Dear Selma, I never ever wanted to engage in any sort of "match" as you so quaintly put it.
This was triggered by your remark on a public forum, saying that my grandfather was "considered to be a pro-Nazi in Goa". I felt compelled to respond. So please don't you dare lecture me on how best to preserve my grandfather's memory, shortly after you yourself have publicly hinted at possible blemishes in them. "Pro-Nazi" is a strong, loaded statement. You now mention "minor surveillance" (which you also did in the first post), but not the "pro-Nazi" comment. Perhaps you would care to explain how, in my justified defence of him, I am denying my grandfather his courage. A remark on an internet forum survives as a record, and in future if anyone does a search, every stray comment ever made in cyberspace shows up and often becomes the basis of historical record, and eventually can get accepted as fact. This is why I am reacting so strongly. You publicly offered to send me the relevant document (file no. FO 371/31136) by email, so I shall hold you to that. As regards the request for your postal address, it was triggered by the tone of your own email " ...by now I am quite used to people popping up from history books and demanding apologies from me, so I too have taken legal advice in this matter." So what then is the problem with letting me have your address? I feel no fear of any legal action. To call a remark like "pro-Nazi" about my own grandfather as "something disagreeable" to me is a Himalayan understatement. Whether I "burst" onto Goanet or not is a subjective feeling that you hold. It certainly "perpetuates a falsity with malice" to make a statement like this without then furnishing the proof to substantiate this. I am glad that you now laud my grandfather's courage and daring. He was a great man, who Goa seems to have forgotten by the wayside. I have tried hard to ensure he gets the credit for Goa's first ever radio broadcast. (26 May 1946). I mentioned this to a Goanetter who actually has a blog on "Radio in India", but it met with indifferent silence. I can quote chapter and verse on this accomplishment of his, and many others. Thank you very much for your kind offer of assistance in unearthing archived information. You can start making good on this offer by sending me the document that led to this whole exchange in the first place. ;-) Private, publicly, as I said is totally irrelevant. Our family has nothing to hide. You have still not answered my queries regarding the alleged "suspension", nor where you got this little nugget of information. I still do look forward to your postal address. Please feel free to send it to me privately if you are not comfortable sending it on this forum. Best wishes, Dr Luis Dias Casa da Moeda Near Head Post Office Panaji-Goa INDIA 2224642, 9011051950. --- On Wed, 18/11/09, Carvalho <elisabeth_...@yahoo.com> wrote: > From: Carvalho <elisabeth_...@yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: Goan veterans > To: "Goanet" <goa...@goanet.org>, se...@goanet.org, "Luis Dias" > <diasfl...@yahoo.com> > Date: Wednesday, 18 November, 2009, 11:39 > Dear Dr Dias, > I do not want to engage in a public mudslinging match. That > is not doing any good to either of our reputations. This is > my last post on the matter so let me quickly make my > points. > > 1. You burst onto Goanet and use words such as slander and > libel. To slander is to lie, perpetuate a falsity with > malice. I have done no such thing. This is unjust to my own > reputation. I have stated a historical fact that your > grandfather was under "minor surveillance" by the British > counsel. You or anyone else who wishes to verify this fact, > may go to the National Archives in Kew, Richmond, UK and do > so. In good faith, I give you the file no. FO 371/31136. > Everything I have stated is sourced from this file. > Incidentally I was not doing any research on your family. I > chanced upon it whilst researching something else more than > a year ago. I just stated it on Goanet because it was > relevant to the discussion we were having at the time. > > 2. Are you entirely sure that your grandfather would want > you to defend him in such a manner? It seems to me that your > grandfather was a courageous and daring man and fully > invested in his own political convictions. Why are you now > denying him his courage? How courageous this man was to go > against commonly held views and pursue his own path in life, > keep his own company. I wonder if he knew that he was being > watched but even if he did, I doubt he would have cared > little. Don't do this to your grandfather's memory. > > 3. I don't understand what significance my postal address > has to you? Unless there is a thinly disguised threat in > there somewhere. Surely you don't want to be seen > threatening another Goan on a public forum into silence just > because something is disagreeable to you. Recently we had > the speaker of the assembly threatening a writer in Goa into > silence. It seems that we Goans are losing more and more of > our freedom every day. > > If you wish any more assistance from my side in unearthing > archived information, I shall be happy to help in whatever > capacity I can but please do contact me in private. > > Best, > Selma > > --- On Wed, 11/18/09, Luis Dias <diasfl...@yahoo.com> > wrote: > > > From: Luis Dias <diasfl...@yahoo.com> > > Subject: Re: Goan veterans > > To: "Goanet" <goa...@goanet.org>, > se...@goanet.org, > "Carvalho" <elisabeth_...@yahoo.com> > > Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 2:42 AM > > Dear Selma, > > > > I accept your apology, but again the rest of your > post > > sounds far from apologetic. > > > > > > >
