Dear Friends, I know Mr. Valmiki personally, and I have had the opportunity to witness his contributions to Goa and Goans, closely, over the last several decades. And I must say his contributions are immense. Apart from that, I must say that his record is impeccable. He is one upright man, whose credentials are innumerable. He is a thorough gentleman, down to earth, and his humility is unmatched. I simply dont understand why Mr. Samir is raking non-issues? I beleive all that Mr. Valmiki has stated in his reply is absoluletely correct, and I do sincerely appreciate the manner in which he has tackled the issue and silenced the guns. Well done Valmiki! Keep going!!! Jai Ho!!! Rabindra Pimenta > Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:55:58 +0530 > From: "Valmiki Faleiro" <valmi...@gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [Goanet] Contribution of Valmiki, Digambar, Timblo to Goa > Dear Samir and Cecil, > > First, a word on what Cecil said. Contesting, winning and then > holding public office is NOT, imho, a "contribution" to one's > homeland. For a straight man like Mathany, contesting itself may > incur sacrifice. For the crooks in power, it could be viewed as a > "contribution" ... but working in reverse gear! What matters is > what one does, or sincerely tries to, when one holds public office. > Any of such achievements could be a 'contribution' -- but then, > in a severely limited way. (Why are people elected to public office > but to achieve some good?) > > And Samir, if your idea of "contribution to Goa in recent years" is > to have got yourself nominated (by my friend Manohar Parrikar, when > a BJP Chief Minister of Goa?) as director of Goa Infotech Corpn > and then "bitten the hand that fed you" (with good reason, I know!), > I'm afraid I would have little to say about my own "contribution to Goa > in recent years" -- neither Parrikar nor Digambar deigned me fit to be > appointed director on any state Corporation :-) > > (The only person who did that, without asking me, was my respected > senior college lecturer in Mercantile Law, by now a Minister of State > in Delhi's Union Govt, Eduardo Faleiro -- who put me on some board > of the then 'Prasar Bharati' TV region HQ-ed in Bombay. I didn't attend > a single meeting -- and neither encashed a single cheque sent by way > of "sitting fees." But I ain't a saint.) > > That apart -- the fact that neither Parrikar nor Digambar appointed me a > director on any state Corporation -- I would never blow my own trumpet > to tell you and Goanet what a great Goan "contributor" I've been. (Would > have said this earlier, but was curious to see how you would respond to > my earlier rejoinder, which, characteristically, you chose not to.) > > If truth be told, I think I have 'contributed' nothing, but am now, in my own > little way and in my area of competence, hoping to contribute something > in the near future. > > I guess you and me are the same age. What I did when Municipal > President of Margao in 1985-87, you ought to have known -- or found > out from old timers among the citizenry, councillors, perhaps even > municipal employees themselves ... who hated me while I was in > the chair, but I'm told the surviving ones think differently today. Why, > you could have asked your own dad, who was a prominent Trustee of > the 'Novem Goem Pratisthan' -- at least he might have remembered > how I got the then Council (that included present Goa ministers like > Digambar Kamat and Babu Azgaonkar, and former ministers like > Luis Alex Cardoso) to adopt a policy that the municipality's advertising > must go primarily to local newspapers ... Rashtramat & Novem Goem, > both, alas, defunct. > > You could have phoned friends who lived in Margao in 1985-87, who > might have told you that this rascal called v "contributed" nothing, but did > make a slight difference to their experience with officials/staff whenever > they had occasion to visit the municipal offices on their work. Or people in > Malbhat or so many other former pigsty places round town ... that one today > even boasts of a noted hospital chain in India. > > You made me open my mouth. But pointers are only what I will utter having > done that. > > >From your parting thoughts on me below, may I ask, do you take me for some > kind of a crusader? The Crusades happened long ago! This is the era of > hard politics, money, and whatever more it takes. I'm not made of the stuff > fit > to be a politician. That's one reason I politely declined election tickets > from > established political parties, to contest the Goa Assembly polls from Margao. > I will not name names (and embarrass friends who are around), but if you > enquire enough locally, you will know I'm speaking the truth. > > Now to the other part of your original mail (Goanetters still around, please > click the 'delete' button, unless you want to die from boredom!) > > Are you trying to suggest that Digu Kamat and Avdhoot Timblo have done > no good to Goa at all? I'm not saying they are saints -- are you and I ?? > > Take a break. Come to Goa. Ask around. Try and delve into the record of > former MLAs elected from Margao from 1963. Heaven bless them, none are > around, save my much-esteemed senior friend, Udaybab Bhembre. Then > tell me who's done most for Margao. I will repeat: I am not suggesting Digu is > a saint, much like me and you. > > Avdhoot Timblo. Granted, a mineowner (forget he may like to regard himself > a nature farmer, of mineral ore.) You and I, and uncles and aunts, have some > money. Have you -- not me, to be sure -- spared however a tiny of fraction of > it for any "contribution" to Goa? To keep for posterity a bit of Goan cuisine, > music, folklore? At least Anju & Avdhoot have done it, like Shivanand & > Dattaraj > (never mind the 'Prince,' Anil.) > > Please don't take a world view with the goggles of a horse. There's a limit to > demonising people... > > And please don't go off at a tangent, beyond the goalposts set by you in this > thread (even by minor things like changing the Subject line, or see below > when you > replied to Cecil.) Else, you won't get another response from me! > > Rgds, v > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Cecil Pinto" <cecilpi...@gmail.com> > To: <goa...@goanet.org> > Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 7:17 PM > Subject: [Goanet] Contribution of Valmiki, Digambar, Timblo to Goa > > > > Samir Kelekar wrote: > > Jesus said --- let him throw the first stone who has not created any sin. > > I would like to know the contribution of the following to Goa in the past > > few years. > > 1) Valmiki Faliero. > > 2) Digambar Kamat > > 3) Auduth Timblo. > > Only when they have done so, they have the right to comment on Mathany. > > Otherwise, they ought to shut up!! > > Jai Hind! > > > > > > ---------------- _________________________________________________________________ Rediscover HotmailĀ®: Get quick friend updates right in your inbox. http://windowslive.com/RediscoverHotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Rediscover_Updates2_042009