Dear Cecilia Mascarenhas I read your letter published in Goanet on line at 5 am today 15th Sept 2018 just when I got up and decided to offer my own experiences during my childhood. I have just completed 74 years on 28th Aug and after reading the contents of your letter I was excited to express my views and experience. First of all I am now typing with my one finger on my Android mobile, where we used to write either with a pencil or ink pen -- not even a ballpen. The following are my additions to what you said in your write up: 1. I am the eldest in my family having one brother and 7 sisters and my youngest sister was born after invasion/liberation of Goa. There were lots of difference between my upbringing and that of my youngest sister. She had many things that people have nowadays and never imagined how difficult a life we had in those days. But we never grumbled and were always cheerful and content with what we did in our life at that time and I would say "those were the days " 2. We had a PYE radio but were not allowed to touch any button, or even to demand a change in the stations. We could listen the music only after our home work was over and lessons completed. We had no electricity at home until I was about 5 years old or so and after that electricity was installed by my uncle who was an electrician in PWD. He said that was a DC supply and I remember he told me that this current will throw you down if I touch you live wire and later when we got AC that we would get stuck and die on the spot. We had a DC fan which none of my friends had in our locality at Portais ward Panjim and it was a great thing for us. We were not allowed even to touch it. Of course we never realised it was a necessity for the elders. We had clean air and a good atmosphere having plenty of trees around our house and we could breathe fresh and pure air compared to nowadays and there was no necessity for any fans. I and my two sisters were lucky to use DC electricity lights for certain duration otherwise we had to use candles or petromax to study our lessons. Early morning that was our time for studies. Black tea and hot bread, no butter, was our daily routine breakfast. Milk tea only if thhe milkman delivered it -- depending upon the avaibility of local supply. 3. Going to school I had no shoes but i was lucky enough to get slippers whereas my companions had to go with bare feet. All the books were covered with brown paper and my father used to do that job, keeping things tidy. If any mistake was commited by us we used to get a beating with stick. 4. A Tution teacher would come home and if no home work was done the punishment was to stand on our knees on tiny stones and also a beating on our palms with a wooden ruller. 5. We did not have beds to sleep, and all the children had to sleep down on a mat and since we were a big number my father would make sure that all of us are present by counting them. Nowadays there are not more than two or at the most three children. Olden times during Portuguese regime there was a scheme for those who had 12 children. The Potuguese government used to give them a prize, but hardly any parents could succeed. 6. Initially we had never seen any restaurant or tea shop but later we were taken once a year during chapel feasts in our ward. Picnics were organized by priests and that was our great and happy day. 7. Our parents when I was of a younger age used to cook on coal. They did not have a stove and gas and my mother used to warm water to have bath with dry wood which would give so much smoke -- never realising it was bad for our lungs -- but still people lived longer with good health because rest of the time they were breathing pure air and eating good healthy food. 8. There are hundreds of things to be expressed but it is not possible in this forum. If the original author is interested to know I shall try to communicate by her mail. Also others would like to know of my youth and how people lived can also be told. Even Frederick Noronha of Goanet would appreciate its contents about life of Goan people during Portuguese regime and I am sure he must have been aware of it. End
Message: 1 Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2018 15:59:04 +0530 From: Goanet Reader <[email protected]> To: "Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994!" <[email protected]>, gn-news <[email protected]> Subject: [Goanet] Those were the days, my friend! [Or, did we really live in Paradise?] (Cecilia Mascarenhas) Message-ID: <cabcxcfff2u8bqye+s-xdt45qvfdz5tfm-k8vt2_d5b0ehqp...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Those were the days, my friend! [Or, did we really live in Paradise?] Cecilia Mascarenhas [email protected] Lots of controversies when one says we lived in paradise... if only they knew that indeed it was! This is how we Asians grew up in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. What a life it was. We were innocent, frank and straight with people at home, at school and within the community and society. Our childhood was like an adventure, exploration, expedition and an unassigned project to accomplish without the present time luxury, hi-fi tools, unbelievable facilities and with not so much help provided. No school loans, grants, financial aid or scholarships. Instead, it was filled with lots of fun, excitement, enthusiasm, trust, expectation, commitment and responsibility. Although not so very easy -- always and filled with some hardship -- life was beautiful and excellent. Our love and respect for our parents were second to none, and our respect for our teachers and elders in the community and society was in our genes. We gladly looked after our younger brothers and sisters without any selfish motive and fuss. We felt it was our prime and moral duty. We attended temples, gurudwaraas, churches, mosques, jamat khannas and prayed regularly and respected all religions We integrated socially and culturally with people from all religions, class or creed. In essence, we enjoyed life. * To all the wonderful kids who were born in the wonderful East Africa and survived the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's. * We had mothers who did not check our or their blood pressure or the temperature every few minutes. * We never saw or wore the present time diapers, nappies and liners. * We bounced our selves without a bouncer and peacefully slept without a baby cot. * We sucked cow milk from a soda bottle without being sterilized or warmed in a bottle warmer. * We slept during our sleep times be it day or night without monitors or blippers. * There were no nurses or doctors to pamper the mums, babies and children all the time. * Our baby cribs and bassinets were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints. * We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets. * We rode our bikes without helmets, gloves and guards. * As children we would ride in cars which had no child safety door locks, seat belts or airbags. Sometimes we sat on each other's laps, for God's sake. We shared one soft drink with juugus in it, among four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from that. We would share bhajias, mix, mogo chips and dips or a eat chapatti and rice from someone else's plate of curry without batting an eyelid. We ate jam sandwiches or pickle on bread and butter, raw mangoes with salt that set our teeth on edge or a grilled makaai and mogo and drank orange squash. We ate at roadside stalls, drank madaffu water, ate everything that was bad for us from karangaa, kachri, makaai, muhogo, channa batetaa, bhel puri to maru bhajias and samosas. Yet we weren't overweight and falling sick as we were always outside playing freely and burning our calories, keeping fit, fine and happy. During holidays we would leave home in the morning and play out all day, we were never ever "bored" and were allowed freedom all day, as long as we were back home at a given time. We would dare not be late! We were innovative and creative making and building things from and out of scraps and junk of old pram wheels and bicycle rims, made kites using used news papers, playing traditional games called santa kukdi, pakda pakdi, nagel, khokho, hutuutu, thappo and rounders. Luxury and things related to it were far beyond our imagination, expectation and reach. We were taught and groomed to be content. We played, ran and walked barefoot without even being concerned about it, if we got cut and bled we used tincture of iodine or spirit on the wound and it was okay and fine with us. We did not wash our hands ten times a day. And we were okay as well. We did not have PlayStations, Nintendos, X-boxes, video games, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no desktop PC, no laptops, no iPods or iPads, no internet or internet chat rooms, no TV, no hi-fi and Wifi. We just simply had a BUSH, PYE, PHILLIPS, MURPHY or a GRUNDIG 2 or 3-band radio placed in the family sitting room to be shared by all! We did not have parents, who would ask us questions like, What would you like to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner? We ate what was put in front of us. No menu, no choice, no fuss, no waste, and no leftovers! And after dinner every night in almost every household the schoolgoing children must recite all the times tables from 1 up to 25 before going to sleep! We had very loving, caring and wonderful friends who are still good valued friends today. Their loving parents whom we very fondly called Uncle and Aunty, and we were not treated any different from their own children by them. We fell from the trees numerous times, got cut, hurt, bled, broke bones and teeth and there were no compensation claims, but only a to be strong, rise again and move on consolation! We ate fruits fallen on the ground, never washed them and yet never had any viruses or infections of any kind. We used to bath using a bucket, a koppo and Lifebuoy soap. We did not know what shampoo, conditioner or a bath and body wash was. We rode bicycles everywhere in the town with someone sitting on the carrier or crossbar to school, cinema or playgrounds. Knocked on the door of a friend's house and were welcomed without any hesitation and would be treated with some goodies. This generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, inventors, winners and the most successful people ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas with some failures and most successes. We had patience, understanding, discipline, respect, maturity, wisdom, motivation, commitment and responsibility. And above all: We learned and survived the hard way and had our parents and grandparents who were overseeing us, with their experience, guidance, and blessings. All of these which helped us with how to deal with life and all it threw at us. Sent from my Samsung device
