Both the PC and laptop are out of commission and I am none too savvy writing on mobile, except to shoot off inane posts to the family Whatsapp group. So this will be brief.
A nicely written note that, Frederick, on Alfred Tavares, though much too brief. But your anecdotal account of his maverick ways whets one's appetite for more. Care to consider a more extended treatment of your friend's exploits some time in the near future, Fred? I did not know Alfred Tavares at all, except through the reminiscences of friend Hugo from Raia (sadly no more too). I was quite impressed when he mentioned Alfred's attempt to register an association of fools with the collector. The mind boggles at the possible aims, objectives and activities of such a group! On another occasion, Hugo told me about another friend, Walfrido Antao, a big fan of existentialism, who had actually met Jean-Paul Sartre when visiting Paris in the 1970s. Turned out that it had actually been Alfred (at least from his own telling in a post here, if I am not mistaken). It seems he informed the bartender at the pub near Sartre's residence to tell the philosopher that he had come from Goa and could they meet? Sartre duly stopped by. I wonder what their palaver was about, something that Alfred may have been sure to make a note of somewhere, and which the Lotlekar's biographer may please discover and let us know. On a more personal note, it is possible that Alfred may have attempted to prank me following my post about the meeting with Sartre. I got an email from him which turned out to be infected with a, fortunately, mild variant of some unknown virus. It may not have been deliberately done, of course. Anyway I promptly deleted the email but not before inquiring with some several names he had copied it to whether they had received the infected email. Someone from Australia replied that, yes, he had! I didn't know what to make of this, but hearing that Alfred wasn't keeping too well, I let the matter rest. Just as well. He passed, a few weeks later. Perhaps way too soon.
