Of a Goan hotel in Pakistan and more. See submission below for the GOA SUDHAROP
GOAN SENIORS
E-book. Please send your submission to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
George
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Goans should be proud of this good man - Frank D'Souza
By Lenny Barretto
I feel, mention must be made of a Senior Citizen to whom Goans owe much.
Frank D'Souza was born and educated in Karachi. He was the first Indian to be
appointed by the
British, as a member of the Railway Board of India. In those days, a small
group of men
controlled
the mighty railways of India. It was the railways that kept the Indian Empire
working efficiently
and effectively. Therefore, it was important that membership of the Board was
the perserve of the
best, and Frank D'Souza being one of the best was appointed to the Railway
Board of India.
After finishing school with a Matrticulation, Frank D'Souza started to work as
a Railway Guard in
one of the Railways. He was a self-made man and educated himself over the
years. At the time of
Partition - Frank D'Souza opted for India and because of the Evacuee Property
Law, which was
established by both India and Pakistan, he lost his large property "Maryville"
in Karachi,
Pakistan.
At the time, Pakistan urgently needed the services of someone to set-up the
Railway system in
Pakistan. Pakistan decided the only man to help in this direction was Frank
D'Souza. Mohammed
Ali
Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan and the First Governor-General of Pakistan
specifically requested
Frank
D'Souza for his help in setting-up the Railway system in Pakistan. Frank
agreed, but on condition
that his home "Maryville" be returned to him. Jinnah and the Government of
Pakistan agreed.
Frank D'Souza always helped and supported Goans and often suggested that Goans
should always try
to support each other. He set an example. When he came to Pakistan, he stayed
at a Goan-owned
hotel "Braganza Hotel". He could have asked the Government of Pakistan to
arrange for him to stay
in the best hotel. Frank was known for his transparently honest Christian
character.
On completion of his job in Pakistan and before returning to India, Frank
D'Souza gave his
beautiful home "Maryville" to an order of Nuns. If he wanted, he could have
sold his home in
foreign exchange for a good sum. The nuns made "Maryville" into a Senior
Citizen Home. I had
close aunts who lived in the Home and were well looked after for the rest of
their lives by the
Sisters of Mercy. A few years ago Frank D'Souza's only son - Ronald- a
Catholic Priest - lived
the last few years of his life at the home. He died at the ripe old age of 92.
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