I take this opportunity to congratulate Samy Tavares over his latest promotion to the post of Superintendent of Police. It was the deserving promotion for this thorough gentleman Police Officer who is also a renowned Tiatrist and being so he acquired a great honour for Tiatro fraternity. However, if his name is reverberating in every nook and corner of the Goan world then it is only because he is a Tiatrist also. His promotion might have raised him to the pedestal as a Superintendent of Police but his acquiring of an instant success in the form of a celebrity status was only because of his Tiatristpon. He traveled to many parts of the Gulf and the Middle East, Europe and even in America but this has happened and I repeat happened only because of his status as a Tiatrist. This is the mighty power of mighty Tiatro which his other colleagues in his department have missed including those who got promotion along with him. Beyond his professional area, who cares for the promotion and status otherwise?
Let me make a very strong comment here which is coming deep from my heart with full conviction that Tiatro and Tiatrists are the most powerful pillars of our society and there is no power on earth above our head to challenge these pillars. I can rightly say with full confidence that the Bharat that forcibly acqured my bellowed Goa officially in the name of the so called Liberation on one fine morning of 19th December 1961 but practically the steps to acquire our “bhangarachem Goem” were taken on 17thDecember 1961, was instead invaded and forcibly brought under its subordination. Furthermore please note that Bharat may collapse due to the weight of the communal ism and corruption and with this mighty collapse of such a mighty Bahrat, may also collapse the tiny Goa but never the Tiatro will collapse. If any person or authority tries to liquidate the Tiatro from our midst, people of Goa from all segments high and low, rich and poor, high caste and low caste, religious and atheists, literate and illiterate, educated and uneducated will join together and wage a deadly war against those who are finishing Tiatro from our midst and if necessary they will cut the neck of that person who is responsible to fight against Tiatro and like Marie Antoinette head they will keep it on the street of Panjim. Or the supporters of Tiatro will fight against the authorities that are working against Tiatro in such a manner that they will butcher the opponents of Tiatros like what the proletarians butchered the Bolsheviks in Russia. This is the power of Tiatro.which should be well noted by any opponent of Tiatro. Even when to create a damage to the smooth functioning of Tiatros the Portuguese government of Goa during their regime in Goa and later on also that of India soon after 19.12.61 and finally the government of Dayananda Bandodcar in the mid sixties applied Censorship to our Tiatros, nothing happened to our Tiatros but those who applied Censorship to Tiatros to suffer the slow death they themselves collapsed not only from the jobs that they were hurting 0ur Tiatros but pitiably they were collapsed from this planet only. This is yet another proof to indicate the power of Tiatros.
Samy Tavares is a very humble personality in and around the Tiatro area and I feel happy to know that he reached to this high. In future may God find a way for him to reach still further high. By reaching to such a top ladder in the Police hierarchy he proved to his community members and leadership too and also to others who used to say that Police jobs are not meant for Christians is nothing but a myth. If one does his job according to his conscience and as per the rules and regulations and also as per the instructions of his superiors, nobody will fail.
It was from the time of Portuguese rule in Goa that the image of Goa Police was tarnished beyond normal decency because Portuguese purposely or out of necessity did not encourage Goans to join Police force because due to the disgraceful treatment given to Goan Police then Goan lads in greater number felt shy to join the Police force especially the Christians. Since then and till recently Goans refused to join Police specially those coming from the above average family background. It was put into the minds of our lads that Police job makes you corrupt and hard hearted and crook. It was also said during those days that it will be better for the parents of the decently developed boys to tie a big stone to the neck of their sons and throw them into the well instead of joining the Police department which our elders felt was the Satanic Dept. where Satanic type of people are working and dominating the department namely the worst rascal Cabo Sukddo who not only has disgraced the image of Goa Police but more than that of his Hindu religion during the Portuguese rule. In fact worst crimes against innocent Goans according to our elders were committed by Cabo Sukddo who was the first class Chamcha of Portuguese. The second person who brought bad name to Goa Police during those days by Agente Monteiro who considered himself a pure Portuguese but he was well versed in Marathi and Hindi because of this he became the most sought after Policeman by the top personality of Portuguese India.
While congratulating Samy Tavares for gaining such a fabulous promotion I most humbly request him never to go against your nature which is very humble and charismatic and not repulsive. These are his best qualities that creates a very good image of him as a top Police Cop. We in Goa need Police Officer of your type and discipline and especially now when the image of the Police force is not so good. Since this is the case you can rightly help to elevate that sagging image by putting things on the right track.
It is my wish to see Samy Tavares going further up and up but not forgetting to go down and down to help the people who are suffering on the surface of the earth, suffering what? The persecution and unnecessary harassment by the third class Policemen coming from the third class family background. A policeman coming from the reputed and well-disciplined family background will never bastardise the reputation of his department. And power and position will surely permit you to fly higher and higher but remember like that bird Skylark even it flies higher and higher in the sky but never forgets its roots on the earth.
You can be a perfect role model for the Policemen in Goa. Since my return back to Goa, like that great ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes, I am like a mad man holding in my hand a small lighted Lantern of the type Friar Lawrence carried in the masterpiece drama “Romeo and Juliet” scripted by that great romantic bard and playwright William Shakesphere, roaming in Goan cities during the daytime when the Sun is directly overhead, in search of any perfect Policeman in any category. The necessity of extra light in the form of a lighted candle was so necessary that I had to get an additional light from the Lenten. People with great character, excellent discipline and high morality are found missing in our midst. Corruption has enslaved some of us and for the sake of making fast money many of us have forgotten our pristine attributes. I don’t know exactly what makes us so corrupt but surely the bribe money we pay to the concerned ministers for getting the jobs for us make us corrupt. The greatest enemies of our “Desh” are those who are corrupt who are minting money to fill their pockets.
I hope Superintendent of Police Samy Tavares will always remain above the normal level and he will always perform his duty justly by following his religion’s teachings. His word and image must be so genuine and so acceptable that like “Caeasar's wife should not only be not suspected but she should be above suspicion”. This article I wrote not for sermonizing my felings but purely to behave like human beings.
May God Bless You Samy Tavares.
A.Veronica Fernandes.