Update: The Saligao Institute....

[Frederick Noronha]

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR INSTITUTE

SI members, Saligaokars and friends,

Many from our generation have strong and fond memories of the Saligao Institute, a vibrant institution of our village, specially in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.  It was a centre that offered us sporting activity (both indoors and out), intellectual nourishment (remember the sparse but intensely helpful round-and-carved wooden reading table, the Saturday evenings rich library supported by villagers in Bombay, quizzes and even debates?), a centre for dances, to network, and to get to know our village and its people better.

This year, the Saligao Institute completes its 90th anniversary.  Tempus fugit! While we might possibly be proven wrong, we think this is the very first village club of its kind started in Goa, set up and sustained by generous and forward-sighted sons and daughters of the village who often spent their lives working hard in places like East Africa or Bombay and elsewhere.  Because of a set of complex reasons, the SI has not been able to sustain that level of activity and utility.  We did a rough headcount recently, and noted that out of 400 or so life members, about a hundred have passed away, and another seventy are non-resident.  This is going by updates from some time back; these numbers would have grown further by now. As a result, this only limits the range and type of activities that the SI can organise currently.

Anyway, we would like to look at potential solutions rather than just at problems, and hence this appear to you.  We are also optimistic that we can do it with support from you all.  Just because you are situated quite some distance away, does not mean you cannot keep in close touch with our village, and even make a difference.  The SI has stepped up its Cyber-SI initiative, through which we'll keep you informed of what's happening at the Institute both through WhatsApp and Facebook (Saligao Institute). We plan to continue posting updates via the local newspapers, the Saligao related electronic email mailing lists and FB groups, and the like.

The new committee has reached out to its members specifically asking them to offer suggestions towards making the institute lively again.  We've already started with a 'Saligao Talks' series, in which the speaker will be someone from the village (including expat Saligaokars). The first to generously contribute his time and expertise was the North Carolina-based Peter Donald Sequeira (of Sequeiravaddo), who drew a rich and talented crowd when he compared math teaching in the US with that in Goa on July 6, 2019. Even if you could not make it for reasons of geography or time, the entire recording of that talk is freely available online at https://archive.org/details/math-goa-us

Our upcoming events include a special 90th anniversary celebration on the feast of St Cajetan (Aug 11, 2019),   Contract Bridge training and sessions led by Gerard Delaney (already underway, thanks Gerard and team!), prizes to school exam toppers from our village, the release of Mel D'Souza set of five Saligao posters, art exhibitions of those from our midst, and more.  We're seriously looking at hosting, with the involvement of Clarice Vaz, a 'Made in Saligao'  traditional/heritage market, that would help buyers from all around to access authentic, locally-made products, and give our productive villagers a chance to showcase and sell the fruits of their labour and skills.  Senior citizens will be encouraged to use the club with traditional card and board games.  Youth are being reached out to, to ensure they too find the SI a lively and friendly centre of social life. A cafe is being considered to attract all and also act as a small revenue generator.

Members will also get generous discounts in hiring out the club premises for publicly-focussed or private family functions during non-evening hours.

We have been working to engage a part-time caretaker for the SI, so that we can have more activities happen even on regular evenings of the week.  In addition, we want to build a team of 'SI Unofficial Ambassadors' in the various vaddos of Saligao, villages of Goa, states of India and other centres in the world where our villagers have settled.  This could act as link between the SI and our villagers. Maxwell Coutinho in Abu Dhabi is already helping us a great deal in taking this forward in his part of the Gulf.

We are already getting suggestions for activities, and with a little bit of help some of these can definitely be  implemented.  These include Saligao Singalong sessions (on our very scenic club terrace), ballroom dancing classes, poetry sessions, story-telling sessions where grandparents tell stories to children, technology days where young people teach the older ones about mobile phones and tablets, calligraphy sessions, art and photography days, possibly heritage walks through the village, Konkani classes for beginners, and more.

We ask for your involvement and help in making our collective dreams come true.  Below is a list of ten brief ways in which your involvement can make a huge difference to the intellectual, social and sporting life of Saligao:

• Sponsor a life member (Rs5000 only, at present), it could be someone in the village who can add value to the institution and take it further.  We are specially looking out for well-intentioned, socially-spirited persons with skills in sports, organising events, event planning and those with specific social, musical or intellectual skills.
• Become a member yourself, this is a small amount to pay to retain your links with your ancestral village, and do something concrete to build social capital in Saligao.  Also encourage your family members to join the SI. Each individual comes with their own skills and talents which can make a difference.
• Organise one specific programme at the Institute when here, or even remotely.  We specially need ones that builds local skills among our villagers. (Thank you Graça Costa and Zelma Gonsalves De Souza for your ideas and initiatives!)
• Sponsor any specific activity, event or infrastructure that could take our attempts forward.  We are open to discussing anything that you think might work as long as it fits in within the wider vision of the SI and why it was set up. (Dr Dilip, we're grateful.)
• Pass the word around, both to other Saligaokars in your part of the world, or even villagers back home.  Urge them to take part in SI activities and help it regain its earlier reputation.
• Fund a scholarship, for students in specific subjects of your choice. Each year the SI gives prizes to students, which are currently restricted to Rs5000 in all. We could do better. (Thanks Marcel for taking it three notches higher this year!)
• Get in touch to know of our latest projects, and where your support could be best used.
• Join, and encourage others to join, our WhatsApp group (request to join via +91-9822122436) or our Facebook Group (just search for Saligao Institute on FB).
• Share with us any memories, photos or remembrances you have of the Saligao Institute in the yesteryears.  We are planning to put together at least an ebook on this subject.
• Keep in touch with your village through cyberspace (if you're some distance away), network with the groups discussing Saligao, and actively share your ideas and suggestions there. Send us news of what's happening in the Saligao-world there.  You CAN do something however small to make a difference.

We also look forward to more of your ideas and support in this effort and also to your presence in the club whenever you visit.  In our attempt to rebuild activities, we are plan to keep some of our activities open to all, sometimes at a reasonable fee.  Other events will be open to members and their guests.  We urge you to consider an individual SI membership if feasible. Apart from having its advantages, a membership would definitely give you the satisfaction of having done something for  the village and the wider community around it which has shaped all of us in one way or another.

With warm regards from

The 2019-21 SI Team

Dean D'Cruz, President

Mario Venacio Cordeiro, Vice President

Frederick Noronha, General Secretary

Tina Cordeiro, Treasurer

Dayanita Singh

Max Cordeiro

Marcel Remedios

Keith Fernandes

members

[A.A. Fernandes]

Thanks Fred 

Sound and comprehensive.

I've reached out to the Saligao UK folk to see what can be done from the London area 

I'm happy to reprise a book stall for Goa 1556 etc 

cum Saligao Institute /Village rendevous stall in London next year as we did this year but in a tad more upscale manner 

In this I hope that Shirley Gonsalves and clan can also reprise and continue from this year 

I look forward to folks suggestions and more importantly assistance online , in person etc as appropriate to individual circumstances 

On a minor note I suspect you will get more +ve action driven 

interaction via Whatsapp albeit currently restricted to admin use .albeit I'm sure you all have sound reasons for that 

you may have also noted my observations re potential for connecting speakers etc digitally to SI and village event as and when funds and people power to enable same become possible 

A.ANTHONY(Tony) FERNANDES

 Donvaddo/London 

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