[Goanet] Goa's Liberation By Dr Fitz De Souza
As a member of the Central Legislative Assembly and Member of Parliament, Pio showed his brilliance in a quiet way | | | | As a member of the Central Legislative Assembly and Member of Parliament... | | | Goa's Liberation by Dr. F. R. S. De Souza, Member. of Parliament MY train arrived at Nairobi Railway Station at 8 a.m. one morning in February 1952, after five years as student in the United Kingdom. There was no one to receive me, indeed I was not expecting anybody. My parents lived at Magadi. and I was hoping to give them a surprise. I left my suitcase at a shop in Government Road and walked to the office of the Kenya Indian Congress, I had never met Pio, although he had once written to me in London asking for information about some books he wanted to buy. His welcome was very warm. I felt, I had somehow known him for years. We immediately began discussing the problem of East Africa, and how we could help in the struggle for independence. We had much in common. To begin with were both almost penniless and terribly dressed. We were at ease with one another and our ideas of independence and socialism were similar. We must have talked for three or four hours. It was lunch time and he invited me to lunch with him, at a place which was then the most expensive and luxurious that non-Europeans could go to. Our meal cost us about Shs. 3/- each. We returned to his office and continued our discussions. I read the speeches of past Presidents of the Indian Congress, of the President of the Kenya African Union, Mr. Jomo Kenyatta (as he then was) now our President, I was very impressed, and from then on we worked closey together. At about 6.30 p.m. he asked me what I was doing about accommodation. He invited me to stay with him and I readily accepted. He shared a small room with three others in Pangani in a house run as a "mess" by a large number of his friends. He insisted on giving me his bed and slept on the floor for the next few days until I went to see my parents in Magadi. His work in Kenya politics is discussed by other friends, but I know and history will record that Pio had a hand in the preparation of most of the memoranda and statements issued by K.A.U. in those days. He often used to sit up to 5 a.m. in the Congress Office drafting political papers in the nationalist cause. For all this he never expected payment. His reward was in the contribution he made to the struggle. He never looked for personal credit. Visiting Mzee Kenyatta when was in detention at Lodwar A couple of years later when he was the Editor of the "Daily Chronicle", the Royal Commission on Land asked for evidence and there was no one to put forward the African case for all the leaders were in detention. Pio resigned his job, and for three months read the voluminous Carter Commission Report and other documents on the land issue and took statements from Kikuyu Elders and others. He then wrote out, and personally typed and cyclostyled, always working into the early hours of the morning, the 200-page Kikuyu Tribe's Memorandum as well as Memoranda for other individual Mbaris in the Central Province. Pio never told anybody about his work. I sent a copy of this Memorandum to the President at Lodwar. He was so impressed that he suggested we publish the Memorandum but for lack of funds the work was never done. One day during our discussions Pio suggested that we should do something in East Africa to assist in the Liberation of Goa. I was a little surprised and told him that while I was very sympathetic to the liberation of Goa, and indeed of the rest of the world, I thought that as we were East Africans we should confine our activities to East Africa. We might dissipate our slender resources and there was also the risk of being misunderstood, even by our friends. He explained that as a student and young man in India he had taken an active part in the struggle for the liberation of Goa. He had actively assisted in the formation of the Goa National Congress, and had escaped from Goa only when police were searching for him with a warrant to arrest and deport him to an island off West Africa. It was our duty, he suggested as socialists to assist all liberation fronts. Even if we did not now consider ourselves Goans we had names such as De Souza, Pinto, etc. which could be used with some effect. Portuguese colonialism was as bad as any other. Pio and Fitz holding "Anti-Imperialist Demonstrations" placards The Goan Organisation in East Africa was being used by the Portuguese whose constant propaganda was that Goans overseas - even the educated ones supported the regime and were happy with the Portuguese. Pio had already started a Goan vernacular paper in Nairobi "The Uzwod" to arouse feeling against Portugal. Pio was, unfortunately arrested before we formed the East African Goan National Association in 1954. Mr. J. M. Nazareth, Q.C. was selected
[Goanet] Goa's Liberation and Thereafter: review
FREEDOM-FIGHTERS, ACADEMICS AND GOA’S DECOLONIZATION By DALE LUIS MENEZES If 15 August, 1947 is considered as a momentous day in the history of the Indian nation, 19 December, 1961 can be considered to be the Goan equivalent of the ‘Indian Independence’ whereby it is largely agreed upon that ‘Liberation’ from Portuguese colonial rule was achieved after 450 years. The corpus of perceptions handed down to us regarding Operation Vijay launched by the Indian State is often viewed through a (almost sacral) veneer of nationalist history, wherein vivid images of Goan freedom-fighters being brutally assaulted and tortured by the Portuguese police and military shape and define this discourse through art, literature, poetry and songs. But one cannot deny the fact that this particular slice of history and the role of freedom-fighters in it have not been critically assessed. Happily for us, due to a wonderful memoir by Suresh Kanekar, we can shift our thinking in this direction. Suresh Kanekar is the father of the best-selling novelist Amita Kanekar, though Suresh Kanekar is a well-known academic himself, having few books and numerous research papers to his credit. He has also previously authored a novel called Of Mangoes and Monsoons. Suresh Kanekar’s memoir Goa’s Liberation and Thereafter: Chronicles of a Fragmented Life is roughly divided into two phases: one, where as a very young student he enters, head-on into the freedom struggle and gets incarcerated for five years in Aguada and then again for a few more months; and in the second phase, he describes his life as a student of Psychology in Poona, in the US and finally in the Bombay University as a faculty member. Though the latter part of the book is interesting as it chronicles Suresh Kanekar’s battles with an inefficient and lackadaisical administration and also gives a glimpse of his cantankerous and enfant terrible side, I shall however largely dwell on the former part of the book as it is more relevant to Goan history. Suresh Kanekar describes his cavalier days as a student, first in Goa and later in Poona. He was a happy-go-lucky person who decided to join the freedom struggle after the arrest of Pundalik Gaitonde. But young Suresh Kanekar was not fired by any patriotism or nationalism and joining “the Goa freedom movement was a matter of escapism at worst and romanticism at best, with hardly any idealism or patriotism involved. Conceivably, in my case, patriotism was the first refuge of the scoundrel. I became seriously committed to the freedom movement only after I was arrested and put behind bars,” Suresh Kanekar discloses. Suresh Kanekar does not try to fit his account in the established moulds of hagiographies about the Goan freedom struggle and thus, his book can be useful to look beyond the nationalist paradigms of history. One can find a very detailed and vivid description of Suresh Kanekar’s arrest, interrogation and the final incarceration in Aguada – where he was imprisoned for five years. What will strike the reader is that nowhere in the account stories of physical brutalities against the political prisoners are present. Life in the jail “was uneventful after the preliminary hearings. We had settled down to a routine of cooking, eating, cleaning, and so on,” he says. In fact, one can find Suresh Kanekar having a pleasant and civil time with the Portuguese guards in the Aguada prison. When the prisoners had any complaints they would write petitions to the authorities and generally they were given a patient listening. Even when they did not wish to stand to the Portuguese flag as a mark of respect and homage, the prisoners after non-violent disobedience and a few petitions achieved their goal and, “one fine morning the sergeant or corporal on duty came to our hall and told us the commander-in-chief had determined that we should no longer be forced to stand for the flag. I practically danced with relief and joy.” Finally when Suresh Kanekar completed his term of imprisonment and was released, this is what he had to say, “I never saw Aguada again, although I had and have wonderful memories of the place. I had been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and I had been behind bars for five years and twenty-five days. Those five years were the best five years of my life till then. They changed me into a much better person than I was before imprisonment.” Suresh Kanekar narrates a particular incident about Mohan Virginkar, the then vice-president of the National Congress (Goa). He was supposed to offer satyagraha in April 1955, but failed to appear at the site after he developed cold-feet. “[B]ut unfortunately for him his name was announced on the All India Radio along with the names of other satyagrahis who had genuinely offered satyagraha on the specified day. The next day he was arrested and put behind bars. When he was sentenced,
[Goanet] Goa's Liberation and Thereafter: review
These kind of books are useless stories which does not make any news for the Goan of today. Goans today are interested to get out of Goa with their right citizenship ie: Portuguese. Kanekar and company should try to stop the bharati blockade. One wonders if Goa is becoming an other Cuba? BC FREEDOM-FIGHTERS, ACADEMICS AND GOA?S DECOLONIZATION By DALE LUIS MENEZES If 15 August, 1947 is considered as a momentous day in the history of the Indian nation, 19 December, 1961 can be considered to be the Goan equivalent of the ?Indian Independence? whereby it is largely agreed upon that ?Liberation? from Portuguese colonial rule was achieved after 450 years. The corpus of perceptions handed down to us regarding Operation Vijay launched by the Indian State is often viewed through a (almost sacral) veneer of nationalist history, wherein vivid images of Goan freedom-fighters being brutally assaulted and tortured by the Portuguese police and military shape and define this discourse through art, literature, poetry and songs. But one cannot deny the fact that this particular slice of history and the role of freedom-fighters in it have not been critically assessed. Happily for us, due to a wonderful memoir by Suresh Kanekar, we can shift our thinking in this direction. Suresh Kanekar is the father of the best-selling novelist Amita Kanekar, though Suresh Kanekar is a well-known academic himself, having few books and numerous research papers to his credit. He has also previously authored a novel called Of Mangoes and Monsoons.
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo
From: Jose Colaco Sent: January-04-13 11:33 AM Is it kind of strange that Bosco is seen at his place of work more than ONCE? RESPONSE: It could imply the guy doing the seeing maybe doing the daru-drinking or smoking something. I am surprising myself by agreeing with Dr. Falcao twice in as many days. But, he has made a very good point about 'his story'. Only the totally partisan or the foolish will believe that their side is Sadhu Santh, and the other Rakhshas-Ravanna. Or that Salazar was a democrat. RESPONSE: So we have two people who believe Salazar was a democrat. Fantastic!!! Two is better than one!! EARLIER: From: Gabriel de Figueiredo Sent: January-02-13 7:04 PM If the peaceful freedom fighters did not heed the command to halt at the border, and did not heed the warning shots, they would be killed... Back to the photos. To the following link and caption: http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/7716/97000469.jpg (Goan customs guards leading invading Satyagrahis down the road into Goa, eventually delivering them to Goan police:) Bosco stated: Really?? They look like they are headed to Kamlakar's posro for some early morning Usal and chau. I agree with Gabriel's view that the minimal Purtuguez force with antique banduks at the borders would use the banduks to kill or maim rather than leading invading Satyagrahis down the road into Goa. It would be nice to have Jose's view on the photos albeit it is more likely we will instead receive more of his-story...Opa twenty-thirteen style!!! - B -Original Message- From: Jose Colaco Sent: January-04-13 11:33 AM COMMENT: a: surprisingly daft and ignorant comment from the normally circumspect Bosco. b: did it come as a total shock to him that ONE individual was in two pictures? From his reading, were there that many Border posts for that to be such a strange coincidence? Is it kind of strange that Bosco is seen at his place of work more than ONCE? c: did Bosco really need to refer to a Canadian blog to help him Decipher that the individual was a Purtuguez soldado? d: what type of Usal did Bosco ingest before writing the comments #3 and 4? Has he not yet realised that there was minimal Purtuguez force with antique banduks at the borders and in town? Has he not seen that on Bharat Rakshak? e: does it NOT make mockery of the propaganda which continues to be spread even in 2013? Remember that the Pinto guy was in Goa 'sight seeing' before the 'heroic fly past' and shopping expedition, and yet . There were those stories about aviaos ani banduks!
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT
Anne, Here I am, who has witnessed what was happening in the final days (last 3 days) leading to 18 Dec I961. And I was 15 years old at that time. Every tree (mango) bordering the Karaswado- Tivim road were bored through and through with a 3 in hole. Intension to blow them up to block the road. The Mapusa bridge was eventually blown off with a full truck load of dynamite. We, in Moira were terribly affected by this blast at 4.00 a.m. The Portuguese were at motly 3000 plus only. And they couldn't have resisted the Indian onslaught. The Governor Silva was right. He saved the day. As Santosh and many others may want to believe it, it was not LIBERATION. It was a Planned Invasion and Annexation. Goa is yet to be LIBERATED. Cheers floriano goasuraj 9890470896 www.goasu-raj.org - Original Message - From: Anne Ketteringham anne.kettering...@gmail.com To: goanet@lists.goanet.org Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2013 3:26 PM Subject: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT Santosh I may have missed the point here but the atrocities in Syria by God knows who and by the Portuguese in Africa have nothing to do with the liberation of Goa. There may have been fatalities as there always is in war, usually civilians, but what I know of the Indian invasion of Goa was a fairly civil affair as Manuel Vassalo e Silva, the Governor General at that time, on 19th December 1961, capitulated, saying that it was a waste of human life to resist. If this is correct then I applaud his decision because he then suffered humiliation and even prison I believe for making that decision on his repatriation to Portugal. Please correct me If I am wrong of course. Anne
[Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio
ML, How did the Portuguese brutality happen in Mozambique, there must be an other side to the coin innit? BC
[Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT
There are different types of historians and also different versions of history. In fact history is merely “his story” and not the actual facts that have occurred. We have history books as well as CDs in Goa that will depict history the way anyone wants. That Mozambican freedom fighters screamed, that Portuguese gunned down entire village of 400 people is all hearsay and not facts. It is no different from the recent stories from Syria where they said that Assad forces mass massacred an entire village. That the killings took place are facts. Who killed? is a blame game. Revolutionaries are known to incite revolt by committing atrocities and killings and blame the government. Initially, that mass killing was blamed on the Assad forces. But read here: Cold-Blood Mass Murder in Syria by the West’s “Pro-Democracy Opposition” http://www.globalresearch.ca/cold-blood-mass-murder-in-syria-by-the-west-s-pro-democracy-opposition/32164 And here: US NATO-backed Terrorists in Syria Mass Murder Unarmed Men http://landdestroyer.blogspot.in/2012/12/us-nato-backed-terrorists-in-syria-mass.html The history books may serve as a bedtime stories to some, but not to the alert mind. Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão.
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT
Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão wrote: That Mozambican freedom fighters screamed, that Portuguese gunned down entire village of 400 people is all hearsay and not facts. Doc, Maybe you have a problem translating your thoughts into English but facts are facts. News of the massacre was brought to the attention of the news services by FRELIMO. Secondly, the Tanzanian govt newspapers did report the massacre. There are at least two reporters from the Tanzanian Govt newspapers of that period on this forum today and they can confirm the same. No one then could get into the area where the massacre took place, as the Portuguese Govt suddenly restricted access. Further more, the 1972 massacre was not the first in the area. There has been a history of such massacres by the Portuguese against the Makonde (one of the finest artist and wood carvers in all of Africa.) Earlier massacres happened when the local chiefs requested a meeting with the colonialist, who obliged, and then gunned them down. They then threw the dead into a ravine and, for added effect, even threw some live people off the cliff before the day was over. The sad part about all this is that, of all the European colonialist in Africa, the Portuguese were the people who mixed and mingled the most in the places they settled. Some had been there so long that they considered themselves Africans. I know white people in Toronto who, till this very day, consider themselves Angolans. The extreme right wing nut, Salazar du Portugal, royally messed up Portugal. Had Portugal not been a dictatorship, it's colonies would have had an easier transition to independence and economic prosperity. Portugal, till this very day, remains one of the sickest economies of Europe. The history books may serve as a bedtime stories to some, but not to the alert mind. As for your advice on alert minds, I would suggest that you may want to first take a good look at the man in the mirror. Mervyn
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo
On Jan 3, 2013, at 11:27 PM, Bosco D bos...@gmail.com wrote re Original Message-From: Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcao: Check these photos from LIFE Magazine: [1] there is one chap in both these photos: http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/5285/45327135.jpg http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/8562/84736861.jpg [2] This chap is identified as a Portuguese soldier as per: http://www.film.queensu.ca/cj3b/Finds/FindsMilitary.html [3]This one. http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/7716/97000469.jpg (Goan customs guards leading invading Satyagrahis down the road into Goa, eventually delivering them to Goan police:) Really?? They look like they are headed to Kamlakar's posro for some early morning Usal and chau. [4] Perhaps we are witness to new age indoctrination..Opa twenty-thirteen style...I am all ears!! COMMENT: a: surprisingly daft and ignorant comment from the normally circumspect Bosco. b: did it come as a total shock to him that ONE individual was in two pictures? From his reading, were there that many Border posts for that to be such a strange coincidence? Is it kind of strange that Bosco is seen at his place of work more than ONCE? c: did Bosco really need to refer to a Canadian blog to help him Decipher that the individual was a Purtuguez soldado? d: what type of Usal did Bosco ingest before writing the comments #3 and 4? Has he not yet realised that there was minimal Purtuguez force with antique banduks at the borders and in town? Has he not seen that on Bharat Rakshak? e: does it NOT make mockery of the propaganda which continues to be spread even in 2013? Remember that the Pinto guy was in Goa 'sight seeing' before the 'heroic fly past' and shopping expedition, and yet . There were those stories about aviaos ani banduks! BTW: f: did the Purtuguez really fire on a Karwari fishing boat a few days before the Invasion? Wasn't there a blockade in situ? What happened to the guys manning the blockade? Went for 'Usal ani Chau'? Is Bosco stating that the Desi troops were not in place commencing a fortnight earlier? g: did Paki airplanes really come ALL the way to Agra and Delhi in1972 and fly back safely after having carefully fuguetified only the vicinity of the runways . Leading Mrs G to make a near midnight radio announcement ( originally planned for 9pm but postponed a number of times till the late hour )? ooh the suspense .! h: I met a certain Goan gentleman at the same function VRR and I attended, a few years ago. What else can I say about him except to say that Bosco's post would do that gentleman proud. I will leave it at that. i: I am surprising myself by agreeing with Dr. Falcao twice in as many days. But, he has made a very good point about 'his story'. Only the totally partisan or the foolish will believe that their side is Sadhu Santh, and the other Rakhshas-Ravanna. Or that Salazar was a democrat. ps: There is a RSS chap being quoted in TOI today as saying that (and I paraphrase) Rapes occurred only in India and not in Bharat! That should surprise even my India that is Bharat obiter amigo who wanted proof in 2012 for rapes which allegedly occurred 50 years earlier! Bah !!! jc Now let me head out and find out how cold it is this morning in the Big Applenagar.
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT
People ought to get their information from reliable and reputed historical and news sources, not just from any crappy blog or website that they find in a Google search. Here is a United Nations report indicating that Bashar al-Assad's atrocities in Syria have resulted in 60,000 deaths so far: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=43866Cr=SyriaCr1=#.UOcUcW80V8E Here is the actual UN commissioned study that has been cited in the above report: https://www.benetech.org/download/Benetech-final-SY-report.pdf Regarding Portuguese atrocities in Africa, here is a mainstream news report entitled Portugal gets harsh blast from the past, on a highly regarded historical documentary series that aired on Portuguese television in 2007: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-12-09-1996137869_x.htm Here is a pertinent quote from the news report: QUOTE The heads of enemy soldiers impaled on roadside trees. Hundreds of prisoners tortured, killed and dumped in mass graves. Napalm dropped on jungles where guerrillas sheltered, and grass-hut villages torched with cigarette lighters. These gruesome acts were carried out in Portugal's name two generations ago during its colonial wars in Africa. But for most Portuguese, the events aren't history -- they're news. A groundbreaking series aired by public broadcaster Radiotelevisao Portuguesa is confronting Portugal with unsettling aspects of its recent history that for decades have been shrouded in silence. The series has become a top-rated prime-time program and the most-watched documentary in years, regularly drawing more than a million viewers in a country of 10.6 million. People had spoken very little about what happened, said Joaquim Furtado, the Portuguese journalist who created the series. The effect, I think, has been positive. People won't be able to see things in simplistic terms now. UNQUOTE Associated Press news report in USA Today Cheers, Santosh - Original Message - From: Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão drferdina...@hotmail.com There are different types of historians and also different versions of history. In fact history is merely “his story” and not the actual facts that have occurred. We have history books as well as CDs in Goa that will depict history the way anyone wants. That Mozambican freedom fighters screamed, that Portuguese gunned down entire village of 400 people is all hearsay and not facts. It is no different from the recent stories from Syria where they said that Assad forces mass massacred an entire village. That the killings took place are facts. Who killed? is a blame game. Revolutionaries are known to incite revolt by committing atrocities and killings and blame the government. Initially, that mass killing was blamed on the Assad forces. But read here: Cold-Blood Mass Murder in Syria by the West’s “Pro-Democracy Opposition” http://www.globalresearch.ca/cold-blood-mass-murder-in-syria-by-the-west-s-pro-democracy-opposition/32164 And here: US NATO-backed Terrorists in Syria Mass Murder Unarmed Men http://landdestroyer.blogspot.in/2012/12/us-nato-backed-terrorists-in-syria-mass.html The history books may serve as a bedtime stories to some, but not to the alert mind. Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão.
[Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo
Distortion of History by different people is well known all over. The statement Many peaceful freedom fighters were killed by Salazar's police is absolutely false, baseless and malicious. None of those cited were killed, although some were incarcerated in prison at Cascais. Besides, Goa was under dictatorial rule and not democracy as in now India where even citizens are killed in fake encounters by Indian police; leave aside infiltrators of another nation at its borders. The Portuguese did not commit atrocities liken to those that occurred in British India, specially the 'Jallian Wala Bagh massacre'. Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão.
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo
To find out how many peaceful freedom fighters were killed by Salazar's police please read the following book published in 1955: Inside Goa by Homer A. Jack To find out about executions of peaceful freedom fighters and atrocities by the Portuguese in Goa during Salazar rule please read: Faces of Goa: A Journey Through the History and Cultural Evolution of Goa by Karin Larsen Goa: Into the Mainstream By R. N. Sakshena To find out about the atrocities committed by the Portuguese in India, please read the following book: The Portuguese in India: being a history of the rise and decline of their eastern empire by Frederick Danvers Cheers, Santosh - Original Message - From: Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão drferdina...@hotmail.com Distortion of History by different people is well known all over. The statement Many peaceful freedom fighters were killed by Salazar's police is absolutely false, baseless and malicious. None of those cited were killed, although some were incarcerated in prison at Cascais. Besides, Goa was under dictatorial rule and not democracy as in now India where even citizens are killed in fake encounters by Indian police; leave aside infiltrators of another nation at its borders. The Portuguese did not commit atrocities liken to those that occurred in British India, specially the 'Jallian Wala Bagh massacre'. Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falcão.
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo
I know of one timber merchant from Marcel who was smuggling teak from Goa and who used AGD to kill the young Portuguese Forest Officer who was newly inducted into the GOA FS because he was on the trail of the timber smugglers connected to AGD. The name of the Portuguese Officer was Maciel Chaves. This timber merchant was nabbed by agent Monteiro aftr this gruesome murder while the officer was on a surprise visit to Valpoi Forest at night, incarcerated and died under interrogation. He was cremated at his house at Marcel under police supervision. This was the punishment given to traitors and murderers in Goa during the Portuguese regime and because of that there were no crimes in Goa and people could leave their houses open without fear of robberies etc. Those who feared the rule of law were the criminals themselves. One of the freedolefarter who is the director of one of the institutes in Goa was caught by the scruff of his nect loitering outside Lohia Maidan during a public meeting of social activists and jailed for a few hours and released because this punk was just 18 years old. This incident has given this punk the title of a freedom fighter of Goa and who has been living off the pension. Shame! Santosh may be knowing who I am referring to. cheers floriano goasuraj 9890470896 - Original Message - From: Santosh Helekar chimbel...@yahoo.com To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! goanet@lists.goanet.org Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2013 2:21 PM Subject: Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo Many peaceful freedom fighters who would not have been termed as terrorists today were arrested and thrown in jail without trial in Salazar's Goa. Several were killed by Salazar's police. Cheers, Santosh - Original Message - From: Gabriel de Figueiredo gdefigueir...@yahoo.com.au It should also be noted that the guy who arranged the seminar on Portuguese colonies (20 Oct 1961), P.D. Gaitondo, left Goa for Europe soon after he lost the election (for the Congress, a trouncing to remember). Why Gaitondo took this step is anyone's guess. Also, one needs to remember that these so-called freedom-fighters would be termed as terrorists in today's world, and they would have been arrested and thrown into prison without trial in today's India for doing the same things they did in Salazar's Goa. Note: It has been said that the seminar mentioned above probably forced Nehru's hand as the African delegates requested him to first look after his backyard before meddling in Africa's issues.
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT
Folks, Portuguese brutality was not restricted to Goa only. The Portuguese Govt was still massacring people in Mozambique as late as 1972/73. I clearly remember the Mozambican freedom fighters screaming that the Portuguese had gunned down an entire village of 400 people. The Tanzanian papers reported this then but the western press did not. It was only a few months later when a British missionary returned to Britain from Mozambique that the massacre got mentioned in the western press. Apparently, the Portuguese clergy in Mozambique were under orders to turn a blind eye too. The Portuguese security apparatus, PIDE, was from the early 1960's imprisoning any leader in Africa who was opposed to Portuguese rule. Those were the lucky ones. Those who lived outside the, 'Portuguese overseas territories' were simply assassinated. One Angolan described PIDE to us as the face of the anti-Christ. After the moderates got eliminated, the socialist and communists took over the leadership of the armed struggle against the Portuguese. PIDE agents, fortunately, did not restrict their activities to the 'overseas provinces.' They were detaining and killing people in Portugal too. If I remember correctly, the final straw, was PIDE agents shooting protesters in Portugal in 1974. The revolution there, took place a few days later. Mervyn Santosh Helekar wrote: Here is a partial list of peaceful Goan freedom fighters who were arrested and imprisoned in Salazar's Goa: Nilkanth Karapurkar Guilherme de Souza Ticló T. B. Cunha Purshottam Kakodkar Telo de Mascarenhas According to a historical report nearly 1500 peaceful protesters were arrested and jailed for expressing their opinions and disagreements in public. It is embarrassing to see the various contortions presented in this forum to explain the murders and brutality committed by Salazar's police and agents with regard to peaceful protesters and other innocent Goans. Cheers, Santosh
[Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio
These Goan bharatis should go and live in delhi with their wives, daughters or daughter in laws. BC -- Message: 10 Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2013 17:19:03 +0530 From: Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falc?o drferdina...@hotmail.com Distortion of History by different people is well known all over. The statement Many peaceful freedom fighters were killed by Salazar's police is absolutely false, baseless and malicious. None of those cited were killed, although some were incarcerated in prison at Cascais. Besides, Goa was under dictatorial rule and not democracy as in now India where even citizens are killed in fake encounters by Indian police; leave aside infiltrators of another nation at its borders. The Portuguese did not commit atrocities liken to those that occurred in British India, specially the 'Jallian Wala Bagh massacre'. Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falc?o. --
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo
Many peaceful freedom fighters who would not have been termed as terrorists today were arrested and thrown in jail without trial in Salazar's Goa. Several were killed by Salazar's police. Cheers, Santosh - Original Message - From: Gabriel de Figueiredo gdefigueir...@yahoo.com.au It should also be noted that the guy who arranged the seminar on Portuguese colonies (20 Oct 1961), P.D. Gaitondo, left Goa for Europe soon after he lost the election (for the Congress, a trouncing to remember). Why Gaitondo took this step is anyone's guess. Also, one needs to remember that these so-called freedom-fighters would be termed as terrorists in today's world, and they would have been arrested and thrown into prison without trial in today's India for doing the same things they did in Salazar's Goa. Note: It has been said that the seminar mentioned above probably forced Nehru's hand as the African delegates requested him to first look after his backyard before meddling in Africa's issues.
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo
Doubt it. If the peaceful freedom fighters did not heed the command to halt at the border, and did not heed the warning shots, they would be killed as the Indian Border Police do today at India's borders. How many people were killed in Bombay by the Bombay police after the failed invasion of 15th August 1955? What did the Indian Police do just last week to a peaceful protest in Delhi? From: Santosh Helekar chimbel...@yahoo.com To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! goanet@lists.goanet.org Sent: Wednesday, 2 January 2013 7:51 PM Subject: Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo Many peaceful freedom fighters who would not have been termed as terrorists today were arrested and thrown in jail without trial in Salazar's Goa. Several were killed by Salazar's police. Cheers, Santosh - Original Message - From: Gabriel de Figueiredo gdefigueir...@yahoo.com.au It should also be noted that the guy who arranged the seminar on Portuguese colonies (20 Oct 1961), P.D. Gaitondo, left Goa for Europe soon after he lost the election (for the Congress, a trouncing to remember). Why Gaitondo took this step is anyone's guess. Also, one needs to remember that these so-called freedom-fighters would be termed as terrorists in today's world, and they would have been arrested and thrown into prison without trial in today's India for doing the same things they did in Salazar's Goa. Note: It has been said that the seminar mentioned above probably forced Nehru's hand as the African delegates requested him to first look after his backyard before meddling in Africa's issues.
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo
Here is a partial list of peaceful Goan freedom fighters who were arrested and imprisoned in Salazar's Goa: Nilkanth Karapurkar Guilherme de Souza Ticló T. B. Cunha Purshottam Kakodkar Telo de Mascarenhas According to a historical report nearly 1500 peaceful protesters were arrested and jailed for expressing their opinions and disagreements in public. It is embarrassing to see the various contortions presented in this forum to explain the murders and brutality committed by Salazar's police and agents with regard to peaceful protesters and other innocent Goans. Cheers, Santosh From: Gabriel de Figueiredo gdefigueir...@yahoo.com.au Doubt it. If the peaceful freedom fighters did not heed the command to halt at the border, and did not heed the warning shots, they would be killed as the Indian Border Police do today at India's borders. How many people were killed in Bombay by the Bombay police after the failed invasion of 15th August 1955? What did the Indian Police do just last week to a peaceful protest in Delhi?
Re: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo
It should also be noted that the guy who arranged the seminar on Portuguese colonies (20 Oct 1961), P.D. Gaitondo, left Goa for Europe soon after he lost the election (for the Congress, a trouncing to remember). Why Gaitondo took this step is anyone's guess. Also, one needs to remember that these so-called freedom-fighters would be termed as terrorists in today's world, and they would have been arrested and thrown into prison without trial in today's India for doing the same things they did in Salazar's Goa. Note: It has been said that the seminar mentioned above probably forced Nehru's hand as the African delegates requested him to first look after his backyard before meddling in Africa's issues. From: floriano lobo floriano.l...@gmail.com To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994! goanet@lists.goanet.org Sent: Monday, 31 December 2012 5:02 PM Subject: [Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo The so-called freedom fighters some of whom, excluding some honourable exceptions, could oly carry out acts of vandalism at various times with the blessings of the military Government earlier as well as of the subsequent governments. Gabriel.
[Goanet] GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo
GOA'S LIBERATION IN RETROSPECT By: Adv. Antonio Lobo [COUNTERPOINT] Herald: 30 December, 2012 [MANY TEARS WERE SHED IN PRIVATE, NOT SO MUCH FOR THE DEPARTURE OF THE PORTUGUESE BUT FOR THE SUBSTITUTION OF NEW CHAINS IN PLACE OF THE OLD] The moment the Indian Army took Goa, the first step taken by the military government was to impose martial law and put in place a curfew. Nothing of this kind had ever been promulgated in Goa during the entire period of one of the world's most, dictatorial administrations that of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, which extended for close to 40 years. Such imposition puts in question the very term 'LIBERATION freely used to define the happenings post December 19,1961, which by its very definition should have been received by the local population with open arms. That the 'liberation army' under Gen. KP Kandeth thought it fit to put in place such draconian measures indicates that none of this took place. Photographs of the said period showing crowds as welcoming the Indian troops do not reflect the ground reality at the time. This period also saw the establishment of an administration which was placed under the control of a hand-picked civil servant, albeit unofficially, who was attached to the government of Goa and who orchestrated public demonstrations in support of the invasion. The persecution of identified individuals (and any other upstanding individual belonging to the earlier administration) such as that of the Advocate General of Goa Dr. Jose' Quadros, a Goan by birth, who was pulled out of his house late one evening by a mob of about 50 people at the height of the curfew and paraded in his underclothes through the streets of Panjim accompanied by fist blows and forced to shout 'JAI HIND' while being watched impassively by the police is a classic pointer to what happened during the period. The elimination of the High Court of Goa (Tribunal de Relacao de Goa) whose Chief justice, Dr. Ismael Gracias, another Goan, was forced to migrate to Portugal, where he was given a new posting is another example. The aforementioned civil servant personally threatened several Goans including the Secretary General of Goa ( a position equivalent to that of the Chief Secretary) Dr. Abel Colaco: he was told he would be court-martialed merely because he had given shelter on humane grounds to the wife of Brig. Manuel Antonio Vassalo e Silva, the last Governor General of Goa, after her husband had been interned by the Indian Army. She had to abandon the Pala'cio do Cabo (now Cabo Raj Niwas) for obvious reasons and had nowhere to go. This same individual was responsible for terrorizing not only civil servants but also the population of Goa, especially Catholics who were also exposed to the taunts and mishehavior of organized groups from the majority community. They instigated and encouraged mobs to carry out attacks multiple times on the printing press of a Portuguese language newspaper due to its criticism of the happenings of the time, which was forced to shut down the newspaper on April 15 1961 and flee to Portugal. Such actions were definitely responsible for effectively silencing a great section of Goans. Thus, protests were nipped in the bud. In contrast however, many tears were shed in private, not so much for the departure of the Portuguese but for the substitution of news chains in place of the old. Except for a few individuals such as late Dr. A.A. Bruto da Coasta, who despite his early blindness, wrote a protest letter accusing late Jawaharlal Nehru of betraying and trampling upon the very principles enunciated by him along with Chow En Lai of China and termed as Panch Shila, two of which were non aggression and peaceful co-existence amongst nations. The bitter irony for Goans is that most of the things bandied about, against the Portuguese regime had taken place during the dictatorial period and which was also applicable to Continental Portugal itself. It was not something meant only for the colonies as is projected in propaganda. One of the benefits of the so-called liberation, we were informed and are still being informed by 'OPINION MAKERS, is that Goa was now part of a democracy and that people were free to speak their mind. A few weeks prior to the invasion, thousands of Goans left for Portugal in fear of what might befall Goa and themselves post annexation. That this exodus continued even after December 19,1961 and the route for such exodus was via Karach, Pakistan, were the Portuguese Government had organized flights to ferry Goans and other citizens from the erstwhile Estado Portuguez da India free of cost, was evidence enough that the so called liberation of Goa did not result in giving Goans a sense of freedom, satisfaction and fulfillment. This exodus continues today with thousands of Goans migrating to Canada, Australia, New Zealand , U K, Portugal and other countries. Should it not
[Goanet] Goa's Liberation and Special Status - Herald - People's Edit - By: Lawrence Fernandes
Hello Twitter: @flory29 The 'Special Status for Goa Drums' hv started beating to a CRECENDO. Hope Delhi has it's EARS to the ground. www.goasu-raj.org/gen/news/2819.asp -- Goa Su-Raj Party strongly believes that Parliamentary Elections must be contested by National Parties only AND/OR by a Federation of State Regional Parties. with a reciprocating understanding by the National Parties that the 'State Elections' shall be the prerogative of State Registered Political Parties only. Even then, and in the absence of such a ruling by the Election Commission of India, GSRP would want GOANS who are ERUDITE, knowledgeable about India and its problems, as well as World affairs, 'STATESMEN/WOMEN' , to contest on it's 'TICKET' in the coming 2014 Parliamentary Elections. Let GOA endeavour to send two real Parliamentarians to the House of the People in New Delhi for once.
[Goanet] Goa's Liberation - Some Portuguese media views
Some links from Goan Voice UK Daily Newsletter of Sunday 18 Nov. 2011 at www.goanvoice.org.uk Goa independent? 18 Dec: Publico (Portugal). A book is being promoted, with full page advertisements, as a celebration of the golden anniversary of the separation between Goa and Portugal, marking 50 years of independence of Goa It is inappropriate to speak of celebration out respect of those killed in combat, the trauma experienced by subsequent events and also the thousands of locals who have chosen to keep and seek Portuguese nationality 298 words. Hell in Paradise 17 Dec: RTP (Portugal). Goa, the Pearl of India is one of the most beautiful states of India and tourist destination for both Indians and foreigners. But the illegal mining, drug trafficking and corruption are undermining the local political leadership and security Goa has become a major center of international drug trafficking 1572 words. Edição Público: Goa Special 18 Dec: Edição Público Lisboa. Pages 4 11. The day that India's patience came to an end The ugly bubble the pride of India (page 6) After the surrender, they called me a coward and a traitor every day Portugal: TV Tonight: 50 years of the invasion of Goa 18 Dec: RTP2. 22:30 22:56. Historian Paulo Varela Gomes describes a situation in which Salazar put the 3,500 Portuguese soldiers stationed at Goa during the invasion of 45,000 men of the armed forces of India. Maria de Lourdes de Sousa Elvino, Goan who was 18 at the time remembers what the Goan Catholics felt Here is an intense and honest conversation about the identities Goan, Indian and Portuguese, on the conversions of the Hindus, 500 years ago, about the coexistence of Catholicism with the caste system, what can we do today with what remains of this formidable past common. Video: Goa @ Fifty 18 Dec: IBN. A view of Goas Freedom and aftermath of corruption, mining, drugs and other problems. With Remo, Claude Alvares, Anju Timblo etc. 18m. 51s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pPsVSF-8oA Video - Goa: 50 years of Liberation 17 Dec: India Today. A look at the cultural and social differences which separate this popular tourist destination from the rest of the country 18m. 15s. http://bit.ly/udoy1g http://indiatoday.intoday.in/video/goa-liberation-culture/1/164736.html Video: Goa fell 50 years ago: There were about 3500 prisoners of war 18 Dec: Publico (Portugal). For Salazar, Goa was like handing a severed hand. There was no dialogue possible with Nehru, there was nothing to discuss [Many photos of Goa at the time]. 10m.03s. http://videos.publico.pt/Default.aspx?Id=9e2e3590-33b9-4529-b67f-60cd5fc6793 8 --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goa's Liberation Deceit (Golden Jubilee Reminder)
This Golden Jubilee of so called Goa's Liberation is a painful reminder of how Goans have been fooled, by the Indian (particularly Congress) Government. The promise to preserve Goa's Identity, by late PM Nehru was never honoured by him or his predecessors. At 50 years, it looks more like the liberation of Goa from Goans and the illegal exploitation of the state's resources and destruction of its environment by the Centre; in co-ordination with their Goan Corrupt political stooges. One can easily see how beautiful Goa and its environment/beaches/identity/standards/cleanliness etc have deterioated over the last 50 years. So Goans, should we celebrating or protesting at this Golden Jubilee of the so called Liberation? Arwin Mesquita, UAE. -- Please post your comments on my Blog: http://goanidentity.blogspot.com/ Please also see below: 1. Benaulim Village Action Committee: http://www.bvacbenaulim.blogspot.com/ 2. Rape of Goa : http://www.parrikar.com/blog/the-rape-of-goa/ 3. MAND - an adivasi-rights resource centre : http://mandgoa.blogspot.com/ 4. EVERY GOAN SHOULD SEE THIS VIDEO: http://infochangeindia.org/Infochange-documentary.html 5. Goa's Identity Movement group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com//#/group.php?gid=193497031686 6. Official Government Site NRI Office (GOA): http://www.globalgoans.org.in/ --- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---
[Goanet] Goa's liberation
With reference to the statement below, Alemao now says that Goa is finished. These remarks were uttered to someone who landed in Goa recently. It is believed that Alemao was behind the approval of building the Concan railway which passes through Goa. This has infrastructure has been and is a continuous calamity for Goa. It was at the Adarsh Hall, in Margao, some years ago, when I spoke at Churchill Alemao's meet ( Mopa Airport - when he left the Congress to subsequently for SGF) that I had openly said that Goa was not liberated but conquered by India and that none other than the Supreme Court of India has handed out the judgment. Most dignitaries on the dais did not like what I said and that includes perhaps even Churchill Alemao.
[Goanet] Goa's Liberation?
This was the original letter in it's entirety that was sent by us to O Heraldo, which was edited, shortened and published according to their whims. Goa's Liberation? Ashburn Leron Pereira As Sr. Arwin Mesquita has written on 22/9/09 that we need to have an urgent Post Liberation. Post Liberation? Was Goa Liberated or Conquered? During 1500's INDIA NEVER EXISTED, the Indian subcontinent under the British Raj basically consisted of British India and the Princely states. India came into existence only after the British left in '47 and India formed it's Republic on 26/1/50. The present country INDIA was a later establishment of the British Raj. No one is in doubt that the Portuguese conquered Goa in the 1500's, but then, Goa during that period was in a state of constant transitioning sieges by Sultans and Rajahs. The Portuguese gave Goa stability after they took over and put up a valiant front against the overpowering enemy forces, till the invasion and expulsion by India's troops in Dec '61. According to the landmark judgments delivered by the Supreme Court of India - Delhi, Goa was CONQUERED by India and was not liberated on 19/12/61 from the Portuguese also according to the U.N. resolution 1514 (XV) Goa is stated as INVADED. We've now undergone 47 yrs of corrupt Bharoti colonial rule over our Goa. On the other hand one could take the instance that Bangladesh was liberated by Bharot and given to their people who now have the honour of being the proud citizens of Bangladesh, whereas Goa wasn't, instead it was conquered and forcefully annexed to the Indian Union, just as how Saddam had invaded Kuwait on 2/8/90. In other words, Goa was ROBBED from Goans by Nehru's Bharot. We Goans were treated far better than how the British treated Indians, we don't intend to create a misunderstanding between the inhabitants living in Goa today, but nearly everyone remembers that during the British Raj, racial notices were prevalently put up at restaurants, starred hotels, clubs, .c stating that Indians and dogs are not allowed. But such notices were never seen nor heard of in our 'Peaceful Goa'.
Re: [Goanet] Goa's Liberation?
It was at the Adarsh Hall, in Margao, some years ago, when I spoke at Churchill Alemao's meet ( Mopa Airport - when he left the Congress to subsequently for SGF) that I had openly said that Goa was not liberated but conquered by India and that none other than the Supreme Court of India has handed out the judgment. Most dignitaries on the dais did not like what I said and that includes perhaps even Churchill Alemao. I have always held that our esteemed Goa's freedom fighters (who were actually alive and involved in seemingly liberating Goa ) were not at all Goa sensitive but Barot sensitive, eating out of the Boroti hands, including Lambert Mascarenhas. Otherwise, they would have told Barot that after freeing Goa of the Portuguese, Goa's management and affairs should be handed over to the Goans - in an exclusive autonomy. If at all our Goa's so called freedom fighters and their association is only left to beg for pensions and government jobs for their kin, it is because they have lost their self-respect and are being tolerated as the baroti vote bank. Goa Su-Raj Party has gone on record to say that when it comes to power, it will either want to dissolve the Goa Freedom Fighter's Association for good or it has to cull the fakes from its list if they want their self-respect restored back again. Ideally, the Portuguese should have given autonomy to Goa and left. In that case the clamor of Goa's Borot inclined freedom fighters for it assimilation into the Indian Union would be met with stiff resistance. At least I would resist even if I was just 14 years old at that time. :-)) Incidentally, I am 62 years of age today. Therefore any freedom fighter living today must be 70 years of age and above to be considered as a freedom fighter and must have exclusive documentation to prove that he/she was in the freedom fight movement and not just one freedom fighter signing for another one to get in fakes. In solidarity with Ashburn Pereira and others Cheers floriano goasuraj 9890470896 www.goasu-raj.org - Original Message - From: Ashburn Pereira ashburnpere...@gmail.com To: Goanet goa...@goanet.org Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 4:55 AM Subject: [Goanet] Goa's Liberation? This was the original letter in it's entirety that was sent by us to O Heraldo, which was edited, shortened and published according to their whims. Goa's Liberation? Ashburn Leron Pereira As Sr. Arwin Mesquita has written on 22/9/09 that we need to have an urgent Post Liberation. Post Liberation? Was Goa Liberated or Conquered? During 1500's INDIA NEVER EXISTED, the Indian subcontinent under the British Raj basically consisted of British India and the Princely states. India came into existence only after the British left in '47 and India formed it's Republic on 26/1/50. The present country INDIA was a later establishment of the British Raj. No one is in doubt that the Portuguese conquered Goa in the 1500's, but then, Goa during that period was in a state of constant transitioning sieges by Sultans and Rajahs. The Portuguese gave Goa stability after they took over and put up a valiant front against the overpowering enemy forces, till the invasion and expulsion by India's troops in Dec '61. According to the landmark judgments delivered by the Supreme Court of India - Delhi, Goa was CONQUERED by India and was not liberated on 19/12/61 from the Portuguese also according to the U.N. resolution 1514 (XV) Goa is stated as INVADED. We've now undergone 47 yrs of corrupt Bharoti colonial rule over our Goa. On the other hand one could take the instance that Bangladesh was liberated by Bharot and given to their people who now have the honour of being the proud citizens of Bangladesh, whereas Goa wasn't, instead it was conquered and forcefully annexed to the Indian Union, just as how Saddam had invaded Kuwait on 2/8/90. In other words, Goa was ROBBED from Goans by Nehru's Bharot. We Goans were treated far better than how the British treated Indians, we don't intend to create a misunderstanding between the inhabitants living in Goa today, but nearly everyone remembers that during the British Raj, racial notices were prevalently put up at restaurants, starred hotels, clubs, .c stating that Indians and dogs are not allowed. But such notices were never seen nor heard of in our 'Peaceful Goa'.
[Goanet] Goa's Liberation illusion
Subject: Goa's Liberation illusion I no longer want to celebrate Goa's Liberation Day; because with every passing year it looks more like the liberation of Goa from the Goans. Our politicians have manipulated democracy to destroy our beautiful environment, learnt the art of falsely staying power via migrant vote banks, money power, intimidation, blackmail etc Today our unique Goan Identity is dying i.e. our natural beauty is being destroyed, Goans are fast becoming a minority, scarce land is gobbled up by rich outsiders (mostly with illegitimate wealth). Its high time Goans wake up, come out and demand safeguards to protect our land, demographics identity. Goans were never consulted on the current constitution, as India annexed Goa much later; so its only fair to give us the necessary constitutional amendments to truly celebrate Goa's Liberation Day. Arwin Mesquita, Goa. -- Please post your comments on my Blog: http://goanidentity.blogspot.com/ -- Please post your comments on my Blog: http://goanidentity.blogspot.com/
