Anything on good old Percival, I want to be IN ! He is *unique*, a relic of good old times... R.M.
On Fri, Apr 24, 2015 at 8:11 PM, Goanet Reader <[email protected]> wrote: > Fernando do Rego > [email protected] > > Let me share the news about the great > event which took place at the Fundacao Oriente-Goa, on > Saturday (April 18, 2015) evening to honour the noted Goan > nonagenarian Percival Noronha, and release a book in his honour. > > Fundacao Oriente was the very first Portuguese institution > that came to Goa after Liberation in 1961 -- in the mid-1990s > -- and that was after Indo-Portuguese relations were > re-established following the “25 de April” (Revolução do > Cravo) Revolution which put an end to the dictatorial times > in 1974. A new era started and this ward of Fontainhas was > chosen for their office in a residence that belonged to the > Fonseca family. It happened twenty years back and Fontainhas > was enriched along these two decades with more history with > the various programs that it organizes, including the yearly > Monte Music Festival in Old Goa with Indian and Western > music, presented by both Hindus and Catholics. > > Here I wish to make a suggestion to the Fundacao Oriente that > this music festival should be transferred to the Our Lady of > the Immaculate Conception Church, Panjim, which was first > built in 1541 as a chapel by the Portuguese, was replaced by > a larger church, as seen now, in a wedding cake shape and > much alike the Sacre Couer in Paris. In alternate years, it > may also take place in the “Adro” (The Churchyard) of the > Church of Margao which celebrated 450 years a few weeks back > with the release of a book *Soaring Spirit* by the well known > journalist Valmiki Faleiro. > > If the Monte Festivals are attended, say by 500 persons or > less, these two suggestions me will delight some ten > thousands. If, you agree with me, please support the > suggestion by writing to Dr Eduardo Kol Carvalho, the present > delegado of the Fundacao Oriente at [email protected] > > A Remembrance of the past > > One of most memorable session which I attended > years back, was when Fundacao Oriente paid homage > to Orlando Costa. He was a great friend of mine > from the Liceu days (1940-47) and after a long > chat, we wished with an "afectuoso abraço", never > thinking that it would be the very last one. That > session also gave rise to something interesting: a > friend of mine sent to me from Lisbon a Portuguese > magazine which gave a detailed report. It was > illustrated with two photos of the two speakers: > one of Fr. Martinho Noronha (with the caption > reading 'Manohar Sardesai') and the other of > Manohar Sardesai (with the caption of 'Fr Martinho > Noronha')! I went with it to the residence of > Manohar who on seeing it had a hearty laugh and > commented: "Maka padri kello, Fernando-bab?" (You > made me a priest!) > > What I also appreciate about the Fundacao Oriente is that > their motto and endeavors are not "levar a cultura Portuguesa > ao Oriente" and so they don’t make a point event to have all > their sessions in Portuguese, when the hall would be empty/ > > But back to the point, who is this Percival? Here are some > examples of his innumerous activities. > > The Indo-Portuguese Friendship Society-Goa: > Delivering a lecture on the topic, 'Heritage and > Indo-Portuguese Furniture' organized by the > Indo-Portuguese Friendship Society-Goa in Panjim, > historian Percival Noronha spoke of the piquant > problem of parish priests selling off valuable > antique furniture and ornaments from old churches. > Not only artifacts in churches are being sold to > the highest bidder, Noronha brought up the Cabo Raj > Niwas where over the years, a steady stream of > artifacts have been given or taken away. He also > spoke of how haphazard modern constructions added > to lovely old churches, were ruining their > aesthetic purity. It is evident that we do not > care for our heritage. As the Diocese of Goa had > sold to the builders the rich lands in Caranzalem > which the Conego do Souto Mayor had bequeathed to > it, he stopped being a practicing Catholic that he > was! > > Portugal honors an Indian Historian > > Portugal conferred one of its highest civilian honors to this > Indian historian closely associated with Goa and its past. > President Anibal Cavaco Silva announced in Lisbon that his > country would honor Percival Noronha, one of Goa's foremost > historians and chroniclers of past, with the title of > 'Commander' of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator. The > awards are given to Portuguese Diaspora and foreign citizens. > > Dedicated Cooperator of the Governments > > Percival Noronha was a very important government officer > during the Portuguese regime especially during that period > when Gen Vassalo e Silva was the Governor. > > After Liberation, he preferred to continue to give to his Goa > all that could of his talent and experience. He was the > Chief Information Officer when Goa was liberated and went on > to hold several key positions in the Goa administration, and > is known for his work on chronicling Goa's history. When Goa > had its first Government of the late Dayanand Bandodkar, the > Chief Minister would come to Percival's home to consult him > on many administrative matters in which he was not > conversant. > > The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM) > > As the first Director of Tourism, he gave Panjim coastal > green belt by planting thousands of Casuarina trees from > Campal to Miramar, and was one of the architects behind > successful organization of Commonwealth Heads of Government > Meet (CHOGM) Retreat in Goa during 1983. He took over the > responsibility of training special guides. The training > material he produced on historical places, personalities and > monuments continues to be precious sources of information > even now also prepared a detailed description of all the > historic places in Velha Goa for the benefit of the Prime > Ministers of the CHOGM, which included Indira Gandhi, > Margaret Thatcher, Pierre Trudeau, etc. > > The Indian Heritage Society -- Goa Chapter: > > He rejuvenated the Indian Heritage Society-Goa Chapter, the > first organization to celebrate world environment day, and > published a souvenir on local environmental issues. He > supported conservation and protection of khazan lands and > salt pans of Goa and collaborated to produce model heritage > conservation legislation. > > Association of Friends of Astronomy > > Noronha joined astronomy enthusiasts to found the Association > of Friends of Astronomy. He spotted talent among students & > youth and encouraged them in amateur astronomy. Several of > those students went abroad to study advanced astronomy. In > the year 1982 due to the zeal and perseverance of Panjim > resident and retired government officer Percival Noronha, the > Association of Friends of Astronomy (AFA) was founded by a > group of astronomy enthusiasts in Panjim (Goa). > > Basically dedicated to the appreciation and popularization of > amateur astronomy, the association was successful in founding > the Public Astronomical observatory at Panjim (PAO). It > became the first public observatory in India to be funded by > the government and run voluntarily by an NGO. In the initial > years of formation, the Members of AFA concentrated on > stabilizing the organization by acquiring telescopes, > instruments and infrastructure for the observatory; a modest > beginning was also made in starting a library by getting > astronomy and science books and subscribing to different > magazines. Different activities like school programmes, > lectures, study tours, exhibitions, workshops, star parties, > competitions, quizzes, photography outings were started and > are still being sustained by the present members. > > The Christian Art Gallery > > He worked closely with historian-professor Teotonio Desouza > to catalogue the precious heritage of Christian art scattered > throughout churches & chapels of Goa and that led to > establishment of the Christian Art Gallery which Goa earlier > did not have. > > He continues to champion the conservation of 42 forts and > defense locations of historical and archaeological importance > and organized a tour of the then minister Subhash Shirodkar > to demand a 'no development zone' around major forts of Goa. > > Numerous scholars from Goa and outside tap him for > information on wide ranging subjects. "There is no > other authority in Goa on Christian art, urban > history, Indo-Portuguese furniture and ivory," > asserted Nandakumar M. Kamat, a writer, in an > article in the Navhind Times. > > The Museum of Christian Art is one of the few institutions of > its kind in Asia. It is run in the former colonial capital > of Old Goa, home to heritage monuments today. When it was > set up, in 1994, it was the only museum of Christian art in > Asia. It was set up with the cooperation of the Fundacao > Oriente and Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian, (Portugal) and the > Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), > New Delhi. Earlier, it was located at the Seminary of > Rachol, Salcete, Goa. Later for the convenience of the > tourists it was transferred to the Santa Monica Monastery in > Old Goa. > > The museum houses a very important and unique > collection of Christian art objects spanning from > the 16th century to the middle of the 20th century. > Recognized the world over as a perfect symbiosis of > two cultural manifestations, Indian and Portuguese, > these Indo-Portuguese Christian art objects besides > their antiquity are known for their Indian > (predominantly Hindu) contribution and whether > ivory, silverware, woodwork or embroidered > liturgical vestments, they are all of surprising > richness and perfection. > > He continued this cooperation with the Church of Goa even > after leaving it as related above. > > Contacto Goa > > Several years back, the television broadcaster RTP-I from > Lisbon broadcast regularly a programme called Contacto Goa, > arranged and presented by Nalini Elvino de Sousa e Afonso. > Many times Percival Noronha was projected with his opinions > (even in the company of his Persian cat on the table while he > works!), and so seen all over the Portuguese speaking world. > > What I cannot understand why in the R.T.P. programmes, we > can never see a Goan! Only in the news and that too from > lately is Antonio Costa, the son of Orlando Costa, who may > turn out to be the new Prime Minister of Portugal, while its own. > > Contacto Goa also interviewed Goan politicians like the Eng. > Manohar Parrikar, today the Defense Minister of India. > > His Heir > > In one of my many visits to him, I asked him who would > inherit his rich collection of books and documents so > precious. Presto! Came a two word reply: "Xavier Centre"! > All know that it is an institution that belongs to the > Jesuits and founded by Dr. Teotonio de Sousa and to the > X.C.H.R. where we went together many times. > > For the release of this book too, my wife and me were pleased > to be invited (once again). The book is titled *Percival > Noronha: Um goes exemplar* It was on Saturday, April 18, 2015 > and the book was released by the Consul General of Portugal > in Goa, Dr. Rui Carvalho Baceira, in the presence of Dr. > Joao Amorim, Director and member of the Executive Committee > of the Fundacao do Oriente-Lisbon. > > Quite as expected, the hall was full of guests from > practically all over Goa like Loutolim, Curtorim, Divar, > Betim, Pangim, Margao, etc.. The walls of the hall are now > adorned with paintings of the famous Goan Trinidade, father > of Angela Trindade. > > After the speeches, Mrs. Aurora Couto introduced, and the > book was released by the Consul General of Portugal Dr. > Baceira. The book released is a collectanea of Percival > Noronha's own articles at different times and curiously most > of them are in English while the name of the book is > *Percival Noronha: um goes exemplar*. > > I did appreciate the real truth in this name. If > Fundacao Oriente had any phobias, it would call it > 'Um Indo-Portugues Exemplar'. It is introduced by > an article of Dr. Carlos Monjardino (Presidente do > Conselho de Administracao da Fundacao Oriente) > enriched with many photographs from bygone days. > There are also some 'Depoimentos', included by the > former Delegado of Fundacao Oriente Goa, Dr. > Adelino Rodrigues da Costa and the Goan Amilcar da > Costa of this ward but based in Brussels. > > There are, my friend, just some of the activities of this > gentleman that I knew from my childhood being also a resident > of Fontainhas, just like another 'Savant' Aleixo Manuel da > Costa, author of the unique *Dicionario da Literatura Goesa* > in four volumes, published by the Fundacao Do Oriente. > > The future of the Portuguese language in Goa > > Curiously, even though the Fundacao Oriente is a Portuguese > institution, everything from the invitation to the speeches > was in English thus confirming that the Portuguese language > is little by little vanishing from Goa. It was only Percival > Noronha, when he went to the mike to thank, did so in > Portuguese while the audience clapped. > > As a matter of fact, the Portuguese language has never been > banned in Goa after Liberation, but the social and political > situations did not make it an essential language. Even > otherwise, even the last Censo da Populacao done by the > Portuguese in 1960, showed that out of a population of just > six hundred thousand only 2.5% had declared Portuguese to be > their mother tongue, and that included the Portuguese troops > present in Goa. > > Today the population is over one-and-half million. Even > though the Portuguese in declining in Goa, I am pleased to > inform that the Goa University whose Vice Chancelor is Dr. > Satish Shetye (also a son of this ward and grandson of Prof. > Ramochodr Naik who was the last Director of the Escola > Normal) and under the direction of Dr. Delfim Correia da > Silva (from Portugal) does conduct classes of Portuguese. > > Classes for the MA have been conducted since 1987-88, and for > the BA is done in St Xavier's College at Mapusa and Chowgule > College in Margao. The PhD is expected to start soon. > > In the M.A. there were 44 pupils and 222 for various > optional courses offered by the Portuguese and the Lusophone > Studies Department of the University. The Fundacao Oriente > also conducts courses in Portuguese at various levels. > > The Garden Cocktail Party How poetic! > > After the meeting, a get-together took place in the manicured > garden which must have been established decades back by the > Fonseca family. It reminded me this poem of Tagore: The > Gardener/ Who are you, reader, reading my poems an hundred > years hence?/ I cannot send you one single flower from this > wealth of the spring,/ one single streak of gold from yonder > clouds./ Open your doors and look abroad./ From your > blossoming garden gather fragrant memories,/ of the vanished > flowers of an hundred years before./ In the joy of your heart > may you feel the living joy that sang one spring morning,/ > sending its glad voice across an hundred years? > > In this ambience, the Fundacao delighted the guests > with Portuguese wines and risóis de camarão and > other delicacies. I think that in certain circles > in Portugal, some call such meetings as 'beberete' > what I find ridiculous because no one was a > 'bebado' (drunkard) and it was a very interesting > encounter of friends cheering with the > 'tchin-tchin; of glasses. What was missed perhaps > would be Monte Festival style recorded music in the > background like 'fados e guitarradas', the Goan > Manddo... solos in konkanim by Sonia Sirsat and by > Lata Mangueshkar, the Goan Nightingale. > > These are, my friend, are my personal impressions of the > homage paid to Percival Noronha. In case any of you would > like to send him an email, his contacts are (phone) +91 832 > 2225726 Mobile +91-982212566. Please note that if you wish > to phone, do avoid his siesta break from 12.30 to 16.00! > > ### >
