Dona Berta
Menezes was the 42nd Life member of the Dalgado Konkani Academy and the former President of the
Mapusa Chapter of the ‘Espritual Bhav-Bhoinnincho Ekvott’.
Composing Mandos and Dulpods for various occasions
like weddings, anniversaries, priestly ordinations, First Holy Communions,
birthdays, and felicitations etc was her forte and passion. These compositions
in her beloved mother tongue Konkani, added grace and élan to every occasion
bringing together one and all as they sang to celebrate and share in the joy of
the hosts.
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In a similar vein, she would also compose melodious songs in her
beloved Konkani to grace various happy occasions, days of national significance
like Gandhi Jayanti, Goa Liberation Day, Independence Day, the feast days of
various saints of the Catholic Church, and also as part of her skits and
dramas. She would encourage and animate every child in the vicinity to
participate in the rendition of these composed songs with attire, actions and
expressions to match thereby adding copious charm and joyful energy to the
presentation of the compositions. Even today, whenever these children who are
now grown up meet each other, they recollect fondly the memories of having
dressed up as ‘this’ or ‘that’ during the rendition of her songs. Her song in
Konkani about Mahatma Gandhi won her allocates all over Goa.
She was also an excellent story teller cum author. She would
make the story come alive as she narrated it to her listeners amongst who were
not only her grand children, but also her children, neighbours, the people of
the town and friends. Many of the stories were her own creations which she
penned down in her book ‘ Kanniancho Jhelo – Supurleam Burgeank Faidiacho’, a
collection of 30+ stories.
She even authored a book titled ‘Swiss Copelacho Itihas’ in
which she holds the reader captive by narrating the story of the Mapusa
Carnaval which she was instrumental in revamping.
When Konkani was introduced in the 8th schedule in the Devnagri
lipi, she started Adult Education classes to teach Konkani from the Romi
lipi to the Nagri lipi to the adults as the school going children
were already being taught Konkani in the Devnagri script in school. She made
learning the Nagri lipi very easy for adults with the help of a book she
authored titled ‘Konkni Pustok– Romi Lipintlean Devnagri Shikunk Sompi Vatt’.
She was indeed an ardent propagator of adult education. She loved teaching kids
as well, and taught them the Devnagri script using simple strokes and shapes.
This incidentally is today called ‘Pattern Writing’.
She also encouraged
other authors in their endeavours. Author Fr. Anastasio Gomes, OCD, Mapusa,
thanks her in the forward of his book ‘Kristi Dhormache Vichar-Zobab: Ek
Povitr Katolik Apostolik’.
Among her unpublished
works are her books titled ‘Krism Ghetleleam Burgeank Dotorn’, ‘Kristi
Somudaie’, ‘Ghoddlelim Kantaram, Mande, Dulpoddam, Uloupam, Dramas, Fancy Dress
ani Fados’ and ‘Jesuchea Public Jivitache Floati ani Drama’.
She was a voracious reader
of Konkani Literature and had a huge personal collection of books by Konkani
authors like Reginald Fernandes, many of which were autographed for her by the
authors themselves. Her collection has been preserved in the special section of
the Dona Berta Menezes Educational Trust Library located at the Kids’ Kingdom
International School, Journalist Colony, Alto Porvorim, Goa. She was also a
regular contributor of articles and write ups to publications such as ‘Vavraneacho
Ixtt’ and magazines ‘Gulab’ and ‘Goencho Avaz’.
She was a connoisseur
of good Konkani literature and would make it a point to meet in person and
appreciate and encourage the young, writers of her time like Daniel De Souza
and Prabhakar Tendulkar.
She was well versed
in Portuguese. Yet, she chose to communicate only in Konkani. She would always
refer to Konkani as her mother language. In the words of the song by Remo
Fernandes ‘Konkkni amchi Goenchi baas, tich korya raaj bhaas’ was her
motto.
She would always
admonish, encourage, exhort and reprimand her children and grand children using
Konkani quotes. Being the perfectionist and strict disciplinarian that she was,
one of her favourite and oft used quotes was ‘Vetek chukta tem vavak chukta,
ani vavak chukta tem gaonank chukta’.
Among her Konkani
Mogi friends were famed tiatrist Tomazinho Cardozo, Freedom fighters Dr.
Martins and his wife Dr. Ismenia Gomes, acclaimed poet Ulhas Buyoa, Suresh
Amonkar, author and founder of New Goa High School, Mapusa, and Dr. Bicaji
Ghanekar. They indeed made a strong team during the Opinion Poll and Konkani
agitation.
As the leader of the
‘Spiritual Bretheren of the Merciful Love of Jesus’, she instituted a
scholarship on 19.09.1998 in the same way of Our Lady, Saligao, Pilerne wherein
the interest accrued would be spent on one or more of the needy and deserving
Seminarians, preferably from Mapusa. Many seminarians were helped in becoming
Priests with the aid of this scholarship. She had a special place in her heart
for the seminarians and the Priests of Pilar. She had to compose Mandos and
Dulpods for their ordinations and jubilees. No wonder then that she was
lovingly called ‘The Pillar of Pilar’.
Dona Berta was an
extremely talented woman – multi talented in fact.
She was an
enthusiastic and efficient organizer of community events. She made floats for
various occasions one of which was the ‘Milagres Garden of Mapusa Float’
getting as many people as possible to participate and contribute their talents
towards the same. Her Swiss Chapel Drama at Mapusa was a delight to behold with
elaborate symbolic representations enacted by the youth and children of Mapusa.
She thrived on
getting children to act out different roles in Fancy Dress Competitions with
costumes. monologues and dialogues to match. Not once have her children, grand
children or the children of the town come back from the competition without a
Prize. The most popular and winning presentations were children dressed and
enacting their parts as Okol, Jesu, Dishtikann, Pixem, Voddlem Goenchi
Kongekarn, Nistekan, Parkhi, Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Each
time the audience and judges would chorus ‘Encore! Encore!’
She was also a deft
drafter and director of dramas and short plays having either a moral, social or
religious message. Her aim was to share her talents with her fellow beings and
their families. She would get as many people as possible to be a part of these
dramas and plays so as to build a sense of camaraderie and belonging among the
people of her city.
She was a speech
writer and poet as well. Her speeches would have a special connect with the
audience and her poems were mostly about her beloved Goa and odes to
contributors to society. She would also train the youth and children to deliver
the speeches and recite the poems much to the awe and delight of the audience.
Her speeches and poems form a part of her unpublished works.
Being gifted at
giving extempore speeches herself, she was indeed a moulder of consensus
especially during the Opinion Poll in the years 1966-67 and in encouraging the
use of her beloved Mother Tongue Konkani.
The
family members of Dona Berta are indebted to the Dalgado Konkani Academy and to
Tomazinho Cardoso and Daniel De Souza for organizing and giving impetus to this
recognition and felicaitation on the occasion of her birth Centenary. In
gratitude, the Dona Berta Menezes Educational Trust run by her family have
instituted the annual ‘Dona Berta Menezes Memorial Prize’ of for a Woman author
of Konkani.
