Freedom fighter Dr Beatris de Menezes Bragança, who contributed to the cause of Goa’s Liberation, was born in Chandor, Salcete, on November 6, 1916, to Luis de Menezes Bragança. She was the niece of TB Cunha, a prominent figure in Goa’s freedom struggle. Her legacy is preserved and showcased at the Sinquerim-based Aguad Interactive Museum: Goa – The Land, The Struggle, The People. The Aguad Port and Jail Complex also honours her uncle’s contribution to Goa’s Liberation, with a cell named after TB Cunha. Holding MSc and PhD degrees, she actively participated in anti-Portuguese propaganda, meetings and demonstrations in Bombay. In 1946, she was among the youth leaders who led a procession to the Portuguese Consulate in Bombay to protest against the arrest of TB Cunha. She was a founding member of the Goan Youth League (GYL) and served on its Working Committee. That year, she accompanied Joachim Dias to New Delhi to meet Jawaharlal Nehru and apprise him of the Goa issue. She later continued her nationalist activities in Bombay and was associated with the Goa People’s Party (GPP). A scientist at Tata Memorial Hospital, she used her international travels for scientific conferences to highlight Goa’s political situation. She was also a member of the Goan Council formed in 1959. She passed away on May 24, 1983.
