Would Goanetters be kind to shed some light and update us on our Freedom Fighter late Mr. Evagrio Jeorge from Carmona, Antonio Viegas and Lactancio Rodrigues?
I have not seen any/much written on these great men, seems to have forgotten by Goans Thanks and regards Anthony On Sun, Jun 19, 2011 at 10:50 AM, Gerard de Souza <gernal...@gmail.com>wrote: > http://www.goenche.com/article_details.php?aid=94 > > <http://www.goenche.com/article_details.php?aid=94> > On 18th June 1946 Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia defied the ban and censorship and > launched a Civil Disobedience Movement and gave one of those sparks that > led > to ‘Beginning of the end of Portuguese Rule’ in Goa. But those who gathered > the wood so that the spark would turn into fire have been long forgotten; > unknowingly or unintentionally is best left to our imagination, one such > unsung hero of was Dr. Juliao Menezes. > > Dr. Juliao Menezes was born in Assolna, Goa on August 7, 1909 to Zeferrino > Piedade Menezes and Salvacao Menezes. His father died at a very young age > on > the ship which he was working. He did his early schooling in Assolna and > Panjim and after finishing Lyceum (Portuguese high school) he went to the > Berlin University in late 1920s and completed his MD in Medicine > (Dermatologist). While studying in Panjim he was greatly influenced by the > patriotic writings and actions of Luis de Menezes Braganza and other > rationalist writers. In Berlin he also took courses in Indian history - > Indology. It was there that he met Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, who was studying > Economics at the same University. He took active part in the Indian > Students’ Union in Berlin, along with Dr. Lohia who was the secretary of > the > Union. It was later known as the unofficial Indian Embassy in Berlin during > the regime of German National Socialism. > > Once in the 1930s when Dr. Lohia and Dr Juliao attended the session of the > League of Nations in Geneva, they both booed at Maharaja of Binkaner, a > representative of India, who was talking about peace. They were both thrown > out from the gallery and such was his indomitable spirit. > > Lohia completed his Ph. D and returned to India in 1933 but Juliao stayed > back and completed his MD. He returned to Goa in 1938 and reactivated the > Juvenile Club de Assolna to spread rationalist thinking and Nationalist > activities. But those who were brought up to believe in the myth of > colonial > supremacy frowned upon his ideas of emancipation that he struggled to > stimulate among the youth. His speeches at a reception were reported to the > authorities and strict watch was kept on him. One day when the Piazza Cross > at Assolna was desecrated, the village elders pointed a finger at him and > on > this pretext the authorities branded him as a communist. The fascist police > raided the library of the Club Juvenile and sealed the club premises and > the > library. Later the moveable items in the club and library were auctioned by > the Revenue Department (*Fezenda*) and a curfew was imposed in the Assolna > market area. > > It wasn’t easy for any individual in Goa in those days to make a dent in > the > public opinion that was controlled autocratically by the lackeys of the > dictatorship. Goans of that time were brought up to be powerless, and as > such, they were scared to make changes in their ways of thinking and break > up the fetters that bound them. Frustrated, Dr. Juliao left for Bombay. > There in 1939 he founded the Gomantak Praja Mandal, and in 1942 he launched > a bilingual weekly Gomantak (Konkani and English) to liberate Goans from > their servile mental attitudes. > > He kept in touch with Dr. Lohia who was underground in Mumbai and often > gave > him shelter after the Indian National Congress (INC) and Mahatma Gandhi > gave > call for ‘Do or Die’ in August 1942. Dr. Lohia expressed his desire to hind > in Goa but Dr. Menezes advised him not to do so as the British agents were > active in Goa just as in Mumbai. Taking the advice of his friend, Dr. Lohia > escaped to Nepal but was arrested by the police in 1943. After his release > he was arrested once again when he arrived in Mumbai in 1944 and was taken > to a notorious prison in Lahore. After his release from Lahore in 1946, he > came to Mumbai and met Dr. Menezes who examined and told him that he needed > rest. He offered to take him to his village Assolna, Goa. Dr. Lohia > accepted > the invitation and arrived at Dr. Juliao’s place in Assolna on June 10, > 1946. The news of Lohia’s arrival spread among some Goans, but when Evagrio > Jorge reported it with biographical notes of Lohia in O Heraldo the news > spread all over Goa. > > Dr. Juliao’s place in Assolna became the meeting place for many Goan > intellectuals and political activists of that time, who went there to > consult with Lohia and Juliao. It was there that the movement for Goa’s > civil liberties was born. In that respect, Juliao’s house in Assolna is > Goa’s historical landmark. > > Dr. Lohia decided to fight for the civil liberties of Goans. Till June 14, > the two leaders met various important people from all walks of life at Dr. > Menezes’ residence. On June 15 Dr. Menezes took Dr. Lohia to Mormugao at > the > invitation of the Nationalists and the next day they met in Panjim at > Damodar Vidyalaya. > > But the main climax of the movement for civil disobedience arrived on June > 18, 1946 at Margao, as planned. Goans – men and women came in flocks to > welcome Dr. Juliao Menezes and Dr. Lohia as they were entering Margao > square > in a horse carriage. Purushottam Kakodkar was given the responsibility of > organising the meeting at Margao. The colonial administration which was > caught off-guard failed to sub-due the enthusiastic crowd. Dr. Juliao and > Dr. Lohia were arrested and then moved at the dead of the night to Panjim > police station. > > The news of their arrest spread throughout Goa, and the people demonstrated > in most of the towns. In Margão, next morning, the citizens drove in > procession, and in the evening, they gathered in front of the Câmara. Even > though the troops sought to disperse the crowd, they squatted resolutely on > the ground, shouting in unison at the top of their voices, which resounded > throughout the town: *Jai Hind!! Dr. Lohia ko chodd do! Dr. Juliao Menezes > ko chodd do!* > > They were taken to Panjim and the next day evening Dr. Lohia was taken to > the border at Collem and released. Dr. Menezes was released in Margao. > Meanwhile Portuguese authorities and business communities spread rumours > that the leaders got out of jail after tendering their apology to > authorities. Soon Dr. Menezes left for Mumbai, but before leaving Goa he > gave a message contradicting the rumours that they had not tendered any > apology. His message was read by Mr. Evagrio George at the meeting held on > June 20 in Margao. > > Dr. Juliao Menezes returned to Bombay and continued the campaign for civil > liberties through his paper Gomantak and published a booklet, Goa’s Freedom > Struggle (1947) recounting the events that took place for the fight for > civil liberties. He was also one of the founders of National Congress of > Goa > (NCG) and played a very active role. > > The Government of Goa, Daman and Diu failed to recognize Dr. Juliao’s > contribution to the cause when he was alive. Though he was honoured on the > 18th June, 1986 after his death, he deserves to be remembered in a > monumental way; his actions made many a Goan youth to shed fear and awe of > the dictatorial rule they were brought up with. He passed away in Bombay on > 2nd of July in 1980. > > He died as bachelor, but according to his sister in law Irene Menezes, the > wife of his brother Manelau Menezes, when Dr. Menezes came down to Goa from > Berlin he had got a German girl along with him but his mother refused to > accept her in the family. “His mother was very strict”, she recalls. And > incidentally when Ben Antao asked Dr. Juliao as to why he did not marry, > Dr. > Juliao replied saying “You lose your freedom that way”. He had other five > siblings and he was the second eldest. The other siblings were Argentina > Almedia, Rubatina Saldhana, Roques Menezes (who was also a freedom > fighter), > Manelau Menezes and Alzira Almedia. > > Irene Menezes who is now 81 years old and unable walk admits that she did > not witness the 18h June 1946 incident as she was in UP with her husband > who > was working as the railway engineer for Indian Railways. But she remembers > Dr. Juliao as a very intelligent, bold man who loved to share his things, > she added. > > Luke Menezes, nephew of Dr. Juliao Menezes (son of Manelau Menezes) laments > that the government did not build any memorial to honour him. In fact in > 2007, Luke Menezes wrote to the Chief Minister, Director of Archives and > Archaeology, President of Freedom Fighter Association, Sarpanch of Assolna, > the Secretary, Home Department and Local MLA Fellipe Neri Rodrigues > agreeing > to donate piece of land close to its ancestral house to put a small > memorial. Unfortunately, he got nothing but empty promises. In 2010 two > portraits of Dr. Juliao and Dr. Lohia each were installed at his residence. > > Lohia chowk which is situated near the market area is still waiting for > face > lift. Till yesterday evening (on the eve of Revolution Day) the Lohia chowk > looked like a construction site (as it is evident from the picture). The > inscription stone was covered with bricks but the inscription seemed very > controversial. It read as: > > *“Memorial to Dr. Juliao Menezes and Dr. Manohar Lohia, the heroes of 18th > June 1946 Freedom Struggle of Goa, to all Freedom Fighters of A.A.C.V. Our > tribute to 16 Chieftains massacred treacherously by Portuguese imperialist > in Assolna Fortin 16th century, in the first ever War of Independence in > Asia, on the soil of Assolna, Ambolim, Cuncolim, Velima and Vereda.* > > *Dr. Menezes with his co-villagers formed revolutionary Club Juvenile de > Assolna and Library to spread ideas of Freedom and Nationalist thinking. > Dr. > Menezes and Dr. Lohia both worked with Indian Students Union in Europe for > Indian Freedom.* > > *Dr. Lohia came to Assolna to take rest in Dr Menezes’ house on 1oth June > 1946, a turning point in the history of Goa last phase of freedom > struggle.” > * > > The house of Dr. Juliao Menezes was built in 1922 and is a heritage by > itself besides the legacy left behind by him. This historic landmark will > be > 90 years old next year and I must say the house is well maintained in its > original form. Irene Menezes gives credit to his daughter in law Lalita > Menezes for maintain the house with utmost care. I hope the government > takes > serious note about this and gives its best to preserve our culture and > heritage. > > > *By Anzil Fernandes* > > *Sources:* > > http://www.colaco.net/1/BenJuliaoMenezes.htm > > http://www.colaco.net/1/leitaoDrJuliao.htm > > -- > Keep Going > > Gerard de Souza > Reporter: O Heraldo > Ph 9765853312, 0832-2410815 > email: <gerard_dso...@gomantaktimes.com>gernal...@gmail.com > Blog: http://www.bygerarddsouza.blogspot.com > Revora, Bardez, Goa 403513 >