[Goanet] Roland Francis: Curse or Consequence? Stray Thoughts of a Toronto Goan

[Eddie Fernandes]

Source: Goan Voice UK  14 July 2013 at www.goanvoice.org.uk

Curse or Consequence?  Stray Thoughts of a Toronto Goan.  By Roland Francis

The patriarch of this Salcette family was a feared man even among his wife
and children. Imposing in stature, well educated, influential in the
administrative circles of Goa of the time, he was blessed with a sharp but
crooked mind. He rarely dealt with anyone not of his class. Knowing his
companions could not be easily tricked, he set about creating a network of
his agents among the lower classes who were better positioned to know who
was in dire financial straits and thus vulnerable to being relieved of
property and gold.

Financial need abounded at that time. Farmers with failed crops, people who
needed a start in Bombay or Africa or Aden, or just families living from
hand to mouth who needed funds to marry off daughters. The Portuguese regime
although fair in their dealings with most Goans found it easier to
accommodate those who spoke the language and were people of means and
substance who they found were their supporters. Although the law was
equitable to rich and poor, its instruments sided towards those who
cultivated them because the poor had little access to them.

So our patriarch financially astute that he was, converted some of his
family jewellery to cash and set about lending it through his surrogates at
rates that were beyond usury. His targets were anybody whom he knew would
never be able to sustain his interest payments for long and who had land and
farms that he could eventually seize in lieu of the principal. Over a period
of time he was able to acquire vast amounts of property rich with coconut,
mango and other fruit and produce that was located half of Goa away from his
own village.  When he died of a consumptive disease, he left in his wake the
shattered lives of many victims and that of his own large family who except
for the eldest son, inherited nothing by will. His wife much against his
living intentions got a sizable part of the estate by Portuguese law taking
precedence over the will, but the eldest son not satisfied with his own
share, soon deprived his mother of hers, by guile.

With all the wealth at his disposal, this son became an inveterate gambler
who played cards for weeks at a time and became famous throughout Goa for
his profligacy, but in the process brought his family to near ruin. After
his death, for one generation, the family lived in penury but gradually with
education, thrift and some land which was overlooked, came to be counted
among the gentry again. After two generations, and  with
everything-to-the-eldest-son custom still ruling, the gambling genie which
appeared to have been bottled, was uncorked. In between, the family
experienced normality but more often than it should, also saw much misery in
sudden deaths, strange sicknesses and even stranger accidents until the
progeny could be traced no more. The once impressive, almost palatial family
mansion stands desolate and derelict today, serving only to attract hushed
whispers and warnings about gambling and cheating from passing villagers and
their guests.

This is not a stray and exceptional piece of Goan history. Facts and events
like this played out over several generations are well known to every Goan.
No village in any corner of Goa has been sequestered from such tragedies and
very few wealthy families have had no similar skeletons in their cupboards.
The skeletons tend to come alive even among the remnants of generations
scattered in faraway lands. Facts of long ago may seem to have been
forgotten but reappear when some older person in Goa with a long memory or a
proclivity for pagan connection, brings it to the fore.

Is this particular Goan history wound around superstition steeped in
nonsense and illogic or is it a real consequence of the bloody history of
murder, mayhem and violence of our past. It is too recurring to be dubbed
co-incidence.

The Bible is no help. Numbers 14:18 'The Lord is slow to anger and abounding
in steadfast love forgiving iniquity and transgression but He will by no
means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children
to the third and fourth generation', is contradicted by Ezekiel 18:19-20
'When the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to
observe my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The
son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father nor the father suffer
for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be
upon himself and the wickedness of the wicked upon himself'.

So in the end we must figure it out for ourselves.  

Re: [Goanet] Roland Francis: Curse or Consequence? Stray Thoughts of a Toronto Goan

[Tim de Mello]

Roland:

An interesting piece.
Enjoyed reading it.

Why did you find it necessary to refer to the Old Testament of the Bible for 
guidance?
It is one of the most contradictory books written.
Only the Church's interpretation is supposed to be used.
I tend to feel that as you say . . Goan history wound around superstition 
steeped in nonsense and illogic . . and only used to serve ones own purposes.

Interestingly . .  in Sunday's homily on the Good Samaritan, in trying to 
explain the behaviour of the people passing the wounded man, I learnt that 
there are 613 commandments in the Old Testament listed in the Torah. 365 (days 
of the year) negative ones and 248 (number of bones  organs in the body) 
positive ones. Interesting.

Imagine if we were to made to learn 613 commandments instead of just 10 for our 
First Holy Communion.
Imagine, for example, trying to learn who is allowed to/not allowed to have sex 
with one another. And trying to memorize that matrix.
I think I would have probably failed the test.

:)

Tim


 From: eddie.fernan...@gmail.com
 To: goanet@lists.goanet.org
 Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 01:19:36 +0100
 Subject: [Goanet] Roland Francis: Curse or Consequence? Stray Thoughts of a 
 Toronto Goan

 Source: Goan Voice UK 14 July 2013 at www.goanvoice.org.uk

 Curse or Consequence? Stray Thoughts of a Toronto Goan. By Roland Francis

 The patriarch of this Salcette family was a feared man even among his wife
 and children. Imposing in stature, well educated, influential in the
 administrative circles of Goa of the time, he was blessed with a sharp but
 crooked mind. He rarely dealt with anyone not of his class. Knowing his
 companions could not be easily tricked, he set about creating a network of
 his agents among the lower classes who were better positioned to know who
 was in dire financial straits and thus vulnerable to being relieved of
 property and gold.

 Financial need abounded at that time. Farmers with failed crops, people who
 needed a start in Bombay or Africa or Aden, or just families living from
 hand to mouth who needed funds to marry off daughters. The Portuguese regime
 although fair in their dealings with most Goans found it easier to
 accommodate those who spoke the language and were people of means and
 substance who they found were their supporters. Although the law was
 equitable to rich and poor, its instruments sided towards those who
 cultivated them because the poor had little access to them.

 So our patriarch financially astute that he was, converted some of his
 family jewellery to cash and set about lending it through his surrogates at
 rates that were beyond usury. His targets were anybody whom he knew would
 never be able to sustain his interest payments for long and who had land and
 farms that he could eventually seize in lieu of the principal. Over a period
 of time he was able to acquire vast amounts of property rich with coconut,
 mango and other fruit and produce that was located half of Goa away from his
 own village. When he died of a consumptive disease, he left in his wake the
 shattered lives of many victims and that of his own large family who except
 for the eldest son, inherited nothing by will. His wife much against his
 living intentions got a sizable part of the estate by Portuguese law taking
 precedence over the will, but the eldest son not satisfied with his own
 share, soon deprived his mother of hers, by guile.

 With all the wealth at his disposal, this son became an inveterate gambler
 who played cards for weeks at a time and became famous throughout Goa for
 his profligacy, but in the process brought his family to near ruin. After
 his death, for one generation, the family lived in penury but gradually with
 education, thrift and some land which was overlooked, came to be counted
 among the gentry again. After two generations, and with
 everything-to-the-eldest-son custom still ruling, the gambling genie which
 appeared to have been bottled, was uncorked. In between, the family
 experienced normality but more often than it should, also saw much misery in
 sudden deaths, strange sicknesses and even stranger accidents until the
 progeny could be traced no more. The once impressive, almost palatial family
 mansion stands desolate and derelict today, serving only to attract hushed
 whispers and warnings about gambling and cheating from passing villagers and
 their guests.

 This is not a stray and exceptional piece of Goan history. Facts and events
 like this played out over several generations are well known to every Goan.
 No village in any corner of Goa has been sequestered from such tragedies and
 very few wealthy families have had no similar skeletons in their cupboards.
 The skeletons tend to come alive even among the remnants of generations
 scattered in faraway lands. Facts of long ago may seem to have been
 forgotten but reappear when some older person in Goa with a long memory or a
 proclivity