Her enthusiasm, her voice and her energy belie her age. Eighty-five year-old Maria de Lourdes Filomena Figueiredo de Albuquerque would certainly pass off as someone a few decades younger. Between embroidery, painting, restoring porcelain works, cooking and catching up on some reading, this young spirit also looks after her 410-year-old heritage house in Loutolim, near Margao, and acts as a personal guide to guests and visitors who visit the Casa Museu Vicente Joao de Figueiredo, a museum of Indo-Portuguese artefacts set up in one wing of the house which showcases art, furniture, chandeliers, cutlery and household items, all part of the family's legacy.
Figueiredo also lays claim as the last Goan to represent Goa, Daman and Diu in the Portuguese parliament, a feat that she says 'came about', although she never harboured any political ambitions.
"I never had any intention to become a member of parliament, but was convinced to take it up. There was an interaction between Portuguese prime minister Antonio de Oliveira Salazar with around eight Goans, including myself. Salazar was pained at the loss of Goa after its takeover by the Indian Union," she says. "During that discussion, I spoke out what I felt about various issues. It was only a few days later that my husband came home and informed me that Salazar had asked me to represent Estado da India. I did not agree to it initially, but there were several others who joined in and convinced me to take up the job. Among them was Jose Antonio Ismael Gracias of Loutolim. He was the chief justice of the high court, who moved to Portugal after the takeover of Goa. I finally gave in, and took up the job," she recalls.
Albuquerque, who also possesses a quick-witted sense of humour, recounts. "I wanted to wear a mink collar for the opening day of the Portuguese parliament, but, when I found out the cost, it was almost equal to my husband's monthly salary, so I decided not to buy it," she chuckles.
The Portuguese parliament opened on November 25, 1965, and mink collar or not, Albuquerque says she did end up on the front pages of many Portuguese newspapers the following day. "It was a personal request from Salazar that I should wear a saree on the first day to parliament, and I obliged by wearing a Benaras saree. The next day, the photograph was carried by several newspapers," she recounts.
Her term ended in 1969, and Albuquerque says she had no intention of having another stint in parliament. "Marcelo Caetano, who succeeded Salazar, asked me to continue, but, I declined," she says.
Ask Albuquerque what she feels about December 19, 1961, and she replies: "Liberation was actually botheration. Liberation is a lie. It was a conquest, it was the annexation of Goa. These are not my words, but the words used by the Supreme Court of India, which is the truth."
An anecdote that Albuquerque recalls is the hurried marriage of over 100 couples after the Indian armed forces entered Goa. "There were some Portuguese men and Goan women who had intended on marrying each other. Soon, after the conquest of Goa, they were uncertain of what lay ahead in their future. I was involved in facilitating the marriage of almost 100 such couples. Soon after the marriage, they took their wives and left Goa immediately," she said.
She goes on, "Today, lands are slipping away from Goans. The way the judicial system works; if you fight a court case, a minimum of 20 years of your life is lost fighting in court. Government jobs are up for sale for lakhs of rupees. Reservation of jobs have denied competent, meritorious persons from serving in the government."
Albuquerque says that official history written for Goans misses out on several things. "Do present-day Goans know that Goa would have achieved autonomy. There were Goans working towards this cause. The vision was to let Goa have its own government and also enjoy good relations with both India and Portugal. This could have been achieved by 1970. By 1961, almost all jobs, including the high positions in the government and judiciary, were occupied by Goans. Goa was getting to the point of being able to govern itself," she says.
Albuquerque was born to Vicente Joao de Figueiredo and Amalia Gomes e Figueiredo on November 18, 1929, in Ponda. She married Antonio Figueiredo de Albuquerque in 1949.
The grand old lady of Loutolim is a polyglot and speaks four languages —Konkani, Portuguese, English and French. She also worked in the advertising department of the New York Times in Lisbon, and later, went on to run her own advertising and public relations firm there.
Albuquerque describes herself as a workaholic, who even at the age of 85 sleeps only six hours a day. Ask her if she has achieved whatever she wanted to, and the reply comes back, "If I say that I have achieved whatever I wanted in life, then there is nothing more to live for. There is no purpose left in living. Certainly not, I have lots more to do and I look forward to doing it."
What would be her words of advice to the younger generation of Goans? "Save Goa. Goans must unite themselves to cleanse Goa of corruption. We must have knowledgeable and honest people ruling Goa and in government jobs. Special status is a must to protect the land for the sons and daughters of the soil of Goa," says the octogenarian.
(With inputs from Isidore Domnick Mendis) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Goa/She-wore-a-sari-to-Portugals-parliament/articleshow/43020128.cms
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