Jose Mario Emerciane Vaz (19 March 1938 – 31 July 2002) was an Indian politician and freedom fighter who was a former member of the

Goa Legislative Assembly The Goa Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the state of Goa in India. The Assembly meets at the Goa State Legislative Assembly Complex in Porvorim, Bardez. The Eighth Goa Legislative Assembly consists of 40 members. The asse ...

; representing the Cuncolim Assembly constituency from 1980 to 1984. Vaz also contributed in the

Goa Liberation Movement The Goa liberation movement was a movement which fought to end Portuguese colonial rule in Goa, Portuguese India. The movement built on the small scale revolts and uprisings of the 19th century, and grew powerful during the period 1940–196 ...

Early and personal life

Jose Mario Emerciane Vaz was born on 19 March 1938 in

Cuncolim Cuncolim is a town in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India. Etymology The name 'Cuncolim' is derived from the fact that the village was known as 'Kumkumahalli', the place where ''kumkuma '' (vermilion) is produced. Geography Cuncol ...

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, which was part of

Portuguese India The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...

during the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the l ...

(now located in India). He completed his

Secondary School Certificate The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) or Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), Matriculation examination, is a public examination in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan conducted by educational boards for the successful completion of the seco ...

from St. Stanislaus High School. He later did his graduation in

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

St. Xavier's College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

, Bombay (now

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

). Vaz was also an alumnus of Dhempe College, Panaji. Vaz was married to Pulcheria Vaz and resided at Nangila,

until his death in 2002.

Career

Politics

Prior to winning the seat in the

, Vaz was a

Sarpanch A sarpanch ( IAST: ''Sarpañch'' Hindi: ''सरपंच'') or Gram Pradhan or Mukhiya is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the Gram Sabha (village government) in India. The Sarp ...

of Cuncolim Village panchayat from 1968 to 1972. He contested in the Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly election on the Congress ticket and emerged victorious.

Teaching

Vaz was also a headmaster of Our Lady of Health High School,

from 1964 to 1979 and St. Xavier's High School.

Role in Goa's freedom struggle

Vaz was a member of the ''Azad Gomantak Dal''. He was also a joint secretary of the "Goan Students Association Bombay". In 1956, under his leadership, Vaz held an assembly at

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

for the immediate withdrawal of the Portuguese colonial rulers in

. Following this event, the Portuguese government blacklisted Vaz and was banned entry in Goa till

Goa Liberation Day Goa, Daman and Diu Liberation Day (Portuguese language, Portuguese: Dia da libertação de Goa; Konkani language, Konkani: गोंय मुक्ति दिस, Goem Mukti Dis; Hindi: गोवा मुक्ति दिवस) is observed ...

Positions held

* Member of Library Committee 1980–81 * Member of the committee to solve the dispute between Ramponcars and Mechanized Boat Operators * Member of the Select Committee on Bill No. 27 of The Goa, Daman and Diu Education Bill 1980 * Ex-President of Cuncolim Union, Goa * Executive Committee member of the Headmasters Association.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaz, Jose 1938 births 2002 deaths Indian National Congress politicians from Goa People from South Goa district