Most interesting. Thanks for sharing, Caesar. M On Sat, Dec 18, 2021 at 2:40 PM Goanet Reader <[email protected]> wrote:
> Mariano Pereira > Frankfurt Germany > [email protected] > > In 1960 when I was in my teens, Goa was a laidback location, > a Portuguese colony known as the Estado da India Portuguesa > (Provincia Ultramarina). A serene and peaceful enclave on > the west coast of India free of crime vice and dire poverty > that existed elsewhere in the subcontinent. If at all people > were afraid of anything were the ghost appearances of the > dead after darkness. With a hundred rupees monthly income, > one could then sustain a family of four. > > Suddenly in December 1961 it felt like a change of wind was > looming in the horizon. That being the case, on the early > morning of 17 December 1961, just before the first cockcrow > (combeasadh) there were thunderous explosions. > > The windows of our boarding house in Margao began to rattle > in their frames. No one in the area seemed to have a clue > what caused the explosions. > > We were students of Escola Comercial (Tecnica) de Margao. As > a daily ritual, we bent down for the oração matinal recited > after our affable matron Dona Amélia, had breakfast and > proceeded to classes. > > Dressed in khaki uniforms, as it was the day of > Mocidade Portuguesa. Under normal circumstances we > would march in file along the narrow two-lane Rua > Abade Faria led by the chefe-de-quina and > comandante de grupo sometimes deliberately blocking > the traffic in both directions. The commuters > waited patiently without a grumble until we passed. > No one dared to protest against the cadets in > national uniform. > > It was like a calm before a storm when we arrived at the > school premises. The Portuguese school director together > with Padre Camilo Xavier, professors Mario Nunes, Brito, > Olimpio Dias, Vieira Menezes etc., got us assembled at the > school grounds and gave us the news that Goa was under attack. > > We were informed that the early morning explosions that took > place was in fact shelling of the runaway of Bernardo Guedes > Dabolim Airport by the Indian Air Force to make it > inoperational for landings and takeoffs. > > Later, despite the damaged tarmac, the Portuguese pilots > somehow managed to take off overnight the only two aircrafts > parked at the airport, flying at low altitudes to evade radar > detection, and managed to reach to Karachi, Pakistan. > > As tensions mounted, concerns of an imminent threat of war > was a realistic possibility. We were asked by the school > authority to go home back to our families. > > All public transportation came to a grinding halt. Some of > us walked home long distances, with our belongings. All > European Portuguese residents were hidden in secluded > locations as a precautionary measure. Some of our school > staff volunteered to back up the Portuguese military. > > In the meantime, the Emissora de Goa was > broadcasting messages that did not help to allay > the fears of war. It continuously transmitted > the scary message: Goa ninguém tomara, ela por si > acabará (no one shall take Goa, it will itself come > to end). > > After going through two days of the frightening experience, > the people of Goa finally breathed a sigh of relief when, on > 19 December, Governador Manuel Antonio Vassalo e Silva made a > sensible decision. He opted to avoid confrontation and > surrendered to the Indian Forces against the directive by the > Portuguese prime minister António de Oliveira Salazar to > fight until death. > > The governor understood it was "um sacrificio inutil" (a > useless sacrifice) to make a stand against the much superior > force. Fortunately, the occupation ended with few casualties, > with approximately 30 Portuguese and 20 Indian soldiers > losing their lives during the skirmishes. > > The scorched-earth policy followed by the Salazar regime > would have been dangerous for the people of Goa and > counterproductive for the Portuguese regime at any rate, with > only 3500 soldiers on the ground against the opponent's > numerical superiority of about 40,000. Salazar's motives > behind his conduct however, were to set a precedent to show > the world that he stood firm behind his policy of continuing > Portuguese rule elsewhere, principally in Angola and Mocambique. > > The following day, after the capitulation of Goa, the > Portuguese Prime Minister Salazar issued an emotional press > statement, saying "A perda the Goa significa um dos maiores > desastres na historia de Portugal e uma profunda golpe moral > na vida da naçao/ The loss of Goa signifies one of the worst > disasters in the history of Portugal and a deep moral blow to > the life of the Nation." > > The year 1961 happened to be an 'Ano maldito' for the > Portuguese dictator. It set in motion the beginning of the > end of the Portuguese colonial empire. > > Governador Vassalo e Silva was subsequently disciplined for > disobeying orders, court-martialed stripped of his military > rank and exiled. > > He was compensated only after the Carnation Revolution that > took place on 25 April 1974, staged by the military officers > that included as one of its prominent leaders the Major Otelo > Saraiva Carvalho of Goan decent. > > In 1980, the former governor paid a goodwill visit to Goa and > was accorded a warm welcome by the people of Goa. He died in > Lisbon in 1985 at the age of 85. > > For us, students of the Portuguese educational > institutions, it was a very emotional period. The > future looked gloomy. Everything seemed to have > changed overnight. Many of our companions of the > school and professors specially, the mesticos or > decendentes, disappeared completely from the scene > without even bidding a farewell. The memories > though of that period remained fixed in one's mind. > > As the dust was settling as far as the Liberation of Goa was > concerned, the anxieties of the people for the future did not > disappear overnight either. This was not something many > Goans were looking forward to. After centuries-old > domination it was not easy to accept the change and come to > terms with what looked like an obscure reality for many. > > There were some unexpected developments as well. > > Padre Chico Monteiro was a celebrated personality in the > 1950s and the 1960s during the erstwhile regime. The Goan > cleric hailing from Candolim was the founder and director of > the legendary students residential home "Lar dos Estudantes" > and a professor of religion at the Liceu National Alfonso de > Albuquerque Panjim. He was highly respected for his social > and spiritual leadership and understood the difficulties of > poor or less fortunate Laristas unable to pay fees and provided > assistance. > > After the transition of power, the Indian Government passed > an order for all Portuguese passport holders to either > surrender their passports, or immigrate to Portugal or apply > for residential permits. Padre Chico Monteiro refused all > the three options. > > The Government of India filed a legal suit against him, > accusing him of defying the orders. He was convicted and > sent to a maximum security jail outside Goa. With the > intervention of the Holy See Padre Monteiro was released from > prison and was awaiting forced deportation to Portugal until > Salazar agreed to a quid pro quo exchange of Padre Monteiro > with Telo Mascarenhas, a Goan freedom fighter undergoing a > prison term in Portugal. Padre Chico Monteiro stood his > ground till the end of his life in 1990 by refusing to > surrender his nationality. > > Post Liberation, step by step, a multitude of changes were > taking place in Goa. The inflow of foreign consumer goods > and other imports that were a given earlier came to a complete > halt and the available stock was vanishing rapidly from the > stores. > > The familiar scene of Mercedes Benz taxis and other foreign > vehicles plying on Goan roads began disappearing at a speedy > rate. Gujarati merchants from Bombay descended upon Goa > hunting for foreign products and business opportunities. > > They at times offered lucrative offers for foreign > automobiles, with local owners selling these to the highest > bidder. It did not take much longer for the landscape of Goa > to be completely devoid of foreign products. > > When I left my home in 1967, Goa very much seemed to have > been returned to the Indian normality and integrated into the > national mainstream successfully after 451 years of > Portuguese occupation. > > ### > > *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- > Join a discussion on Goa-related > issues by posting your comments > on this or other issues via email > to [email protected] > See archives at > http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/ > *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
