Tiracol is one of the beautiful spots of Goa where there is a wonderful Fort facing the beautiful sea. This land is gifted with different types of fruits mainly the Caju and medicinal plants. It was in 1959 when I was a small boy I saw this place first time, it was during our Portuguese School excursion trip to this area. Three years back when I was on my annual vacation from Kuwait I came to this area for the wedding of one of our neighbours who got married to a girl related to the late Domnick de Teracol. While raising the Toast he rendered such a beautiful song especially composed on the subject that I had no choice but to hug him and congratulate him. Then he asked me my name and when I did so, he too hugged me recognizing me as a writer who wrote exhaustively on Tiatros and songsters. He was a very well-known singer during his earlier days, composing good songs and rendering them with his mellifluent voice. Thru Tiatro and songs he showed his love for Konkani, Goa and his locality Terakol. Terakol is a small village comprising about 400 inhabitants residing in about 100 houses. Almost all the residents of Terakol are Catholics living as strong homogenous entity.
Today in the morning I along with Dalvi visited Terakol to Domnick’s place to offer our condolences to his family members, one of his sons who is a priest is scheduled to reach Goa tomorrow morning from Rome for the funeral fixed at 3.00 PM tomorrow, 13thinst. As per my information, on Thursday 9th inst. in the morning he had a pain in his chest because of this he was taken to a private Hospital in Mapusa, conducted all the necessary tests satisfactorily. However, by 5 PM his situation worsened and late in the same evening he breathed his last.
In his life he was always a fighter from the Konkani Stage singing songs against injustice in Goan social life and of late he fought a strong battle against the Leading Hotels that is snatching the land from his village Terakol thru fraudulent means. Before his death according my information he told his son “I will rather prefer to cut my hands than to surrender my rights to Leading Hotels Co.”. He even advised his son never to surrender to the Leading Hotels Co.
As per my conversation I found his son and others very sincere to their cause and they will never surrender to the Leading Hotels Co. advances. However, to fortify their hands it is also our duty as Goans spread not only all over Goa and India but also all over the World to support the Terakol villagers in their fight against the Leading Hotels. If it is for Terakol today then tomorrow it can be for any other village in Goa. As it is I have already seen with my own eyes how the Leading Hotels Company with the help of the hired goondas and Bouncers forcibly made a road for their vehicles, of course illegally. They have even hired a Dada from Andra to threathen to locals from opposing their project. We have to challenge this non Goan now only by uniting all Goans from everywhere.
Goa based Goans must support the Terkol locals by joining them physically in opposing this project and Goans based in USA must use their contacts to approach the parent company of Leading Hotels in USA and inform them of the violations their subsidiary are conducting in Goa. Many Goans in USA are on high positions and they must act now.
Next election is coming now soon and every true Goan must make this Terakol issue as one of the main election issues. We must not elect the party that is responsible for the Terakol fiasco.
The late Domnick de Terakol according to one source was deeply shocked when he got the news of Bouncers taking possession of his village and this shock deteriorated his health condition. He died in fighting for the cause of Goa. Let us resolve to stand by his wish to support the Terakol villagers against Leading Hotels and Goa government by defeating it in the next election.
May the soul of Domnick the Terakol rest in peace.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel:7507394349.