By the Riverside Wharf, Pomburpa, Goa, India - Memories older than the drawing

Riverside Wharf - Pomburpa, Bardez, Goa - India

Water colours on woven pearchment paper 

by  Tony Fernandes

9th August 1979

Memories older than the drawing

When I was a young lad, during my summer school holidays, my father would take me everywhere - to old and new places to see and explore, to the beach, to the market place every day to buy fresh fish and groceries, to my favourite restaurant in town for ice-cream and 'falooda' (is a cold dessert popular in the Indian subcontinent), to the hills for walks, picking 'canttam' (a berry-like black-coloured local fruit found wild on Goa's hills) and cashews, to the lakes and springs for picnics, church and chapel feasts and to nearby streams for a swim. My father had made for me my very own first mini 'robond' (a locally-made catapult, which children would play with in Goa, made from a v-shaped tree branch and waste automobile or cycle tubes, also known locally as 'catty'). He would take me along fishing to the salt-water river, for football games in the nearby town, and to distant places visiting friends and relatives, by bus, taxi, canoe and ferry, all of which I had enjoyed immensely.

Memories and nostalgia, views and thoughts

  Memories and nostalgia, views and thoughts           

             This blog serves as a time capsule of some of my life-long memories. It speaks of friendship, memories, nostalgia, views and thoughts of our past, and of the blissful or sad days gone by.

             I hope that visitors to this blog will enjoy viewing my photos, my art and the collection of articles, and appreciate at least some of them as much as I enjoyed writing them. Sincere thanks for your genuine comments, appreciation and support over the years.

The Journey

 

Summarizing our own mortality
while we grieve for our loved ones,
at times we comfort those who have lost theirs,
 but have to contend with the fact
that we might leave others
to grieve for us when our days on earth are done.

THE JOURNEY

A poem by Tony Fernandes

When the final summons

Beckons at my door

To leave for another shore

I know it’s God’s call I can’t ignore.

It will be my life’s journey’s end,

Sudden and abrupt

Unannounced and undecided

I will have to leave in haste.

This departure I cannot

Adjourn, defer or halt

No luggage to cart

No time to prepare

Or say good-bye

Before I acknowledge

My final roll call.

Today I lament for loved ones

That I have lost long ago

But in turn will have to obey God’s command

When I have served my tenure and

And my time on earth is done.

Let me therefore do good,

Pardon my friend or foe

For it may be too late to do so

When God knocks on my door

And I am unable to look back

I have got to go.

When I am gone

My friends and family

May in turn

Grieve in pain and sorrow

And remorse so deep

So help me God to be good to others today

In what ever I do or say

So that I may be remembered

when the chapel bells toll tomorrow.

From up above I will only silently see

Unable to communicate or respond

Direct , guide or tell

But perhaps I could only wish

And hope there is at least one good thing

That I will be remembered by

If at all.

A Visit to My Village

A Visit to My Old Village

The Sojourn

An evening stroll
in my tiny old  village I took;

saw the old folks

once so young,

now so frail and weak.

Aged with time at nature’s quest

they stared at me in total disbelief;

they seem to think I too

have aged along with them perhaps

yet neither of us could fathom

what time and years

had done to us in tandem.

Stories we had to tell in plenty

of days gone by in time so lengthy,

and as evening turned to twilight

it was time for us to bid “boa noite.”

Since my last visit

many years had elapsed,

had promised myself

that some day in the future

I will once again meet

the folks who I had left behind

from times so sweet.

Tony Fernandes

Glimpses of Word On The Street, Tony Fernandes,Toronto

Glimpses of

'Word On The Street National Book

& Magazine Festival'

 (25th Edition)

 held on 21 Sep 2014

 at Queen's Park Circle, Toronto. 

Although at one point I feared that 'Word on the Street' (WoTS) would turn into 'Water on the Street' ,considering a horrible weather forecast, it turned out to be an overall nice day. We were lucky to have been blessed with sunshine in the afternoon to set a happy mood. Edna and I are proud to have participated in this well organized Festival. We were also very fortunate to have good and friendly neighbours, who with their wit and wisdom helped us get through a beautiful day.

And that's not all. We were surprised by yet another visitor of a different kind - one that was on the move - and it was none other than a bus called 'Dahlia' that appeared out of nowhere on a street near our booth, and we aptly called it 'Dahlia's Bus On The Street'. Why? Because Dahlia happens to be my daughter. What a coincidence and what a day! 

GOA - Memories of My Homeland at Word on the Street, Toronto

I will be participating in the "Word on the Street" Book Festival - Toronto with my book 'Goa - Memories of My Homeland (A Collection of Poems & Short Stories) along with my wife Edna Fernandes with her 2 Recipe Books.for the first time this Sunday 21st September, 2014, Queen's Park Circle 11am - 6pm. Come visit the two Authors at the "Writers Block" Section Booth#WB17. We will be selling three Books.

Poem Book "Goa - Memories of My Homeland" Short Stories & Poems by Tony Fernandes. Eclectica Publications, Lindsay, Ontario.
http://tonferns.blogspot.ca/2010/05/blog-post_26.html

Recipe Book "Savour the Flavour of India" Non-Vegetarian & Vegetarian - Self published by Edna Fernandes.

Recipe Book "Savour the Vegetarian Flavour of India" Vegetarian only - Self published by Edna Fernandes.

http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/toronto/marketplaces/e

Felicio the Altar Boy

SURSUM CORDA

(LIFT UP YOUR HEARTS)

Felicio the Altar Boy

I had risen early that morning and my mother and I had briskly walked to the Chapel in order to wear the vestments, prepare and get ready for the Mass on time.

I had managed to pour just the right amount of wine into the chalice, rang the bell at the precise time for the ‘Sanctus’ and successfully carried the missal along with the stand from one side of the altar to the other. I had also steadily poured water over the priest’s fingers as he washed them, and there had been no sound of any cruets clashing together. My co-server and I had also bowed and genuflected in tandem, as we alternatively stood and knelt on the polished white marble floor of our village Chapel of Our Lady of Assumption in Vancio Vaddo, Guirim, Bardez, Goa.

My biggest fear and concern was not to trip while climbing or getting down the steps to the altar. I was grateful that the senior server had trained me well, and that Padre Capelão (the Rev. Chaplain) had been very kind and understanding in teaching me the right pronunciation of the Latin words.

My great moment was yet to come and that would be when people would line up to receive Holy Communion. I accompanied the priest as he proceeded to the front pews as the village folks knelt to receive. Just then I noticed that my mother was standing in line in the centre aisle. Soon, I thought, she would be kneeling for her turn.

This was my moment of great and significant pride and joy as I held the shining gold-plated communion serving paten under my mother’s chin. I felt that this was my highest privilege and honour. I thought that perhaps my mother’s wish was granted that I had learned to serve the Holy Mass in Latin, and officially become an ‘ajudante’ (Latin) or server. With a quick glance I was then surprised to see my relatives and neighbours in the queue as well. I could see that there were hints of sustained smiles on their faces. Perhaps, I thought, my mother must have requested them to attend the Mass in order to give me big surprise so that they could receive Holy Communion served by the "new altar boy Tony (a.k.a. Felicio) always in a blue shirt" from the village of Cumbiem Morod in Guirim, Bardez, Goa.

After the Mass, we had all walked home together. It had been a wonderful morning and the beginning of a great day indeed for me and for all the members of my family. My mother had prepared a special breakfast as well to commemorate the special day in my life.

The Latin Mass that I had first served in, continued for another few more years until 1969. It was then replaced by a New Order of the Mass when the priest faced the people. In a way, the new procedure must have been good. This way the priest could constantly keep an eye on his flock during the entire service, as opposed to the days of the Latin Mass when the Padre/Capelão along with his flock, the sacristan, the altar boys and the singers in the choir, had all stood facing in one direction – that is, towards the altar – lifting up their hearts! And saying: Sursum corda! (Latin) ~ Lift up your hearts!

Tony Felix (aka Felicio) Fernandes
Guirim, Cumbiem Morod,
Bardez, Goa, India.

1. The Mass of Paul VI is a form of Mass in the Catholic Church, promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969 after the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). It is now the ordinary or normal form of the Roman Rite Mass.

A Nostalgic Collection of Poems

G O A 

A nostalgic collection of poems and stories that

transport the reader back to blessed times.

                      Evocative glimpses into a blissful era that has aged, perhaps, but is not forgotten.

        Through descriptive renditions on tradition and culture via his narrative poetry, drawings, paintings and photography, Tony Fernandes has captured the simple, rustic life of Goa.

     ECLECTICA PUBLICATIONS, LINDSAY, ONTARIO

INTO YOUR HANDS

St. Anne's Church, Parra, GOA - India

Poem from my book "Goa - Memories of My Homeland'

Some Goans have traveled far and wide all across the globe.

Nevertheless, with strong family ties

 to their folks and friends back home,

 some sort of a prayer for the well-being

 of those they left behind

may have automatically come to them.

Here is my own.

INTO YOUR HANDS

Into your hands O Lord

My loving family I place

Take good care of them

With your fondest grace.

Shelter them while I am gone

Guard them while I am away

Shield them from troubles and ailment

Grant my humble request, I pray.

Let happiness always reign

In my humble abode when I am not around

Their smiles preserved

And laughter ever abound.

Thoughts about my family

Forth I will always carry

With your blessings O Lord

Keep us all in unity.

Guide me well on my voyage

O Lord to you I pray

And bring me back safely

To be once again with my family.

Should from my voyage

I be destined not to return

Then to Your will, I will surrender,

But remember Lord,

Look after my folks, have concern.

OUR LADY OF ASSUMPTION, VANCIO VADDO, GUIRIM, BARDEZ, GOA

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION

Vancio Vaddo, Guirim, Bardez, Goa.

Built in 1768.

'Happy Feast' to all.

'As he neared the chapel in the misty early morning dawn, a girl dressed in her best approached running to the young lad, and picking a tiny paper flower from her small and neatly decorated basket, she pinned it on his shirt. Reaching in his pocket he deposited a coin in her basket for which she thanked him.'

(excerpt from a story in my book 'Goa - Memories of My Homeland' Poems and Stories)
Read the full story here:
http://tonferns.blogspot.ca/2009/08/feasts-in-goa-are-commonly-celebrated.html

THE JOURNEY

Summarizing our own mortality while we grieve for our loved ones, at times
 we comfort those who have lost theirs, but have to contend 
with the fact that we might leave others to grieve for us when our days on earth are done.

THE JOURNEY
by Tony Fernandes

When the final summons

Beckons at my door

To leave for another shore

I know it’s God’s call I can’t ignore.

It will be my life’s journey’s end,

Sudden and abrupt

Unannounced and undecided

I will have to leave in haste.

This departure I cannot

Adjourn, defer or halt

No luggage to cart

No time to prepare

Or say good-bye

Before I acknowledge

My final roll call.

Today I lament for loved ones

That I have lost long ago

But in turn will have to obey God’s command

When I have served my tenure and

And my time on earth is done.

Let me therefore do good,

Pardon my friend or foe

For it may be too late to do so

When God knocks on my door

And I am unable to look back

I have got to go.

When I am gone

My friends and family

May in turn

Grieve in pain and sorrow

And remorse so deep

So help me God to be good to others today

In what ever  I do or say

So that I may be remembered

when the chapel bells toll tomorrow.

From up above I will only silently see

Unable to communicate or respond

Direct , guide or tell

But perhaps I could only wish

And hope there is at least one good thing

That I will be remembered by

If at all.

Poem by

Tony Fernandes

A STREET NAMED GOA COURT IN WEST TORONTO & A STRING OF COINCIDENCES ON GOA'S LIBERATION DAY

A STRING OF COINCIDENCES

A street named  GOA Court. in West Toronto

        Four years ago to the day, my short stories and poems were selected to be added to the curriculum of Lakeshore Collegiate Institute in West Toronto.

        Hence, I was invited to read selected poetry and articles to the 'World Literature' Class of Grade 9 students at the school.

        December 19^th was the date set by the class teacher which, in the first coincidence, happened to be the anniversary when the India took over Goa from the Portuguese rule, but the class teacher, principal or the students were not aware of this. The date just happened to be picked up at random or probably a good available and suitable date to fit in the class schedule.

          My presentation to the students, in the presence of their class teacher, included a short personal introduction to the class, reading of poems and stories. I later took questions from students, discussed past culture and traditions and how Goa fits into the modern world. The entire presentation lasted for 1 hour and 20 minutes - i.e. a duration of one full school period. Copies of 2 poems and 2 short stories were distributed to the class as homework prior to this date. So, they were prepared with many questions.

          At the conclusion of the presentation, Lakeshore Collegiate Institute, while acknowledging me as a visiting writer, presented me with a pen and a gift card from Chapters/Indigo/Coles as a token of appreciation. In acceptance I thanked them for the honour and privilege.

          For me personally it was an absolute great moment - and a long way – as a student of St. Anthony’s High School, Monte de Guirim, Goa, to Lakeshore Collegiate, West Toronto, Canada.

          Now here's the second coincidence. You may be surprised to know that while I was driving around the block to the L.C.I. Campus, as a result of a diversion in the main road due to construction work, I unexpectedly came across a street that ends into a 'cul de sac' of a residential area, that is called "GOA Court'. I saw the sign slightly tilted and my immediate reaction and compulsion that I kept under control was to straighten out that sign, but on second thought I later realized that I should not do that for obvious reasons and that perhaps the tilt in the sign was indication, reminding me that Goa is way far beyond and distant, away to the east and momentarily out of reach, should I get lost dreaming about my homeland.

           I have no idea how that street got its name, but I think it is absolutely remarkable that I should find it on my way to speak about Goa, and more so that it was on the anniversary of an auspicious, significant and historic day - 19th December 1961 - Goa Liberation Day.

And a third and final coincidence of the day was that my article “One cold winter morning – a childhood memoir” was simultaneously published worldwide on the 'Goanet' forum on the occasion of this significant day.

http://tonferns.blogspot.ca/2010/12/blog-post_19.html

In the future what I hope is that the word will spread and I may be

visiting other schools in Mississauga, Ontario.

Lakeshore Collegiate, West Toronto.

GOA - Memories of My Homeland - Poems and Short Stories by Tony Fernandes

© Tony Fernandes

© All poems, stories, photographs, illustrations  by Tony Fernandes

Designed, formatted and printed by:

Eclectica Publications Lindsay, Ontario, Canada.

April 2004

A nostalgic collection of poems and stories that transport the reader back to blessed times. Evocative glimpses into a blissful era that has aged perhaps with time, but not forgotten.

Contents: English Poems, English Short Stories, Illustrations, Goa in Pictures, Goan Proverbs, Sayings and Glossary.

Simple, rustic life captured through descriptive renditions via narrative poetry, drawings, paintings and photographs.

Excerpt from Poem:

A VISIT TO MY OLD VILLAGE

An evening stroll

in my tiny old village I took;

saw the old folks

once so young,

now so frail and weak.

Aged with time at nature’s quest

they stared at me in total disbelief;

they seem to think I too

have aged along with them perhaps

yet neither of us could fathom

what time and years

had done to us in tandem.

Excerpt from Story:
OF CHAPELS & FEASTS
As he neared the chapel in the misty early morning dawn, a girl dressed in her best approached running to the young lad, and picking a tiny paper flower from her small and neatly decorated basket, she pinned it on his shirt. Reaching in his pocket he deposited a coin in her basket for which she thanked him.

Simple, rustic life captured through descriptive renditions via narrative poetry, drawings, paintings and photographs

About the Author: Tony was educated at St. Anthony’s High School, Monte de Guirim, Bardez, Goa, and subsequently at Kareer Polytechnic, Bombay, studying Commercial Art, where he excelled in Painting and Photography.

It has always been his endeavour to write poetry about his childhood memories of Goa. Although he has been away from his homeland all these years, he has constantly kept in touch with his roots by visiting Goa every now and then.

Born with a natural flair for writing poetry and fuelled with a nostalgic craving and love for his native land, he has now compiled a collection of his poems.

Tony presently resides in Mississauga, Ontario - Canada, with his wife and three children.

To order copy of this book please e-mail: tonferns@hotmail.com

Brief Notes about Goa

Known around the world for its serene beauty, GOA is located south of Mumbai, India. It gained full-fledged statehood on 12^th August 1987. Prior to that, it was a Union Territory for 26 years, after four and a half centuries of Portuguese rule. It is 1,022 metres above sea-level with an area of 3700 sq.km. Its capital is Panaji. Goa coprises of districts like Ilhas, Bardez, Salcette, Ponda, Marmagoa, Bicholim, Satari, Pernem, Quepem, Sanguem, and Canacona. Its captital is Panaji. Its other major cities are Margao, Mapsa and Vasco da Gama and Marmagoa which has a natural harbour .

Goa’s main rivers are the Zuari, Mandovi and Chapora. It has beautiful palm-fringed and scenic beaches like Colva, Candolim , Calangute, Vagator and Arambol with golden sands all along its

western coast line. Spanning across the eastern part of Goa is the magnificent mountain range called

the Western Ghats. Nestled among those hills are the famous 3-tier water-falls called Dudsagar.

With a total population of approximately 1.2 million, it is bustling with activity. It is a world famous tourist destination with excellent air, sea, rail and interstate bus connections. Besides having the first lighthouse in Asia, it has numerous archaelogical sites like ancient forts for the connossieur to study

and explore besides ancient temples and churches.

Goa is famous for its architectural grandeur – its ancient churches, temples and mosques. Goans are a peace-loving people with a strong sense of community, taking pride in their own distinct culture and heritage.

In a modern cosmopolitan world, Goa has managed to preserve its old world charm.

Book Review by Ben Antao 
Author of Images of Goa and other books

GOA Memories of my Homeland, a collection of poems and stories, could only have

been written by one born and raised in the red soil of Goa. It’s a work of

pure joy by Tony Fernandes, 57, who trudged up the hill of Monte de Guirim,

where he was born and educated. His narrative poetry hits the right note as

he evokes nostalgic memories of life in his village--litany, vespers, homecoming

harvest day, Intruz, Palm Sunday, wedding, first rains, and home leaving. 

A sample:

        Then as darkness fell
        and homewards I walked,
        seeing a score of people together pray
        by the wayside cross I stopped;
        the light of the candles
        reflected in their faces,
        they sang in perfect chorus,
        their gaze at the cross
        fixed as if by magic,
        hearing them sing the litany
        And unable to resist
        I joined them in harmony.

The stories are narratives of his growing up and dwell on such traditions
as a new shirt for New Year, Christmas crib, and village feasts.

The book also contains 150 'oparrio' or Konkani proverbs that will bring a
smile of recognition on the faces of native Goans. But for those living in the
diaspora, who may have forgotten their Konkani, a translation into English
would help to convey the folk wisdom incorporated in these sayings.
Perhaps in the second edition!

The illustrations and photographs in the book reflect the talents of
Tony who studied commercial art in Bombay. The self-published book
is available from the author who lives with his wife Edna and three
children, Mississauga ON L5V 2C2, Canada.
Email: tonferns@hotmail.com

Book Review by Lino Leitao
Author of Gift of the Holy Cross and other books

Tony Fernandes' poems in this collection are lovely; and their
aesthetic  merit lies in their simplicity. They are like a cluster
of graceful flowers in the soft glow of twilight, in the garden
of his memory.

I remember, when young, memorizing a poem: The Village Blacksmith
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and another one: We are Seven by
William Wordsworth. The pastoral magic of those poems had touched
my youthful emotions, then. Tony's poems in this collection have
stirred my soul, once again. Each memory, or each flower (poem),
has its own unique brilliance of that Goa's soul (rural Goa) - the Goa
where the poet grew up.
As I was reading his poems, I felt as if, I was taking a leisurely stroll
with the poet in the memory garden of his youth. I tarried to admire
at some of the stanzas and visualize.

One of them is this:

Then as darkness fell
and homewards I walked,
seeing a score of people together pray
by the wayside cross I stopped;
the light from the candles
reflected their faces,
they sang in perfect chorus,
their gaze at the cross
fixed as if by magic,
hearing them sing the litany
And unable to resist
I joined them in harmony.
 
Another stanza:
 
The night all of a sudden
Seemed quiet and tranquil,
In the darkness
Holding a candle
In the hollow of a coconut shell
Lit and led us on our paths;
And folks on the way home
From the houses on the wayside
Wished us a pleasant night.

These reminiscences are etched in the soul of many a Goan, mostly elderly,
brought up in that Goa. But only inspired poets or artists like Tony can
transport us from snow-laden Canada to the homeland of our youth.
In this collection there are also pencil sketches of Goan scenes and artifacts,
stories and coloured photos of Goa. Tony Fernandes besides being a poet is
also an artist. He also presents us a tidy bundle of Goan sayings and proverbs
in Konkani.

GOA, Memories of My Homeland, is a source to unfold the poignant beauty
of that Goan soul, mainly to those young Goans born in diaspora.
 
Lino Leitão

Lino Leitão was born in Goa, a former Portuguese Colony in India. He studied
in Portuguese and English schools and attended the University of Karnataka
in India and Concordia University in Montreal. His stories have been published
by Goa Today, Gulab, Gomantak Times (Goa); Afro-Asian Quarterly, Journal of
Asian Literature (Michigan State University), The Toronto South Asian Review,
Massachusetts Review, Short Story International (New York),The Antigonish
Review and others. His articles on Goan issues have been published in Herald,
Gomantak Times, Navhind Times (Goa), and in South Asian 
Studies Papers, no. 9 - Goa: Continuity and Change - University of Toronto,
Centre for South Asian Studies, 1995.Selected Publications:
The Man and His Writings (Translated from Portugese). Goa, India: Xavier 
Centre of Historical Research, 2000.
The Gift of the Holy Cross. Leeds, England: Peepal Tree Press, 1999.
Six Tales. Cornwall, ON: Vesta Publications, 1980.
Goa Tales. Cornwall, ON: Vesta Publications, 1977.
Collected Short Tales. New York: Carleton Press, 1972.

This book can also be ordered on line through www.ednaspickles.com