OF PORTUGUESE CROSSES, INDIAN SWORDS & GOANS.
=======================
VALMIKI FALEIRO examines some aspects of Goa's contribution to the officer ranks
of India's defence services, and unravels some offbeat patterns and snippets.
=======================
Many think the Portuguese came here with a sword in one hand and a cross in the
other. They came with neither. They came for oriental silks-n-spices, and a
hatred of
Muslims who had occupied Portugal for five centuries, a bit barbarically at
times, until
1238. Moors now controlled Asiatic trade with Europe.
Then came Afonso de Albuquerque. Based in Cochin, he dreamt of total control of
the sea-route between India and Europe. When Goan Hindus, repressed by Bijapur,
invoked Albuquerque via Thimayya for deliverance, he changed course from a
mission in West Asia and instead attacked the Bijapuri Muslims in Goa.
Save a ban on sati, he pledged full local religious freedom. Envious
compatriots, by
intrigue at the royal court in Lisbon, had him deposed. The quest of control of
Asian
trade soon yielded to imperial ambitions. Enter the sword. Decades later, an
ardent
Guv won royal favour to the idea that faith of the king must be faith of his
subjects.
Enter the cross.
Centuries later, that unlikely combination of Sword and Cross shows in a
different
Goan context. Such snippets surfaced when researching Goans in India's defence
forces. But before that, a brief aside. No Goan Catholic my age would forget the
MGP's mid- to late-1970s taunting tirade: "Catholics are unpatriotic,
anti-national,
deport them to Portugal." Mental constipation, verbal diarrhea. Which of Goa's
two
major communities helped defend India more?
My far-from-complete lists of Goan commissioned officers in India's armed forces
feature 286 names - Army 144, Navy 36 and IAF 106. Of the 286 Goans who helped
defend the nation's borders and honour, 263 (or 92%) are the MGP's "unpatriotic,
anti-national" Goan Catholics, who comprise 30% of the population. 65% of Goa's
Hindu population, in all, accounts for 23 defence officers.
Where then were those MGP's impliedly patriotic, not-to-be-deported-to-Portugal
Goan Hindu Generals? Radharao Gracias once publicly explained that in his earthy
style: "Sitting under signboards like Naik General Stores!"
May I borrow US-based Marcos and Jean Gomes Catao's little twist to Sir Winston
Churchill's famous words, "rarely in history has such a small community
contributed
such a large bevy of heroes to a nation." In this and the two parts to follow,
we shall
see how.
Let's revert to the point.
The story of two siblings - one serving in the defence forces, the other the
Catholic
Church, both often with rare distinction - is not rare. Every Goan would have
heard of
Siolim-origin John Lobo, the former Director of India's Intelligence Bureau and
of the
Central Bureau of Investigation. His much-revered brother was Bishop Ignatius
Lobo,
who passed away this February.
The adage springs to mind, "Ek put devak, dusro povak, tisro devcharak" (one son
for God, the 2nd for society/nation as a doctor, engineer, defence or police
officer, the
third, like my friend Radharao, possibly as a lawyer!)
Lt Gen Francis T Dias of Velcao, between holding several key Indian Army posts,
was the very first General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command. His
brother, Ivan Cardinal Dias, rose to the No.3 position in the Vatican hierarchy
- after
the Pope and the Secretary of State, as Prefect of the Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples, a position he still serves.
Brig George Francis DeSouza of Saligao similarly held important posts in the
Army.
His brother was Archbishop Eugene D'Souza of Nagpur, later of Bhopal.
Brig F. Reginald Campos' brother from Saligao was a Redemptorist priest, once a
Parish Priest in Ambala.
Maj Albert Francis Winington da Costa-Joshi, FRCS, from Saligao, was both in
military and civil medical services. Of his sons, one is Brig Ian da Costa,
another is
Cmde Emile da Costa-Joshi. The third is Fr. Albert da Costa-Joshi, SJ.
Col G Oscar Rebelo of Margao (ex-Curtorim) is brother of diocesan Vicar, Fr.
Avinash
Rebelo.
Wg Cdr Raul do Menino de Jesus Oliveira Silva Rodrigues of Cavelossim, who
retired much after flying Canberras in 5 SQN when in Agra in the late '60s, was
youngest of ten siblings (five pairs). Eldest was late Fr. Bernardo Silva
Rodrigues.
Wg Cdr Aquinas ("Aqui") Menezes from Pirna-Bardez is a serving officer. His
eldest
brother is the Redemptorist priest, Fr. Frederick Menezes.
Jr. WO Noel Sequeira of Carmona served in the Army and later in the Goa Rajya
Sainik Board. His brother is the diocesan priest, Fr. Nelson Sequeira.
Lt John Fernandes of Candolim joined the Navy around 1939/40, served in WW-II,
and left in the early 50s to join the Ministry of Defence in a civilian
capacity. He was
among 7/8 officers sent from Bombay to set up the Naval HQ in New Delhi (four in
that group - including one Vasco Ferrao, a Gonsalves and a Rodrigues - were
Goans!) Lt Fernandes' youngest brother, Frederick, became a Christian Brother,
Bro.
Martin, currently in Calcutta. The middle brother, Cedric, joined the IAF, did
two
terms on HT-2 and Harvard aircraft, then lost interest, and became Christian
Brother
Gregory, currently in Nainital.
Col Apolinario ("Apollo") Xavier do Rosario Pinto Ferrao hails from the
principal
family of Aldona. His cousin-brother is the current Goa Archbishop.
Then there were families where more than one sibling joined the defence
services.
Consider this classic case. Dr. Cristovam Filipe Eusebio Francisco Jose
Ubaldino da
Gama Barreto (1889-1972), from Ganapoga-Raia, was a dentist based in Nagpur.
The distinguished man was personal dentist to Mahatma Gandhi (at the Wardha
Ashram) and was nicknamed "Father of the Nation's Toothless." He was married to
Maria Marta Julia de Sequeira and had a daughter and five sons.
The sons grew up as Brig Terence Barreto, (Dr) Vivian Barreto (Army Medical
Corps)
who soon quit and went to the US, Wg Cdr (Dr.) Cecil Barreto, Brig Noel Barreto
and
Lt Gen Christopher ("Bobby") Barreto!
Brig Noel Barreto's wife, Marie-Louise Pinto do Rosario, hails from equally
illustrious
stock. Her father was an Army doctor, Jose Luis Pinto do Rosario and his three
sons
joined each wing of India's defence services: RAdm "DRF Pinto" (short for Fausto
Pinto do Rosario), Capt (Dr.) Norman Pinto do Rosario and AVM Erlic Pinto.
Same with three brothers from Siolim, one in each service: Col Herman Joseph
Fernandes, Cdr Stanley Joseph Fernandes and Gp Capt Trevor Joseph Fernandes
("Joseph" was not their dad's name; it is the family Patron Saint!)
Brig Edward Rodrigues was among the first Goans to join the army in the officer
cadre. (It wasn't easy getting there in British times. Indians could get in
only via the
Auxiliary Force, open only to Anglo-Indians. Brig Rodrigues' father was an
influential
businessman - Mayor, MLA, granted the title of "Sardar Bahadur" - in Yavatmal,
now
in Maharashtra.) Trained at Sandhurst, the British Military Academy, Brig
Rodrigues
was com. into the Ordnance Corps and was its first Indian director. Both his
brothers
joined the Army. Maj Joe Rodrigues was taken PoW by the Japs in WW-II, joined
Subhashchandra Bose's INA, and was inducted post-1947 into the Indian Police
Service. He retired as DIG. Younger brother Brig Arnold was in Ordnance Corps.
Loutulim's Pacheco-Gracias (the "Pacheco" coming from an extinct Margao family
whose house was where Presentation Convent School is today) and the Gracias-
Monteiro families, related as their surnames indicate, together gave India some
10
defence officers. They are (in random order): Pilot Offr Hugo Pacheco Gracias,
Cdr
(Dr) Freddy Gracias, Brig Stephen Gracias, Col Carlos ("Charles") Ismael
Gracias,
whose two sons are Col Neville Hugo Gracias and Col Steven Jude Gracias, Flt Lt
Agostinho Monteiro, Brig Inocencio Monteiro and Capt (Dr) Renato Monteiro.
Likewise, Ucassaim's Gomez family (incl close relatives), had: Brig Ashley
Gomez,
Air Cmde Giles Gomez, Group Capt Vinita Gomez, Major Alex Gomez (who retired
as the Mint Master of Mumbai), Lt Cdr Valerian Mendanha (Salvador do Mundo) and
Lt Cdr (Surgeon) Annette Fernandes (Ucassaim).
Let's briefly look at some more instances where multiple siblings opted for the
services: Gen Sunith Rodrigues' brother was Flt Lt Vijay Rodrigues. Lt Gen
Walter
Pinto's brother is Maj Gen Sidney Pinto. VAdm John DeSilva's brother was Lt
Joseph
DeSilva. Maj Gen Eustace Fernandes's brother was Air Cmde Kevin Fernandes.
Another brother of Brig George DSouza was Maj Valentine DSouza. Gp Capt Allan
D'Costa's brother was Sqn Ldr Henry D'Costa. Gp Capt Colville de Souza's brother
was Col Melville de Souza. Brothers Andrew and Victor Coutts were Lt Colonels,
much like Louis Fonseca and Ernest Fonseca. Lt Col Collin Louzado's brother was
Wg Cdr Paul Louzado. Cdr Sharad Varik's brother was Pilot Offr Vishwanath Varik.
There were husband-wife teams in the services. Air Cmde Giles Gomez and Gp Capt
Vinita Gomez are doctors in the IAF. Doctors Sunil and Camilla Rodrigues retired
from the Navy. Sdn Ldr Alvin Jesus Almeida and Sqn Ldr Mabel Benedict Castelino
are in Med Br.
There also were families where a lineage in each succeeding generation joined
the
defence services. Must begin with Maj Gen Ian Cardoso: his eldest son, Sunith,
is a
Colonel with the same regiment as his dad - the fifth member from every
successive
generation in the Indian Army! Brig George DSouza's only son was Sqn Ldr Charles
DSouza (died young in 1981), and sons-in-law are Maj HB D'Souza from Mapusa
and Cmde John Carneiro from Porvorim.
More father-son instances: Lt Gen Walter Pinto's son is Cdr Kevin AJ Pinto. Brig
Anthony Rebello's son is Wg Cdr Ajay Rebello. Gp Capt Emanuel Fernandes'
second son Rudy flew MiG-21s in the IAF while the youngest is Brig Christopher
Fernandes. Gp Capt Norbert Misquitta's son is Wg Cdr Neville Misquitta. Gp Capt
Ashley Rodrigues' son is Lt Cdr Michael Rodrigues. Lt Col Irwin W Extross' son
is
Col Irwin Extross (same first name.) Wg Cdr Vishwanath Sawardekar's brother,
Prof
RB Sawardekar taught Physics at the National Defence Academy-Pune; his son is Lt
Col Nitin Sawardekar and a cousin is Col MB Sawardekar. Wg Cdr Desmond
("Dinky") Fialho's son is Sqn Ldr Rajnish Fialho. Wg Cdr R Paul's son is Wg Cdr
Christopher Paul. Lt John Fernandes' eldest son is Gp Capt Deryck Fernandes.
The son of Francisco Sequeira Vaz (EME, Army) is Brig Leo Sequeira Vaz.
Col Joseph Robert Falleiro's son is Col John Joseph Jawaharlal Faleiro.
There might have been another Faleiro added there: me. My father, Jose Manoel
Falleiro studied medicine at Grant Medical College-Bombay, was registered with
the
Bombay Medical Council and, after being licenced to practice by The College of
Physicians and Surgeons-Bombay vide diploma of 14 July 1930, served at King
Edwards Memorial (KEM) Hospital, Bombay. He joined the then Indian Army Medical
Corps (later AMC) as 2/Lt on 18 March 1944. (The Commission order bears quaint
English no longer in use, see box on this page.) On 02 Apr 1946, when at the
Combined Section Hospital at Bezwada, he got his "Parchment Commission" in the
rank of Captain. He quit early, to marry late in life.
His dream was to see me through the revered portals of the Indian Military
Academy,
Dehradun. But towards the end of his life, he was convinced I would never clear
high
school. He died a day before the Pune Divisional Board results of my SSC exams
were out. After graduation, I ended up a rolling stone that gathered a wee bit
of
moss. It is perhaps that sub-conscious guilt of not having lived up to my
father's
dream that made me take an interest in the defence services. My little way of
saying,
"Sorry, dad, I disappointed you."
(To continue...)
The author can be contacted at: valmi...@gmail.com
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British English of another Era
GEORGE VI BY THE GRACE OF GOD, OF GREAT BRITAIN, IRELAND AND THE
BRITISH DOMINIONS BEYOND THE SEAS, KING, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH,
EMPEROR OF INDIA, & ETC.
To Our Trusty and well beloved (M-24529) Jose Manoel Falleiro, Greeting;
We, reposing especial Trust and Confidence in your Loyalty, Courage and good
Conduct, do by these Presents Constitute and Appoint you to be an Officer in Our
Indian Land Forces from the eighteenth day of March One thousand nine hundred
and forty four. You are therefore carefully and diligently to discharge your
Duty as
such in the Rank of 2nd Lieutenant or in such other Rank as We may from time to
time hereafter be pleased to promote or appoint you to, of which a notification
will be
made in the Gazette of India and you are in such manner and on such occasions as
may be prescribed by the Government of India to exercise and well discipline in
Arms
both the inferior Officers and Men serving under you and use your best
endeavours
to keep them in good Order and Discipline. And We do hereby Command them to
Obey you as their superior Officer, and you to observe and follow such Orders
and
Directions from time to time you shall receive from Us or any your superior
Officer,
according to the Rules and Discipline of War, in pursuance of the Trust hereby
reposed in you.
Given at Our City of Delhi this twenty fifth day of November in the Year of Our
Lord
One thousand nine hundred and forty four and in the eighth Year of Our Reign.
In Witness Whereof Our Viceroy and Governor General in India hath hereunto set
his
hand and Seal at New Delhi the day and year last above mentioned.
By His Excellency's Command.
Sd/-
Secretary to the Govt. of India, War Department.
Registered No.15567
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The above article appeared in the HERALD, Goa, in edition of May 16, 2010