It was believed that the two World Wars had made the world safe for democracy. Post World War II, Pandit Nehru was seen as the greatest democrat with a scientific temper and the proponent of peaceful co-existence. When India gained its independence, international leaders congratulated him. Among them was António Oliveira Salazar, the fascist dictator of Portugal. Salazar also congratulated Pandit Nehru on behalf of his government, on India gaining Independence. The newspapers of that period reported their appreciation of Pandit Nehru for reciprocating his good wishes that such a wish demanded. The people of Portugal were also waiting in expectation for freedom and democracy from a dictatorial rule.
It was clear by this time that a firm stand needed to be taken against the manoeuvres of both the Portuguese and French Imperialists and their claims. The French Governor had praised the virtues of non-violence. The press expressed the sentiments of the Goans that both these European powers should be informed that Free India as a State was not based on non-violence and the use of clichés like non-violence and law and order as a cover up for maintaining their imperialist stranglehold would not help at all!
On August 15, there was excitement among the Goans both in Goa and in Bombay. The newspapers of that period form important source material to understand how they perceived their own colonial status under the Portuguese as compared to the rest of the country who had just secured its freedom. The Goans celebrated the Independence Day of India with great enthusiasm, joy and demonstration. In Panjim, a large number of people called on the Indian Consul M A R Baig, to congratulate him. This group did not include the government servants. Later a procession was taken out in Panjim and around 800 Goans participated in the flag hoisting ceremony. Consul Beg was one of them. This procession was however dispersed with a lathi charge.
In Agaçaim village, a procession of 300 persons went around announcing the advent of the era of freedom in India. In Canacona, a spontaneous demonstration was held which was later dispersed forcibly by the police. Other villages in Goa held similar demonstrations despite the threat of police intervention and use of force. The enthusiasm proved so infectious that Catholics engaged priests to say masses in churches to celebrate the Independence Day. The Portuguese sensing the spirit of celebration amongst the Goans issued a police order, authorizing the hoisting of the flags of the two dominions along with the Portuguese on buildings.
There are letters to the editor, that suggest that there was need to organise under one party for unity alone would lead the Goans to their complete Independence. There was a call to strengthen the hand of the Congress by joining it in large numbers. One Dr F D Cruz writes in a letter to the Gomantak, an organ of the Gomantak Praja Mandal- GPM that it is his belief that the National Congress (Goa)-NCG, would fight the white rule in Goa, using non-violence as its weapon. The Goans believed that with the birth of a free and powerful Indian Union, Goa will soon exhale the free air of freedom.
In Bombay, the NCG had been making preparations for ten days to hold a rally, take out a procession and perform the flag-hoisting ceremony on 15th August 1947. The volunteers of the GPM had led an enthusiastic drive by distribution of thousands of leaflets and personal contacts to make this historic day celebrations a success. It was reported that despite the counter propaganda of reactionaries like the Hindu Sabha, the Goans came out in large numbers to the Cross Maidan at 9.30 to the tune of the band, Novem Jivit which had been lent by the Goan sympathisers of Assolna, Velim and Cuncolim. The procession carried two banners in Roman and Devnagari announcing the identity of the NCG. One proclaimed that “Indian citizenship is our birth-right”. Another banner read. “People’s Court for traitors”, one more appealed to Goans to “join the NCG and destroy the Bhatcar and caste system”. The newspapers on the next day wrote about how the Indian freedom spells also of the Goan freedom that is to come. To quote, “Gomantak salutes the freedom that is already there and the freedom that is round the corner. Jai Hind!”
The Goans carried flags and banners, shouting, “Mahatma Gandhiji ki jai, Lohia ki jai”. When the procession reached the Metro Cinema, it swelled in size and length with thousands of Goans joining in, as this was the residential areas of the Kudds or residential spaces owned by each Goan village as community residences. The procession went on to Queens’s road and Sonapur Lane. More than twenty thousand were estimated and the size increased as it wended its way through other places of Goan clusters in Bombay like Girgaum, Cavel and Kalbadevi Road till it went back to the starting place at Cross Maidan.
The leaders and workers leading this procession were Dr Juliao Menezes, Dr Eric de Melo and many ladies like Orine de Souza, Dr Luisa de Cunha and Alzira Gomes. After reaching Cross Maidan, Miss de Souza hoisted free India’s National flag– the Tri-colour with Ashoka’s Chakra in the centre. Mr Sanches de Souza, Cyril Fernandes and the others mentioned above, saluted the flag. Juliao Menezes then addressed the gathering. The gist of his speech was first an invocation to the symbolism of the hoisting of the flag which represented the thousands of freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives in the fight for freedom against British rule under the leadership of the Indian National Congress-INC. He then reminded the Goans that the non-violent 18 June Movement, started in the previous year in Goa was also under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi in its aftermath. He said that this day belonged to Goans too as a large number of Goans had fought alongside and joined the Indian National Army of Subhas Chandra Bose. Goan patriots like T B Cunha, Purshottam Kakodkar, Laxmikant Bhembre, Pandurang Shirodkar, Dr Ram Hedge, Mario Rodrigues and Evagrio George were rotting in Portuguese jails and could not witness this freedom that also belonged to Goans.
George Vaz then addressed the people and requested the large gathering to stand and observe two minutes silence in memory of the martyrs who died for our freedom. Newspapers of that period condemned the Goans who did not join this march and remained apolitical as well as the Datta Pai foundation of the Hindu Mahasabha. The march was a symbol of the fact that the Goans would now march towards their own freedom, with their own efforts, service and sacrifice. August 15, 1947, sparked a ray of hope among the Goans that there was indeed light after the over 400 years long dark tunnel of Portuguese colonial rule.
S F de Melo- Anslekar, a member of the NCG, sums up the mixed feelings of joy and humiliation of Goans on this day, joy because the non-violent struggle achieved victory to people of whom Goans were an integral part and humiliation because Goans were the first victims of European colonialism and perhaps ironically the last to be free!
(Prof (Dr ) Sushila Sawant Mendes is an Author and Professor in History, Govt College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Quepem)
