Alvaro de Loyola Furtado
Encyclopedia
Alvaro de Loyola Furtado (Born:, Died : 23 August, 1981), was a member of the Goa
assembly and a parliamentarian
. He was a founding member of the United Goans Party
and also the leader of the United Goans (Furtado Group). He was also a social worker, a historian, journalist, physician and humanitarian. He was described as a leader among men, a man of great integrity and honour.
.. He was born into one of the prominent families of Goa: the Loyolas of Orlim. His great-grandfather Dr. José Inácio de Loyola, was a fierce patriot, much before the mainstream Goa freedom struggle and the founder of Partido Indiano.
His elder brother, Mario de Loiola Furtado was the icon behind Goa's oldest publication the "A India Portuguesa" and is considered a legal luminary amongst Goan Lawyers from the Portuguese era, although, he died at the young age of 33 years.
. He moved to Bangalore
for further studies and then passed Inter-Science with distinction from St. Aloysius College. He obtained his medical degree from Madras Medical College
in 1941.
in the South East Asia command
during World War II
for four years. He was awarded the Burma Campaign Medal, the Long Service Medal
and War Medal
for his meritorious service.
Municipality for two years where he worked pro-bono. He resigned as he felt that the Portuguese Administration hurt nationalist feelings.
to reinstate to the comunidades full ownership rights and abolish rents (foro). Later, he resigned from the Instituto in protest against the Governor’s interference in cultural institutions. The Portuguese administration had marked him as a member of the Margao Group of Autonomists and anti-Salazarists.
, Portuguese
, Konkani
and Latin. He wrote various papers , mostly in Portuguese. Os Primordios de Inprensa e do Jornalismo em Goa e no Resto da índia was an essay on the history of printing and journalism in India. O Diréito de Propriedade Rústica nas Comunidades Aldeanas was a treatise on the Communidades(Ganvkaar) system in Goa and an advocacy of its continuance.
for the Portuguese colonies in India
. When India's independence was declared, the movement for Goa's freedom gained momentum. In July 1946, he took part in a public meeting that openly petitioned the Salazar
administration to grant autonomy to the Estado da India. The meeting was presided by his grand-father Jose Inacio de Loyola. Laxmikant Bembre proposed a committee to pursue autonomy. Dr Alvaro was one of the members of this committee. However their efforts did not move Salazar.
headed by Dr. Jack de Sequeira
. He successfully brought about the merger of four political parties that formed the UGP. He was also a member of the ‘Congresso Provincial de Goa’ and also a member of the delegation that met Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
, to apprise him of the aspirations of Goans, for a separate political identity
.
In the first Goa, Daman and Diu Assembly elections, Alvaro de Loyola contested from Navelim
on the United Goans Party ticket and won. He led a revolt against the party president Dr. Jack de Sequeira in 1967 on the issue of the Goa Opinion Poll
and formed a splinter group that came to be known after him as United Goans (Furtado Group). The remaining members came to be known as United Goans (Sequiera Group).
The assembly had been dissolved prior to the Opinion Poll in order to ensure a free and fair referendum. In the following election, the Furtado Group contested in six constituencies. They lost all seats.
was attended by thousands.
published a work "A Scholar's Discovery of Goa", Alvaro de Loyola Furtado: A Tribute from his Fellow Citizens in 1982 as a tribute to Dr. Alvaro.
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
assembly and a parliamentarian
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. He was a founding member of the United Goans Party
United Goans Party
The United Goans Party was a political party founded in Goa after its annexation into India. Its main aim at the time of formation was to protect the distinct identity of Goa and the Goan people...
and also the leader of the United Goans (Furtado Group). He was also a social worker, a historian, journalist, physician and humanitarian. He was described as a leader among men, a man of great integrity and honour.
Birth and Family
Alvaro de Loyola Furtado was born in Goa, in the village of ChinchinimChinchinim
Chinchinim is a village and a census town in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It lies on the banks of river Sal. It has a predominant Catholic population and is dotted with typically Goan mansions and small cottages which are colorful and incorporate all the typical features of a...
.. He was born into one of the prominent families of Goa: the Loyolas of Orlim. His great-grandfather Dr. José Inácio de Loyola, was a fierce patriot, much before the mainstream Goa freedom struggle and the founder of Partido Indiano.
His elder brother, Mario de Loiola Furtado was the icon behind Goa's oldest publication the "A India Portuguesa" and is considered a legal luminary amongst Goan Lawyers from the Portuguese era, although, he died at the young age of 33 years.
Education
He After primary school he joined the Rachol SeminaryRachol Seminary
Rachol Seminary, also known today as the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol , is the diocesan major seminary of the Primatial Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.-Historical Outline:The edifice that presently houses the seminary, was constructed by the Jesuits with...
. He moved to Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
for further studies and then passed Inter-Science with distinction from St. Aloysius College. He obtained his medical degree from Madras Medical College
Madras Medical College
The Madras Medical College is an educational institution located in Chennai, India. It was established on February 2, 1835. It is the oldest medical college in India, along with the Medical College Kolkata.-History:...
in 1941.
World War II
He was in active service in the Indian Medical ServiceIndian Medical Service
The Indian Medical Service was one of the military medical services, which also had some civilian functions, in British India. It served during the two world wars, and was in existence until the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947...
in the South East Asia command
South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II.-Background:...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for four years. He was awarded the Burma Campaign Medal, the Long Service Medal
Long Service Medal
Long Service Medal could mean:* Long Service Medal awarded to a member of the Singapore Armed Forces* Long Service Medal awarded to military personnel of the AFP...
and War Medal
War Medal
A war medal is a military decoration awarded in time of war, as opposed to a service medal. It may refer to, for example:*War Medal *Campaign medal*Global War on Terrorism Service Medal*British War Medal - British Empire medal for service in World War I....
for his meritorious service.
Philanthropy
After World War II, he returned to his native village and started a medical practice there. He served the poor and the rich without distinction, often waking up at unearthly hours.. He was actively involved in the Tuberculosis Control Programme and rose to the post of Chief of ‘Ordem dos Médicos da Índia Portuguesa’. Dr. Alvaro was concerned about the decline of the Comunidades and in 1961 he wrote a paper advocating its continuance. As a member of the Goa legislature he moved various resolutions that covered Goan rural life.Mayor of Salsette
During Portuguese rule, Dr. Alvaro was the mayor of SalcetteSalcette
Salcette , is a taluka of South Goa District in the Indian state of Goa. Its administrative and economic headquarters is Margao. It is largely coterminous with a region called Sashti , which comprised, by local tradition, sixty-six villages, hence the name. However, it also includes the taluka of...
Municipality for two years where he worked pro-bono. He resigned as he felt that the Portuguese Administration hurt nationalist feelings.
Instituto Vasco da Gama
At the Instituto Vasco da Gama , he wrote articles that led the Governor General Vassalo e SilvaManuel António Vassalo e Silva
Manuel António Vassalo e Silva , was the 128th and last Governor-General of Portuguese India.-Background:...
to reinstate to the comunidades full ownership rights and abolish rents (foro). Later, he resigned from the Instituto in protest against the Governor’s interference in cultural institutions. The Portuguese administration had marked him as a member of the Margao Group of Autonomists and anti-Salazarists.
Scholar
Dr. Alvaro spoke fluent EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
and Latin. He wrote various papers , mostly in Portuguese. Os Primordios de Inprensa e do Jornalismo em Goa e no Resto da índia was an essay on the history of printing and journalism in India. O Diréito de Propriedade Rústica nas Comunidades Aldeanas was a treatise on the Communidades(Ganvkaar) system in Goa and an advocacy of its continuance.
Role in Goa's Liberation Movement
Dr. Alvaro was a Goan patriot. He advocated autonomyAutonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
for the Portuguese colonies in India
Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
. When India's independence was declared, the movement for Goa's freedom gained momentum. In July 1946, he took part in a public meeting that openly petitioned the Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
administration to grant autonomy to the Estado da India. The meeting was presided by his grand-father Jose Inacio de Loyola. Laxmikant Bembre proposed a committee to pursue autonomy. Dr Alvaro was one of the members of this committee. However their efforts did not move Salazar.
Political career
Dr. Alvaro was a founding member of the United Goans PartyUnited Goans Party
The United Goans Party was a political party founded in Goa after its annexation into India. Its main aim at the time of formation was to protect the distinct identity of Goa and the Goan people...
headed by Dr. Jack de Sequeira
Dr. Jack de Sequeira
Joao Hugo Eduardo de Sequeira , popularly known as Dr. Jack de Sequeira; also known as Jak Siker according to local naming conventions, was a prominent Goan politician and is popularly known in Goa as the Father of the Opinion Poll.Dr. Jack de Sequeira was the founder president of the United Goans...
. He successfully brought about the merger of four political parties that formed the UGP. He was also a member of the ‘Congresso Provincial de Goa’ and also a member of the delegation that met Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, to apprise him of the aspirations of Goans, for a separate political identity
Goa Opinion Poll
The Goa Opinion Poll was a referendum held in the state of Goa, India, on 16 January 1967, to decide the future of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu within the Indian Union. Although popularly called an opinion poll, it was in fact, a referendum, as the results of the poll were binding on...
.
In the first Goa, Daman and Diu Assembly elections, Alvaro de Loyola contested from Navelim
Navelim
Navelim is a census town in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is located outside the city of Margao.-Geography:Navelim is located at...
on the United Goans Party ticket and won. He led a revolt against the party president Dr. Jack de Sequeira in 1967 on the issue of the Goa Opinion Poll
Goa Opinion Poll
The Goa Opinion Poll was a referendum held in the state of Goa, India, on 16 January 1967, to decide the future of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu within the Indian Union. Although popularly called an opinion poll, it was in fact, a referendum, as the results of the poll were binding on...
and formed a splinter group that came to be known after him as United Goans (Furtado Group). The remaining members came to be known as United Goans (Sequiera Group).
The assembly had been dissolved prior to the Opinion Poll in order to ensure a free and fair referendum. In the following election, the Furtado Group contested in six constituencies. They lost all seats.
Death
Dr. Alvaro died on 23 August 1981. His funeral at ChinchinimChinchinim
Chinchinim is a village and a census town in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It lies on the banks of river Sal. It has a predominant Catholic population and is dotted with typically Goan mansions and small cottages which are colorful and incorporate all the typical features of a...
was attended by thousands.
Remeberance
Teotonio de SouzaTeotonio R de Souza
Teotonio R. de Souza is an Indo-Portuguese historian and the founder-director of the Goa-based Xavier Centre of Historical Research, at Alto Porvorim. Based in Portugal since 1995, Teotonio R. de Souza heads the Department of History in the Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias...
published a work "A Scholar's Discovery of Goa", Alvaro de Loyola Furtado: A Tribute from his Fellow Citizens in 1982 as a tribute to Dr. Alvaro.