Antonio Menezes <[email protected]> wrote: 1: My father was sent to Bombay during the First World War to study at St. Sebastian School ...in Dabul area. 2: He was denied education in 3Rs in parochial school. 3: The Mestre had told him bluntly to concentrate on learning the violin.
COMMENT: It is difficult for me to comment on the events during the time of the First World War i.e. circa 1914. I doubt Antonio was present at that time either. I also hate to discuss someone who is unable to participate in a discussion about himself. Antonio surely is repeating what was told to him (hearsay). We all know how hearsay stories can evolve. Hence, I do not know how Antonio can be so categorical wrt some of the terms he has used. Even so ....I will ask Antonio the following questions. a1: Who sent him to Dabul? (BTW: in 2010, many Indian parents send their children to the US and UK) a2: Why was he not sent to a region (not under the Portuguese) which was next-door i.e. Ratnagiri, Sawantvadi, Karwar? b: Was he denied education in the 3Rs ....or was it just not available? Not being able to offer education and denial are distinctly different. The next thing I will hear a bright young kid from Velim say, will be is that he was DENIED education in Astrophysics in Velim .....so he had to move all the way to Assolna, Aldona or Assagao. c: Did the Mestre himself know 'ritmethic'? What else did you expect him to advise your Dad? Hey, some of my cricket coaches and seniors were telling some of my colleagues to concentrate on cricket (practice daily for 4 hours) and forget about this dream of becoming a doctor or engineer. And some of us who had idolised these senior players like Hemant Kanitkar, Chetan Chauhan and Nicky Saldanha) would have probably followed such advice (and stayed on in college ...almost forever) ..... and forgotten education if it was not for the wise counsel from our guidance counsellors like Fr Romualdo D'Souza and Fr Vasco de Rego. d: Is it possible that Antonio is not 'righting' equitably on the matter? jc
