Casmir Menezes: Seventy five years of fruitful and contented life

By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 08 August 2010: Seventy five years of age is an important landmark in the life of an individual. And if the life had been fruitful and that of contentment, it would be the life that has been worth living for the person and a matter of great joy and happiness for his children and an occasion to manifest their love and affection towards their parent. Casmir Menezes is such a fortunate person, who in spite of his initial hardships persevered, worked hard in difficult conditions, educated his children and saw to it that they have been all well settled and lived seventy five years of fruitful life and contentment. In spite of being on the threshold of his 75th year, Casmir Menezes is still quite healthy, agile, active and happy. His life could be a role model for all those who are in the dusk of their life. 

Casmir Menezes was born on 13 August 1935. His father, Alex Menezes and mother, Martin Alva of Poidapady had ten children, five sons and five daughters, Casmir being the eigth in the family. Among the siblings of Casmir except his two sisters, Mary and Eliza all others have passed away.

As Casmir grew up he attended the primary school in Pamboor and like most of the youngsters of his age including his elder brothers, Casmir too proceeded to Mumbai in order to earn a living. Higher education was not something that was aspired by the youth just before the independence. For most of the young people Mumbai was the city of  dreams and a passport for better life no matter what type of work they did.

Casmir remembers vividly his first journey to Mumbai and conditions prevailing in that city just after India attained independence. Casmir travelled to Mumbai by the ‘Sabarmati’ ship from the Malpe port with eight and a half rupees ticket in 1948 when he was just tweleve years of age. As every one going from Belle to Mumbai had to have a shelter, Casmir too joined St. Lawrence Club at Haines Road Byculla where his elder brothers-Andrew, Joseph and Ligory were already members. Casmir still remembers his membership number-228.

Soon after reaching Mumbai, young Casmir did few odd jobs to earn his living before joining the Simplex Mill where he worked for few years while residing at St. Lawrence Club. He clearly remembers the difficult situation in Mumbai especially the hardships that people in general had to face regarding food and provisions. The Second World War, though ended in 1945, its adverse impact lingered beyond for many years. Strict rationing was introduced by the government and no food grain or bread was available in open market. Rice, wheat, bajra, jowhari, etc. could be availed in limited quantities only through ration outlests. There were even coupons for bread which were issued by the ration shops for a week, one bread for each day for an individual. Casmir said that in restaurants one could have meal for four annas.

According to Casmir, the city of Mumbai was not very crowded. For transport facilities there were few BEST buses, but trams were the chief mode of transport. With a ticket of one anna, one could travel to any distance changing the trams throughout the day. There were horse carriages and bullock carts for travelling as well as transporting goods within the city.

It was in 1962 that Casmir had a break towards a better future when he joined the British India Shipping Company and later the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, usually known as P&O, a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Out of the total service of 37 years in shipping companies, Casmir worked for the British India Shipping Company for four years and remaining thirty-three years in the P&O Company.

Casmir gratefully remembers the initiative taken by late Augustine Noronha of Pamboor who was working for the Scindia Steam Navigation Company. Casmir says that it was Augustine Noronha who encouraged him to join the British India Shipping Company by bringing recruitment form of that Company and getting them filled and submitting on behalf of Casmir. After joining the company, Casmir worked on cargo cum passenger ships and sailed primarily to Southeast Asia and the Far East.

After working for four years in the British India Shipping Company, Casmir got another break in a larger and reputed P&O Shipping Company. Once again, Casmir credits another generous person-Babi Menezes for having helped him to get a job in this famous shipping company. Babi Menezes who was working as a wireless raido operator in the Meckenzee Shipping Company recommended Casmir to the officials of the P&O Company in which he worked till his retirement in 1997.

While in the P&O Company, Casmir had the opportunity to work on the passenger and cruise ships. During the long tenure of his serive in the P&O, Casmir had visited practically all the continents and important ports right from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and New York in the United States to Sydney and Adelaid in Australia and most of the ports in Southeast Asia such as Singapore and Hong Kong and Shanghai and Japanese ports in the Far east.

 

Casmir married Mercin D’Souza, daughter of Joseph and Dulcin D’Souza of Dendoor on 22 May 1961. In course of time they were blessed with five children-one daughter and four sons. While, Casmir was busy in his occupation in the shipping company, it was his wife Mercin who brought up the children with great care, affection and discipline. Though he himself did not have an opportunity to study beyond primary section, Casmir, who realised the importance of higher education saw to it that all his children would study as much as possible and attain the necessary qualification and proficiency for better future. In this respect, Casmir as the father and head of the family has amply fulfilled his responsibility as all his children have been doing very well in their business or professions and are well settled in life.

The elder daughter, Pricilla has completed BCom and is presently in Bangalore with her husband, John D’Cunha of Bondel, son of Albert and Juliana D’Cunha who is running his business in the field of Placement Services for the IT sector. They have two daughters-Joisy and Dafney.

Eldest son, Wilfred after completing engineering in electronics in manipal did MBA course and is presently in Dubai managing his own company-Omnitec Security Systems LLC since last Ten years. The company has branches in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and in Delhi. He is married to Reena Machado, daughter of Gilbert and Theresa Machado of Shirva and has three children-Renwil, Reia and Rewan. He was the Second president of Bellevision-UAE.

Dolphy, the second son of Casmir is a mechanical engineer from Hassan and since fifteen years works for Dubal (Dubai Aluminum) a government company based in Dubai. He is married to Sarita Martis, daughter of Henry and Jacintha Martis. They have a daughter-Cadila who studies in fourth standard.

Third son of Casmir, Richard is an electronics and communication engineer from Manipal and has recently migrated to Canada with his family after working for thirteen years in Dubai with the Federal Government Electricity Department in the field of IT. He is married to Vandana Machado, daughter of Vincent and Pricilla Machado of Muscat/Shirva. They have a daughter named Claudia.

The last son of Casmir, Ivan has completed BCom from Manipal and also the former president of Bellevision-UAE. He is presently associated with his elder brother Wilfred in running the Omnitec in Dubai and elsewhere. He is married to Sushma Alva, daughter of Thomas and Lilly Alva of Poidapady. Their daughter-Shaina is in Lower KG. Sushma along with her daughter stay with Casmir in Gud-dhottu.

Casmir got the shock of his life when his beloved wife, Mercin passed away on 27 October 2000 after brief illness, barely three years after his retirement. However, Casmir did continue with his life and family responsibilities.

As he completes 75 years of his life on 13 August 2010, Casmir has maintained his health and agility. When asked about the secret of his good health and happy disposition, his son Dolphy, speaking for his father said that he never misses the morning mass. He rides his favourite Kinetic Honda scooter daily for the morning mass and once again at around 11 am to the market to bring fish or other provisions. Still he does manual work and cultivates the paddy fields and maintains the orchard and coconut trees. Watering the flower plants and fruit trees during the summer has been his favourite pastime. 

Eldest son Wilfred  feels very proud of his father for his achievements in life with little education and lot of determination and hardwork. He considers his father to be the role model to the family. In a lighter vein, remembering the childhood days, wilfy said that he and his siblings would eagerly wait for their father to return from abroad as he used to get them lot many things. With keen curiosity as to what the big trunk might contain they would untie the knots,  open the trunk and get for themselves toys, chocolates, buiscuts and of course big lump of cheese which they would relish. Wilfy further said that their father would bring a big roll of cloth out of which he would get shirts stitched to all the four sons that too in bright yellow or red colours which often prompted the people to make remarks that any one could identify Casmir’s sons from far distance as they wore the same coloured shirts.

 Ivan, the last son of Casmir gives credit to  his father as  being the one who has been instrumental in educating all his children and seeing them through their successful professions. He further says that his father has been a hardworking, dedicated, loving, kind and caring person. Ivan remembers how his father was totally broke and desolate when he lost his wife just after few years of his retirement. He says that his father and mother were very much attached to each other. However, he has great faith in God and his prayers kept him strong and he lived his normal life.

Ivan also remembers how his father was shattered when his best friend Dr. Koradkal passed away. He would regularly visit Dr. Koradkal for his health checkup and if  he missed his appointment, Dr. Koradkal would visit his home and do his health checkup. 

Casmir is not only a lover of nature but also fond of animals and birds. In order to keep his father busy, Ivan had arranged for a mini zoo at home as he too has been an animal lover. He had procured different birds and animals such as, a peacock named ‘Raja’,  parrots, white doves,  guinea fowls, rabbits, dogs, cats, etc. Casmir was very fond of the royal bird ‘Raja’. However, due to the wild life regulations the peacock could not be kept in captivity further and Ivan personally released it in the jungles of Kunjarugiri. For sometime Casmir felt the absence of ‘Raja’ whom he used to treat royally.

 

 Casmir is quite simple, softspoken and unassuming. In spite of his children being successful in their professions, Casmir maintains a low profile in the village and does his work and keeps himself quite occupied. His youngest daughter-in-law, Sushma takes good care of him. Both of them have very good understanding and both get along well and he treats her more than his own daughter. Casmir is very much attached to his little granddaughter, Shaina. After returning from school, Shaina keeps him busy with the account of her activities and other happenings in the school and asks him many inquisitive  questions and he has to answer them all to her satisfaction.

As Casmir Menezes celebrates his 75th birthday on 13 August 2010, Bellevision wishes him many happy return of the day and good health and happiness for many more years to come.