Journalist circles in Goa were abuzz on Monday with news of the death of Minoo Fernandes, a long-time newspaper correspondent from the South Goa coastal subdistrict of Salcete who taught in a school in Majorda village and covered sports and crime and other news for the local newspapers including Herald and The Navhind Times.
Minoo Fernandes was a popular byline in the 1980s, when the media in Goa was seeing an expansion path, with the arrival then of new English-language and other newspapers in the market. Many joined the field of journalism during this period, some moving on to other professions. Minoo Fernandes continued writing and his work is remembered. He was known to many journalists of the era, and football fans also appreciated the dedication with which he undertook coverage of that sport in particular. Younger journalists appreciated his encouraging words during their football coverage. Jyoti Dhond, journalist and publisher, commented on the Goa Union of Journalists' (GUJ) WhatsApp group: "At Margao, Minoo and Shyam (Zambaulikar) were two correspondents who were closely connected with the student movement activities and gave prompt publicity to our activities. (He was a) nice person." Sports reporter and author Marcus Mergulhao added: "Recently, while referring to some old newspapers for a feature on the Goa University, I came across his byline as *Minoowala Majordekar* in GT. I sent a copy to him and we laughed when we discussed it. "I grew up reading his match reports in Herald before I joined the profession. Used to admire the fact that he came for matches and took notes diligently." Sandesh Prabhudessai, journalist and editor, added: "His crime reporting in the Herald was a milestone. He never relied on police reporting. He used to visit the court every day and scan through all the police complaints which have to be referred to the court. Was getting authentic reports and was also doing follow-ups later. Never seen any other journalist following this more authentic path of crime reporting." >From London, Lui Godinho, a contemporary who himself contributed significantly to the photo coverage of Goa particularly in the 1980s, clearly recalled the work of Minoo Fernandes. He paid tribute to both Fernandes' work as a remote correspondent -- which can be a tough and trying job -- and also as a teacher in Godinho's village school of Majorda. Minoo Fernandes was in his mid-sixties, and had been unwell for a short while. ###
