By Gasper Crasto
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of a great Goan - A Veronica Fernandes.
The legend of a Goan died today afternoon 12th Sept '24 at his home in Candolim, Goa. He was aged 76 and is survived by wife Fatima, son Ashton, daughter Avesha, and granchildren.
His presence in Kuwait was a beacon of wisdom, illuminating our paths with grace.
As we grieve the passing of this extraordinary soul, we also celebrate the legacy he leaves behind โ dedication, and unwavering commitment.
His contributions to our lives and to Goans will be cherished forever, and his spirit will continue to inspire us all.
In this time of sorrow, let us find comfort in the memories we shared and the lessons he imparted.
His influence and the warmth of his spirit will remain a guiding light for those who had the privilege of knowing him.
We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and all who were touched by his extraordinary life.
May we honor his memory by carrying forward the values he held dear and by striving to live with the same integrity and compassion that defined his existence.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ. ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ.
๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ๐ผ
There was perhaps no one in the expatriate Goan world who worked so much for the promotion, propagation, development and advancement of Goa and Goans in general as much as Veronica Fernandes.
Hailing from Arrady, Candolim, Goa, Veronica spent most of his life in Kuwait.
Known among Goans as a living encyclopedia on tiatrs, and an activist of immense abilities, his deeds are well documented in the chronicles of history, and well recognized and acknowledged by Indian and Kuwaiti governments.
His major accomplishments have been the Konkani language agitation and the famous Solidarity Movement in support of Kuwait during the 1990 invasion by Iraqโs dictator Saddam Hussein.
A freelance journalist and firebrand writer, Veronicaโs writings on various topics โ both local, Goan and international, mostly in the blog Goa Kranti (http://goa-kranti.blogspot.com/) created worldwide ripples and awakening debates.
Few Goan writers were able to produce such heavy effects as Veronica Fernandes.
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ผ๐๐๐
Shri Veronicaโs distinction lied in the fact that he gathered and collected innumerable Goans from Kuwait to support the Konkani language agitation in Goa in the late 80โs.
Apparently, it was he who lighted the spark of Konkani movement in Kuwait and the flame is still brightly giving its light. If Konkani has gained so much of limelight in Kuwait then the credit should surely go to Shri Veronica alone.
Besides being a high-quality writer, Veronica was a good orator as well โ both in English and Konkani.
He had a unique distinction, as a Goan, to be awarded for his orations and writings by the Kuwait Writers Guild, an organization whose membership includes highly intellectual individuals, renowned writers, poets, ambassadors, diplomats and artistes of international repute.
Bab Veronica was also honored in 2007 by Konkani Kullvar โ Kuwait, a well-known Konkani Writersโ Forum in appreciation of his contribution and daring combats in support of the Konkan language.
Though his health did not support his age, Veronicaโs mind was as sharp as a knife till his last day. He has a book to his credit called โFrom Coconut Trees to Oil Wellsโ published in 2016.
โ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐,โ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎโ๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐น๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฏ.
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โฒ๏ผฌ๏ผณ๏ผฏ: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ๐ผ'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐