Panaji
Well-known Goan freedom fighter Libia Lobo Sardesai turns 100 on May 25. To commemorate the occasion, Solomon Souza, the grandson of Goan artist Francis Newton Souza, has painted a mural of Libia on the wall of a building in Panaji that is just opposite her residence.
Libia has lived a fruitful and fulfilling life and is known for raising her voice against injustice and oppression. In an exclusive chat with The Navhind Times, she says, "This is something I have achieved without preparedness. For every exam in my life, I prepared myself, but this has come naturally to me. In fact, I don't feel that I am a 100-year-old lady."
Fondly called 'Libby', she is recognised as the 'Voice of Freedom' or 'Sodvonecho Awaz', for her work during the peak of Goa's freedom struggle.
She partnered with Vaman Sardesai, whom she married after Liberation, to spread awareness about the importance of freedom from the Portuguese colonial yoke. When Libia found that the Portuguese government-run radio station 'Emmisora de Goa' and newspapers were providing news that was far from the truth, she decided to set up a private radio station called 'Voz de Liberdade' and use it to resist the oppressive rule.
For six years before Liberation, she operated from Castle Rock, a village in the Western Ghats on the Goa-Karnataka border. During this period, using radio transmitters, she would broadcast twice a day. The Portuguese would jam the frequency of her radio, but she would change the frequency slightly and continue her work.
Besides the Portuguese, Libia had to face flies, insects, leeches, and even poisonous snakes. Finally, when the Indian government launched Operation Vijay to free Goa, Libia made her farewell broadcast as she and Vaman flew in an Air Force Liberator, announcing in Konkani and Portuguese that Goa was finally free. She also dropped related leaflets over Panaji.
In 2022, Libia, who made Panaji her home after Liberation, handed over all the original, meticulously preserved transcripts-altogether 132-of her bulletins to the central library at Patto.
In 1962, she was appointed the director of tourism. After 1968, she commenced law practice, which spanned 26 years. In 1973, she founded and promoted the Women's Co-operative Bank and was its chairperson for the next decade.
When asked if looking back brings a rush of memories, she says she doesn't have to look back, as the memories, including those of her colleagues in the Goan freedom struggle, never left with her.
Sardesai has founded the Vaman Sardesai Memorial Trust, which organises annual lectures on Vedanta and spiritualism. "This has been going on for the past 30 years, and its purpose is not only to organise lectures but to bring about change for the betterment of society, so as to increase the potential of the people by making them aware of their true selves," she says.
On a parting note, Libia says she is very disappointed with the way things are presently going on in Goa. "For one, those in the place of authority-the doers-have been highly disappointing, while the masses-the receivers-are also silent and not questioning the doers," she says, adding that the receivers should oppose the unwanted things and try to change the situation.