To be an Advocate was my childhood dream, which became a reality. It was a rare privilege to appear on various public issues before the High Court of Bombay at Goa and the Supreme Court of India as a student much before commencing law studies.
Raising public issues over the decades has not been an easy task. However, one has to have the spine to speak out against things that are wrong and nothing should deter one’s commitment to highlight any injustice or illegality that is seen. As Martin Luther King said, ‘There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but one must take it because conscience tells one it is right’. I have been blessed to have been able to interact with every Chief Minister of Goa including the very first, Dayanand Bandodkar and successive Governors over the years. Interacting with Chief Secretaries, IAS officers and the rest of the bureaucracy at all levels was all a very invaluable learning experience. I am content that over the decades and now as an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) I am able in my own little way to serve society without holding any position of power. The ethos of life is that true fulfilment does not come from what we get, it comes from what we give, with gratitude as the most single important ingredient of a successful and fulfilled life. We all need to be a beacon of hope to others that in this short life of ours, much can be achieved against all the odds and challenges. With determination, self-belief and in the quest for justice and truth any obstacles can be overcome without fear or in trepidation. In life, one must be confident and zealous. With a positive frame of mind, one can handle complex and difficult situations, if we firmly believe that in life nothing is impossible.
