Sado Monis
( Not The Millenium Man) Ami
te ami, kitem
komi?
By Silviano Barbosa (email goaraj@rogers.com)
As the new Millenium
almost sets in, we are bombarded with the titles, selections, nominations for
the "MilleniumGoan" or "Man of the
Century". It is true, there are illustrious names of Goans,
past and present, of what they have achieved and/or of what they have done to
the uplift of
But have have'nt we realized that some
of them may not have beeen there if it were not for us, the simple lay
men and women, the "sade monis" of
Ami te
ami, kitem komi? (After all, are we any less of Goans?).
I say emphatically "No" . Haven't we gone
through enduring historical events in
And don’t you think we deserve any mention in the Millenium celebrations? What happened to thousands of
Freedom Fighters who gave their lives for our freedom? But don’t ever mention
thousands of smugglers who took the easy way out and became politicians and
have infiltrated the panchayats and the Legislative
Assembly. We went to school and colleges with the hope
of rising to the top only to find out there are millions like us in every hut
and concrete house in
Don't feel belittled when you read about the "Goans of the Millenium".
Don’t we wish we were included in it, but the list would be one million long. Surely these guys are smart, intelligent and talented.
But I wish some of them were the real "niz"
Goenkar. On the other hand Goans
would call every famous Goan their "cousin"
when they are famous, but I don’t see anyone recognizing their
"beggar" cousins in
For me dear Goanneter, you
are the Millenium Goenkar
even though you will never make that list. We have to have a "putlo" (statue) of a "Sado
Goenkar" in Panjim
next to the "Bhau-Saheb" Banddodkar statue in Ponnje to
reflect our true recognition of a true "niz"
Goenkar, who has really contributed to
They also serve who only stand and wait (not for
ration card J)
Silviano Barbosa. Konkani Bhas Uloi, Konkani Bautto Fuloi! (We built its
foundation)