Dr. Tristao de Braganza Cunha
Dr. Tristao de Braganza Cunha

The Father of Goa Liberation Movement

Born: 2nd April 1891

Died: 28th September 1958

Dr. Tristao de Braganza Cunha  was born on 2nd April 1891 in Chandor village, Goa. He completed his schooling in Panaji and later went to a French College, Pondicherry for his graduation. He migrated to Paris for higher studies where he got enrolled at Sorbonne University and obtained a degree in electrical engineering. In Paris, he joined the circle of Romain Rolland and helped to publicize the Indian independence movement (generally), and the case of Portuguese India, through the French-language press. In 1926, Cunha returned to Goa and set up the Goa Congress Committee in 1928, Goa. He set up the committee to arrange the Goan intelligentsia against Portuguese colonial rule. In 1938, pressured by the Portuguese authorities, Cunha hand over the operations to Bombay and combined his organization with the Indian National Congress. He continued promoting the Goan case in articles and books, criticizing Portuguese rule. Cunha was an advocate of Goan recognition, his political as well as cultural views were about to make a greater India. In 1946, Cunha helped in organizing the famous assembly in Margao, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia was invited there to address what was probably the first and largest gathering of the crowd yet, which set the Goa Liberation Movement in motion. Cunha was arrested by the Portuguese authorities in 1946, along with the other organizers. He was the first civilian to be tested by a military panel. He was court-martialed and sentenced to eight years of imprisonment. Later, he was transferred to the Peniche prison, Portugal. In 1954, after his release from Portugal Cunha returned to Bombay where he formed and headed the Goa Action Committee, to help and coordinate with the numerous Goan liberation organizations that had appeared by the time. He also published a newspaper named “Free Goa”. Cunha died on 28th September 1958, and Shri Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan was one of his pallbearers. He was described as “The Father of Goa Liberation Movement” by The Indian National Congress. In his honour, the Government of India also issued a postage stamp.

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