It was October-November of 1999 when a group of librarians from Rachol Seminary, Central Library and Historical Archive of Goa from Panjim, under Senhora Ines Isabel Simoes de Abreu dos Santos Correia of Torre de Tombo Portugal took part in a course of preservation and conservation of the historical documents existing at Rachol Seminary as well as the Menezes Bragança House at Chandor. For 15 days the group was given the task of cleaning, cataloguing and preparing descriptions of the documents assigned to each member. I was one of the group members, representing Rachol.

At Chandor I was given the personal library of Luis de Menezes Bragança to clean and catalogue. While going over the material, I came across the following description of the well-known journalist Leopoldo Cipriano da Gama from Cotula in Saligao. So as to preserve Menezes Brangança’s words as they were, I reproduce here the piece he wrote in Portuguese following Leopoldo’s death in Penha de França, Bardez, on 28 April 1929:

“Jornalista, na lidima acepçao da palavra. Rapidez de elaboraçao mental, arranque de lutador, solido e variada cultura e maneira incisiva de dizer. Conhecia como poucos as literatures classicas. Da literatura francesa e da inglesa, sabia o que havia de mais representativo e culminante. Os seus artigos denunciavam, a cada passo, a sua educaçao humanista. E a historia! Como ele a sabia evocar, nas suas luminosas e sugestivas cronicas internacionais, em adequado parralelo, nao na indigesta mole de factos, mas no seu alcance profundo, nas suas largas repercursoes. Na polemica, era um lutador audaz e de temer. Era o argument que convence, o sarcasmo que arrasa, a gargalhada que desnorteia. O contendor, as vezes, ficava na lica a escorrer em sangue.”

Leopoldo Cipriano da Gama is the son of Luis Antonio da Gama of Cotula, Saligao, and Carlota Joaquina Gonçalves of Penha de França. He was born in Assagao. At a very young age he dedicated himself to journalism, writing to various newspapers and journals. Subsequently he collaborated with journals such as Goa Panch, A Patria, O Futuro and Boletim Indiano. From 1887 to 1894 he edited A Convicçao and later Gazeta da India from 1893 to 1894. He was also Editor of A Evoluçao in 1895 and of A Patria too. In Bombay Leopoldo was the founder editor of the weeklies Horas Vagas (1890-91) and Colonia Goana (1891-92).

I have related earlier the amusing story of how Leopoldo once evaded arrest by hiding beneath his mother’s skirt. Portuguese government officials were incensed by a column Leopoldo had written, titled “A Call to Arms”, exhorting the readers to revolt against the oppressive Portuguese rule. While Leopoldo succeeded in escaping detection by the police — who searched high and low for him all over the house, expect of course under Dona Carlota’s skirt – he was forced to flee Goa, walking all the way to Bombay where he then spent most of his remaining days before finally returning to Penha de França in Goa after many years.

Leopoldo da Gama was the most complete Goan journalist of his time and his writings reflected high-quality thinking and accurate facts that never betrayed truth. He feared nobody and his arguments convinced everyone. He is the author of Perfil Biografico do Sr. Jose de Sa Coutinho (A Biographical Profile of Mr. Jose de Sa Coutinho); Luis Xavier Correa da Graca (Biographical Notes); Sombras e Luzes (Shadows and Lights); O Socialismo (Socialism). All these writings made him rather famous. May his tribe prosper in the village of Saligao and wherever else in the world they have chosen to settle down.

During the days of Portuguese rule in Goa, it sometimes became necessary for Goans to migrate to other parts of the world in search of employment, either as a means to bettering their lot or because of lack of suitable options in their homeland. Some of the enterprising folk among these adventurers founded “clubs” in the large cities they visited, including Bombay, Calcutta, Karachi, East Africa, etc.

The club – or kudd in Konkani – served as an inexpensive haven for young men in transit from their native village, as they set out to seek their fortune in the big bad world. Several of these quaint clubs still exist in Bombay, and a handful still survive in other urban centres of Goan settlement. Interestingly, the kudd is exclusively a Goan Christian creation, and membership has always been restricted to males. O E Baptista, who did a study on Goan club-life in Bombay in 1958, considers the following to be the principal objectives of the kudd:

• To promote unity and mutual assistance among members.
• To maintain the premises in which the members may reside.
• To promote, organise and conduct a provident fund for the benefit of the deceased members’ families.
• To promote, organise and maintain other schemes of mutual benefits for other purposes.
• To cooperate with other Goan clubs and institutions for the promotion of the social, moral and economic interests of the members.
• To promote devotion to the religious Patron or Patroness of the village or ward.

The following are the privileges of a member:

• The right to reside in the club.
• Participation in the deliberations and activities of the club.
• Entitlement to the Death Benefit Fund.
• Entitlement to stand for managing committee elections.
• Entitlement to loans from the club, subject to the prevalent stipulations.
• Permission for wife/relation to temporarily reside in the club if the resident member is unwell and in need of assistance.
• Rent-free accommodation for a stipulated period for resident members’ families on a short visit.

Saligao clubs in Bombay

The Santa Ana Saligao Club was founded in Bombay in 1850 and the Santa Ana Saligao Sports Club was set up later in 1944, by Saligaokars residing in Bombay.

Jose Carneiro, from Donvaddo in Saligao, was the club’s last secretary, and he penned a brief history of the club, in 1992. On August 4, 1992, he handed over this document to me, in my capacity as chairman of the 150th anniversary celebrations of St Anne’s Chapel in Saligao. Jose Carneiro was 82 years old when death unfortunately snatched him away on August 11, 1992. The document was written in Konkani, and as a mark of respect to his memory it was reproduced ipsis verbis in the Souvenir St. Anne Chapel Saligao 1843-1993. I reproduce below an edited version of Jose’s account:

The elders who resided in the Santa Ana Club were in the age range of 70-80 years, and it is they who told Jose the club’s story. According to them, Santa Ana Club was established in 1850. However, others say that the club came into existence soon after the foundation of St Anne’s Chapel in Saligao in 1843.

Three or four Saligao villagers, originally from the same ward as the chapel, served as cooks and butlers in Bombay. They decided that it would be more convenient, as well as cheaper, if they   decided to stay together. As time went by, they came to know of other opportunities for employment and passed on the information to their relatives and friends back home. As more people from their village ward came over, it became imperative to have a bigger house. After an intense search they managed to find a suitable place at Cavel Street near Dhobi Talao in south Bombay and they named it Santa Ana Club.

In 1926, when Jose Carneiro was 15 years old, his father took him to Bombay to complete his schooling there. Jose stayed in the kudd, exercising his right as a member.

Remembering those early days as a teenager in the kudd, Jose stated in his account: The kudd was in Dabul and there were about 25 members then. Besides these there were around 20 others working on ships (tarvotti), who would return to the kudd after their voyages. In 1930 the Santa Ana Club was shifted to “Horta Baixa”. Five years later the club was again shifted to Dhobi Talao, in 1936. There were 60 members now (30 youth and 30 elders), besides sailors and those who worked or cooked in private houses and stayed in the club, totaling to over 100.

There was a manager to run the club. The male warders (capelistas) had the right to reside in the club, but if the wife or a female family member needed to reside too, the male member had to stay as guarantor (fiador) for her.

It was mandatory for all resident members to be in by 8 pm for recitation of the Rosary, and this rule was strictly implemented. The feast of St. Anne was celebrated with solemnity and pomp, preceded by a novena, in which St. Anne’s Rosary was sung. The feast Mass was celebrated in the church. On the feast day all were treated to a sumptuous lunch (Festachem Jevonn) and a dance was held at night. On the octave of the feast day, a Mass was celebrated in St. Anne’s Chapel, Saligao, for the intentions of the club members and it was called “Bomboikaranchem Fest” (Feast of Bombay members of the Club).

Finally, in 1952, the building that housed the club came down, and the members had no place to stay. They began to dwell in clubs of different villages as estrangeiros (strangers). In 1950, much before the club building collapsed, there was a move to purchase a house outright, which would serve as the permanent location for the club. At the same time, all members and their children were to be made life members on payment of a one-time fee of Rs 100. A committee comprising Asuncao D’Souza as president, Bertha Souza as secretary and Jose Carneiro as treasurer was formed for this purpose.

The committee sent a circular to all Saligaokars staying in India, Africa, England, Bahrain and other countries of the Persian Gulf. At that time, a house could be bought for Rs 15-20 thousand. While several overseas donors contributed to this cause, those who resided in the club were not as forthcoming. After a year, the project had to be abandoned and the money was returned to the donors with an apology.

The money of the Fund of Santa Ana Club was sent to St. Anne’s Chapel, Saligao, with the condition that on the eighth day of the feast of St. Anne, a Mass would be celebrated for the intentions of the club members. This mass continues to be celebrated till today.

Many years ago, a young man named Felix D’Souza, from Mudd’davaddi in the village of Saligao, was prone to question just about everything he encountered, using a single  Portuguese word — porquê (why). After a while, his entire family was nicknamed Porque – pronounced ‘poorkhe’, although Saligao folk prefer to say ‘porkey’.

The Porque house is very easy to find, for it is today the residence of the former Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Wilfred D’Souza. His Aunt Estefânia from Anjuna married a D’Souza from Saligao – the Porque of this story. Eventually Estefânia gifted their house to her nephew Dr Willy. Of course there was no question of porque in this matter.

The late Armando D’Souza of Cotula told the story of Porque quite graphically: “My neighbour Felix D’Souza, known as Porke, was a hulk of a youth in his late twenties, 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing almost 300 lb, cut out to be more of a heavyweight wrestler than a football player. Nevertheless, Felix’s physical attributes strengthened the Saligao football team. In the 1930s, the Portuguese rulers sponsored a team of Portuguese military personnel and mesticos. Clubo Desportivo, as it was named, carried the day in every tournament held in Goa by sheer brute force and bravado, backed by the military, who mustered strong at every game. What it lacked in ability was made up for by intimidation. But the mere presence of Felix in the goal ensured that things would be different when the bully boys of Clubo Desportivo of Panjim played against the Saligao team. Felix’s services were specifically tailored to “crush” the opponents. He dealt adequately with the onrushing forward line, leaving aside the ball. His tactics brought rich dividends to the Saligao team and the trophies began finding their way to Saligao instead of Panjim.”

Of course, these days, if any goalkeeper runs after the players instead of protecting the goal, the coach would surely shout, “Porque, why are you leaving the goal open?!!”

One of the residents of the Porque house was Fr. Faustino de Sousa (uncle of Dr Willy). Fr Faustino founded an order of nuns, the Congregation of the Sacred Family of Nazareth, Sancoale. Some may have had questioned, “Porque? – why did he found a nun’s order?”  Now, Dr Willy is residing in the same house. And in politics everybody questions him – porque?

Thus the Porque tradition that began in the D’Souza mansion in the late 18^th century continues till today. Indeed, it’s unthinkable that anyone today would even remotely adhere to the credo “Ours not to reason why, ours but to do and die”, to paraphrase Lord Tennyson’s description of the British cavalry in The Charge of the Light Brigade way back in 1854!

The villagers of Saligao have always revered any of their sons and daughters who either excel academically or achieve success in their chosen careers – generally in the white collar field. And this remains a sure-shot way of obtaining “famous” status, at least in the eyes of the village.

In the early and middle twentieth century, an era when matriculating from high school was looked upon as a passport to a relatively secure career as a clerk, anyone with a college degree was deemed to be a noteworthy cut above the rest… and even more so if the individual held a prominent position in the then British Colonial Civil service.

Being of an impressionable age as a pre-teenager, I held these individuals in high esteem… until I graduated from high school, got myself a job, and began to quantify their achievements. And what I discovered was that most of them did very well for themselves and their families, but contributed very little to the village community at large. Among the few exceptions was Anacleto Lobo who was generally referred to as “Principal Lobo”

Anacleto Lobo did not have his roots in Saligao. He was born in the village of Tivim, but his family had originally settled in Poona, India, where they were known to have made significant contributions in the community.

Anacleto Lobo was a learned man and an educationist who wanted to impart the benefits of learning and the richness of diverse cultures to as many Goans as possible. So he built a co-ed school in Saligao in 1909 just inside the boundary line that separates Saligao from the village of Calangute, and he named it Mater Dei Institution. It catered to the children of Saligao and the surrounding villages of Calangute, Candolim, and Pilerne. In the ensuing years, its high standards gained it a reputation that began to attract students from all over Goa.

Principal Lobo had travelled to China, England and Europe, and he incorporated the best of these foreign cultures as part of the curriculum, albeit with subtlety. And I happened to be one of the fortunate beneficiaries of his life’s pursuit.

Principal Lobo. Sketch by Mel D'Souza.

Principal Lobo was an impressive man. He was always impeccably dressed – polished shoes, razor-sharp creased trousers, a pressed ‘bush shirt’, a well-trimmed goatee, and not a hair out of place on his head. To add to his stature, he strode the halls of the school at a brisk pace and always had a cane in his right hand. The cane was used sparingly, but those that were on the receiving end were an exclusive group – of which I was one. I earned this distinction at the end of a typical school day when the class was being dismissed.

It all happened during a short prayer the class would recite after the final bell. As a monitor (a student appointed as a role model and keeper of the peace in the classroom), it was my duty to lead the prayer. That particular day, Principal Lobo was standing in for our regular teacher when I mumbled the last words of the prayer and started shuffling towards the door before crossing myself. Now, that was a sign of disrespect as far as Principal Lobo was concerned, and he reacted swiftly; a sharp whack across the back of my pants that froze me in my tracks just short of the door. “Don’t you ever leave before finishing your prayers!” he bellowed, leaving me so stunned that I uttered neither “Ouch!” nor “I’m sorry, Sir”. But it sure did teach me a lasting lesson in the importance of respecting authority.

This incident, however, was not a true reflection of Principal Lobo. He was a disciplinarian for sure, but under that stern appearance was a compassionate man who was not widely known for his charitable deeds because he performed them very discreetly. I only came to know about his acts of charity from my dad a few years after I had graduated from Mater Dei.

As an educationist with a mission to equip his students with the foundation for a better future, he waived the fees of many a poor student to enable them to graduate from high school so that they could get a job abroad and, in turn, support their other siblings in school, not to mention their financially strapped parents.

Anacleto Lobo was married to Inez Nazare a trained teacher educated in Bangalore and Secunderabad, and they had three children, Cleta, Edna and Yvette. Mrs. Lobo was very efficient, and she helped her husband in the administration of the school. Cleta is the current Principal, and Edna is Vice-Principal. And they have maintained Mater Dei’s proud tradition to this day.

Principal Lobo was rarely talked about as a prominent villager of Saligao, perhaps because he didn’t flaunt his academic credentials and didn’t get involved in petty politics. But he was, indeed, an impressive man who I have always regarded as the greatest benefactor of Saligao.

Edna Lobo. Vice-Principal of Mater Dei Institution. Tragically, Edna passed away suddenly on 21 April 2010

When I was a lad growing up in the village of Saligao in Goa, the first monsoon rains in June were always welcome. They flooded the paddy fields and topped up the village wells that had dropped to a low water level in the preceding dry months. Trees would be cleansed of all the dust accumulated on their leaves, and they would sparkle in their green glory.

Although the term “monsoon” conjures images of incessant rainfall, the rainy season actually had breaks of light drizzles and a fair share of sunny days. However, there would be the odd heavy thunderstorm that would have the village awash in water. This is when the runoff from higher ground would gush into narrow lanes and drain into culverts connected to open storm-water sewers that discharged into the Arabian Sea. The open wells would be full to almost ground level and, if this happened to coincide with the feast day of São João (St. John the Baptist) on June 24th, it would be time for some of the young men in the village to venerate the saint with a big splash!

These youngsters would don their kashti (the thong covering the thing) and go calling on households that had a well at least wide enough in which to take a plunge. They would then dive in pairs following a pattern that was unique to this festival and a great source of amusement to the divers and the spectators.

The dive would start when one reveller who would hold his nose with one hand, press both arms snugly against his chest, jump feet first into the well and go as far down as possible. His rapid descent would create a large bubble that would rise to the water’s surface. Then, with perfect timing, the second diver would take the plunge, his knees touching his chin, and arms around his shins, landing on the bubble just before it reached the surface of the water. The result would be a loud “bloof” as the bubble burst, echoing against the sides of the well, much to the amusement of the participants and onlookers. A cheer would then greet the first diver as he surfaced exhaling a lungful of air. The divers would then either come out of the well or cling to the sides while another pair of divers repeated the routine.

Traditional gusto

There was almost a carnival aspect to this celebration; it was fun just to watch young adults prancing in the rain and enjoying themselves as if they were little kids. Even today, São João is celebrated with gusto in many Goan villages, and the village of Siolim also has a boat race with colourfully decorated boats and participants with bizarre headgear. For newlyweds the Sao Joao feast has special significance, as the son-in-law is invited to the bride’s house for the celebrations; he is made to don a crown of fruits and leaves and also required to jump into the well.

According to tradition, the jumping into the well is a commemoration of the leap of joy that St John is said to have taken in the womb of his mother St Elizabeth, when she was visited by Mary, who was to become the mother of Jesus. [Luke 1:41]

C Alvares, the famous tiatrist (Konkani stage artiste) from Saligao, also known as the King of Konkani Duets, composed a song for São João that remains popular till today. The chorus goes:

São João, São João

Gumvta mure vatt amkam disona

Aicho dis urbecho konn konnak hansona

Cholre piere tum ilo ghere

Faleam kaim mevonam

Oslim festam vorsak kiteak

Don pauti enam.

Swimming lessons

The São João festival period was also the time for children to learn to swim. The floatation device we used was an abnormal seedless coconut (vanz) that was all husk, lightweight and buoyant. A coir rope would be run through a hole drilled in the coconut and tied around our waist. The rope used for drawing water from the well would also be tied around our waist as a safety line. Then we’d enter the water and dogpaddle frantically to stay afloat. Our swimsuit was the khaki shorts we wore to school.

Girls, too, wore their blue school uniform when swimming. They would tie a knot to the front hem of the skirt with a coir rope, draw the rope tightly between their knees and tie the loose end around the belt behind their back.

Swimming was never a popular sport in Saligao; most villagers were content with just learning how to stay afloat so that they could join in the fun on the feast of São João.

As the FIFA World Cup 2010 gets underway later today (June 11), excitement must be rising to fever pitch among the myriad fans of football in Saligao and all over Goa.

In fact, football has always been a highly popular sport in Goa and among Goans worldwide. In Saligao, the Mater Dei Institution had a full-length football ground with goalposts, nets and boundary markings all according to the established international standards for the game. At the time I was schooling there, the institution had a provision for boarders, and they were required to report at the ground every day at 5:00 pm for a game of football. Anacleto Lobo, the Principal of the school, was a strict disciplinarian, but adhered to the dictum All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

In those days the Mater Dei football team was rather good and teachers such as Archibald Serrão, W Stephens and the Principal took keen interest in extra-curricular activities. We were proud of all the big trophies the school team won. They were all well kept in a cupboard and displayed in the parlour.

Nevertheless, as youngsters in Saligao, we preferred to play football in the fields of the neighbourhood rather than on the school grounds. My friend Mel D’Souza from Saligao (also a Mater Dei alumnus), who is now in Canada, describes our football-playing exploits evocatively in his book Feasts, Feni and Firecrackers:

“We played soccer barefoot in a paddy field after the rice crop was harvested in August (some in September). That’s when the ground was dusty but dried solid by the hot sun. If we were lucky, the ground surface would be flat. If, however, cattle happened to walk through the field when it was somewhat slushy and in the process of drying, their deep hoof prints would harden and stay that way for the entire dry season. Needless to say, this made the surface very hazardous for all but those hardy kids with tough ankles—and there were a few of them whose dexterity in the pock-marked area of the field always earned my admiration. They played in that area by design rather than by choice, because the boy who owned the soccer ball picked his team—and his position on the field—so that he would get to play on the flat surface. The goalposts comprised two mounds of earth or two bamboo poles with a rope tied across the top as a crossbar.”

School Team

I remember well the day all the students of Mater Dei were asked to assemble at the school playground. Three well known football players from Bombay—Neville D’Souza, Joveniano D’Souza and goalkeeper Abu (if my memory serves me correctly)—appeared on the playground dressed in their formal Caltex team colours. Our school teams, 22 players in all, also turned out in the school colours. The Bombay players were on one side along with some of the school players, and played against the school’s first eleven. Neville’s dribbling skills and control of the ball, Joveniano’s headers and cool passes and the goalkeeper’s full-length dives and stops mesmerised us. We instantly fell in love with the Bombay trio though Neville was from Assagao and Joveniano from Calangute. Our schoolboys were no match for them, and were made to sweat by the veterans.

However, in the process the boys learned the finer points of the game. For three days they were imparted strategic and practical training by the Bombay footballers, and to their credit, they made the most of it. With all the tactics and tricks that they learned, they did their school proud, winning most of the inter-school tournaments held in Goa at the time.

Saligao Sporting Club

The youngsters from Saligao were keen to start a football team in the village, so several of them from the school and others from the village got together to form a team and then decided to form a club. That is how the Saligao Sporting Club was founded in the year 1966. It was registered in 1967 with the Goa government’s State Council of Sports and Cultural Affairs. The founder members of the club were Punaji Achrekar, Archibaldo Serrão, Naguesh Naik, Francis Carvalho, and a few others. Saligao Sporting is affiliated to Goa Football Association, Goa Volleyball Association, Goa Softball Association, and All Goa Badminton Association. Joe Fernandes (Fogó) presided as president of the club for several years. The current president is Tony Remedios. Saligao Sporting has its own premises, located in the Mudd’davaddi ward of Saligao. The club has been regularly organising football tournaments over the years and also conducts table-tennis tournaments for the villagers in addition to organising other games.

Arrarim Youth Club

Another club was set up in the village in the year 1968-69 and named the Arrarim Youth Club, although it was not registered. The affairs of the club were handled by Vincente Almeida (Chepekar), who served as its president. In later years Albino D’Souza, who was my classmate at Mater Dei, was elected president, and he had Daniel F D’Souza to help him.

An inter-village football tournament for the “Gold Plated Cup” was started by this club, organised by Valerian D’Silva (Valu) and others. This tournament was run by the Club for a few years, after which the club wound up.

GPG Club

The GPG Club (Grande, Pequeno, Goletem Club) came into existence during the tenure of Fr. Natividade D’Souza (1957-1972) as Parish Priest of Saligao.  Nicolau da Costa from Pequeno Morodd, who is involved with the club, informed me that the main person behind the club has been Domingo Travasso. Others involved include Anthony and Casimiro D’Souza, Felix Rodrigues, David Fernandes, Agostinho da Costa, Tony D’Costa, Bernard Lobo and Milagres Travasso, Although the club has not been formally registered, it does conduct football tournaments from time to time.

Adarsh Yuvak Sangh

Vivek Achrekar, son of Punaji Achrekar, provided the details of the Adarsh Yuvak Sangh:

“This versatile club was founded in the year 1978 by many like-minded people who came together to give a different stance to social activities,” Vivek stated. “There was no formal committee of the club during the initial stages but the members who came forward with an idea and ideology were Pradeep Padgaokar, Manohar Morajkar, Gajanan Morajkar, Anand Morajkar, Goculdas Kerkar, Pralhad Tuyekar, Digambar Ghadi, Mangesh Rane, Bala Rane, Shrikant Sakhalkar, Nandakishore Achrekar, Santosh Navelkar, Tulsidas Kerkar and Tulsidas Gad Kerkar, to name a few.”

“In 1983 the club was rejuvenated and registered,” Vivek continued. The social club became a sports and cultural club as well, where lots of cultural activities were undertaken, a new football team was formed, and it soon became a well-recognised club in Goa. Under the leadership of Suhas Mahambre as president, Pradeep Padgaokar as secretary and Nandakishore Achrekar as treasurer, there was no looking back. Many social activities were undertaken with guidance from renowned villagers of Saligao, who came forward wholeheartedly in support.”

Apart from the sports activities the club took the lead in several social initiatives. With voluntary contributions from members, the club constructed a small bridge (sankôv) over the nullah at Sonarbhatt just above the Ganpati immersion lake, going towards Donvaddo. Other collections were made to support important social causes.

The club organises quiz competitions and institutes scholarships for deserving students, conducts civic activities such as tree-trimming drives, and holds cricket tournaments, among many other activities. Deepak Navelkar, a prominent club member, took the initiative of setting up a music school called Adarsh Sangeet Vidyalay a few years ago.

Adarsh Yuvak Sangh celebrated its silver jubilee in 2008, and has great plans for the future. These include building a club house, setting up a multi-activity sports centre, starting a recreation centre for senior citizens and setting up a football academy for the youth of Saligao.

Saligao United

In a meeting held on 15 June 2003, it was decided by the members present to start a new club in the village of Saligao, by the name “Saligao United”.  They also decided to get the club registered with the Sports Authority of Goa and Goa Football Association for social, cultural and sports activities.

The first committee was headed by Xavier Rodrigues as president and Dayanand Mandrekar as vice-president. Other office-bearers and members of the committee were Domnic Pereira, Rudolf Dias, Moses Coutinho, Lino Fernandes, John Fernandes, Lenny D’Gama and Raju Salgaokar.

Currently, Saligao United operates with Domnic Fernandes as president and Deepak Rane as vice-president. Other office-bearers and members of the committee are Jude Fernandes, Daniel Andrade, Agnelo Dias, Peter Fernandes, Trevor Dias, Sainath Rane and Mariano Fernandes. Noel Fernandes serves as team manager and Patrick D’Souza is the coach.

Saligao United participates in football tournaments all over Goa and the club also organises a tournament of its own.

The Beautiful Game

Apart from all these clubs in the village, the youth of Mudd’davaddi and Grande Morodd organise an inter-ward tournament every year. Also, the youth of Mollebhatt-Tabrovaddo have their yearly tournament on St. Anne’s Feast Day either near St. Anne’s Chapel or at the Mollebhatt ground. It is through these inter-ward tournaments and club activities that Saligao has produced local, national and international players over the years. A few names come to my mind. They are Dominic Soares, Francis D’Souza and Romeo Remedios.  Another good player I remember is Atmaram Parulekar, a solid defender who played for Saligao Sporting Club for many years. As I am out of the village on pastoral duties, I am unable to watch the progress of the current band of upcoming footballers. But I am certain that they will be glued to their TV sets for the next few weeks carefully watching and learning from the best in the world, now in action at the World Cup. May they be inspired to bring glory to their club, village, state and country by excelling in the “Beautiful Game”!

While youngsters today have many appealing new professions to choose from, in days gone by people in the villages of Goa also earned their daily bread in myriad interesting ways and some of the professions were rather quaint and fascinating.

I will never forget the colourful basket-weavers who came to Saligao all the way from Bairo Alto to make beautiful household articles from matted bamboo strips. The range of products was quite extensive and included elegant baskets (pantli); multipurpose containers (vorli) used, among other things, to ripen fruit and extract coconut juice for the preparation of traditional sweets; brooms (sarun); bamboo matting sieves (kurponnem) to drain water from cooked rice; bamboo mats (dalli); the small barn to store rice (koddo); bamboo fencing (virlem) around the coconut tree sapling to protect it from cattle); boxes of bamboo cane-work (pettaro) ; handheld fans (aino); and, small trinkets and toys.

The men stripped the bamboo into long thin strips, and from these strips the women wove the articles ordered. The children ran about in the backyard and the women sang melodious songs while they worked. They even entertained us with fascinating fairy tales (kanniô).

These women were also proficient in weaving cane-mesh seats and backs for chairs (kodeli), rocking chairs (dolpachi kodel), and easy chairs (volteram) with cane strips as well as white plastic strips. It was mesmerising to watch them strip the long cane strips with knives and weave them through the small holes bored in the wood of the chairs, horizontally and then vertically, adroitly manipulating a pointed cane to tighten the strips into a mesh as they wove simple or intricate patterns. The workmanship was so good that the cane mesh would last for years.

In the culinary art, there was none better than the men folk of the basket-weaver community, mostly adlo-lok (aborigines or natives; Mhars). We had the famous Pasku, Zuzulo, Menino and others quite prominent in this art. They were called to cook special dishes for weddings and other receptions. Two tri-stone chuli (fire places) were usually installed on a slab. Almost all kitchen utensils that were used were made of clay. Those were the days when craftsmen, artisans and potters had a field day.

Aboriginal Sextons

Some of the adlo-lok also served as sextons of Saligao Church. They excelled in preparing and lighting special lamps when the church bells rang at masses and salve, during the novena days. They were also adept at slaughtering pigs to prepare a sumptuous repast for the feast lunch, which including  also knew the art of killing the poor pig for the sumptuous feast lunch and prepare exotic dishes such as sorpotel, buch, cabidel, assado, and arroz refugado, helped by the neighbourhood womenfolk.

They even had a band known as mharacnchem-band, equipped with instruments such as drums of various sizes, bugles and chermellam. The drummer boy went reng-te-teng much to the delight of both young and old in the crowd. The bugler tried his best to stay in tune, but often went woefully off-key, while the drummer compensated with dol-kas and added punch to the band.

Mharanchem-Band. Sketch by Mel D'Souza

I remember the time Pasku helped us make a sorngo. This was a cylindrical bag made out of thin kite paper, filled with smoke and released at night to soar up like a lighted balloon. On a dark night it looked very nice and colourful. The breeze carried it along. It moved to a height of 100 feet or more. The only fear was that if it landed on a haystack or kuddem, that could cause a lot of trouble. In fact that’s exactly what happened once, and then the whole idea of launching the sorngo was forgotten forever.

In those days, Saligao Church had a machila, a special palanquin, to carry the local priest, when Holy Communion needed to be administered to the housebound sick. It was the sextons who bore the machila on their shoulders. The sextons were engaged in the services of the church. They served as janitors, rang the bells for Angelus and church services, dug graves and accompanied the priests on errands of administering Holy Communion and unction of the sick. On duty they usually wore a short khaki tunic with the emblem of the Cross on it. They also hauled the cart that served as a hearse for the coffin, carrying the body of the dead parishioner to his final resting place in the cemetery.

by Fr. Nascimento Mascarenhas

In the old days there were few mendicants in the villages of Goa. Those that did exist were neither professional beggars of the type one encounters in the cities of India today nor were they unknown vagrants. They were persons from the village, mainly from the labour class. Due to disability or old age, and having no close kin to support them, they were forced to seek alms for a living. Some of them had been rich, but after squandering their wealth in vice or due to some misfortune, were reduced to penury and begging.

There was a day appointed for begging on which the beggars went round houses singly or in groups – in Saligao this happened every Thursday. Each household gave each of them a handful of rice, some eatables and articles they needed. On receiving their alms, the beggars prayed aloud for the welfare of their benefactors and for the departed souls of the house. The Christian mendicants would recite the “Our Father” and “Hail Mary”, and the Hindu mendicants would say “Bessaum ghal Saiba he ghorabeacher” (God bless the members of this household). On occasions such as engagements and weddings, the beggars were served a ‘Bikareanchem Jevonn’, a sumptuous meal of pork, rice, sambarrachi or samarachi koddi (curry made with aromatic spices, thick and brown, with dried mango pickle to enliven it), feni, and also gifts of utensils and clothes.

On feast days – Christmas, Easter and the village patron saint’s day – the Christian beggars went round with ol’li (a small container made of bamboo strips) in hand for collecting handouts on the festive occasion. On such feasts every housewife planning the festive meal had in mind the number of village beggars (they did not exceed a dozen) and provided them with a share of san’na (rice cakes), vodde, sorpotel and, at Christmas, the sweet savoury known as neureô.

Some beggars came from other villages. One of the colourful ones was Artimiz (Artemisia). In his book Feasts, Feni and Firecrackers, Canada-based Saligao writer and artist Mel D’Souza vividly describes Artimiz: “She was from Assagao and quite a colourful character. In fact she was always very cheerful. Artemisia wore a hat of dried flowers resembling that of Hollywood’s Carmen Miranda in the 1940s. She always wore a dress. Her earthly belongings were wrapped in a bundle carried over her hip on which perched her scrawny cat. Tied around the cat’s neck was a thin leash of coir, the other end of which was tied around the wrist of Artemisia’s left hand. The right hand held a bamboo staff about four feet long. Artemisia was slightly bowlegged and wore canvas runners with no laces. Artemisia was a very sprightly woman with a brisk walk. She would signal her approach with the rasping sound of her voice as she’d wave her right arm in the Sign of the Cross and blurt out blessings in Latin. It was very easy to strike up a conversation with Artemisia. If she wanted to take a break, she’d sit on the steps of the balcony, put down the bundle containing her belongings, and let her cat step off for a little stroll. When she was ready to leave she would put the bundle of belongings on her hip, pull sharply on the leash, and flip the cat from the ground right on to its perch on the bundle. It was sheer poetry in motion.”

Another character that visited Saligao frequently was Jeron (Jeronimo) from Mapusa. I don’t recall ever giving him rice; rather it was always some money, slipped into my hands by my aunties. He gave me his blessing, muttering something in broken Latin. You could ask him to sing and he composed songs that he alone understood, although he did have a good voice. Like the other beggars of that era, he too was very honest and never stole anything though in the daylight hours the doors of our houses were wide open.

I remember another beggar. He was a Sasthikar (a man from Salcete) who resided in Socorro.  His name was Jose Maria.  He was nicknamed Juz Mari.  He had a 12-year-old son. He sang his way through the village, with his son too joining in for good measure. One song I remember was, “Ami bikari fore rezra bore amkam sodanch podd’tai chirnge” (We are beggars no doubt, good at prayers too but we always receive a ‘mug’ as alms). His son was taught the violin by Fr. Albano D’Souza (then on the staff at Socorro church). The boy earned a bit by playing the violin and later got a job as a tarvotti (seafarer) and did pretty well for himself; people began to refer to him as Accionista (Commune shareholder). He’s one enterprising gentleman who well and truly bid a firm farewell to alms!

Nonetheless, in Saligao no beggar was ever turned away.  They were matter-of-factly treated as distressed members of society who were deserving of our compassion.

Nestling in a coconut grove and overlooking paddy fields is the Saligao Institute, which is housed in its own building at Arrarim in Saligao. It was inaugurated in 1929. It provides its growing number of members with social, literary and cultural activities. Indoor games are popular. The cemented badminton court adjoining the institute’s building also serves as a popular open-air dance floor. In recent years many valuable books on literature, economics, current affairs, biography, fiction and even child welfare, have been added to its well-stocked bookshelves, thanks to Alfred D’Cruz from Cruz-vaddo / Bandra.

During my seminary days, with the help of some young villagers, we had staged some musical items at the institute. Some time ago, a participant in that session held in the late sixties reminded me about the Italian song “Funiculi Funicula” and various other Goan folk songs and dances that we had staged, together with a talk on the involvement of Saligaokars in various fields in India and abroad.

The Saligao Institute is a standing monument to the three founders and builders of the Club: Vitorino Saldanha, Antonio Jose Cordeiro and Dr. Rodolfo de Melo, all from Arrarim, and whose portraits adorn the walls of the institute; additionally, their names are inscribed on the tablet on the façade of the institute building. It is an important landmark in the history of Saligao.

Saligao Institute [Pic by Frederick Noronha]

Christine, daughter of Alfred and Aurora D’Souza of Nigvaddo and Malabar Hill in Mumbai, throws light on a personality who spearheaded the initiative for a Clubhouse in Saligao. This is what she says:

“The Saligao Institute, which is today the hub of happy social life, providing opportunities for social, cultural, intellectual and recreational activities, has an interesting history. It was founded by three persons, namely Antonio Jose Souza-Cordeiro, Vitorino Saldanha and Dr. Rodolfo de Melo. But the principal founder was Souza-Cordeiro.

“Antonio Jose, as he was popularly called, was born in 1880, the only child of Sebastian and Guilhermina de Souza. Having in his childhood lost his father, he was brought up by his maternal uncle, Sebastiao Mariano Cordeiro, who inculcated in the young lad respect for discipline and planned for him a sound English education with the intention of making him a doctor. So he came to Bombay and joined St. Xavier’s High School. He was only 15 then, a total stranger in the city. He found lodging and companionship in a chummery at Dhobi Talao. Antonio Jose often used to recall with a twinkle in his eye that the expenses for his board and lodging those days, a half decade before the beginning of the present century, were a mere six rupees per month! He had hardly settled down in the city when the bubonic plague broke out. But the disciplinarian elders back home in Saligao did not recall Antonio Jose home but suggested that he proceed to Bangalore. From there, the lad went to Mangalore by bullock-cart—travelling by night and resting by day. He joined St. Joseph’s High School in Mangalore. It is from there that he passed his matriculation examination. Meanwhile, fate set at naught his plans for a medical career. His uncle, who had a flourishing business in Muscat, died. Antonio Jose could not therefore pursue his studies but had to attend to the family business.

“It is however the Saligao Institute with which the name of Antonio Jose Souza-Cordeiro will be associated. At the time the Institute came into existence over 50 years ago [This sketch was written in 1986] there was hardly a village in Goa that had a club of its own. It was Antonio Jose’s vision that conceived the idea of building a club house in Saligao. But even this well-intentioned project had its critics. There were some who ridiculed his plan and others even opposed it, but Antonio Jose found among those in favour of the scheme one ardent and active supporter, Franklin de Souza (father of Baptist, Oslando and Atila de Souza of Arrarim). Being fully convinced of the utility of the scheme, Antonio Jose went ahead with his plans.

Vitorino Saldanha, at this juncture, came forward to share equally with Antonio Jose the cost of construction, a gesture which the latter gratefully accepted (and Dr. Rodolfo de Melo too gave his mite for its construction). There were contributions from other Saligaokars as well, to meet the cost of furniture and amenities. The Saligao Institute came into being.”

Antonio Jose is one of the stalwarts of his generation. He passed away in Saligao at the ripe old age of 88. I, Fr. Nascimento, was fortunate to have seen and met the three founders of the institute. It is the ardent desire of Saligaokars that the Saligao Institute, which is over 80 years old now, under the leadership of the dynamic committee and the members, plans activities to help ensure a better future for the current generation.

Foxes from the cane fields they might have been, going by village nickname the enterprising sons of Saligao earned for taking up large-scale sugarcane cultivation in their village. But, “Foxes of the Desert” (with due apologies to Gen. Erwin Rommel) several of them sure were. Let us, briefly, take a peek at some of the valorous sons that Saligao gave to the nation as officers in the defence services.

Thanks either to the Mutiny of 1857 or to racism, it was not easy for Indians (and more so for Goans hailing from Portuguese India!) to get into the officer ranks of the armed forces during the British era. Indians could get in only via the Auxiliary Force, whose membership was open only to Anglo-Indians. Among the first known Goans commissioned as officers in the Indian Army was Quitla-Aldona’s Brig Edward (“Jimmy”) Rodrigues and his two younger siblings, Maj Joe Rodrigues and Brig Arnold Rodrigues. But then, their father was an influential businessman based in Yavatmal, now in Maharashtra – he was Mayor, MLA, and was bestowed by the British with the title of “Sardar Bahadur.”

Ingenious Entry

Less privileged Goans had to devise more ingenious methods of gaining entry. Among the first sons of Saligao to get into the army was Brig George F D’Souza, brother of Archbishop Eugene D’Souza of Nagpur, later of Bhopal. It is said that young George tweaked his Lusitanised “Jorge Francisco de Sousa” name to the anglicized George Francis D’Souza – and got into the army as an Anglo-Indian! His peers describe both George and his wife as very positive people who spread cheer and encouragement wherever they went … until, after retiring from service and settling in Bangalore, their only son Charles – a Squadron Leader (helicopter pilot) with the Indian Air Force – died young of cancer leaving behind his widow and a 2-year old son in 1981. The gregarious parents never really recovered from the shock.

Another brother of Brig DSouza was Maj Valentine (“Vally”) D’Souza, while two of his sons-in-law are Maj H B D’Souza from Mapusa and Cmde John Carneiro from Porvorim. Quite a defence-oriented family, but not the only one from Saligao.

Maj Albert Francis Winington da Costa-Joshi, FRCS, was both in military and civil medical services. Of his sons, one is Brig Ian da Costa, another is Cmde Emile da Costa-Joshi. (The third son is Fr. Albert da Costa-Joshi, SJ.) Brig da Costa was awarded a VSM for counter insurgency operations in the North East between 1983-85. Not once, but twice before, he was recommended for gallantry awards, both in the 1965 and 1971 wars.

The son of Saligao to rise to the highest post in the Indian Army short of chief of staff was Lt Gen Eric Alexander Vaz. He commanded an operational brigade in Punjab in the 1965 war and held several other key operational and service posts in the army thereafter until retirement.

Let us now briefly look through Saligao’s Hall of Fame, service-wise, then rank-wise:

ARMY

• Lt Gen Eric Alexander Vaz
• Brig George Francis DSouza
• Brig Ian D’Costa
• Col Edwin D’Souza was with the Army Dental Corps
• Lt Col Ivo Pinto Lobo
• Maj Albert Francis Winington da Costa-Joshi, FRCS
• Maj Valentine (“Vally”) D’Souza
• Maj Vincent Fernandes

NAVY

• Cmde Emile da Costa Joshi
• Cdr C J D’Souza
• Cdr Joel Cordeiro (IMS, Dental)
• Lt Cdr Angua RG D’Melo
• Lt Jose Figueiredo D’Melo

AIR FORCE

• Sqn Ldr Charles D’Souza
• Avertano P. Fernandes was a Bomber Navigator (rank at retirement not known)
• Tereza Sequeira was a medico in the IMS (rank at retirement not known)

Author’s Note: The above list is sourced from a database, still under construction, on Goan officer ranks in the three wings of India’s defence services. It is, therefore, by no means complete. There would be far more Saligaokars who helped defend the nation’s borders and honour… readers who can add to this list, please do get in touch (valmikif on Gmail)