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P. D. Gaitonde

(1913 -1992) – (Goa)

P. D. Gaitonde

Dr. Pundalik Dattatreya Gaitonde (Aged 79) was born on 3rd July 1913. He was a surgeon from Goa and an active participant in the Goa liberation movement. After studying medicine and surgery, Gaitonde started practicing medicine in Portugal.

During his time in Portugal, he met a young Portuguese woman named Edila Brum Dutra de Andrade, and the two decided to get married. However, they faced stiff opposition from their respective families. For their honeymoon, Gaitonde selected Peniche, the location of the prison-fort where several activists of the Goa Liberation Movement were being held. These prisoners organized a celebration in honor of Pundalik and Edila.

Gaitonde was jailed during Portuguese rule for a protest statement he made while holding office in the region along the west coast of India. After his release in 1955, Gaitonde returned to India and settled in New Delhi. In that capacity, he visited several countries including the United States, Brazil, United Kingdom, Sweden, and USSR, and represented the case of Portuguese colonies in general and Goa in particular at the United Nations. His campaigns led to the Seminar on Portuguese Colonies organized in New Delhi. He passed away by 13 November 1992.