Vincentian career Diplomat - Placido Piedade D'Souza is no more.
Raymond Rebello
:: Obituary Reference ::
Vincentian Placido Piedade D'Souza passed away at age 90 yrs in Mountain View, California, USA on 20.6.2024.
Placido was born on 5.10.1933 in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania to Nascimenta and Benedict D’Souza.
He was predeceased by his wife Sushila, his brother Joseph D’Souza.
He is survived by his children - Jacinta, Lucia, Francisco, and Maria. His grandchildren -Thierry and Michelle Sequeira, Nicholas and Gabriela D’Souza. His great-grandchildren Mila and Bjorn Sequeira; and his sister Thomasinha Gomes.
When he was 8 years old (1941) his family returned to India from Tanzania and settled in Pune, where Placido attended St.Vincent’s School and later Nowrosjee Wadia College where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
In 1957 he joined the Indian Foreign Service where he served as a career diplomat for 34 years before retiring in 1991. He relished the opportunity to work alongside Jawaharlal Nehru and other architects of India’s independence. “I was proud to be part of an establishment that was steering an independent course,” he said. “To be able to work for someone like Nehru was to have one of my wildest dreams come true.”
In 1962, he married Sushila Lalvani and they had four children – Jacinta, Lucia, Francisco, and Maria.
Placido was India’s envoy and presented his Indian credentials in 16 countries, five territories, and two UN organizations. Early in his career, he held posts at the Embassies of India in Berne, Jakarta, Nairobi, and Addis Ababa.
In 1973, he achieved the rank of Ambassador and established the Indian Embassy in Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. He went on to serve as Ambassador of India to Zaire (now the DRC), Congo (Brazzaville), Gabon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea. Shortly thereafter he was appointed Indian Consul General in New York and later served as High Commissioner of India to Trinidad and Tobago (where his jurisdiction included ten other Caribbean nations and territories), Commissioner of India to Hong Kong and Consul General to Macau. He returned to Kenya in 1989 serving as High Commissioner of India for three years until his retirement.
Placido was a prolific journalist and artist (there is much that can be said in this regard too).
His achievements in his life of 9 decades are phenomenal (not just noteworthy)
Fare thee well Placido Sir.
May God comfort/console all his family members in their time of grief.
[1st news came early 23rd morning from Placido's family friend - Venita deSousa of Cake-N-Counter fame, and Vincentian Srini Chari from the US]
