Accidents do happen. We have all met with one, if not more. But it is our
overall conduct at the site of the accident that matters by our care,
empathy and compassion for the accident victim.
This is where the famed Pop star and Padma Shri Remo Fernandes miserably
failed on the afternoon of December 1st after that speeding car rashly
driven by his son Jonah Fernandes knocked down grievously injuring at Gurim
near Mapusa the 17 year old Helan D’Souza who had come walking all the way
from Malvan on a pilgrimage and was on her way to attend the feast of St
Francis Xavier at Old Goa.
Remo Fernandes may claim that he loves and cares for Goa but we need to
know his contribution if any to the State. One even cannot recollect a
single charity show that he has ever organized for any Goan cause.
Would have never known about that 1st December accident if it was not for
Rev. Fr Savio Barreto, the Director of Basilica of Bom Jesus at Old Goa who
on 18th December narrated to me the sordid events. The Mapusa Police have a
lot to answer for not having dealt with this accident as they do in every
other accident case. The law did not take its own course in this celebrity
mishap.
Remo Fernandes’s puffed up egoistic arrogance is very disturbing and
reprehensible. His conduct at all times needed to be exemplary more so that
he has been holding the very high title of Padma Shri conferred on him by
the President of India. He ought to have by his conduct been a role model
to us all. But like the dog’s tail may never straighten.
The 18th September 2000 mishap at Kanpur in which four of his very own band
mates were crushed to death was also an accident. But Remo Fernandes’s
conduct after that tragic accident was also even more heartbreaking. Goa
lost three budding musicians Selwyn Pereira, Victor Alvares, Dharmendra
Hirve besides Sunil Redker who was the band’s liaison person. The families
of the deceased musicians were witness and to date are living with those
heartrending memories of that horrific and uncaring conduct displayed by
Remo Fernandes towards his very own team of musicians after that fatal
accident.
One of the musicians Selwyn Pereira was a jewel, our Ribandar lost so
early, at a very tender age of just 29. Selwyn Pereira had started his own
band when he was just 10 years old and named it "Civilians". He later
played for one of Goa's top bands the "Big City Band”. He moved on to join
as a keyboardist playing for Remo Fernandes’s "The Microwave Papadams".
Selwyn Pereira may have learnt a lot of music from Remo Fernandes but if
Remo Fernandes had only cared to be inspired by Selwyn’s care and
compassion for others the Pop Star may have never ever landed on the wrong
side of the law. For Remo Fernandes it was a missed opportunity which may
never return.
Today on Christmas, remembering the always ever so cheerful, warm hearted
and very jovial Selwyn Pereira who was always ready to help one and all.
Extremely civil in his conduct, the very down to earth with no ego, Selwyn
was always ever so humble. Besides being a very budding musician, he was an
outstanding human being always caring and who never stopped smiling. 15
years down the road, and Ribandar has not seen another Selwyn. And
thankfully we have also not been witness to another Remo Fernandes.
Aires Rodrigues
Advocate High Court
C/G-2, Shopping Complex
Ribandar Retreat,
Ribandar – Goa – 403006
Mobile No: 9822684372
Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012
Email: airesrodrigu...@gmail.com
Or
airesrodrig...@yahoo.com
You can also reach me on
Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues
Twitter@rodrigues_aires
www.airesrodrigues.com
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Goanet annual year-end meet in Goa: if you're reading this, you're
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