Another Genuine Freedom Fighter and a great benefactor of teachers whom I was closely associated with was the late Ravindranath Pai Raiturkar who for a number of years headed the All Goa Secondary School Teachers Association (AGSSTA).
Mr. Ravindra Pai Raiturkar refused to accept the Tamra Patra and a Freedom Fighters Pension. He headed the Teachers Association when the very fact that you joined the Association was enough to give you the pink slip. Those were days in which teachers had no job security - you could have your services terminated with one months notice or a month's salary in lieu of notice without assigning any reason. Some managements used this clause to suppress any organized teachers movement. I know because I started teaching in those days way back in 1969. Raiturkar not only headed the teachers movement, but gave it a firm and fixed direction. He was a tough negotiator and was a great champion of teachers causes. It was under his Presidentship that managements were given 100 percent grant towards teachers salaries. This was achieved not without a tough fight which included a torchlight march to Panjim from all corners of Goa. Later on he fought and succeeded in getting teachers salaries paid through banks. This prevented unscrupulous managements from making illegal deductions from teachers salaries. In one particular incident, Mr. Bonfilho da Cruz was the Director of Education when the Directorate was housed in the Massano de Amorim building. The office bearers and a few selected members of AGSSTA entered the Director's cabin and laid siege to it. This was the first time that teachers in Goa had resorted to a gherao As in the seventies there was a great shortage of teachers, he was responsible for getting teachers trained on deputation. This meant that they would be paid full salaries during their teachers training course. Mr. Ravindranath Pai Raiturkar deserves to be called a worthy son of Goa. -- \\\ Tony de Sa tonyd...@gmail.com M : +91 9975 162 897 Ph. : +91 832 2470 148 ^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v