FACING LIFE’S CHALLENGES

FACING LIFE’S CHALLENGES

Letters To The Editor

To be an advocate was my childhood dream, which became a reality. It was a rare privilege to appear on various public issues before the High Court of Bombay at Goa and the Supreme Court of India as a student much before commencing law studies.
Raising public issues over the 50 + years was not an easy task, having to face revenge and retribution from the Powers to be. That recent two-year strenuous legal battle to obtain my OCI card was nerve wrecking. However, one has to have the spine to speak out against things that are wrong and nothing should deter one’s commitment to highlight any injustice or illegality that is seen. As Martin Luther King said, ‘There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right’. I have been blessed to have been able to interact with every Chief Minister of Goa including the very first, Dayanand Bandodkar and successive Governors over five decades. Interacting with Chief Secretaries, IAS officers and the rest of the bureaucracy at all levels was all a learning experience.
I am content that over the decades I was able in my own little way to serve society without holding any position of power. The ethos of life is that true fulfilment does not come from what we get, it comes from what we give, with gratitude as the most single important ingredient of a successful and fulfilled life.
We all need to be a beacon of hope to others that in this short life of ours, much can be achieved against all the odds and challenges. With determination, self-belief and in the quest for justice and truth any obstacles can be overcome without fear or in trepidation.
Over the last three years, there have been options and opportunities to move to other professions like teaching or management but I have decided to stick to the legal arena by focusing in mastering International and European law. With a positive frame of mind, one can handle complex and difficult situations, if we firmly believe that in life nothing is impossible.
— Aires Rodrigues
London

Search

Back to Top