OPINION Pg8

HERALD
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o= HERALD o=
Vol No CIX No: 31
How the Church Flourished in Goa
Saturday 31 January, 2009 By the grace of God, questionable land deals and impious endowments, says TEOTÓNIO R DE SOUZA

Coalition dharma S
oon after the conquest of Goa in 1510, the Por- of the journal O Oriente Português, since 1917 till 1932,
tuguese took over several land properties and covering the properties of the various religious orders
gave them as grants to lay people and to religious. and their convents from the registers pertaining to

T
he decision of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s
highest policy-making body, that it would not be a party to any
national-level alliance with its United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
partners, has set the cat among the pigeons. Immediately, the Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) slammed its senior UPA partner. NCP spokesman
D P Tripathi said that the Congress does not understand the logic, essence
and the function of coalition politics at the centre.
But the fact is, it does, and only too well.
The CWC’s position is a highly nuanced one. It says there will be no
alliance at the national level. This means each UPA constituent will fight
the coming parliamentary poll on its own. But the existing state-level
adjustments for seats with UPA partners will continue.
Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said that this would
give more flexibility to the party in post-poll negotiations. It is also a
clear snub to what the party feels are extravagant demands by over-
ambitious alliance partners like the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) of Ram
Vilas Paswan and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The
latter not only wants a majority of the seats in Maharashtra, but is projecting
Sharad Pawar for the prime minister’s post…!
Thursday’s CWC meeting concluded that the 2009 elections would
produce a mixed result, leading to the formation of another coalition
government. It was felt that the party is bound to lose seats in states it
swept in the 2004 polls like Haryana (all 10 seats) and Andhra Pradesh
(35 out of 42 seats with TRS). The situation in Tamil Nadu – where the
Congress-Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) combination swept the
poll last time – is fluid, with both the DMK and Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK
unwilling to commit themselves.
Therefore the Congress cannot afford to concede too many
constituencies to its allies in the other states, where it needs to win a
significant number of seats if it is to keep its hopes of leading the next
government alive. Therefore in states where the Congress doesn’t have
allies, it will not seek votes for other UPA partners; only for its own
candidates.
In any case, the party that is most miffed with the decision of the
Congress – the NCP – has little justification for its indignation. The NCP
has been following a state-wise (even city-wise) policy of alliances.
For example, in Meghalaya, the Congress emerged as the single
largest party in the last election and the NCP came second. But the NCP
went out of its way to make an alliance with the third-placed United
Democratic Party (UDP) and a handful of smaller parties – including the
BJP – and independents, to form an anti-Congress government.
In Maharashtra, where a Congress-NCP alliance rules the state, the
NCP joined the ruling alliance of the BJP-Shiv Sena in the Pune Municipal
Corporation. This has caused a great deal of rancour. Maharashtra’s new
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan recently publicly appealed to the NCP to
end this “immoral” alliance.
In our very own Goa, even while being a part of the ruling coalition,
the NCP has formed an alliance-within-the alliance, with the MGP and
independent MLA Vishwajeet Rane. And the local Congress has had to
lump this, even though it doesn’t like it.
Giving lands as dowry was a part of the policy of Afon-
so de Albuquerque for promoting mixed marriages.
When the campaign of demolishing temples began in
the early 1540s, the namoshi lands were confiscated
and transferred to the religious orders.
Cunha Rivara, Goa’s state secretary and historian
during two decades, stated in O Chronista de Tis-
suary (March 1866) that from the 17th century the
religious had lost much of their zeal or “cheiro de
santidade” (odour of holiness), and occupied them-
selves in gathering material wealth through State and
private endowments and purchase of landed proper-
ties. Dying persons were often frightened with the
spectre of hell or purgatory into making endowments
on their death beds. Poor orders became rich. As
mentioned earlier, the scandal of wealth and com-
plaints of laymen led the Crown to order on 4 Novem-
ber 1609 a ban on the religious accepting endowments
of immovable property. However, the religious were
influential enough in the royal bed-chambers to by-
pass such orders and could get the Crown to issue
counter-orders. In India the Portuguese State
availed of the religious presence in the neigbour-
ing territories as diplomatic agents before the na-
tive rulers. Such vital services had obviously to be
compensated.
The Portuguese married-settlers (casados) in Goa
were complaining to the King of Portugal in 1603 that
“If the State of India is lost, it will be solely because of
the Society of Jesus (…). They are absolute masters
of a great part of this island (of Goa), most of which
they have bought, and at this rate there will be no
house or palm-grove left which will not be theirs with-
in ten years from now. The Portuguese settlers find
themselves impoverished, because they have no lands
to invest in, and whatever capital they had they have
lost it in the sea. The income which the Jesuits derive
from their properties in Salcete alone would suffice to
maintain all the Religious houses that we have here.”
A great deal of this Jesuit success was researched
critically and published by none other than a Jesuit
himself, Charles Borges, the former Director of the
Xavier Centre of Historical Research. Anyone interest-
ed can read his candid account, published as a doctoral
thesis entitled The Economics of the Goa Jesuits,
1542–1759: An Explanation of their Rise and Fall
Tongue In Cheek
HISTORICAL EXPLORATIONS
(1994). The times have changed and the present-day
Indian Jesuits do not have to hold a candle to their erst-
while colonial teachers, excepting perhaps to St Fran-
cis Xavier, a Basque and not a Portuguese, who too
denounced the abuses of his fellow Jesuits and the
Portuguese colonialists, whom he accused of parsing
too fluently the verb “to rob” (rapio in Latin) in all its
moods and tenses!
The religious orders in Goa maintained close con-
tacts with big-time businessmen, some of them of
foreign nationality that was deemed inimical by the
Portuguese. Such were, for instance, the Couttre broth-
ers, Flemish jewel traders, or Ferdinand Cron, an Augs-
burg merchant. These assisted the Franciscans and the
Jesuits generously with their funds in order to be held
in good public esteem and so to minimise or escape
State watch against suspect foreign nationals. The
Couttre brothers are known to have helped the Fran-
ciscans to build the Moirá church, while Cron contrib-
uted to the costs of the celebrations of the canoniza-
tion of St Francis Xavier in 1623. A Portuguese over-
Live To Love
The Cumbarjua Church and a little
sanctuary nearby dedicated to saintly
Jesuit (‘Pavlis Prasann’), probably the
Fr Gonçalo Martins mentioned in the
text. He had a strong presence in
Cumbarjua.
seas trader, Baltazar da Veiga, a close friend of the Jes-
uit Gonçalo Martins, paid all the costs of the richly or-
namented Bom Jesus Church sacristy. The Jesuit did
his good turn when Baltazar da Veiga was hauled in by
the Goa Inquisition.
It was in response to repeated complaints against
the land grab by the churchmen that several royal and
viceregal decrees were issued to control the institu-
tion of new religious houses and to check the acquisi-
tion of more land properties by the existing ones. The
seriousness of the land grab by the religious orders is
sufficiently testified by the property registers of the
various religious monasteries that flourished in Goa
from the 16th century onwards till their suppression
by the Government in 1759 and again in 1834. The Jesuit
order was suppressed first, and all other religious or-
ders at the later date. Their houses and properties were
taken over by the government, and partly handed over
to the Goa Archdiocese.
J B Amancio Gracias published serially a listing of the
“Bens Pensionados em Goa” in the old and new series
1735–44 and preserved in the Land Revenue Depart-
ment (Fazenda). He tells us that he found stated in the
beginning of these volumes that they transcribed all
the early and past registers. Apparently, in 1669 a deci-
sion of the Dominican order had reduced the obliga-
tions pending upon several properties due to their re-
duced investment value at that time. Some incomplete
records were earlier published by Francisco Xavier Vas
in O Heraldo of 12 January 1908.
At the time of the suppression of the religious or-
ders the properties of the Augustinians alone were
valued at six and a half lakh rupees. Charles Borges has
estimated the value of the Jesuit properties at the time
of their suppression on the basis of the ledgers and
confiscation deeds preserved in hundreds of volumes
entitled Papéis dos Conventos Extintos (Papers of the
Suppressed Convents) in the Goa Historical Archives. I
had found these records, and particularly those of the
Augustinians, very useful to estimate the living cost of
the urban society in Goa during the seventeenth centu-
ry. The results were published in my book Medieval Goa
(1979) which is likely to be released very shortly in its
third edition (second in English).
All this may appear to be distant history, but the ex-
tent of the Church power in Goa today is solidly built on
that past and is sustained by it. The properties of the
Church of Goa extend so far and wide that the Church
authorities themselves are not fully aware of the title
deeds to claim the gains of much ill-begotten inherit-
ance. Interestingly, or rather unfortunately, many in post-
Liberation Goa are finding it hard to liberate themselves
from the spiritual bindings of the so-called Legados
Pios or what one should rather translate as “impious
endowments” linked to properties that were donated
to the religious orders with obligations to be fulfilled
by the said religious to put the dead donors and their
family members to rest! It is not uncommon to hear in
Goa the words “Tankam pensanv laglam” when some
child in the family dies or someone falls sick for no
known reason, etc. It means that the family concerned
has not fulfilled obligations that remain attached to
some property they acquired. Just a year before Goa’s
Liberation, Fr Francisco Xavier Costa published a listing
of such Legados Pios. Many may not care for history,
but may still want to care for their future and consult
this interesting register.
By Adelmo Fernandes

N
The fact is, the NCP is in no position to preach to others on ‘coalition
dharma’. It cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. umerous poems have been written, countless songs composed, storm and will never fall apart. A relationship built on true love lasts forever. love. So also was the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi who believed
several books written and a vast number of films made (especially When you love someone you will never harm or think ill of the person. in the power of non-violence. Love can build bridges. It is the only hope

Lost
by Bollywood) are on just one topic – love. History has it that kings Hence it is said that love is never having to say you are sorry. But unfortu- on which the human race can survive. If there is no love and respect
have even fought wars for the sake of love. Definitely love is the strongest nately many times a wrong meaning is given to this most wonderful of between people of different nations, it will result in war and destruc-
of all human emotions. Many have given up their lives for the sake of love. human emotions. Love is brought down to such a level that it is likened to tion.

opportunity
Love makes the world (your world) go round. Love is satisfying, love lust. There is a vast difference between true love and lust. While lust is “Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other,” wrote
is gratifying, love is enchanting, love is giving, love makes life mean- more of a physical feeling and last momentarily, true love lasts a lifetime Euripides. Love transcends all boundaries. It sees no difference in colour,
ingful. and even beyond. A fine example of one’s true love translated into some- religion or caste. The problem with the world today is that true love is fast

I
n nominating Adv Narendra Sawaikar for the South Goa parliamentary
seat, the Bharatiya Janata Party may have rewarded a party loyalist,
but it has also lost a unique opportunity. It could have supported the
candidature of the United Goans Democratic Party’s (UGDP’s) Matanhy
Saldhana for the constituency.
Matanhy has considerable credibility and support among both
Catholics and Hindus in South Goa. Besides, he would make an excellent
parliamentarian. With the present atmosphere of discontent against the
government and the BJP’s support, Matanhy stood a good chance of
winning the election.
Most important of all, he would have made a very reliable ally, not
because he supports its policies – he doesn’t – but because he is a man
of his word. The BJP should remember that earlier, Matanhy chose to
risk disqualification from the Assembly rather than change his loyalties.
When we mention the word ‘love’, the one type of love that comes to
mind is the love between two adults belonging to opposite sexes. But
then love is not restricted to just a man-woman relationship. The defini-
tion of love can be as vast as the ocean. There is parental love, brotherly
love, love between true friends, love between a husband and wife,
and, of course, there is ultimately divine love. God our Heavenly Fa-
ther loves us more than any living being does. Then there is the love
of other objects. You love your home. You could be an animal lover or
a plant lover. There are those who love art, music or a life of adven-
ture.
How then does one define this most complex of human emotions? The
Oxford Dictionary defines ‘love’ as a warm liking or affection. That is prob-
ably the simplest definition of such a complex human feeling. If you wish
to be young, love someone, for it is said that the heart that loves is always
young. The family that is built on the foundation of love can weather any
thing that stands the test of time is the Taj Mahal in Agra. Standing tall it is
a testimony of true love.
If you love someone, show it by your actions, for hidden love is as good
as no love. “They do not love that do not show their love,” wrote William
Shakespeare. Probably the greatest love story of all times was written by
this very genius. The play “Romeo and Juliet” was later made into a film
which is an eternal tribute to love.
The Holy Scripture teaches us to love our neighbours. But probably the
most difficult part of loving is that which the Bible teaches us – to love our
enemies. God is love. Every religion teaches one to love his fellow being.
Unfortunately there are some who divide people on the basis of the faith
they follow. This is most unfortunate and a very dangerous trend that is
eating into our society.
If there is no love in this world there can be no hope for mankind. Mother
Teresa, who is also known as the ‘Saint of the Gutters’ was an epitome of
disappearing. Hence we see the number of divorces rising every year.
Ironically young adults run away from their homes in search of love when
their homes should have been the very place where they get the first
taste of love. Lack of love is the reason for quarrels between neigh-
bours, between life partners, between parents and children. Absence
of love also leads to other negative emotions like jealousy, infidelity,
etc.
“One word frees us all the weight and pain of life. That word is ‘love’,”
wrote Sophocles.  Love is an emotion one sees even in the animal king-
dom. If you want any proof of it just take a look at the love birds. The only
thing they seem to do is to love their mates. Indeed we have a lot to
learn from these simple birds. Even the most ferocious of animals
shows love towards their young ones. Indeed, love is a many-splen-
doured thing.
Remember, if you live to love, you will love to live.         

Letters to the Editor

Confused secularism
Averthanus L D’Souza, Dona Paula
When one gets a bull by the tail, as your corre-
spondent Anil Sawant has done (‘Selective sec-
ularism’, Herald, 28 Jan), there is a grave danger
that one can get kicked. Moreover, Anil Sawant
seems to have got hold of a different bull alto-
gether. He needs to carefully re-read my article
to understand what it was really all about. It is
not a good practice to vent one’s spleen at ran-
dom.
Anil Sawant tells us that President Obama
could have done this or that, or that he should
have done this or that, or that this or that might
have been done. All this is completely irrelevant
to the issue. We are dealing with actually what
was done – not with what “might” have been
done. In any rational discussion, it is good to
address the issue at hand, rather than to attack
a particular person who has proposed a point of
view. Such personalised attacks only weaken
one’s argument.
Anil Sawant asserts that “Hinduism or Bud-
100 Years Ago
PRIMEIRO DIARIO N AS C O L O N I AS P O RT U G E Z AS
31 January 1909
Capitalist-journalist’s trial
The capitalist-journalist Henry Keas was sen-
tenced to a one-year term for bad manage-
ment and false testimony.
Roguery in Mapusa
Taking advantage of the quiet of the night,
some miscreants are practicing all kinds of
roguery in Mapusa, mainly in the ward ‘Angod-
do’, where they are reported to have violently
pulled up plants from nearby gardens and
robbed kitchen utensils, that too in full view
of the police.
Literary society promotes ball
A literary society of Mapusa is going to pro-
mote a gala ball on the occasion of the forth-
coming Carnival.
dhism, for example, have no problems with abor-
tion…” I am not sure which Hinduism or Bud-
dhism Anil Sawant is referring to. To the best of
my knowledge, all religions – Taoism, Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism, the ancient religions of
Greece, Rome, Babylon and Biblical Judaism, etc
– uphold the sacredness of life. If this is not a
universal value, I wonder what is. Anil Sawant
needs to re-examine his understanding of “reli-
gion” and take a fresh look at the teachings of all
the great religions of the world. He seems anx-
ious to cut off his toes in order to fit his foot into
a shoe that is too tight for him.
Promoting goondaism
Pachu Menon, Margao
Organisations like the Shiv Sena, the Bajarang
Dal, Raj Thackeray’s MNS and now the Sri Rama
Sene have all tried to project themselves as forc-
es against the tumultuous growth of an all-per-
vasive culture that seems to have afflicted the
new generation.
The Sri Rama Sene, however, takes the cake
for its virulent attack on the ‘pub culture’ that
seems to have smitten the youth in the cities
today. Resorting to ‘Talibanic’ practices, the Hin-
dutva outfit appears to take their self-assigned
‘moral-policing’ roles far too unethically. The
barbaric attack on young women – and some
men – in a Mangalore pub could only be happen-
ing in a pre-historic era; and we are supposed to
be civilised! Such actions only reaffirm the be-
lief that these organisations are offshoots of a
movement that propagates a policy of ‘goonda-
ism’ that in its wake will only cause a prolifera-
tion of unsocial elements in an orderless socie-
ty.
Understanding terrorism
B S Rana, Dona Paula
The most inspiring words heard recently were
when Obama said that America is a country which
belongs to all religions, including non-believers,
and then when he said America might have made
mistakes but America is not an enemy of Mus-
lims and wants to move forward with them.
While we all wait to see how he puts his words
into action, we must appreciate that his thoughts
and wish are genuine. The whole world should
extend its cooperation to Obama to make this
the airport. When the Navy has built an exten-
Words of Wisdom
Letter of the Day sive naval base at Karwar where there is adequate
space for an airport, why should they hang on to Sukhmani Sahib
Dabolim airport and dictate terms on its usage
Deliberate fire at Sonsoddo? to the civil administration? Sukhmani Sahib is the name given to the set
of hymns divided into 24 sections which ap-
pear in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Each sec-
Joe D’Souza, Panjim The global recession tion is called an Ashtpadi (asht means 8),
Elesbaan Pereira, Quepem
The so-called accidental fire at Sonsoddo seems to be a deliberate attempt by certain vested consists of 8 hymns per Ashtpadi. Sukhmani
interests, directed towards making place for the future dumping of garbage, at the cost of res- There’s an old joke which says, “It’s a recession literally means ‘peace in your mind’.
idents nearby. when your neighbor loses their job. It’s a de- Sukhmani Sahib is a prayer in the form of a
The three-member committee appointed by the Government of Goa has frequently inspect- pression when you lose your job.” song to bring everlasting peace and comfort
ed the site of the garbage dump at Sonsoddo, and they are conversant with the physical and The entire world seems to be talking about to the mind. Sukhmani Sahib opens your heart
chemical constitution of the garbage, which contains various grades of plastics, essentially con- the recent recession. The effects of the reces- to live in gratitude, steadies your spiritual dis-
sisting of polyvinyl, polystyrene and other aromatic hydrocarbons, which incidentally was highly sion extend well beyond the unemployment cipline, and connects you with your strength,
soaked with high moisture content. statistics. High salary earners have to take up jobs endurance, courage and infinite conscious-
The fire, which was artificially catalyzed, would be responsible for the active growth of onco- that pay much less than their previous jobs. In- ness to overcome every obstacle. Listening
genesis and other respiratory ailments. This fact was confirmed by our experts. We were in- nocent employees end up losing their jobs for to or reciting Sukhmani Sahib once a day can
formed by scientists that the smoke caused by partial degradation of plastic litter would release no fault of theirs, and debts rise substantially change your destiny from misery to prosper-
cancer-causing volatile chemicals like furans, dioxins and other aromatic poisonous substances, leaving the family in a situation of insecurity. ity and give you inner balance, grace, radiance,
adversely affecting residents and students of the nearby school. The newly elected United States President energy and the power to sacrifice.
The Government of Goa should initiate a detailed analysis of the site and pin down the sus- Barack Obama begins his presidency with an The Sukhmani is probably the greatest com-
pects linked to the MMC who seem to have a vested interest in quick solutions and making a fast economy and stock market already in deep trou- position of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. He wrote it in
buck at the cost of the residents. Closing this matter as a instance of a natural fire caused by ble; hence this is a big challenge awaiting him. response to request from a devotee who was
miscreants would be counter-productive to the health and the quality of life of Madgaonkars in We just have to keep our fingers crossed and suffering form physical pain and mental an-
particular and Goans in general. pray that everyone affected recovers from this guish; it restored him to calm and health.
I personally visited Sonsoddo dumpsite on 28 and 29 Jan, along with journalists, and found no global crisis. The Sukhmani Sahib has structural unity. It
responsible person present on the morning of 29 Jan. Except for the symbolic dumping of debris has 24 staves (slokas), one of which begins
on the garbage, which would be counter-productive to the containment of fire, no serious effort Adult-child relationships each canto. There are 24 cantos, each con-
from experts was seen. Joaquim Pacheco, Divar taining 8 stanzas. Each stanza has ten lines,
The conspirators should be identified and punished as this ugly act was well planned and that is, five couplets. There is also the unity
executed during the holiday break. Shoddy work of dumping mud on ignited garbage would be Today we rarely come into contact with children of theme: the perfection of man mentally,
other than our own. Childcare has become en- morally and spiritually.
futile. Treatment of the fire with inert gases like carbon dioxide or carbonates is vital.
Mr Joaquim Alemao has rightly fixed responsibility and ordered tendering process for Sonsod- tirely privatised.
The estrangement of adults from childhood Ashtpadi 1
do. A lot of criticism was heaped on Hyquip, which was appointed by proper tendering process
by the Government of Goa. What is sauce for the goose must be sauce for the gander. Why is the is caused by many factors, but the principal cause Meditate, meditate, by meditation peace is
is mistrust. Our protective parenting culture is found.
Chief Minister averse to proper codal procedures with regard to garbage management at Son-
also responsible for the erosion of the adult- Antagonism and dispute are dispelled from
soddo?
child relationship. Adults are also implicitly en- your body.
Meditate and Praise the One who pervades
planet free from the man-made fear known as
Out of his depth couraged to avoid taking responsibility of other
the whole Universe.
terrorism. peoples children.
Punitive measures like bombarding the S Kamat, Alto Betim The real damage begins when the children Countless people, in so many ways, chant
your (God’s) Name.
camps, killing perpetrators and preventive Adm Vadgaonkar of the Indian Navy seemed to are as young as four or five.. They realise that
measures to protect ourselves from terror at- be ‘out of his depth’ when he spoke about mat- they face no sanctions from anyone other than The Vedas, the Puraanas and the Simritees,
the purest of utterances,
tacks can only be tentative measures and would ters relating to the airport – naturally enough, their parents. Children are taught to regard
ultimately bring more terrorism and give them given that he is a Navy man talking of matters grown-ups as strangers who are likely to be dan- All say the same Word for the One Lord.
That one, in whom even for a second you
an opportunity to become more sophisticated. relating to the air! gerous, and this makes it difficult for adults to
Obama, in the true spirit of his words, can lead If he wants the Navy to have more frequent carry out their role of guiding and socializing the dwell – their praises cannot be
this world in understanding the causes of ter- test flights and exclusive use of the airport, young. This absence of adult intervention is an recounted.
rorism and thereby taking into confidence even should it not move out to the new naval base at invitation to bad behavior, and the cause of the Those who yearn only for the blessing of
the worst kind of terrorist by communication Karwar where there are less people and no com- lack of respect shown towards adults among Your Sight – Nanak: save me along with
and dialogue. mercial flights to impinge upon the naval use of today’s youngsters. them.

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