Sorry to inform you all that my grand-aunt (dad's aunt), Clementina Saldanha (of Sailem, Arrarim, Saligao) died this morning at 7.30 am (Friday, April 27, 2007) at the Mother Mary Haven, Calangute. She was 89.
Aunty Clemy, as we called her, is someone who was very simple and very nice. My memories of her go back to the age of three or so, when she took care of us while our parents went to work. She introduced us to the life in Goa, which we encountered with a mix of awe and amazement and surprise. In the 1960s, that meant grazing goats on the lane near St Cajetan's Chapel. Pooling resources to collectively take the village's cows grazing to the local hillock (not yet a concrete jungle for industry). Tending to coconut trees. Doing all that it took to cultivate paddy fields. Tapping the coconut tree for all its bounty, including working on the tedious process of extracting oil from it. Living largely off the village soil. My brother Ricky and myself were fairly naughty boys. Aunty Clemy was a spinster, and being fairly spoilt and Brazil-returned, we at times gave her tough times. But she was always kind, always patient. For years together, she would painstakingly craft typically Goan-related sweets to match with every season and feast of the year. Pyramid-shaped pudde, leaf-wrapped patoiyo, sweet letri, local sanna (both the pain-white sourish ones, and the brownish jaggery ones), the stringy shirvoiyo and so many more. She was a nice lady, and the memories of the past are the best tribute one can pay her. The funeral is expected to be this evening, leaving Mother Mary Haven for the Boa Viagem Church at 3.30 pm this evening (Friday, Apr 27, 2007). Confirmation awaited. She was born on March 3, 1918 (and would have been 90 last year), and was the daughter of the late Pedro Caetano Saldanha and late Florentina Monteiro Saldanha. Aunt to Ezilda Saldanha; Tony Noronha/Felicia Coutinho Noronha. Grand-aunt to Americo/Clare, Frederick/Pamela, great-grand aunt to Riza/Aren. -- FN M: 0091 9822122436 P: +91-832-240-9490 (after 1300IST please) http://fn.goa-india.org http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com Konkani Wikipedia (under incubation) needs your help! http://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/kok _______________________________________________ Saligao 403511 website http://saligao.goa-india.org Saligaonet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goacom.org/mailman/listinfo/saligaonet
