Tristao da Braganza Cunha 26.9.1998

Portugal was the oldest colonial power in India and the last one to leave the India. The British after establishing their control over India allowed Portugal to retain her colonial possession in India, namely Goa, Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. 
The Father of the nationalist movement in Goa was Tristao da Braganza Cunha. The dramatic entry of Mahatma Gandhi on the political horizon of India stirred the mind of Tristao who vowed to fight for the rights of his people in Goa, who led a subjugated life under the Portuguese colonial rule. He contributed articles in the French papers like Clarite and L'Humanite pleading forcefully for the cause of India's independence. He exposed the massacre of Jallianwalla Bagh in the European Press. In 1928 Tristao formed the Goa Congress Committee and started a campaign for Goa's freedom and its integration with India. He believed that Goa being a legitimate part of India, Goa's freedom was implicit in India's Independence. In the 43rd session of the Indian National Congress held in Calcutta he got the Goa Congress Committee affiliated.