Re: [GRN] Finally the book V. Gama by S. Subramanyam in Portugal

[John de Figueiredo]

I believe I stated this before. Vasco da Gama was not a pirate. Also, during his brief tenure as Viceroy of India (brief due to his untimely death), he proved himself to be a great and just leader because he punished fellow Europeans who were stealing from the crown and restored law, order, and decency in the government of Goa. Like his predecessor Afonso de Albuquerque, he applied the norms of justice equally and fairly, irrespective of race or national origin. (In the case of Albuquerque he went overboard to punish a fellow European for a relatively minor violation of one of his orders.) Let us not allow current political views to cloud the interpretation of well documented events that took place in the 16th century. John M. de Figueiredo  Sent from my iPhone On May 18, 2024, at 4:25 PM, albert...@sapo.pt wrote:  Did it take 27 years? Demonstration of the “lie” lobby that does not want to know real facts. I was in Goa once and Mr. Sinari, owner of a record store, expressed his anger against, in his own words, the pirate Vasco da Gama. He remembered the Hindu temples that were destroyed by the Portuguese and the arrest of a family member by the PIDE.   Regards ----- Mensagem de 'Nuno Cardoso da Silva' via Goa-Research-Net <goa-research-net@googlegroups.com> --------- Data: Thu, 16 May 2024 12:24:31 +0200 De: 'Nuno Cardoso da Silva' via Goa-Research-Net <goa-research-net@googlegroups.com> Assunto: Re: [GRN] Finally the book V. Gama by S. Subramanyam in Portugal Para: goa-research-net@googlegroups.com Historical figures are never wholly good nor wholly bad. Therefore, in order to have a more realistic view of such figures, it is good that some writers focus exclusively on the better or worse aspects of their lives. In that way, we may be able to see such historical figures as human beings and not as angels or devils. I have no way to know how good or how bad Vasco da Gama was, and neither has Sanjay Subrahmanyam. But even if he is unfair in respect of Vasco da Gama it is good he has given us the opportunity to bring him down to earth. In that way we may focus on his positive achievements without forgetting his more dubious ones. Whatever Sanjay Subrahmanyam may say, Vasco da Gama will remain an important figure for Portugal, for India and for the World at large. But he will also become a bit more human, and that's good.   Nuno Cardoso da Silva     -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to goa-research-net+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/20240517112503.Horde.RJLBkp22R4j_apmfrKiWStx%40mail.sapo.pt. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to goa-research-net+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/0C5351E8-01C7-4C19-8A29-09CF97CA03E5%40sbcglobal.net.