You have always been against kangaroo courts. So now I am utterly surprised that you yourself have decided to set up one against me, despite knowing me so well and despite knowing that you are my friend and i respect you so much
It is ok for other people to say "Margao civil war erupteth" and "this is a war between Margao "bamons". But, of all the people, how do you have the gumption to set a kangaroo court? Do you know what is the word i hate the most? It is when people call me "bamon". My life is full of examples where in my day-to-day life i have mixed and safeguarded the interests of all no matter what their class or creed is.And people respect me for that. I was not a graduated doctor when Valmiki's father died. But even as children we know about his manic episodes and a number of witnesses cancorroborate. In the end, it was unfortunate that Valmiki's father jumped into the house well and committed suicide. Bentu (Bento), the local carpenter, who was also an ace-swimmer, was called to jump into the well to extricate him. Sadly, it was too late when he brought out the dead body and we were all aghast witnessing the scene. Vinod Mehta recently wrote a book " Lucknow boy". He was honest to the core. Arnab Goswami asked him whether he had the honesty to write about his own escapades. His answer was in the affirmative. And I did this even taking the risk of upsetting my wife. Whereas Valmiki washes the dirty linen in other households covering his own under a veil of secrecy. He fails to highlight the role of my grandfather who was a role model and philantropist and co-founder of the Sanatorium. He may not have been very intelligent, but his doors were always open to the poor and the needy.But he attributes to him some lies. Valmiki takes glee in writing that one of my uncles died of TB, then a stigma (no ethics here?). He takes glee in writing that one of my uncles was a mental patient (no ethics here?) and was brought dead, after years, only in a coffin. He then meekly goes on to justify saying he did nothing wrong because mental illness is unfortunate.But his malicious comments are not. Dr. Loo Estibeiro, the then director of the mental Hospital, always vouched that she never saw an inmate being treated by his family in such an exemplary manner. Every week my aunt used to send him goodies and other food he enjoyed. He had almost found a home away from home and did not want to return. When he suffered from large goiter, I took him myself to the old GMC and Dr. Willy operated on him proficiently. When he died I washed his body myself, then dressed him up, hired a coffin and brought him home for a decent burial.(Valmiki's father was a "prisoner" in his own home!) Valmiki had two aunts that were "town-gossipers" and hated our family. One of them, tia Olinda, according to him, gave him the "so-valuable" inputs for his book. Could there be a greater joke?. The other aunt, Bertina always "eaves-dropped" at the adjacent house of Paixao Pereiras. The next day, the whole town came to know about the "porcarias" going on in the house of Paixao Pereiras. One day, as she was indulging in her favourite pastime,the neighbours seized of the mischief, flung pepper-powder in her eye after which she became forever blind. Valmiki uses the respected Dr. Eurico Silva to write his preface but no word about the dirty linen in his family. He uses Tamsin Cherier as his compère but no word about the dirty linen in Tamsin's family. Only showers of praise. He makes use of a few to revile others. He soils the good name of revered Fenelon Rebelo who lifted "Italab" to the greatest heights through sheer dint of hard work. He arms himself against Mr.Damodar (Mohandas) Naik (now 82-year-old) to talk about his sexual escapades more than 50 years ago. I am told that his nephew has already threatened him with legal proceedings. If this does not amount to innuendo and malice at its worst, what is? Finally, I talked with historian-friend Fr. Nascimento Soares and he spoke like this: How can a historical book be written in three months? Where are his sources and bibliography? If historians like Fr. Velingkar are seized with the contents they will cut the book into pieces. He lamented that Valmiki's purported historical book sadly degenerates from a book of history into a book of khobrô. Lastly, I told him that Vivek Menezes had greeted Valmiki's book as the best history book ever written in modern times. He had a hearty laugh and pointedly said "These are compliments from friends to friends" Dear Joe since you have posed yourself as a judge and fired questions at me -your youth hood friend - I was quite astounded and grudgingly wrote this. My wife and daughters already want me to put an end to this ugly debate. But it is sad. Especially when it comes from Valmiki, someone who is so brilliant, so gifted, but has let it transpire that, in spite of all, old family grudges and envy remain deep-rooted in his heart. I hope this is the end of the matter which has left a sour taste in the mouths of many families of Largo da Igreja, who already face many problems and, in all earnest, do their utmost to help the needy ones, and do whatever they can to honor the memory of their ancestors, whatever their faults may have been. After all, "let him who has no sin cast the first stone”. Affectionate regards, Francisco
