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REMINISCENCES OF PANJIM 1960s ,70s ,80s ,90s!By Dr Roque G Wiseman Pinto
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REMINISCENCES OF PANJIM 1960s ,70s ,80s ,90s!By Dr Roque G Wiseman Pinto

Aug 08- Aug 14, 2026, History August 7, 2026 , by

BRAHMANAND Sankhwalkar. The best goalkeeper that Goa has produced. His full name is Brahmanand Sagoon Kamat Sankhwalkar.
Brahmanand, hailing from Taleigao, belonging to Saraswat Brahmin Hindu family, has represented Goa, India and captained the Indian football team, and has been honoured by several awards. He still writes his mind for the sake and interest of football in the media at present.
Football FIFA World Cup 2026 is just completed.
The greatest and the richest sports event in the world.
WHEN I was growing up in San Tome ward ( in the 1960s) behind the Panjim Head Post Office situated in a lane that houses Venite restaurant and Anandashram restaurant was a liquor outlet named Casa Lusitana owned by a man wearing a topi. A black coat or suite and a white dhotee (called pudvem)
This outlet was opposite the Convent of the Nuns , Lar Maria Gorreti ,which now houses a hostel for working women and another landmark is the house of Aires De Sa and Juliana de Sa and also the house of Sergio, Nanda ,Guida and Malaika Dias.
This liquor outlet Casa lusitana , owned and run by Mr Sagoom Kamat Sankhwalkar whom i described earlier was the father.of Brahmanand from whom my family purchased liquor in the 1960s
Never would I have imagined that his son Brahmanand would one day grow up to be an ace goalkeeper.
Brahmanands uncle Mr P.C Sankhwalkar retired as the Director of Accounts, Govt of Goa , at Fazenda ,when I was a young Demonstrator in Pathology Department of Goa Medical College and our salary was billed and paid by Fazenda .
I also visited him ,Nobert Moraes , Mr Bhatikar abd many other very sincere and helpful officials of Fazenda.
It is to be appreciated that Brahmanand is a self made man coming from a Goan GSB family .Most of the Times the Goan Hindu GSB families produce doctors, lawyers ,teachers engineers ,businessmen ,industrialists and other professionals
Brahmanand is an exception taking to Football where he excelled under the Bar and donned goa and indias jerseys .
As a boy growing up in the 1970s later on staying in Sunshine building we used to play in Don Bosco Oratory .
We used to watch many Football matches
On one occasion there was an inter village Football match in a ground near the Fire Brigade .Today this is a concrete jungle .
In this match Brahmanand was playing as a forward and he was very fast with speed and dribbling his way through .the field .
Shaikh Goas and Customs long distance runner was also playing football in this same match .
Brahmanand was guided and advised to take up goalkeeping by 2 prominent Football administrators and organisors
Late Dr Remigio Pinto from Taleigao who used to organise Football matches and Bull fights in the 1970s ( at that time Bull Fights were permitted)
I saw a few as a child .
Also Brahmanand was advised and motivated and encouraged to take up goalkeeping by another sports enthusiast and organisor late Dr Gustavo Monteiro from Candolim and his brother late Fr Chico Monteiro a very popular priest in Lar as well as in Football
This information was given to me by my cousin Prof. Marina Monteiro from Dramapur, former Vice Principal of St Xaviers and HOD of Microbiology who gives me volumes of goan history as well as my ancestors history, a lot which I did not know.
Prof. Marina is married to Dr Jose Monteiro, the son of Dr Gustav Monteiro and they stay in their ancestral house in Candolim which has a Chapel in their compound .
Im those days 1950s ,1960s and early 1970s the prominent Football organisors in goa were
Mr Lubbe Tavora in Siolim ( get lots of information from his son Adv Francisco).
In taleigao it was Dr Remigio Pinto
And in candolim Dr Gustav Monteiro and his brother Fr Chico.
Later on Football got commercialized, professional with huge money power and big Clubs.
Brahmanand took up goalkeeping and rose to play for Goa and India and captained the Indian team for many International Tournaments.
Goa ,the Football lovers , the Government of Goa and the Government of india recognised his achievements and bestowed on him several awards ,well deserved.
The Department of Art and Culture also produced a biopic on his life. It was Directed by Savio de Noronha. from the famous Noronha family of Panjim. and all the Noronha boys were students of DBHS.
I saw this biopic on the life of Brahmanand at Delhi a few years back
I had gone for a NMC (National Medical Commission) meeting in Delhi as NMC Advisor and was staying in the Taj delhi.
In my room i turned on the TV and was pleasantly surprised and happy to see the biopic on Brahmanand anchored by Savio de Noronha
This should be screened in goan schools to motivate young boys and girls to take up Football and goalkeeping.
He is truly a role model for our youth to join sports.
Brahmanand studied in Ideal HS Taleigao and the school honoured 2 persons from Taleigao namely Brahmanand and Dr Jeevan Vernekar my classmate and friend from 1975 in Dhempe College and GMC .Dr Jeevan retired as the Professor and Head of Radiology Department GMC .
On one occasion I was the Dean GMC and Dr Jeevan Vernekar was the Medical Superintendent.
On that day there was a VVIP visit and Dr Jeevan and myself took rounds in GMC as well as in parking lot in the campus .
In 2008 a prominent social and cultural organisation in Bombay Gomantak Seva Sangh in vile parle Felicitated many goan achivers in different fields at the Rajiv Kala Auditorium Ponda.
They Felicitated Brahmanand Sankhwalkar (sports) ,Anil Counto (industrialist ) , Mrs Sudha Amonkar ( education)
Mr Bhiku pai angle
Mr Tanmay Prabhu goankar ( winner of Bal Shree in Goa ) and myself Dr Roque Wiseman Pinto ( in medicine )
I talked to Brahmanand at this function
Later on he came to me in my chamber in GMC for a medical consultation when I was the Professor and Head of Pathology and Dean GMC and Goa University.
Brahmanand was humble , simple ,smiling person.
A self made man with no influences being used.
Totally rose on his merit ,hardwork ,dedication ,devotion .
Goa has not produced Another goalkeeper of this caliber after him .
Brahmanand played for different Clubs like Taleigao. Panvel. Salgaoncar, Churchill brothers, Anderson marines .
Of course he played for India and captained India at many International Football Tournaments in different countries
He won for goa 2 Santosh trophy titles
And for his Clubs many Tournaments like Bandodkar Gold Trophy. Nehru gold cup ,Rovers. Sait Nagjee.
Truly a great achievement for many decades
Hard work, Sincerity dedication discipline ,consistency, preserverance
A role model for Goan young boys and girls who have interest in sports and Football.
In all these years The other goalkeepers whom we watched in goa were Avinder Singh ( Vasco S C ) ,Basilio Soares ( Sant Ines ) ,Peter Thangaraj ,( Dempo S C ) ,Sudhir E ( Vasco SC ) , Tarun Bose ( Mohan Bagan ) Bhaskar Ganguly ( Bengal ) .Eugene Cardoz (Dempo.S C ) Eustaquio Pereira (Dempo S C ) , Paiva ( Sesa Goa ) , Pandu alias Irineu da Cunha ( Sesa Goa )
At the world level the prominent goalkeepers Vozinha ( Cabo Verde a small island off African Coast) Cabo Verde is sentimental for me as my mother’s brother Fr Cataeno Pimenta Pereira ( called as Chiquito ) served the Archidiocese of Cabo Verde for many decades .
A few years back Fr Caetano had come to goa had a heart ailment and had to return back to Rome and Cabo Verde
He had to be accompanied by a doctor .
I accompanied Fr Caetano ( Chiquito ) from goa to Paris. In Paris he was received and stayed in the house of a Cabo verdian girl working in his sanctristy in Cabo Verde and now married to a French boy in Paris.
I was invited to Paris as a Chairman and Faculty for an International Pathology Conference in Paris at that time.
Besides Vozinha who made a mark with his stellar performance and his love for his mother and family.
The other star goalkeepers are many in FIFA but one English goalkeeper Gordan Banks stands out. In 1970 FIFA World cup at Mexico Gordon Banks saved a header from Pele . A sure goal.
This save was highly appreciated by Pele in 1970.as Pele thought it was a sure goal the moment the ball left his head like an arrow .
But Gordan Banks who was at the other end of the goalpost leaped and dived like a leopard to effect a world class and miraculous save .
Goalkeepers can go on playing for decades as their role is under the Bar .
But eye sight, anticipation ,agility and slit second decision taking is of paramount importance

(Dr Roque G. Wiseman Pinto is A Professor of Pathology, former HOD, former Dean Goa University, president Asian Academy of Cytopathology and Histopathology.)

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