PANAJI
Libia Lobo Sardesai, who ran a secret radio service called “Voz de Liberdade” in Portuguese, ‘Goenche Sadvonecho Awaz’ in Konkani and the “Voice of Freedom” in English, is set to hand over original scripts of Konkani and Portuguese broadcasts to Goa government on Tuesday.
Started in 1955 from the thick jungles of Amboli in Goa’s bordering district, Lobo’s clandestine radio station was to spread nationalistic fervor at a time when Goa was completely cut off from the rest of India and had no civil liberties under Portuguese rule.
Lobo, along with Vaman Sardesai, who worked for the external services division of All India Radio, used two wireless sets, which were seized during the liberation of Dadra & Nagar Haveli in 1954, as radio transmitters.
Through the broadcasts, they disbursed information and also uplifted the morale of the people despite attempts by the Portuguese troops to stop the broadcasts.
The scripts will most likely also include a message they received for broadcast on December 16, 1961, that Indian troops were moving in. So also, leaflets that were dropped from a plane informing the people about Goa’s liberation on December 19, 1961 could be a part of the valuable documents.
On Tuesday, Libia Lobo Sardesai will hand over the original scripts of the nationalist underground radio to the government at a function organized by the Directorate of Art & Culture.
