The text of Dr Couto's speech delivered at the memorial function for Jose Pereira held in Goa at Jan-end 2015.
Maria Aurora Couto couto.aur...@gmail.com It has been an emotional time ever since Angela, Jose's wife telephoned me some days ago to inform me of the seriousness of his condition. There are so many dimensions to Jose and there are speakers today who can speak more knowledgeably than I about his art, his seminal work on the Konkani language, about Jose the ethnomusicologist, the polyglot, the scholar of theology and architecture and much else. So allow me to speak of friendship. The fact that there has been a belated recognition of Dr Jose Pereira in Goa points to a certain indifference in our society to scholarship. Ravindrab Kelekar told me that Goans had not appreciated Dharmanand Kosambi and either called him fanfarao (braggart), or ignored him. We call ourselves an enlightened and modern society and yet gifted intellectuals or scholarly work is largely ignored. I recall his excited voice some years ago when [some from Goa] were in touch with him. I cannot believe it, he said, some young Goans seem to be actually interested in my work. I would like to record the fact that what you along with the Xavier Centre have achieved in managing a public recognition of Dr Pereira was a source of peace at a time when he was most vulnerable due to failing health. The indifference to scholarship, and the need to start a revival and redefinition of Goan culture in its broadest and deepest sense was a dream of four young men as students in Mumbai, in the late 1940s early 1950s. THe foursome were Eusebio Rodrigues, Mario Miranda, Jose Pereira and Alban Couto. They had pledged to write, conceptualise, theorize, draw and paint. Each of them remained connected with Goa creatively and some achieved great heights and acknowledgment like Mario Miranda. Jose too achieved scholarly renown in academic circles in the US, in a rather rarefied way. Never was there any acknowledgment of his singularly original vision. We had many illuminating conversations and once in New York where, memorably, sitting on the steps of St Patrick's Cathedral, conversation veered from a dazzling display of ideas, humour, volatility and passion to end with the singing of a mando. I have tried to understand how and why the friendship between Alban and Jose survived. Although we lived continents apart and Alban was professionally distant from the world of art and letters, their circle seems complete to me because Alban reviewed Eusebio's novel *Samskara* and, apart from working hard to help Jose complete the project in Borda, he also spoke at the inauguration of the fresco in Fatorda [http://yhoo.it/1FlyaV7] Both of them regretted the conservatism of some elements in the Church and congregation. I recall with nostalgic pleasure our conversations over the years; his wicked sense of humor and utter disregard of all things material in his pursuit of the life of the mind. We should specially applaud Sofia, his daughter -- who is sensitive to her father's extraordinary gifts -- and brought him to Goa in 2008 to unveil the fresco in Fatorda - and to exhibit his latest work. I recall him speaking in awe of Hagya Sofia, the Cathedral in Istanbul -- and Alban and he discussing the intricacies and spirituality of Byzantine art. So it was no surprise when he called his first born Sofia. When writing my book on Goa, my spirits were held up by Jose whom I used to telephone regularly when I found the going too difficult, and he used to cheer me by singing a dulpod from New York to suit the occasion. He seemed to have a dulpod to suit every occasion. "It is your destiny to write this book. It is the last chapter of a particular period in Goan history, and you must complete it". And then came another dulpod. He arrived unannounced the day before the release and spoke eloquently in English, Konkani and then in Sanskrit. His very important contribution to theology in *Suarez: Between Scholasticism & Modernity* came in particularly useful. When he read my passages on the Inquisition he immediately sent me quotations from his book on Suarez to show that there had been dissenters at the time. Don't forget Suarez, the modernist, he would say. You must forgive me for being personal but my awareness of Jose's brilliant mind and wide ranging scholarship is inextricably linked with the variety and humour of dulpods that have peppered our serious conversations over many decades. It was always a play between mind and heart, serious thought and the earthy humour of Konkani folk song, the wistful lyrics of the mando, melancholic, speaking of the unattainable. I will treasure the memory of Jose's sensitivity, his deep affection and loyalty, his phenomenal intellect and memory, his passion and love of family and Goa, and above all his uncompromising genius. I have been blessed by his friendship and the many illuminating conversations we have had. Alban and he connected at an intellectual and emotional level that was deepened and sustained. to the end of their lives. Suresh Amonkar and Subodh Kerkar wrote powerful essays in defence of Jose's art when the Xavier Centre felt compelled to close down his exhibition. I am moved by the fact that while thinking of what to say today I received an email yesterday from Merlyn, the late Eusebio's wife, requesting me to write a paragraph to add to his obituary. Their friendship is an inheritance that will continue to sustain me. Jose is an artist who respects and understands the civilisational depths of the Indian tradition and has worked within that matrix while incorporating the dimensions from European influences on his sensibility. I hope the exhibition can now be held and that we find a way of celebrating the achievements of this great Goan in a befitting way. It is an inheritance that will continue to sustain me. ### [Goanet Reader welcomes thought-provoking articles for circulation in cyberspace. Submit via f...@goa-india.org ]