Mrs. Couto was a gem of a human being. Intellect, wisdom and
elegance made her different. Her Daughter’s Story travelled far and wide this
giving a glimpse of Goa’s social history and doing away with the wrong notions
about Goa and Goans. She never minced words when she spoke against the ills in
our country. Her departure is a great loss to humanity.
- Damodar Mauzo, Writer and Jnanpith awardee
Maria Aurora
Couto was an important voice in Indian writing in English. She became a dear
friend after she released my debut fiction novella “Tales from the Attic” at
the Kala Academy in 2007. I had relocated to my family home in Goa on the
completion of my Senior Fulbright tenure in the US. The book was self
published. I was still setting the pages when I contacted her in Delhi and sent
her an MS. She read the copy carefylly and said she loved it. Later when her
husband Alban was in a south Goa hospital, she often dropped by at home just
across the river Sal. I remember her coaxing me to join politics and saying we
need strong voices and clean governance. I was appalled. “I am a writer not a
politician”. I retorted. “You don’t know it” you can bring change, “ she said
quietly. The world of Goan writing in English was enriched by her works,
contribution and insights. Power to the work that she has done while her soul
rests in peace!
- Savia Veigas, Writer and academic
Maria Aurora
Couto: The Daughter of Goa
Maria Aurora
Figueiredo Couto hailed from the Figueiredo family in Loutolim, was married to
Albano Couto, IAS from Carona, Aldona. Her great grandmother was Marianinha Da
Costa Alvares and whose descendants include the Correia Afonso’s from Benaulim
due to which, she is my third cousin. Known to be a no-nonsense persons, Aurora
penned “Goa: A daughter’s story” which became a big time seller. She loved Goa
very much and even used her influence to protect the environment on several
occasions, without coming into the front light. Despite opportunities to
settled in other parts of India and also abroad she chose to return to her Goa
- the Goa she loved to breathe and soak into and she was very fond of my
mother. She served as a Member of Executive Council of the Goa University along
with me and had brilliant ideas to upgrade the standards of the University
whilst giving the best to the students and would ensure execution of her ideas.
Aurora was very graceful and elegant, widely read and could converse on any
topic. She was liked by all who came across her and will he missed by those who
knew her. With her death, Goa has lost a jewel, a true daughter of Goa.
- Adv Carlos Ferreira, legal luminary
Maria was truly
the daughter of Goa. A daughter to be proud of and she has contributed
enormously to the cultural scene of Goa. Not just through her books but as an
advisor to the Goa University. It is because of her a lot of intellectuals were
attracted to accept the chairs at the university. People like Romila Thapar
came to Goa because their name was suggested by her. She suggested several
other names too. They came to Goa and that was her great contribution. He book
The Daughter of Goa is kind of the cultural history of Goa.
- Subodh Kerkar, Painter, Sculptor and installation artist
With the death
of Padma Shri Maria Aurora Couto, Goa certainly lost a great daughter and lover
of Goa. She was an eminent educationist, intellectual, writer and a lover of
everything Goan. She was one of the major supporters and well-wisher of Goa
Chitra Museum and all the activities that we organized. We will truly miss the
elegant and graceful Aurora Couto and we pray her soul rests in peace.
- Victor Gomes, Curator and restorer
Mrs Maria
Aurora Couto was a very graceful dignified lady very amiable. I was very close to
her. We interacted on a number of occasions. I had visited her in Aldona. She
came over when my dad passed away. She consulted me for the History part of Goa
A daughters Story and her translated work of A Braganca Pereira. She was an
educationist. Infact taught English in the inception stage of our Dhempe
College in the early 60 s. She initiated the DD Kosambi Festival of Ideas. She
always attended our Goa Heritage Action Group functions. She loved reading n
was a social thinker. She had a good interest in History and hence we vibed
well. Will miss Madam Couto. Om shanti to her and salute her contribution.
- Prajal Sakhardande, Academic and writer
We celebrate
this extraordinary woman, as she passes away from our midst. Yet again, Goa has
lost one of its most pre-eminent daughters, but if many more young women had
been exposed to her and her way of thinking, her passions, her concerns, that
would have been immensely enriching to them. We wish to celebrate three aspects
of Maria Aurora. In the first, she was a strong and firm woman who showed young
women that if they willed it, the world would listen to them. This can be seen
in her two books, A Daughter’s Story and Philomena’s Story. Both the books are
grouted in a woman’s sense of the world, not just being a part of it, but being
heard by it. Her second side related to her sense of optimism when, with her
late husband Alban Couto, she could see that Goans had a different vision of
their future which is why they took a stand during the Opinion Poll. They were
not just unique, they had a positive sense of their unique contribution to
India as well. In recent years, however, Maria Aurora was getting increasingly
disturbed at the gap between promise and reality. She was depressed that so
many things were going wrong, and that the idea of Goa itself was increasingly
in tatters, leaving so much confusion in the minds of younger Goans as a whole.
In her third avatar, she was an intellectual of distinction. She found a role
enriching the university with her association, and set out to establish the
D.D. Kosambi lecture series, bringing pre-eminent men and women from the rest
of the country to address Goans on issues deemed important to all. For the Goa
Foundation, she was also a solid rock. We could reach out to her for support.
It was always available, without hesitation. We weep, we say farewell, but we
also say, thank you! We will consider ourselves always privileged that we could
keep your company, and from time to time, share a good meal at Carona.
- Claude & Norma
Alvares, Environmentalist
and lawyer