVE WHERE HE WROTE A LOT ABOUT THE BRUTAL INVASION OF KUWAIT AND ORGANIZED THE SUPPORT FOR THE KUWAITIS IN GOA DURING THE INVASION.

HE ALSO TOOK UP THE KONKANI LANGUAGE ISSUE AND ORGANIZED VARIOUS FORUMS IN SUPPORT OF IT, DEDICATING HIS TIME AND EFFORT FOR THE CAUSE, WHICH WAS EQUALLY APPRECIATED BY ALL CONCERNED.

MR. VERONICA YOUR  POPULARITY CAN BE GAUGED BY THE PRESENCE OF ALL THE CLUB PRESIDENTS, REPRESENTATIVES,MY MANAGING COMMITTEE AND FOOTBALL LOVERS BID YOU FAREWELL..

ON BEHALF OF THE MANAGING COMMITTEE AND ALL THE ASSOCIATED CLUBS, I STAND HERE TO THANK YOU FOR ALL WHAT HE HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE COMMUNITY IN GENERAL AND TO THE FOOTBALL ACTIVITY IN PARTICULAR.

WE ALL WISH YOU A VERY GOOD HEALTH, GOOD LIFE AND GOD BLESS YOU.

FIDELIS FERNANDES

PRESIDENT

KUWAIT INDIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION

Pics: Julio Cardoso / Revon Gomes

VERONICA SPEAKS: INTERVIEW WITH A STALWART GOAN

"He came, He Saw, He Conquered!!!"

NOW:  HE DECIDES TO LEAVE!!!

Read an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with A. Veronica Fernandes, an activist of immense abilities whose deeds are documented in the chronicles of history, and well recognized by Indian and Kuwaiti governments.

The interview features rare, uncensored words of truth shared by the stalwart warrior known over the years to be the flag-bearer of Goa in Kuwait.

Read the complete INTERVIEW at:

http://gaspersworld.blogspot.com/2013/12/veronica-speaks-interview-with-stalwart.html

CONGRESS WAS DESERVINGLY KICKEKD OUT.BY THE VOTERS.

Three cheers for all the voters in few States in North India including Delhi for voting Congress Party out as indicated in the election results declared yesterday. It was a deserving kick on Congress which has been imposing dynastic rule over India since independence of India. For so long Congress fooled the people in India but now the people of India know how cunning Congress is. Bringing a kid in Rahul Gandhi and making him to win the election is something impossible.   

Narendra Modi is a bad man but still he is a big challenge to Congress that is having not a single orator in its ranks to woo the masses.  In Modi, the Congress met with its Waterloo and to tell the truth in Congress there is not a single vote catcher leader  to shake Modi though Modi is a bad leader creating communal discord which is not good.

 I attribute the loss of Congress not to the rise of Modi but to the ills of Congress on all fronts.  Congress ruled over India for so many years from the time of independence but it failed to do justice for the Indians especially for the down trodden. With its political power in its hands Congress could have introduced so many drastic changes  for the benefit and development of Indians.    

On the contrary Congressmen with the help of the political power in their hands started acting like Monarchs and Maharajas and gradually passing these luxurious attributes down the line for others to imitate them. Congress has failed to change the corrupt system existing in India inspite of being in position to do so. Congress deserves defeat even in the 2014 general election. The current defeat Congress got not because voters loved BJP but they hated Congress.

Sheila Dikxit is a deserving loser from Aam Admi stalwart. She cannot walk properly and still contested election, for what? Now she after tasting power for so many years unhindered will be like a fish out of water which will be very painful for her to bear but she and such like her deserve such a ruthless punishment. Such people want to cling to the political power even when they are on the death bed.

This defeat of Congress looks similar to the defeat of Congress in Goa in the last election.  Goans  voted Parrikar’s BJP not because they loved Parrikar but they hated the corrupt and family raj system of Congress. All the Goan Congressmen who were boasting of the number of Concubines they had when they wielded political power are now hiding under the Petticoats of the same Concubines. Some of them have even stopped visiting Kuwait to distribute the looted doles to their Kuwait based  "chamchas".

While concluding I salute Aam Admi Party to gain so much in Delhi in so little a time.  People there voted this party because people want clean and neat government in Delhi.  Will there be such a party in Goa capable of creating such a dent in Goan political field to bring changes in Goa? If yes, it would be nice.  

A. Veronica Fernandes,

Kuwait.