Mumbai: Konkani Writer Monthie Lasrado No More
John B Monteiro
Mumbai, Mar 13: Konkani writer Monthie Lasrado (nee D’ Souza ) passed away on Tuesday March 13 in Mumbai. Born on September 5, 1926, she was conscious of her self-worth even as a youngster. In those days, early 1940s, the minimum marriage age did not apply on the ground level. One of Monthie’s sixteen siblings was married at fourteen years. Monthie was singled out to be educated up to SSLC at Capitanio High School in Mangalore, topped up with a course in typewriting – an unusual break for a belle from a then remote village called Amembal, which could be accessed by crossing by boat Netravati River upstream of Farangipet.
Monthie married Raymond Lasrado, also from Amembal but working in Bombay, in 1946. The couple brought up five sons and two daughters who are all married off and flown out of the coop to live on their own. Raymond died of heart failure on Christmas eve in 1983 at 68 years of age.
In the midst of bringing up her children, Monthie made time for writing. Starting in 1961 with a magazine called Poinnari, she had kept up her steady literary output for many Mangalorean ethnic Konkani publications like Mitr, Jhelo and Divo. She had also given talks on All India Radio.
After her husband died, Monthie went on with her life, not discarding the bangles and forsaking the wearing of the customary black for widows. She is the long-standing leader of all Konkani groups – sort of mother hen for other Catholic hens - of Holy Name Parish in Colaba, South Mumbai and took leading part in selecting and presenting the liturgy and hymns in Konkani in the church. She played the role of agony aunt to the hilt for dozens of parishioners who were encouraged to empower themselves on their home front. She frequently contributed to the Konkani section of the parish newsletter – Holy Name Record.
Monthie was so passionate about her writing for the Konkani magazines that one of her instructions in her will was said to be that her death should be notified in a clutch of such publications – and not necessarily in terms of free editorial coverage. This despite the fact that these publications had never paid for her contributions. But Monthie was not complaining. With children out of her coop – though frequently calling on phone and visiting-- life sometimes seemed lonely for her. But, absorbing herself in church and social work helped her to side-track such emotions. She tried to keep up her literary output and derived joy from it.
In 2001, her children celebrated her platinum jubilee in a grand fashion and she lived on that memory, occasionally turning to the photo album recording the event in which cardinal and bishops participated. By her simple and courageous life she had become a role model for many of the parish ladies who readily joined her in her social work for the less privileged.
For the last few years she stoically bore indifferent health. And the end came in her sleep May her soul rest in peace.