By reading in the newspaper today 02.12.15 that the name of Vasco is abruptly became as Sambhaji, I was not surprised. The name changing politics of important towns of Goa started in late sixties and early seventies by the then Chief Minister of Goa Dayananda Bandodcar. The first victim was Panjim as it was changed into Pan(a)ji, the a in bracket is mute. Then came the turn of Vasco which was changed to Sambahji to please Bandodcar’s big bosses from Maharastra.
The approval for Sambhaji was withheld by the concerned higher authorities and hence officially Vasco remained as Vasco only. But suddenly today this name Sambhaji resurfaced which should be challenged. When there was a move to introduce the name of Sambhaji in Goa, the politically famed Tiatrists Trio of Conception-Nelson-Anthony conducted an open trial of Bandocar from the Konkani Stage singing their very piercing Trio song which runs thus:
GHANVCHIM NAVAM BOLDOP SANG HIM KOSLIM KAMAJI
PONJE ASLEM POI TEM KELEM PANAJI
VASCO ASLEM TEM SAMBHAJI, MARGAO KON ZANNA KONAJI
MAGUIR MAPSA URLAM POI TEM KORAT BAHUJI.
When Bandodar got the news of this Trio song he refrained from pursuing this Sambhaji further and thus officially this subject remained into limbo.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel: 7507394349.