Pics: Meryick D'Silva
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MD)
Mangalore, May 19: 'Eric Ozario - The Indefatigable Crusader', a biography of Mandd Sobhann Gurkar, well-known Konkani activist and singer-composer Eric Ozario, was released at Kalaangann here on Sunday May 18, on the occasion of Ozario's 65th birthday celebrations.
The biography, authored by Royston Fernandes, was released by former president of Mangalore University chair for Christianity Fr John Fernandes.
Addressing the gathering, he said that he felt proud to release the book and to talk about it. "Everything written in this book is true. Reading this book, we come to know about Eric's childhood, his struggles for social causes and much more," he added.
"I feel grateful that I got an opportunity to speak about a great person like Eric Ozario. Dr B R Ambedkar said 'A society which does not have history, that society is not recognised'. Crusader means a fighter. I want him (Ozario) to continue this fight. One who fights the battle may lose it, but one who does not fight has already lost it. In future we should think about who will fight for the rights of the weak in our society. If we really look, we can see what is happening in the society. Society is filled with violence," he said.
Royston Fernandes opined that Konkani community should identify heroes within it and introduce them to the next generation.
College For Leadership and Human Resource Development (CLHRD) founder Prof Sunney Tharappan, in his felicitation speech said that Eric Ozario might not be a crusader but he is a liberator. "This is an expression of personality and not an escape from it. Though Eric had craziness, he always had a method and reason behind it. His fights were to help an individual or the society. This craziness with cause and courage is acceptable," he said.
"Age is not how old you are, it is how old you feel. Eric is a very energetic man. He has always been with the people. People take up a work when they are passionate about it. Eric never expected success but he always expected efficiency in his work," said Prof Tharappan.
Prof Sunney Tharappan defined Ozario as an adventurer who didn’t go to Himalayas, but searched the ways for happiness of human being. "One can call Eric a leader, revolutionary or a radical, but the word radical suits him better. He not only has commitment, but also has passion to serve society, so he can not fail," he said.
"He has the capacity to challenge the powers-that-be. He has profound understanding about Konkani language," he added.
Mangalore University English department head Dr Ravishankar Rao gave some tips to author Royston Fernandes in his review and said that Royston is committed in his work just like Eric Ozario.
"The word 'crusade' for me means 'champion of the cause of the weak'. The title of the book is something I would accept with no hesitation. Change the world for the better and change the world in moral terms. There is a deep fundamental and deep Christian value included in this book," he said.
Eric Ozario read out a few notes from the biography. He mentioned that he does not have any bank ATM card, investments, nor gold. He also mentioned that he never gave any valuable gift to his wife. He also read out his will and thanked John Fernandes for his help in the past.
Eric also gave a few personally signed copies of his biography to the guests and those in the audience.
The English version with 31 chapters is priced at Rs 499. The Konkani version of the book will be released soon.
Activist Vidya Dinakar and theatre artiste Arun Raj Rodrigues compered the ceremony.
Mandd Sobhann executive committee president Louis J Pinto, Joyce Ozario, Titus Noronha, Ivan D'Souza, Stany Alvares, Melwyn Peris, Edith, Roshan and many others were present.