Goanet Reader
2011-05-22 08:29:52 UTC
THE ABC OF KANPUR'S GOANS
By Allan de Noronha
noronha_kp at dataone.in
My mother was a gracious host and an excellent cook. However,
whenever any guest complimented her on her cooking, or said
that Goans were good cooks, she would take umbrage at it. I
did not understand it then. It was some years later that I
came to know of the ABC Goans -- Ayahs, Butlers and Cooks.
That is how the British sahibs condescendingly looked down
upon the Goans, which is probably why my mother resented the
linkage to cooking!
The early Goans of Kanpur were made of sterner
stuff. They had another connotation for ABC --
Astute Business Capability. The pioneer of the ABC
of Kanpur (then known as Cawnpore) was Manuel
Xavier de Noronha (MX). Born on 30th October 1825
in the prosperous Grand Coimo Vaddo of Aldona
village, MX had learnt the art of photography from
the Portuguese. It would be apt to also term it a
science, for there was neither camera nor film. One
had to fabricate one's own equipment. Gold and
silver nitrate solutions were applied to plate
glass to make the photographs, as neither celluloid
nor photographic paper had been invented.
Legend has it that MX set off for distant lands with a
retinue of 300 bullock carts, to photograph the high and
mighty. There may have been other traders or businessmen with
him, as Aldona had a history of business acumen.
In a souvenir published by the Aldona Association of Bombay
in 1943, Dr. Thomas C D'Silva MBBS wrote, "In trade and
commerce, the Aldonense has usually blazed the trail; he may
be called the pioneer among Goans".
In the same souvenir, Luis Jose D'souza MA, MSc, writes: "At
a time when the so-called Novas Conquistas (New Conquests)
were as unknown to the Goans as Bombay was, the Aldonense
with his characteristic daring and unsurpassed spirit of
pioneering, penetrated the 'unchartered area'. He went as a
'businessman'. Their means of transport were the oxen. Many
of us still remember the caravans of oxen with bags slung
across their backs and bells jingling from their necks,
trudging their way wearily over hills through malaria-ridden
jungles plying their trade. They left us a legacy of daring,
love of work, integrity of character, unsurpassed qualities
of leadership, and above all a marvellous spirit of
self-confidence".
Surely MX had imbued that spirit.
Somewhere around 1854, when he was just 25 years of
age, MX sought greener pastures. His major
customers were in the princely state of Rajputana,
as they were among the few that could afford his
photographic charges of Rs 200 over 150 years ago!
Sometimes MX's entourage was beaten up and his
equipment smashed because the negatives looked like
ghostly images and the darbaris thought that the
photographer was a magician who had extracted the
"souls" of their masters.
In the course of his travels MX arrived in Cawnpore circa
1856 and got caught in the vortex of the 1857 War of
Independence. The 1943 Souvenir places MX on the Roll of
Honour for saving 80 lives in 1857.
It is not clear whose lives he saved. However, a letter dt
3rd July 1880 written by Col Mowbray Thomson, Resident with
the ex-king of Oudh, states that one Col Wilson of the 64th
Foot was mortally wounded in a skirmish with the Gwalior
Contingent, and "Noronha behaved gallantly as well as
compassionately in staying with him till he was safely
carried off the field and into the fort where he died a short
time afterwards". Gallantry and compassion are words seldom
used in tandem, especially in war, when passions run high. So
MX must have been an exceptional character.
Businessmen, by their very nature, remain
politically neutral. MX must have been no
different. By virtue of speaking English and being
a Christian, he would have been acceptable to the
British rulers. Being Konkani speaking, which is
akin to Marathi, he would also have been acceptable
to Nanarao Peshwa and Tantya Tope, the Maratha
rulers of the region at that time. Even the Gwalior
Contingent would have had Marathi speaking soldiers
under Scindia's rule.
Cawnpore, post 1857, was a boomtown after the British
recaptured it from the Peshwas. They built a large Cantonment
and established various factories. The river Ganga was still
navigable for small sea going vessels from the Bay of Bengal.
The next year the railway line reached Cawnpore. So MX was at
the right place at the right time, and seized the opportunity
to establish business. He began his firm of M/s M.X. de
Noronha & Son in 1858.
Press.
Auctioneering became the mainstay of the Noronhas for over
140 years. Military auctions were the major ones -- vehicles,
supplies, stores, and in later years tanks, aircraft and
ships. There was also scrap from the factories and mills that
were coming up. Post Independence there were the sale of
evacuee properties. And finally there were the household
auctions of Britishers going home. In those days there was
precious little manufactured in India, and the "Made in
England" tag was as valuable for new as for second hand
merchandise.
MX's only son William Constantine Sr (WC) took over
from where his father left off; diversifying into
tanning, hide and skin trade, brick kilns, dal
milling, manufacture of coaches, carriages and
furniture, running the Post & Telegraph services,
supplying electricity to the Cantonments, and sale
of arms and ammunition. WC also went on a
property-buying spree. It was claimed that he owned
99 bungalows in the Cantonments, and half of the
rest of Cawnpore!
It was smooth sailing till WC's death in 1932. A bitter
succession struggle went to the Allahabad High Court for
adjudication. It must have affected WC's three sons, Peter,
Willie (Jr) and Stanley; who continued with the family
businesses, but they were probably not as astute as their
father was.
Several factors contributed to the gradual decline of the
Noronhas' fortunes.
The first was the Rent Control Act promulgated sometime
during the Second World War (1939-1945). It reduced landlords
to paupers. Then came Independence in 1947. It was not just a
political change; it was a deeper attitudinal one. Socialism,
red tape and the brown babu reigned supreme. Corruption
followed.
The Noronhas couldn't adjust to these changes. In the auction
business they charged a 5-10% commission, and ensured the
best price for their principles. Post Independence,
"official" commissions dropped to as low as .25% with the
biggest clients, the Director General of Supplies & Disposals
(DGS&D). The Noronhas got squeezed out. The DGS&D even
instituted an enquiry as to why the Noronhas were no longer
prepared to do their auctions. But time and tide had turned
irretrievably.
Precious properties also turned to dust, as the Noronhas
didn't have the heart to arm twist their tenants. Absurd
rates of Wealth Tax and Estate Duty on non-remunerative
assets took their toll. The Urban Land Ceiling Act of 1976
was the last nail in the Noronhas' coffin.
Nevertheless, a small remnant made a fresh beginning in 1982.
Now only one Noronha family remains on in Kanpur; running a
super bazar, promoting the city's first Mall, and having a
small export business. Where will it take them? Kanpur is
situated in Uttar Pradesh [formerly, the United Provinces],
which hasn't had a business friendly or corruption free Govt
for the last 20 years. The power scenario is dismal. Yet even
in adversity one must seize the opportunity and make the most
of it.
The Noronhas were not the only ABCs in Kanpur. WC's first
cousin Louis Caetano D'Souza from Quitla in Aldona also came
and set up the Regal and Roxy Cinema halls on the prestigious
Mall Road. One Mr Carvalho from Carona Aldona ran the Bristol
Hotel and created a colony, Carvalhonagar. Ignatius D'Silva
who came from southern Goa ran the Orient Coffee House, Hotel
and Billiard Saloon. So the Goans in Kanpur did have the
capital ABC -- Astute Business Capability.
Today there are several landmarks named after the
Noronhas -- Noronha Crossing, Noronha's Exchange
Post Office, Noronha Road and Mrs Noronha Hall. In
common parlance the name has been colloquiallised
to Narona, just as Carvalho has now become
Karvalonagar, and one Sequeira Estate has become
Sakera State. Connotations may change with time,
but hopefully the Noronhas will continue the
capital ABC, combined with gallantry and
compassion, as their forefathers did.
--
* The writer is the great grandson of M.X. de Noronha.
Goanet Reader is edited by Frederick Noronha for Goanet, a 16+ year
old volunteer-driven network in cyberspace founded by Herman Carneiro
[http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/] Feel free to
share this with others in cyberspace, keeping credits intact. All Goa-
and Goan diaspora-related writing is welcome, and we look forward to
sharing your thoughts with our readers. Send it in via
fn at goa-india.org
By Allan de Noronha
noronha_kp at dataone.in
My mother was a gracious host and an excellent cook. However,
whenever any guest complimented her on her cooking, or said
that Goans were good cooks, she would take umbrage at it. I
did not understand it then. It was some years later that I
came to know of the ABC Goans -- Ayahs, Butlers and Cooks.
That is how the British sahibs condescendingly looked down
upon the Goans, which is probably why my mother resented the
linkage to cooking!
The early Goans of Kanpur were made of sterner
stuff. They had another connotation for ABC --
Astute Business Capability. The pioneer of the ABC
of Kanpur (then known as Cawnpore) was Manuel
Xavier de Noronha (MX). Born on 30th October 1825
in the prosperous Grand Coimo Vaddo of Aldona
village, MX had learnt the art of photography from
the Portuguese. It would be apt to also term it a
science, for there was neither camera nor film. One
had to fabricate one's own equipment. Gold and
silver nitrate solutions were applied to plate
glass to make the photographs, as neither celluloid
nor photographic paper had been invented.
Legend has it that MX set off for distant lands with a
retinue of 300 bullock carts, to photograph the high and
mighty. There may have been other traders or businessmen with
him, as Aldona had a history of business acumen.
In a souvenir published by the Aldona Association of Bombay
in 1943, Dr. Thomas C D'Silva MBBS wrote, "In trade and
commerce, the Aldonense has usually blazed the trail; he may
be called the pioneer among Goans".
In the same souvenir, Luis Jose D'souza MA, MSc, writes: "At
a time when the so-called Novas Conquistas (New Conquests)
were as unknown to the Goans as Bombay was, the Aldonense
with his characteristic daring and unsurpassed spirit of
pioneering, penetrated the 'unchartered area'. He went as a
'businessman'. Their means of transport were the oxen. Many
of us still remember the caravans of oxen with bags slung
across their backs and bells jingling from their necks,
trudging their way wearily over hills through malaria-ridden
jungles plying their trade. They left us a legacy of daring,
love of work, integrity of character, unsurpassed qualities
of leadership, and above all a marvellous spirit of
self-confidence".
Surely MX had imbued that spirit.
Somewhere around 1854, when he was just 25 years of
age, MX sought greener pastures. His major
customers were in the princely state of Rajputana,
as they were among the few that could afford his
photographic charges of Rs 200 over 150 years ago!
Sometimes MX's entourage was beaten up and his
equipment smashed because the negatives looked like
ghostly images and the darbaris thought that the
photographer was a magician who had extracted the
"souls" of their masters.
In the course of his travels MX arrived in Cawnpore circa
1856 and got caught in the vortex of the 1857 War of
Independence. The 1943 Souvenir places MX on the Roll of
Honour for saving 80 lives in 1857.
It is not clear whose lives he saved. However, a letter dt
3rd July 1880 written by Col Mowbray Thomson, Resident with
the ex-king of Oudh, states that one Col Wilson of the 64th
Foot was mortally wounded in a skirmish with the Gwalior
Contingent, and "Noronha behaved gallantly as well as
compassionately in staying with him till he was safely
carried off the field and into the fort where he died a short
time afterwards". Gallantry and compassion are words seldom
used in tandem, especially in war, when passions run high. So
MX must have been an exceptional character.
Businessmen, by their very nature, remain
politically neutral. MX must have been no
different. By virtue of speaking English and being
a Christian, he would have been acceptable to the
British rulers. Being Konkani speaking, which is
akin to Marathi, he would also have been acceptable
to Nanarao Peshwa and Tantya Tope, the Maratha
rulers of the region at that time. Even the Gwalior
Contingent would have had Marathi speaking soldiers
under Scindia's rule.
Cawnpore, post 1857, was a boomtown after the British
recaptured it from the Peshwas. They built a large Cantonment
and established various factories. The river Ganga was still
navigable for small sea going vessels from the Bay of Bengal.
The next year the railway line reached Cawnpore. So MX was at
the right place at the right time, and seized the opportunity
to establish business. He began his firm of M/s M.X. de
Noronha & Son in 1858.
From photography he branched out into contracting,
auctioneering and printing. The press was known as AldonaPress.
Auctioneering became the mainstay of the Noronhas for over
140 years. Military auctions were the major ones -- vehicles,
supplies, stores, and in later years tanks, aircraft and
ships. There was also scrap from the factories and mills that
were coming up. Post Independence there were the sale of
evacuee properties. And finally there were the household
auctions of Britishers going home. In those days there was
precious little manufactured in India, and the "Made in
England" tag was as valuable for new as for second hand
merchandise.
MX's only son William Constantine Sr (WC) took over
from where his father left off; diversifying into
tanning, hide and skin trade, brick kilns, dal
milling, manufacture of coaches, carriages and
furniture, running the Post & Telegraph services,
supplying electricity to the Cantonments, and sale
of arms and ammunition. WC also went on a
property-buying spree. It was claimed that he owned
99 bungalows in the Cantonments, and half of the
rest of Cawnpore!
It was smooth sailing till WC's death in 1932. A bitter
succession struggle went to the Allahabad High Court for
adjudication. It must have affected WC's three sons, Peter,
Willie (Jr) and Stanley; who continued with the family
businesses, but they were probably not as astute as their
father was.
Several factors contributed to the gradual decline of the
Noronhas' fortunes.
The first was the Rent Control Act promulgated sometime
during the Second World War (1939-1945). It reduced landlords
to paupers. Then came Independence in 1947. It was not just a
political change; it was a deeper attitudinal one. Socialism,
red tape and the brown babu reigned supreme. Corruption
followed.
The Noronhas couldn't adjust to these changes. In the auction
business they charged a 5-10% commission, and ensured the
best price for their principles. Post Independence,
"official" commissions dropped to as low as .25% with the
biggest clients, the Director General of Supplies & Disposals
(DGS&D). The Noronhas got squeezed out. The DGS&D even
instituted an enquiry as to why the Noronhas were no longer
prepared to do their auctions. But time and tide had turned
irretrievably.
Precious properties also turned to dust, as the Noronhas
didn't have the heart to arm twist their tenants. Absurd
rates of Wealth Tax and Estate Duty on non-remunerative
assets took their toll. The Urban Land Ceiling Act of 1976
was the last nail in the Noronhas' coffin.
Nevertheless, a small remnant made a fresh beginning in 1982.
Now only one Noronha family remains on in Kanpur; running a
super bazar, promoting the city's first Mall, and having a
small export business. Where will it take them? Kanpur is
situated in Uttar Pradesh [formerly, the United Provinces],
which hasn't had a business friendly or corruption free Govt
for the last 20 years. The power scenario is dismal. Yet even
in adversity one must seize the opportunity and make the most
of it.
The Noronhas were not the only ABCs in Kanpur. WC's first
cousin Louis Caetano D'Souza from Quitla in Aldona also came
and set up the Regal and Roxy Cinema halls on the prestigious
Mall Road. One Mr Carvalho from Carona Aldona ran the Bristol
Hotel and created a colony, Carvalhonagar. Ignatius D'Silva
who came from southern Goa ran the Orient Coffee House, Hotel
and Billiard Saloon. So the Goans in Kanpur did have the
capital ABC -- Astute Business Capability.
Today there are several landmarks named after the
Noronhas -- Noronha Crossing, Noronha's Exchange
Post Office, Noronha Road and Mrs Noronha Hall. In
common parlance the name has been colloquiallised
to Narona, just as Carvalho has now become
Karvalonagar, and one Sequeira Estate has become
Sakera State. Connotations may change with time,
but hopefully the Noronhas will continue the
capital ABC, combined with gallantry and
compassion, as their forefathers did.
--
* The writer is the great grandson of M.X. de Noronha.
Goanet Reader is edited by Frederick Noronha for Goanet, a 16+ year
old volunteer-driven network in cyberspace founded by Herman Carneiro
[http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/] Feel free to
share this with others in cyberspace, keeping credits intact. All Goa-
and Goan diaspora-related writing is welcome, and we look forward to
sharing your thoughts with our readers. Send it in via
fn at goa-india.org