She was Jimmy's widow, 93 when she passed away last month. Her book, It's Been a Long Day, was published last year. My father died at the age of 54, in 1921, in the pandemic of the Asian flu -- in the crowded areas of the city a municipal cart would collect dead bodies of those who had died during the night. We moved soon after to Poona where my maternal grandfather was a man of property. He and a few others from Aldona had set out to the small Goan settlement there. An equally dauntless wife helped in setting up two bakeries which were later leased to others. A Parsi baked Shrewsbury and nancatai biscuits for which Poona is famous. Goa during the 30s and 40s was such a different place. Jimmy used to visit it on account of the Bardez Electric Company which his father, Dr. Manoel, had started. Dr. Manoel's 'dispensary' was in Kalbadevi. His patients were business people from Gujerat, dealers in the Cotton Exchange. They had beautiful mistresses from among the temple dancers of Goa. These joined a community of their own, educating their children who took their mother's village name in Goa as their surname. After two generations, they became well-known citizens of Bombay - the Shirodkars, Velinkars, Moolgaocars - doctors, lawyers, corporates. Dr. Heredia co-founded the Asian Life Assurance with his patients, Jamnadas Mehta and S. Shroff. The 'Quit India' Resolution was passed in 1942, and I was present ! I attended with the Paranjpe sisters,Malti Naoroji, and Sushila Gore. In his role as Consul for Brazil, Jimmy and I welcomed three ambassadors to India. He resigned the post in 1954 when Brazil sided with Portugal. He got a Ballard Estate warehouse which became the Goa Liberation Council site. It passed a manifesto which demanded a peaceful withdrawal of Portugal. In 1965, the Maharashtra Government appointed Jimmy Sheriff of Bombay. He was the invited to visit Britain. A heart attack took him away in 1975.
