GREAT MEN OF GOA By MARCOS GOMES-CATAO

The genesis of this article lies in an observation in a not too distant post in GOANET to the effect that DIASPORA GOANS now comprise 30% of all GOANS, many of them second and third generation ones, some of whom barely know GOA, others who have never visited their ancestral home, and a few - fortunately very few - even a bit abashed at their origin, ignorant of their rich heritage.

I wondered, therefore, if it would be worthwhile penning some lines delineating our traditions, our cultural monuments and specially, the immense contributions of eminent Goans down the corridors of Time.

I hesitated....It is not a very interesting subject to most readers. So why encumber them?

Then I saw OSCAR LOBO's reference to GOANS ABC denomination in the GULF, and recollected the very derogatory remarks on GOANS by noted Indian author, Nirad Choudhuri. My hesitation wavered... but still persisted.

Then, just very recently, I read JOHN FERNANDES" post in GOANET on how nice it would be to know something about our Great Men, since he himself was aware only of ABBE FARIA. So, my hesitation vanished and I decided to take the plunge, even though not too many might be interested in it.(after all they can easily push the button to the next post).Even if the lines help some very few learn about our past, it is worth taking the trouble.

The galaxy of GREAT GOANS is so extensive that it would not only prove an invidious task encompassing all of them but it might certainly prove extremely boring .I have thus set an arbitrary cut-off line of 1950 in order also to have a better perspective .Only in very special cases will persons after 1950 be broached. This also obviates the need to redefine "Greatness': to-day we favour activities and professions that spur a frenzied quest for insatiable material wealth at the expense of a broader vision, a wider scholarship including the humanities, ethical standards, honesty, etc thus muddying the very concept of "Greatness". How many of our youngsters to-day are not prone to consider Michael Jackson, A. Bhachan or a Wall St. broker making millions the preferential icon to emulate rather than, say, Albet Schweitzer, Solzehnytszin or Rabindranath Tagore? Can we expect "Greatness" therefrom? Additionally, the dispersal of GOANS over a wide geographical area after 1950 (Australia, Canada, UK USA) makes it all that much more difficult to unearth and pin-point our new "Great Men, a task much easier when the focal points were just two: British India and Portugal & colonies.

An attempt will be made to mention all eminent GOANS even if they blossomed and flourished in Portuguese times and places: When discussing the greatness of GOANS, there is no place for eyes blinkered with Lusophobia.

Finally, in order to preserve homogeneity, people of the same or akin professions and activities will be put together rather than following a chronological order.

The educational system prevalent in GOA prior to Dec. 1061 narrowed the scope for higher education, firstly because there was only one Lyceum, in Pangim, that enabled conclusion of the secondary schooling ( the alternative being the authorized English schools like MATER DEI, Saligao; St.JOSEPH's, Arpora; PARRA and similar ones in Salcete and Ilhas for the Matriculation and then on to British India for higher education). At the conclusion of the Lyceum,there were but four avenues of progress open: :Medicine, Pharmacy, Teaching and Law.

There was no Law School in GOA The prospective lawyer "articled" himself to a prominent lawyer and studied theory and practice with him for three/four years at the end of which he appeared for an exam. And he was ready. But, most often, if his family could afford it, he went on to Portugal to repeat the course in COIMBRA. Then, most often he was co-opted into the Portuguese Judicial system, which was thus full of Goans at all levels: judges of the lower Courts, higher Courts, Appellate Courts, etc. in Goa, Portugal and colonies. Three GOANS retired as SUPREME COURT Judges in Lisbon: CAETANO GONCALVES (who also became Governor General of Angola), EUCLIDES MENEZES and ARTUR REBELO. Among the greatest of these was LUIS CUNHA GONCALVES considered among the best legal luminaries of his time, whose books on jurisprudence were prescribed even in some other European Universities.

Some of the jurists obviously veered into other activities where their expertise was desirable. Besides Cunha Goncalves described above, BERNARDO PERES da SILVA was Governor of GOA in 1835 and CUPERTINO ANDRADE Governor General of Mozambique. In addition many Provincial Governors were also GOANS (the equivalent of State Governors in USA/India)

Some of these great lawyers were chosen to be Ministers in the Cabinet: ELVINO BRITTO became Minister for Public Works: Dr. SILVA TELLES was Minister for Education and Dr. BITTENCOURT RODRIGUES, born in the Cape Verde Islands of parents from Salvador do Mundo, was not only Minister Plenipotentiary of the Portuguese Delegation to the Versailles Peace talks at the end of World War I but also became Portuguese Foreign Minister 1928-29. A recent Prime Minister of Portugal, ALFREDO NOBRE da COSTA is descended from a family of Margao.

In the ambassadorial field, CAETANO ROQUE da COSTA and PRAZERES da COSTA both were Ministers Plenipotentiary to Argentina.

In British India the list was a little smaller. LUIS JOSEPH de SA (l859) was Judge in Thana and Panvel, the first GOAN to occupy such a position. But the most important of all was Justice KASHINATH TELANG of the Bombay High Court who became the first Indian Vice-Chancellor of Bombay University and also the first Indian President of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. *In recent times, Y. Sukhtankar was Governor of Orissa and A.L.DIAS Governor of West Bengal and was also Head of the Indian Delegation at the Coronation of Pope John Paul II in the Vatican. JOSEPH VAZ, A.L.DIAS and P.M.LAD were among the first GOANS in the I.C.S., the elite administrative corps that, numbering only 7500, still provided the framework that governed the 300 million people of India, mostly graduates of Oxford and Cambridge, entering by the age of 21 after a fierce competitive exam.

A GOAN, Sir ERNESTO SOARES, was elected to the British Parliament from the Barnstable constituency and rose to become Junior Lord of the Treasury at the time of Gladstone, at the dawn of the twentieth century.

In the military field too GOANS showed no lack of prowess. HOPFER CUSTODIO XAVIER CLEMENTE GOMES frequented the Military Academy and Naval College in Lisbon and commanded various warships. He was Captain of the cruiser "VASCO da GAMA" in the lst. World War and fought gallantly. For his services he was distinguished with the "Order of the Sword" by the Portuguese Govt. and awarded the "Legion d'Honneur' by France. There were other generals too like J.V.GODINHO, A.E.FLORES and M.PINTO.

Lt. Col FRANCISCO CAETANO PINTO and his brother, LT. Col ANTONIO CAETANO PINTO fought in the Peshwa army against the British in the late 1800s until the final defeat of the Mahrattas. Their younger brother, Lt. MANOEL CAETANO PINTO was executed by the Portuguese as the key conspirator in the "PINTO Conspiracy" in l888 (a plot to throw the Portuguese out of GOA that came to nought because of betrayal by the brother of one of the conspirators). Along with Lt. PINTO were also executed Lt. PEDRO LUIS GONZGA, NICOLAU LUIS da COSTA, IGNACIO CAETANO TOSCANO, all co-conspirators. M.A.SOUSA fought bravely in the Portuguese army in the African campaigns. A stamp in his honour was issued in GOA and a bust of his adorned the entrance of Mapuca. It was substituted after 1961 by that of a non-GOAN.

After Indian Independence many Goans had the opportunity to rise. Air Vice-Marshall E.PINTO do ROSARIO led the IAF attack on GOA in the 1961 operation. General SUNITH RODRIGUES became C-in-C of the Indian Army and there were any number of Brig. Generals. Major DIAS led an expedition on Mt. Everest.

Writing came naturally to GOANS. So we had a large crop of superb writers. FRANCISCO LUIS GOMES wrote the famous novel "Os Brahmanes" while FRANCISCO JOSE da COSTA(GIP) wrote "Jacob & Dulce", a satire on people of Margao, which is somewhat marred by too much acerbity.

Several writers have distinguished themselves in Portuguese such as FLORIANO BARRETTO and poets like LEOPOLDO da COSTA, LEANDRO PEREIRA, SOARES REBELO and TRAJANO da COSTA. More recent writers in English include ALOISIO SOARES.

FRANCISCO CORREIA AFONSO (who was head of the Oxford U. MAJLIS during his term there), ARMANDO MENEZES and journalists like FRANK MORAIS, first Indian editor of "The Times of India', K.RANGNEKAR, T.B. Da CUNHA etc. ANTONIO MARIA da CUNHA was the founder of "HERALDO", a paper one started on at a very tender age so homely in its coverage. We went there to look for 'Arrivals & Departures' with news of GOANS coming on leave from Africa or India or leaving at the end of it; the panegyrics of the dead in the Obituary notice, so romantically titled "Goivos e Perpetuas( i.e. Gillyfloer blossoms & Everlasting flower). A copy of 7th May 1950 that I still retain (because of my grandmother's obituary) interestingly enough has a column on a Memorial Service for Mons. Herculano Goncalves, the subject of a recent GOANET Sudarop Reminescence essay!

The Great JAIME RANGEL who founded the Tipografia RANGEL in Bastora is a legend; one has to be very grateful to. One can justifiably say one imbibed the milk of literacy on the books that came from there, not forgetting the Konkani catechism one learnt on the hard cement benches of the Mapuca church corridor. And graduating on to the highest level

GOANS have been outstanding in Philology, Linguistics and Historical Research. Mons. SEBASTIAO DELGADO (1855-1922) was Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Lisbon and published a Portuguese-Konkani dictionary. A set of two stamps was issued in his honour in GOA.FELIPE NERI XAVIER was another great historian. He wrote "Bosquejo historico das Comunidades" (Historical sketch of the Comunidades) and "Defensa dos direitos dos Gauncares" (Defense of the rights of Gauncars) Dr. GERSON da Cunha, from Arpora, wrote "History of Chaul & Bassein" as well as Origin of Bombay". In recognition of his great work in this field, he was elected Vice-President of the Bombay Branch of the ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY in 1892. JOSE NICOLAU de FONSECA, from Colvale, at the suggestion of the Govt. of Bombay wrote an Historical and Archaeological sketch of the City of GOA. JOSE ANTONIO ISMAEL GRACIAS, from Loutolim, was a savant in history, archaeology, bibliography and administrative law. He wrote more than two dozen books over a wide range of matters like taxation, philately, agriculture, etc. Prof. DHARMANAND KOSAMBI was considered in his time the highest world authority on Pali language and literature as well as Budhist culture, while his son attained fame as a mathematician and Indologist. SURUGAY DESHPANDE was a well-known Konkani scholar and Professor, becoming the Rector of the Pangim Lyceum. Dr. GEORGE MORAIS D.Litt. (Rome & Strasburg) was very active in the Asiatic Society and wrote "History of Christianity in India" AMANCIO GRACIAS, PATROCINIO de ANDRADE, A.P. BRAGANCA PEREIRA and Dr. HUBERT MASCARENHAS were other stars that added lustre to this firmament.

GOAN scientists achieved deserved distinction in days of old. The story of ABBE FARIA and hypnotism is too well-known to need repetition. In 1860, Dr. AGOSTINHO LOURENCO, from Margao, received a Doctorate at the Sorbonne(Paris) for his brilliant research in glycols, glycerine and polihydric alcohols.

In architecture, when the East India Company wanted to build a Town Hall in Bombay it offered a prize for the best design. This was won by ANDRE CONSTANCIO AUGUSTO, from Raia. The Town Hall was completed in1833.The same architect also built Christ Church in Byculla. ALOISIO COLACO built Gloria Church and the Opera House while W.X MASCARENHAS was responsible for conceiving and building the Khadakvasla Academy.

VICTOR FROILANO de MELLO, visiting Professor at MIT, achieved renown in soil engineering and was appointed by the Brazilian Govt. as Head of the Commission of Inquiry into the collapse of a stadium. In recent times, CHARLES CORREIA has gained popularity in India, especially Bombay, pushing the idea of New Bombay. He appeared in an issue of TIME magazine some years back, listed among 50 potential, bright stars of the future.

GOA had the first medical school in India, even earlier than Grant Medical and produced some world class doctors. Dr. GAMA PINTO, from Saligao, went on to repeat his course in Portugal and then landed in Heidelberg University as Professor of Ophthalmology around the 1880s.The Portuguese Govt. issued a set of two stamps in his honour. Dr. BITTENCOURT RODRIGUES (we have seen him before as Portuguese Foreign Minister) studied in Paris and then went on to Brazil writing proficuously in the greatest Brazilian paper "O Estado de S. Paulo". He started the Pasteur Institute in S.Paulo (still extant in its original house on Avenida Paulista). His full-sized statue graces the lobby

of the Institute to this day and, if one asks, one may be shown his signature on the Acts of the meeting approving the Institute. Dr. FROLIANO de MELLO (father of the soil engineer mentioned before) was a great bacteriologist and leprosy specialist. He was sent to Lisbon as a MP for Goa. He emigrated to Brazil and continued his work there. A street in S. Paulo is named after him.

In the batch of eight students graduating from Grant Medical in Bombay, four were GOANS. BHAU DAI LAD, J.C. LISBOA, ANANT DUKLE and SEBASTIAO CARVALHO. BHAU DAI LAD worked in various fields, he became the first Sheriff of Bombay in 1869 and again in 1871.He was responsible for building the Victoria Gardens and Museum and founded the Bombay Presidency Association, immediate forerunner of the Indian National Congress. J.C. LISBOA, from Assagao, showed considerable interest in botany and studied medicinal plants extensively so that two plants were named after him. He wrote two books on plants. ANANT DUKLE, from Calangute, became a leader in the profession and was named the first Superintendent of Vaccination in1898. He strove hard to popularise vaccination. ANTHONY JOSEPH NORONHA was Professor of anatomic pathology at the Poona Medical College in 1892. He wrote "Introduction to Clinical Medicine" and "Outlines of General Pathology".

The pioneers of Grant Medical were followed by others, equally brilliant. ACACIO VEIGAS, in 1896 when bubonic plague struck Bombay traced the cause of the epidemic and helped save thousands of lives. He is also known as the Father of the Technological Dept. GOANETTERS familiar with the Dhobitalao-Girgaum area may have come across Dr. Veigas Streeet in Cavel, named after him. Another GOAN to carve a niche in the pantheon of Medicine was Dr. V. N. SHIRODKAR who achieved fame internationally by devising an operation in gynecology that carries his name.

And, who can forget oncologist ERNESTO BORGES who was a source of last resort to so many desperate GOANS?

There was the constellation of doctors who extended their labour outside their chosen field, in social work, by becoming Mayors of Bombay. They include U. MASCARENHAS, SIMON FERNANDES, ALOISIO COLACO and the father and son duo of ALBAN & LEON d'SOUZA.

With a large Catholic population GOA naturally produced a very large number of priests Every GOAN is aware of Bl. Pe. JOSE VAZ and Fr. AGNELO. The first GOAN priest to be ordained around 1635 was also named Fr. JOSE VAZ!

In the 1780s, Fr. JOSE ANTONIO GONCALVES went to Rome and got a Doctorate in Theology, no mean feat in those days of hard and risky travel. But, he grew frustrated at not being given a Bishopric by the Portuguese. This frustration eventually boiled over and made him one of the main brains behind the "PINTO CONSPIRACY" of 1787, perhaps hoping that, if the Portuguese were thrown out of GOA he would become the Archbishop! Unlike all the other conspirators, he managed to elude his pursuers and was the only one never apprehended. Fr. CAETANO FRANCISCO do COUTO was another conspirator, close to Fr. GONCALVES., who was jailed and then exiled to Portugal. Fourteen other clerics were involved in the plot and were all exiled.

For a very long time, there were no GOAN Bishops. Only in the forties and fifties some began to be appointed. Bishop JOSE COLACO, from Margao, became Bishop of Cape Verde Islands and Bishop ALTINO RIBEIRO de SANTANA became Bishop of SA de BANDEIRA (Angola).

After Indian Independence nationalization came into full force and we had VALERIAN CARDINAL GRACIAS (who had succeeded Archbishop Roberts as

Archbishop of Bombay) become the first Indian Cardinal, soon to be joined by JOSEPH CARDINAL CORDEIRO, of Saligao, in Karachi. One Bishop followed another after that like Archbishop ANGELO FERNANDES, RAYMOND, EUGENE d'SOUZA, ROSARIO, etc.

Music comes naturally to GOANS and it is no wonder they excel in it. OLGA CRAN (Athaide) made a great name in Piano Concert music and performed in various European capitals. NOEL FLORES holds the GOAN flag high in Vienna where he is also a much sought after Music Professor. Maestro A.FIGUEREDO conducted a superb group of GOANS singing Goan folksongs in Lisbon.

Few GOANS realize that, in the 1948 Olympics five out of the eleven players donning the Indian cap were GOANS: LEO PINTO (goal-keeper), WALTER d'SOUZA, REGGIE RODRIGUES, MAXIE VAZ and MAURICE BRITTO. Those were the heyday of GOAN team LUSITANIANS and few GOANS could afford to miss their games at the Cooperage.

LAVY PINTO and OWEN PINTO in sprints also carved a name for themselves as the fastest men in Asia

This is far, far from being an exhaustive list. That would need a book. The purpose of these lines was merely to elucidate to the younger generation the glories of our past as an encouragement for the future, without causing too much ennui.

This is not a scholar's or a historian's work, merely that of an amateur GOAN, proud of his country and his countrymen, who craves indulgence for any glaring omissions and commissions