For those who still see Goa as a holiday destination, this book and the stories between its covers will come as a shocker. For those who refuse to see that Goa is caste-ridden, deeply prejudicial and parochial in its treatment of the “lower castes”, this will blow the lid off their complacency.

Braz Menezes is part of the Goan community who discovered such a fascinating niche within the British Empire of East Africa” and that opening places Braz and his book TSAVO (the fifth in the Matata Series) squarely and rightfully in this Book of the Month.

How many of us know that neighbouring Burma had a sizable population of Goans? As a matter of fact, how many of my fellow ganv bhoins and bhaus know that there are many families in Don Vaddo today who are returnees from Burma? Yvonne Vaz and her cousins share this history. It is a rich history; a story of suffering and of human tragedy. But it needs to be told. And, it needs quiet, patient, sympathetic listeners.