In an earlier essay (A Red-Letter Day for Saligao) I had detailed the events that took place at the time of inauguration and installation of the image of Mae de Deus in Saligao Church on 26 November 1873. This statue formerly belonged to the Mother of God Friary, located in Daugim near Old Goa.

The Daugim monastery and its church had been inaugurated on 31 October 1569. But by 1878, the friary had disappeared and the church was in a tottering condition. However, the miraculous statue of Mae de Deus was taken to Saligao on 24 November 1873. The pulpit, the main bell, and three altars were taken to Mapuca Church in 1839. One of the bells and an organ was taken to Moira Church. Another bell adorned the Church of Jua (on St. Estevam island, Ilhas). Two other bells and the reredos (altar backdrop) were dispatched to Assolna Church in Salcete. Then, what was still standing of the Friary and Church after all the years of neglect, was razed to the ground. Only the Cross remained erect, where, for three centuries, the Monastery and Church of the Mother of God once stood.

First Mass

In the new Saligao Church, on 27 November 1873, there was a solemn High Mass with a choir and music in honour of the Patroness of the Church. After the Gospel reading, the well-known preacher and one of the greatest luminaries of the Goan clergy, Rt. Rev. Canon Rosário de Melo preached a very stirring sermon. This was the first mass celebrated in the newly built church. After the solemn Mass, the miraculous image of Our Lady Mae de Deus was ceremoniously installed in the niche of the side altar dedicated to Her.

On the same day three baptisms were held in the Church at regular intervals. An 8-year old boy, of non-Christian parents from Parra, was the first to be baptised in the Saligao Church. He was given the name Simão and was baptised by Rev. António Correa dos Reis Coelho, President of the Governmental Junta of the Archbishopric. His godfather was José Luis Fernandes from Saligao.

The second baptism was that of Maria Expectação Anna Candida Avelina Pinto, from Cotula. She was born on 7 June 1873 at Salem, Salvador do Mundo and baptised at home by Rev. José Francisco Pinto, Parish Priest of Salvador do Mundo, in articulo mortis(danger of death). However the supplementary ceremonies of baptism were performed in Saligao Church by Rt. Rev. Chief Ecclesiastical Judge and Promoter Domingos José Rafael Pinto, Parish Priest of Panjim. She is the daughter of Fortunato Martinho Pinto (Saligao) and D. Anna Clara Rosária Soares e Pinto (Salvador do Mundo)

The third baptism (supplementary ceremonies) was performed by Rev.Fr. Joaquim Bernardo da Lima, Parish Priest of Socorro. The child was given the name Rita Maria Amalina Cordeiro, having been earlier baptised in articulo mortis at home by António Xavier de Sousa, cleric with minor orders (menorista). She is the daughter of Vitorino Caridade Cordeiro and Anna Severina Fernandes both from Arrarim. She was born on 14 April 1873.

On this and successive days, a great number of devotees from different parts of the territory visited the church and placed their petitions before the miraculous statue and sought the intervention of Mae de Deus.

The Administrative Committee (Fábrica) and other personnel:

Rev. Fr. Vicar, pro tempore……….. Pre sident

Manuel António de Souza………….. Treasurer

José Vicente de Ramos……………… Secretary & Member

António José do Rosário e Abreo… Member

Francisco Salvador Pinto…………… Member

António Felipe de Saldanha………… Regedor (Administrator)

Church Personnel:

Parish Priest…………………………….. Rev. Fr. Caetano Xavier d’Abreu

Choir-Master & Teacher……………… António Nicolau d’Almeida

Sacristan…………………………………. Francisco Xavier Fernandes

During my last two years in high school, I had a new friend – Gerry Lopes.

Gerry had done all his early schooling at the Portuguese Liceum College in Go’s capital Panjim until his dad, Aquino Lopes, decided to move him to the English medium. As a result, Gerry was enrolled in Mater Dei Institution in Saligao, and was assigned a seat in class next to me. Since Gerry was not very fluent in English, it was felt that I could help him under the buddy system.

During our school holidays, we would have sleep-ins at our respective homes. When Gerry slept over at my place, it wasn’t that much fun because my home was very small; small rooms, floor of dried cow dung, and nothing to amuse us other than our mutual interest in whittling models of airplanes and sailing ships. However, sleeping over at Gerry’s was a great experience for several reasons.

Gerry lived in a large house with a large sala (living room), tiled floors, spacious bedrooms, and all the other comforts of an old-style Portuguese home. He had two charming sisters, Gloria and Amanda (the latter just about my age), and wonderful parents.

The house of Aquino Lopes in Saligao, Goa

His mother was a very gentle, soft-spoken lady with an angelic smile. His dad was an outgoing individual, who did everything unhurriedly and with great confidence. He was short in stature, and always had a smile on his face. But under that genial exterior was a man of steel who blended his toughness with great compassion.

During the day, Gerry and I would spend most of our time whittling models of airplanes and sailing ships which we would then paint and mount on stands.

In the evening, Gerry’s dad would gather us around the piano that was in a study across from the sala, and he would then get us to sing along as he played the piano. Sometimes he’d wince as he sang – or hit a wrong note – uncharacteristic of a person who otherwise played the piano flawlessly. When I commented about this to Gerry many years later, I was told that his father had a serious stomach ailment that would bring on spasms of great pain, but he wouldn’t tell anyone about it. His way of coping with the pain was to get his family around the piano and have a rousing sing-along. Mr. Lopes eventually succumbed to his ailment. 

Before retiring in Saligao, Aquino Lopes lived in Pemba, the island north of Zanzibar on the East African coast. His pet was a full-grown wild boar, and he once showed me a photograph of himself in a striped sports jacket and cream-coloured slacks, kneeling next to the animal with his arm over its shoulder.

Soft heart

Despite that macho image, Mr Lopes had a very soft heart. I remember the first time I saw him take his daily stroll with a two-year-old neighbour along the bund (raised causeway) that ran through paddy fields to the Mae de Deus Church. The little boy wore only a tattered vest that came down to his buttocks, his legs covered in dust, and his right hand in the clasp of Mr. Lopes’ left hand. The picture didn’t seem right; a neatly dressed gentleman with a scruffy urchin!

When Mr. Lopes came home, I asked him why he strolled with that kid every evening. His reply: “Mel, I don’t know what that boy will be like when he grows up. If he turns out to be good, I will have a good neighbour. But if he turns out to be evil, he will remember the days I held his hand, and will, hopefully, not harm me.” He then added a word of advice: “Remember,” he said, “It costs nothing to offer somebody your hand.”

Prankster

Aquino Lopes was also a practical joker in his teens.  He once told me about a prank he played on a neighbour, an elderly woman who pretended to have had a good schooling although she was in fact illiterate. At church, she would pull out a prayer book with illustrations of various stages of the mass facing pages of prayers and responses that would be read at a particular stage. She’d flip a page of the prayer book, and when the scene at the altar matched the illustration, she would twitch her lips and pretend to read the text so as to impress those around her.

Well, one Saturday, young Aquino decided to let the cat out of the bag. He sneaked into her home and set the stage for the joke that was to be played out the next day. 

Come Sunday morning, the old lady sat in her usual prominent spot in church, waiting for the mass to begin. When the priest came up to the altar, she glanced at the women sitting next to her to draw their attention. She then reached into her purse, pulled out her prayer book and held it open in front of her. But there were no illustrations. Instead, folded to the exact shape of the prayer book, was a chapati (unleavened bread). The lady was so embarrassed that she never used her prayer book again. From then on, she went back to the ubiquitous rosary.

Shortly after this prank, Aquino was nearly killed by lightning. He was walking to a friend’s place along a palm-fringed causeway through open paddy fields when lightning struck a nearby coconut tree. The shock knocked him off his feet into a pool of water where he lay on his back stunned for a few minutes. When he came round, he was so scared that he ran as fast as he could to his friend’s home. When he got there, soaked to his skin, he discovered that he was missing some of his precious pocket money. He turned around and ran back in the raging thunderstorm to the site of the lightning strike and recovered every missing coin.

Feast dance

Another story that Gerry’s dad Aquino told me was of the only time he threw a punch in anger. It all started when Aquino decided to host the Mae de Deus Feast’s gala dance at his spacious home, and booked Goa’s finest dance band, Johnson and His Jolly Boys.

This upset a well-known local dance promoter, a bachelor named Vincent de Souza, who had earned himself the nickname “dans addi” (bringer of dances) and who began to spread falsehoods about the upcoming gala dance. But it wasn’t long before Aquino struck a blow, literally, putting an end to the rumours.

One Friday, around noon, when the bar in the neigbouring town of Mapuca was crowded with retirees (who had dropped in for a beer after cashing their pension cheques at the nearby Banco Naçional), Aquino Lopes walked up slowly to the table where Vincent was seated. The bar room went silent. Then, in a voice that was clearly heard across the room, he asked Vincent to repeat the lies he had been telling the villagers about the gala dance. The unconvincing denial that was met with snickers from the patrons is all that Aquino wanted to hear. “I threw a punch,” he said, “that sent Vincent sprawling across the floor. I then signaled the barman to bring Vincent a beer on my account, and I walked out of the bar.”  

As I said earlier, although Aquino Lopes was small in stature, he stood tall, and was a man who combined immense toughness with immense compassion!

Many Christians dream of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land someday. For some the dream actually becomes a reality. My school companion and friend Salvador Isidoro Mascarenhas from Mollebhatt, counts himself among those fortunate ones, when, about a year ago in April 2009, he, along with another couple from Saligao (Epifanio and Perpetua Fernandes from Tabravaddo/Bairro Alto) and twenty other Goans flew to Israel for a pilgrimage tour of the Holy Land.        

A few days before the pilgrimage, Salvador paid me a visit at the Holy Spirit Church in Margao. During the conversation I reminded him that Marie Dantas and her husband from Saligao/UK had placed a marble plaque, with the Our Father inscribed on it Konkani, in the Church of the Pater Noster (also called Church of Eleona – Mount of Olives, in Greek),  which Queen Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, built in the fourth century.

I suggested to Salvador that a picture of the Saligao Church with the image of Mae de Deus could be installed in one of the churches in the Holy Land after obtaining the requisite permission. He took up my suggestion, and with the help of their tourist guide Antonio, the group was introduced to the Capuchin Friar at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Nazareth. The Friar agreed to keep the framed picture of the Mae de Deus Church in the Basilica. Goans visiting this church in future will be able to see the picture and remember Goa and Saligao.    

On his return, Salvador visited me again and handed me a copy of the picture he had given to the Capuchin Friar in Nazareth, along with a photo of the group and a crucifix, as a remembrance of his pilgrimage.

Salvador Isidoro Mascarenhas worked as sacristan of St Anne’s Chapel in Saligao even while he was still a schoolboy a boy at school. He has fond memories of this chapel, its activities, and especially the chaplains – Fr. Paulo Arcanjo de Menezes and Fr. Inacio Lourenco Pereira (both Portuguese priests) and a host of other ward priests such as Monsenhor Valentim Chagas Fernandes (Mudd’davaddi); Fr. Faustino de Sousa (Anjuna/Mudd’davaddi); Fr. Jose Remedios (Vice-Rector of Daman Seminary);  Fr. Naziazeno (Victor) dos Remedios (Tabravaddo); the twin-brother priests Monsenhor Cosme and Fr. Tome Cordeiro from Mollebhatt; and, Fr. Manuel Lobo and Fr. Francis Sequeira, s.f.x (Fr. Fanchy, twice Superior General of the Society of Pilar) from Donvaddo. 

Salvador remembers that the salary he earned as sacristan was a mere Rs. 5/- per month, which was later increased to Rs. 7/- . He remembers the other sacristans of St. Anne, such as Bit’ta Titiv, Paulo Mascarenhas, both from Tabravaddo; Hipolito D’Silva, Napoleao Fernandes, and the Fernandes (Fogo) brothers, all from Mudd’davaddi. He also told me that Patru Vaz from Donvaddo did serve as sacristan for St Anne’s in the forties.

Salvador joined the Indian Navy in 1962 at INS Gomantak in Vasco da Gama. He served in the war with Pakistan in 1965, off Karachi (INS Ranjit), and in 1971 in Chittagong, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. He worked for 15 years with  the Indian Navy.

Salvador Isidoro Mascarenhas is the son of Bartolomeu Liberato Mascarenhas (Salvador do Mundo) and Maria Hortencia Pinto e Mascarenhas (Saligao). The couple had three children  Serafina Pascoela, Salvador Isidoro and Mary Magdalena. They lived in Mudd’davaddi, near Mannichem Bhett after their marriage. Salvador studied at the Mater Dei Institution up to Class VII, and completed the rest of his studies at Don Bosco High School in Panjim.

He married Rodilfina Casmira (Mira) Viegas (from Utorda, Salcete) and has four children:  Michelle, Jeniffer, Adolph Eusiberito and Hansen Roque. In 1974 he shifted from Mudd’davaddi to Mollebhatt. Salvador has made a number of models of the Mae de Deus Church in Saligao. He carves them himself, by hand, without the use of any machinery. He  made 15 models, which he exhibited in the past. By May 2010 he would have carved another two dozen and will hold an exhibition again. 

Salvador spends his free time making these models, and also collecting data for Saligao Serenade, as he has a deep interest in the history and affairs of the village. He is a silent worker and friendly person; his captivating smile reveals his love for Saligao and the people around him. Floreat!

As the well-known American priest and psychologist Michael Garanzini once said, “Children are excellent observers but poor interpreters.” They observe everything that others do, but they are poor interpreters of these actions; they know exactly what you are doing but they don’t know exactly what it means.

A lady in Saligao once told me of the time when her father had died. She was still a child then, and had observed that her mother did not cry at all on that sad occasion. Many many years later when the topic happened to be discussed, her mother explained to her: “I was trying to keep that traditional stiff upper lip for the sake of the children. I wanted them to know that their father was in heaven and that death isn’t a tragedy. I didn’t want to show my own grief, especially not to the children.” So she kept back her emotions, and her little girl concluded, “You didn’t love my father, did you? You didn’t love him at all. I loved my father and you didn’t!” And so, the little girl landed up hating her mother for years. And it was all based on a child’s excellent observation and faulty interpretation. This lady told me that the incident affected her deeply and she barely communicated with anyone else for many years, until she heard Fr. Desmond D’Souza (from Nigvaddo, Saligao) speaking on “What happens to people when they communicate effectively.”

She noticed a total change began to come about in her life. Colour that was never noticed before was newly appreciated. Music that was not heard before became an accompaniment of life. Peace that was never before experienced began to find its place in the human heart. Of course, the only proof is experiential. To know the truth of all this, one should try it. As the saying goes, “Try it. You might like it.” The lady did and she succeeded.

On the other hand, the suffering of non-communication in a relationship is a very real and painful suffering. Often in our human relationships the lines of communication are poorly erected, and they fall quickly in the storms of crisis. The result is loneliness, the scourge of the human spirit. But when these lines are established again, it is the second springtime of love and joy and all good things. Health and happiness of spirit begin to blossom in this springtime of communication.

 In order to alleviate the sufferings of loneliness and ill-health, two homes for senior citizens were opened in Cotula, Saligao. The Mae de Deus Home and Krist Raj Bhavan are both very well managed by the Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King. Doctors regularly visit and attend to the sick and old, at the Medical Centre established at Krist Raj Bhavan. It is funded by the Saligao Union of Mumbai (now renamed as the Saligao Association). The nuns act as nurses and keep up-to-date the records and reports. Many have found these homes a haven away from home. Care for the elderly has been a concern in Saligao for many years. We have noticed that in these retirement homes in Saligao, the elderly have begun to enjoy the evening of their lives to the fullest, boosted by the tender loving care of the dedicated FMCK nuns, and brightened by the reopened lines of communication.

In the 1940s and 50s one means of transportation that all were familiar with in the picturesque Goan village of Saligao was the boilanchi gaddi (ox-driven carriage). Only a few people could be accommodated in it. The man driving the carriage was known as the gaddiekar, and the ticket cost just four annas.

My friend Dominic Peter Francis Fernandes from Anjuna gives a nice description of the boilanchi gaddi: “The gaddi was made of wood. At its rear end, it had a half-door entrance with a metal step below, and two small windows, one on each side. It had a bench on either side with a sitting capacity of two persons each; but three would usually squeeze in.

“In addition, a small stool or two would be placed in the middle of the carriage to accommodate children, or a lighter person or two. The carriage was usually painted in a mustard shade with fine brown bordering the edges. The wooden spokes on the wheels were painted black.

“The gaddiekar always tied a bucket to the main beam of the carriage and a small zablli (net made of coir) filled with fresh grass or dry hay. As soon as he reached the destination, he would untie the oxen and tie them to a nearby tree. He would then take out some grass or hay from the zablli and place it before them. He would then fetch water from a well with a bucket and quench their thirst. In the summer, he would collect extra water and splash it on the oxen’s backs to cool them down.

“After dark he lit a lamp that was fixed to the right side of the carriage. When the nights grew colder, he wore thick clothing and covered his head and ears with a muffler. He smoked a cigarette (usually the locally rolled viddi) to keep warm.

“The beauty of the gaddi was that the wooden wheels could never get punctured, nor did it break down or run out of petrol like a car. Neither was the gaddiekar required to change gears every now and then; a gaddi always ran at one speed—slow and steady like a tortoise!”

In Saligao we had quite a number of gaddio. Some people called them matchboxes Along with Salvador Mascarenhas from Mollebhatt, I made an attempt to identify some of the drivers of these boilanchio gaddio. We remembered Atmaram from Maroddant in Mollebhatt; Rajaram, in front of St. Anne’s chapel; Dhakttu, at the back of St. Anne’s chapel; Rama  in Mudd’davaddi; Koroi at Mudd’davaddi near Coutinho’s house; Bogvont in Mudd’davaddi near Mannichem-bhatt (bamboo grove); and, Fokro near the mill in Mudd’davaddi.

Fokro’s gaddi was painted all white. It had a larger capacity, and took passengers all the way to Calangute or Mapusa. As the upkeep of his carriage was expensive, the tickets were priced higher.

In Arrarim and Salmona there were Xenkor, Nonni Sawant, and another gaddiekar whose nickname was Sounso. Mahadev Moroskar from Cotula was also a proud owner of a gaddi.

There were also cart owners – called gaddekar in Konkani – whose cart was known as a gaddo. It was another mode of transport, mainly for merchandise being sent to Mapusa and Siolim. They transported chillies, onions, lentils and vegetables (especially sweet potatoes), grown in the fields of Saligao, to these major marketplaces. At the time when sugarcane was grown in plenty in Saligao, the gadde were also used to transport Saligao’s speciality sugar-candy known as belios to the Three Kings feast at Reis Magos, celebrated on the 6th of January. The gaddekar brought back salt to Saligao from Pilerne, Baga-Arpora and other places, and sold it to families in Saligao. This cart too was made of wood, and driven by oxen, but minus the cage of the boilanchi gaddi. Also, instead of a metal handle at the rear, it had a wooden seat.

The gaddekar who served the village community of Saligao were well-known. We had Gopal from Mollebhatt; Tatulo, Batulo and Bhogvont from Mudd’davaddi; Shankar near the pond in Donvaddo; Atmaram (Goro Babol) in Donvaddo; Nouso Umbraskar, Ramakant, Panddulo, Xenkor and other from Salmona and Arrarim.

These transporters were an integral part of the Saligao community, and always provided their services with dignity and a smile. Today we rarely see a gaddi or gaddo in our village – how time changes everything!

[With additional inputs from Patsy Barneto, Dominic Andrade and Salvador Mascarenhas]

As a priest on staff at the Holy Spirit Church in Margao, one of my duties is to visit the parishioners. A few days ago my visits took me to the famous Rua Abade Faria (named for Jose de Custodio de Faria, the colourful and enigmatic son of Goa – a hypnotist, priest and revolutionary). A few minutes of wandering along this street presents a kaleidoscope of some of the oldest, most notable town houses in Goa, typifying Goan domestic architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries and demonstrating a whole range of styles.

Along the length of the street, no two houses are alike. In one of these houses on Rua Abade Faria lives the 94-year-old Lucas Pascoal Joao Fernandes (nicknamed Lozcar), originally from Donvaddo in Saligao. He was born on 18 October 1915. He lives with his wife Leandra Marta D’Souza e Fernandes. She is from Pirazona, Moira. Lucas and Leandra have four daughters: Lafira Edith Fernandes, Loreta Filomena Perpetua Fernandes, Lidia Carlota Fernandes and Leandra Severina Fernandes. Their daughter Loreta lives with them in Margao.

Lucas Pascoal and his family happily welcomed me into the splendid Lourenco House and all of us were nostalgic of our Saligao connections. Lucas asked me if I knew the Casa Lozcar back in Saligao. My affirmative reply triggered a sparkle in his eye and he was then eager to talk with me. I took the opportunity to ask him why his ancestral family had been nicknamed Lozcar.

He nodded and began by unfolding the genealogy of the Fernandes clan. “My grandfather,” he said, “was Lourenco Caetano Fernandes. He had two sons, Lazaro Joao Fernandes and Pedro Xavier Fernandes.  My grandfather owned a shop on Rua Jose Falcao, in Panjim, vending various types of wine. He also bought four houses in Panjim. Two he gave to his eldest son Lazaro, who married Maria Filomena Lobo. The two houses are still standing and Alba Fernandes, who is a spinster, takes care of them. Pedro Xavier Fernandes, my father, sold his two other houses.”

Lucas Pascoal then explained the origin of the nickname: “The loja or shop which grandfather Lourenco Caetano owned at Rua Jose Falcao, close to Panjim Church, was the first one ever owned by a villager from Saligao in the capital city, and it became famous because of a special wine which had a label printed by him and fixed on the bottle and sold as “Vinho Especial do Santo Sacrificio de Missa” (Special Wine of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass). This wine was bought by various churches and chapels to be used for their religious services. His shop in Panjim was known as Lourenco Caetano Fernandes e Filho. His customers nicknamed it “Lozcar” (from loja meaning shop and car meaning possessor; he wrote it as old Konkani, nowadays we would say LOZKAR). He obviously liked the name and imprinted it on the fence of his ancestral house in Donvaddo, Saligao, almost two centuries ago.”

Lucas Pascoal continued telling me about his ancestors: “My grandfather’s son Pedro Xavier Fernandes married Maria Isabel Filomena Lobo from Aldona. They had the following children: Ida Berta Fernandes, Tome Caetano Climaco Mae de Deus Fernandes, Santana Francisco (Frank) Fernandes, myself [Lucas Pascoal], Georgina Laura Fernandes and Maria Carlota Fernandes (who lives in Aldona).”

Though in his nineties, Lucas Pascoal remembers the people of Saligao and facts about the village very well. I was happy to meet him and thanked him for all the information he shared with me. In fact, when I was based at the Panjim church, I had known his brother Frank quite well. Frank and his wife Alcina owned two shops, one in Panjim and the other in Margao, both specialising in selling spectacles. The Panjim shop was known as Frank and Co. and was a partnership, located very near the church. The one in Margao was sold and is now known as Optica.    

Both Lucas as well as Frank would came to Saligao for the feasts of Mae de Deus and Saint Anne and took the opportunity to visit their relatives such as Martinho Cordeiro, Dolly and others at Arrarim and also their cousin Carlotina, who used to live in the ancestral Casa Lozcar in Donvaddo. Today the Lozcar house in Saligao has Italian residents, but they have kept the name Casa Lozcar intact on the fence, as it always has been all these years.

Saligao is a well-known village in Bardez, Goa. The people from neighbouring villages refer to Saligaokars as Uxellantle Kole or, nowadays, simply Kole (foxes). How did this nickname originate? Let me tell you the interesting story:

Many centuries back it was rather difficult for people in Saligao to travel from one ward to another, especially during the monsoons when the fields were usually submerged in water. In several places there were ponds, streams and even fountains.

No one thought of constructing canoes or other small boats to traverse these water bodies. Perhaps, being agriculturists like most other Goans were, even the knee-deep water in the fields didn’t bother them too much. Rice was the chief crop, and the produce was substantial enough to last through the year. Each family gave a part of their share of paddy to the village association known as the Ganvkari or Comunidade.  The ganvkars (village elders) jointly held, administered and enjoyed the produce of the community lands. Through this Comunidade, the villagers gradually took care of building roads, aqueducts for rain water, irrigation, top-draining of marshy land, and other requisite public works.

Besides rice, they also began the plantation of sugarcane in their various fields. When the sugarcane ripened, the foxes from the surrounding hills descended into the plantations and feasted on the sweet bounty. The farmers kept driving them away, but foxes are, well, quite foxy. They seemed to appear from nowhere at night and ravaged the plantations. Exasperated, the villagers had a joint meeting. They decided that they would have to protect the crop by their physical presence at all times.

Groups were formed, with each ward nominating a few individuals for the guard duty at different times. They set up tents called khompteo at various points in and around the fields and manned them day and night, hiding among the stalks, catching by surprise the astonished foxes the minute they entered the fields, and chasing them away with sticks and stones. The shrewd Saligaokars succeeded in protecting their valuable crops by totally outfoxing the foxes. And deservedly earned the nickname Uxellantle Kole – the foxes in the sugarcane plantation!

The people of Goa have always had a fascination for names, and take the naming of their children very seriously. In days gone by it was not unusual for an infant to be given three, four or even more names – after patron saints, forefathers, famous figures from history, and miscellaneous tongue-twisters. In addition to all these given names, later on in life many were lovingly bestowed with one more – a nickname.

At the time of conversion of the locals to Christianity by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, the convert was given the surname of the person who stood as god-father to that particular batch of converts. This god-father was a Portuguese dignitary such as the Governor, Viceroy, top military official, and so on. Hence during this period there were instances when a man would convert to the Catholic religion and acquire a Portuguese surname. Several months later, his brother would decide to change religions and would also acquire a Portuguese surname, but not necessarily the same as his brother’s. Consequently there were families with different surnames although they were from the same family tree. Also, some Catholics in the village ended up with identical surnames even if they were not related. This, of course, caused identity problems. So the villagers of Saligao, as in other villages of Goa, gave many households a nickname that characterized a feature that was unique to the occupants. Thus we have nicknames given of birds, beasts, and fruits, others named for physical characteristics, still others for personal characteristics, quirks, professions, etc. There were some mischievous ones too. As my friend Mel D’Souza from Sequeiravaddo in Saligao, and now in Canada, says: “There were a few other nicknames that wouldn’t get past the censors in print although they were used quite freely – and without malice – by the villagers. A nickname was never treated with derision; instead it was prized as a symbol of a family’s name recognition and acceptance as an entrenched member of the village community”. The Konkani word for nickname is addnanv.

As I was going through the Saligao Comunidade book titled “ACTAS ou ACCENTOS E OUTROS SERVIÇOS” pertaining to the period 1756-1760, I found that the names of Saligaokars who had to do watch-and-ward duty as soldados (soldiers) were listed according to vangodd (clan). Their nicknames, wherever applicable, were also noted, probably for identification. Let’s check it out:

Francisco de Souza – Honesto (honest); Luis de Souza – Fujão; Tomás de Siqueira – Bonó; Lourenço de Souza – Meiala; Pedro de Souza – Tal’ló; Caetano de Souza  (Bobó); Francisco de Ta’vora – Mead; António de Souza – Buttó; Caetano de Souza – Migal; Diogo de Souza – Barba (beard); António Saldanha – Preto (Black); André Pais – Punido (punished); Alexandre Saldanha – Bapa; Miguel de Souza – Tipri; Lourenço de Souza – Mangró; Sebastião de Souza – Ticar; Thomé de Souza – Colvale (ganvkar of Saligao settled in Colvale); João de Sequeira – Varu; Gabriel de Souza – Pilad. The “de Souzas” mentioned belong to different vangodds and are not related to each other; to avoid confusion they were given Portuguese nicknames.

Over the years, we have become familiar with other nicknames as well. These nicknames were not only colourful but also reflected Saligao’s charming sense of humour. I will not classify them vangodd-wise nor ward-wise. They are listed here at random; each has a bit of history behind them and they need to be studied seriously and scientifically. They are as follows: Master Lawrence; Khôt (Couth); Boló ganvkar; Kuddvichi-bonch (from Kuddôv); Moskôn; Saiba Felip; Hundred Felip; Firngi Lusu; Moiddekar (Moira ganvkar settled in Saligao); Fogó; Patris; Kaulegêr; Lozkar; Mennkar; Pocian; Niklugêr; Rosalinagêr; Kursin; Pêrkar; Pirnikar; Loddôi; Amerikan; Alekar; Mari Vitorigêr; Sourak; Paddkulo; Bibi; Pikó; Delegad; Pedreagêr; Sortikarn Mary; Betteaguer; Kampin; Chonnekarager; Costagêr; Vhoddlegêr; Dakttleguer; Karu titivgêr; Paixinigêr; Mixinkaragêr; Salugêr; Padrikapelanvgêr; Aulumanagêr; Bengalkaragêr; Raza Coutinho; Bendugêr; Ganekaragêr; Goddkaragêr; Chimteagêr; Bekêrigêr; Munkuteagêr; Bautteagêr; Boddveagêr; Deucharagêr; Saibin Mauxegêr; Budugêr; Sonilagêr; Markiger; Souzilagêr; Dobddeaer; Riponager; Ladkó; Bendó; Pompró; Kolo (different from Kolé or Uxellantle Kole – the general nickname for Saligaokars); Sonxiniger; Nagddeagêr; Arxekarmigêr; Porkigêr (from Portuguese Porque); Kharekar; Raza; Kompreagêr; Bokddeagêr; Mankó; Goddgoddó; Jelisagêr; Noniger; Pokó; Sonsó; Papió; Ring-ting; Kornel; Sacro; Tony-Brazileiro; Patris; Aslekar; Joshi; Xennekarn; Bendró; Natalagêr; Bodá; Bukaneagêr; Bit’teagêr; Bolumanxegêr; Mirandigêr; Girkar; Motteagêr; Leanvgêr; Cobeaguer; Moddkeagêr; Vagmaró; Nousó; Sonsó; Bokddi; Chepekarn; Distikarn; Ranó; Ghirghiró; Bebó; Kuló; Kochrekar; Dukormaró; Dandeagêr; Agró; Sacador; Mary-Agbôtt; Salumani; Bainkan’nigêr; Buyanvgêr; Bot-modi; Kan-katró; Dukôr; Fulkarn; Kanló; Pinglló; Kalló-kul’ló; Dovó-kul’ló; Maddkar; Menxeangêr; Ladru; Pat’tivgêr; Munkuto; and, Mistirimgêr. (Please do send me any that I might have missed out, so as to make this list complete).

Such is the power of a nickname that any Saligaokar on any continent will find his roots and contacts and acquaintances by the mere mention of the nickname that has stuck on through the generations. Today, we swear when we are angry; our forefathers had finesse – they gave nicknames instead!

Footnote:

The author is grateful to José Remédios (Tabravaddo, Saligao/Santa Cruz, Mumbai);  Salvador Mascarenhas (Mollebhatt); Albert D’Souza (Sonarbhatt/Mapusa); Adolph Figueiredo (Donvaddo/UK); Alfred D’Cruz (Cruzvaddo/Bandra); and, Mel D’Souza (Arrarim/Canada), for their inputs.

 “Baba” was a universal term of affection used in Goa to address a little boy or an adult male who was in good standing in the community. The term would also be used, somewhat grudgingly, when addressing the odd individual who was an embarrassment to his family, but whose misdeeds were not serious enough for him to be thrown out of the house. I suppose he could be called the ‘baba’ black sheep of the family.

Black sheep were few and far between, but we had one in our family. He was my granduncle and his name was Galdinho D’Souza.

Galdinho was the brother of my paternal grandmother. He was born and raised in our village of Saligao, before moving to East Africa after World War I, as many Goans did, in search of employment in the British colonies. But although it was virtually impossible for a Goan not to find employment almost anywhere in Tanganyika, Kenya and Uganda at that time, Galdinho never held a job. He spent most of his time fishing, visiting the Goan Institute clubhouse in Dar es Salaam, and freeloading off his friends and relatives.

Galdinho’s sole possessions were a few items of casual clothing, a white suit, an old bicycle, and a bamboo fishing rod. When I was a young boy during World War II (the fighting did not come to East Africa), Galdinho would visit us once a month, on dad’s payday, and then treat me to jugu (roasted peanuts) or an ice cream at Pandya’s. Naturally, I considered myself lucky to have such a generous granduncle, not knowing that he was treating me all along with my dad’s money!

In the afternoon on weekends – or weekdays, if the tides were right – Galdinho would be seen on his bicycle, his fishing rod over his left shoulder like a radio antenna, heading for Kinondoni Beach where he would fish in the surf for the silvery “lady fish”. On his way home, he’d give the fish to his friends who, I’m sure, gave him a few shillings in return.

Galdinho was present at every wedding, funeral, and dance wearing his ubiquitous white suit. And, at the Goan Institute, he’d never be seen without a beer in hand although he was never known to buy a drink at the bar. I’m sure he never said “No” to any Goan club members who would have greeted his entrance into the bar with the traditional “Hello Galdinho, have a drink?”

When I went to Goa in 1947 to continue my schooling in the village of Saligao, my grandmother told me that Galdinho was a notorious prankster in his teens, and kept getting into all kinds of trouble. The most audacious prank, she said, was when he climbed unassisted to the top of the steeple of the Mae de Deus church (the only old church in Goa with a steeple) – something that was never done before, and never accomplished since. Apparently, he placed his feet in a loop of coir rope for traction, with another rope around the steeple in a garrote-like grip, and scaled the steeple as would a coconut-tree climber.

When I returned to Dar es Salaam after graduating from high school, it never occurred to me to ask Galdinho for details of this episode. He died a few years later and I didn’t bother to pursue the story any further.

However, it was only recently that I was able to learn more about Galdinho when I met with Lena Remedios-Nunes in Toronto, Canada. Lena not only confirmed that Galdinho had indeed climbed the church steeple, but went on to tell me the story behind the episode.

It so happened that when Galdinho was a teenager in school, he fell madly in love with a schoolgirl named Rosalinda Raymond, from the village of Siolim. Rosalinda was a very pretty girl whose affluent parents had enrolled her in St. Mary’s School in Saligao. Apparently, she didn’t seem to care for Galdinho, and perhaps didn’t even know of his crush on her. On the other hand, Galdinho’s infatuation with Rosalinda was so intense that he used every opportunity to try to gain her attention, evidently without much success. To add to his frustration, his friends would taunt him about the futility of his pursuit saying that Rosalinda considered him a ‘sissy’. One day they suggested that if he really wanted to impress Rosalinda and win her heart, he should perform a spectacular feat that would prove to her that he was the bravest and worthiest of all the boys in the village. And this he did by scaling the church steeple and placing a piece of his clothing on the crucifix as proof that it was he who accomplished a feat that is now part of Saligao legend.

Lena also told me about a romantic ballad – a mando – that Galdinho had written for Rosalinda. Lena recalled all the four verses and sang them for me as I recorded the poignant lyrics on tape.

The sad ending to this story is that Galdinho never won Rosalinda’s heart. Could it be that the impact of his shattered love was so devastating that he never married?

The revelations about my granduncle, Galdinho, make me wonder how many other notable black sheep of the past harboured secrets which, if made public, would make us look upon them sympathetically as romantics instead of rakes.

Prior to the Portuguese conquest of Goa in 1510, Goan villages had schools that were known as patshalas.  According to George Moraes, “There was no village but had a school, be it in the shade of a grove or in the porch of the temple where the children were taught the three R’s.” The teachers were known as Sinai or Xenney or Shenvi Mama. (In Saligao we had Sinai Salgaokars – remember Xinn-vaddo in Mudd’davaddi). The Sinais would teach in the entrance hall of the temples, big residential houses and even verandahs of comunidade houses. The medium of instruction was Konkani, the native language of Goans, and it was written in the Alkannadi script. Marathi was used in Goa only in the late fifteenth century when the Sultan of Bijapur ruled Goa. The Sultan even recognized Konkani as the official language of the territory [Coutinho 1987 : 153].  Besides the patshalas, there were agraharas, matas, brahmapuris and gurukalas – institutions located in the principal centres where education of an advanced type was disseminated in all branches of knowledge and finally completed at Vidyashalas.

The agraharas were a kind of  “studium generale”, where Arts, Sciences and Religion were taught. Other subjects like music, rhetoric, mathematics, logic, politics, etc, also found a place in these institutes. Brahmapuris were Brahmin Colonies established near the towns, for the purpose of running educational institutions. They were meeting places of cultured Brahmins well versed in the Vedas, Puranas, Smritis, etc. Matas or monasteries taught religion and sacred art. The Portuguese conquest (1510) sounded the death knell of the Konkani educational institutions. The Portuguese carried on a planned and systematic annihilation of the Goan mother tongue and the educational institutions that fostered the growth and development of Konkani, the language of Goa.  According to T B Cunha, from the very beginning all Konkani schools were closed to make place for the Christian languages, Latin and Portuguese.

After the Portuguese conquest, as the number of Christians increased, churches sprang up everywhere with a parochial school, successor to the former patshalas. These came into existence as a result of a decree of John III, King of Portugal, dated 8 March 1546. The purpose of these schools, financed and supported by village communities, was to teach Christian doctrine, impart moral instruction and cultivate artistic tastes in the students. The teachers were required to teach the students reading and writing so as to facilitate their reading of the catechism books. The medium of instruction in these schools was compulsorily Portuguese but the local language was also used, as the teachers were not well versed in Portuguese. The attitude of the Portuguese Government towards the Goan language changed remarkably in the latter half of the sixteenth century as it realized that persuasion rather than force was necessary to facilitate the process of conversion and promotion of Christianity in Goa. Persuasion meant that the Portuguese give up their antagonism to Konkani of the indigenous culture.  Priests posted in parishes had to be conversant in Konkani.  This period witnessed a revival of Konkani, albeit for a short time. (vide, BOTELHO, Afonso, Primary Education and Language in Goa, Colonial Legacy and Post-Colonial Conflicts; VARDE, Dr P S, ‘History of Education in Goa from 1510 to the Present Day).

Saligao, though not a large village, having an area of only 3137.7 hectares and a population not exceeding 5,000, has been an important educational centre from the earliest times, situated as it is in the middle of eight surrounding villages easily accessible by road. It has maintained that tradition unimpaired down to modern times as is evident from the following brief survey, mainly of private schools, founded by individuals. Many of these schools became extinct with the retirement or demise of the founder, dependent as they were on individual resources and animated with selfless spirit for the uplift of the people of the village. The Parish School, the pioneering educational effort of every village and the ‘Government Primary School’, which later supplemented the Parish School, are not included in the survey, the reason being that, though their contribution to the educational development has been appreciated, the review covers only the private educational effort, which constitutes the fame of Saligao.

Latin school

Padre Mestre Andre Soares’ School

Fr. Andre Soares from Salem, Salvador do Mundo, was authorised by provision dated 26-08-1751 to teach Latin in his school located in Saligao. In this school many priests and lay people studied earlier (vide ‘The Parish of Salvador do Mundo de Sirula, Bardez,  Historico-Archaeological Sketch Part II by Fr. Francis Xavier Gomes Catao) .

Latin and Portuguese schools

Latinidade and Portuguese School for boys conducted by Fr Lazaro de Souza was one of the first four Government Public Schools in Goa for teaching Latin and Lyceum classes, the others being in Panjim, Margao and Mapuca. It owed its existence to Jose da Gama, who generously offered free plots on which a large building was erected in Cotula. This building has since been demolished and private houses built there. The primary classes in Portuguese were conducted by Antoninho Cordeiro in 1900, and the huge building in a dilapidated condition was used by the boys for play and games of their own making. This school was the alma mater of many eminent sons of Bardez, including those from Saligao, who later had distinguished careers in Goa and in Europe – among them was Leopoldo da Gama from Saligao, a brilliant journalist and writer.

The subsequent Latin and Portuguese Schools were, in chronological order, those directed by Luis Fernandes; Fr Agostinho Pereira with Carolina Fernandes, both of Grande Morodd, the latter school was subsequently taken over and run by Rev. Bachelor Jose da Vitoria Lobo and Francisco Marques in Pequeno Morodd; by Fr. Caetano Maria Anacleto Rodrigues, in Cotula, who also trained the pupils in choir singing; and by Fr Lucardinho de Souza, in Grande Morodd.

Portuguese mixed primary schools

The earliest of such schools was in Grande Morodd opened about the year 1885 and was run by Carolina Fernandes and Fr. Constâncio Pereira, whom Albertina Noronha joined later, and was continued until 1910. The schools that came later were those conducted by Hortencia Cordeiro, in Molebhatt; by Fr Caetano Filipe de Souza (Dungo Patiu), in Nigvaddo, in Arrarim; and by  Filomena de Souza (Bekeriguer), in Mudd’davaddi. Naturally, these schools do not exist anymore, as Goa is now an independent state of India.

Music schools

In the olden days in Saligao, a boy’s education was not regarded as complete unless he had attended a music school. Indeed, music was the soul of Saligao and the village has produced many famous composers, pianists and musicians emerging from the Parish School as well as from the private schools of Jose Luis Rodrigues, in Cotula; of Joao de Souza (Cud’do Mistri); of Francisco Antonio de Souza, in Nigvaddo; of Miguel Archanjo Remedios (Tabravaddo) at St. Anne’s Chapel; of Santana Gabriel Vaz, at Mudd’davaddi; and of Roberto Saldanha, at Sonarbhatt. The Parish School has in recent years suffered a set-back and at present it exists in name only. We should, therefore, strive to revive the past glory and develop it on modern lines by attracting talent. The musical heritage of the village must be maintained.

Domestic Arts schools

In Saligao, the education of girls has always kept pace with that of the boys,  in more ways than one: the artistic counterpart for the girls being needle-work, embroidery, dress-making, dancing and music. In these schools the elements of reading and writing were also taught but the emphasis was on the domestic arts. The earliest and most famous of these schools, Natu Noronha School, was at Grande Morodd and was attended by girls from different villages. It had limited boarding facilities in the owner’s residential house. Other schools to come on the scene were those managed by Heroina de Souza at Nigvaddo; by Eufemiana Almeida at Arrarim, run subsequently by her son Vincent Almeida; the Adru school at Salmona; and, the Athaide Tailoring College at Tabravaddo. The last schools in this chain were the schools run by Mrs Saldanha, Mary Souza Rodrigues and Eslinda de Souza, who conducted combined classes for dress-making and painting, all of which were in Cotula.  With the establishment and progress of Domestic Science as a regular course of studies in the Arts Colleges, the local private schools found it difficult to sustain themselves.

English schools

The adventurous spirit of the villagers of Saligao found them at the forefront of the tide of emigration. At the same time, educational traditions were not only maintained but also largely encouraged by them. This was evident from the number of English schools opened in the village regardless of financial considerations.

Anglo-Portuguese school

This was the first school founded in 1894 by Francisco Xavier de Mendonça and Diogo Miguel de Souza, assisted by Leopoldina Pinto.  It was in Cotula and was short-lived.  It was, however, a good start in the right direction.

 St. Mary’s School

This was the earliest of the established English schools for boys and the second in Goa, the first being that of Fr Lyons at Arpora. It was founded in 1897 by Jose Trindade Celidonio and organized by Antonio Jose Sequeira, a born educationist, with the able cooperation of Aleluia Pinto and Caetano Filipe Pinto. Under the dynamic personality and leadership of Headmaster, Josinho Sequeira, the school developed rapidly and within a year it rose from the primary to the middle school classes, and opened a branch, providing similar educational facilities for girls. The boys’ school was located in Salmona and the girls’ branch in Arrarim, both in private, residential buildings. They included boarding establishments in 1900 with a large number of boarders coming from all parts of Goa and even from British India.

The sporting, dramatic and other activities of these two schools were widely known, and enlivened the village scene considerably. Those who attended these schools attest that the teaching imparted was good, the discipline firm and the moral conduct high. The promise of a greater future held out by these schools was cut short by the untimely death of the headmaster in 1905.  Thereafter the school was managed by Caetano Filipe Pinto until 1915, when it was taken over by Felisberto Sequeira, the nephew of the headmaster, who managed it until 1919, when it was closed down.

St. Mary’s Girls’ School

This school was founded by the Headmaster, Josinho Sequeira, in 1900 and was a branch school for the education of girls, with boarding facilities. It was the first English school for girls in Goa, with Etelvina de Mello in charge. She was assisted by Ernestina de Souza for needle-work. Subsequently Etelvina ran it independently as her own concern, and lastly it was conducted with limited activity in her own private residence when it was finally handed over to her niece, Mother Bridget Sequeira, founder of the Society of the Franciscan Sisters of Christ the King (headquartered in Karachi).

Mater Dei Institution

This institution was founded in 1909 by Anacleto F X Lobo, Manuel Antonio Mendonça and Joao Francisco Marcelo Fernandes, who together shared the responsibilities and expenses of the institution at the beginning.  Considering his distinction of college education, Anacleto Lobo was made the principal. Joao Fernandes dissociated himself after a short period. Manuel Mendonça had to leave for East Africa in 1911, but returned to the institution in 1914.  Both Anacleto Lobo and Manuel Mendonça were previously on the staff of St. Mary’s School – they had been teaching there from the early age of 20, until they founded the Mater Dei Institution. With a small batch of 25 students the institution was run in private residences first in Cotula and then in Arrarim until its own building was completed in 1925, due largely to the untiring efforts on the part of Manuel Mendonça. It is an imposing structure situated in Arrarim (Bairo Alto), facing the busy Saligao-Calangute road. It has boarding accommodation and a spacious playground. It was originally a boys’ school with boarding facilities but was subsequently converted into a co-educational school, being the first such school in Goa. The school ran as a middle school till 1917, when it was raised to a Secondary High School and recognised by  Bombay University.

This was the first school in Goa to be officially recognised as a centre for scouting by the Lisbon Scout Association in 1926 – Manuel Mendonca was the Scout Master. It was also a recognised centre for the Youth League. Mendonça unfortunately died in the year 1929 at the age of 48. He was regarded by many as the life and soul of the school and his untimely death was a blow to Mater Dei and to Anacleto Lobo personally.

Mater Dei Institution. Picture courtesy Frederick Noronha

One cannot but pay tribute to Anacleto Lobo for his continuous service for over 54 years to the cause of education in general and the uplift of the people of Saligao in particular. After his death in 1963, Mater Dei was run by the late  Inez Lobo and her three daughters Cleta, Edna and Yvette who are fully qualified and accomplished in the teaching profession, The eldest, Cleta Lobo, B.A.(Hons), M.Ed., is the Principal.  She was specially selected for the award of a Fellowship abroad in  Environmental Education  and Modern Contemporary Dance and Drama and has acquired first-hand knowledge of education methods and trends in general, in the United Kingdom and Germany. She has been ably assisted by her sister Edna, while Yvette settled in Mumbai after marriage. Cleta and Edna have established Mater Dei Institution under the ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) Delhi Board in our days.

Colegio Mae de Deus

 Colegio Mae de Deus was started as a mixed school by Gabriel da Costa (originally from Curtorim) at Mollebhatt in 1932 and continued its classes until it joined hands with the new St. Mary’s School opened in 1934 and later amalgamated with a new school under the aegis of the Saligao Union of Bombay in 1946.

 St. Mary’s School

 This school was started by Marillia Abreu and two others as a mixed school in 1934 in Arrarim and it was taken over by the Saligao Union of Bombay in 1946.  I joined this school in the Preparatory class in 1947, and studied there for just over a year. This school had no connection with the old St. Mary’s Girls School run by Etelvina de Mello.

Saligao Union School

This school amalgamated the two preceding schools and was established in 1946 by the efforts of the Saligao Union of Bombay under whose direction it was run and by whom it was financed for the uplift of the sons and daughters of the village. Its Headmaster was F Valles, M.A. L.L.B.  It had seven classes and was housed in a private residence in Arrarim.  [I was introduced to this school in the academic year 1948-49 before joining Mater Dei in 1949-1950 until I finished my SSC in 1957 and joined the seminary in the academic year 1957-58.]  The Union’s objective was to construct a wooden building for the school, which did not materialise, and it was soon closed down.

Lourdes Convent High School

Lourdes Convent was opened in 1946 by the Congregation of the Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King (FMCK), which has its Mother-house in Karachi. This school has taken the place of the old St. Mary’s School that was conducted by Etelvina de Mello, the aunt of Mother Bridget, the founder of the FMCK. The name was changed to Lourdes Convent, as the Congregation had another school named St. Mary’s elsewhere. Mother Bridget came along with three FMCK Sisters to Cotula in 1946 and started the Lourdes Convent High School in the same year. Sister Christine Macarenhas was its first Headmistress. She was fully qualified to manage the school, located in a private mansion in Cotula, with 30 pupils on board. The Headmistress set to work with great earnestness to put the school on a firm footing. She had to face several setbacks and overcome many obstacles. No sooner was one problem settled than another reared its head. However, Sr Christine, with indomitable courage, worked with might and main to establish a first-rate school. After some years the school was shifted from Cotula to other private residences in Arrarim. Sr Christine’s efforts were finally rewarded. Not only did Bombay University give full recognition to the School, but praised it too, for its good discipline and its all-round excellence.

The school prospered in Sr Christine’s capable hands. The Matriculation results during her term of office almost always had a success rate of one hundred percent. After working for Lourdes Convent for 14 years, Sr Christine had to return to Pakistan in 1960 and Sr Francesca took over the running of the school. She also maintained a high standard. In 1963, Sr Veronica Coelho, who had been Sr Christine’s right hand, was appointed Headmistress.

By then Lourdes Convent had its own modern one-storied structure amidst pleasant surroundings on the hill of Donvaddo bordering Sonarbhatt.  It was constructed in three stages and finally completed in 1968. The school has a chapel, boarding accommodation and a residential section for Sisters in the same building and a social wing for the science laboratory. In front of the structure is a spacious compound for children’s games, exercises, drill and sports. The School was affiliated to the University of Bombay in 1951. The School is noted for its varied extra-curricular activities.

Lourdes Convent High School. Picture courtesy Frederick Noronha

Sr Veronica was also District Commissioner of Girl Guides for Bardez.  Sr Adelaide Pais succeeded Sr Veronica in 1976 as Headmistress. The Primary section was run by Sr Livinia Diniz. The ever-smiling Sr Lily is at present the dynamic Headmistress of the Higher Secondary section of the school.

The Seminary

The “Seminario de Nossa Senhora”, the minor Seminary of Our Lady – under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Goa-Damao – is situated on the Saligao-Pilerne Hill. The gateway to the village of Saligao lies at its foot. From the premises one has a veritable grandstand view of the Arabian Sea, rivers, the towns of Goa, historical sites and of course Saligao and surrounding villages. 

Dom Testonio Vieira do Castro, the then Patriarch of Goa, selected the site and proposed to raise the seminary there. The extensive plan of the imposing structure was completed in many phases and it was inaugurated by Cardinal Cerejeira from Lisbon on 6 December, 1952. It is a fitting culmination to the name and fame of Saligao as the educational centre for the vocation of priesthood in Goa. The various Rectors of this Seminary (who were Superiors of a number of priests from Saligao, who studied in the Seminary of Our Lady) are as follows:

1. Msgr. Altino Ribeiro de Santana, from Socorro (1953-1955)
2. Msgr. Anacleto Carmo da Silva from Cansaulim (1956)
3. Msgr. Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, from Bambolim (1956-1962)
4. Msgr. Alfredo dos Augustias Mesquita, from Benaulim (1962-1974)
5. Rev. Fr. Joanito Cromacio Macarenhas, from Cuncolim (1974-1983)
6. Rev. Fr. Manuel Antonio Pinto do Rosario, from Socorro (1983-1993)
7. Rev. Fr. Manuel Pascoal Gomes, from Benaulim (1993-2002)
8. Rev. Fr. Francisco Avinash Rebelo, from Margao (2002- ).

 Footnote: A new international school has come up at Grande Morodd recently.

 References:

• Mendonça, Luis, Historical Survey of Education and Schools in Saligao, in Souvenir (1873-1973) Mae de Deus Church, 1973.
• Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King (1937-1987), 1987, p.92;
• Sursum, From Roots to Fruits  Vol. I – Snippets of Saligao-Pilerne Seminary by Manuel P Gomes, pp 50-51, 2002.
• Sursum, From Roots to Fruits Vol.II – Nostalgic Memoirs of  Saligao-Pilerne Seminary… Marching towards a challenging future, Editor Manuel P Gomes, pp. 14-15.
•  Some extracts taken from Saligao Union, Bombay. Saligao, Golden Jubilee of Saligao Union, Bombay (1936-1986)