Bangalore: 'Echoes of Footprints' - Saga of Tragedy, Struggle, Sacrifice and Triumph

Gabriel Vaz
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, May 2: What would any family plunged into the depths of poverty that manages to climb to the zenith of prosperity do? That too, a family of seven children -- brought up by the father single-handedly after the death of their mother and his beloved wife when the youngest kid was barely three – do, especially after they have successfully overcome the bitter past and the tragedies, struggles and sacrifices in life?

Enjoying the good fortune, being grateful, offering silent prayers and perhaps do something to help other less fortunate fellow beings as a tribute or homage to the dear departed father might be the reaction of any normal family.

The children of Clarence Joseph Pereira – one of whom is comfortably settled in London and the other in Detroit, USA while the other five are living happily in India – are doing all of the above. But they have come out with something even more unique and tangible -- recounting the story of the saga of the tragedies, struggles, sacrifices and triumphs that they have experienced -- in their own words in a special book, ''Echoes of Footprints,” as a meaningful and lasting legacy.

The book, published by Bangalore-based ATC Publications, who specialize in publishing religious and spiritual as well as self-improvement books, and printed by Brilliant Printers, one of the best printing establishments in South India equipped with latest and sophisticated machinery, and Daijiworld.Com as the official media partners, is due to be released in Bangalore by Most Rev Dr Bernard Moras, Archbishop of Bangalore on May 5, Saturday. But the Bangalore function will be the first of the three country launch functions, the two others being in London (May 18) and Detroit (May 26) of UK and USA respectively.

''We did not get into this project (of writing and publishing the book) for money or fame,” said Claudius Pereira, the youngest of the seven children and the author who got all the other siblings on board, adding: ''For us, it has been a most rewarding process to create something so tangible, so personal. We were desirous of giving our family through this book a gift – a meaningful permanent legacy.”
 

Launch in London, Detroit

In a pre-launch media interaction with a select group of journalists, Claudius explained the genesis and the growth of the autobiographical from the perspective of the seven children and biographical in as much as their narrative of the father narrative that makes up the book, ''Echoes of Footprints.” Says he, ''It is both biographical and autobiographical. None of us are writers. So, it may not qualify as a great literary work. But we are proud of what we have accomplished. I and the core team of Philip, Patricia and James have put in over 2000 hours of work into it since 2006, when the idea first occurred.”

Echoes of Footprints is an unusual kind of book because it seeks to trace the family history of Pereiras dating back to 1673, when the ancestors came down from France to settle in Goa around the time the French conquerors landed in Pondicherry. Claudius undertook painstaking efforts to go back to the family roots starting with the life and travails of his great grandfather James Bernard Pereira and travelled back and forth to Lisbon, Portugal, London, England and Chennai, Madras and Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) near Bangalore.
 

Going Back to Family Roots
 
Unlike in the Western or European countries, where tracing family genealogical roots is gaining popularity among the well-heeled, the trend has never really caught on in India except perhaps traditional families along the coast in Mangalore, Goa or even Tamil Nadu or Chennai. But getting historical data and family records is indeed a tough task.

''I was surprised to find the marriage certificate of my great grandfather in England,” said Claudius explaining that birth and death records of many Indians of foreign origin going back to three or four hundred years could be found in the archives in Lisbon or London.

Echoes of Footprints is not just about the Pereiras but also the Lazars, the family of his rich and aristocratic grandmother Neena Lazar. This family traded in diamonds and precious stones and was perhaps the first family in Egmore, Madras, to own a horse and carriage some 300 years ago. Claude and Nina’s son, Clarence Joseph Pereira, is the central figure of Echoes of Footprints. The ancient history apart, the book deals with the eternal family values, love and loyalty besides the importance of hard work.

Clarence had his early education at St William’s Anglo-Indian School in Royapettah, Madras. However, he, soon found education was a luxury he could ill-afford and took up the job as salesman at the Spencer & Co, which started as a small retail store in 1864 and later became Asia’s biggest departmental store chain. But life was tough as he was retrenched from service on April 24, 1939, due to recession.

The family shifted to Kolar Gold Fields, popularly known as KGF, and took up job in the gold mines which had a sizeable European and Anglo-Indian. Clarence became an underground telephone operator in the mines which helped in sustaining his family. He was allotted a mining house in KGF’s Upstairs Block, Champion Reef. It was at this stage that Clarence got married to Phyllis Thomas and the couple had seven children – Philip, Patricia, Donald, Lucy, James, Veronica and Claudius.

Clarence with a paltry salary of Rs 66 a month had to look after his huge family and mother. When it became difficult to make both ends meet, the only source of sustenance were the precious jewels of Nina which used to be frequently pawned and redeemed. He suffered a big blow with his wife’s death due to illness in 1968, when the eldest Philip was 15 and the youngest Caludius was 3. Though life was tough and and the outlook bleak, Clarence pulled on. The operation of the gold mines, considered the second largest and richest in the world and now under closure, was taken over the then Mysore Government in 1946 and later by the Centre in 1962 and eventually handed over to the Central public sector undertaking Bharat Gold Mines Ltd (BGML). But that did not improve the fortunes of Clarence and worsened. He lost his hearing and afflicted with asthma. He lost his mother Nina on May 23, 1983 leaving Clarence to carry on all alone.

Life, however, moved on and it was the turn of the children to shoulder the responsibility. The seven children narrate their accounts of the father’s heroic battle and sacrifices as well as their struggles, failures and triumphs, which makes a fascinating and captivating read. Claudius, himself, describes how he came up in life, schooled in KGF, graduated and joined as a salesman in a private company selling computer media kits while staying in a lodge near Malleswaram paying a rent of Rs 6 per month, and soon climbed up the ladder. Soon he set up his own computer kits sales outfit, launched a Mexican Pub and a software export firm, and then literally went burst. The father Clarence died of cancer in March 1992. Instead of giving up and folding, Claudius courageously recovered and revived himself to scale greater heights. He now runs four companies, runs a business consulting outfit, employs several persons, owns a sprawling farm house and is on the board of directors of the Mangalore Internet City, a Rs 2000 crore company.

''The biggest takeaway from the book,” says Claudius, ''is about family values.”

More, importantly, it teaches one about the eternal truth of giving back to society. Success comes from the roots and not from the fruits. ''Even if one person, who has read the book, realizes the importance of family values and filial love and tells me that the book has taught him a valuable lesson, I will consider it as our reward,” he adds.