Hi Linken, My tribute to Alfredo when I heard of his death in August 2014. >>> From: Roland Francis <[email protected]> >>> Date: August 31, 2014 at 5:12:03 PM EDT >>> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >>> Subject: Alfredo Tavares - Goan of Distinction >>> >>> >>> >>> It's a Sunday's rude awakening to read that Alfredo has left for his happy >>> hunting grounds. >>> >>> A unique personality, a rascal and a rogue in a most lovable way. He was a >>> rebel against every tradition, preconceived notion, and hidebound cultural >>> restriction. The low castes in his village were as dear to him as the >>> bhatcars who frowned on the company he kept. >>> >>> He had a refreshing sense of humor to which FN referred, but above that he >>> was courageous and almost fearless in his challenges to authority both >>> Portuguese and Indian in the defence of his Goan rights. If Alfredo was not >>> a journalist, he could, if life had taken a different turn, be a >>> bash-on-regardless type of army general. >>> >>> Alfredo was not atypical of his generation in the matter of his love of >>> being a Goan. Achievements came naturally to him and he as smoothly seemed >>> to brush them off as his ability to make an impression on people no matter >>> what their station. >>> >>> A product of the mold of daring and adventurous young men and women who >>> were in their late teens and early twenties when Goa's political landscape >>> changed forever, Alfredo never lost his love for fellow Goans and the joy >>> of a good escapade. He was indeed Goa's ambassador in Sweden, a natural >>> one-man welcoming committee who never tired of being a warm host to an >>> Indian visitor, no matter how numerous or from what station in life. Your >>> importance or inconsequence meant little to him. It was your camaraderie he >>> most sought. >>> >>> A tip of the hat and a swig from the glass to you Afredo. May your spirit >>> never depart from us. >>> >>> Roland. >>
Roland Francis 416-453-3371 > On Jun 26, 2021, at 1:07 PM, Linken Fernandes <[email protected]> > wrote: > > 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.
