This is an excellent (summa cum laude) review of FdeN’s book by Caetano Mascarenhas. Would be interested to know more about this reviewer.
Is there an English translation of this book up for sale? I suppose not but I can hope. Roland, Toronto. On Sat, Mar 30, 2024 at 2:17 PM The Goa Book Club < [email protected]> wrote: > “GOA: as Fernando de Noronha knew it” > ‘Goa: tal como a conheci’ (‘Goa: as I knew it’) (Third Millenium, 2018; > price: Rs.400) > [image: Caetano Mascarenhas] > > <https://medium.com/@caetanomm?source=post_page-----4b51668578c3--------------------------------> > > Caetano Mascarenhas > <https://medium.com/@caetanomm?source=post_page-----4b51668578c3--------------------------------> > · > > Follow > 12 min read > · > Mar 5, 2024 > > <https://medium.com/plans?dimension=post_audio_button&postId=4b51668578c3&source=upgrade_membership---post_audio_button----------------------------------> > > The ‘Instituto Vasco da Gama’, founded in 1871, merits a whole chapter for > its unmatched contribution to the widening of literary and scientific > horizons of young Goans. (This institution was renamed as ‘Menezes Braganca > Institute’ after December 1961.) The hoary ‘Seminario de Rachol’ is said to > have had academic standards that were higher than in Europe. The book gives > valuable information about its scholastic structure. > > The chapter on ‘The city and the village’ gives interesting particulars > about the administrative divisions of Goa. It also names the many wards > that formed ‘Nova Goa’ (now Panaji), its squares, streets, entertainment, > social profile and classes, including the now-extinct ‘descendentes’ and > ‘mesticos’ whose ‘bon vivant’ lifestyle spiced up the local social life. > The Margao town was known as the cultural and political capital of Goa on > account of its manorial and intellectual life (which was lampooned in the > novel ‘Jacob e Dulce’ by Francisco Joao da Costa). The towns of Mapusa and > Vasco da Gama enjoyed less prestige. > > Village life was tranquil and secure. Society was homogeneous and, not > withstanding its caste divisions, lived harmoniously. There was no > religious strife. Incidents of crime were low and one almost never heard of > serious offences like rape and murder. Corruption among public officials > was not known. The economy was basically agricultural operations of paddy > and coconut cultivation with other fruit-bearing trees. There was an > attempt to develop the extensive barren land of the New Conquest > agriculturally. The only industry that existed was small-scaled factories > for canning and preservation of fish, meat and fruits. The mining of > ferrous ores began only in 1950’s, which also lead to the improvement of > Mormugao port. Emigration for employment was widespread and it balanced the > local economy. > > The chapter ‘O Clero’ (The Clergy) dilates upon the contribution of Goan > Catholic priests to public life by way of education and writings. > Interestingly, it notes that late Francisco Xavier Gomes Catao wrote > extensively on the history of Goa Archdiocese in various periodicals. As > there is no comprehensive history of Catholic Church or Christianization of > Goa, one hopes that these writings are soon collected in a single or more > volumes. The Author gives the roll-call of Goan clerics who made history by > being the first Indians to hold offices as Cardinals and Bishops and > Patriarchs of Goa. > > The collapse of the Republican regime in Portugal around 1926 ended the > separation of Church and State. The Church began to reassert itself in > civil public life and even political institutions. The religious Orders, > which had been expelled from Portuguese territories in the 18th century by > Marquis de Pombal, returned to Goa in the 20th century and run prestigious > educational and welfare institutions. The Author asserts that the Catholic > Church has been a force for good for the general public in Goa. The > Christian influence, he says, has contributed to the creation of a distinct > identity of the Goan, no matter his religion. > > There is an interesting account of Catholic apologetics in Goa that is not > likely to be found in any other historical account. The chapter contains an > invaluable record of the many Catholic periodicals (the first ‘*O Crente*’ > being founded in 1895) and writers (lay and clerical) who battled in > defence on Catholic orthodoxy. The elite of educated Goan youth of early > 20th century was largely indifferent to religion, many of whom (such as > Antonio Floriano de Noronha and Luis de Menezes Braganza) went on to become > celebrated flag-bearers of liberal thinking in Goa. The concept of > religious polemics itself dissolved when Vatican Council II opted for > dialogue, instead of antagonism, with other phase. > > In the chapter ‘The Faith of the People’ the Author reviews the many > peculiar practices and events surrounding the Catholic religion in Goa, > e.g. the caste-based sectarian formations (‘Confrarias’), the prevalence of > ‘evil eye’, the invocations to different saints for specific favours and > the naming of various villages after different cognomens of Mary, Mother of > Christ. The Author attributes the typical Goan qualities of honesty, > sincerity and loyalty as being the fruits of (mainly Catholic) religiosity. > > The book is written in unpretentious and elegant Portuguese prose. > Everybody interested in things Goan should be grateful for this labour of > love. > > > https://medium.com/@caetanomm/goa-as-fernando-de-noronha-knew-it-4b51668578c3 > > -- > *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Goa Book Club" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/a0da8ae9-0679-4e43-9d26-5ee3ed146906n%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/a0da8ae9-0679-4e43-9d26-5ee3ed146906n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Goa Book Club" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CA%2Bx1-5Qxd9wxbUMoGPzSz8QS3UcGxFBfhq-yBLC7mFX9C92Q4g%40mail.gmail.com.
