REMEMBERING EDGAR MARTINS: DEEP DOWN, A GOOD HEARTED CHAP By Eddie D'Sa [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I regret to announce the death of Edgar (Leo) Martins, a member of this forum for some years. He was 72 and unmarried. He died on 17 February this year of cancer of the stomach and complications but his brother Joe who gave me the news said he was too distraught to contact me. He was one of six brothers and the youngest is a married sister who lives in Dorset. He outlived his parents and three of the brothers. He had been ailing for sometime and his last post to the New-Diaspora forum [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NewDiaspora] was on Imran Khan, dated 28 Nov 2007. The last I heard from him by email was in December from Portugal where he was undergoing treatment. He had his own flat in Cascais. Edgar was born in Moshi, Tanzania and studied in Bombay up to the B.Sc degree. He travelled to Karachi where his aunt (mother's sister) had married and became quite familiar with the place. He then returned to Kenya and taught at a Mombasa school. But he was not one to settle in one place and soon took off for West Africa - including Gabon, Cameroon and Ghana. He secured a teaching stint in one of these countries -- I do not recall which. Edgar next tried his luck in England but didn't quite take to the place. He set off for Canada and effectively settled in Toronto, where he had several relatives, including two brothers. However, he remained attached to Goa and used to visit every year in the winter months, spending much time and effort recovering ancestral property. He also started re-building an old family home in his village but never managed to complete it. In Canada, his health began to deteriorate but he was not one to complain. He availed of whatever treatment he could there and then decided to move to Portugal both for the weather and alternative treatment. He wrote: "I am stable at the moment and staying at my beautiful flat situated in Cascais (25 km. West of Lisbon). It does not snow here and there are bougainvilles, palm trees and other tropical plants including bananas. Plenty of exotic fruit all coming from S. America. Only if my health was normal. I do not even travel due to weakness to Lisbon. The Portuguese are a people who do not approach you agressively. They are courteous to a great extent and less racist than the damned Brits where I hear of muggings, attacks etc. I have access to the Guardian and the London Times at the Library which I frequent when possible." [email of 26 Nov 07] In January this year, his sister visited him and persuaded him to return to England with her for a rest. He agreed and was brought in a wheel chair in late January. He stayed with his brother Joe (the youngest) who lives in Hillingdon (west of London). His condition took a turn for the worst and he had to be hospitalised. He died on 17th February. Edgar lived a turbulent life and could be controversial and forthright in his views, perhaps alienating certain persons in the process. But deep down he was a good hearted chap. He wrote well and contributed a good deal to this forum on assorted subjects -- politics, travel, religion, etc. Now and then, he posted snippets from his huge collections of jokes, maxims, anecdotes, cartoons and I think they were well appreciated. He leaves behind an older brother, Hilary, in Toronto and a younger brother and sister in England. FOOTNOTE: Dr Eddie D'Sa, a statistician, is moderator of the NewDiaspora mailing list (link above) and was earlier editor of the print-version (since suspended) of the thought-provoking Goan Digest magazine published from London. He lives in the Wimbledon area.
