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Left: Charlie de Souza, above: Alban Fernandes kneeling first left. Right Charlie de Souza BY FORMER NATION SPORTS EDITOR NORMAN DA COSTA Put a red ball in his hands and Blaise  D’Cunha  instantly turned into a magician, a conjurer of tricks. This performer did not pull out rabbits from a hat but he baffled the best with his spin. Would that ball go straight, turn left or right? Or would it be the trick ball in his repertoire – the dreaded googly. Only  D’Cunha  knew. In his y ounger days, he mesmerized batsmen in Pakistan. He then took his act on the road to Africa where he left an indelible mark in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa. D’Cunha was one of three Goans who made a name for himself in Pakistan along with Wallis Mathias and Antao  de Souza , who were both capped by Pakistan (more on them and others...

RGI/GI (combined) Bachelors v Married circa 1940   Back row” Lazarus Fernandes, Carvalho, Rex Rodrigues, Braganza, Rommel D’Souza, Alex Rodrigues Middle row: Tony Pereira, A Hendricus, Balthasar Gomes, Frank Dias Querin Menezes, Joe D’Sa SeatedL Marian Gama, D J Paes, Vince D’Sa, Tamatur Braganza, Victor Lobo, Manuel Mendonca, J B Caldeira: on the ground S C Mendes, A C D’Souza. Standing back 5 th row: Gracias, A P Fernandes Michael Fernandes, George Back 4 th row: Leo D’Mello, Paul Fernandes, Joe D’Mello, Back 3 rd row: Mario Carvalho, J B Caldeira, Balthasar Gomes, A Hendricus Back 2 nd row: P C D’Mello (umpire), Will Fernandes, Maurice Gracias, A C D’Souza, John Gracias, Joe Mathias, Joe Lobo, Gaudence Almeida (umpire) Seated: N Quadrus, Jack Mendes, Vincent D’Sa, Carvalho, Victor Lobo, Manuel Mendonca, Frank Dias  

Two stunning reads, worth a bit of your time. A clinical examination of the life and times of the former president. https://www.trevorgrundy.news/mr-cleans-ten-years-as-tanzanias-head-of-state-was-marred-by-mismanagement-and-corruption/ The Elvis fan by John Nazareth Ben Mkapa (President of Tanzania 1995-2005) – Death of an Elvis fan Ben Mkapa died on Friday July 24 th , 2020. He had a reputation of having worked “diligently to turn around Tanzania’s economic fortunes” that culminated in the country become a lower middle income country by the World Bank recently. https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/news/1840340-5598906-b1396v/index.html But Mkapa was young once and this is his story. Mkapa attended studies at the Makerere University College (it was then part of the University of London) graduating with a BA in English in 1962. Among his collegemates were Peter Nazareth (Professor University of Iowa and Uganda’s foremost author), Adolf Mascarenhas (Professor University of Dar es Salaam...

Jack Britto Olympian   1924-2013 Another St Pat’s Karachi sports superstar I NEVER SAW Jack Britto in action. You could say he was before my time but in Africa those that knew of him spoke in awe. I had forgotten about him, but he kept popping up while I researched various cricket stories and more recently the Blaise D’Cunha story. I am indebted to his son Desmond for painting the following portrait of his illustrious father. St Pat’s High School was a brilliant nursery for budding sportsmen, especially in Cricket and Hockey. There were four brilliant cricketers in the making: Antao D’Souza, Wally Mathias (both played Cricket for Pakistan with distinction), Blaise D’Cunha and Jack Britto who graduated with honours in their various sports.   JACK BRITTO was one of a handful of talented sportsmen of the Karachi Goan Association   Gymkhana who reached the top position in their respective sports. His sporting career started in 1936. He showed early promise when ...

Four Lobo brothers,  Joe, Victor, Francis and Johnny Lobo  played for Moira as well as Blaise D'Cunha

Photograph courtesy of Mrs Anita Abreo taken in 1930 Back row L to R Valu, Adelaide’s husband, Celu’s husband.  Middle row L to R- Olive (Valu’s wife), Adelaide’s son, Valu’s mum holding Celu’s daughter, Valu’s dad, Adelaide (Valu’s aunt), Celu’s daughter, Celu (Valu’s sister). Front row L to R – Celu’s daughter, Patru (Valu’s brother), Celu’s daughter, Arthur Nazareth (Olive’s brother), Celu’s daughter, Adelaide’s son   JOSE MARIE VALENTINO DE ABREU M.B.E. (Better known as Valu Abreu) By Cyprian Fernandes NO history of East African Goans could be written without first mentioning Valu Abreu of Mombasa. He was born in Saligao, Goa on February 14, 1901, and arrived in Mombasa in 1919.  His parents were Marcus Antonio Filipe De Abreu and Mafalda Artimizia Dantas. He was the eldest of five but sadly one sibling died in early life. He had two sisters, Anna Celestina (Celu) and Ophelia (Ofu), and a brother, Jose Patrocino Matiniano (Patru), who was born some 18 years after ...

“A Spice of Life in India” By Marilyn Rodrigues Namaste/Namaskar—'The spirit within me honours the spirit in you.’ My journey to incredible India indeed ignited my spirit and inspired me to embrace and celebrate all that this vast and colourful country had to offer. An assault on the senses is the only way to describe a place as vibrant and as varied as the sought-after spices that flourish across its land—from my tiny ancestral state of Goa to the lush land of Kerala and up along the northern ‘Golden Triangle’—India is a showcase of energy, industry and life! The adventure began in Betalbatim, Goa where grand Portuguese-inspired mansions in shades of turmeric orange, mustard yellow and red capsicum, peppered the rural landscape. Clove-brown water buffaloes could be found partially submerged within the swampy rice paddy fields accompanied by salt-white egrets. And, soft golden nutmeg-hued sand cushioned my path on the beach that stretched as far as the eye could see. Eve...