Tribute: With Octavia's demise, third generation of tile tycoons ends
By John B Monteiro
Mangaluru, Mar 9: With the passing away of Octavia (Otty) Albuquerque on March 9, 2016, the third generation of “Tile Albuquerques” of Mangalore came to an end. Her 92nd birthday had been celebrated on February 20, 2016. Though she was wheel-chair-bound in recent years, she was mentally sharp and lived by herself with house-helpers/service-givers in the ancestral house “Sea View” on the tile factory campus on the east shore of Netravati River - from where her cortege will start for the funeral Mass at Rosario Cathedral at 4 pm on March 10. Her death marks the passing away of a generation which saw the decline of the tile industry. In this context, it is interesting to have a focus on the dynasty’s induction into Mangalore and the role of the family and “Sea View” bungalow in the freedom movement.. But, we must start at the beginning.
In 1834 German Basel Mission came to Mangalore and introduced modern industries including tile manufacture. A. Albuquerque & Sons, founded by Alexis (Alex) Albuquerque Pai in 1868, is the first Indian tile manufacturer. It is a grand saga of setbacks and successes.
Graduation
90th birthday celebrations
Alex Albuquerque Pai, from whom the enterprise derives its name, was born in Pezavar, a village 28 KM from Mangalore, in 1841. The impatient and ambitious young Alex could not cope with the slow motion that marked farming joint families. He sought his share (not unlike the Biblical Prodigal Son but with happy ending) of family property in cash and set out for Mangalore on foot. On the way he had to swim across Gurpur River. As bad luck would have it, due to swift currents and physical contortions involved in swimming against the current, his loin cloth came loose and all the hard cash he had tied into the loin cloth crashed to the bottom of the river. Undaunted, Alex came to Mangalore and closely monitored the various activities of Basel Mission – weaving, printing and tile manufacturing – and opted to work for the tile factory. A keen learner, Alex carefully studied the tricks of the trade. According to his descendents, Mr. Plabat, a German, took special interest in Alex and put him through various operations – from handling raw clay to the final stage of manufacture of tiles.
Alex started the manufacture of tiles on his own with simple pans in 1868 at Nandavar, on the banks of Netravati River, known for its rich clay deposits. With a pair of bullocks he started mixing and forming clay into bricks and had them baked in a crude type of kiln. An unprecedented flood washed away his Nandavar venture and he shifted the enterprise to the present campus at Hoige Bazar on the east bank of Netravati and Gurpur Rivers at their confluence. From the modest start there, the enterprise build up a capacity to ten million tiles a year.
Even as he progressively shifted his equipment and constructed four crude kilns, once again floods ruined the foundations of a promising enterprise. Alex rebuilt with fresh vigour and ended up with more efficient kilns on foundations well above the flood level. He installed steam engine and business flourished, giving rise to rumours that, while excavating for clay at Nandavar, Alex had found a treasure trove. Alex went on to build more tile factories at Hoige Bazar and Ullal.
Alex died in 1912. In the family partition that followed, the mother tile factory came into the hands of his son, Felix Pascal Simon (1884 – 1953). He had the enterprising genes of Alex and consolidated and expanded the business. The original campus of one acre was expanded to seven acres. He started filling up the river bank with broken tiles and other debris and dredged the channel with the help of port authorities. Felix was the first among the Mangalore tile manufacturers to install electric motor.
Felix was a multi-faceted personality. He diversified into building construction – notably Felix Pai Bazar near Central Market. He also took up farming and horticulture. Felix was also a pioneer in introducing hollow bricks, instead of laterite stones. Beyond business, he was active in public life, holding various positions.
Cyril and Octavia with their 9 children: Aloysius, Moira, Dorothy, George, Joan, Marie, Joseph, Annamarie, Eliza Nina
When Jawaharlal Nehru came to Mangalore in 1937, he first landed at Sea View, the Albuquerque family residence on the factory campus, and then taken in procession to attend a public meeting in Falnir, the expenses of which were underwritten by Felix.
On the death of Felix in 1953, his son Cyril (1917 –1974) took charge of the mother factory. He mechanised and streamlined the factory operations. On his untimely death at the age of 57 years, his widow, Otty, had the businesses divided among her three sons.
Many tributes will be paid to Otty following her demise. But I fall back on Google for the following:
Otty was indeed a remarkable lady. An ex-MLA and a Rajyotsava awardee, she was a very down to earth and unassuming personality who would lend a helping hand to anyone in need. Though she was in her 80s she still appeared to be so full of vigour, enthusiasm and was so involved in her social work, which she did with great love and pride.
Being the daughter of a Deputy Collector and later through marriage she was the daughter-in-law of the late Felix Pai Albuquerque, the famous tile business magnate of Mangalore, she got the exposure and opportunity to turn philanthropic dreams and desires into reality. Her husband the late Cyril Albuquerque, too, was a guiding force and encouragement to her in all her activities. Unfortunately he passed away when she was just 54 years old - but yet she did not deter from her set goals of doing good to society.
Otty had always had a soft corner for the underprivileged and less fortunate and her late paternal grandmother instilled this sentiment in her. Born into a well to family, she was quick to observe the widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Her political bent of mind was perhaps influenced by her father who was instrumental in the Salt Satyagraha movement in Mangalore.
Otty was instrumental in starting the Ladies Social Service League with a group of about 30 - 40 ladies of Mangalore who used to visit the sick and the dying in hospitals and homes. This association branched into units at Hampankatta, Bijai, Urva, etc., and there was the plan to even cover the rural level, which however did not take shape. She was closely involved in the progress of Cheshire Home in Mangalore
Otty is on record saying: "I had so much at home and I had a deep desire to share things. I had a socialist bent of mind despite living in a capitalist environment. This is the force behind all my work and this very thing has driven every aspect of my all life all these years".
Earlier Report
Mangaluru: Former MLC Octavia Albuquerque passes away
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (RJP)
Mangaluru, Mar 9: Former MLC Octavia Albuquerque passed away on Wednesday, March 9 in a private hospital in city.
She was 92.
(file photo)
Octavia Albuquerque was member of Karnataka legislative council from 1970 to 1972. She was member of Congress party. She was also a social worker and a fireband activist all her life. She had received Rajyotsava award for her achievements.
Funeral Mass will be held at Rosario Cathedral on Thursday, March 10 at 4 pm.