Jose de Souza
PANJIM: Sitting on the edge of my favorite window or our holiday home in South Goa, facing the vast sea-green ocean and staring at a point, in the distant horizon, where the river Sal languidly is kissing the Arabian Sea and melting with the blue sky, engrossed in our usual weekend introspection exercise, we soon realize that Bank of Baroda is completing its Golden Jubilee of its establishment in Goa.
A half century has run in the fast moving wheel of time. Yet we vividly recollect, just like yesterday: on May 27 , 1963, at the seaside city of Vasco da Gama, geometrically built by the Portuguese, only 5kms away from the Mormugao Harbour, the first branch of Bank of Baroda Ltd, in Goa was declared open for business by Praxy Fernandes, the then Chief Secretary of Goa in the presence of N M Chokshi, the then GM of the bank, Alfred da Silva, the then manager for Goa branches, officials, managers of other banks, business magnates and a cream of elite of Goa.
That summer morning of May, 1963, is still vivid in our memories as we all joined later for a function at Hotel Zuari with the invitees. In our desk drawer, we still treasure the speech late N M Chokshi, who later rose to CMD of the bank, had dictated to the secretary, late Maria Luis: “On behalf of the chairman and my colleagues on the board, it gives me a great pleasure to extend to you all a very cordial welcome to the opening of our first branch in Goa….”
And today, fifty years thereafter, as we see the slides of the photographs of that historic function in the projector, we go vividly through the personages, to recognize them. Our mind is lost with nostalgia of those who are no longer. We remember them.
On this august occasion, we pay our tribute to the stalwarts of yesteryears who worked with untiring efforts to the bank, as we do to late Alfred da Silva, the banker of great vision and business acumen, who contributed with grandeur, and to his secretary, late Maria Luis, who co-authored the book “Alfred da Sila and BoB in Goa”, along with yours truly in 2001, followed by 2nd edition in 2006.
