There’s
never an idle moment for those who work at the Mapusa
municipal
market,
and it takes quite the stamina to keep up with the hustle and bustle
of the place and it’s people as they cater to almost the whole of
Bardez. So when you spot the frail frame of a white-haired woman bent
over her basket of wares, you are bound to pause mid-stride. This is
probably what caught the eye of the person who took the picture/video
of the ‘103-year-old woman’ that went viral. When we decided to
investigate further, while we didn’t find a ‘103-year-old woman’
we found a story worth telling.
The
lady from the picture that went viral is Romaldine
D’Sa,
who’s not 103 years old but nevertheless, an impressive 90. She
occupies a small corner near the fruit market. Surrounded by a heap
of red rice, packets of tamarind and an opened sack of pulses, she is
always smiling at the shoppers without even asking them to buy
anything. Despite
her weathered skin and frail frame, Romaldine is
still very active and doesn’t
miss a thing with
her clear blue eyes.
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What
is interesting about this daily vendor is that she turned ninety this
March and hasn’t
missed
a day at
the market for
the last 50 years. She is surrounded by Goan vendors who take care of
her and are just a shout away. When
asked the viral video that claims that she recently celebrated her
103rd birthday, she says, “I
am ten years younger than 100;
it was not my 103rd birthday. A relative of mine from Margao informed
her grandson that we have relations in Mapusa and she is 103. So he
surprised me with a birthday cake and celebrated my birthday with all
the people in the market. I was very happy.”
Born
in Billow, Pedem, Mapusa to Mariano Sebestian D’Sa and Anna
Francisca D’Souza, Romaldine
is the only sister to three
brothers. “I was married at the age of 15 to Joao Pascoal D’Souza
and I am the mother of four children:
Constantine, James, Elvira and Savio. I studied at St
Francis Xavier School in Pedem, Mapusa and then studied at St Francis
Xavier School in Siolim. I was good at studies and I didn’t
want to get
married at that age but my mother insisted that she wanted to see me
married before she died. I lost my father at the age of 2 and was
single-handedly brought up by my mother. I could not refuse her,”
says Romaldine.
She
was married to Joao from Acoi, who was ten years older
than her and
was working in England at that time. He passed away at the age of 50
leaving her to raise their four children. There is an old world charm
to their love story, “He told me to join him
in England but
I was very fond of Goa.
Also, the diet there wouldn’t have agreed with me as I
didn’t
eat beef and pork;
I didn’t know how I would adapt to the place. He was very loving and
caring. I used to embroider pillowcases
for him and though
he loved my work he used to scold
me for working with the needle and thread in the dark,” she
recollects
vividly.
“He
even taught
me to ride a bike in our younger days in the very same lane where I
now
sit in the
market. He used to hold on to the bike and when I was confident
enough to balance, he would let go. I used to ride well but get
nervous when I knew he was not behind me. ‘Do you want me to die?’
I used to ask him,
but he would just smile and say ‘this
road is cemented, nothing will happen to you’,”
she shares. As Romaldine owned
many paddy
fields, she slowly started coming to the market to sell homegrown
products,
an act she continues till today.
Though the fields no
longer yield crops,
she still sells locally produced food items.
Romaldine
now resides either
in Tivim or Mapusa, with her sons. “In Tivim, I stay near the old
post office, where I catch a morning bus to come to the market. In
the evening, I hire a coolie who takes everything to the bus.
Sometimes my son or grandson drops me to the market. I used to come
early in the morning to the market but my son insists that I go at
ease, after
breakfast,” says Romaldine.
When
asked why she
takes the trouble to come to the market and spend her whole day
amidst
the crowd, she
answers, “I love the feeling of meeting my old friends in the
market. I get very happy when I meet my friends from school in Pedem
and Siolim who come to the market. They come and sit with me when on
their shopping
trip. This is
my meeting place. I would not come across them if I was at home. It
doesn’t matter whether I sell
something for
the day. I am happy even if I earn just ten rupees,
but seeing a known face in the crowd make me even happier,”
concludes Romaldine.
