AN UNKNOWN FREEDOM FIGHTER
We do remember our freedom fighters. Each one of them has done a lot
for the liberation of Goa. I have come to know about one of them who has
remained unknown, though he has been living as a man for others.
Professor Carlos da Cruz was a man of character, dedicated, sincere,
selfless, who fought for the human rights till his death. He was a man of
silence, but a man of action: silent action. He continued to live in silence
in the memory of our people. He was a man of calibre. Even stones should be
telling about the moral greatness of this man. Carlos Luís Martinho Nazário
da Cruz was born on July 28, 1907 in Chandor (Chandrapur), Salsete, Goa. His
parents were João Napoleão Víctor da Cruz and Amélia Ritinha Clara Lobo e
Cruz. He excelled in several fields: he was a professor/teacher, journalist,
freedom fighter, selfless social worker. It is interesting to know about his
life so that our youth may emulate him.
He studied in the National Lyceum of Panjim (Nova Goa). He was not allowed
to finish his studies, because he revealed his independence of spirit. He
completed his Escola Normal and did the examination of law, without having
finished the 5th year of Lyceum. He was clever and passed his exams with
flying colours. He was sent to the backward village of Arambol, where he
toiled and moiled for the poor people. He started a night school for the
workers. It was the first night school in Goa. He taught them human rights
and etiquette. He was writing constructive articles for journals. He was
sending articles for «Anglo-Lusitano», but they were not published. Then he
began his own paper «Oriente» and continued to fight against injustice
perpetrated by the Portuguese Government aginst Goan people. He was
transferred to Silvassa, capital of the district of Dadra and Nagar-Haveli
(which was belonging to the Portuguese till 1954). He continued to teach and
impart the knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture to the simple
people. He observed inhuman conditions of the people and worked for them.
The people were adivasis, indigenous and primitive. There was a lot of
corruption there. He began publishing another journal «Sandalcado», under
the name of a river that flows between Great Daman and Small Daman. He was
dismissed from the service, nonetheless he continued to work and to fight
for the rights. He was imprisoned by Portuguese authorities twelve times, he
was really a "saviour" for those people.He came to know other Goan
revolutionaries, like Dr.Tristão Bragança Cunha, and became an active member
of the Committee of the Goa Congress. He was also in contact with the
nationalist leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia. He was writing to Jawaharlal
Nehru on political events of Goa. On August 2, 1954, Nagar-Haveli was
liberated and became part and parcel of India. The Government of India named
him Public Prosecutor of Nagar-Aveli. Even in this post he worked for the
uplift of the adivasis.
He died suddenly at the tender age of 51 years, after a brief illness,
on August 25 of 1958. While he was ill, he heard the National Anthem on
August 2 and rose from his death-bed to salute the Indian National Flag on
Dadra's Liberation Day. Then he asked that a handful of earth of his native
village of Chandor, which he had fetched, be put in his grave, and breathed
his last. He gave one rupee from below his pillow to his wife for his
funeral rites. He died poor without leaving one pie. He devoted himself for
the uplift of the masses. We find these words on his grave:
"Life for him was a mission,/His daily lot a martyrdom,/Honours and wealth
he sought not,/But for the oppressed freedom".
