True Story Of A Bombay Goan. Pedro Mascarenhas (name changed) was a regular Goan seaman living in Dhobitalao like many of his kind, lucky to have been placed on a cargo ship as Topas (general handyman including toilet cleaner). When he was in his early thirties, he went to Goa and married a woman arranged for him by his family. Pedro was an unambitious man but sometimes greedy - a trait that was to ensure his downfall. He made friends with other Goan seamen both on his ship and in his shipping agency and was popular with them because he was quiet and non interfering.
One thing in his life bothered Pedro. He saw from the lifestyles of his companions that they could afford a better living that he could. Many of them bought flats in Bombay’s suburbs or built new homes in Goa although they earned not much more than he did. Also by now he had two young children and his salary did not keep up with his increased expenses. He was always mentioning this during conversations with friends, until one of them, a neighbour in his own village decided to help him. He told him about the Arabs boarding the ships at stops in Muscat, Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Kuwait, bringing with them large heavy denim satchels. He explained how they would hand them over to selected crew with instructions to deliver them to men who would board the ship on its return to Bombay. It was an ongoing racket of the time. Those men were Indian agents of the Arabs who had police and customs heavily bribed and would walk out of the port and directly go to the waiting Jewellers in south Bombay. There was a huge spread between the price of the gold which was the commodity in question, in Dubai and in Bombay. The Arabs made a lot of money, building hotels and malls with their gain but also sharing a part of it with everyone involved - their tarvotti carriers, the Indian agents, the customs and of course the buyers who also made enormous profits. Soon, thanks to his Goan neighbour, Pedro also became a part of this ring and prospered. He no longer had to feel jealous of his compadres with expensive clothes, flashy homes and private Catholic schools for their children. Life would have carried on in this manner for Pedro, ending in more than comfortable retirement in Goa. But remember the greed I earlier talked about as a trait of Pedro? Not for him a couple of new flats in Bombay’s suburbs, not for him a new or renovated house in Goa. Not for him a huge bank balance enough to sustain his extended poor family in Goa. No, Pedro wanted more. So, he considered himself lucky when he was approached by one of the landing agents, a Sindhi, who brought him a proposal for building a huge rental complex on which they could make lakhs of rupees (today’s crores). The land was cheap at three rupees per square metre, being sold by an alcoholic East Indian Catholic down on his funds. The Sindhi had builder friends and expenses could be manageable. All they required was money of which they were falling short. They mentioned an amount and Pedro thought: if I can pool in everything I have and play a trick with an Arab, I can come up with that amount. Look at the lakhs that will be mine. I don’t have to go on the ship again and I can experience a good family life. So when his ship next sailed he met his Arab sponsor and told him he could carry more than his usual. The Arab was a little suspicious but trust plays a big part with them and Pedro for many years, proved trustworthy. So this time instead of the usual 15 kilos of gold, he gave him twenty. Pedro arranged to trick the landing agent in Bombay. He remained on the ship but told his friends to tell the agent he had left. He remained for one more day hidden on the ship and then stowed away on the ship chandlers trolleys leaving the vessel after dropping off supplies. Bye bye to his shipping life. He was a rich man now. Things moved smoothly for some time until it became obvious that the Sindhi’s plan with the large building investment was nothing but a scam. He could do nothing because the Sindhi landing agent was part of a criminal enterprise, one of many smugglers in Bombay. Our Pedro tried to continue with his life but on a waiter’s salary in an Irani restaurant he could not make ends meet. Finally he decided to take the risk and go back to ship life. There was nothing else he could do. On reaching Dubai, he took courage and sent a word to his Arab that he was sorry for what he had done and would carry his gold free in the future to make up for the loss. The Arab said OK, all was forgiven but this time he needed to meet him in person to hand over the gold. Pedro agreed. He disembarked and got inside the car the Arab sent for him. Pedro was never heard of again. His family fell on hard times, they returned to Goa and his wife had to help her mother with her sausage making business to make ends meet. For many years after you could see her in Margao’s Old Market, early in the morning sometimes with her now teenage children running small errands for other vendors. Roland Francis 416-453-3371
