Venita Gomes
Researcher, writer and journalist, Valmiki Faleiro, who contributed immensely to the field of literature and research in Goa, has passed away.
On October 5, 2023, Faleiro succumbed to a massive heart attack at his residence in Margao. He was 67.
In 2010, Faleiro published Patriotism in Action: Goans in India’s Defence Services, a book that focuses on the contribution of commissioned officer ranks in India's defence services.
Valmiki wrote at length about the famous Margao Church in Soaring Spirit - 450 years of Margao’s Espirito Santo Church (1565-2015) in the year 2015.
Faleiro's last book, Goa, 1961: The Complete Story of Nationalism and Integration, was published in 2023, and documents the events that led to Operation Vijay and those that followed.
He also added his invaluable contributions to books such as In Black and White and Follow Me (Vol III).
As a journalist, Faleiro worked for several publications like the West Coast Times, Current Weekly, The Free Press Journal and Indian Express, to name a few.
Apart from literary pursuits, Valmiki was also the president of the Margao Municipal Corporation from 1985 to 1987.