Hi George, Is this "Dr Gerald Rodricks" the same "Gerry Rodricks" from Wellington Mews, Marine Lines, Bombay who together with his sisters was at St Xavier's College, Bombay during 1951 - 56?
Post 1963 I remember he had a school in Nuvem or Verna on the road to Margao. If so say Hullo to him from me. Cheers Aloysius ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Pinto" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 11:35 AM Subject: [Goanet] Of "poder", "nistekar", and "posorkar" > See submission below for the Goa Sudharop Goan Seniors E-book. Please send > your essay to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For future details see > www.goasudharop.org. Thank you for your support. > > Goa Sudharop > > ***************************************************** > REMINISCENCES OF MY CHILDHOOD IN GOA > By Dr. Gerald Rodricks > > I feel great joy to reminisce about my childhood in Goa, which dates back > to > over 75 years. I am a thoroughbred `Goenkar' as both my parents hailed > from > the same village, Carmona, with the prefix "no bairro Fondo" as we are > supposed to have come from Ponda, so were called "Fondos", thank God, > not "Bondos". I recall some venerable old men in my bairro were > nicknamed "Porob" (which I found out later came from the surname "Parab") > hence one was "Porob-Bostiao" and another was "Porob-Jokin"....I'm not > joking!!!! > > I was the 4th of 9 children and even my birth in Bombay seemed a problem, > as > my mother became very ill and I was bundled off to Goa, to my grande-mae > Sapiensbai (in Latin, "the wise one"), to be brought up by her from age 6 > months up to 3 years. I was taught prayers in Konkani, picked up abuses in > Portuguese, healthy eating and proper toilet habits (including not jumping > up > imagining every piggy would bite my little bottom). Most mornings, granny > took > me, with both my legs astride her hips, to church, my job being to carry > her "baankin", which on arrival I would thump the beats of the hymns, to > the > amazement of the "Maestri", who predicted I would be a good musician; > which > proved prophetic, as for over 60 years I sang with choirs in Bombay, Goa, > Kuwait, including the St. Xavier's Choir, the Bombay Madrigals, Goencho > Nad, > etc. > > By the age of two, I turned out to be a Tiny-Terrorist, as I would chase > newly > born chickens, grab one, which led to their sad demise, resulting in being > locked up in the "Loz", where San Pedro would come to take me to > Hell....now I > wonder if he'd changed places with Satan. > > My wise grande-mae must have been a paramedic, because when I twisted my > frail > ankle, she applied the "deek" of the Banyan tree onto a piece of paper and > stuck it on my ankle, which got cured, more out of fear-psychosis than any > curative powers. Bathing those few days was a pleasure as one leg had to > be > kept up, to dry for a week. Joy and pain were interspersed for me, when my > pet > goat who gave me my daily nourishment of milk, delivered 2 cuddlesome > kids; > but sad was the day when a month later, a tall bearded, turbaned, thug > took > the two kids, telling me he would make them "big" and return them to me; I > waited and cried and cried and waited, in vain; they must be the size of > elephants now. A slight touch of consolation came my way, when there > appeared > an addition to my family, of a tiny "posgen" named Pidu, who my granny > told, > would be my playmate and carry my bag when I would go to Bombay. Rusting > away > in the "Loz" was a very old tricycle (probably my granduncle's) which had > no > leather on the seat and no rubber tyres, hence my tricycling around the > house, > meant more beating, as I left deep furrows on the cowdung floor, which was > more agony when the specialist came with fresh dung to re-do the floor. > > At 3, I was taken to Bombay to do my schooling, but came back twice a year > for > the May and October vacations. May was the month of mangoes and Litanies. > > Mangoes remind me of a trip I made with my dad to Margao, where he bought > 100 > Malcurads, with a bonus of 5 more thrown in, all for Rs.5/- only; the > present > generation should note, they will not get half a mango for that price. > The > Litanies I attended at the "bairro" cross, taught me hymns I can never > forget, > like "Deus Adjutorum nostrum...", "Hos signum crucis": and the grand > finale "Exultemus con alegria". Years later I had the thrill of singing > all > these, in Florida, at a friend's place, where many Goans assembled and > could > not contain their joy on hearing them after ages. > > The October vacations meant devouring "bangdas" by the basketful, prepared > in > the most delicious way; in fact, the entire menu in Goa was different; we > had > black sweet tea, with "kankon" bangle-bread; poyees, canjee with water > pickle, > thick red streaked Goa rice, sandnas, koiloroes, filoz and the best > being "aatoiloly koddi" which tasted best when licked directly from > the "kundlem". Each vacation in Goa meant chasing dragon flies > (birmotis); > swimming in the "toyem" and "posenk" for small fish; whipping chameleons, > then > crucifying them with bora thorns; going to the beach, not so much to wet > our > feet as to rob cashews, which grew in abundance on the way. > > One amazing incident I recall was, dad giving a hundred rupee note to > granny > for her expenses, which she refused saying, no vendor or hawker had > change, as > each purchase never exceeded 2 to 3 annas; so she complained that all she > did > was flash the note and get everything free, with the words "chut'te naim"; > of > course, dad has to settle all bills of the "poder", "nistekar", > "posorkar", > later. > > I must narrate a side splitting incident of which I was a witness; it was > at a > meeting of the erstwhile "Carmona Union" when neighboring Cavelossim was > part > of the Carmona parish and also inclusive were Zaler and Tamborim, smaller > villages in between. The members present wanted a new name that > encompassed > these important villages; the first suggestion was "Ca-Ca Union" > abbreviation > of Carmona and Cavelossim; thank God all 4 villages did not demand their > names included, as that would lead to the "CaCaZaTa Union". > > The most satisfying joy of my retired life here in Goa is that my > childhood > cultivated such a strong love for music that it led to doing the lead > roles in > most Gilbert & Sullivan's Operas, culminating with my being the leader > conductor of an 18 strong 4-voice choir in Miramar, Goa. > > Long live Goa, the cradle of my entire happiness, Ad Multos Annos. > > _______________________________________________ > Goanet mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
