J.h. Cunha Rivara And Native Goan Elites

HERALD

OPINION

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o= HERALD o= Vol No CIX No: 269 Goa, Saturday 26 September, 2009

Maharashtra’s poll panorama

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hen Maharashtra goes to the polls on 13 October, it will witness a unique four-cornered contest, with two main contenders and two ‘spoilers’ competing for the votes. But that is just part of the story. This election will be a critical one, not only for the main contenders in the fray, but also for a number of smaller fry that are looking for their place in the sun. The man to watch is the chief spoiler in the fray – Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo Raj Thackeray. He has rebelled against his uncle, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, taken over his anti-outsider Marathi Manoos platform and, using the very high-decibel tactics that the Sena successfully employed four decades ago, has stolen its thunder. For Raj, this is the acid test. The forthcoming assembly election is going to be the pivotal event that determines whether he continues to remain relevant in Maharashtra politics. No one is more acutely aware of this than the man himself. This poll is like the very first Mumbai Municipal Corporation election the Shiv Sena fought in 1967. It can make him or break him. And it would do the converse for the Sena. Raj’s aim in this election is to divide the Marathi and/or Hindu vote, and enable the Congress-NCP combine to move ahead of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. The MNS will field about 110 candidates, mostly in the urban areas of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Domibivili, Pune and Nashik, which together account for around 40 per cent of the state legislative assembly’s 288 seats. In the recent Lok Sabha poll, the MNS fielded just 12 candidates. Not a single won, but each took not less than a lakh of votes, helping the Congress-NCP to grab most of those seats. The MNS got a modest 4.5 per cent of the overall vote, but in Mumbai’s six constituencies they cornered an impressive 21 per cent. Can Raj sustain the tempo? The other spoiler is the Republican Left Democratic Front (RLDF), an alliance of around a dozen parties, including most factions of the pro-Dalit Republican Party of India (RPI), the pro-Muslim Samajwadi Party, the CPI(M), various factions of the Janata Dal, and the Peasants & Workers Party (PWP). This combine is expected to eat into the votes of the Congress-NCP combine, and help the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. Most of the RLDF parties are the ‘usual suspects’ one finds in sundry ‘Third Front’ alliances. But there are some interesting types, like Raju Shetty and his ‘Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathana’. Shetty is a farmeractivist who broke from Sharad Joshi’s Shetkari Sanghatana and was the surprise winner from Shirola in the last assembly election. He has successfully rallied sugarcane growers and, in the recent Lok Sabha election, defeated NCP heavyweight Nivedita Mane in Hatkanangale. He has powerful friends too, having helped the Congress’s Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports Pratik Patil win from Sangli. Shetty is putting up candidates in 24 seats in western Maharashtra. And then, of course, there’s Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has fielded candidates in all 288 seats. However, the BSP has never managed to make serious inroads into Maharashtra in the past and, since most RPI factions are coming together in the RLDF, is unlikely to make a big dent in the Dalit votebank. The ruling Congress-NCP alliance goes into this election after having ruled the state for two terms. They face a potentially massive antiincumbency sentiment, particularly since their record was none too good before the present Chief Minister Ashok Chavan took office recently, after Vilasrao Deshmukh was sacked following the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. For the Shiv Sena-BJP combine, therefore, this election is a must-win imperative. If it loses for the third time in a row, then there are hard times ahead. Political pundits have opined that the Sena’s preoccupation with protecting its turf from the MNS might cost it dear. It was unable to seriously embarrass the government over farmer suicides, for example. If the Congress-NCP can make the public forget about its past and leverage the goodwill that the central government currently enjoys, it may be uniquely fortunate to buck anti-incumbency for a second time and get a third term in office.

Jaundice and H1NI scare Michael Vaz, Merces Goans were somewhat relieved at being spared by jaundice this year, as the rainy season has almost come to an end. But this relief was not to last for long. There was an outbreak of this malady with at least 30 reported cases in the BITS campus in Goa, which forced the management to close the campus till 11 October. A thorough enquiry needs to be conducted to ascertain the causes of this outbreak. The hygienic conditions of the canteen, purity of drinking water, water supply line for contamination and overall cleanliness in the campus are to be looked into. Care should be taken to ensure that it does not spread to adjoining areas. Two confirmed cases of swine flu in a city school is another cause for concern. They have taken a wise step towards closing the school till

100 Years Ago

PRIMEIRO DIARIO NAS COLONIAS PORTUGEZAS

26 September 1909 New clinic in City

A health clinic is to be established in the City, with the initiative of doctors, where they can undertake difficult surgeries, and supply antiseptic gauzes to doctors.

Steam launches proposed

Works are actively under way at Mormugao to construct steam launches for river navigation, from which 3 are placed at the extreme end of Vasco da Gama Avenue while the remaining three are kept at the Railways’ Dockyard.

Comunidade problems

The Secretariat of the Comunidade de Corlim being vacant, the Government announced that petitioners are requested to submit their grievances to the Secretariat General at the City.

Gales in New Orleans

In New Orleans strong gales caused losses evaluated at 100,000 dollars.

Pg8 J H da Cunha Rivara and Native Goan Elites While some of Cunha Rivara’s writings are well-known, it would be useful to analyse his other work, says TEOTÓNIO R DE SOUZA

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need to refer my readers to my earlier essay in Herald (14 Feb 2009) titled ‘A Portuguese Orien talist to Remember’. That essay and another one in the Lisbon weekly Semanário (20 Feb 2009) alerted some of the Portuguese institutions which were dutybound to remember and take some initiative to commemorate the bicentenary of his birth, but were blissfully ignorant of the fact. It was my privilege to participate in events rapidly organised by four institutions that mattered: (1) The Portuguese Academy of History on 27 May, as part of a seminar on the Church-State Relations under Portuguese Monarchy; (2) On 20 June in the municipality of Arraiolos, the birth place of Cunha Rivara (3) On 23 June, the Public Library of Évora, which Cunha Rivara refounded during his 17-year-long term as its librarian, and, finally, (4) on 17 September, at the Geographical Society of Lisbon, which has a close existential connection with the Instituto Vasco da Gama, of which Cunha Rivara was a co-founder and editor of its journal with the same name. Presently, the National Library of Lisbon has an exhibition of a sample of Cunha Rivara’s works, accompanied by a 74-page catalogue to which the Brazilian poet Everton Machado has contributed a chapter on Cunha Rivara’s two decades in India. He mentions A Conjuração de 1787 by Cunha Rivara in 1875, about an important revolt planned by Goan priests and military men against Portuguese rule (“importante revolta tramada pelos sacerdotes e militares goeses contra o domínio português”). The catalogue includes this book under items 29 and 30, the latter entry being the English edition produced by the XCHR (Goa) in 1996 with the title Goa and the Revolt of 1787, edited by Charles Borges, SJ, with an Introduction by me. In the mid-18th century, the Franciscan friars of Bardez were complaining to the crown of Portugal against the native priests who were claiming right to run the parishes: “All these black priests (with the exception of some by miracle) are ill-natured and illbehaved, lascivious, drunkards, etc. and therefore, most unworthy of receiving the charge of the churches.” The Franciscans were resentful of the idea of being deprived of the parishes that ensured their livelihood. I wonder if Canon Law was less efficient in those days than now. Thanks to Almir de Souza’s article in Herald (22 Sep), we know that he is also Dr and writes books, probably on history, since he seeks to teach how to write it. He could tell us if he sees any positive role for conflict in the history of the humanity, including the Church in Goa and elsewhere. It is very simplistic to

HISTORICAL EXPLORATIONS see it as discord and fruit of the unholy spirit. Also, while he is used to hearing the revealed truth conveyed through parables, he seems unaware that history can be presented in many linguistic forms, including the one adopted by Umberto Eco, whose expertise in medieval history and culture no one can easily question. This may appear as needless digression, but is essential for understanding the historical background that led Cunha Rivara to research and publish his A Conjuração de 1787. We should not forget that Cunha Rivara took up almost single-handedly (he complained bitterly against the Portuguese officialdom of the time, both civil and clerical, for not backing his efforts) the task of defending the rights of the Padroado Church harassed by the Rome-backed Propaganda Fide. Was this long-driven conflict since 1622 till 1974, when Goa regained its archbishop-patriarch, also an historical episode unnoticed by Almir de Souza’s Holy Spirit? It is time the Goan clerical elite (and its lay acolytes) updated their skills of spiritual discernment and stopped classifying so very easily the intentions and actions of

Give With a Smile

Tongue in Cheek

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he Joy of Giving week shall be observed from 27 September to 3 October all over the country. This noble idea has been conceptual ised by the NGO Give India and calls upon every Indian to give whatever possible. Indeed there is no greater gift than the gift of giving. Giving brings more joy than receiving. The scriptures says that it is more blessed to give than to receive. But then you need to be a cheerful giver. A grumpy giver will always grumble about the things that he/she has to give. It is commonly said that in this world absolutely nothing is given for nothing. Those who follow this dictum are indeed ‘poor’. For they give only to receive. They will never experience the joy of giving. What exactly can one give? The greatest sacrifice is to give one’s life for another person. Though this is an extreme form of giving, there have been instances when a life has been lost while saving another life. We see such examples when someone is saved from drowning. Our brave jawans are willing to lay down their lives for the country. The Bible says that Jesus Christ gave up His life to save us from sin. This is the supreme sacrifice. Such a sacrifice comes from very deep love which cannot be explained by words. But then not many may be called to give their lives. We can be givers in

the month end. That is an appropriate and proven step to curb the virus. With the tourist season in Goa on an upward swing, every care must be taken to ensure that Goa is safe from any pandemic.

Shame on Goan politics Babluis Pereira, Pomburpa After Goa’s Liberation, true-blooded Goans like the late Dayanand Bandodkar and the late Dr Jack de Sequeira had formed regional parties named Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and United Goans Party respectively. In 1963, when Goa went to polls the MGP won the poll and had formed the Government and the UGP was in the opposition. How nice it was then to see Goan parties in power and in opposition, deciding the fate of Goa. After both leaders death, there was infighting in the rank and file of the parties. Both the regional parties thus lost the people’s confidence. Delhi’s national parties lured our politicians, and our politicians, thinking less of Goa’s future and more about their personal interests, sold their Goemkarpon and embraced national parties in the name of Goa’s development. They were given high posts but no power. Even to solve petty matters, they have to air-dash to Delhi. What a shame on Goan politics that there is no strong regional party in power or in opposition.

Vigil on the border Pachu Menon, Margao We are so obsessed in guarding the nation against our sworn enemy that we have failed to look beyond Pakistan for any possible threat from other nations. The unnecessary hype around scotched rumors about incursions by the Chinese troops into Indian territories has alerted us to the startling truth that the bogie of a Sino-Indian war still haunts us, decades after that disastrous confrontation. For a moment, we need to think of those incorrectly reported hostilities as nothing more than media hype – an orchestrated media offensive to unsettle Sino-Indian diplomatic relations. The setting up of a hotline between the Indian premier and his Chinese counterpart, and a host of army commanders dashing off to China, signi-

others. At least the tone of their responses in the running controversy sounds distant from anything Almir de Souza quoted from St Paul to Galatians. The Devil too quoted scriptures when he tried to allure Jesus to choose temporal goods and forget his mission! While Cunha Rivara’s contribution in the form of the 10 tomes of Archivo Portuguez-Oriental and other publications about Konkani are well known, it would be interesting if on this occasion of the bicentenary of his birth, Goa took up analysing his writings on a dark chapter of the Goa Church. Such an exercise will necessarily raise questions about Cunha Rivara’s understanding of the Goa Church and how far he cared (or not) for the interests of the Goan native elites and their political interests. After staying in Goa and occupying a position of great political influence, we could presume that many of those elites would have been interacting with him at various levels. But we know little till date about it. Hence, it is an open field for young and old researchers. Very recently, Dr (Fr) Venancio L Fonseca, my co-

villager and friend, has done commendable research on this area, but I wish it was less of an institutional and more of a socio-economic study. One thing is clear from Cunha Rivara’s intense involvement in the defence of the Portuguese Padroado in India: he converted the Official Government Gazette (Boletim do Governo) into a weapon to fight the opponents and made it a bi-weekly for this purpose and with good effect to counter the Bombay Catholic Examiner. The style of language used by Cunha Rivara, usually a cool, thorough and systematic researcher, bordered on frenzy. He admits in his autobiographical notes: “I do not know if Padroado has any chances of survival; if it is dead or in death throes (I suspect this to be the case), my conscience testifies that I did not help in killing it.” And he continues: “During six to seven years I sustained my fight against the tonsured corsairs.” A Conjuração de 1787 is another illustration of Cunha Rivara’s schizophrenic approach to historical research. His political mission as general secretary of the colonial government seems to have prevailed. He was provoked by the accusations that native elites worked against the colonial regime during the election campaign in Bardez in 1861, in the wake of the Sepoy Mutiny in neighbouring India. Cunha Rivara feared an overflow of the rebellion into Portuguese territories. It had begun to happen. In this context the political demagogy of the natives referring to “judicial murder” and to those involved in the so-called Pinto Conspiracy a century earlier as “martyrs of despotism” did not please Cunha Rivara at all. His analysis and comments on the Conspiracy in Chapter 10 of the book need a re-reading. Cunha Rivara’s dislike for the Goan native elite (who were not among his admirers and followers) is best illustrated by his editorial footnote k, on p 161 of the Instituto Vasco da Gama (1874) referring to an article in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal on the sources for the History of the Portuguese in India (VXLII – Pt I – 1873): “It is a pity that the English author (Talbort) did not consult before producing his article some of the critics born or resident in India, because had he consulted them , they would advise him with magisterial tone to reject with horror the collections of “impertinências, caturrices e ridicularias” (= nonsense) , which in the opinion of those wise fools (“sábios mentecaptos”) are found in the Archivo, in Boletim do Governo, and other publications, which he had the weakness of finding curious and useful; he would be shocked with the eloquence about the waste, and the highfalutin arguments of those critics in defence of their strange conclusions.”

several ways. We give alms to the poor. But many indulge in charity only to be seen by others. The Scriptures say that your left hand should not know what your right hand has given. It is a common thing to give whatever you have in excess. People donate to charity old clothes and such other things which are of no use to them. But then a true giver will give till it pinches. This ‘pinch’ can give immense pleasure. You should not think twice as to whether to give or not. “He gives twice who gives promptly,” wrote Pubilius Syrus. You do not have to be a philanthropist to be a giver. You can give several things which are absolutely free of cost. You can give a smile to liven up another person who seems to be downcast. You can give a helping hand to someone in need. The best way to be of help to another person in distress is by listening to the person’s problems. You give your shoulder for the person to cry away his/her troubles. There is no greater feeling than the fact that there is someone out there who cares. It is said that charity begins at home. So all your giving should begin right there where you live. Giving should be among the family members, which then extends to the neighbourhood and then to the world outside. In today’s world, probably the most expensive thing that one can give to another person is one’s time. In this busy world it seems that no one has

An award for the people

Joseph L R Vaz, Navelim

The Chief Minister’s statement at the launching of BSNL’s WiMax facility at Verna Industrial Estate (Herald, 24 Sep) that Goa has won the best small state in investment despite scrapping the SEZs proves that the Goan peoples’s demands were right and that we are mature and know what is good for us and reject what is bad for our future. The CM further stated that “in the Western region we were rated better than Gujarat and Maharashtra”. This means were are on the right track, doing even better than these so-called high-profile states, and the CM should be grateful to the Goan people for this honour. However, his statement that “had the drawbacks not been there, we would have been much ahead” sounds peculiar, as in such a case Goa would have been similar to Gujarat and Maharashtra, or even worse, and would not have won the award. He should remember that Goa won the awards precisely because of what he considers as drawbacks, which are for us destructive forces which were rejected by the people. The CM and all the industrialists, including the former President of GCCI, should thank the various NGOs from Goa who have fought selfless battles and are still fighting to keep Goa flying high. The industrialists should remember that development should be sustainable and long-term and benefit the locals rather than be a short-cut to get rich quick, with a few selfish individuals making money at the cost of the destruction of the rest. The various NGOs should take pride in this award and keep up the vigil to guard Goa, as there is no opposition party worth the name left in Goa, and all the forty (words to describe them adequately fail me) are the same.

Lifeguards and tourists Gelcafer, St Estevam There are many cases of tourists drowning while on visits to Goan beaches. The tourists refuse to abide by the warning signals of dangerous state of water and restricted areas of swimming, which makes it difficult for the lifeguards to save their lives. Individuals need to have responsibility and respect, when warned against swimming. If the services of lifeguards are taken for saving such people, fines should be imposed on them for having endangered the lives of the lifeguards,

time for another person. But then keep aside your hectic schedule and go spend some time with the orphans in an orphanage or the old people in an old-age-home. Visit the sick in the hospital. Visit a jail and spend time with those behind bars. Believe me, nothing will bring you more joy. When one talks of giving, the one thing that comes to mind is giving a gift. You gift a gift on a birthday, an anniversary or any such joyful occasion. Hence giving is associated with joy. But then some people give away as a gift something that is of no use to them. There are those who do not even open a gift but just pass it off as a gift to another person on some occasion. This has robbed us of the joy of giving a gift. Because of this one may find on the invitation words like ‘No Presents Please’ or ‘Presents in Presence only’ or ‘Presents in Blessings only’. Besides the smile, which costs the giver absolutely nothing, there is also a warm hug, a warm handshake or even an affectionate pat on the back, which all speak a lot without saying a word. But then a person can give something only if he/she possesses it. A sad person cannot spread cheer as much as a poor man cannot make a donation. So in the coming week which is the ‘Joy of Giving Week’ give to your heart’s delight. Give whatever you can. More importantly, give with a smile!

Letters to the Editor

Letter of the Day

fy urgency in mending fences between the two countries. China, being an international player, has grown by leaps and bounds and is today as formidable a force as the US. India does not have the capability to match China force for force. It would be prudent to be ever watchful rather than have a repeat of the Himalayan blunder of 1962.

By Adelmo Fernandes

which should be paid to the lifeguards involved in saving these lives. This will serve as an incentive to the lifeguards and motivate more to get into this service. In a recent drowning case of a young Hyderabadi couple at Campal, there was a suggestion that lifeguards should be posted for duty earlier than the present timing. If someone decides to swim at night, does it mean that the lifeguards should be posted for duty at nights too? Lifeguards save a drowning person at the risk of their lives. It is only if we put ourselves in their place that we will understand this difficult task.

Beach or slum? Ramiro D’Souza, via email I could not agree with the views of Ms Maria Fernandes of Calangute in her letter ‘Save Calangute beach’ (Herald, 22 Sep). The unplanned build-up of shacks gives the beach an ugly look. It is no longer a beautiful beach; in fact it looks like an extension on the

famous Dharavi Slums of Mumbai. Only when the shacks and the chairs are pulled out by the season end do we do have a lovely beach to ourselves. The planners need to do much more then just issuing licenses to permit such a mess to reign.

Pak games Ranjit Sinha, Deolali With reference to ‘Pak playing a game on Saeed’ (Herald, 23 Sep), it is quite logical to assume that Pakistan is camouflaging the main issue by putting the chief conspirator Hafiz Saeed under house arrest. They have time and again, used the lame excuse that evidence advanced by India is insufficient. It is necessary for us to keep pressure on Pakistan, in tandem with the Western world, especially the US.

Ignorant remarks Santana Menezes, Loutolim This is with reference to the letter by Podicarpo D’Souza titled ‘Protect our Comunidades’ (Herald, 19 Sep). The letter is full of blunders and shows the utter ignorance about the writ petition preferred by some Comunidade members. The author needs to look into the mirror for the real cause of the blunders committed in the letter. He should have analysed what he was writing, instead of exposing his ignorance on the subject. It would be advisable to stop interfering with Court orders and creating a situation of disrespect and contempt to the Court by wrongly interpreting its orders.

Commercial schools? Seema Travasso, Quepem I would like to bring to your notice the donations collected by private schools. Every year, students are forced to bring appeals for donations – and not just one appeal, but a minimum of five appeals. There is a limit to this extraction, and that too in the name of education. Not only students but even parents are put under tremendous pressure to collect the donations from the public. Will the concerned authorities look into the matter.

Paths of Wisdom Meditation Practice

By Sogyal Rinpoche It is well to recognize that when you start on a meditation practice, you are entering a totally different dimension of reality. Normally in life we put a great deal of effort into achieving things, and there is a lot of struggle involved, whereas meditation is just the opposite, it is a break from how we normally operate. Meditation is simply a question of being, of melting, like a piece of butter left in the sun. It has nothing to do with whether or not you “know” anything about it, in fact, each time you practice meditation it should be fresh, as if it were happening for the very first time. You just quietly sit, your body still, your speech silent, your mind at ease, and allow thoughts to come and go, without letting them play havoc on you. If you need something to do, then watch the breathing. This is a very simple process. When you are breathing out, know that you are breathing out. When you breath in, know that you are breathing in, without supplying any kind of extra commentary or internalized mental gossip, but just identifying with the breath. That very simple process of mindfulness processes your thoughts and emotions, and then, like an old skin being shed, something is peeled off and freed. The whole point of meditation is to get used to the that aspect which you have forgotten. In Tibetan “meditation” means “getting used to”. Getting used to what? to your true nature, your Buddha nature. This is why, in the highest teaching of Buddhism, Dzogchen, you are told to “rest in the nature of mind”. You just quietly sit and let all thoughts and concepts dissolve. It is like when the clouds dissolve or the mist evaporates, to reveal the clear sky and the sun shining down. When everything dissolves like this, you begin to experience your true nature, to “live”. Then you know it, and at that moment, you feel really good. It is unlike any other feeling of well being that you might have experienced. This is a real and genuine goodness, in which you feel a deep sense of peace, contentment and confidence about yourself.

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