Re: [Goanet] The Wise Fools of Moira...and Other Goan Folk Tales (Lucio Rodrigues)
Prof Lucio Rodrigues was really good! Actually all the Goan professors in their day knew their stuff. I remember Eddie Mendonça English prof in St Xavier’s College enthralling us with his deep but easily carried knowledge of literature. He never referred to any books nor carried them to class. Prof Armand Menezes was another legend. Although he taught in Dharwar, his writing was known to all via his articles in mainstream and Goan media. Roland. Toronto. > On Sep 5, 2020, at 8:00 PM, Goanet Reader wrote: > > The Wise Fools of Moira...and Other Goan Folk Tales > A Collection by Prof Lucio Rodrigues > > August 2020 > > [This edition is released under > the Creative Commons. Some > rights reserved. This ebook > may be copied and shared for > non-commercial purposes, with > due acknowledgements to the > author and publisher. For a > copy of the book WhatsApp > +91-9822122436 or email > goa1...@gmail.com mention PLS > SEND FOLK TALES] > > * * * > > Is there a contradiction between wisdom and folly? An > English proverb says: "The fool doth think he is wise, but > the wise man knows himself to be a fool." > > Is the dividing line between wisdom and folly so > thin that it is almost imperceptible? James of > England was described as the wisest fool in > Christendom. The inhabitants of an insignificant > English village have been immortalised in folk lore > as the wise fools of Gotham. This is so not only > in England but also in India. > > Moira is a village in the district of Bardez in Goa. It lies > a few miles away from Mapuça, the capital of the district, > and the river of Mapuça flows along its southern, western and > northern sides, making its soil very fertile. > > The village is famous for many things, among others for its > banana plantations, which yield big, long bananas, called > munnouchinz kellim in Konkani, and each fruit is equal to a > square meal. Each grows to the length of nearly a foot with > a diameter of about two and a half to three inches; the skin > turns from green to yellow as it matures, and then as it > ripens, the skin becomes soft and darkish brown and thin, > which is a sign that it is ready to be eaten in all its > glory. > > But the bananas are not Moira’s chief claim to fame among > Goan villages. The people are as famous, if not more than > their kellim, so famous indeed that they have passed into > simile and proverb and legend. > > They are among the most industrious people of Goa. Blessed > as they are with fertile land, they have used Nature’s gift > to raise many crops -- rice, chillies, vegetables, bananas. > Every Friday will see them wending their way with their > produce on their head to the weekly fair at Mapuça. > > But it is not their industriousness that signals them out for > unique honour among their Goan fellows. It is for a legacy > that they have inherited from their forefathers -- a wisdom > that is traditional. > > This wisdom has a stamp of its own which defies definition. > Perhaps you have heard of the wise men of Gotham, and of > their ingenious feats. The wise men of Moira of old were as > ingenious. > > There is only one other village in Goa which rivals > Moira in this characteristic and that is Benaulim > in Salcete. Even in Konkani it has not been > possible to give this baffling quality an > appropriate term. This is how the people of Bardez > describe the indefinite trait. To moiddekar num > re, he is a guy from Moira, sar-koch moiddekar, > every inch like a guy from Moira; take matxem > moiddechem assa, he's got a bit of it from Moira. > That it is the thing. > > Imagine a people as simple as simplicity itself, with an > innocence and faith that belonged to the ancient world, > disarming in their naïveté, winning in their irrationality, > and you will have some faint idea of the people and their > capacity for illogic. But it is best to let their ancient > adventures speak of their ancient wisdom. > > * * * > > As their numbers increased from year to year, the people of > Moira found that the village church was not big enough to > contain the growing population. They called up a meeting to > consider the problem. > > "Let us have an extension," said one of the elders. > > "It is better that we break down the old structure and erect > a new and bigger one," said one of the younger ones, who > believed in new things. > > "To break it down and reconstruct another will be very > expensive," said a grey-haired elder. "We have no funds for > it." > > "Why break it down at all?" said the most wizened > of them. He was easily the eldest Moiddekar alive. > "When a coconut tree or a mango tree is stunted, > what do we do? We loosen the soil at the base, dig > it up, and lay manure. Everything in nature grows.
[Goanet] The Wise Fools of Moira...and Other Goan Folk Tales (Lucio Rodrigues)
The Wise Fools of Moira...and Other Goan Folk Tales A Collection by Prof Lucio Rodrigues August 2020 [This edition is released under the Creative Commons. Some rights reserved. This ebook may be copied and shared for non-commercial purposes, with due acknowledgements to the author and publisher. For a copy of the book WhatsApp +91-9822122436 or email goa1...@gmail.com mention PLS SEND FOLK TALES] * * * Is there a contradiction between wisdom and folly? An English proverb says: "The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." Is the dividing line between wisdom and folly so thin that it is almost imperceptible? James of England was described as the wisest fool in Christendom. The inhabitants of an insignificant English village have been immortalised in folk lore as the wise fools of Gotham. This is so not only in England but also in India. Moira is a village in the district of Bardez in Goa. It lies a few miles away from Mapuça, the capital of the district, and the river of Mapuça flows along its southern, western and northern sides, making its soil very fertile. The village is famous for many things, among others for its banana plantations, which yield big, long bananas, called munnouchinz kellim in Konkani, and each fruit is equal to a square meal. Each grows to the length of nearly a foot with a diameter of about two and a half to three inches; the skin turns from green to yellow as it matures, and then as it ripens, the skin becomes soft and darkish brown and thin, which is a sign that it is ready to be eaten in all its glory. But the bananas are not Moira’s chief claim to fame among Goan villages. The people are as famous, if not more than their kellim, so famous indeed that they have passed into simile and proverb and legend. They are among the most industrious people of Goa. Blessed as they are with fertile land, they have used Nature’s gift to raise many crops -- rice, chillies, vegetables, bananas. Every Friday will see them wending their way with their produce on their head to the weekly fair at Mapuça. But it is not their industriousness that signals them out for unique honour among their Goan fellows. It is for a legacy that they have inherited from their forefathers -- a wisdom that is traditional. This wisdom has a stamp of its own which defies definition. Perhaps you have heard of the wise men of Gotham, and of their ingenious feats. The wise men of Moira of old were as ingenious. There is only one other village in Goa which rivals Moira in this characteristic and that is Benaulim in Salcete. Even in Konkani it has not been possible to give this baffling quality an appropriate term. This is how the people of Bardez describe the indefinite trait. To moiddekar num re, he is a guy from Moira, sar-koch moiddekar, every inch like a guy from Moira; take matxem moiddechem assa, he's got a bit of it from Moira. That it is the thing. Imagine a people as simple as simplicity itself, with an innocence and faith that belonged to the ancient world, disarming in their naïveté, winning in their irrationality, and you will have some faint idea of the people and their capacity for illogic. But it is best to let their ancient adventures speak of their ancient wisdom. * * * As their numbers increased from year to year, the people of Moira found that the village church was not big enough to contain the growing population. They called up a meeting to consider the problem. "Let us have an extension," said one of the elders. "It is better that we break down the old structure and erect a new and bigger one," said one of the younger ones, who believed in new things. "To break it down and reconstruct another will be very expensive," said a grey-haired elder. "We have no funds for it." "Why break it down at all?" said the most wizened of them. He was easily the eldest Moiddekar alive. "When a coconut tree or a mango tree is stunted, what do we do? We loosen the soil at the base, dig it up, and lay manure. Everything in nature grows. Why not a church?" and he looked round to the nodding heads, and repeated, "Why not a church?" "Yes, why shouldn't the laws of nutrition and growth apply to the church?" chirped one of the younger men who had learnt to read and write. "Manure quickens growth!" the elder continued. "Let's manure the church," he concluded. "A small church today will grow big tomorrow." "Let's manure the church," the whole gathering echoed approval. The solution appealed to the assembly. It had the irresistible logic of two plus two makes four. So said, so done. The four sides of the church on the outside were vigorously dug up, and cart-loads of manure poured in. * * * Some years later it was
