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There are a few incomplete sentences in the email I
sent earlier. I would also like to add few new
comments, particularly since one Romaldo Dias has also
questioned my credentials to write reviews.
Murli Deora was municipal councillor and later MP for
South Bombay. I think at the time of forming the
critics' panel, he was president of the Bombay Pradesh
Congress Committee.
It was a Goan, Nolasco Dias, who was president of the
Girgaum Congress Block, who approached Orlando a
trophy donated by Murli Deora.
Nolasco and Orlando, I think, lived in the same lane,
the former Dukurwadi. Nolasco, I think he is from
Cuncolim, was well-known among Goan tarvottis. Nolasco
wanted to be close to Deora and this was one chance to
suck up to the Congress boss. I never asked to be
shown the trophy because I was never a part of the
panel. And I was in shock when the Man of the Year
award was announced at the open-air Rang Bhavan
Auditorium (I think it was at that venue, if memory
serves me right) saying that I was a member of the
panel who voted for Boyer.
I am not sure if the Man of the Year award was given
to Christopher Leitao, the late tiatrist, or it was
some other award. To tell a secret, Christopher, was a
favourite of Orlando and when Chris and Meena, his
tiatrist wife, delived a child, Orlando become the
child's godfather. As I said in my earlier post,
friendships and alliances form part of Konkani
theatre.
Deora was a wheeler-dealer, very pro-American. When I
covered the Municipal Council occasionally, he
complained to the owner of Free Press Journal about
me. His complaint was that I wasn't giving him enough
coverage.
The FPJ owner, a Marwari like Deora, questioned the
editor and the editor, in turn, asked the chief
reporter. I told the chief reporter that Deora was
hardly present in the chamber during question period
and when he was there he hardly spoke much. The chief
reporter defended me.
One of biggest suprises in Indian politics was that
Deora was never made a minister though he represented
one of the "richest" constituencies in India. Congress
High Command knew about his "deals" and they didn't
want a minister who would be the target of the media.
He was bad for the Congress image.
South Bombay is a prestigious seat that was once
represented by S.K. Patil, known as Kingmaker in
Bombay, who was dethroned by George Fernandes.
I think George lost to Deora. Deora, in the election
previous to the recently-concluded one, lost to
Jayantiben Shah (I hope I got her name correctly) of
the BJP.
However, Deora's son, Milind, avenged his father's
defeat in the recent elections by beating out
Jayantiben.
On the Cine Times issue, I was later told that the CT
guys hated Ophelia for some differences they had with
her. These guys, especially Elliot de Elly, who was
with All-India Radio's Konkani section, and who edited
the paper though the "official" editor was his
brother, Enclidas, had their own axes to grind. They
bullied and they threatened triatrists. Triatrists
were scared of getting bad publicity as CT was read
widely by Goans, especially those who lived in kudds.
Their third brother was James de Elly, who was a
tiatrist/singer, though not very successful.
The paper once denounced Souza Ferrao as being too old
and called upon him to retire. They said the veteran
actor was "shaking" while acting. Ferrao was once
their neighbour in the same building in Dhobitalao. He
told me lot of things about the family. I once asked
someone close to them as to how they got the surname
de Elly. A story hangs over the surname.
Elliot was the person who ruined the family life of
Cyriaco and Jessie Dias, both triatists. I had warned
Cyriaco in Bombay to beware. When Cyriaco came to
Toronto from the Middle East to attend the First
International Goan Convention in 1988, he said to me,
"Eugene, I should have taken your hint." Cyriaco's
marriage ended, though not sure if he and Jessie were
legally divorced.
He asked me if I knew that Elliot had died. I said I
read about it. He told me that Elliot had a stroke and
was suffering before he died. Cyriaco felt God had
punished Elliot for his deeds.
Regarding Prem Kumar, I reviewed his play (forget the
name) with the heading, Failure Amidst Success, which
was given by the copy desk. The review appeared in the
Free Press Bulletin, an evening paper, a
sister-publication of the daily, Free Press Journal.
He met me that day and I told him the review has
appeared.
He went and bought at least a dozen copies of the
paper. Not knowing much of English, he showed the
paper to someone who told him the review was
favourable to him.
He took
