Saddened to learn of the passing of Mario Cabral e Sa. His articles were a
source of enlightenment to countless readers. May his soul rest in peace.Victor
Rangel-Ribeiro
On Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 12:45:27 PM EDT, Roland Francis
<[email protected]> wrote:
Good memories Frederick. I remember the time every substantial piece of news,
journalism and opinion was by-lined Mario Cabral e Sa.
So dominant was his presence in the media output from Goa, that his name was
synonymous with with every major news-making event there. Then suddenly the
name disappeared with no one mourning the absence. Perhaps a new crop had
arrived to take over collectively what was virtually a one man band.
Roland.Toronto.
On Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 11:48 AM Frederick Noronha
<[email protected]> wrote:
In The Goan (June 20, 2023)
********
End of an Era: Remembering Mario Cabral
Frederick Noronha
With some trepidation, I asked the question to the senior journalist, the first
whom I encountered in the Press Room at the old Adil Shahi Palace in Panjim.
"I've joined the Deccan Herald, and have just applied for my accreditation. Is
it okay if I enter here till the time I get it?"
In those days, the small Press Room was empty for much of the day. Except at
the 4 pm tea break, and the morning peak hour. The media in Goa was yet to
expand as it later did. Outside it was the foreboding sign: "For accredited
journalists only."
We had all heard of the reputation of Mario Cabral e Sa, who, news trickling in
on Monday evening, told us, had just passed away earlier that morning in
Bombay/Mumbai. He had been with his family there for many years, after leaving
the village and land he loved, the island of Divar.
Mario thought for a second or two, and was quick with his repartee. "This
place is now like a second-class unreserved train compartment. One or two
passengers, more or less, won't make much of a difference," he told me.
It took me a while to marvel at the intricacy of his reply. He had managed to
make his point without saying a rude 'no'. Nor had he said an unequivocal
'yes', which one could have taken as a license!
Over time, we became friends, even though we were almost a generation apart,
and, at times, writing for competing markets. Or even being on different sides
of the fence, quite often.
* * *
Mario kept pushing us to do better. He must have been in his 50s when we were
in our 20s. Yet, he was unflagging in his persistence and determination.
"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he demanded of us, on the day we
heard of the killing at distant Varca in an encounter of an Alemao brother. At
his suggestion, we pooled our resources, and took a taxi to Varca and the
Margao Hospicio, to follow up on that story.
In those times, journalism was still under-resourced, and we were happy to wait
for a story to fall in our lap. We made that trip, and learnt a lot.
Later, we would hear of Mario's days (in the late 1960s and early 1970s) when
he lead a small publication called "The Goan Monitor". It was run by the
Sequeiras, Jack and his son Erasmo, then prominent Opposition politicians.
There, he managed to mentor some great journalists including the late Ivan Fera
(who died too early, at 36). Some of his mentees might have not continued to
see eye-to-eye with Mario, but that's part of the growth process. It happens.
One day, almost 14 years ago, the journalist Devika Sequeira felt that that
generation was fast moving on, probably even being forgotten. She invited a
few of us to lunch with the seniors. Among them, there were journalists no
longer with us -- Gurudas Singbal, too. Not sure if Jagdish Wagh and Balaji
Gaunekar from that first post-1961 generation were there as well.
As was one's wont, without thinking too much over it, I whipped out my modest
TheFlip camera and asked Mario to share with me a few reminiscences. Those
remain on YouTube, here http://t.ly/BZCU and here http://t.ly/cSH-
In these brief encounters, Mario Cabral e Sa explains about journalism in his
times, stretching back to the Portuguese days and how it changed subsequently.
These are episodic (and some may say, selective) remembrances no doubt. But it
also gives an insight into how an individual encountered the dramatic changes.
And his memories of the same.
* * *
Every one of the journalists of our time has his or her own "Mario moment". As
almost shy, young journalists we had a lot to learn from him.
It must have been after 1989, when the Congress tasted defeat at the hands of
the JP Singh-led Janata Dal government, which replaced it. As was the trend,
the party continued to send in some 'observers' from New Delhi. In Panjim,
they were ensconced at the Mandovi Hotel, meeting local ruling state
politicians behind closed doors. Mediapersons were waiting long hours for some
word to emerge, or a press conference to be announced.
One could only imagine what was happening.
Mario took it upon himself to demand that the press get a chance to meet the
high command emissaries, and not be kept waiting indefinitely. As the door
opened, he took his opportunity to raise a ruckus.
Hearing the noise, the then Congress leader Buta Singh came out. "Ah, Mr
Butsing (sic)," said Mario, telescoping two names together. If he was taken
aback, Mario was prompt to hide it. He proceeded to give a lecture to the
visiting politician from New Delhi as to how the Congress "had not yet learnt
its lesson in humility despite losing the elections" and so on.
As the photographers were aiming their cameras, some security-man placed his
palm flat in front of a photographer's lens. "Daryl, you shoot," said Mario.
Buta Singh, who was probably more familiar with rustic Punjabi rather than
newsman's English, went on to give us all a lecture on how he was "not afraid
of dying". Those were the days just after the Khalistani movement; but all
that Mario was referring to was shooting a photograph! We all had a good laugh.
* * *
Mario was outspoken and also a hard taskmaster. One day I had promised him
something. When I didn't deliver, he hand-wrote a note displayed it on the
press room notice board. It read: "Rico, you are not as good as your word." By
some coincidence, just a couple of days earlier, I was sharing this story with
someone who was my age then.
His books -- on eminent Goans, and edited compilations on film and Goan music,
among many others -- find a prominent place in my collection.
Mario had his critics, and probably deserved them. He was an articulate,
smart, a one-man army, and influenced how the rest of the world saw Goa by his
writings. While I was studying the Shyam Benegal film 'Trikaal' quite closely,
having known Mario, I found his influences there. (Mario also worked on The
Sea Wolves, another Hollywood top-starer of the early 1980s.)
At times activists and environmentalists didn't like the stands that the
journalist-activist took. Once Mario shocked us all by saying, "Remember:
Mario has only one friend. That is Mario himself." But this does not detract
from the role Mario Cabral e Sa played during a crucial era of the growth of
the press in Goa. Perhaps collating his less-easily-available works would be a
good tribute to him.
--
FN * +91-9822122436 * 784 Saligao 403511 Bardez Goa
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