Dear Saligaokaram, Our influences come from many eras, many places, many people, often those that have nothing to do with what we do at present.
One such influence in our life has been the woman Miguel Braganza writes about below. We have been working with Roland Martins, his wife Adv. Caroline Collasso and the erstwhile Progressive Students Union from the mid-80s. Naturally, we spent much time and not a few nights in their home in Mapusa. Roland's mother was a gracious hostess as much by way of traditional Goan hospitality, as from her solidarity with and support of the movement to create a new Goa. At a simple service in their home, before she was taken to become an eternal part of the soil of her beloved Goa, her children Clifford, Roland and Iona lauded her "fighting spirit and work ethic". It is this same spirit and ethic that now powers, at least in part, the work of Roland, Goa's most consistent, never-say-die, grassroots activist (fighting 'rights' issues, across the board), since the end-70's and his wife Caroline, a women's rights activist-lawyer and founding member of the womens' movement in Goa. Saligao benefits from lives and work of Prisca Martins, her son Roland and his wife Caroline...in many more ways than will ever meet the eye! Warm regards and solidarity. M&M. To contact them: *"Roland Martins" *<[email protected]> *"Caroline Collasso"* <[email protected]> ---------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Miguel Braganza <[email protected]> Date: 30 December 2012 09:57 Subject: [bsg-goa] Roland Martins of GOACAN bereaved by the loss of his mother, Prisca. Dears, Ms. Prisca Martins, mother of my friend, neighbour, fellow alumnus and activist Roland Martins passed away peacefully on 28 December, 2012, incidentally the birthday of her husband George Xavier Martins and the feast of the Holy Innocents. Her daughter, Iona Martins, had come down from Ranchi to be with her during her last days on Earth. Roland and his wife Adv. Caroline were there with her. Her other son, Clifford and his family are in Canada. There was no eulogy. Roland Martins, a household name in Goa, spoke about his mother as simply as she lived her life. Prisca was a woman entrepreneur well ahead of her times. She ran a poultry business almost single handedly and still found time to do gardening after all the housework. She was simply known as "Tantiam-karn" [the "Egg woman"] because the "layer" birds was her forte. The culls were sold for meat in an era when broilers were unheard and chicken was seen on the table only for a birthday or a feast in Goa. Those who did not know to speak English and only got the general drift of what Prisca was saying [specially about the money to be paid as costs of what they had come to buy] called her the "English Lady". That story began in the late 1960s and went through the 1970s. In the 1980s, the poultry sheds housed the activists of the Progressive Students Union [PSU] ...from Dr. Bernadette Gomes to Sandesh Prabhudesai, Mahendra Prabhudesai to Roland Martins , Sanjay Desai and a host of others. If the students in Goa get a 50% concession in the buses today, a part of the credit for it should go to Prisca Martins. Who else would have housed so many students and even provided food for them when needed? Her work ethics would have put a Kaizen practitioner in Japan or a ISO 9000 certifier to shame. All things ran on a proven system that was constantly updated. She was a tough taskmaster to her children and workers alike ... but set the standards by her own practice of what she preached She grew her own vegetables, including cabbages. It was part of my childhood and perhaps those images reinforced what I learnt of agriculture from my father. Prisca was not all work. She was a terrific Ballroom dancer and much in demand as a dance partner when she attended the dances in Panjim [the rest of Goa had no dances then]. She took time to take her children outside Goa and to show them places. Few Goans did that in those years in just liberated Goa. Prisca will be missed by all who knew her. May her soul rest in peace. Mog asundi. Miguel -- *Imagine Goa celebrating with the Christmas SPIRIT only half as much as it pushes its LIQUOR *......*hic* ................................................................ there *is* anOTHERgoa at <http://www.anothergoa.blogspot.in> & <http://www.youtube.com/anothergoa> ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' muriel & mario, c/o FULKAR, 6/22, sonarbhatt, saligao. bardez. goa. 403511. tel: 0832-2278276 / 2409999 <anothergoa AT gmail.com> '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' -- Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe email [email protected]
