EYE FOR AN EYE - TOTH FOR TOOTH.

 

  When Saddam Hussein the cruel leader of Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2^nd August 1990, the British Premier Margareth Tatcher issued an statement against Saddam Hussein saying  with her powerful voice with anger, ”he is a Monster, a Despot, a BARBARIAN AND a Hitler”. The moment she got this news of the invasion of Kuwait exactly the way our Goa was invaded by the so called champion of Democracy and Freedom of course under the fake democrat and the shameless leader of Bharat  Jawaharlal Nehru, some world leaders expressed their deslike of India for such a harsh action. The entire World with the exception of a few fit to be our Panchayats and not the actual nations (States) supported Kuwait in  demanding the liberation for Kuwait.

 

 THE WORLD body the UNO and World leaders started condemning Saddam Hussein very badly, Saddam Hussein started losing his respect and dignity and to do the  damage control process for the invasion of  Kuwait, he chose as the best weapon to counter his adversaries, the Code of Hamurabi that was the first Code  of this planet made  in ancient Mesopotamia by the ancient King  Hamurabi.  By citing this Code he called upon the World not to call Iraqi people as backward and further saying that In the history of this planet Iraq getting  top position because it has created the first Code of this planet and that was  given to the World.  What is that Code?

 

It was the collection of 282 Laws formed  by the best of legal luminaries existing at that time in the richly developed land called Babylonia and its purpose then was to have some system for everyone to live peacefully without creating others any inconvenience thereby giving priority for morality.  On one fine morning, on the banks of River Tigris a few Iraqi women removed their Sarees or their dresses and made a sort of fence for them to have bath in the river, totally nude. While they were having the bath and enjoying it nicely, one Romeo type of young man while passing that side, he heard some noise of women. Having got his curiosity aroused, he went closer to the fence and made a hole īn ōne ōf  their dresses and putting his one eye into that hole, he happily started watching them. From nowhere behind his back a security man came and caught him by his neck and took him to the King Hamurabi who when questioning him and security man, passed a verdict “TO REMOVE HIS EYE Thru which he was watching those nude women having bath.  Hence, the Code came to be known as “Eye for an eye and Tooth for Tooth.

 

However, the law had strong drawback that when any wrong doer or criminal is brought to the king with the wrong accusation then the same sentence is Passed against the ACCUSER. 

 

THERE IS an ongoing debate among us saying taking law into our own hands is the solution for all the ills committed by our people while others say that it is not  correct to take law into our hands  without sanctioning by judicial consent and still there is one more opinion which is still keeping its way  OPEN where it thinks they are correct and that option is the very appropriate one for all the ills of our society and what iS that?  That is  the doctrine of Cristianity which says “eye for an eye and tooth for tooth is not the solution for our ills. 

When the American Civil Rightist MARTIN LUTHER when told that his house has been stoned by the rowdies from his locality because he preached his one of the most powerful sermons in the Montgomery Church where as a Baptist preacher, he spoke against the Apartheid that annoyed the Whites. During the last so many years so many renown preachers came but never  a  preacher of the caliber of Martin Luther came and spoke thus:’facing to the Whites who by virtue of being WhiTES were given the Previllege Of sitting towards the right AND THE OTHERS LIKE BLACKS WERE GIVEN THE  DISCRIMNATORY SEATS TO THE LEFT. dURING THAT TIME MARTIN LUTHER was extremely busy in preparing for his PHD AND WHEN HE STARTED HE STARTED THUS: Pointing out to the Whites said’ My dear brothers  and sisters, there is discrimination going on in this very Church in front of us and we are practicing this discrimination      here just below our nose and yet we adore Christ and by practicing this type  of discrimination we hurt and insult JESUS CHRIST because by acting thus discriminatory we give our impression that we are not ready to associate with Blacks and further saying to the Whites pointing out his finger towards the Whites that is referring to the White: ‘if you cannot integrate with the masses pointing out to the Blacks then  you will never integrate  with Christ because Christ is come from the masses”.

 

This was the spark lighted by Martin Luther  that  when he came home he saw his supporters ready with big Sticks to finish the White miscreants but Luther said by pacifying their  anger “down with your Sticks, no violence, violence will get violence. Let us depart from here as friends and no more violence. Otherwise what WILL BE THE OUTCOME?  Very bad with innumerable deaths.

 

A.   VERONICA FERNANDES.

 

 

 

FEUDALITY OF EXSARPANCHES & PANCHES.

 

On last Sunday I attended the Gram Sabah Meeting in my village In the Panchayat Compound that was also attended by the very good number of  attendees,  this type of number was rarely seen in the recent past.  However, what surprised me was this that  as usual all the former Sarpanchas and many of the ex Panchas were as usual missing.  When they remain absent from  attending this important Meet, they give an  impression that they are least bothered  about the village affairs while when they were ruling our village, they were talking big - big about their village.  This type of cunning and crooks behaviour they must stop in future.  They being the former Sarpanches and Panches, they had more responsibilities since they are well experienced in running the local affairs.  I dont know what they think of themselves, only as elected they should attend such meetings and otherwise sleep at home? One of  the ex Sarpanchas was present but since he was an elected member for the current term he had no choice but to attend not only his duty that makes him obligated to attend but he is eagerly waiting to don the colours of the Sarpanch if he gets an opportunity even thru the back door. Because of their selfish AND REVENGEFUL   nature, today in Goa Sarpanches and other Panches are not respected. Who among them in our Panchayats in Goa is upright and clean with the exception of very few?  “Assa titlei choddse chor ani Bamtte “.

This type of dirty game is played by most of the ex Sarpanches and Panches because they are either afraid of their sins they committed as elected representatives or they are feeling inferior to attend such meetings when they already enjoyed the power once. If this is correct then they are sadly mistaken because they became somebody in our localities then it was only because of  their membership in their respective Panchayats.  Otherwise nobody cares for them, they don’t even know to say hello to others, they are like animals from the jungle. Good that they were very backward during the past regime in Goa otherwise they would opt for the status of Maharajas when most of our elected members in our local Panchayats would not even be fit to sweep the floor of their Panchayat.

 

A.Veronica Fernandes.

IS FOOT BALL DYING IN CANDOLIM ?

 

 

 

By bowing down my head in reverence to Fr. Lyons for being the pioneer in promoting the Soccer in Goa and Candolim being close to Arpora and Aguada, the influence of soccer came heavily on Candolim from Arpora on one  side and from  Aguada on the other side and Candolim being receptive of any innovation, it absorbed soccer system introduced by  the Portuguese Soldiers stationed  at Aguada and the British  soccer system introduced  by Fr. Lyons at Arpora School was accepted by others. BTW, who is Fr. Lyons?  Fr. Lyons was none other than  the non-Goan young Seminarian who while undergoing his studies as a  Noviciate  he was afflicted with deadly skin desease and his superiors came to know that this is incurable, he was asked to leave the Seminary which he did and  started moving everywhere in search of medicine for the cure of this desase till he came across one man who told him to go to Goa where there is one village called Sinquerim and you will find there Springs of medicinal water that will cure his deasease. Following this advice, he got cured and as a mark of gratitude for Goa, he started E nglish education in Goa by starting first English High School of Goa at Arpora. 

Then about 150 years back Candolim villagers mainly the manual workers namely “Xetkars –  Zotkars – Paddekars – Nistekars”  and others formed their own soccer team called “PELVAN” that gained lot of popularity  for them especially when this team defeated both the Aguada comprising  Pakles and Khapris and Arpora School teams The Pelvan team from Candolim  received no formal coaching from the qualified Trainer but the  team memberes of this Pelvan team by nature having very good aptitude and strong love for playing soccer, this attitude made them innovative on the field thus giving them impetus to play better soccer.  

 

My father was one of the prominent members of this Pelvan team who was once given a Medal by the Portuguese Military Officer stationed at Aguada for playing a very good game. The other important player of that team was my  maternal Uncle Dioginho Vaz of whose type Candolim has not produced another though my eldest brother the late Cheddo playing for  Goa Police came close to him,  Speaking on him the  renowned Doctor from Candolim  Dr. Gustavo Monteiro who was the  President of Goa Footall Association told openly “Candolim is yet to see another Dioginho Vas, such a player is very difficult to come again”.  And speaking on Dioginho Vaz, the then Principal of Arpora School Fr. Mendonca who when he came to know that Dioginho Vaz  was my maternal Uncle, he put his hand around my shoulder and praised my Uncle so much saying and comparing my Uncle with the then famous Abu from Vasco who was like Goan Pele and  said Dioginho Vaz was much better than Abu. MY Uncle Dioginho Vaz once when I was very small boy  told me how he was better than Abu and how Abu gained the advantage over my Uncle and concluded saying: Abu by playing in Vasco and other prominent soccer grounds had better exposure and this is the reason he became more famous.

 

In my village some of the locals who were  aged and who were told by their elders that two members of our family clan were the renown players  of the then mighty soccer team Pelvan of Candolim and whenever we meet we still hallow each other saying as: ‘PELVAN” the meaning of this Konkani word is similar to strong, the players of this Pelvan team by virtue of the team members of Pelvan had to be physically strong in the fist fight too. If any fight took place on the field they had to beat and beat their opponents on the field miserably.  They were feared on the field for their artistic game and also they were more feared beyond the football jurisdiction. According to my father who was  one of the  members of this Pelvan Team and my maternal uncle DIoginho Vas of whose caliber Candolim is yet to produce another, the Portuguese soccer standard was much higher and Goans liked their system and standard.

 

Now, it is very disappointing to know  that in my village there is no enthusiasm in the current young boys to play soccer  as we had during our days. During my younger days, our Candolim ground almost  throughout the year was full with local players. But now what I noticed since recently our football ground is rented to outside teams for them to practice and for our boys who got all the rights to use it at anytime are denied their rights to use this ground for them as freely as ever.  In this way, how we in our village develop our football and bring back the  glories and laurels  for the Candoicars in the soccer?  In the past so many of our young boys donned not only the colours of the then mighty Sesa Goa, Dempo,  Salgaocars, Vasco and others but even played in the National and International tourneys and brought name for them and for our great village Candolim.   It is a pity some of our villagers, the so called custodians when do  not know their own fathers then how  they will know the history of our historical village?  And on top of it the bloody rascals who are settlers in Candolim want to become the leaders of our village.  Where are our genuine villagers gone and why these non-Candoicars are given opportunities in our village?  They once grab power by coming in our village as slaves, they then fortify their positions so firmly that within a short time they become masters of  our village to fulfill their ambitions.  And as far as our Panchayats are concerned based on my assessment on past incidents  some of our Panchayats are in the hands of “CHORS” who by cheating and fooling their local voters come to power and make money that is illicit money  Otherwise let me know what is their purpose  in Panchayat?      What are the salaries and emoluments of our SarpaNCHAS AND OTHER PANCHAS? Last month one exSarpanch donated almost a lakh of rupees as his donations for staging a Tiatro which means what is his income per month and is that income earned thru proper channel?  And on top it these bribe prone politicians are roaming In society with their bare chest. Why our priests keeping their silence on the robberies of these rogues especialy when they are Catholics?    

Since soccer has to be revived in my village, I demand that all those who are  involved in this activity must begin working on its revival.

A.Veronica Fernandes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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