Lambert Mascarenhas ( gom, लॅम्बर्ट मास्कारेन्हस, script=deva, 17 September 1914 – 27 June 2021) was an Indian journalist, independence activist, and writer from

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 ...

. His family hailed from the Goan Catholic community.

Personal life

Mascarenhas was born in

Colva Colva is a seaside village situated in Salcete subdistrict, South Goa district, Goa state on the west coast of India. Colva Beach spans about along a sandy coastline of approximately extending from Bogmalo in the north to Cabo de Rama in t ...

, Portuguese India, but his early education took place in Pune and later at the

St. Xavier's College, Mumbai St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic, autonomous higher education institution run by the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on January 2, 1869. The college is aff ...

. He was married to Dr. Jolly Mascarenhas. He had four children. He had taken a vow that he would marry only after the

liberation of Goa The Annexation of Goa was the process in which the Republic of India annexed ', the then Portuguese Indian territories of Goa, Daman and Diu, starting with the armed action carried out by the Indian Armed Forces in December 1961. In India, ...

from colonial

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

rule. Hence, he married on 29 December 1961, exactly ten days after Goa's liberation by India on 19 December 1961. Mascarenhas died on 27 June 2021 at the age of 106.

Journalism

Mascarenhas started his career as a journalist in the ''Morning Standard'' at

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

. He worked as a sub-editor at the ''Bombay Sentinel'', under editor B. G. Horniman. Mascarenhas later joined the ''Onlooker'' as an assistant editor. He later edited the ''Goan Tribune'', which espoused the cause of Goa's invasion by India. Upon his return to a liberated Goa in 1961, he joined as the editor of ''

The Navhind Times ''The Navhind Times'' is an English language newspaper in Goa. Founded in 1963 and based in Panaji, the capital of Goa, it is the largest selling newspaper, amongst the three locally published English newspapers in the state. The other two being' ...

'' and later established and edited '' Goa Today''.

Contribution to the independence movement

Mascarenhas also contributed to India's freedom movement. He authored the ''Goan Tribune'', which was dedicated to the cause of

's liberation. While at the ''Goan Tribune'', he wrote numerous articles against the Portuguese colonial regime in Goa and caught the attention of both Indian leaders as well as the Portuguese regime. While on a visit to Goa, he was arrested and jailed by the Portuguese for his articles. He was later released on bail and expelled from Goa. In Bombay, he joined the National Congress (Goa).

Books

Mascarenhas authored several books, including the novel ''Sorrowing Lies My Land'', published in 1955. This work of fiction was based in the anti-Portuguese movement launched by the Indian politician Rammanohar Lohia. Mascarenhas' other works include ''The First City'', ''In the Womb of Saudade'', ''The Greater Tragedy'' and ''Heartbreak Passage''.

Awards

Mascarenhas was awarded the Laxmidas Borkar Memorial Award for journalism for 2004. He was also awarded

's highest civilian award, the '' Gomant Vibhushan'', in 2014. He was awarded

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

, the fourth highest civilian award of India, in 2015.

References

External links

Review of ''Sorrowing Lies My Land'' by Francisco Correia-Afonso (in Portuguese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mascarenhas, Lambert 1914 births 2021 deaths Goan Catholics Indian male journalists Businesspeople from Goa Journalists from Goa Indian magazine founders St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni Indian newspaper editors Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Indian centenarians 20th-century Indian journalists Men centenarians