A Passage to Goa: A Generation and More Later

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 07:32:02 +0000

This is a translation of an article “Passagem para a Índia” published in the magazine section of O Expresso on December 8, 2001. Translated by Gabriel Figueiredo, reproduced here with his permission. It tells the story of the 1961 Indian annexation of Goa from a Portuguese perspective, through the eyes of Carlos Azaredo.

At 0:00 hours on December 18, 1961, the invasion of Goa, Damão and Diu began. It lasted 36 hours. The disproportion was obscene: Indian forces were 13 times larger than the Portuguese garrison. The “total sacrifice” Salazar demanded would have been a tragedy. General Vassalo e Silva, the last governor of 451 years of Portuguese India, understood this when he surrendered.

Colonialism on Shafiq Alibhai

A Passage to Goa: A Generation and More Later