Dr. Miguel Miranda: A quintessential Goan
Dr. Miguel Miranda (23rd April 1909 – 20 July 1987) would have been a hundred
years old. He belonged to the family Miranda’s of Loutolim but the family
settled in Margao less than a century back.
When Dr. Miguel de Miranda graduated from Goa Medical College in 1931 his batch
of 13 doctors had their stethoscope blessed by the then Auxiliary Bishop of Goa
for the first time in the history of the ‘Escola Medica de Goa.’
He practiced in Loutolim the village of his ancestors and in Verna the village
of his wife. He was popularly known as Sailam voiz perhaps because of the
dense teak wood plantation around his clinic.
He assisted Dr. Floriano de Mello in his launching the Leprosarium at Macassana
in Salcette. He practice Medicine for some thirty years. Only on public
spirted Dr. Miranda was drawn into public life. He was vice president of the
then Salcette Municipality.
Elected to the Goa Legislative Council he fought for issues dear to Goa and
justice to his people. Two twentieth century Madgaokars will go down in the
history for having stood of to the might of Colonial Master.
Adv. Antonio Bruto Da Costa on provocation slapped and threw to the ground the
then corrupt Portuguese Governor of Goa in the presence of Portugal visiting
overseas Minister. Bruto De Costa too hailed from the tradition of public
service. Dr. Miranda had intense argument with Portuguese Secretary General
Sr. Rui Guimares during a Goa Legislative Council Session. The debate lasted
days. At the end this proud Goan scored victory. Truth, justice and fair play
were his foundations
He was known for regularly raising in the council issues of local interest. His
role was marked by an assertiveness and courage that was not much liked by the
then rulers
Dr. Miranda also wrote extensively for about 50 years- mostly in Portuguese
dailies’ Heraldo’ and “A Vida’. He was director of a Terra and the Asst Editor
of A Vida”. He was an asset particularly to “O Heraldo’ being its correspondent
from Margao for almost 5 decades!
He was an unflinching believer in God. All his life, he worked for the cause of
the “Apostle of Ceylon” now the Blessed Joshep Vas. Thanks largely to his
library, it was easy to produce an otherwise onerous “Positio Historica”- an
important document in the process of beatification
It was through his initiative that the 1st’Conference of the Society of St
Vincent de Paul’- a charitable church organization- was founded in Goa in 1930,
at Margao’s Holy Spirit Church. A genuine social worker, he helped establish
many social, charitable and religious organizations and had many destitute
admitted in old age homes. Stubborn to achieve his objective, he spent much of
his time and energy helping people in need of his assistance with a tenacity
and zeal rarely seen today
At his funeral service several years ago, which was attended by about a hundred
priest and nuns and a large cross section of society, the main celebrant the
late, Bishop DJose Colaco said:” would there be any person who sought his help
and did not receive it?”
Such was the man, the quintessential Goan, a tribe now, alas, almost extinct.
