In Search of Sports

Theo Braganza hails from Mapusa but has been popular in Bombay, particularly in the field of sports though not a sportsman himself. On occasions, Theo has provided the latest cricket books to Sunil Gavaskar. Sanjay Manjrekar would come videos of players he would be facing. Vinod Kambli may drop in just for a chat at Marine Sports, Theo's famous and probably India's only sports bookshop, at Dadar in Bombay.

Marine Sports has the privilege of publishing 65 sports titles on cricket, football World Cups, coaching manuals and books dealing with the laws of different games in 12 years. Their publications sold like hot cakes until TV and Internet made a dent in the business.

The venture was actually set by his father, Bruno Braganza, in 1946 at Marine Drive. They specialised in selling sports goods. Finding scope for sports books, Bruno began importing them from abroad. The bookshop shifted to the Dadar venue only in 1956.

Theo was an engineer but the line did not enamour him. So he preferred to assist his father. Marine Sports began to sell and hire out sports video-cassettes from 1985. Though the book boom's over with live telecasts now and the video cassette scene hardly as it was once, Marine Sports still intend to bring out sports books and are on the lookout out for readable writers.

Cornell honours

Sebastian Silgardo has graduated with honours from the prestigious Cornell University in New York with a Masters degree (M Eng) in Computer Science. The subject for his research is something that goes above my head--the research performed involved using failure detection to solve fault-tolerant consensus algorithms in asynchronous networks.

Sebastian did his parents Darryl and Chantal, from Calangute, proud at every step from the time his school career began at Ecole Samuel Genest in Ottawa. He bagged the Governor General's medal for academic excellence and proceeded to earn several awards and scholarships from the federal as well as provincial governments. He graduated (B Math)at the Waterloo University earning double honours degree in combinatories and computer science in 1995.

Hands that heal

Bro Peter Ratos completed 90 years on March 14, 1998. Priests, brothers, aspirants, and umpteen friends and wellwishers celebrated the day joyfully at the Capuchin Minor Seminary at Navelim. At least eight of the nine decades in the nonagerian Banaulikar's life have been extremely eventful. At the age of around ten, when he lost his father, little Peter began to dispense herbal medicines to hundreds of people heading for his house for all sorts of ailments.

Though Bro Peter has been highly effective in curing people of kidney stone and gall blader stone, he has also treated many of infertility and given relief to patients of asthma, bronchitis, skin diseases, diabetes and paralysis. Out of the 1300 snake-bite cases treated by him, just one person died. Patients arrive at the Fr Pio Service Centre on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from as far as Switzerland, Japan and Portugal and take sufficient stock of medicines on their return. Bro Peter is to careful not to disclose the names of celebrities--governors, bishops, etc--who seek his advise and medicines.

Bro Peter is not only in herbal medicine but practices ayurveda, unani, homeopathy, magnets and even allopathy. He has studied Homeopathy as well as ayurveda thoroughly. "I have trained 3 persons so far and one of them--a priest--Fr Charles Saldanhas has opened a hospital in Bangalore."

"I am a heart patient. I had three operations, had three severe heart attacks. Doctors are surprised how I still survive. But I never treat myself and had to submit to allopahtic treatment," he adds in an almost inaudible voice. When he was fit, he had travelled far and wide in India in search of medical knowledge and rare herbs.

He used to grow all the rare herbs which went into his curative powders and pills. But he is too old for strenous work now. Can't walk freely because of varicose veins. So he has 14 workers helping to collect the herbs, dry them and prepare powders and pills.

Yvonne Freitas Honoured

Dr Yvonne M Freitas, ex-Dean of Science, University of Bombay, and former vice-principal of St Xavier's College Bombay, is being honoured time and again. Dr Freitas, hailing from Pomburpa, graduated in microbiology from St Xavier's, Bombay, and completed her MSc and PhD. Some time in 1967, she earned the Fulbright Smith Scholarship at the University of California, USA.

She was awarded the PAAD fellow in West Germany in 1982 and was visitor to the Berlin Academy of Sciences of East Germany. In 1987, Dr Freitas was declared an outstanding university teacher. She has 40 years' experience in teaching undegraduates and post graduates.

Dr Freitas was awarded a Certificate of Honour at the diamond jubilee celebrations and the 30th Annual Conference of the Association of Microbiologists of India, for her outstanding contribution to the teaching of microbiology.

Anibal's success

Anibal Almeida from Panjim has been included in the 'Who's Who in American Universities and Colleges' for his brilliant academic work. Anibal graduated with a M S in Computer Science and was soon absorbed by the Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington. He is the son of Dr J C Almeida, former chief secretary of Goa, Daman and Diu and Mrs Dulce.

Jayanti Naik has been awarded the first Mand Sobhann Award 1998 in recognition or her prolonged involvement in researching and documenting Konkani folklore.

So far Jayanti has penned eight books: Rotha Tujieo Ghudio, Konner Khunti Nari, Manali Gitam, Tolloi Ukhallim Khelyani, Amone ek Lokjinn, Nagsheranche Sur, Pednecho Dassero and Lokabimba. She holds a MA degree in Sociology and a PG diploma in folklore of the Mysore University. Jayanti has participated in umpteen foklore seminars, written several articles. Her short stories are found in various anthologies and in text-books. She's been nominated on the Konkani Advisory Board Committee for the Sahitya Akademi in Delhi.

Penchant for Science

Pooja, a student of Lourdes Convent, is one of those who benefitted from an active science teachers' association, encouraging students in Goa to learn that subject in a more interesting manner. Pooja was selected as one of the Goan students to visit Chennai (Madras) for a science congress recently. (Pic: Frederick Noronha)

Flowers, All the way

Australian floral designer Alan Randell-Smith shares his skills with a participant at a workshop in Panjim. The organisers of the workshop said they were pleasantly suprised by the response and enthusiasm seen here.