You say such nice things ... thanks

The things you said …
Thank you so much for the feedback which I have reproduced here but I have held the names back because I was not sure you wanted them made public. It makes interesting reading and I thought I would share with you.

At last somebody has the guts to say something on Goan Voice about destruction in Goa.

Hi Cyprian, I've been reading your blog - makes very interesting reading and how true everything you have written !!!
Thank you for the very refreshing reading material on your web. I have forwarded it to several of my friends. It brought back memories of a country (Kenya) I left, against my wish, four and a half decades ago to settle in Canada and now also in the US where we spend most of our retired lives with our four young grand children in the Sun & Sin City of Las Vegas.
Your articles refreshed the old life and politics back home. Continued good luck on new writings, so reminiscent of your write ups in the Nation in the late 50s and early 60s.
What a great article, enjoyed every word. I can assure you that the same exists with the Anglo Indian community! I've borne the brunt of a couple of
poisoned arrows in my time. I live by my Irish grandmothers's words:
"Darling child, would you say....do....think those things if Jesus was standing next to you!" I rest my case. Well done.
I enjoy your very frank opinion of our Goenkar brethren. Sad but true. What else can I say? Take care and keep well.

I thought it was among the Goans too. It could be something to do with being catholic. Some can be so awful, and then they go to confession and get a penance and forgiven and live another day to carry on being the gossipy nosey ......( sorry, there is me complaining too, it must be in the genes).

Very well put. I agree will all you write about as I have on some occasions experienced some small doses of that one trait in our gene pool.
For the last 8 months I have been heavily involved with the wider Indian community as Vice President of the SEVA International Inc ( http://www.sevainternational.org/ ) and the Council of Indian Australians Inc. as Co Director of the India Day Fair Event on 7th August (flyer attached) (http://www.cia.org.au/index.html ). I am convinced that this trait (gene pool) also exists in much bigger doses in the Indian community.
Keep up the great insights you share with the world through your writing. Your blog makes very interesting reading with real personal experience of the East Africa which many of us still call "Home" and the good old days.
You sure do have a photographic memory. Your articles were so interesting and in certain areas you have “hit the nail on the head”. You have taken me back to memory lane and the country which we still love and call home. It is amazing how you have historically documented your work. The names of the politicians, the Mau Mau days all came back to me after reading your article. The vanishing Goan is also such an interesting read. I have forwarded your website to many friends in US, UAE, U.K. Germany and Sweden. I think it would be useful if you added some pictures to each article. Keep up the good work. “You are talented and gifted”.
I love the article on Goan identity, it's something i've pondered quite deeply as i've watched my parents transition from kenya to the US, and then in a way, back to Goa...
Saw your blog this morning and thought I will take a quick glance at it so I could go and watch Tennis and Soccer,but as I read a few lines I was so impressed that I could not get out of it as it got more and more interesting and therefore I finally came to the end and forgot was I supposed to do. Very interesting and impressive writing and brought back many memories of my life and good old days in Kenya around fans and friends like you. I am proud of what I have just read written by you and it seems like a book or Movie material. Keep up the good work and keep our minds moving.

I started reading your blog and omg was so fascinated and thrilled to read history in the making... thank you, I will complete reading it at my leisure, I was reading it at work and could not shut it down.... wow so glad that the computer age is there to record such an amazing career - which i did not know much about... and now i realize the depth of your experience and knowledge.. i am proud to be known as one of your friends. bugger the errors... they are minor compared to what you have to tell.

Though I had only time to read the first two items in detail, then skimmed through the rest (have to buy a new computer before the day is up), I did find it very interesting and, of course, as we share a common background from the Nation, it felt like you were talking to me. So, yes, very interesting and a fucking good read.
I’m flattered I get a mention and happy that we are still good friends. I only wished you lived on this side of the country so we could get together more often. It is also good to be reminded of some of the good mates we had in those early days. We got shit pay but we loved the job and the challenges. I also admired Tom Mboya and I remember, when my dad was president of the Welsh Society and Tom was guest of honour at St David’s Day, that he took time to break away from the official party, when he saw me, and come over and exchange greetings. His death was a warning to us all that life is cheap in Africa. I wasn’t so immersed in politics and didn’t know the ins and outs so well described by you, but working on wildlife and tourism, and reporting more and more on poaching and hinting that Mama Ngina and others at the top were involved came the realization that I could become a target. Sean’s impending school age and lack of security for journos helped speed up our departure and we were gone in 1973 to Durban and later here. So our journeys have been similar (but don’t forget I am a massive five months older than you!) and, as I said, it’s great that we are still in touch. Keep up the good work and I’ll continue to review it. As it expands, maybe there’ll be room for guest articles.
Your article on freedom fighters is spot on - Needless to say I have sometimes been embarrassed with the actions of the group.

You hit the nail right in the centre of the Goan forehead. I have seen for myself over the years that a majority Goans seem to have a crisis over their identity and I could not find reason or proof why this has come about.
Your article has put everything about the Goan identity in perspective. In a nutsell: A Goan is a Goan, is a Goan. I don’t know where your article was published but I hope it was in the most of the Goan websites specially the Goan Voice.
Just want to inform you that I enjoyed reading your article in the GOAN VOICE DAILY NEWSLETTER SUNDAY 12 JUN, 2011
"Cyprian Fernandes' Sunday Masala: 1. Goans - What Crisis Of Identity?".
Hope that you have some more similar articles, that brings back memories of days gone bye. Days when we looked to the Daily Nation to read what you /Norman DaCosta wrote about sporting activities taking place. Thanks a lot.
Salaams to all old friends [x-east Africa] that are living in Sydney.

Enjoyed reading your commentary on Goan Freedom Fighters in GVUK, and you are 100% true. Many of these freedom fighters did not do a damn for the liberation of Goa !They claim only benefits from the present government. Why not dismantle the association and all work for welfare of the country rather than living on welfare!
Your article In Goan voice was interesting to say the least. I am a Goan recently (about 10 years.back) migrated to UK(London). When I first set foot in London there were few Goans who one would meet and it used to be a joyous occasion to sit and swap stories. Most used to be un-prejudical but some. Many a time I used to be taken aback when some "Goans" used to ask me "African or Portuguese passport". And these Goans mostly used to say that they are from Africa. I do not understand the reason for this. And when querried further "Oh my ancestors were Goan", but I am African. They used to go for annual holidays to Goa, have families in Goa, houses in Goa but profess to be Africans. I hope they are a tiny minority. I do not believe in caste but these "Africans" made me feel like a second class Goan and their "superior airs" always bothered me.

Hi, Good to know that you will be writing regularly. I enjoyed your item on Goans. It is a useful and timely reminder for our younger generation in particular to appreciate and understand what our heritage is all about. I intend to remind friends to read your contribution. Recently we had a UK General Census and had to state what our origins are - I really wonder how many had the knowledge to state "Goan" as opposed to Asian, British, Portuguese, Kenyan, Ugandan, etc. as opposed to stating their origins rather than nationality. Confusing, but your item is very clear and particularly for us Goans. Keep up your contribution.