------------------------------------------------------------------------ * G * O * A * N * E * T **** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GARCA BRANCA VACATION ACCOMMODATION LOUTULIM, SOUTH GOA. For R&R; modern/clean amenities; serene, healthy and wholesome location
Visit http://www.garcabranca.com for details/booking/confirmation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Autobiography Of A Young Goan Fidalgo ----------------------------------------------------------- >From Goa to Patagonia : Memoirs Spanning Times and Spaces. By Alfredo F. de Mello Broadway Book Centre. Goa. 2007 (With a Preface by Dr. Teotonio R. de Souza) ----------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Augusto Pinto If I was Alfredo de Mello's editor, the first thing I would have told him was to rename his book: The Autobiography of a Young Goan Fidalgo, and then subtitle it: Memories of the Son of Dr. Froilano de Mello, the Great Bamon Bhatkar of Benaullim. Why? Well, besides being bold, brash and intriguing, this title would have forced him to focus on his childhood life in Goa, and his school and college days in British India, leaving his fascinating war time adventures, and his life in Portugal, America, and Uruguay for another volume. But there are other reasons. Let's take the Fidalgo bit first. I've often marveled at the stately colonial mansions of the Bamon and Chardo bhatkars, those huge dinosaurs of houses that must cost a fortune to maintain in this day and age, and many of which are falling into a state of disrepair, as obviously the owners do not have such fortunes any longer, that is, if those families are still extant, or haven't migrated to greener pastures. It is increasingly being realized that this architecture is one of the most important forms of art that Goa has produced. I've wondered what kind of lives was lived by the people who once inhabited those mansions. There have been rumours overheard about how strait-laced those societies were; about how sons and daughters were sent off to join religious orders, or kept unmarried in order to keep land holdings intact which meant that they would have it off with the poskems or the mundkars; about how the unmarried sons would share the affections of the mistress of the house -- and they had to leave their footwear outside her bed-chamber, so as not to be disturbed in the act? Well, this book will not confirm or deny those chestnuts, but it certainly gives us a glimpse into the lives of the high and mighty of days gone by, but at a time when that way of life was gradually coming under threat. The memories of the lower middle classes of those times and even a little later, but who now enjoy a better standard of living, will often revolve around the topic of food or the lack of it. No such worry seems to have troubled young Alfredo. He was the sort who would wear an Omega watch to school, an act that only Maharajas' children could emulate, and who would hire a piano for his amusement when in college. In fact late in the book when writing about his college days in Madras Christian College, at the age of 19, he drops this little gem: "When there were festive occasions, and dinners were prepared for the entire student body, the food served was, of course, the vegetarian food, I learnt to eat with my fingers, and push the curry and rice with my left thumb." See what I mean by fidalgo!! And as for the sub-title, the writer's father, Dr. Froilano de Mello, one of the tallest Goan intellectuals of the previous century, towers, quite naturally, over much of the book. This bhatkar of Brahmin stock, from the village of Benaulim, was a brilliant doctor and medical researcher, and is credited with having eradicated malaria from much of Goa (oh, how one wishes he was alive today to eradicate that same menace!). There can be little doubt that he and his family were quite conscious of their ancestry, and were not above bandying it around when the occasion demanded. Look at this incident that occurred at Bishop Cottons School in Bangalore where Alfredo the morgado of Dr. Froilano, and his two brothers had been sent to study, as by then it was evident that the future lay with English. When he was 18, an arrogant master named Rev. Xavier joined the school. World War II was going on and he was assigned to prepare Bishop Cotton boys for impending war duty by drilling the boys with 1914 vintage rifles and polished boots. Seeing that Alfredo hadn't joined the group he made some cutting remarks to him. When Alfredo replied that he didn't join them as he was a foreigner, the master said: "Why don't you become a British subject? Don't you know we are the salt of the earth?" Alfredo coolly replied, "I am a Portuguese citizen, Sir, and not a subject like yourself. Furthermore I am of Brahmin stock, and if any label of superiority might be applied to certain people, I am definitely entitled to it, although I pay little heed to such labels. Every dog has its day. Portugal had its glorious quarter of an hour in History, as a world power, in the sixteenth century, and yours is about to end." This is a remarkable (and far-sighted) thing for anyone to say to a person belonging to the ruling classes, let alone an 18 year old schoolboy. Unlike many Goan memoirs I've found that de Mello is not at all coy about sex. He describes, with some humour, two horses trying to mate -- they barge into a football field as his father was about to kick off a game -- and a honeymoon scene between a lion and a lioness; and with some anger, how he came across a school bully trying to bugger a pretty Parsi boy. Young Alfredo put a stop to it. About his own relationships he is more discreet, although he leaves enough hints that he was no hermit. And from his photographs its evident that he was quite a lady-killer. Discussing the books he had read when young (he could read Portuguese, French, and German before he turned to English) this is what he says about Balzac, "His preference for the femme de trente ans ( the thirty-year-old woman) without any doubt ingrained itself in my mind so that throughout my life, I have loved women around this age." I suspect that his love life will make salacious reading. I won't spoil the book for the reader by telling any more of Alfredo's stories. The book has a preface by Dr Teotonio De Souza, wherein he sets the historical context for the book. He coins the neologism "Goabilization", or is it "Goablization", to describe "the kind of globalisation experienced by Goans since many past centuries". (What's next, I wonder? Goabillism, or the philosophy that allows Goans to make their way anywhere in the world except in their own backyard?) The book also has two speeches to the Portuguese parliament and a letter to Salazar from Dr Froilano de Mello which gives us a clue as to his political vision. To me it seems what Dr Froilano wanted was a kind of autonomous status for Goa within the Portuguese Republic -- with at the same time good relations with the rest of India. I suspect that there are still lots of people who would have liked this idea as it would have kept out the bhailles! No doubt there are a number of shortcomings to this book -- like bad editing and bad proofreading. And hey there Khalil Saab -- for a bookseller surely you know there are lots of people who judge a book by its cover, and at any rate one is tempted to browse through a nicely produced book -- why did you make it look like a geography text book? And why don't you rope in the gang who produced Dominic's Goa when you want to publish a book? The expense it involves will be justified by higher sales. In spite of these carpings I think this book is an excellent read which I'd heartily recommend.And I look forward to Volume 2. Augusto Pinto can be contacted at 40, Novo Portugal, Moira, Bardez, Goa, India or via email at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] This review was first published on Goa-Research-Net [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/goa-research-net] ----------------------------------------------------------------- GOANET-READER WELCOMES contributions from its readers, by way of essays, reviews, features and think-pieces. We share quality Goa-related writing among the 8000-strong readership of the Goanet/Goanet-news network of mailing lists. If you appreciated the thoughts expressed above, please send in your feedback to the writer. Our writers write -- or share what they have written -- pro bono, and deserve hearing back from those who appreciate their work. GoanetReader welcomes your feedback at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Goanet Reader is edited by Frederick Noronha fredericknoronha at gmail.com Please visit Goanet's website at http://www.goanet.org For the latest Goa News headlines visit: http://www.goanet.org/newslinks.php Published under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 license. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Goanet, building community, creating social capital for a decade. -----------------------------------------------------------------