by Bella Comelo
bellacomelo@hotmail.com

I deem it a privilege to write about Januario Pereira. Not only was he a respected teacher at St. Thomas High School in Aldona, Goa, he was also a freedom fighter and a social activist. He was also related to me, being my mother’s first cousin. He was born on September 19, 1908 at Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India.  He completed his high school in Jodhpur and graduated from St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta with B.A. (Hons.) in the year 1930, with English Literature and Economics as his main subjects.  He studied Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit on his own. He was fluent in Hindi, both in writing and in speaking the language. I personally think his mastery of Hindi was commendable because few Goans of his time took the trouble to learn Hindi. At a time when the learning of Hindi was not mandatory in schools, he taught Hindi to his students. 

He was married to Lucy Nazareth and is survived by his only son Pyarelal, a retired Mechanical Engineer, who has furnished most of his biographical information. Pyarelal still lives in Aldona with his wife Carmelita and his family. An incident that comes to mind is when he took his son to be christened and gave him the Indian name of Pyarelal. This was at a time when few parents gave their children Indian names, and the priest was not too happy. He had to explain to the priest that Pyarelal means "beloved".

Uncle Janie once informed me that Goa would improve tremendously, especially in the field of education and employment, once it was integrated with India. He came to Goa from Calcutta in 1933 and took up teaching in St Thomas High School which was earlier a co-ed school and later, only for boys.  He taught English, History, Geography, Civics and Hindi from the 5th Standard up to S.S.C. level.

He was a strict disciplinarian. My childhood visits to the Pereira family were not always pleasant. He would not let me run wild in the house and meal times were a real trial as he made me chew food with my mouth closed. But later as a teenager in high school, I began to understand his philosophy of life and began to appreciate his self-discipline. In 1955 the Portuguese arrested him, along with two other teachers and three students from the school. He was in jail for 4½ years. This was a difficult time for his family.

I visited him in the jail at Aguado. He was guarded by Portuguese soldiers.  When it was time for him to go back to his cell, he folded his hands and boldly said “Jai Hind” to us. This was really courageous of him. He had lost some weight, but on the whole he had not lost his enthusiasm for life. After his release from jail he started teaching in St. Thomas High School again till his retirement in 1970. He received a State award for his participation in the freedom struggle of Goa.   He had a major heart attack in 1977 and a stroke in 1985. He died on January 17th, 1986. 

St. Thomas School in Aldona, Goa was a well-known school from the early 1930’s.  Students from surrounding villages came to this school for a well-rounded education.  My husband Ernest and my two older brothers were his students. Many boys who have passed though the portals of St. Thomas will remember him as a great teacher and as an educationist.

He was also the President of the Aldona Home of the Aged, which has been serving the seniors of Aldona and the surrounding areas. His contribution to the education of the youth of Goa and to the freedom struggle of Goa will be fondly remembered for a long time. 

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Bella Comelo lives in California with her husband, Ernest.  They have four children - Anil, Anita, Anibel and Anirudh.  With a Master’s degree from Mysore University and a B.Ed. from Bombay University, Bella works for the Oakland Unified School District and has contributed articles to several publications. She also volunteers on the Ethnic Council of the Oakland Diocese and as a Board Member of the East Bay Alliance for Sustainable Economy.