May 31st is celebrated as Eminent Goans Day as it happens to be the birth anniversary of Dr Francisco Luis Gomes one of the eminent Goans who was born on May 31, 1829 in Navelim, Salcete Goa. He was baptised on June 9, 1989 at the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosario, Navelim. His father Dr Francisco Salvador Gomes was as much a genius as his son, though less recognised.
Francisco Luis Gomes was a prodigy. In his boyhood, he mastered many languages such as Portuguese, French, Italian, English, Latin, Marathi and Konkani. Much before attaining the age of majority he was a Doctor of Medicine, having graduated from Escola Medica and was immediately appointed lecturer at the college.
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The period between his graduation in 1846 and his election to the Portuguese Parliament in 1860 is marked by his great literary, professional and civil activity. He was a colossal genius, great patriot, eloquent parliamentarian, eminent economist, learned historian and a brilliant novelist.
In the twelfth election for deputies that took place in Portuguese India on August 12, 1860, Francisco Luis Gomes was the only native to be elected from the Salcete and Canacona Constituency. His first speech in Lisbon Parliament was in defence of the rights of colonies to representation.
The insolent suggestion that Portuguese colonies should be deprived of their Parliamentary representation provoked Francisco Luis Gomes to make his maiden speech only on his third day in Parliament. He denounced the proposal as offensive to colonial equality and human dignity and used the opportunities to fight for the rights of coloured races.
Inspired with the principles of the French Revolution, Gomes was a liberal. Often, he raised his powerful voice against slavery prevalent in African colonies. In one of his speeches, he proudly remarked, “I am an enemy of slavery. I am so in principle and because of historic traditions of my country, whose ancient civilization, although it admitted to the lowest castes, never permitted slavery, its code is free from its stain.” He further said, “In India there are no banquets of human flesh, on the contrary, there are sects whose hand are innocent of all blood, who abstain from meat diet; who show compassion even towards animals.”
In 1866, Francisco Luis Gomes published his now famous novel Os Brahamanes. It was undoubtedly the first novel by a Goan, among the first by an Indian and was set in Faizabad that is in today’s Uttar Pradesh. True to his principles, in the novel, Gomes focused on the caste system, especially untouchability, and joined the cause for justice to those who are discriminated upon.
Long before socialism could make a mark in the world, Dr Francisco Luis Gomes had been propounding the transfer of power from the classes to the masses, just as he demanded freedom for India, years before the Indian National Congress could be formed and take up the cause.
It is a historical fact that Francisco Luis Gomes propounded the concept of national freedom for India, much before the popular launch of the freedom movement of 1857 with the formation of the Indian National Congress, when he asked for liberty from the colonial rulers in India.
His words call for freedom still echoes in our ears. He said, “I was born in the East Indies, once the cradle of poetry, philosophy and history and now their tomb. I belong to the race which composed the Mahabharat and invented chess. The two works of sublimate eternity. But that nightingale which once rented the heavens is fluttering its wings against the cage which holds it captive. I ask for my country light and liberty.”
Throughout his life, he strove for the creation of a society based on the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity and during the short period – just 40 years – that he was on this earth, he campaigned against socio-economic injustices committed in the colonies. His name is recorded in the History and Civics text books in Goa.
He left a rich legacy to Goa and Goans in different fields of which we should be proud. What Goans have to learn from the work of Francisco Luis Gomes is the lesson of his intense patriotism. He always showed his love for his motherland and we can emulate his love for his country, its land and its people.
History has many lessons for the future generations. We are today, the proud inheritors of not necessarily just the wealth of our ancestors, but also of their ethos, culture, legacy and history. If we do not make efforts to know those lessons and what we have inherited, we will never know who we are.
Francisco Luis Gomes belongs to India and the world, not just Goa. The polymath can’t be forgotten and therefore to honour this noble son of Navelim in a special way, we inaugurated a Children’s Park at Navelim and put a foundation stone for the Rs 20 crore State of Art Library in Navelim on February 5, 2007. It is now a splendid temple of knowledge and learning for everyone from the able bodied to the differentially abled.
Various resolutions were moved by me both in the Legislative Assembly of Goa and in the Indian Parliament (Rajya Sabha) to honour Francisco Luis Gomes, a man who went by the sobriquet of ‘Prince of Intellectuals’.
On September 30, 2023 on the occasion of 154th death anniversary of Francisco Luis Gomes we laid the foundation stone at Navelim, the birth place of Francisco Luis Gomes for the construction of a memorial with amphitheatre, hall and compound wall. The plans are laudable but the finances are meagre.
As a grateful nation I sincerely hope that Dr Francisco Luis Gomes and his works are made known to all the world and that will be fitting tribute to the great son of India.
(The author is Ex-CM of Goa and Ex-MP (Rajya Sabha)
