By Rajan Narayan

AS we enter the New Year 2025 I would like to turn the spotlight on the rocking super senior citizens who are still playing an active role in the social and cultural life of India’s smallest state, Goa. Let us start with the first couple of Konkani, Snehalata Bhatikar and Aravind Bhatikar. Even at the age of 70s turning into 80s plus, plus they continue to lead a very active life. Both husband and wife continue to publish new books in Konkani.
Aravind bab also deeply involved in preserving the secular democratic fabric of the country and the culture of Goa. Both Lata and Aravind are deeply committed to Goa and its unique cultural identity. Perhaps it is not widely known that Aravind Bhatikar was one of the first officers of the Indian Administrative Service from Goa. After doing his Master’s in Economics, he taught for a brief period at the Dhempe College of Art & Science. Aravind met Lata, who was his student, at Dhempe College. Aravind was active in the battle to preserve Goa’s identity during the Opinion Poll.
He parted company with the Dhempe College as the owner favoured a merger with Maharashtra when a referendum took place in 1967. Aravind went back to Mumbai with plans to do his doctorate in economics. Simultaneously, he prepared for the Indian Administrative Service exam (IAS), for he had an additional intention to join the IAS. He told Lata that he would marry her only if he passed the IAS. Aravind passed the IAS with distinction and was posted to Tamil Nadu where he rose to become the chief secretary.
Snehalata is the daughter of the Panvelkar family, one of the biggest landowning or bhatkar family from Panelim, Ribandar. Her father was Mr Panvelkar. Panvelkar was not impressed about Aravind passing his IAS. Lata’s brother, Govind Panvelkar, had to explain that the IAS was equivalent to “regidor” — being the top official in the Portuguese administration.
However, once married both Lata and Aravind spend three decades in Tamil Nadu. Lata, who was a graduate, picked up a post-graduate degree in counselling from the Vellore Medical College. Subsequently, Aravind returned to his home state Goa chairman of the Mormugoa Port Trust. Despite being afflicted with a major retinal problem that limited his vision, he valiantly continued to work for Goa and Goans long after retirement. Today, Aravind is the author of more than two books in Devanagiri Konkani including “Zayo/Zaio” which is his autobiography. We at the Goan Observer were privileged to publish the English edition of Lata Bhatikar’s book “Mothering and Smothering” which is a guide to bringing up children to be independent.
On the occasion of Aravind’s 80th birthday, his son Yugesh, who is a software engineer in the United States, spoke about his `Bhagavad Gita’ upbringing. Lata and Aravind Bhatikar keep themselves active mentally by writing books in Konkani and in English translation with a publication or several publications every six months if not more. They need to be lauded as super senior citizens.

DAMODAR MAUZO
ANOTHER very notable super senior citizen is Damodar Mauzo, Goa’s only Jnanpith award winner, crossed his 88th birthday on August 1 in 2024. Damodar Mauzo is among the most celebrated Konkani writers in the country. Mauzo’s books like Karmelin” in 1991, “Tsunami Simon’ in 2013, “Teresa’s Man and Others” in 2014, “These are My Children” in 2007, “Karmelim” won the Sahitya Akedami Award in 2004, “Mirage and Other Stories” in 2014 and “Ink of Dissent: Critical Writings on Language, Literature, and Freedom” in 2019 have been translated into English and several other languages. Mauzo was one of the earliest writers in Konkani to get the Sahitya Kala Academy award. He is the second Konkani writer to get the prestigious Rs10 lakh Jnanpith award (Ravindra Kelekar got the first award).
Damadar Mauzo’s literary life took after he graduated from the Siddharth College in Mumbai; he returned to Goa to look after the family grocery store in Majorda in south Goa. Majorda is predominantly a Catholic-dominated village.
It is therefore natural that Damodar bab is the only Konkani writer who succeeded in throwing light on Catholic Goa’s life and times. Mauzo has specialized in the short story form of storytelling. I recall a short story written by him called the “Chastity Belt.” It is about a “shippy” who was very worried that his lovely new wife would be distracted by other men when he was away at sea. Finally, on the advice of friends, his discovered the best way of ensuring her faithfulness, was to keep her pregnant every time and worked at it every time he back home.
For all the awards he has won Damodar Mauzo remains a very humble human being. He continues to live with his wife Shaila (they have three daughters named Rupali, Meghna and Sobita) in his ancestral house in Majorda; but he closed down his family grocery shop to concentrate on his writing full-time. In 2025 reportedly his new novel and some more translations of his books are due for release.

DR FRANCISCO COLACO
WE come to our friend the singing doctor Francisco Colaco who also turned 80 in December 11, 2024. Dr Francisco Colaco by training is an echo cardiologist. He studied at the John Hopkins University in the United States to be a specialist in pediatric cardiologist.
Both Francisco Colaco and his wife Fernanda belong to two of the most distinguished families in Goa. The Colaco brothers include besides Dr Colaco, Albert Colaco who was the secretary general of the Indian Football Federation, and Elaine Colaco, who’s a name in pharma business. Fernanda hails from the wealthy Sotto Maiyor family and is heir to the Soto to Mayor mentioned in Ribandar. Dr Colaco has been more than a doctor. He is considered the best pioneering echo cardiologist in Goa and has invested in the latest equipment. For those who are medically ignorant, echocardiogram is an important test to take a closer look at the functioning of the heart.
If Francisco Colaco had not become a cardiologist he would have been an outstanding musician. Right from his teens he had an ear for music and recreation was mostly an indulgence in music and singing; we recall his regaling us to how he went serenading his wife to be Fernanda at the women’s hostel in Panaji with his guitar, singing love ballets below her window. His romantic singing was so effective Fernanda finally agree to marry him. Life in Portuguese time Goa had its adventurous moments. In fact, Dr Colaco’s entire family makes up a singing family. All members of the family, Fernanda, two daughters Elaine, Anabelle and Dr Colasco do a mean singing family session when invited right to this day. His daughters are members of the acclaimed Stuti Choir and Dr Francisco Colaco jams up with bands at the Pentagon restaurant at Majorda owned by Raj and his Goan wife Romilla, and she belongs to the famous tiatr family of Mario de Majorda. Dr Colasco is a keen social activist and fights the changing face of Goa as it acquires a saffron color.
If we remember right his clinic in Margao was raided by the Manohar Parrikar government. I am very proud to say that Dr Colaco was a founder director of the Goan Observer board of directors for many years and he continues to be a friend. A super senior he continues to heal hearts and win hearts with his music and philanthropic soul.

NIRMALA SAWANT
AN ANOTHER super senior citizen we have a lot of affection for is Nirmala Sawant, the former president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee. Nirmala Sawant has a Master’s degree in economics. In addition, she has a law degree and a B.Ed. Nirmala is the daughter of a forest officer and born on November 2, 1946; she was elected to the Goa Legislative Assembly from the Cumbarjua constituency in 1999 on a Congress ticket. She served as the minister for revenue from June 8 to November 24, 1999 when Dr Wilfred d’Souza was chief minister of Goa.
One of Nirmala’s major claims to fame is that she is the founding member of the Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan. This is an organisation dedicated to the protection of the Mhadei-Mandovi river. The Mhadei is the headwaters source of the Mandovi and Zuari rivers and both are lifelines of Goa. The rivers may rise in Karnataka forests but they run mainly through Goa, something the government is trying to change without realizing how much it will impact Goa’a agricultural livelihoods and landscapes. It has been trying to divert the headwaters of the Mhadei river by building dams at Kankumbi in Karnataka.
Realising what serious consequences this would have in Nirmala and like-minded Goans mobilized environmental activists and to fight against the diversion of Mhadei river waters to destroy Goa’s down water riverine ecosystem. Nirmala is committed to the secular values of Goa. She has set up a butterfly park at her Atreya Vedic and spice plantation at Mollem, it’s her way of committing to preserve the environment. The butterfly conservatory is called Presidica Butterfly House and is the only one of its kind in Goa attracting tourists from around the world
.
EDUARDO FALEIRO
THERE are other super senior citizens we know who are more or less or no longer active in retirement. This includes a veteran of politics Eduardo Faleiro. Eduardo Faleiro is the five times Member of Parliament from South Goa. Eduardo was the first Goan to be inducted into the Central government. He was the minister of state for banking and has also served as the external affairs minister. Eduardo was instrumental in getting the gold pledge to Goa. Eduardo is among super senior citizens who got married in their 70s to ensure companionship in their sunset years. Incidentally, a former governor of Goa, Mohammad Fazal, also married a Goan lady after his retirement from Raj Bhavan and has a home in Goa.
It is no longer looked down upon when super seniors who’ve lost their first wives marry suitable women for companionship.