Soter's remark that he used the words Tarvotteanchim bondolam in reference to Churchill may be taken at face value. However, he should have made it clear in his first post. I remember that during my childhood the words were said in reference to tarvottis telling long, unbelievable tales such as they saw mermaids. As kids we believed them. Hence, whenever a tarvotti would spin tales of what he saw and what he did, it was not taken as gospel truth. That Churchill was a tarvotti is true. I used to see him eat bun-maska at the famous Kyani restaurant in Dhobitalao. He used to stay in the Varca club in the Jer Mahal building. At least one of my tarvotti relative worked with him on the ship. When I mentioned this aspect of Churchill's life in a short piece I wrote for The Pulse, the newsletter of the Goan Overseas Association (GOA), which I then edited, besides other details such as he being the president of the Goa Trawlers Association, none than that our great campaigner and advocate Aires Rodrigues was furious. Churchill was then visiting Toronto and staying at Aires's place. In his anger, Aires, then a new member of GOA, tried to round up enough signatories to meet the quota to call a special general body meeting to throw me out of the GOA for having insulted Churchill. His beef was that my saying he was president of the trawlers' body, I had indirectly referred to Churchill as belonging to the fisherfolk community. Not surprisingly, Aires could not secure enough signatures. I was informed by some of them who he had approached. What if I had mentioned Churchill's nefarious activities? Would Aires have denied that Churchill ever engaged himself in such "black" deeds? It is nice to see that Churchill, through whatever ways and means, has risen in the political ranks from his lowly background. In fact, many politicians have done so. To have also occupied the CM's seat for a brief period is also to his credit. We may like him or hate him, Churchill does add colour -- and noise -- to Goa's hyperactive politics. Now we have the latest drama from Churchill bitter enemy, Mickky. Without these two, how would the Goans in Goa amuse themselves?
Eugene
