Comments:
That was a good summation on our very own Churchill-bab by Freddy Fernandes.
All I can say is "Mog assa thuim Xhinn asta'. Yes, That's right.
Churchill-bab could have done wonders for his and our Goa. But somewhere
down the line he has certainly lost his sense of direction.
I have particularly been surprised to note that our Churchill-bab is all of
61 years today. I had always given him 3 to 4 years over me. But I was
wrong. He happens to be my junior by 2 years and that is a hell of a good
feeling. Next time I can tell him ' Don't you talk. Just listen. Cause you
are junior to me. He has been a good friend of mine over many years and he
has never said no when a certain request [nothing personal] was made to
him. And I have sent birthday greetings to him by SMS wishing him 100 not
out at the pitch.
Comes to my mind the many direct confrontations I had with him. Freddy talks
of MOPA. I was on the stage at Agacaim when a huge anti-Mopa meeting was
called to order. And I was the second last person to speak, Churchill being
the last. And what I said there in the public for more than a thousand
people to hear was not liked by Churchill-bab at all. I publicly held
Churchill responsible for Mopa and most of the other chronic ills befallen
Goa. If only he had to stick to the UGDP, I had said, all these things
wouldn't come by. But Churchill, I said , didn't keep his word he had given
to the people of Goa at the UGDP's 'soul searching' convention held at the
Vidya Niketan, Margao, when he in the South and Babuso Gaonkar in the North
both lost the Parliamentary elections on the UGDP tickets. Someone from the
audience had asked Chruchill if he would now join the BJP. He had said "not
on my life". That same somebody had asked "Will you join Congress?"
Churchill's response was an acrimonious 'Xhi !' He had gone further to say
that 'MOVLOB DHOT'TOREK TENKOT PUNN HO CHURCHILL CONGRESSAN KEDONCH
VECH'NAM" Reminding sulking Churchill on the stage behind me, I had told the
public that before 3 months were out, Churchill was in the Congress. I do
know that Churchill-bab has not forgiven me for that nasty jab in the
public, but he has remained a friend.
Again at Adarsh Hall in Margao at yet another anti Mopa meet I had reminded
those sitting on the stage, including Churchill and the public at large that
Dabolim Airport was a Civilian airport during the Portuguese time. It was
only taken over by the Indian military during the Goa's so called
Liberation. That, by all means, it had to be handed over back for civilian
use, but was not. That liberation of Goa was actually not liberation but
annexation as according to the Supreme Court of India. I could see that
Churchill was a bit uncomfortable at these words.
Three years ago, at the funeral service at the Varca Church of our Vice
President (South) Albert Leitao, who was a dear friend of Churchill-bab, the
parish priest, who was clearly pushing Churchill-babs bete noire's commands,
refused anyone to eulogize in the church, saying that this could be done at
the cemetery. This got Churchill-bab fuming so much that he didn't speak at
all, if I remember clearly. But then, I had to speak what was dear to Albert
Leitao and spoke about Albert's wish that UGDP and Goa Su-Raj should join
forces with Churchill-bab coming back to the UGDP to take over Goa once and
for all. I don't think Churchill -bab approved of that, either.
As I have said earlier, Churchill-bab has never said no when I have made a
request to him. The major favour he has done for the Mapxemkars is to
implement the GICA Sewerage scheme of the Japanese ( 2000 crore free of
cost scheme for Margao, Mapusa and Calangute) when a delegation of Mapusa
Nagrikancho Ekvott lead by Adv. Antonio Lobo met him at the secretariat.
Happy to say that the scheme is now ready to dig coming November to sanitize
Mapusa City for the first time ever, thanks to Churchill-bab and the good
Japanese folks. Praise the Lord !
I have always said this of Churchill-bab. That he has a golden heart. That
he takes from Peter to give it to the poor Paul. [ maybe not all of it,
though :-)] This is unlike any of his contemporaries like Luizinho,
Sardinha, Mauvin and least of all, Narvekar.
May his fragile knees find strength to hold his massive weight for some more
years or until he sees to it that he has been efficiently represented in Goa
by his dear daughter daughter Valanka, whom he has been tirelessly grooming
to fit into his shoes.
Never the mind that I have missed sipping black-lable at his 61st birthday
celebs but I have had ample of it come Christmas time, birthdays [his, his
junior's] et al.
And what would Goa do without good old Churchill-bab?????????????
Cheers
floriano
from PPS to PPS
9890470896
floriano.l...@gmail.com
www.goasu-raj.org
----- Original Message -----
From: "Freddy Fernandes" <ffernandes....@emaar.ae>
To: <goanet@lists.goanet.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 5:09 PM
Subject: [Goanet] Birthday Wishes For Churchill Alemao
Birthday Wishes For Churchill Alemao
Going through Goan news paper today, I found myself face to face with the
great
Churchill Alemao, a good number of times, Goans greeting him on his 61st
birthday, quite an innings for a man of his size and stature, it's been
common
knowledge that his legs have failed him on more occasions than one but still
for
the love of Goa and his Goan people he still staggers on his uneasy feet. He
has
been hailed as the man of the masses, and with all that's been said about
him on
the papers, I am sure even the Great Winston Churchill, the English leader
must
be turning green with envy in his grave.