[Goanet] Roland Francis: Curse or Consequence? Stray Thoughts of a Toronto Goan
Source: Goan Voice UK 14 July 2013 at www.goanvoice.org.uk Curse or Consequence? Stray Thoughts of a Toronto Goan. By Roland Francis The patriarch of this Salcette family was a feared man even among his wife and children. Imposing in stature, well educated, influential in the administrative circles of Goa of the time, he was blessed with a sharp but crooked mind. He rarely dealt with anyone not of his class. Knowing his companions could not be easily tricked, he set about creating a network of his agents among the lower classes who were better positioned to know who was in dire financial straits and thus vulnerable to being relieved of property and gold. Financial need abounded at that time. Farmers with failed crops, people who needed a start in Bombay or Africa or Aden, or just families living from hand to mouth who needed funds to marry off daughters. The Portuguese regime although fair in their dealings with most Goans found it easier to accommodate those who spoke the language and were people of means and substance who they found were their supporters. Although the law was equitable to rich and poor, its instruments sided towards those who cultivated them because the poor had little access to them. So our patriarch financially astute that he was, converted some of his family jewellery to cash and set about lending it through his surrogates at rates that were beyond usury. His targets were anybody whom he knew would never be able to sustain his interest payments for long and who had land and farms that he could eventually seize in lieu of the principal. Over a period of time he was able to acquire vast amounts of property rich with coconut, mango and other fruit and produce that was located half of Goa away from his own village. When he died of a consumptive disease, he left in his wake the shattered lives of many victims and that of his own large family who except for the eldest son, inherited nothing by will. His wife much against his living intentions got a sizable part of the estate by Portuguese law taking precedence over the will, but the eldest son not satisfied with his own share, soon deprived his mother of hers, by guile. With all the wealth at his disposal, this son became an inveterate gambler who played cards for weeks at a time and became famous throughout Goa for his profligacy, but in the process brought his family to near ruin. After his death, for one generation, the family lived in penury but gradually with education, thrift and some land which was overlooked, came to be counted among the gentry again. After two generations, and with everything-to-the-eldest-son custom still ruling, the gambling genie which appeared to have been bottled, was uncorked. In between, the family experienced normality but more often than it should, also saw much misery in sudden deaths, strange sicknesses and even stranger accidents until the progeny could be traced no more. The once impressive, almost palatial family mansion stands desolate and derelict today, serving only to attract hushed whispers and warnings about gambling and cheating from passing villagers and their guests. This is not a stray and exceptional piece of Goan history. Facts and events like this played out over several generations are well known to every Goan. No village in any corner of Goa has been sequestered from such tragedies and very few wealthy families have had no similar skeletons in their cupboards. The skeletons tend to come alive even among the remnants of generations scattered in faraway lands. Facts of long ago may seem to have been forgotten but reappear when some older person in Goa with a long memory or a proclivity for pagan connection, brings it to the fore. Is this particular Goan history wound around superstition steeped in nonsense and illogic or is it a real consequence of the bloody history of murder, mayhem and violence of our past. It is too recurring to be dubbed co-incidence. The Bible is no help. Numbers 14:18 'The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love forgiving iniquity and transgression but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation', is contradicted by Ezekiel 18:19-20 'When the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to observe my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself and the wickedness of the wicked upon himself'. So in the end we must figure it out for ourselves.
Re: [Goanet] Roland Francis: Curse or Consequence? Stray Thoughts of a Toronto Goan
Roland: An interesting piece. Enjoyed reading it. Why did you find it necessary to refer to the Old Testament of the Bible for guidance? It is one of the most contradictory books written. Only the Church's interpretation is supposed to be used. I tend to feel that as you say . . "Goan history wound around superstition steeped in nonsense and illogic . ." and only used to serve ones own purposes. Interestingly . . in Sunday's homily on the Good Samaritan, in trying to explain the behaviour of the people passing the wounded man, I learnt that there are 613 commandments in the Old Testament listed in the Torah. 365 (days of the year) negative ones and 248 (number of bones & organs in the body) positive ones. Interesting. Imagine if we were to made to learn 613 commandments instead of just 10 for our First Holy Communion. Imagine, for example, trying to learn who is allowed to/not allowed to have sex with one another. And trying to memorize that matrix. I think I would have probably failed the test. :) Tim > From: eddie.fernan...@gmail.com > To: goanet@lists.goanet.org > Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 01:19:36 +0100 > Subject: [Goanet] Roland Francis: Curse or Consequence? Stray Thoughts of a > Toronto Goan > > Source: Goan Voice UK 14 July 2013 at www.goanvoice.org.uk > > Curse or Consequence? Stray Thoughts of a Toronto Goan. By Roland Francis > > The patriarch of this Salcette family was a feared man even among his wife > and children. Imposing in stature, well educated, influential in the > administrative circles of Goa of the time, he was blessed with a sharp but > crooked mind. He rarely dealt with anyone not of his class. Knowing his > companions could not be easily tricked, he set about creating a network of > his agents among the lower classes who were better positioned to know who > was in dire financial straits and thus vulnerable to being relieved of > property and gold. > > Financial need abounded at that time. Farmers with failed crops, people who > needed a start in Bombay or Africa or Aden, or just families living from > hand to mouth who needed funds to marry off daughters. The Portuguese regime > although fair in their dealings with most Goans found it easier to > accommodate those who spoke the language and were people of means and > substance who they found were their supporters. Although the law was > equitable to rich and poor, its instruments sided towards those who > cultivated them because the poor had little access to them. > > So our patriarch financially astute that he was, converted some of his > family jewellery to cash and set about lending it through his surrogates at > rates that were beyond usury. His targets were anybody whom he knew would > never be able to sustain his interest payments for long and who had land and > farms that he could eventually seize in lieu of the principal. Over a period > of time he was able to acquire vast amounts of property rich with coconut, > mango and other fruit and produce that was located half of Goa away from his > own village. When he died of a consumptive disease, he left in his wake the > shattered lives of many victims and that of his own large family who except > for the eldest son, inherited nothing by will. His wife much against his > living intentions got a sizable part of the estate by Portuguese law taking > precedence over the will, but the eldest son not satisfied with his own > share, soon deprived his mother of hers, by guile. > > With all the wealth at his disposal, this son became an inveterate gambler > who played cards for weeks at a time and became famous throughout Goa for > his profligacy, but in the process brought his family to near ruin. After > his death, for one generation, the family lived in penury but gradually with > education, thrift and some land which was overlooked, came to be counted > among the gentry again. After two generations, and with > everything-to-the-eldest-son custom still ruling, the gambling genie which > appeared to have been bottled, was uncorked. In between, the family > experienced normality but more often than it should, also saw much misery in > sudden deaths, strange sicknesses and even stranger accidents until the > progeny could be traced no more. The once impressive, almost palatial family > mansion stands desolate and derelict today, serving only to attract hushed > whispers and warnings about gambling and cheating from passing villagers and > their guests. > > This is not a stray and exceptional piece of Goan history. Facts and events > like this played out over several generations are well known to every Goan. > No village in any corner of Goa has been sequestered from such tragedies and > very few wealthy families have had no