Dear Augusto, I sincerely regret you found my mail "venomous", drivel, verbose, etc. No point talking any further. Though I want you to know -- and I will say this here publicly -- that I actually like you for thinking out of the box. I disagree when you foolishly shoot from the hip, without having your facts right, which unfortunately you so often do. Please be at peace and at liberty to think whatever you want ... like what you say about the *Campos* part you yourself first added to the Madhya Pradesh CS's name -- and then said it (the *Campos* part) "apparently disappeared". And things like that, like the Indian Naval officer I quoted. May I assure you, Professore August, that they are gentlemen of a different genre who I personally know. They won't waste a bullet through your head. Take your time in getting to know them, (I can assure you guys like Tino and India's pioneer submariner are the kind of people you are yet to know), BUT don't be an upstart. From my humble side, count on my unreserved support. And shed your skewed mental baggage about Goa and Goans -- whether born or living in Goa or not, or those who tweaked their surnames without committing a sin that the Bible, Gita, Koran, Zend Avesta, or whatever, ordained as sin, outside Goa.
Best to you, pyare, v ----- Original Message ----- From: augusto pinto To: Valmiki Faleiro Cc: goanet ; Aurora Couto Sent: Friday, October 04, 2013 4:04 PM Subject: Re: Goanet Reader: Being Goan is a state of mind, more than a mere geographical accident (Tino de Sa) (Valmiki Faleiro) Dear Valmiki I really enjoyed reading your venomous mail. But before I start answering it, I want you and all concerned to read my original mail a little more carefully: So when Frederick Noronha trumpeted the fact that 'a Goan' had become Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, I wanted to know whether Anthony de Sa or more properly Anthony Campos de Sa himself claimed to be a Goan. For all I knew he could be a Mangalorean or an East Indian. Remember similar claims were made about the Goanness of the actress Freida Pinto for instance when she became famous, although subsequently it was discovered that she was a Mangalorean who lived in Bombay with little connection to Goa. This was why I had asked my questions regarding whether he himself claimed to be a Goan. My second paragraph points to a habit we Goan Catholics have: if anyone has a surname which remotely resembles ours then we want to immediately grab credit for the Goan Catholic community. Should not have Frederick Noronha substantiated his claim that Anthony de Sa (incidentally the Campos in the family surname has apparently disappeared) was a Goan, which would have not necessitated me asking questions. Now coming to your own mail, I find most of it drivel. What is the connection between 'Maria Aurora de Couto' (sic) whose name to the best of my knowledge is Dr Maria Aurora Couto, and the subject of this letter? I don't understand why you dragged her name in and she will get to know about your letter as I'm going to cc it to her. As regards how much credit I give to Goans who have achieved something I would like to say - I'll praise all Goans who claim they are Goans. If they aren't then why should we gain credit for what is not ours? In your verbose reply you state: "Yes, they bent to enter a smaller door, but with their backbones intact!" I presume you mean to say it was OK to claim Anglo status and enter into service with the British. I too have no problem with this. Many of them have taken up foreign citizenship (would you like to challenge this?) on this basis. No problem again. But do we now have the right to claim them as our own? In your final paragraph you quote some mysterious "Navy Officer who ... lives in Goa (and who is) in a position to hold you by you-know-what!" Valmiki I wish your courageous Navy Officer at least has the gumption to say what he has to say publicly and then we shall see. Best Augusto On Fri, Oct 4, 2013 at 1:52 PM, Valmiki Faleiro <valmi...@gmail.com> wrote: Dear Prof. Augusto, Please don't blame Frederick Noronha for this. The blame actually credits to my stupid habit of checking email just once a day, and taking each email in the order it came in: first in, first out. In fact, much after I posted my rejoinder to your silly view on expatriate Goans, I did see that you had corrected your stance, but only as regards Anthony de Sa, the new Chief Secretary of MP. Hope you consider Goan a person like Maria Aurora de Couto -- to cite just one example -- who is now in Goa, but most of her life, with her husband, also a highly respected IAS officer, outside Goa. (If the Ma'am gets to reads this, my advance apologies to her!) It appears that your general view on how *Goan* expatriate Goans are, and how much credit we resident Goans can take for their achievements outside Goa, remains unchanged. Sir, please realise you are insulting the memory of not dozens, or scores, but THOUSANDS of Goans who on account of circumstances then prevailing in their homeland, migrated out of Goa, made it big outside Goa, and India -- and still continue to inspire lesser mortals like me, a resident Goan. Yes, they tweaked their surnames to grab economic (not immoral) opportunity then existing in British India. Yes, they bent to enter a smaller door, but with their backbones intact! And see what, with much academic effort and hard work, they went on to achieve! Professore, v. humbly, I ask you to please re-read any book by late Dr. Olivinho Gomes (also central civil services Offr, IRS), late Dr. Clement Vaz, or my own humble *Patriotism in Action* which dwell on Goans -- all who do not fit into your definition of a *Goan*. (Incidentally, my book was on Goans -- both Hindu and Catholic -- in the armed forces of India. I am surprised you expected me to discuss their "upwardly social mobility". Tell you what. Take a Kalashnikov and make yourself UPWARDLY SOCIALLY MOBILE in Moira.) And just BTW, to clear your ignorance, when Goans went out of Goa -- say to Belgaum, Dharwar, Bangalore, Poona, Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Rangoon, Delhi or Karachi -- there was NO CHANGE of citizenship status. Goans only carried an identification (a much sought after doc today!) I don't know how the idea of insult or insulting came into your head after reading my email. Read it again and tell me what insults your sensibilities. If you still feel insulted, I can't help, but if you wish to settle imagined scores ("I don't forget insults like this easily.") with me, say it loud and clear. I am more than willing to debate ... and preferably on a larger public forum, so that you finally earn your "just" deserts -- including from Saudi Arabia, if you prefer (and, hopefully, dispel your long-held skewed views on ... your Goanity.) What you say about the *400-odd Commissioned Offrs listed in the book -- including my father*, may I just say you will never fail to surprise, and quickly close by quoting what one of those "400-odd" told me in a private email (and may I forecaution you that the author was a pioneer Indian Navy guy -- and a Goan ... lest you shoot off without your facts and later apologise (as in the case of Mr. Anthony de Sa). Anthony lives in distant Madhya Pradesh, this Navy Officer who I quote below lives in Goa, in a position to hold you by you-know-what! So digest with care: QUOTE: Please inform this idiot that we had to study hard and prepare for the open competitive Civil Services or NDA entrance exams before joining the IAS or Armed Forces as officers. The selection process was by no means easy. Nothing to do with Anglo-Indians whatsoever. The guy should at least do his homework before spewing out nonsense on goanet" UNQUOTE. I think you should take the advice, Augusto dearest. Best, v