As usual, JC has resorted to the Toronto convention. The infighting within the organising body has resulted in many stories coming out that prove that things were not right from the start. But I won't go over it again. I haven't "thrashed" Floriano Vaz but would like to know if anyone on this forum knows any details. Why should I tell you about the sources? Just after the agitation I was in Goa and met some of the leaders who were in the forefront of the struggle. But, as I said, they kept a discreet silence. In fact, I gain nothing from maligning Floriano (if some of the goanetters think I am maligning Floriano). BTW, I did not say, "get CHASED out from his own house" but "chased to his house and shot at." However, I read elsewhere Miguel's reply and his "FACT that Florian Vaz was dragged out of his house at lunch time, assaulted with the lathi and ordered shot at point blank range with a service rifle of a Gujarat State Reserve Policeman by the then ASI Yetale of Goa Police [still in service and promoted thereafter] on the afternoon of 20 December, 1986, at the height of the KPA-led agitation to make Konkani the "Official Language" of Goa." However, Miguel falls short of telling us why the police went to Floriano's house when there was a curfew in place. I did take the trouble to know about Floriano and the KPA movement and it was through my discussion with some of the people involved that I learnt what I said about Floriano. Miguel mentions Felicio Cardoz and Fr. Freddy da Costa. I, for one, would not count on their accounts because of apprehension that they could be biased as both were staunch Konknniwadis. Will Miguel provide reports from independent journalists? Because I questioned the validity of calling Floriano a martyr Miquel goes to the extent of calling me a "supporter of the hybrid BBSM." Then he goes further saying since I do not live in Goa I live in a "wonderland." There is no point in mixing the Floriano case with the current MoI issue. As they say, "Just the facts, maam." Lot of history that's written is full of half-truths. That's the reason history is always seen from different perspective. I read a book called "What is history? many years and I, till recently, had a copy. Historian Edward Hallett Carr talks on history, facts, the bias of historians, science, morality, individuals and society, and moral judgements in history. We remember history taught to use in schools and colleges. When we grow up we read histories that have a different take on the subjects the school textbooks had. That's the reason why some history books were found to be "inaccurate" and had to be changed according to new information available. Instead, there are more questions from Soter. Precisely, what was he doing in Gogol when there was a curfew? Was there a shoot-at-sight order, dear Soter? I again request someone who knows the true details to speak out. Does anyone have police reports on the case or clippings from newspapers? It's another matter whether I or anyone else believe in police reports. I haven't concocted this stuff but it's in the air and the air needs to be cleared. I have requested that the Floriano case need a "careful study" and it does not help in calling me a dog or anything else. In Soter's opinion I should be "faithful" to Floriano because he laid down his life for Konknni. That's not how journalists look at issues. Where there is a doubt, it seems right to ask questions. What's "sad and mischeivious"? Did the BBSM actually said that Floriano was a "denationalised Goan"? If so, then it is alright to get Floriano's name into the MoI thread. But, if not, there I find it "sad and misheivious" to bring in Floriano's name to an altogether new issue that deals with education. The late Prof. George Mark Moraes remarked to me once that he would like to "rewrite" Kadamba Kula as he had found new evidence on this era of Goa's history. Unfortunately, he did not get the time to do so. Recently I talked to a pro-Konknni crusader who is a well-known figure in the Konknni movement and I asked him this question. He just nodded his head, perhaps afraid to speak his mind. I expected him to defend Floriano. Mind you, Miguel has his name mentioned in his piece but I won't say who the person is. It's easier to swim with the tide than against it. Speculation was rife then regarding the case and it still holds true. But people like Soter would let sleeping dogs lie. Soter, like JC and others, have doubted the credibility of freedom fighters. In a loose definition of martyr, perhaps Floriano can be labelled as such. Let's turn for a moment to some stories about Pio Gama Pinto. Some stories say that he may have been killed by those who felt he was becoming a threat to Jomo Kenyatta while others say that he was gunned downed for being a "communist." If these stories are to believed, he was killed not for the cause of Kenya's Independence but personal vendatta. There is, however, no doubt that Pio played a significant role in Kenya's Independence movement and his place is secured in that country's history. The internal wranglings in the party and personal clashes happened after Independence was won. JC has repeatedly used the "Just say NO to crack" and I would ask both Marlon and Viviana to clarify on this forum what that means. Once again JC has doubted my intention in writing about Prof. Mendonca. But I will let that pass.
Eugene Correia
