Caridade Damaciano Fernandes

Caridade Damacian was the only child of Manuel Fernandes (from Maina, Goa) and Maria M. Mascarenhas (from Corjuem). His birth-date is unknown.^[2]

He was born in humble circumstances, which nonetheless did not deter him from following his literary pursuits. He was from the Maina ward of Aldona, and was the son of a farmer.^[2] His mother was a cook, who went to homes offering her services at cooking and making Goan sweets.^[2] He became a seaman, married Maria Luisa de Souza of Parra, and they had no children. He lived for most of his adult life in Bombay, and rose to literary fame in the 1930s.^[2]

Caridade and Maria's home was in front of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Home for the Aged, and they were childless.^[2] Their original home has been sold and a new one taken its place.^[2]

Caridade Damacian died on 7 October 1948, but his legacy is still remembered and celebrated.^[3] When Caridade died, he was just 44 years of age, and was buried in the Aldona cemetery. In his short life, he wrote over a hundred romans, as the Konkani action novel has been called.^[2]

After Caridade Damacian's death, his wife worked as a cook in people's homes to earn a living.^[2]

Caridade Damaciano Fernandes' first book was Armida, published in 1931. For some years, he wrote and published a small book every week via the Victoria Printing Press in the city then called Bombay. The book was brought out each Wednesday, and priced one anna^[2] (or, six paisa), one-sixteenth fraction of a rupee. Brazinho Soares Kalafurkar, a Santa Cruz, Goa, based avid collector of the Konkani printed word, has said that Fernandes wrote and (probably self-published) around 101 romans novels.^[2] Many of his novels and novellas were around thirty pages thick.^[4] Their content focused on gripping tales of adventure and romance, featuring stereotyped characters, love-scenes, and endings characterized by poetic justice.^[5]

Caridade Damacian's last book was Goenchem Colvont ('the Goan whore'), written in the year of his passing in 1947, and printed by the Mapusa-based Tipografia Laxmi.

His most noted novels are Julus Patxai, Armida, Ankvaricho Cheddo, Rio Rita, and La Beatrice.^[5][4]

It is believed that after writing his work, he would consult with the three medical-doctor Elvino de Souza brothers, also from the village of Aldona:^[2] Carlos (b. 1901), the dentist Mousinho (b. 1908), and surgeon Olinto ORL (b. 1909). They were contemporaries of Caridade (Caru). Olinto migrated to Hong Kong in 1929 when he was 20.^{[citation needed]}

Caridade Damacian was also the editor of The Emigrant, an English-language weekly published in Bombay.^[1] D'Lima however identifies The Emigrant as being a "Konkani-English weekly" published by E.C. Carvalho.^[2]

Caridade Damacian is also known to have composed diverse songs for the plays staged by village youth for the Christmas season, usually organised between 26 December to 6 January.^[2]

He is credited with having started the Bhurgeanchem Fest (Feast for Children) at the Chapel of the Holy Cross, in honour of St Luis Gonzaga, near his home at his ward. He composed a hymn which is still sung by people on the occasion.^[2]