Dec 19, 1961... two perspectives
0 views
Skip to first unread message
Frederick Noronha
Dec 19, 2025, 11:47:19 AM12/19/25
to goa-rese...@googlegroups.com
[1] When we reached Vasco, it was about 8 p.m. Lt. Col. Nanda had reached Vasco ahead of us and was holding Vassalo e Silva (Governor-General) in custody. When we learned about the arrest of the Portuguese governor-general, Purushottam Kakodkar told Brigadier Dhillon that he and I had known Vassalo e Silva (Governor-General) personally and requested permission for us to talk with him. Dhillon denied permission, but he said we could, if we wanted, attend the formal surrender of Portuguese army ceremony that was going to take place in a short while. So we decided to wait. As there was still some time before the ceremony, we sauntered along to a building wherein were kept many detainees from the Portuguese army and police. There, to my surprise, Vasco Duarte came practically running to me and after greeting me obsequiously asked me if I wanted to talk with the major who was in charge of the prisoners’ camp. I did not have anything to say to the major and so politely declined, and then Duarte went away. This was the same man who, according to the grapevine, had said that he could not believe that I was not a terrorist and who perhaps had engineered my detention in police custody in 1960 to avenge my complaint against him to Vassalo e Silva.
We went back to where the surrender of Portuguese army was to take place right out in the open. Dhillon was sitting in a jeep, while Nanda arranged to have the few cars including ours that were there placed in a semi-circle, with the headlights converging at where the governor-general would be surrendering of Portuguese army to Dhillon. At about 8:45 p.m Vassalo e Silva was brought to the spot along with his adjutant or chief of staff, probably named Andrade, and made to wait while adjustments were being made to the cars and the lighting. Nanda had found a photographer to take the picture of the ceremony, but the photographer did not have a flash for his camera. Nanda instructed the photographer that he was to take the photograph at the signal that Nanda would give him.
All this while I was watching Vassalo e Silva (Governor-General) very closely and I found his demeanor very dignified under the trying circumstances. He had allegedly (the allegation being of dubious veracity) fled from Panaji to the south with the intent of flying out from the Dabolim airport, but could not manage to do so because the airport had been rendered inoperative with pinpoint bombing of the airstrip by the Indian air force. There was occasionally the hint of a wry smile on his otherwise impassive face, probably at the irony of his situation. He had to stand there with his companion for about half an hour, in between Indian soldiers who had been lined up on both sides.military action by India
When Brigadier Dhillon was told that the arrangements were completed, he came out of his jeep and stood facing the governor-general. Addressing the brigadier, Nanda announced that the governor-general of Goa, Daman, and Diu was surrendering to him. At Nanda’s . order, Vassalo e Silva stepped forward, saluted Dhillon (Dhillon did not salute back, which surprised me especially as Vassalo e Silva was an army general, but then I have no expertise in military etiquette), and handed over the instrument of surrender to Dhillon, after which Dhillon went back to sit in his vehicle and Vassalo e SilvaV returned with his adjutant to the place of his confinement. Neither Dhillon nor Vassalo e Silva had uttered a single word during the brief ceremony.
Nanda then asked the photographer whether he got his picture, and to his dismay the photographer replied that he did not because he had waited for Nanda’s signal which never came. Nanda realized that he had forgotten to give the promised signal to the photographer. So he came to Dhillon – and we were standing right there near Dhillon’s jeep listening in – and begged him to go through the ceremony again so that a photographic record of the historic occasion could be left for posterity. Dhillon steadfastly refused in spite of the repeated pleading of Nanda. I was impressed by the rectitude of this officer who would not submit another man to the humiliation of surrendering twice to get his own picture in international papers. Thus there was no picture of the ceremony available for posterity. The ceremony had taken place at 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday, December 19, 1961, with very few people in attendance. I had looked at my watch at the conclusion of the ceremony. military action by India
Dhillon was billeted in the house of an Indian mining executive, whose name I have forgotten. We went there with him and were given a cold glass of tomato juice, which was very welcome as we had not had any food or drink for a long time. After the refreshing juice, we went to Dhillon to say good-bye, and he asked us where we were going. When we told him we were going back to Margaon, he said we would not be able to do that because there was a military curfew prohibiting traffic in or out of Vasco. We left Dhillon and discussed the matter among ourselves, and concluded that the curfew need not be taken very seriously. At worst we would be sent back to Vasco if we were caught by a military patrol. Also we could always drop names like Nanda and DhillonD to impress the patrol. Thus we decided to chance it, as we were quite eager to return to Margaon, with our near and dear worrying about us in these uncertain times.military action by India
So we headed back to Margaon and covered the distance in less than an hour, as there was hardly any traffic on the moonlit road. Nobody stopped us. Ronald Coutinho dropped Purushottam Kakodkar and me at our respective residences and went home. military action by India. --Suresh Kanekar: Goa’s Liberation and Thereafter: Chronicles of a Fragmented Life (Goa,1556, 2011... now out of print)
We went back to where the surrender of Portuguese army was to take place right out in the open. Dhillon was sitting in a jeep, while Nanda arranged to have the few cars including ours that were there placed in a semi-circle, with the headlights converging at where the governor-general would be surrendering of Portuguese army to Dhillon. At about 8:45 p.m Vassalo e Silva was brought to the spot along with his adjutant or chief of staff, probably named Andrade, and made to wait while adjustments were being made to the cars and the lighting. Nanda had found a photographer to take the picture of the ceremony, but the photographer did not have a flash for his camera. Nanda instructed the photographer that he was to take the photograph at the signal that Nanda would give him.
All this while I was watching Vassalo e Silva (Governor-General) very closely and I found his demeanor very dignified under the trying circumstances. He had allegedly (the allegation being of dubious veracity) fled from Panaji to the south with the intent of flying out from the Dabolim airport, but could not manage to do so because the airport had been rendered inoperative with pinpoint bombing of the airstrip by the Indian air force. There was occasionally the hint of a wry smile on his otherwise impassive face, probably at the irony of his situation. He had to stand there with his companion for about half an hour, in between Indian soldiers who had been lined up on both sides.military action by India
When Brigadier Dhillon was told that the arrangements were completed, he came out of his jeep and stood facing the governor-general. Addressing the brigadier, Nanda announced that the governor-general of Goa, Daman, and Diu was surrendering to him. At Nanda’s . order, Vassalo e Silva stepped forward, saluted Dhillon (Dhillon did not salute back, which surprised me especially as Vassalo e Silva was an army general, but then I have no expertise in military etiquette), and handed over the instrument of surrender to Dhillon, after which Dhillon went back to sit in his vehicle and Vassalo e SilvaV returned with his adjutant to the place of his confinement. Neither Dhillon nor Vassalo e Silva had uttered a single word during the brief ceremony.
Nanda then asked the photographer whether he got his picture, and to his dismay the photographer replied that he did not because he had waited for Nanda’s signal which never came. Nanda realized that he had forgotten to give the promised signal to the photographer. So he came to Dhillon – and we were standing right there near Dhillon’s jeep listening in – and begged him to go through the ceremony again so that a photographic record of the historic occasion could be left for posterity. Dhillon steadfastly refused in spite of the repeated pleading of Nanda. I was impressed by the rectitude of this officer who would not submit another man to the humiliation of surrendering twice to get his own picture in international papers. Thus there was no picture of the ceremony available for posterity. The ceremony had taken place at 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday, December 19, 1961, with very few people in attendance. I had looked at my watch at the conclusion of the ceremony. military action by India
Dhillon was billeted in the house of an Indian mining executive, whose name I have forgotten. We went there with him and were given a cold glass of tomato juice, which was very welcome as we had not had any food or drink for a long time. After the refreshing juice, we went to Dhillon to say good-bye, and he asked us where we were going. When we told him we were going back to Margaon, he said we would not be able to do that because there was a military curfew prohibiting traffic in or out of Vasco. We left Dhillon and discussed the matter among ourselves, and concluded that the curfew need not be taken very seriously. At worst we would be sent back to Vasco if we were caught by a military patrol. Also we could always drop names like Nanda and DhillonD to impress the patrol. Thus we decided to chance it, as we were quite eager to return to Margaon, with our near and dear worrying about us in these uncertain times.military action by India
So we headed back to Margaon and covered the distance in less than an hour, as there was hardly any traffic on the moonlit road. Nobody stopped us. Ronald Coutinho dropped Purushottam Kakodkar and me at our respective residences and went home. military action by India. --Suresh Kanekar: Goa’s Liberation and Thereafter: Chronicles of a Fragmented Life (Goa,1556, 2011... now out of print)
[2] See attachment...
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
_/ Frederick Noronha फ्रेडरिक नोरोन्या * فريدريك نورونيا
_/ AUDIO https://archive.org/details/@fredericknoronha
_/ http://goa1556.in +91-9822122436 784 Saligao Goa
_/ Frederick Noronha फ्रेडरिक नोरोन्या * فريدريك نورونيا
_/ AUDIO https://archive.org/details/@fredericknoronha
_/ http://goa1556.in +91-9822122436 784 Saligao Goa
_/ Goanet :: 30 years of discussions. goa...@goanet.org
_/ http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/
_/ http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages